With a new year on the horizon, it’s important to take stock both of how far you’ve come and where you’re heading.
Across the globe, we all know that change both big and small is inevitable — but with it comes the potential for immense progress. This is why leadership matters, every day and at every level.
Our most popular resources from the past year reflect the topics that resonated with you most: creating psychologically safe work cultures; providing leaders with skills that minimize daily challenges; welcoming diverse perspectives from across the organization; and learning to stay agile and future-ready for a continuously disrupted world. We believe these themes will continue to be important in the months to come.
Read on as we recap our top leadership advice from some of our most popular content.
Our Best Leadership Advice for 2025 & Beyond
1. Get to know the challenges your leaders are facing.
Leadership development initiatives are most effective when they align with employees’ real-world needs. By examining data from over 48,000 global leaders, we learned that the challenges of leadership generally fall into 3 high-level themes. Understanding these shared issues can be a catalyst for customizing solutions that grow leadership capabilities within your organization.
Discover the most common leadership challenges at every level. Read The Top 20 Leadership Challenges.
2. Foster a more empathetic workplace.
When leaders show empathy, they improve their effectiveness and increase trust and collaboration within their teams. Taking the time to learn a direct report’s interests and goals — as well as their unique signals of overwork — can boost performance and minimize turnover.
Learn how to show more empathetic leadership. Read The Importance of Empathy in the Workplace.
3. Commit to the mechanics of leadership.
Effective leadership happens through direction, alignment, and commitment. When everyone on a team agrees on where you’re going, how you’re getting there, and why it matters, progress is made and potential is realized.
Learn more about the importance of direction, alignment, and commitment, and how to increase it within your organization. Explore How Leadership Works.
4. Build a community of influential leaders.
An influential leader is someone who has the power to affect the behavior of others and motivate colleagues toward a desired goal. Leaders who possess the skills needed to inspire, persuade, and encourage can advance their own careers, yes — but they can also bolster an entire team’s commitment to the work, sustain positive momentum, and expand an organization’s capacity.
Take steps today to become an influential leader. Watch our webcast How Effective Influencing Can Be a Game-Changer.
5. Hone the “Fundamental 4.”
Even as your roles and responsibilities evolve, you must continue to develop in these 4 areas: self-awareness, communication, influence, and learning agility. As you grow in your career, keep a focus on these “fundamental 4” leadership skills, and you’ll be more prepared for new challenges.
Looking to strengthen the most important leadership skills? Read The Core Leadership Skills You Need in Every Role.
6. Boost psychological safety at work.
When people feel comfortable speaking up, asking questions, and disagreeing with the status quo, they also feel comfortable taking risks and exchanging innovative ideas. A psychologically safe environment starts with a feeling of belonging, where people feel assured their perspectives are valuable.
Learn the 8 steps toward creating a more psychologically safe workplace. Read How Leaders Can Build Psychological Safety at Work.
7. Manage change & disruption with change leadership.
Change is inevitable. Whether it occurs on a smaller scale or at an organizational level, navigating change successfully is one of the biggest hurdles that organizations may face. For managers to effectively lead through the process of change, it’s critical for them to be aware of the people side of the change equation, as well as the rationale for the change itself.
Learn more about effective change leadership. Read How to Be a Successful Change Leader.
8. Lead employees with a focus on wellbeing.
People want careers where they do meaningful work on a team where everyone is encouraged to thrive — whether they’re remote, in-person, or hybrid. Managers should focus on taking care of themselves and building a sense of community, connection, and belonging to help their employees achieve greater wellbeing.
Learn more about how leading with wellbeing influences engagement, job satisfaction, and productivity. Read The Keys to Wellbeing and Leadership.
9. Listen with the intent to understand.
Listening is a key part of being an effective communicator. And active listening is more than just hearing someone speak. It requires leaders to pay attention to the facts, feelings, and values that may be hidden behind the words being shared. At the organizational level, when everyone has developed strong listening skills, this fosters a workplace culture of truth-telling and candor.
Improve your active listening skills by using 6 techniques. Read What Is Active Listening?
10. Learn what it means to be an authentic ally.
In our work to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion within organizations and communities, leaders often ask us how they can serve as an ally and, more fundamentally, what it even means to be an ally. A strong foundation of knowledge and awareness will help you turn allyship from a buzzword into sustainable behaviors that support others and create truly inclusive environments.
Move beyond awareness and into action. Read What Is Allyship? Your Questions Answered.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
We have one more piece of leadership advice for you. As you and your organization move forward, one thing remains certain — leadership makes all the difference. Explore our research-based, world-class leadership programs, available for leaders at every level of the organization, to bring out the best in yourself and your team.
