The Leadership We Need: A New Mindset for a Brighter Future

Available Now | John Murray Business

The leadership that got us here won't get us where we need to go.

The Leadership We Need: A New Mindset for a Brighter Future offers a bold, urgent blueprint for a new era of leadership—one that’s tough enough to address challenging issues, protect our future, and lead with clear, authentic purpose. The stakes have never been higher.

Drawing from over a decade of leadership expertise and research, Maria Brinck examines the leadership monopoly that has shaped how organizations define strength, success, and authority—and why it limits our ability to solve today's most complex challenges.

Brinck argues that the hard way is, in fact, the right way: where we collaborate instead of compete, engage people instead of control them, and live alongside nature rather than dominate it.

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Discussion Questions

Drawing from her expertise and key themes in The Leadership We Need, Maria Brinck is available for interviews, articles, and immediate commentary and can discuss:

Leadership culture hasn’t evolved in 10,000 years, and it’s killing us: 7 leadership culture fixes we must embrace for a truly sustainable future
5 common communication missteps leaders make that can exacerbate a crisis
The leadership shift from “command and control” to “connect and adapt” – How to build trust in real time and make decisions with speed and empathy
3 leadership styles that beat out “aggressive leadership” and how to master them
How discovering and developing your unique differences can make you an all-star team member
3 verbal and nonverbal communication mistakes that undermine your ability to connect with others at work
How to implement the “strengths based movement,” an everyday philosophy intended to maximize individual and team performance which helps improve employee engagement 6x
The hidden cost of always being the smartest person in the room: How intellectual dominance stifles innovation and team growth
How to become an inquiry-driven leader and why asking the right questions drives innovation and engagement while maximizing productivity
How the best and effective leaders have the skills, strengths, and courage to reach out beyond their inner circle and build bridges
How to create an organizational purpose that attracts, retains and engages your talent ensuring long-term success
How to self-assess making sure your “Ego” is not getting in your way
How to build a culture based on trust

Testimonials

”To come out of the many crises we are currently in will require a different set of values and, as well, leadership traits. The days of greed, short-termism and gross neglect of justice and planetary health must give way for empathy, purpose over profit, equality and a healthy planet. The Leadership We Need is a Must Read for everyone engaged in our common future!”

Anders Wijkman
Honorary President Club of Rome, Board Chairman Climate KIC
Former EU Parliamentarian

"A bold new paradigm for leadership, a must read for business and nations to safeguard our future."

Mark Gerzon
Board Chairman
Mediators Foundation and Best-Selling Author Leading Throught Conflict

“Refreshing inspiration for all leaders to accomplish transformative change with a new mindset. Both feminine and masculine qualities are needed for effective leadership. This book provides the research and reason for a hopeful future.”

Christine Hibbard, PhD.
Author, The Heart of Healing

"The Leadership We Need is a courageous and compelling call to action for a new era of leadership—one grounded in balance, inclusion, and shared purpose. With clarity and conviction, Maria Brinck dismantles outdated paradigms and offers a bold, practical roadmap for transforming how we lead in business, government, and society. This is a must-read for every leader seeking to lead not just with power, but with humanity."

Kim Coupounas
Former CEO GoLite, Partner Leaders' Quest

“In a world facing deep and urgent challenges, The Leadership We Need offers a bold new way forward. With practical steps, powerful insights, and a clear vision for change, The Leadership We Need will transform how you think, lead, and act. If you care about the future of your organization, your people, or our planet, this is the book you cannot afford to miss.”

Ingmar Rentzhog
Founder & CEO, WeDontHaveTime.org

“The Leadership We Need is a bold, transformational book. Maria invites corporations and nations to step into a form of leadership that serves life—drawing from her own experience and the urgent truth, she doesn’t just point to the problem—she offers solutions and actions rooted in human diversity and ecological intelligence. I recommend it to all who care about building a prosperous future for all."

Hunter Lovins
Co-Founder Rocky Mountain Institute, President Natural Capitalism, Best Selling Co-Author of “Natural Capitalism”

“Futurist Maria Brinck offers a powerful proposition: the future of leadership—and the future of business—depends on a fundamental shift in how we define and practice power. Maria doesn't just diagnose the problem of disengagement in today's leadership culture; she lays out a practical, visionary path forward. If your organization is ready to lead with purpose, regeneration and evolve with integrity, start here."

Anneli Kansbod
CEO Bemz

“If you’ve ever considered finding your purpose, it is to lead. But how? Maria Brinck brilliantly combines psychological, historical and practical insights as to how to be the best that you can be. Entertaining, insightful, pragmatic and compelling! Maria Brinck has created a fascinating page-turner that defines the traits, values, and steps needed to be an effective leader.“

Hon. Claudine Schneider
Former United States Congresswoman

"The Leadership We Need presents a bold challenge to our outdated models of leadership. In a world grappling with cascading environmental and social crises, Maria delivers an honest and frank discussion about the power differences between men and women and a roadmap for evolving the leadership culture. In a time when courageous leaders are hard to find, this call for regenerative leadership is sorely needed."

Andrew Winston
Thinkers50 #3, Best Selling Co-Author Net Positive, Sustainability Strategist

“The Leadership We Need is a timely and essential read at this juncture in history when leading with a full representation of humanity has never been more critical for the survival of our planet and the humans and nonhuman species that rely on it. Readers of The Leadership We Need will not only come away more knowledgeable but also much wiser."

Abigail Schneider
PhD. - Director, Sustainable Economic and Enterprise Development (SEED) Institute, Regis University

"The Leadership We Need is a compelling invitation to reimagine leadership as inclusive, data-informed, and deeply connected to our shared humanity. Maria Brinck challenges conventional paradigms, offering a vision that embraces gender and cognitive diversity, moral clarity, and ethical responsibility. A timely and thought-provoking read for anyone seeking meaningful, sustainable change."

Hadeel Anabtawi
Board Member International Leadership Association, Founder The Alchemist Lab

"The Leadership We Need is a powerful and timely call to action. Maria Brinck offers a bold, visionary blueprint for the kind of leadership our world urgently needs—one rooted in collaboration, compassion, and courage. Her insight is both deeply personal and globally relevant. This book doesn’t just challenge outdated norms—it lights the path forward. Every aspiring and current leader should read it. Gratitude to Maria for this brilliant work!"

Doug Gardner
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations for
UNDP

"This book isn’t a mystery novel, but it is a real page-turner. Maria Brinck brings the stories and wisdom of her fascinating life to the great problems the world now faces. It is a compelling description of the kind of leadership - with women included - that the world desperately needs."

Alexander E. MacDonald
PhD., Former Laboratory Director at NOAA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

"In Leadership We Need, Maria offers a breakthrough - an essential leap forward for the future of leadership. Through vivid storytelling and real-world case studies, Maria explores how leaders must evolve to remain effective in an era defined by digital transformation and global disruption. In a world of constant change, this book provides the blueprint for leaders who want to drive innovation while staying grounded in humanity.

Julie Lockwood
Program Director of Integration Services IBM, Global Business
Consulting & Masters University Professor at University of Colorado Denver

“Reading this book felt like an urgent and intimate call to realign our inner and outer worlds. Maria Brinck speaks with rare clarity and courage about what is at stake—not only for leadership, but for the human story itself. This book is not just timely—it’s necessary.”

Tomas Bjorkman
Founder Ekskäret Foundation, Founding Chair of the Inner Development Goals

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