5 Workplace Trends Leaders Need To Focus On

I remember that Monday very clearly. I was sitting in a room filled with Gen Xers who had all started working for the same organization. An older gentleman, likely at the start of the Baby Boomer generation, stood in front of us and said, “You people scare me. You scare me because you are so different than what I know works for success.” As I glanced around the room at my coworkers, you could feel the excitement toward the vision we had all bought into slowly dying. Not one to hold my tongue, I raised my hand and said, “I disagree. We simply approach the process differently.” He pushed back with, “You don’t even have heroes that you model. How will you ever find success?” Though the exchange went back and forth a few more times, it became clear that we had been judged and nothing we could say would make an impact. There are far too many people in charge who assume that those unlike them are unable to succeed. That particular leader likely reduced the overall performance of 50+ people because of his cynicism. And he forgot that his role wasn’t to judge but to inspire. He was there to inspire us to chase the vision. He gave up his strategic advantage to move us forward in favor of a chance to rant. That is not leadership, and it was certainly not strategic.

One of the primary roles of a leader is to think strategically. To do this, a leader must look into the future and the past at the same time. They look to the past to know what the trend has been up to this point. They look to the future to play out the likely scenarios of trending based on historical experience. By doing this, they can best plan for the success of their organizations. Had that leader gotten past his ego, he could have changed his approach and inspired a generation of young, eager, driven individuals to chase a vision that mattered. Based on the trends from past to present to future, here are a few leadership challenges that are expected to emerge in the coming years:

1. Managing a multigenerational workforce: As the workforce becomes more diverse in terms of age, leaders will need to find ways to manage effectively and lead teams that consist of employees from different generations. The rapid retirement of baby boomers since the start of 2020 has been a major factor in generational and leadership change.
2. Developing new leadership skills: With the rapid pace of technological change and the increasing complexity of the business environment, leaders will need to continuously develop new skills to stay relevant and effective. If you are not continuously developing the skills of your leaders, you are actively moving backward as an organization.
3. Embracing digital transformation: Many organizations are undergoing digital transformation, and leaders will need to understand and leverage new technologies to drive success. Technology and the rapid pursuit of advancement are often the key factors that attract and retain younger workers. Digital transformation is at the heart of innovation.
4. Managing virtual teams: As the use of remote work increases, leaders will need to find ways to effectively manage and lead virtual teams, which can present unique challenges. Simply telling people to work remotely will not build or maintain relationships. It will not ensure performance, nor will it engage them toward a vision. A strong focus on communication, expectations, accountability, and team development will be required to make virtual teams work effectively.
5. Fostering a culture of continuous learning: To stay competitive and adapt to changing business needs, organizations must embrace a culture of continuous learning. Leaders will play a key role in fostering this culture and encouraging their employees to improve and develop their skills constantly. From the onboarding process to problem-solving sessions to the growth of supervisors, managers, and leaders, learning will be the linchpin for success. We will not keep people we do not invest in on a regular basis.

As a leader, our role is to cast a vision that inspires people to choose to give their very best. This is only done through understanding workplace trends and staying in front of them. As a great leader once told me, “sometimes you have to see which way the world is going and simply run out in front of them.” This was a clear understanding that trends guide us to understand how to lead. Take the time to evaluate your organization based on these five trends and lead the way toward your organization’s purpose, vision, and mission.