Michelangelo's David was the first colossal marble statue made in the early modern period. A symbol of Florentine civic pride and liberty, and a representation of the ideal human form and spirit, it is one of the most recognized works of Renaissance sculpture. The pose fashioned by Michelangelo is unlike that of earlier Renaissance expressions of David. The omission of the giant, Goliath, altogether had never been depicted before. According to scholars, David is depicted before his battle with the giant. Rather than being shown victorious over a foe much larger than he, David looks wary as he sizes up the giant Goliath before the battle has actually taken place. His brow is drawn, his neck tense, and the veins bulge out of his lowered right hand. His left hand holds a sling that is draped over his shoulder and down to his right hand, which holds the handle of the sling. The sculpture has come to embody not just the "glorified warrior,” the "honorable, worthy, distinguished, but also real, vulnerable and contemplative" individual - a complex portrait of a whole person, which is more enduring than a simple narrative.

This groundbreaking depiction of the biblical hero as a mature, thoughtful man, its technical perfection in stone, and its powerful symbolism as the triumph of good over evil and the power of the individual have made it a cornerstone of Western art history. In a similar vein, recent research is finding that effective leadership isn’t about always being perfect, but about being real and genuine. When followers believe their leaders are acting as their authentic selves, they experience greater well-being, trust the organization more, perform better, work harder, and make more-ethical decisions. Research by Li Jiang, Maryam Kouchaki and Leslie K. John (holding appointments at George Washington University School of Business, Kellogg School of Management and Harvard Business School) has shown that leaders’ self-disclosure of weaknesses can foster perceptions of authenticity, meaning that many leaders miss an opportunity to develop rapport with their workers when they choose to exclusively talk about their strengths. They found that disclosing weaknesses increased perceived authenticity for both male and female leaders, garnering benefits regardless of gender. In addition, the higher the status of the discloser, the stronger the positive outcomes were. It matters not only that you share your true self, but that you do so when you have a lot at stake.

Another perspective of Michelangelo’s mastery with The David that rarely receives consideration is the power of time and place in the rise of this symbol. Florence, the Italian city-state, and the explosion of great art and brilliant ideas 500 years ago, the likes of which the world has not seen before or since, are two factors that cannot be separated from The David. Together, Michelangelo’s David is not just about the artist and his genius, but the meeting of talent and potential, patronage and mentors, competition and disastrous events and the synthesis of ideas that stand for something profoundly human. To put more bluntly, great organizations are not just about leadership and innate traits, but the meeting of sensing and adapting to the specific "spirit of the times"—the prevailing ideas, moods, and shifts (like technology, social norms, global events) that are shaping an era. Such leadership understands changing landscapes (government, labor, demographics) to seize opportunities and work at the intersection of talent and potential, investors and advisors, competitors and regulators to give shape to what it means to be human.