Lead the Future: Top 11 Trends Shaping Modern Leadership Today

Knowing Self-Aware Leadership

Hello KSKOers

The other day someone asked me what I thought the current themes were in the leadership space. I had a think about what I was hearing, reading and talking about with my guests on The Knowing Self Knowing Others Podcast and here is the list of the top 11 trends that are shaping modern leadership today.

Looking forward to joining you on your learning journey!

1. Humanism

We’re increasingly looking for, wanting and needing leaders to operate with humanity. That means recognising and accepting the things that make us human: care, kindness, emotional intelligence, illness, sadness, neurodivergence, ... Our mortality hit us square between the eyes during COVID. We became aware of the fragility of life; both ours and others’. Leadership is increasingly about showing care, respect and kindness to our colleagues. Long gone are the days when leaders can get away with telling you to leave your childcare challenges at the door. Leaders need to care enough to challenge and know when to have difficult conversations. Care isn’t weakness. Care is strength. Caring leaders don’t shy away from doing the hard jobs that need to be done.

2. Authenticity, Humility and Vulnerability

Just as we expect to be able to go to work and be open about what we stand for, we expect to know what our leaders stand for too. We need leaders to be clear about what they think and believe through what they say and what they do. Leaders need to be open, honest and self-aware about their own beliefs and biases. They need to be authentic in recognising their own fallibility through understanding their strengths and weaknesses.