7 Critical Leadership Skills You Need in 2022

1 – Leading Thought

Leadership is about coping with change. (John P. Kotter) Click To Tweet

Teams are changing as the world of business evolves, and so are their needs and demands. For some, the leadership model has been flipped upside down in 2021. In 2022, leaders need these new, critical leadership skills to excel.

2 – Your Choice: How To Be A Better Leader In 2022

70% of the workforce will be working remotely at least five days a month in 2025. Click To Tweet

When you think about how our world has shifted over the past two years, you can see how new trends are emerging. And so, what skills will be critical for business leaders in 2022? According to a recent study, the answer may surprise you. In today’s rapidly changing business landscape, leaders will need to possess new and innovative skills in order to remain relevant and effective. Here are just a few of the skills that will be essential for success in 2022.

1 • The Ability to Anticipate and Plan For the Future

Business leaders in 2022 will need a lens on the future, an awareness of how their industry is changing, what skill sets workers will need, and how they can best lead others. Have you built time into your calendar to stay informed on trends and to contemplate? Take it from Bill Gates, who stated in this 1-minute video together with Warren Buffett, that time to think and plan may well be your higher priority as a leader.

2 • The Ability to Cultivate an Innovative Workforce

One of the most essential skills for business leaders in 2022 will be the ability to innovate. Not just when it comes to technology but also when it comes to changes in workplace culture and employee engagement. Leaders must inspire their people and companies forward by developing a collaborative, innovative, and supportive workplace. This may require a shift in your approach to leadership.

I encourage you to take a look at your habitual responses and style of leadership in light of this. Explore other options to engage your team and drive collaboration, innovation and support. You can do this by paying attention to emerging trends in this area on your LinkedIn feed or by exploring the options directly with your coach.

3 • The Ability to Be the Ultimate Decision-Maker & Decision-Enabler

As leading employers increasingly decentralize decision-making within their ranks, business leaders will have to serve as the ultimate decision-makers. It also means leaders need to master the art of enabling their teams to make decisions that align with your key objectives. Leaders who can make decisions quickly and decisively without requiring endless rounds of consensus will be the ones who succeed in 2022.

4 • The Ability to Identify and Lead Talent

Given tomorrow’s unprecedented workforce diversity, leaders will also have to understand that all employees are not alike. Future workplaces are expected to be vastly different from the homogenous corporate culture of the past. Leaders in 2022 will need to be able to spot talent and understand what makes people tick.

In lieu of the Great Resignation, which I wrote about last month, leaders also need to be able to retain your talent. To do that, I recommend you watch the replay of the roundtable we had with other leaders on this topic. Determine which of the many suggested options to attract and retain talent may suit your organization.

5 • The Ability to Inspire Others To Think Differently (and Solve Problems)

While leaders need not be visionary, they must inspire employees enough to ignite creative problem solving and innovation. As Bill Taylor puts it in his article “Do You Pass the Leadership Test?”, “Visionary leaders are not afraid to try something new, even if it might seem crazy. But they are more than just dreamers because they balance their imagination with a realistic assessment of what can truly be achieved.”

Is your team waiting for you to provide innovative solutions? Or, have you created an environment that invites sharing of new ideas and challenging the status quo? Are you enabling problem-solving and is your team mastering this critical skill?

6 • The Ability to Embrace Technology

According to Peter Hinssen, the leader of 2022 has to anticipate that technology will soon be used not only in the workplace but also at home. Leaders should embrace new technology without being overcome by it. This means you need good instincts for what tools are useful and when it’s time to put them down so you can focus on what is important.

This skill is also critical when making business decisions that are technology-driven. You need to be able to understand the business impact of trending technologies. You will find links to explore new technologies from a leadership perspective in part three below.

7 • The Ability to Keep People Focused and Engaged While Meeting Deadlines

The most successful leaders in 2022 will possess the ability to keep people focused and engaged with their work, despite the constant pressure of meeting deadlines. This means being creative with how tasks are assigned and prioritized, and creating a culture that encourages higher quality output.

3 – Way to Grow Critical Leadership Skills in 2022

These are the critical leadership skills for 2022. These skills will help you grow your organization, stay on top of transformational changes, and keep yourself focused on what matters most to be successful in leadership positions. 

What leadership skill do you need to work on?

Take a look at these resources to get started:

• How about improving your embrace of technology trends by diving into Blockchain, cyber security, or AI for Business Leaders?
• Improve your ability to prioritize: How to Set Goals When Everything Feels Like a Priority (LinkedIn Learning)
• Explore leadership coaching in a free 60-minute call and work on your skills and growth this year. 

Here’s making leading choices!

LC#017