Leadership development (LD) is critical in peacebuilding and crises management where leadership decisions have far-reaching consequences. As organisations navigate turbulence, agile leaders who can deal with information extremes, take critical decisions, and deliver change are needed. We find contemporary LD approaches are conceptually not geared to deliver such leaders. From a development perspective, the problem lies in the preponderance of reductionist ideas, an overwhelming focus on managerial skills and competencies, and a short-term outlook on development that diminish the value of leadership courses. This exploratory article emphasises the value of LD and proposes a rethink in how LD is approached at individual and organisational levels. A holistic, flexible, and longitudinal approach—the whole person approach (WPA)—is proposed, which encourages individuals and organisations to work jointly towards LD. WPA is equally relevant for other sectors and organisations where volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity affect positive change.

Hybrid warfare is currently a fashionable phrase utilised to analyse a specific form of warfare waged against both large and small states. Currently concern is raised about how a China or a Russia may be attempting to influence the domestic politics of states or alliances regarded as hostile to their interests. This could be mischief making in electoral politics or stirring up unrest in an age of populism to weaken and fragment state authority. This chapter examines how small state may be exploited in an age of the hybrid challenge but how sheltering may permit resistance.