I was looking at the leadership sites on Alltop today and saw this image... (Actually, to protect the innocent, I've reconstructed it from an old Microsoft media file with a heavy helping of Photoshop.)

These days, the image of the be-suited, power-laden, hierarchical, masculine leader and deal maker seems like a real anachronism yet still appears on more corporate sites and brochures than I care to mention.  

If it is on yours then remove it now!

As a contrast, I've been chatting with colleague Helen Krag whose consultancy, Agile, specialises in developing 'influence for positive change'. Helen's clients need to 'influence without authority'. In a complex, web-enabled world, my guess is that this requirement will grow and grow.

The bad-news for the (mostly male) suits is that the preference for gaining power through influence (rather than through hierarchy) is definitely gendered. Perhaps that's what makes this image look so dated.

It's time to get in touch with my feminine side....