What should leadership look like in 2026?
Like so many recent years, 2025 brought more than its fair share of turbulence. Change and volatility – whether in the business world, our family lives or the wider environment – have become the norm rather than the exception.
But just because this level of churn is now our baseline doesn’t mean we’ve fully adapted to the demands it places on us. It’s easy to say that we have the tools, the mindset and the resilience to expect the unexpected, yet there always seems to be another curveball waiting in plain sight.
In the workplace, the ever-expanding and ever-present influence of AI continues to dominate conversations across every sector. Organisations are understandably wrestling with how best to implement it, how to scale it effectively, and how to ensure it delivers real value rather than added complexity.
And yet, while technology will continue to reshape how we work, it won’t replace what matters most. The need for authentic leadership – leadership that nurtures the human skills within organisations – will remain the foundation of any truly successful business.
The leaders we need in 2026 are those who lead with empathy and humility. Those who can adapt when circumstances demand it, while still creating the conditions for innovation to flourish.
Leaders who listen in order to learn and understand, who communicate with clarity, and who recognise that performance follows trust. These are the leaders who build and continue to invest in their high-performing teams.
Resilience has become something of a buzzword, but what organisations really need is people who can be resourceful – individuals who draw on their own attributes, whether inherited or learned, to navigate uncertainty with confidence and creativity.
Effective communication will only become more critical. Not simply top-down messaging, but open, two-way conversations that are rooted in psychological safety. Spaces where people feel able to challenge, question and contribute without fear.
In uncertain times, it’s no surprise that we all look for consistency and the reassuring ‘steady hand on the tiller’. But that steadiness cannot rest solely with the CEO or the senior leadership team, it must be embedded throughout the organisation, cascading through its culture at every level.
So where will tomorrow’s steady hands come from?
As these volatile conditions show no sign of easing, one of the most purposeful steps an organisation can take is to deliberately plan and nurture its leadership pipeline.
Not concerned about volatility? Look back over the last 15-years and think of the global financial crisis in 2008-9, the Brexit referendum in 2016, and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 which we’re still feeling the effects from.
That’s in the past, what about going forward?
None of us have a crystal ball, but the rise in cyber-attacks must be thrown into the mix and we have already seen a devastating impact on Jaguar Land Rover, the Co-op and Marks & Spencer.
Part of being prepared, of course, is to expect the unexpected in an increasingly uncertain and complex world.
Having people who are genuinely ready, willing and able to make step up and lead – in years ahead but also, literally, tomorrow if needed – with confidence, clarity and humanity is we suggest the greatest source of stability and preparedness an organisation can have.
Trusted leaders that people genuinely want to follow. Leaders who we want to work for and with. Leaders who we will support, and who will support us.
Ultimately, leadership in 2026 won’t be defined by titles or technology, but by trust, adaptability and human connection.
In a world that continues to shift, the organisations that thrive will be those that invest in leaders who can steady the ship while still charting a bold course forward.
