As the new year begins, we’re all hearing a lot about transformation sweeping the world of leadership development. It’s hard to keep track! For a quick overview of the latest research, check out my recent article. And if you're looking for something solid to hold onto amid all this change, here's what I keep coming back to: The timeless fundamentals of leadership still hold true. In fact, I believe that they’re the key factor that determines whether a company will evolve for the AI era or get left in the dust.
So what are these essential skills and capabilities? And how can you identify the specific areas where individual employees need more development? These questions drove the development of our New Lens® learning platform. The answers we discovered are important for every HR and L&D professional to know.
Why Fundamentals Matter Now
After 25 years of coaching executives and designing leadership solutions for Fortune 500 companies, I've watched what holds up when everything else is shifting: the human skills that allow leaders to navigate complexity, inspire teams, and make sound decisions under pressure. These fundamentals matter even more when we're all tired, when change feels relentless, and when it's hard to remember why we got into this work in the first place. Research shows that technology is advancing faster than job roles and skills can keep up, creating what Bersin calls an “AI productivity and skills gap.” The teams and organizations that close this gap are those where managers facilitate experimentation, orchestrate collaboration between humans and AI, and help people redesign work itself.
These capabilities show up across every coaching engagement, custom solution, and development program we design. These aren’t trendy skills that will be obsolete next year. They’re the essential building blocks—proven to get results across industries and economic conditions. And as AI reshapes the workplace, they become even more critical.
Think of it this way: AI is rapidly changing what work gets done and how it gets done. But leadership—the ability to guide people through uncertainty, build trust, and align efforts toward meaningful goals—is more human than ever.
Essential Skills for Leading Through AI Transformation
Here are the fundamental leadership capabilities that organizations need right now. Each reflects what we’re seeing and learning as we work alongside leaders navigating AI transformation—through coaching, scalable development programs, and custom solutions designed for specific organizational challenges. The Josh Bersin Company calls leaders who master these capabilities “supermanagers”—those who blend human-centered leadership with AI adoption to drive transformation. That's exactly what we're seeing work in practice.
Seeing the Big Picture
How it supports AI transformation: As AI automates tactical work, leaders must elevate their thinking. They need to understand how AI fits into the broader organizational strategy—where it creates value, where it introduces risk, and how to position their teams for the changes ahead. Strategic thinkers can distinguish between AI hype and genuine opportunity, making smarter investment decisions.
Signs of skill gaps: Leaders who focus more on short-term deliverables and less on long-term needs. They react to AI with hesitation or resistance, rather than thoughtful evaluation. Their teams lack clarity about how their work connects to the big picture and priorities.
Focusing on the Right Work
How it supports AI transformation: One of the first things I do with coaching clients is helping them understand their “Big 3”—the top three things they can uniquely do that have the greatest impact on the business. We build this framework into all our work—coaching engagements, custom leadership development solutions, and scalable programs like New Lens. This understanding helps leaders determine what they can delegate to AI and what tasks need to remain high-touch.
Signs of skill gaps: Leaders who constantly seem to be “putting out fires.” They believe that if they want something done right, they have to do it themselves. They struggle to articulate what work truly requires their unique skills versus what could be handled by others—or by AI.
Communicating with Influence and Impact
How it supports AI transformation: Change requires communication—and AI transformation involves relentless change. Leaders must articulate the “why” behind AI initiatives in ways that resonate emotionally, not just logically. They need to translate technical possibilities into compelling visions that motivate their teams to adapt and learn.
Signs of skill gaps: Teams that seem confused about priorities or resistant to change. Messages that land differently than intended. Leaders who over-rely on email rather than direct two-way conversations. A lack of trust or psychological safety within the team. When I see these patterns, the root cause is almost never that the leader doesn't care—it's that they haven't been taught how to communicate change in a way that lands
Building Visibility and Credibility
How it supports AI transformation: In a world where AI can generate content, analysis, and even code, leaders need to be known for their judgment, their relationships, and their ability to see connections others miss. Building visibility ensures decision-makers recognize the unique value you and your team bring.
Signs of skill gaps: Leaders whose contributions go unrecognized despite strong results. Teams that get passed over for high-profile projects. Difficulty gaining support for new initiatives. An assumption that “good work speaks for itself” without any intentional effort to share wins.
Navigating Organizational Dynamics
How it supports AI transformation: During AI implementation, there will be territorial concerns, budget battles, and competing priorities. Leaders who can skillfully navigate these dynamics—building coalitions, managing stakeholders, and finding win-win solutions—will drive successful adoption while others get mired in resistance.
Signs of skill gaps: Leaders who are blindsided by organizational decisions. Initiatives that stall despite clear business value. A tendency to avoid conflict or dismiss organizational politics as “games.” Difficulty influencing peers or getting buy-in from other departments.
Building a Powerful Network
How it supports AI transformation: Nobody navigates transformation alone. Leaders with strong networks have access to diverse perspectives, early information about changes, and support when initiatives hit obstacles. As AI reshapes roles and reporting structures, relationships become even more valuable—they’re the connective tissue that makes organizations function.
Signs of skill gaps: Leaders who only network when they need something. Limited relationships outside their immediate team, department, or function. A network of people who look exactly like they do. Difficulty getting meetings with key stakeholders or being left out of important conversations.
Building Leadership Courage and Resilience
How it supports AI transformation: Transformation is exhausting—and it’s fueling manager burnout. Leaders need the resilience to sustain their energy through waves of change and the courage to make tough calls, advocate for their teams, and speak up when AI initiatives are heading in the wrong direction.
Signs of skill gaps: Leaders showing signs of burnout—cynicism, disengagement, declining performance. Avoiding difficult decisions or conversations. An inability to bounce back from setbacks. Teams that mirror their leader’s stress and anxiety.
Developing a High-Performing Team
How it supports AI transformation: AI amplifies team capability—but only if the team is already functioning well. Leaders who can build trust, foster psychological safety, and create clarity around roles and expectations will see AI multiply their team’s impact. Those with dysfunctional teams will find that AI only magnifies existing problems.
Signs of a skill gap: High turnover and difficulty retaining top talent. Team members working in silos rather than collaborating. Meetings that feel like status updates rather than true collaboration. A lack of constructive conflict—either too much discord or artificial harmony.
Leading with Emotional Intelligence
How it supports AI transformation: As AI handles more analytical tasks, emotional intelligence becomes the defining human capability. Leaders need to read the room, sense when team members are struggling with change, and respond with empathy while still driving results.
Signs of skill gaps: Leaders who are surprised by team reactions to change. Difficulty managing their own stress in ways that don’t affect the team. Feedback that is either too harsh or avoided entirely.
Reimagine L&D in 2026
The way we think about learning and development is shifting—fast. On Thursday, January 29, I’ll be hosting a live session: “What’s Next for L&D: The Biggest Shifts Shaping 2026.”
I want to share what I'm learning and synthesizing from working with organizations in real-time: what's actually shifting, what's working, and how we're all adapting together. We’ll talk about:
The biggest drivers of high performance in the current environment
How AI is (really) reshaping learning strategy
What all of this means for managers and leaders
Scalable coaching models that actually work
I'd love to explore these questions together. Join us if you're trying to figure out what's next.
📅 Thursday, January 29, 2026
🕒 12:00 PM CT
🔗 Reserve your spot here: https://luma.com/qkos4s7j
Don’t wait for performance to drop before taking action. Discover how the New Lens® platform helps organizations support managers with bite-sized, actionable learning—built for today’s fast-paced, high-stress environments.