Next Era Leadership: All Hands on Deck

What is next-era leadership? It’s a fundamental rethink of what it means to lead in a world that has moved far, far beyond the conditions and institutions of the postwar era. Across two days of spirited interaction in Vienna, we’ll confront the shortcomings of leadership today – as it is practiced, researched, and taught – and move together toward better ways of building the capacities needed for the future.

Our subtitle for the 2025 Forum – All Hands on Deck – betrays one belief we already hold on the subject. What has been seen as a powerful role for individuals, and rare ones at that, must be reframed as a creative energy distributed across many. We all know that to lead is a verb, not a noun, and what matters is the positive change that leaders bring about through others. (Drucker himself stressed decades ago that the mark of effective leadership is outcomes, not attributes.) We should also know that when leadership is making great things happen, it isn’t because legions of followers have mindlessly shown up to take orders from some mogul, it’s because people eager to make life better have been inspired by a vision and purpose, have ideas for how to make progress, and know their efforts must be aligned to accomplish anything big.

Notice that, while the Drucker Forum has always focused on the management of organizations and workplaces, none of the above is expressed in such terms. This year, we engage with a crisis afflicting the world on every level. With Drucker, we see the health of whole societies in the strength of their pillar institutions – and understand that next-era leadership must be cultivated in every corner.

Join us November 6 – 7 to share ideas and experience in the splendid setting of the Hofburg Palace. And be part of leadership’s next-era vanguard.