The year 2022 has taught us that we need to remain nimble and ready to pivot, as planning three to five years out in our new world of work just isn’t realistic anymore.  

The world is demanding businesses – and people – to innovate, be adaptable, and inclusive. And that means we must lead and embrace change ourselves and be open to constant transformation and growth if we expect our people to do the same.

Success will be determined by those who can shift quickly and adjust to address the needs of their people, customers, and shareholders. Constant change is the norm, and the sooner we accept that, the better equipped we are to ensure our teams and organizations are positioned for growth. 

The pandemic ushered in a few new areas of focus that will remain a priority for many organizations in the new year. Here are our top four.

Hybrid Workplace Model

According to Harvard Business Review, more than 90% of employers planned to adopt a hybrid model for their workforce this year, and we learned that employees want the flexibility to work remotely, which was one of a few triggers that prompted the Great Resignation.

For the most part, we have proven that we can work from almost anywhere. How open and flexible your organization is to these shifting dynamics will ultimately determine how companies structure themselves in years to come.  

Employee Well-being

In our overstimulated digital world, many of us have experienced screen fatigue and blurred the lines between our work and personal lives, which created the need for more focus on wellbeing and balance in our lives.  

Today, employee well-being has expanded beyond physical well-being to focus on building a culture of holistic well-being, including physical, emotional, financial, social, career, community, and purpose. At the core of this issue is the growing need for flexibility in where, when, and how employees work.

The bottom line is this – we need to help support our employees’ overall health and well-being if we expect them to perform at their best. We devote so much of ourselves to work; it has become table stakes to expect our employers to help us be the best we can be in our everyday lives and through challenging moments that sometimes come our way. As we have said many times before, if you take care of your people, they will take care of your business. It’s that simple.

Human Connection = Meaningful Relationships

People are craving human connection more than ever, and not just personally but also professionally. In our current world of constant change, our ability to connect our people to their purpose, by being empathetic and collaborative, is key to employee engagement and overall satisfaction. 

Successful businesses are built by establishing a foundation of meaningful relationships with others. Every interaction matters, and how we treat and engage with our people will determine the overall success of an organization.

When we understand what motivates and empowers our people, we create high-performing individuals, and, in turn, high-performing teams who are positioned to deliver amazing results in return. It starts with you and the depth of the relationships you build with others by building trust, mutual respect and exhibiting that you care about them. This can translate into employees feeling supported, focused, and fulfilled.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity (DEI)

If diversity, equity, and inclusion isn’t already a strategic priority for your organization, then we need to talk. What is your organization doing to ensure you are creating a culture and environment that values and supports diversity, equity, and inclusion? I have yet to work with an organization that has “perfected” it. And by the way, there is no such thing as perfection. All you can do is your best. All you can do is try to ensure your leaders and everyone in the organization understands what diversity, equity, and inclusion means, and how it comes to life inside your organization.

The brutal reality is that we all have unconscious biases, and unless we do the required work to be more conscious and aware of how these biases show up and how to overcome them, things will remain the same. It requires education and support from all levels to ensure we are creating a psychologically safe place for our people to work and collaborate. It starts with you and being aware of your own thinking and behaviors.

That’s a Wrap

These are just a few key leadership trends that we see as being top priority for the new year ahead.

We want to hear from you. What are other priorities and challenges that you need to focus on in 2023 and in years to come? 

We are here to support your leadership journey and success into the new year and beyond, so please reach out to us by emailing me at sending an email at joanne.trotta@leadersedgeinc.ca, or give me a call at 1.855.871.3374. 

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