Is there an optimal way to lead teams and deliver our goals? Some people think so. Through history, models for leadership, operation and delivery have been sold as the route to success. Practitioners have promoted their favoured frameworks, and leaders have announced universal ways of working across every team in global organisations.

Despite this conviction, when the reality of Monday morning comes, nothing is quite so simple. Some teams gain real benefit from our changes, but others slow down, and existing capabilities can even be lost. With our reputations on the line, what next? Do we try to be more agile, more authentic or more purposeful? Do we reverse our actions or choose to fund another organisational transformation? In this book, Stephen argues that there can never be an optimal model for leadership or delivery of our goals, and no framework can guarantee results. We need a different way to develop our organisations and that begins by stepping out of the one-size-fits-all cycle.