Greatest Skills You Can Learn To Become a Future Leader

Jaro Education
14, February 2025
4:00 pm

In this unpredictable and constantly evolving business world, traditional leadership methods are slowly becoming outdated. It’s a modern world, and every business is looking for a smart way to deal with their work. The need for a great and powerful future leader who can not only adapt to change but also inspire teams and build a positive environment is increasing. Effective guidance is more important than ever, as corporations now face a new range of challenges, including hybrid work settings and the attention of a diverse, multigenerational workforce. In fact, it has been estimated that by 2025, the workforce is expected to consist of Millennials, with Gen Z on their heels. This new generation is looking for flexibility, purpose, and customised career experiences.

But this also raises the question: what skills will future leaders need to thrive in this competitive business environment? To answer your question, in this blog, we’ve compiled the top 6 essential skills that will allow you to become an influential future leader. Stay tuned to learn more.

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Key Skill #1: Mastering the Art of Managing People

Promotions often stem from individual achievements rather than a genuine ability to lead. In an organisation, poor management or autocratic leadership can not only lead to pressurising individuals to quit their jobs but also create a lot of unnecessary stress and even degrade the productivity of their work. Thus, a manager or future leader should have the ability to transition from being a star performer to a facilitator.

To succeed, future leaders must cultivate an authentic curiosity about their team members. This involves understanding what motivates them, assessing their capabilities, and providing tailored support to enhance their performance. A one-size-fits-all approach is ineffective in today’s diverse work environment. Leaders should adapt their management style to fit individual needs, ensuring that everyone feels supported as they navigate their unique career paths.

Key Skill #2: Building High-Performing Teams

Teamwork is now possibly the most significant work mode, and the ability to build high-performance teams is therefore crucial. Contrary to the common belief, high-performing teams are much more than a collection of people with high talent, skill, or ability. It has been established that how team members interact with each other is significantly more important than the individual talents of every team member.

The leader should be aware of the stages of team development and how high-performing small teams allow psychologically safe development, an idea posited by Amy Edmondson from Harvard. Another thing that comes in is creating a climate where team members feel secure expressing themselves and risk-taking for collaborating and innovating. Leadership development should teach future leaders how to facilitate team dynamics while ensuring high performance from both teams and individual members.

Key Skill #3: Leading Effective Change

Change happens; in fact, it is an inevitable aspect of organisational life. For many leaders, successfully implementing change is challenging. The literature suggests that 50-70% of change initiatives could fail due to poor communication and a lack of support. For leaders guiding their teams through such transitions, an awareness of the psychological resistance to change, whether real or feared, is imperative.

To combat this resistance, future leaders should create a conversational backdrop regarding changes and ensure that the employees are informed and involved all along. Organisations may also want to think about appointing a “change controller” who is concerned with managing multiple initiatives to diminish employee burnout whilst achieving cohesive transitions.

Key Skill #4: Driving Execution and Accountability

Executing a vision and holding teams accountable are fundamental aspects of leadership that require specialised training. It is to be noted that a staggering 80% of strategic failures are due to poor execution. The leader should have a transition from high-level objectives to day-to-day operations of the business.

An effective future leader makes it clear how each team member contributes to the overall mission. Continual performance measurement and data analysis keep teams agile and competitive in fast-paced environments. Linking individual contributions to organisational goals helps leaders to energise the team to go ahead.

Key Skills #5: Emotional Intelligence Development

Emotional intelligence has always been a necessity. To achieve compatibility in performance, emotional intelligence constitutes 80-90 per cent of all competencies displayed by top-four performers. Performance prediction is contingent upon EQ at a rate twice that of IQ. Emotional intelligence is among the top five skills identified as essential for leaders.

Self-awareness holds keys that unlock the potential and is “the bedrock of emotional intelligence.” In fact, it is the only single element that a great future leader shares. You truly cannot learn to be a great leader before you understand yourself. You can register on the right leadership development programmes that must include critical content, such as self-awareness and self-regulation so that leaders are given tools to understand and manage their own emotions in all kinds of settings. These should include understanding their core values, sense of purpose, and personal history of triggers.

Key Skills #6: Mentorship and Coaching

In modern practices, responsibility and mentorship are combined. Managers are called upon to be more like coaches than bosses. This involves regular check-ins and tailored career help beyond annual performance reviews. Studies show that frequent check-ins lead to higher employee engagement.

Future leaders need to intuitively respond to individual employee needs, wearing different hats throughout the day: coach, mentor, teacher, adviser, and leader. The ability to discuss and understand what employees need at all levels of capability is crucial.

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Ready to Develop Yourself as a Leader?

Sometimes, the qualities of great leaders cannot be defined in words. However, there are concrete skills that set a real future leader apart. From having the ability to influence others to guide a team to success, effective leaders possess a unique blend of vision, empathy, and decisiveness. So, if you want to sharpen your leadership skills or excel in your current role, take the next step by enrolling in the Young Leadership Programme offered by IIM Indore.

The programme is mainly designed for participants to understand how easily they can navigate the complexity of an organisation, drive innovation, and deliver sustainable impact. The Young Leadership Programme from IIM Indore is curated for high-potential professionals, assisting them to excel in their strategic leadership roles with clarity, confidence, and capability. Through a comprehensive program that combines strong academic learning with practical, real-world experience, participants will gain a solid understanding of key business areas, how to make strategic decisions, and how to be flexible leaders.

Key Features of this Programme:

- Executive Education Alumni status – IIM Indore
- Certificate of Completion from IIM Indore
- 2 Campus Immersion of 5 Days
- Live sessions by IIM Indore’s faculty
- Networking Opportunity

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How Can Jaro Education Be Your Reliable Partner on Your Academic Journey?

Jaro Education is one of the highly renowned online higher education and upskilling companies that extend services to provide academic support and career counselling to individuals who want to pave the path to success. With us, every participant can not only take advantage of an immersive learning experience but also access personalised guidance, industry insights, and networking opportunities that help them achieve their career goals and unlock their full potential.

In fact, for most of the programmes offered by the prestigious IIT and IIM, Jaro acts as a marketing and technology partner. If you register for the Young Leadership Programme offered by IIM Indore, you will gain access to the Jaro Advantage, which consists of the following:

- Be a part of discussions and forums for enhanced learning
- Learn from the best-suited academic, faculty, and industry mentors
- Unparalleled career guidance and support
- Alumni Network of 3,50,000+ Professionals

Final Thoughts

While this is just one way to describe change, the world of work is evolving rapidly, and leaders of tomorrow must keep pace. This includes the management of people, coaching, improving emotional intelligence, building high-performance teams, leading change, and execution. Participating in a Future Leader Programme like the Young Leadership Programme offered by IIM Indore through an exclusive partnership with Jaro Education can definitely equip you with the fresh skills needed to take charge of a new workplace. The hopeful view of the future is open to those ready to invest in their essential skills through such programs. And throughout this journey, don’t forget that growth is a continuous process—be curious, be open, and be engaged in helping you become a leader.

Frequently Asked Questions

How will you become a future leader?

Future leaders must inspire their teams and lead with passion and enthusiasm to maintain high morale. It’s crucial to avoid losing momentum in your projects and goals, as this can lead to setbacks. Therefore, mastering leadership as a collaborative effort, with a strong focus on people management, is essential for success.

How would I benefit from a leadership program?

Leadership training helps you learn how to lead effectively by teaching important skills, like how to persuade and influence others, even if you don’t have direct authority over them. It also helps you think more creatively and come up with new ideas.

What is the best leadership style?

In business, transformational leadership is often the most effective style. However, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to leadership, so it’s important to learn about different leadership styles. This way, you can adjust your method to suit the specific situation you’re facing.

What skills will future leaders need?

Future leaders will need skills like emotional intelligence, team building, change management, and effective execution. These skills will help them navigate the complexities of a modern workforce and inspire their teams.