The T Shaped Leader in Action

Today’s organisations ask leaders to be both outstanding specialists and enterprise-wide contributors. The strongest leaders hold deep functional mastery—the vertical of the “T”—and pair it with a broad horizontal ability to collaborate, translate, and influence across teams. That dual focus matters. Within your function, you set standards, build systems, and develop people. Across the organisation, you connect dots, shape strategy, and turn risk and complexity into clear choices others can act on.

T-shaped leadership isn’t about diluting expertise; it’s about amplifying its impact. By extending your horizontal influence through stakeholder engagement, shared frameworks, and plain-English narrative, you move from being the go-to problem solver to an architect of value at scale. The result is a function that enables momentum, not just compliance with process, and a leader whose contribution is felt well beyond their silo.