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. 

1. The Great Resignation is Leading To the Great Reimagination

Of all the leadership development trends for 2022, the Great Resignation is sure to have the largest impact on business outcomes. Resignations reached a record high in September of 2021 with 4.4 million workers leaving their jobs in search of better opportunities. While the turnover rate has lessened since then, the ramifications of the Great Resignation are far-reaching for 2022. 

According to Deloitte, CEOs rank the Great Resignation as the number one issue that is likely to disrupt their business strategy in 2022. Masses of workers left their jobs in 2021 forcing leaders to reimagine the workplace, company culture, and their overall leadership strategies. This period of rapid and positive change is staking its claim as the Great Reimagination where leaders are encouraged to focus on leadership development to:

• Increase employee health and wellness
• Provide value-adding benefits for their staff
• Prioritize honest communication
• Increase diversity and inclusion

2. Employee Well-Being is the Top Priority

If the pandemic taught leaders just one thing, it’s that employee health and wellness are directly linked to business outcomes. It’s no secret that the pandemic increased the rate of burnout for all workers in the health ecosystem and beyond. That’s why more and more companies are investing in their employees’ well-being. Support includes:

• Wellness programs to promote active lifestyles
• Incentives to boost morale and employee engagement
• Access to healthcare for their physical and mental health

According to a report by Wellable, 88% of employers invested in mental health for their employees in 2021. Plus, 6 out of 10 employees report that well-being benefits are non-negotiable when looking for a new job. Experts predict that leaders will continue to prioritize employee wellness programs and offerings in 2022.

3. Career Nomads are on the Move

A career nomad is an employee who can work from anywhere, in and out of the office. With virtual work the new norm, we don’t expect to see the career nomad returning full-time to the office anytime soon. According to Korn Ferry, 32% of professionals report that they don’t think they’ll ever go back to the office full-time. Leaders are, therefore, focusing on creating agile and flexible cultures to increase employee engagement and retention. 

4. Leadership Development is a Game-Changer for Building Effective Relationships in Hybrid Workforces

A recent study revealed that 63% of high-growth organizations leverage a hybrid work model. Hybrid work is a win for the employees and a win for the organization but can often be difficult to manage. Leadership development programs can fortify teams and strengthen communication between team members no matter where they are in the world via:

• Generating a collective understanding and commitment to effective hybrid work
• Reimagining the ways in which hybrid teams communicate
• Unlearning old habits, and redefining new practices for leading and integrating hybrid work lives

5. Investing in Your Employees’ Development as a Method to Enhance Retention is Crucial

In 2021, we saw more investments made in employee development as a method to building internal talent capacity and preventing attrition in order to reduce turnover and promote from within. In fact, organizations that offered employee development programs garnered a 34% higher retention rate than those that did not. We expect to see a steady state of companies leveraging leadership development academies as a method to strengthen talent, maximize impact, and improve business performance. 

For more information on leadership academies, download a copy of TLD Group’s Leadership Academies Brochure.

6. Implementing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion will Lead to Better Business Outcomes

The last two years have brought to light a host of systemic inequities impacting our communities and organizations across the nation. Leaders today are focused on creating a culture that prioritizes equity, diversity and inclusion (ED&I). After all, according to McKinsey, organizations who are diverse and inclusive are 35% more likely to outperform their competitors.

Likewise, Glassdoor reports that workplace diversity is a top priority for 67% of job seekers when evaluating potential employers. Leaders in all organizations implementing ED&I solutions will be better positioned to attract and retain high-performing talent in 2022 and for years to come.

7. It’s Time to Align Your Talent Strategy to Support Reinvention

Most teams and organizations struggled to keep employees happy, healthy and satisfied during the onset of the pandemic and the myriad of challenges that followed. However, some organizations were able to more quickly adapt than others. What differentiated their success? By pivoting their mindset, processes, and ways of working to adapt to the obstacles that came their way, some organizations, teams, and leaders were able to reinvent themselves and their processes. 

In 2022, we expect that organizations will continue to pivot by aligning their talent strategy to support the Great Reimagination. In fact, leaders will likely reinvent their talent strategy to optimize employee performance by offering:

• Wellness programs that focus on physical, mental, and financial health
• Enhanced healthcare benefits and time-off benefits
• Parental support such as extended maternity and paternity leave as well as childcare support

8. There is a Growing Need to Shift Mindsets Through Leadership Academies

A shift in mindset is key to leadership success in 2022. In fact, when leadership teams adopt a growth mindset, approximately 47% of their workforce will have higher trust in their company. Plus, 34% of workers have an increased likelihood of feeling a sense of ownership and commitment to the future of their company.

Now more than ever, leaders must alter their mindset to be open-minded, collaborative, and innovative. To do so requires leadership development support. Leadership academies develop leaders at all levels by empowering teams with the knowledge, skills, behaviors, and mindset required for effective leadership.

To learn more about the power of leadership academies, take a look at the in-depth case story, The Leadership Development Group’s Applied Physician Leadership Academy™ In Action: Atlantic Health System.

9. Executive Coaching is the Antidote to Burnout

According to Indeed, 52% of employees experienced burnout in 2021. In an effort to mitigate these numbers and lessen the amount of burnout in 2022, leaders will be investing in executive coaching programs to:

• Get equipped with the skills to lead through change
• Develop effective collaboration and shared decision-making habits 
• Enhance self and interpersonal awareness
• Understand how to better manage their stress and time management

Executive coaching can open doors to new ways of approaching stressful situations, communicating well with peers, and managing workloads more effectively. With the coaching industry’s market size expecting to increase by 2.4% in 2022, it’s clear that executive coaching is here to stay and is also here to help put an end to burnout.

10. Strategic Succession Planning is No Longer a Nice-to-Have

Succession planning is the process of identifying and developing your current talent for future roles or for specific high-profile roles within an organization. It is vitally important, to the success of any organization, to continuously identify and develop talent to fill critical roles in the future or in times of crisis. Given the ongoing pandemic, 90% of executives believe that succession planning is more important today than ever before. Succession planning is key to:

• Enhancing long-term growth
• Reducing turnover
• Creating a high-powered bench
• Aligning your team to execute business strategies

Consider this. ​​Your organization’s future success is dependent on your ability to identify future talent and develop leaders who can deliver results. Thus, in 2022, leaders will place a high priority on succession planning. 

11. Placing a Focus on Health Ecosystem Leadership Through Collaboration

Collaboration is critical to the future of work. As leaders learn how to navigate through change, it’s important to adopt the mindset of “we” versus “me.” According to Zippia, 86% of leaders blame lack of collaboration as the top reason for workplace failures. Additionally, the same study shows that employees who engage in collaboration report higher levels of engagement, success rates, and decreased fatigue levels.

A top leadership development goal for 2022 will be creating a strong sense of community through effective collaboration. 

To discover how to enhance collaboration in your team, check out our blog, 5 Tips to Enhance Collaboration in Healthcare Teams.

Final Thoughts

Life-changing events like the pandemic have plagued leaders in all industries throughout the past few years. But one thing remains the same – effective leadership is fundamental to organizational success. 

If you’re looking to make a pivotal change in your organization as well as your leadership in 2022, TLD Group can help. Get in touch with us to explore our leadership development capabilities and discover the best-fit solution for you, your team, and your organization.