• The leadership skillset has changed as a result of the pandemic. 
• Both workers and leaders agree that priorities have shifted, and as such, leaders must readdress their strengths and weaknesses. 
• But what skills are now the most in demand? Read on to find out.

The skills leaders will need going into the new world of work have changed drastically.

Whereas historically, leaders were automatically expected to command the company with an ‘iron fist’ of sorts, the demands of the working world have changed, and leaders must move with the current, instead of struggling against it.

But what are these new skills, and what are the ramifications of taking them onboard?

A recent study by Harvard Business School discovered that, when 196 global leaders were polled to ascertain what skills they foresaw being the most essential in the future, a massive 67% noted that high ethical and moral standards would reign supreme.

This ties in effectively with a recent SESCO study, which found that 90% of workers saw honesty and integrity as the number one valuable asset in their leaders. A further 89% stated that ‘fairness’ was essential.

In the Harvard study, the second most important factor was deemed to be self-organisation, at 59%. This has likely risen to a prime position as a result of the coronavirus, when meticulous organisation may well have been the difference between success and failure.

Yet organisation in this time was proven to be ineffective, without the ability to reduce the level of rigidity that leaders saw as necessary. In fact, 52% of leaders saw flexibility as a core essential factor in leadership.

Grapevine Leaders

October 2021