In today’s world of work, doing your job well is no longer enough to guarantee leadership roles or progression. Strong performance does not automatically mean you are seen as in demand, or ready for bigger opportunities. The rules have changed.

Across boardrooms and leadership forums, including recent conversations at the Davos World Economic Forum 2026, one message keeps coming up: many capable professionals are still being judged by old standards that no longer match how leadership, influence, and trust actually work in an todays world.

The real question is no longer, “Am I good at my job?”
It is, “Am I being measured by the right definition of good?”

For a long time, success followed a simple path. Deliver results. Stay loyal. Get promoted. Leadership came with title. Influence followed hierarchy. Credibility built quietly over time.

That way of working no longer holds.

Today, organisations move faster. Decisions are made quicker. Technology shapes visibility. Structures are flatter. Everyone is more exposed.
Yet many professionals are still using outdated markers to judge their own progress.

They are delivering. But they are not always being noticed.
They are capable. But influence feels uneven.

This is not a performance issue. It is a measurement issue.

What organisations now look for

Leading organisations are no longer defining “good” by effort, long hours, or even technical skill alone. Instead, they look at things like:
- How well you make decisions when things are unclear
- Whether you can influence people outside your direct role
- If your credibility travels beyond your job title
- How visible you are, without being overexposed
- Whether people trust your judgement and want to work with you

At global leadership discussions, including at the World Economic Forum 2026, leaders repeatedly raised the same concern: organisations have plenty of talent, but not enough people who can turn complexity into clarity and move others forward without relying on authority.
In simple terms, the most valuable leaders are not always the loudest. They are the ones who are well connected, well trusted, and well positioned.

So what has really changed?

Before
- Leadership came from position
- Influence followed reporting lines
- Reputation was slow and local
- Performance was reviewed occasionally

Now
- Leadership is judged by impact
- Influence moves through networks
- Reputation is always visible
- Performance signals are constant

AI has sped all of this up. It is easier to compare people, easier to see who stands out, and easier to overlook those whose value is not clearly understood.

Therefore, to know what “good” looks like, the most effective professionals stop guessing. They ask better questions:

- What does leadership actually reward here?
- Who really has influence in this organisation?
- What behaviours are being noticed and amplified?
- How does my work connect to what the organisation cares about most?

These are practical questions, not theoretical ones. And they sit at the centre of how people are trusted, promoted, and invited into bigger rooms.

This is exactly what we explore in the Value Code Challenge: helping professionals clearly define, evidence, and position their value in line with how leadership is assessed today, not how it was assessed in the past.

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If this topic resonates with you, we invite you to join our Executive List for early access to insights, private discussions, and leadership briefings. Also register interest in the April Cohort of Value Code Challenge, an experience designed for professionals navigating change, or strategic shifts in their journeys.


About The Connectors Code

The Connectors Code is leadership capital infrastructure for the modern world of work, helping organisations and professionals measure, grow, and activate leadership value so it translates into trust, visibility, and real opportunities.
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