On 21 June 2026, 30 participants came together at Sofia University to explore this question through a hands-on LEGO® Serious Play® workshop organised by The Modern Leader Community and Smart Minds.
Instead of starting with a predefined definition of modern leadership, participants were invited to explore their own perspectives, make their thinking visible and build a shared understanding together.
About the event
Exploring leadership through making
The “Modern Leader” workshop brought together people interested in how leadership is evolving - and what leaders need to create in today's changing working environment.
Using LEGO® Serious Play®, participants explored leadership through building, storytelling and reflection.
The methodology created space for different perspectives to emerge and for participants to engage with ideas not only through conversation, but through a shared, hands-on experience.
The people behind the experience
Facilitators & partners
The workshop was facilitated by Tsvetelina Teneva, founder of Smart Minds.
She was joined by Zlatina Mihaylova, founder of Zivo, and Nevena Peeva-Todorova, founder of WiSME, as LEGO® Serious Play® co-facilitators certified through Smart Minds.
Special thanks to Hristina Stoyanova of The Modern Leader Community for hosting and bringing the community together.
The experience
Building a shared picture of modern leadership
Throughout the session, participants built and shared their individual perspectives on leadership.
The models became starting points for conversation, reflection and connection.
Rather than looking for one “correct” definition of the modern leader, the workshop created space for the group to explore what leadership means to them — and what needs to change as organisations and people evolve.
A glimpse into the conversation
The workshop surfaced a powerful tension:
Modern leadership keeps what works — but lets go of what no longer serves people.
Direction, accountability, professionalism and focus on results remain important.
At the same time, participants explored the growing importance of trust, shared responsibility, curiosity, psychological safety and autonomy.
These insights will be explored in more depth in our Modern Leadership Success Story.
Why LEGO® Serious Play®?
Making thinking visible
LEGO® Serious Play® gives participants a different way to approach complex questions.
By building and explaining their own models, people can make abstract ideas visible, explore different perspectives and create a shared language for conversations that might otherwise remain difficult or intangible.
For leadership development, this opens space for conversations around trust, accountability, collaboration, culture and change.
Thank you
To everyone who built the conversation with us
Thank you to The Modern Leader Community, Christina Stoyanova, Zlatina Mihaylova, Nevena Peeva-Todorova and all 30 participants for the openness, curiosity and energy they brought to the workshop.
It was a pleasure to explore what modern leadership can look like — together.