Beneath the Layers: What Baumkuchen Taught Me About Leadership Growth

baumkuchen

In Shirakawa, Japan, I came across a café known for its baumkuchen — a German cake baked in thin layers on a rotating spit until it resembles the rings of a tree. There were two versions: one light and fluffy, the other darker and denser.

We debated which to choose. The lighter one looked beautiful and uniform; the darker one seemed overdone.

In the end, we picked the version that offered both.

It turns out we both liked the one that looked the worst. The darker, more condensed layers were caramelized and rich — more complex, more satisfying. The lighter version, while lovely, tasted more like a simple pound cake.

That contrast reminded me of how leadership shows up in organizations. We often reward the light and fluffy — the confident speaker, the polished résumé, the quick results. We sometimes refer to it as "leadership presence".

We promote people who “look ready,” even when they’ve had little heat, no mentoring, and no time to build the deeper layers that leadership demands.

Meanwhile, those who have been tested by challenges — who’ve weathered feedback, mistakes, and growth — may not always look the part. Their edges might be uneven, but their insight runs deep.

Bias in hiring and promotion often favors superficial qualities over substance. We value visibility more than resilience, charisma more than curiosity, and speed more than self-awareness. Yet, as with the baumkuchen, it’s the layers formed under consistent heat — reflection, feedback, and patience — that create real strength.

True leadership isn’t baked in one pass. It’s formed over time, through moments that test your capacity to stay, learn, and transform. The most valuable leaders — like the richest layers — are the ones who’ve spent time in the heat.

At Dolce Consulting, we help organizations move beyond the “light and fluffy” approach to leadership. We build cultures where development is deliberate, mentoring is expected, and growth is earned — one layer at a time.