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By Bob Sachs, PhD, Board Member of TLD Group & We Care Services for Children, formerly Vice President of National Learning and Development, Kaiser Permanente

As the board chair of a not-for-profit agency, We Care Services for Children, that provides mental health and developmental services for young children and their families in the San Francisco Bay Area, I am acutely aware that since the pandemic began, there has been an increase in the number of children and young adults with behavioral and mental health issues. 

Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to recognize, understand and manage our own emotions and to recognize, understand and influence the emotions of others. The term was coined by two researchers, Peter Salavoy and John Mayer, and then later popularized by American psychologist, Daniel Goleman, in his 1996 book, Emotional Intelligence. Essentially, emotional intelligence encompasses the practice of skillfully expressing one’s own emotions and having the ability to manage interpersonal relationships with empathy.

Leaders who communicate with empathy, transparency, and authenticity create positive team dynamics, higher retention, and better team outcomes. In fact, teams that rate their communication as strong, have 4.5x higher retention rates. On top of that, 86% of employees in a recent survey blame company failure on poor communication.

The pandemic has shaken up the very nature of work, making a lasting impact on organizations and business leaders across all industries. The biggest impact, however, has been felt by organizations that comprise the health ecosystem as they stepped up and rallied to respond to the challenges their communities faced during the pandemic. Many key players in the health ecosystem have illustrated what is possible when leaders from different organizations and diverse industry sectors collaborate to meet critical challenges and align around a shared purpose.

Significant societal issues including the pandemic, social injustices, and economic turmoil have forced every organization, its leaders, and its workforce to dive headfirst into a “new normal.” The health ecosystem, in particular, has been hit hard, having to reinvent the very nature of work to support their employees, patients, and communities with compassion — amid limited resources — through one of the most critical periods in our lifetimes. What are organizations doing to build their workforces’ capabilities to embrace the “new normal?”

Cultivating a workplace that embraces equity, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I) is critical to garnering positive organizational outcomes. According to McKinsey, organizations with a diverse and inclusive culture are 35% more likely to outperform their competitors. Plus, Mclean & Company’s 2022 HR Trends Report states that implementing ED&I solutions is now a crucial role for HR leaders (62%). Recruiting, retaining, and supporting talented and diverse staff who bring unique perspectives to the business is essential to achieving lasting positive change. 

Due to imminent societal and economic challenges, leaders from organizations spanning all industries are shifting their priorities in 2022. According to Gartner, approximately 60% of HR leaders’ number one priority in 2022 is to build critical skills and competencies. Consequently, there are key leadership development trends to stay on top of to ensure success within your organization in this new year and beyond. From the Great Resignation to increasing team effectiveness in hybrid workforces, we’re highlighting the top 11 leadership development trends for 2022. 

As a firm dedicated to developing talent to execute strategy, we have broad experience in assessing and developing leaders to reach peak performance through our executive coaching programs. With each year, and as new global, economic, and societal changes accrue, we take note of the top goals our executive coaching clients achieved in the year prior as a prelude to what's to come.

The challenges faced by leaders today have dramatically intensified due to the myriad issues created during, and as a result of, the pandemic. Organizations are facing massive changes due to hybrid workforces, excess levels of stress, and the resulting Great Resignation as masses of leaders continue to voluntarily leave their jobs in search of better and more balanced opportunities. Reports state that about 60% of leaders feel worn out at the end of each day, which is likely indicative of burnout — a contributing factor to the Great Resignation.

Traditionally, executive coaching has been used to enhance leadership and organizational performance. However, since the pandemic, we are seeing more companies turn to coaching as a mechanism to reduce burnout, which when ignored can cause lasting effects on employee health and organizational performance. And given the statistics — according to Indeed, 52% of employees experienced burnout in 2021 — burnout has become a serious concern for leaders across all industries.