This is Part 2 of a 3-part series on the collapse of outdated leadership models. We’re looking at where it’s failing, why it’s crumbling, and most importantly, what we’re building instead.

The Extinction Burst - Why Old Leadership Models Are Crumbling Everywhere

Every day, another headline exposes the cracks in old leadership models.

But those old models aren’t going quietly. They’re fighting tooth and nail to stay relevant.

Here’s what we know about extinction bursts:

Right before something dies out, it clamps down harder.

Extinction bursts are something I’ve used in coaching for years to help clients understand why change often feels worse before it gets better. When we try to shift a behavior, there’s a moment where the old way digs in, trying harder than ever to maintain control.

That’s what we’re seeing now, not just in coaching, but across industries, corporate spaces, and cultural institutions.

A leadership model that was never built to work for everyone is being exposed.

And instead of evolving, it’s doubling down, digging in, and clinging to power.

It looks like strength. It sounds like authority.

But it’s actually a death rattle.

The Coaching Industry Wasn’t an Exception - It Was a Model of Leadership Failure

In How Coaching Exposed the Limits of Old Leadership, I talked about how coaching—especially the online coaching space—mirrored the same broken leadership patterns that have been failing us for years.

And we’re seeing extinction bursts happening across leadership and industries.

The Target DEI Backpedal Is a Perfect Example

Target built its reputation as the “good” big-box retailer, launching high-profile partnerships with Black-owned brands and LGBTQ+ designers.

Whether it was genuine or performative was debated, but one thing was clear: Target was capitalizing on progressive values as part of their brand identity.

Until…

When conservative backlash against DEI initiatives ramped up, Target didn’t stand firm in their supposed values.

In 2023, after facing pushback for its Pride collection, Target started removing products from shelves.

By January 2024, Target quietly pulled funding from DEI programs, shifting donations away from racial equity groups and ending their DEI goals.

This wasn’t evolution. This wasn’t rethinking strategy.

This was a leadership model that wanted credit for being progressive, until it became inconvenient.

The Corporate Feminist Playbook is in Its Final Act

Lean In was revolutionary in its time - the idea that if women just worked harder, took more seats at the table, and spoke up more, they could change the system from the inside.

But after years of “leaning in” only to be met with glass ceilings, exhaustion, and performative DEI efforts, the next phase arrived: Burn it all down.

It sounds like a revolution—why wait for a seat at the table when you can flip it?

And we did need to name the problem. We did need to acknowledge that the game was rigged from the start.

But here’s where we get stuck: Burning it down isn’t the win.

• If all we do is reject old leadership but don’t create something better, we stay trapped in reaction mode.
• If we only call out the failures of existing models but don’t create real alternatives, we’re just playing a different game in the same broken system.
• If we don’t define what leadership should look like instead, we risk recreating the same power structures—just with different people at the top.

The question isn’t just: What are we rejecting?

It’s: What are we building instead?

The Death Rattle of Traditional Corporate Leadership Is Here

We see this pattern in corporate leadership everywhere:

• Companies implementing return-to-office policies, despite clear evidence that flexible work leads to better performance.
• CEOs doubling down on outdated management tactics, ignoring feedback from employees and consumers alike.
• Diversity and Inclusion efforts being deprioritized the moment they become controversial.

The real shift isn’t just about companies making mistakes.

It’s about the fact that the old way of leadership is showing cracks, and rather than evolve, it’s digging in.

And what we build next will determine the future of leadership itself.

The Extinction Burst Is the Last Step Before the Shift

Extinction bursts feel chaotic. They make it seem like nothing is changing. They make power grabs look like stability.

But the truth?

The old way of leadership is fighting so hard right now because it knows its time is up.

Which means:

• We don’t need to wait for permission to build something new.
• We don’t need to wait for the old guard to admit the system is broken.
• We don’t need to keep trying to fit into a model that was never designed for us.

We have to build what comes next.

And that’s exactly what we’re going to talk about tomorrow.

Up Next (Post 3): The Blueprint - What We’re Building Instead

Rejecting old leadership models isn’t enough. We need a new blueprint.

Tomorrow, we’ll talk about:

• What bold, sustainable, inclusive leadership actually looks like.
• The difference between power-hoarding and power-sharing.
• How we stop playing by the old rules and build something entirely new.

Because the leadership model that got us here?

Won’t take us forward.

Here’s what I want to know:

• Where do you see extinction bursts happening in leadership right now?
•  What old models are clamping down, even as they crumble?
• What shifts do you think are already happening in leadership?

Drop a comment and let’s talk.

This is a 3-Part Series: The Leadership Model That Brought Us Here Won’t Take Us Forward
Why Old Leadership is Crumbling. And What Comes Next.

Part 1: The Burn - How Coaching Exposed the Limits of Old Leadership

Part 2: The Extinction Burst - How This Leadership Model is Crumbling Everywhere

Part 3: The Blueprint - What We’re Building Instead