Business leaders in the UK do not feel prepared to lead through future challenges like artificial intelligence and political volatility, according to research by management consultancy, Lane4.
More than three-quarters (79%) of leaders agree that senior leaders in their organisation will need to adopt a different mindset for their business to succeed in the future.
However, 20% of leaders are not sure they have the skills necessary for future success and just a third (32%) feel they have what it takes, says the research.
Lane4 surveyed more than 150 c-suite leaders. According to these leaders, the top skills business leaders think are essential for future success are:
- Strategic thinking (47%)
- Critical thinking (40%)
- Data literacy (37%)
- System thinking (35%)
- Adaptability (34%) and resilience (34%)
When it comes to what prevents leaders from thinking more long term, 30% cite day-to-day business tasks, 26% market volatility and complexity, and 21% mention legal or regulatory barriers.
Dr Alison Maitland, research and product director, Lane4, said: “These findings really challenge the world view of senior business and human resource executives. Unless leaders adopt a more balanced sense of responsibility and recalibrate both their skills and mindsets to match the demands of this environment, their organisations will not last long.”