Through surveys of over 43,000 leaders, ExecOnline and the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) identified three key tensions that organizations must address to enable leaders to lead effectively in the current environment. This paper discusses these tensions and offers insights to address them.

Tension 1: Leaders want to work virtually–but it’s socially isolating.

Tension 2: Leaders want more development opportunities–but they are burned out.

Tension 3: Leaders need to make hard decisions–but they also need to motivate and engage talent.

The insights gained from this paper suggest that leaders and organizations take action in the following ways:

• Offer more cross-functional opportunities as well as foster connections within teams, including through group coaching.
• Provide development opportunities that are easier to access and consume, as well as opportunities for personal growth and development.
• Target strategic and talent engagement skills for leaders who are already strong on one skill set and reinforce learning by pairing training with one-on-one coaching.

Read the paper