CCL & ExecOnline Identify 3 Critical Tensions Workplace Leaders Face Today

New research from the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL)®, a top-ranked, global nonprofit provider of leadership development, and ExecOnline, the pioneer of online leadership development, has identified 3 primary leadership tensions that are creating obstacles for both leaders and organizations in today’s rapidly changing business environment.

Results of more than 43,000 leaders surveyed globally show clear patterns. According to the joint findings in a new research insights paper titled “3 Tensions Leaders Should Resolve in 2023,” professionals are grappling with 3 critical tensions:

• Leaders want to work virtually — but it’s socially isolating: 75% of leaders reported that they appreciate the time saved by avoiding a commute and most also welcome added flexibility; however, more than half (53%) of leaders surveyed identified difficulty building relationships as a major barrier to effective virtual or hybrid work.
• Leaders want more development opportunities — but they are burned out: 41% of leaders said they want more learning and development opportunities — second only to the 46% who said they need more resources. Yet, 72% of leaders say they are at least somewhat burned out, so fitting in development may seem overwhelming.
• Leaders need to make hard decisions — but they also need to motivate and engage talent: With a near consensus about a pending recession, but facing an ongoing battle for talent, nearly half of leaders (48%) said they struggle to motivate employees without monetary incentives, while 44% cited the challenge of managing workload with a smaller team. Over time, survey results show the desire for better reward structures ticking up steadily from Q1 2021 to Q4 2022.

“This research underscores that these 3 workplace tensions are becoming increasingly important in today’s workplace,” said Jean Leslie, co-author of the paper and Senior Fellow at CCL. “Leaders who are able to successfully resolve these tensions will be better positioned to lead their organizations to success.”

ExecOnline and CCL recognize the pressing need for leaders to develop new skills and adapt their leadership approaches to thrive in the dynamic and complex global marketplace. The new research paper includes actionable insights for organizations in resolving these tensions, including:

• Invest in virtual collaboration and communication technologies to help leaders balance the benefits of working virtually with the human connections they crave.
• Offer continuous development opportunities, including integrating easy-to-access, short learning sessions, along with leadership coaching, to make development more manageable for already-stretched leaders.
• Reprioritize leadership development programs to focus on the most critical capabilities for today’s workplace — both strategic thinking and talent engagement skills — to ensure leaders can lead effectively and empathetically.

“Leadership development improves leaders’ confidence and ability to overcome daily challenges,” said Adam Brinegar, co-author of the paper and Head of Research and Advisory at ExecOnline. “When organizations unlock the force-multiplying power of continuous, on-demand learning and coaching at their organization, their leaders see greater impact and are 1.5X more likely to apply learnings into their daily workflow.”

On Thursday, July 20, 2023, CCL and ExecOnline will host a webinar, 3 Tensions Facing Workplace Leadership in 2023.