Maureen Metcalf, Forbes Magazine Counsel Member, understands that disruption is the best avenue into opportunity. Projecting leadership trends in 2021, she wrote an article on Forbes.com after reviewing the work she did for clients in 2020 and conducting 50 interviews with executives, thought leaders and academics.

Each trend reflects a variety of U.S. circumstances and global events that have occurred throughout 2020, and points towards creating a new and improved future within the business landscape.  According to Metcalf, “We are living at a fantastic time in history. We have the opportunity to plot a future that is unlike our past. We can leave a legacy where future generations look back and see this time as a renaissance — when the foundation was laid to create a future better than many people living could imagine.”

Below is an overview of the seven trends she discovered:

• Trend 1: Economic volatility impacting society and the workplace, increasing polarization on global sustainability, and social justice issues impacting international relations and local communities.
• Trend 2: Continued erosion of trust in societal institutions and a weakening of the principles that sustain those institutions.
• Trend 3: More complex global system optimization, including resilience, geopolitical impacts, social justice, etc.
• Trend 4: Increased expectations to deliver results faster.
• Trend 5: Major shift in knowledge and skill requirements for both leaders and employees.
• Trend 6: Need to increase personal agility in all facets of life.
• Trend 7: More freedom to work where and how we want — and less privacy.

The questions Metcalf provided for leadership to ponder as they move into 2021 are truly insightful and – if answered – will maximize their impact and work to create an even better future for those within their sphere of influence.

To read the article in full, and take the time to review and answer the questions Metcalf posed, click here.

If this article was helpful and prompted you with an increased desire to improve your effectiveness as a leader so you can take your team to the next level, contact us to learn more about our Aepiphanni Ascend Leadership Development program. Fill out the form below and we’ll be happy to schedule a Coffee & Consult to chat in more detail about how we can help.

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Kris Cavanaugh Castro is the People Development Coach at Aepiphanni, the trusted advisor for business leaders who are seeking forward-thinking solutions to help them plan for and navigate through the challenges of business growth.  Kris has over 25 years of coaching, training and mentoring leaders to greater success; and she periodically writes about leadership development and facilitates change management conversations.

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