Reframing leadership through the Accelerator MBA 

Accelerator MBA participant Ross Flew reflects on his journey through the Leadership Accelerator, discovering that effective leadership is diverse, context-driven, and authentic.

Before joining the Accelerator MBA at Warwick Business School (WBS), I often saw leadership as something to be “mastered” and that all great leaders shared similar understanding and traits. The Leadership Accelerator module challenged that idea entirely and showed me that leadership is far more diverse, contextual, and situational than I had previously understood.  

One Goal, Many Styles 

The CIP (Charismatic, Ideological, Pragmatic) framework was a breakthrough moment for me. It theorises that there are multiple valid pathways to outstanding leadership, shaped by a combination of individual values, formative life events, and contextual demands. In other words, not everyone needs to be a charismatic visionary or a systems-driven reformer, different leadership styles (and therefore individuals) serve different situations. 

Overlaying that with the BANI framework, where modern leaders must navigate brittle systems, anxious teams, non-linear outcomes, and incomprehensible complexity, I saw just how much leadership today demands adaptability, not uniformity. Moreover, it requires a group of leaders, rather than one single individual. This insight helped me shed the pressure to emulate a certain “type” of leader and instead reflect more deeply on the kind of leadership I already demonstrate, and how to grow from there. 

From Reflection to Realisation 

A big part of the module was self-awareness. Through feedback exercises, group work, and journaling, I started to understand both my strengths and developmental edges: 

• I lead well through expertise, structure, and clarity, especially in cross-functional environments where shared direction is critical. 

• I’m effective at solving problems, communicating technical ideas with clarity, and building processes that scale. 

• But I’m learning to slow down: listen more, create space for input, and lead through questions rather than solutions. 

The practice-based approach of the module gave me opportunities to experiment with these behaviours. I noticed where I defaulted to control or speed and instead worked on patience, open-mindedness, and co-creation. 

No Leader Without Followers 

One of the most overlooked concepts we explored was that leadership cannot exist without followership. That might sound obvious, but it reframed my thinking. 

We often glorify “the leader” without recognising that the real momentum comes from early adopters, those first few who choose to follow. Their belief makes it safer for others to join, creates legitimacy, and enables scale. In start-up businesses (where I have focussed my career), I’ve seen this first-hand; no matter how strong the founder’s vision, it’s the first few believers who truly enable the idea to take hold and gain traction (from early employees to suppliers and customers). 

It also made me reflect on how we judge leadership. The module challenged the idea that leadership is judged in real time. In reality, leadership is often evaluated retrospectively, based on outcomes. This creates a paradox where we associate great leadership with success, but that success can be influenced by external factors. We need to be careful not to confuse charisma or decisiveness with effectiveness. 

Leading in a Complex World 

As a result of this module, I’ve moved away from chasing an archetype of leadership and toward cultivating the style that’s authentic, situationally aware, and grounded in outcomes. I’ve become more comfortable embracing adaptive leadership and guiding through uncertainty, inviting diverse perspectives, and seeing experimentation as a strength, not a weakness. 

Final Thought 

This module reinforced that there is no universal formula for great leadership. Different people bring different strengths to different moments, and that’s exactly how it should be. The job isn’t to become someone else’s version of a leader. It’s to grow into a version of leadership that works for you, your values, and your context, while staying flexible enough to evolve as those things change.