Dive Brief:
- Artificial intelligence, pace of change and customer demands are the top trends leaders will need to address in the next 10 years, 14,000 LinkedIn members said in a survey.
- Many respondents (51%) said they do not believe leaders are currently using the skills needed for the future, skills that included inspiring others, being emotionally intelligent, and listening and communicating.
- Nearly a third of respondents cited ethics and transparency as trends that will impact leaders.
Dive Insight:
As forecasted by LinkedIn, the future of work will require competent leaders. It appears many workers envision this as well. An October PayScale study found that employees favored management and leadership training above certification and professional skills training. Those results may indicate that employees value well-trained, competent leaders whom they can both follow and aspire to become.
To make this a reality, managerial training may need a revamp. Another study showed that not only will managers need new skills, they'll need tactical training that they can apply immediately. According to research from AchieveForum, leadership training should instruct managers in how to modify their work environment so old habits and behaviors give way to new ideas and processes that align with current demands.
Effective training programs will likely be key for managers, as other recent research revealed many leaders as having "glaring flaws." Employees in a 2019 VitalSmarts survey described managers as inadequate, poor listeners, prejudiced, unfair, detached, disorganized and forgetful, among other things. HR leaders will need to heighten their focus on soft skills when hiring or promoting candidates to managerial positions.
