Part 1: Stop Buying Batteries

This is a three-part series on leadership development. Leadership development is intentional.

PART 1

Stop Buying Batteries: Why Our Talent Energy Keeps Running Out

Many organisations today feel tired.

Not because their people lack commitment or intelligence — but because the organisation itself keeps running out of energy.

When performance dips or capability gaps appear, the instinctive response is familiar:

• Hire experienced talent from the market

• Send high-potential employees to short courses

• Launch another leadership initiative

For a while, the energy returns.

Then it fades.

And the cycle repeats.

This is what I call buying batteries.

The illusion of external energy

Many well-known companies have learned — sometimes painfully — that external talent alone cannot compensate for weak internal systems.

In fast-growing sectors, firms that relied heavily on lateral hiring often discovered that performance dropped once the “new hire effect” wore off. Leaders arrived with impressive resumes but struggled to adapt to the organisation’s culture, decision norms, and pace. Energy was imported — but never regenerated.

Contrast this with organisations like Procter & Gamble, which for decades has promoted the majority of its senior leaders from within. P&G does hire externally, but selectively. Its real strength comes from a leadership system that develops people early, consistently, and deliberately. Talent is not a one-time purchase; it is continuously cultivated.

The hidden cost of batteries

Buying batteries looks decisive. But it creates long-term fragility:

• Rising recruitment costs

• Over-dependence on a few “strong performers”

• Burnout among leaders asked to constantly compensate

• Shallow leadership benches that crack under pressure

This is not a failure of people.

It is a failure of the system.

McKinsey’s research shows that organisations operating in volatility need leadership depth, not brilliance at the top. Resilience comes from a strong middle — leaders who can step up, adapt, and stabilise the organisation when conditions change.

Before asking, “Who can we hire next?”

A better question is:

Why does our organisational energy keep running out?