Masterclass Leadership under pressure: what changes when complexity rises

An online masterclass with Prof. Dr. Daan Stam on how leadership challenges evolve as responsibility and organisational complexity increase.

As leadership responsibility grows, so does the complexity of the challenges leaders face. What made you effective earlier in your career may no longer be sufficient when decision-making becomes less clear-cut, stakeholders multiply, and the impact of your choices extends across the organisation.

In this online masterclass, Prof. Dr. Daan Stam explores how leadership challenges evolve across different career stages, and what this means for your effectiveness as a leader.

Rather than focusing on theory alone, this session takes a practical perspective on leadership under pressure. It highlights key tensions that leaders experience as they take on broader responsibilities — and helps you understand how your leadership approach needs to adapt as complexity increases.

The session also provides guidance on how to recognise what type of leadership development is most relevant for your current role and future ambitions.

👉 When: Thursday 21 May, 15:00 - 16:00 (CEST)

👉 Where: Online

During this masterclass, you will gain insights into:

• How leadership challenges evolve as responsibility and organisational complexity increase
• Why leadership approaches that worked earlier in your career may no longer be effective
• Key leadership tensions that emerge at different stages of leadership
• How to identify what leadership development you need next

This masterclass is relevant for professionals who:

• Are stepping into leadership roles or preparing for increased responsibility
• Currently lead teams or functions and face growing organisational complexity
• Want to better understand how leadership expectations evolve across career stages
• Are considering further leadership development and want to determine their next step

Prof. Dr. Daan Stam

Daan Stam holds the endowed chair of Leadership for Innovation in the department of technology and operations management at RSM, where he leads the innovation management group. Daan’s research focuses on leading innovation and change, and he is particularly interested in understanding why some people are able to gather strong support for innovation and change while many others struggle to do so. He has searched for answers by studying the behaviours of leaders making plans using a psychological perspective, and found that identity issues are key to solving this mystery. Daan Stam is a member of the Erasmus Centre for Leadership Studies and the Erasmus Centre for Innovation Management.