Leadership waves: Reflecting back, Leading forward
By Manasi Bharati, Senior Psychology Consultant
Probably the most spoken about topic in the world of organisations, management and performance. And indeed, with good reason.
Leadership trends have been researched, written about and predicted by industrial–organisational psychologists, academics, practitioners, and management consultants alike since the industrial revolution (not discarding the leadership in the natural world nor which has led humankind for centuries). Much of what was laid out by thinkers like Drucker, Lewin and Taylor continues to apply, although in different contexts.
The decades of leadership trends saw a turn in the 90s with a strong adherence to hierarchy, roles and decision-making behind closed doors led by visionary leaders driven by financial performance and the advent of IT. The millennium (2000s) saw innovation-led, agile leadership where leaders became more accessible, teams became more collaborative, and cultures became more transparent. It wasn’t just about financial deliverables anymore. The 2010s took this a step further and resulted in agile teams and adaptable organisations led by emotionally intelligent leaders. The 2020s, marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, fast-forwarded the timeline of the world by decades within a couple of weeks – remote/ hybrid working, flexibility became the norm – making leaders responsible and accountable not only for their organisations but also to think about the external world that they interact with and live in. And now, corporate social responsibility, sustainability, inclusivity, empathy, and AI take a front seat in today’s purpose-driven leadership.
It thus becomes imperative to ponder the next few years of leadership (not decades, given the rate of change) and prepare accordingly. Rapid technological developments with the AI boom are leading to a culture of adaptive leadership and innovation like never before.
To effectively and efficiently manage the change and lead multigenerational & hybrid teams, leaders of today and tomorrow should:
- Adopt a mindset of continuous learning and integrate AI into strategic decisions
- Build confidence, develop a growth mindset culture and encourage experimentation in teams and individuals
- Foster an environment where ongoing education and skill enhancement are prioritised and learning and curiosity are promoted at all levels – professional development programmes, knowledge-sharing sessions, cross-functional collaboration, etc.
- Empower teams by giving them the autonomy to make decisions and experiment
- Champion data-driven decision-making by analysing data and using metrics
- Align vision and purpose, and identify and eliminate barriers to innovation
- Integrate collaboration and productivity technology into daily workflows
- Implement regular virtual team-building activities to foster trust and maintain team cohesion to drive connection, engagement, productivity and job satisfaction
- Master skills like strategic communication, active listening, and navigating high-level conflict and cross-functional influence to collaborate effectively.
At FabricShift, we translate these insights into action. We design and deliver leadership development programmes using an evidence-based, habit-formation approach – not just teaching skills, but embedding them into day-to-day behaviours. We, at FabricShift, adopt an evidence-based, practical, habit-based learning approach to designing and delivering impactful leadership development programmes to do the above.
Traditional leadership programmes often focus more on theory and skills than their application, but we use our patented habit-formation model to drive behaviour change by practising habits between learning modules and transforming actions and skills from being conscious to becoming unconscious i.e. embedding theoretical knowledge into practical application. Our programmes are meticulously developed for each level of management and leadership at organisations, delivering modules most beneficial at various levels of a leader’s career.
Our work with organisational leaders both in the public and private sectors globally has positively impacted them by embedding long-term cultural transformation, with leaders consistently adopting active listening, collaborative goal-setting, and inclusive decision-making to create engaged and inclusive teams.
To learn more about how you and your teams can build a future-ready leadership, reach out to us at info@fabricshift.com or via our contact form.
Resources:
https://www.kornferry.com/insights/featured-topics/leadership/top-5-leadership-trends-2025
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S014829632400540X
https://www.shrm.org/in/executive-network/insights/people-strategy/leadership-2030
https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/01/3-things-leaders-should-prioritize-in-2025/
