The Visionary Leader Dr. Eleonora Bonacossa

Published on 08 December 2025.

Dr. Eleonora Bonacossa is an internationally certified Business and Leadership Coach and the Founder of ARETA, New Perspectives for Leaders, a leadership development institute based in Frankfurt, Germany. Her work focuses on empowering leaders to build sustainable, human-centred, and resilient organizational cultures. With more than a decade of experience coaching executives across Europe and internationally, she specializes in systemic leadership development, women’s leadership, and organizational culture transformation.

Dr. Eleonora Bonacossa

Originally from Pesaro, Italy, and now based in Germany, Dr. Bonacossa merges Italian sensibility for beauty, meaning, and presence with German clarity, structure, and depth. She holds a Specialized Master of Science in Management for Non-Profit Organizations, Cooperatives, and Social Enterprises from Bocconi School of Management in Milan (Summa cum Laude), as well as a Diploma in Social Teaching of the Church from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome (Summa cum Laude). She is a certified Systemic Business Coach (DVCT) and has completed further advanced training with globally recognized leadership experts.

Dr. Bonacossa is the author of the internationally published book 6 Leadership Skills to Unleash the Game Changer in You and Your Team, first released in German in 2021 and later published worldwide in English in 2022, including an illustrated premium edition. The accompanying Leadership Workbook was developed as a six-month applied leadership practice program for managers and teams. In her work, she emphasizes that leadership can be learned but requires emotional intelligence, relational awareness, and the capacity to create environments that value, care for, and encourage people to thrive. Her leadership voice is recognized on international stages. In 2025, she was invited to speak at the Women’s Pavilion by Cartier at EXPO Osaka on the role of women’s leadership in creating sustainable societies. She also delivered a keynote for the International Bar Association’s Global Entrepreneurship Conference in Milan and participated as a member of the German government delegation at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. In 2024, she received a Professional Doctorate in Business Leadership, awarded at a formal ceremony at the House of Lords in London. Dr. Bonacossa’s work consistently advocates for a leadership model rooted in humanity, responsibility, and co-creation. She believes that leaders shape not only organizations, but lives, and therefore hold a profound responsibility to lead with awareness, integrity, and care. 6 Leadership Skills By Dr. Eleonora Bonacossa:

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In 6 Leadership Skills, Dr. Eleonora Bonacossa redefines what it means to lead in a rapidly changing, post-pandemic, and deeply interconnected world. With a clear and human-centered approach, she invites leaders to shift from authority to awareness, from control to connection. Her message is clear: today’s most powerful leadership skills are not technical or hierarchical; they are relational, emotional, and profoundly human.

At the core of the book are six essential leadership skills that have a measurable impact on performance, engagement, and wellbeing, not only within organizations but also across teams and stakeholders. These skills are not “soft”; they are strategic and necessary to build resilient, innovative, and inclusive workplaces.

Dr. Bonacossa presents six leadership skills that define a new era of leadership. Recognize you don’t have all the answers. True leadership begins with humility. In a VUCA world, the ability to embrace uncertainty, admit limitations, and remain open to learning is more powerful than pretending to know it all. Listen proactively. Leaders must listen beyond words. Proactive listening means paying attention with intention, creating space for others, acknowledging emotions, and being fully present in conversations. Provide safety. Psychological safety is a prerequisite for trust, innovation, and growth. Leaders who create environments where people feel safe to speak up, make mistakes, and be themselves unlock the full potential of their teams.

Appreciate. Recognition is not a bonus but a basic need. Expressing authentic appreciation reinforces a culture of value, belonging, and motivation. It reminds people that their work and presence matter. Care. Caring leadership is  not a weakness but a strength. Showing genuine interest in people’s well-being and taking time to connect with them as humans, not just professionals, builds long-term loyalty and engagement. Encourage. Empowerment is at the heart of transformation. Encouraging others to grow, to take initiative, and to believe in themselves is one of the highest acts of leadership

These six competencies are framed within a larger journey of leadership development, which Bonacossa structures into three phases: Self-Management (Inner Work), Leading Others, and Leading Together in a new culture of Co-Elevation. This book focuses on the second and third phases, assuming the reader has already engaged in the foundational inner work of emotional intelligence and self-awareness.

In the face of uncertainty, hybrid work, and societal transformation, Bonacossa invites leaders to abandon outdated ideals of perfection and control. Instead, she encourages a leadership style grounded in humility, connection, and continuous learning. Leaders are not required to know everything, but they must be willing to ask better questions, to create psychological safety, and to embody a culture of valuing, caring, and encouraging.

6 Leadership Skills is not a traditional manual but an invitation to evolve. It encourages leaders to create environments of trust, inclusion, and growth, where people feel seen, safe, and supported. In a time when leadership is being redefined, this book offers both a compass and a call to action to lead with presence, purpose, and deep respect for the human factor. It is both a mirror and a map. It reflects the kind of leader we are and points to the kind of leader we can become. Behind the Scenes with Dr. Eleonora Bonacossa: Exclusive Interview!

L’Heure: How do you see leadership evolving as technology accelerates at an unprecedented pace?

Dr. Eleonora: As innovation accelerates, many leaders will face their deepest fear, becoming irrelevant. The real advantage of the future lies in emotional intelligence. Creativity, empathy, and critical thinking will be the defining competencies. Balancing technological progress with human depth is what will shape tomorrow’s leaders.

Discover the full story of Dr. Eleonora’s journey. Click here to read the complete article.