As global projects grow in scale and complexity, outdated leadership models are failing. To succeed, we must rethink what it really means to lead.
In an era where major projects increasingly shape the world we live in; from infrastructure and technology to public services and climate resilience, questions about how we lead them have never been more important. Traditional leadership models, rooted in control and hierarchy, are struggling to meet the demands of today’s complex and interconnected challenges.
In a recent presentation at AMBS’s Festival of Business 2025, Dr Eunice Maytorena-Sanchez, Senior Lecturer in Project Management at Alliance Manchester Business School, explored why we need to rethink leadership in complex projects. Her talk emphasised the need for adaptability, collaboration, and continuous learning over rigid control and top-down direction.
Watch this short video where Eunice explains more:
Here’s how, and why, businesses must act
Leading major projects isn’t just about applying technical expertise or following established processes. It’s a multifaceted challenge that calls for navigating complexity, managing ambiguity, and fostering collaboration across a range of stakeholders. As projects grow in scale and scope, leadership must move beyond traditional ideas of control, shifting instead towards adaptability, relationship-building, and ongoing capability development.
Success in major projects rarely comes down to technical perfection alone. More often, it’s the result of strategic judgement, strong relational skills, and a willingness to reflect and learn. Leaders who cultivate these qualities can bring together diverse voices, align evolving goals, and create the conditions for collective achievement. In this environment, leadership is less about issuing instructions and more about enabling ecosystems of expertise and innovation to thrive.
Rethinking leadership for complex environments
Traditional leadership models often struggle in the face of major projects. Command-and-control approaches may work in more stable, hierarchical settings—but they tend to fall short when dealing with shifting objectives, fluid roles, and the layered interdependencies that define complex initiatives.
In these settings, leadership isn’t about directing activity from above. It’s about enabling meaningful contribution from all sides. Influence becomes more important than control. Leaders act as facilitators of alignment rather than enforcers of compliance. This requires a fundamental rethinking of what leadership looks like - centred on adaptability, systems thinking, and emotional intelligence.
When leaders focus on influence, they help create an environment where people feel empowered to share knowledge, raise concerns, and innovate. This collective energy helps sustain momentum even when priorities shift or uncertainty looms.
Developing core capabilities for effective leadership
To lead effectively in this kind of environment, leaders need a set of capabilities that support agility, insight, and meaningful connection. Five core areas stand out:
1. Sense-making
Major projects generate vast, often conflicting information. Leaders need to make sense of this complexity; spotting patterns, asking the right questions, and co-creating a shared understanding that informs decisions.
2. Relating
Trust and communication aren’t by-products: they’re the foundation. Building strong relationships across organisational, cultural, and geographical boundaries requires intentional inclusion and open dialogue. This helps surface different perspectives and strengthens collaboration.
3. Projecting
When things are uncertain, teams look for direction. Leaders don’t need all the answers, but they do need to connect daily work to a wider purpose. A clear and compelling vision can align effort and maintain momentum through challenges.
4. Creating
Constraints - whether regulatory, financial, or logistical - are a given. But they can be a springboard for creativity. Leaders can encourage experimentation and support small-scale testing to continuously adapt and improve.
5. Judging
Decisions often need to be made with incomplete information and conflicting priorities. Good judgement involves balancing analysis with values, drawing on a range of perspectives, and keeping choices aligned with the project’s core aims.
Leading across organisational ecosystems
Major projects don’t exist in isolation. They span multiple organisations, each with its own culture, goals, and governance structures. Effective leadership in this space demands diplomacy, strategic insight, and an ability to bridge differences.
Developing shared language and mutual expectations is crucial. Misalignment can slow progress or create tension, whereas clarity helps foster cohesion. Leaders need to navigate competing objectives and build consensus, ensuring that the broader purpose of the project remains front and centre.
By acting as a connector between different groups, the leader helps maintain strategic coherence while embracing the richness that diverse perspectives bring. This turns potential fragmentation into strength.
Embracing leadership as a learning practice
Leadership in complex projects isn’t a fixed role: it’s a practice that evolves with experience. Setbacks are inevitable, but they can become powerful moments for growth. The most effective leaders model a mindset of learning, showing that vulnerability and curiosity are not weaknesses but strengths.
Encouraging teams to reflect, share insights, and learn from challenges builds collective resilience. It also helps the project respond more effectively to future change.
Final thoughts
The complexity of major projects calls for a shift in how we think about leadership. Control is no longer the currency of success. Instead, it’s about creating the conditions for collaboration, innovation, and shared progress.
Effective leadership today is defined not by certainty, but by the ability to respond to uncertainty with clarity, humility, and intent. By developing core capabilities and adopting a learning mindset, leaders can guide their teams - and their projects - to thrive in even the most challenging contexts.
