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You cannot bolt a "serve first" identity onto someone who has spent 20 years operating on achievement, control, and self-preservation.

No seminar is going to rewrite that. Pretending otherwise is how companies end up with inspirational quotes and mediocre execution.

Jackson Lynch breaks down why servant leadership, as it's popularly sold, is one of the biggest myths in leadership—and what actually works: engineering leadership context instead of trying to reprogram personality.

What You'll Learn

Why servant leadership collapses: Instinct always wins under pressure. Leaders rose through systems that rewarded execution and personal drive. You can't fake a serve-first orientation when stress hits.

Two flawed assumptions: (1) Leaders can be reprogrammed—they can't, their operating system is built from 20 years of reinforcement. (2) Servant leadership is universally ideal—it's not, many avoid conflict or hesitate in high-pressure decisions.

The real solution: Engineer leadership context, not personality. Build expectations, operating rhythms, decision rights, and measurement systems that drive consistent behavior.

Four Plays CHROs Can Run This Week

1. Define the leadership instinct your strategy requires - Speed requires different instincts than precision. Match leaders to strategy.
2. Engineer the environment - Build clarity tools, decision rights, accountability loops that shape behavior.
3. Hire for instinct, not aspiration - If your culture demands speed, hire people wired for that.
4. Coach behavior, not personality - You can coach clarity and accountability. You can't rewire someone.

Key Quotes

"Managers leave these sessions inspired for about seven minutes. Then reality enters the chat."

"The goal is not to manufacture servant leaders. The goal is to engineer leadership context."

"Hire people whose instincts align with your strategy, then create conditions where those instincts compound."

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Until next time: Keep raising the bar, keep driving clarity, and keep climbing.

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If you are a CHRO looking to start your AI transformation, please check out ⁠www.Getpropulsion.ai⁠. Scott and his team are creating a team of agentic teammates to enable your human capital leaders to focus on leading the business forward.

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