Perception-Based Leadership Hits the Global Stage
Written by Mark Branson, Leadership Theorist
Mark Branson has combined 20 years of experience, 5 State Titles, and one World Record into the first advancement in leadership theory in 50 years. Branson's first book, The Illusion of Competence, introduced perception-based leadership. Branson's second book, Unified Leadership Theory (2025), advances the theory further.
I started working on my first leadership theory, The Illusion of Competence, in 1999. The Illusion of Competence started as a personal mission because of a scenario that played out repeatedly at work. The corporation sent down a directive. My associates disengaged from the directive. I was caught in the middle, expected to gain buy-in from associates where there was none.
I always did things differently because I was always searching for a better way. When I found a better way, my associates bought into my methods. However, straying from the company way brought unwanted attention from corporate executives.
There had to be a way to get employees to do processes my way while ‘corporate’ believed processes were being completed its way. Turns out there was a way. My bosses did not need to know processes were completed their way. As long as my bosses perceived processes were completed their way, it did not matter how the processes were completed.
I had a high school education when I started developing The Illusion of Competence. I started college in 2009 at age 44, earning a dual master’s degree in business and leadership in 2016.
I did not go to college to learn about leadership. I already knew leadership was broken. When I talked about leadership, I wanted my words to matter. I knew being a store manager from Albuquerque with a high school education was not going to cut it.
My first book, The Illusion of Competence, was completed in the fall of 2016. My Mom, a former Intel executive, was the first person to read The Illusion of Competence. Mom liked the concepts within The Illusion of Competence, but stated bluntly, companies are never going to buy into your strategies.
I hired my future wife at Famous Footwear in 2001. Lisa never left, starting as a part-time associate and working up to managing her own stores. Lisa considers me her mentor. However, she maintains the same sentiment as Mom. Companies will never buy it.
I published The Illusion of Competence in February 2017. In conjunction, I started writing a blog on a long-dormant LinkedIn account with four followers. I had ideas to share, but no idea what to expect. I used to send connection requests weekly to grow my account. My LinkedIn account grows on its own now, with 17,000 plus followers and an average of three new followers a day.
I joined the prestigious International Leadership Association in July 2025. The ILA is the premier organization for leadership scholars, educators, and practitioners to share their leadership knowledge.
ILA members were asked to submit proposals to ILA’s 28th global conference in Toronto, Canada, this fall. Initially, I felt the ILA was for its known scholars, educators, and practitioners, not myself.
An ILA administrator’s personal request for a proposal piqued my interest. Maybe the ILA was speaking to me. I did a little research and started writing a proposal five days before the deadline, submitting it with a day to spare.
My proposal spoke to how perceptions are processed in the brain compared to emotional intelligence and the advantages thereof. I had low expectations for my proposal due to a lack of insight into the entire process. In consequence, I was genuinely shocked when my proposal was accepted.
I will be conducting a roundtable at the ILA’s 28th Annual Global Conference, introducing the inner workings of perception-based leadership and its inherent advantages over behavior-based leadership constructs. Not bad for a store manager from Albuquerque whose concepts would never be accepted. I knew my words on leadership would matter. One day, you will too. See you in Toronto!
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Read more from Mark Branson
Mark Branson, Leadership Theorist
Mark Branson set the world record for the arcade game Asteroids in 1981, playing for 55 hours in a quarter. Branson then applied his concepts of greatness to winning 5 New Mexico state racquetball titles over a 15-year career. Branson then created a leadership theory from scratch, combining 30 years of leadership experience and his habit of winning into the first advancement in leadership thought since the turn of the century.
