Lead like it’s 2025: what leadership really means today

The title on your business card doesn’t guarantee you’re leading. Not anymore.

In 2025, leadership has left the boardroom. It lives in meetings, yes – but also in comment threads, Slack channels, livestreams, and the quiet space between two sentences where someone decides to speak up.

It’s not a role. It’s a presence.

In a recent Disruptive Business Leadership livestream hosted by Roy Kowarski , we discussed how some still believe that leadership is about position. They think authority comes from hierarchy, or that credibility is earned behind closed doors. But leadership without visibility is like winking in the dark. You know you’re doing it – but no one else does.

Leadership is no longer something you do in private. It’s something people expect to see.

That doesn’t mean turning your insights into a performance. It means making them available. It means offering clarity, direction, or encouragement – not just in meetings, but in moments. A well-timed comment. A simple story. A reflection that helps someone else move forward.

Roy Kowarski: “Visibility isn’t vanity. It’s value.”

Still, many senior professionals hesitate. “I don’t want to post online – it feels self-promotional,” they say.

But they’re asking the wrong question. Visibility isn’t about seeking attention. It’s about earning trust.

People want to know what kind of leader you are. They want to see if your values match your words – and if your words match your actions.

Felipe Cofiño , a senior HR executive and leadership coach, put it this way: “If you want the title and the pay, it comes with responsibility. That includes staying in tune with different people, different learning styles, different ways of leading.”

LinkedIn isn’t the only place that happens – but it’s often the most visible one.

It’s where clients check your credibility before reaching out. Where employees get to know the humans behind the org chart. Where future leaders quietly watch, deciding who’s worth following.

You don’t have to post daily. But if you never speak, they’ll assume you have nothing to say.

That’s where AI can help. Not by taking over your voice – but by supporting it.

“I co-wrote two books,” Felipe shared. “But I never finished the children’s story I wanted to write… until I used AI to help me visualise and structure it. It unlocked something.”

(Note: Felipe has now finished and published his book and you can read about it here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/felipe-cofino_felipecofiaeho-mirandaandmax-author-activity-7362827588169277440-ag8l)

AI isn’t replacing leaders. It’s removing barriers. Whether it’s helping you shape an article, script a video, or draft a carousel from your own voice notes, it’s a tool – not a shortcut.

As Roy reminded the group, “Without implementation and action, it stays in the basket.”

Leadership in 2025 isn’t about being the loudest in the room. It’s about showing up where others can see, learn, and connect. That might be through content. It might be through conversation. But it won’t happen by staying silent.

You don’t need permission to lead.

You just need to begin.