A Debate about Moving Beyond the Stronger Leader Fallacy

Catalyst Center for Work Innovation: The Debate · Jun 30, 2026 · 26m

This research explores the "stronger leader" fallacy, arguing that frequent leadership turnover often stems from systemic organizational dysfunction rather than individual failure. The research highlights how unsustainable role demands and under-resourcing disproportionately impact Black women leaders, who often face unique pressures like the Superwoman Schema and racialized expectations. Instead of treating vacancies as simple hiring tasks, the research suggests using them as diagnostic opportunities to fix broken internal structures. Proposed solutions include implementing distributed…