While strategic business leaders talk about the future of work and what it may hold, workers and businesses certainly know how much change we’ve all gone through the past five years. But have you thought about what the future of work has meant and means to leaders and the qualities, knowledge, and behaviors they require?

Technology, the pace of change, and the changing workforce all have an impact on how leaders lead—the need to upskill employees quickly and lead in new ways, for example. Conflict and uncertainty among employees and leaders vis-à-vis diversity initiatives, hybrid environments, and political and cultural clashes increase the likelihood of conflict while also creating new challenges for leaders. Further, artificial intelligence causes concern among employees that their roles will become obsolete, which affects their productivity and engagement. Conversely, automating routine tasks will enable workers to focus on creative endeavors and human-oriented tasks. Another issue is that the new generation has different expectations and unique lived experiences.

McLean & Company’s 2025 report, The Future of Work, advises that, due to the changing landscape, “leadership will need to evolve to emphasize the management of workers’ energy, emotional wellbeing, and human experience to foster a workforce that remains energized, engaged, and innovative.”

Valued skills and qualifications

“One doesn’t need to look very far to observe that traditional leadership ideas and models are rapidly becoming outdated,” writes Rachel Wells in a Forbes article. She emphasizes that those traditional modes “are not capable of creating healthy work cultures or effectively leading the diverse workforce of today, at least not on their own.”

According to International Institute for Management Development’s article, “The 8 Key Leadership Skills You Need to Know in 2024,” the top four skills are relationship building, agility and adaptability, innovation and creativity, and employee motivation. “Leaders with strong, trusting and authentic relationships with their teams know that investing time in building these bonds makes them more effective as a leader, and creates a foundation for success,” notes the IMD blog.

Wells also uses the word adaptability in her article, noting that it, along with emotional intelligence, empathy, collaboration, and visionary thinking, are traits indicative of good leadership.

The McLean & Company report puts it this way: “Leadership must shift to be centered around inclusion, relationship building, navigating challenging conversations, and communication to ensure experiences at work are positive.”

But how do leaders acquire and develop such a tall order of capabilities?

Map a way forward

Begin by probing the current status of leadership skills. To survey the state of leadership skills, McLean & Company recommends asking questions such as:

• “What are the current conflict management and communication capabilities among leaders?”

• “In what ways can leadership practices be altered or enhanced to manage not just workflows but also the human experience of the workforce?”

• “How can we proactively identify and establish a succession planning pipeline of workers with the people leadership skills needed in the future?”

The human element is increasingly important in a world so focused on technology. In “The 5 Most In-Demand Skills In 2025,” Bernard Marr writes that “Leaders who can articulate vision, inspire teams, and navigate complex human dynamics will stand out in a world increasingly mediated by technology.”

Read more from Talent Development Leader.