Top Trends 2022 - Leadership

Albus Dumbledore, Katniss Everdeen and Atticus Finch. We agree that these fictional characters are from completely different genres and walks of life but they have one thing in common.

Okay, we will give you a couple of seconds to guess! Done?

The answer is quality Leadership!

We mean, who here is unaware of the excellent leadership ability displayed by Albus Dumbledore at Hogwarts. He inspired his fellow wizards and witches to stay loyal to good and fight the Dark Lord Voldemort even if it meant certain death! #WeAreDumbledoresArmy

Who doesn't know Katniss from Hunger Games, especially after she became the face of revolution thanks to her rebellious nature and top-notch leadership skills?

Not to forget, Atticus Finch from How To Kill a Mockingbird, who's a poignant reminder, that no matter how hopeless the situation may get, a leader continues to do what is right!

Not just the fictional world, we all have leaders in our daily lives too. They might be people that we follow for guidance, or look up to and aspire to be like. In any case, leadership is a crucial component of life as well as business. Leadership is the art of successfully guiding a group of individuals towards a common goal – and then some. It takes more than charisma, confidence and humor to lead effectively. It takes zeal and enthusiasm to stay competent by being aware of the latest transformation and trends in the world.

This article is dedicated to all the leaders out there, who have coped with the challenges and turned them into opportunities this past year. With the same spirit, hop on to discover the Top 5 Leadership Trends that will lead the way in 2022!
 

Trend 1: Leaders Will Adopt A Hybrid Work Culture

The world of business is transforming. People are no longer sitting at their desks all day while working remotely. Technology has changed the way we interact and work. With apps like FaceTime, MS Teams and Skype, communicating across the globe has never been easier. The workplace is inevitably changing, too.
 
Hybrid work culture comprises a blended model wherein some employees return to the workplace while others work from home, a trend we predicted in our Leadership Trends of 2021. This trend will open gates for more flexible working conditions in 2022 and leaders must adopt new strategies and policies to pace up with this trend.

Microsoft’s Annual Report of 2021 states that over 70 percent of employees prefer remote working while over 65 percent crave in-person time with their team members. We mean, how else are you supposed to put your co-worker's stapler in Jell-O? These three models will continue to rule the workplace - centralized workplaces, remote setups and the "best of both worlds" approach.

TechDogs’ Opinion: 2022 will brings a breath of fresh air (we hope!) as employees will be given the opportunity to choose between the models they prefer. Pacing up this #newnormal hybrid work culture will enable leaders to explore and experiment with various types of setups. Moreover, the shift to remote work will reveal a lot about which working style is the most suitable for the employees. Businesses will then narrow down on the models that provide higher flexibility and productivity.
 

Trend 2: Leaders Will Ramp Up Succession Planning

 
Remember the dilemma Michael Scott (from The Office, duh!) had when he was tasked with choosing his successor for the post of Regional Manager? He finally pawned off the decision to the CEO – and honestly, that’s not what good leaders do. Succession planning involves identifying, preparing and training future leaders in an organization. It is a delicate process that can be difficult to execute without mistakes (like when they made Creed the Regional Manager!).

Succession planning is vitally important and should sit right at the heart of any business. This year, businesses must identify and develop talent that will fill critical roles in times of crisis. Organizations across all sizes are now focusing on succession planning to ensure future leaders are in place.
Internal mobility is one of the most critical aspects of success for any organization. According to LinkedIn, more than 81% of talent professionals agree that it helps in retention and 69% believe that existing employees rising up the ladder drives productivity. So, developing a succession plan is crucial for all roles and functions in a company.

TechDogs’ Opinion: If the last two years have shown us anything, it’s that it pays to be prepared against sudden changes. A good leader's success is largely dependent on his or her ability to plan for the future – especially in terms of succession. Each leader must understand the importance of preparing their team for the next generation. The process of succession planning must include a mix of cultural, organizational and individual factors in order to be effective. While, it can be difficult to incorporate succession planning in your business when you are also managing daily tasks, plan for the future.
 

Trend 3: AI Will Allow Leaders To Automate The Mundane

Leaders are expected to widen their vision in terms of training and developing their workforce. After a lull in hiring due to the pandemic, finding talent in a saturated market is quickly becoming a challenge. Many organizations and brands will primarily rely on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to automate monotonous tasks, allowing employees to focus on productivity, training and development. Apart from this, leaders will deploy a combination of AI and employees to improve the cognitive performance of their brands.
 
Forbes 2021 presented a survey by The World Economic Forum that predicts AI and automation will create 97 million jobs by 2025. Besides this, AI technology will transform many existing jobs.

Leaders will also adopt AI in areas of forecasting and analysis. Business forecasting using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning have been more accurate than any of the prior approaches. AI-augmented work culture is a new paradigm that will be here to stay for the foreseeable future. Businesses will be able to automate processes and services in an unprecedented way, making workplaces faster, agile and more efficient than ever before. The AI revolution is real, people!

TechDogs’ Opinion: A lot of jobs that are currently outsourced or offshored may soon be done digitally by leveraging AI. In addition, automation through Artificial Intelligence may eliminate some positions that were previously considered safe from outsourcing. Yet, these changes will also benefit for the workforce: they will lead to newer opportunities for creative, high-skilled jobs in technology and engineering sectors, while simultaneously providing new opportunities that require a specialization in AI-based tools.
 

Trend 4: Leaders Will Focus On Their Technology Infrastructure

 
All technologies are built on a solid foundation. This is as true for smartphones as it is for enterprise networks. The same idea applies to a business as well. A solid technology infrastructure is what makes it possible for leaders to optimize their business and throughput. After all, you can't build a great building on a weak foundation. There are a lot of ways in which leaders can set up a robust technology infrastructure. It all depends on what their objective is. If it is a small company with just a few people, a single server with an office network might be enough for their needs. On the other hand, if it's a large enterprise, with multiple locations and hundreds of employees, leaders will need a more robust system. The size of the business will determine what kind of technology infrastructure is right for them!

A study by Statista 2021 highlights that cloud infrastructure (which is an essential part of technology infrastructure) alone will be likely to grow by more than 46% by 2024. Organizations will need to identify their long-term objectives and invest in their technology infrastructure accordingly.

TechDogs’ Opinion: A company's technology infrastructure can be very complex and it's important for leaders to think about solutions that will work best for them. The need for more sophisticated technology solutions will give rise to new roles in IT departments such as Cloud Architects, DevOps Engineers and Data Center Managers. These professionals will be trained to install, monitor and support various systems that will enable employees to collaborate better, automate business processes, collect data at scale, store data securely, analyze large datasets in real-time with Machine Learning algorithms, etc. Technology infrastructure will also play an important role in creating strategic plans for an organization’s future growth by identifying technologies that are best suited to meet the dynamic requirements for business transformation goals.
 

Trend 5: Well-Being Will Become A Top Priority for Leaders

 
"Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.'' - Stephen R. Covey, American educator, speaker, businessman and author.

Satisfied employees lead to a happy workplace and a happy workplace is a productive workplace. Studies have shown that happier employees are more motivated, more productive, less likely to quit and more innovative. Leaders can help their employees feel better about themselves by being supportive of their well-being. So, future leaders will need to create a work culture in which employees’ mental and physical well-being comes first.

In a survey by Statista in 2020, 74% of respondents expressed that they felt a sense of well-being from their organization. Stating the obvious, employees are the most important assets of any company. Work-life balance is crucial for their well-being but it's also essential for productivity.

Some ways to do this include recognizing the contributions of each person in your team, providing constructive feedback, being fair with workloads, etc. To incentivize physical well-being, some workplaces offer prizes for participating in marathons and sports events. No, a Lord of The Rings marathon does not count!

TechDogs’ Opinion: Regardless of whether you're a small business with a handful of employees or an enterprise with thousands of workers, it’s important to have your employees enjoy what they are doing. This way of thinking has led to a positive change in how leaders think about their workforce and the importance of their well-being. To make sure your employees are happy and healthy, you need to make them feel valued and appreciated for their contribution every day. 2022 will be the year of focusing on and fostering a culture of wellbeing.
 

To Wrap It Up

The ability to motivate and inspire those around you is crucial. It's not just that leaders need to be charismatic and good orators; they also need to be capable of spearheading change and innovation in a world that's constantly evolving. They need to constantly ask - what does it take to be a great leader today?

Leadership trends will always change with time and it's important for leaders across all industries to recognize what drives transformation and innovation. In this article we outlined some ways that leadership trends will change or evolve in 2022 and it will be essential for successful leaders to stay ahead of these emerging trends. From focusing on technology infrastructures and adopting AI to creating a culture of well-being, leaders will have to keep up with the latest trends in 2022 to be successful.