Modern leadership is overflowing with shiny new trends—some promising real innovation, others just noise. From hybrid work debates to the surge of AI, from diversity initiatives to shifting workplace norms, leaders are expected to keep up with what’s new and make smart, lasting decisions. But chasing every trend can leave teams confused, stretched thin, or moving in the wrong direction.
When the world pulls leaders in opposite directions, where do we find balance?
The challenge isn’t whether to embrace change. It’s knowing which changes are worth it. In a world obsessed with the next big thing, discernment is the most underrated leadership skill.
Trend #1: Remote Work Versus Return-To-Office
You can’t scroll LinkedIn for more than a minute without seeing another heated debate about where work should happen.
The arguments often skew generational. Baby Boomers and Gen Xers might not miss the commute but feel more productive and structured in an office—away from the distractions of everyday life. Many of these employees now manage teams or lead offices, and remote work adds new challenges—and learning curves—to their already full plates.
Gen Zers and the upcoming Alphas may never know the joys and unique opportunities that office life can bring and feel duly frustrated by an expectation that simply doesn’t make sense to them (“Why do my work there when I can do my work here?”).
Millennials, ever the middle child, enjoy remote flexibility but miss the community and collaboration of in-person work.
As a leader, it seems there’s no way to make everyone happy, so let’s consider:
What leaders need to weigh with remote work:
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Pros: Flexibility, younger workforce, lack of commute, attracts top talent, no (or low) real estate costs.
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Cons: Less interaction and real-time collaboration, missed opportunities for growth among younger employees.
The common mistake for leaders: Assuming their people aren’t working as hard, which can lead to a loss of trust across all levels.
The fix: Instill more trust in your people than ever by creating new ways to make working together easy. Provide access to shared spaces, like weekly coffee meetups at a coworking space or monthly unstructured video calls where employees can talk about the different things they’re working on. Shift your mindset to allow employees to work at their own pace while still meeting expectations.
Trend #2: Investing in Diversity and Culture Efforts
Research shows that diversity and inclusion efforts aren’t just a trend—they’re a sound business decision that lead to real results. A study by MCSI found that U.S. companies with three or more women on their boards at the start of the 2011-2016 period saw a median increase of 10 percentage points in Return on Equity (ROE) and a 37% rise in Earnings Per Share (EPS). In contrast, companies without any female board members experienced declines, with ROE dropping by a median of one percentage point and EPS falling by 8% over the same timeframe (Eastman, Rallis, & Mazzucchelli, 2016).
Another study by McKinsey, analyzing 366 publicly traded companies found that businesses with the most ethnically and racially diverse leadership teams were 35% more likely to financially outperform their industry average (Hunt, Layton, & Prince, 2015).
Diverse teams tend to make smarter decisions by challenging each other to innovate and think differently. This is a great example of: “If you want to move far, go together.”
However, the research shows an interesting flip side. A study published by Dr. Katherine Phillips of the Kellogg School of Management found that homogeneous groups, on the other hand, were more confident in their decisions, even though they were more often wrong in their conclusions (Phillips, Liljenquist, & Neale, 2008). She concluded that this was because “often times ... disagreements are just squelched so people don’t really talk about the issue. They come out of these groups really confident that everybody agreed when in fact not everybody agreed. There were new ideas and different opinions that never got discussed in the group” (Kellogg Insight, 2010). In times of rapid political and economic change, some companies might opt for confidence over creativity—“If you want to move fast, go alone.”
Many companies stumbled by rushing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts—outsourcing training that didn’t fit or pushing HR to act without intentionality. As a leader, it is your job to grow teams that can move fast and go far, so let’s consider:
What leaders need to understand about diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts:
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Pros: More inclusive workplaces, increased creativity, smarter decision-making.
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Cons: Political backlash, possibility for missteps and moments of discomfort.
The common mistake for leaders: Treating diversity, equity, and inclusion as a flash-in-the-pan trend rather than a tool to help teams think differently and respond to the modern world in modern ways.
The fix: Shift your language but keep your purpose the same. Rather than focusing solely on issues of gender, race, and sexuality, broaden and deepen your team’s understanding of why diversity is more than a buzzword. Inspire and excite your people by showing them how diverse teams create expanded thinking.
Trend #3: AI Implementation
We’ve explored AI leadership in detail in recent posts—"The Leadership Imperative: AI Literacy & Adoption” and “The Strategic Leader’s Guide to AI: Adoption & Governance”—but it remains a critical trend that leaders are navigating in real time. Let’s take a step back and look at the broader leadership challenge AI presents.
Artificial Intelligence is, almost inarguably, the biggest topic in the business world today. In just a few years, models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini have reached levels of sophistication once thought impossible. In the veritable gold rush that followed, businesses have raced to implement AI across all functions—automating their customer service, training employees, organizing data, and streamlining sales. Work that once took many white-collar employees days can now be completed in moments.
But there’s still room for improvement with our AI friends. Many large language models (LLMs) have a habit of inventing statistics—or even fake sources to back them up. Articles generated by AI can still sound stilted or repetitive to the human ear. And when it comes to service, both employees and customers report significantly higher satisfaction when interacting with real people, especially during problem resolution.
Just like in the remote work conversation, AI implementation isn’t about where the work happens or even how—it’s about how well people are empowered to do their best thinking.
As a leader, you should always be realistically considering innovation and attempting to see around corners, so let’s consider:
What to keep in mind when implementing AI:
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Pros: Massive increases in efficiency and speed, expanded access to knowledge.
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Cons: Lack of human intent or “feel,” overconfidence in incorrect information.
The common mistake for leaders: Over-investing in AI’s ability to solve every problem and neglecting the human elements that still drive creativity, connections, and critical thinking.
The fix: Strong leadership asks: Is this a fit, or just FOMO? Outline clear AI best practices for your team, like reviewing creative work only after a human draft is done or using AI to brainstorm ideas rather than deliver final answers. Set realistic expectations for AI use and maintain high standards for quality. Invite your teams to brainstorm improvements for the business without AI too. Treat AI as one tool in the toolbox—not the whole solution.
Think critically, lead intentionally.
Trends can be useful indicators of where the world is heading, but they’re not road maps. As leaders, it’s tempting to follow what’s new, popular, or promising without fully considering whether it aligns with your team, your goals, or your values.
Whether it’s where your people work, how inclusive your team culture is, or how you integrate AI into your business, the most important leadership skill isn’t trend adoption—it’s discernment.
The common thread across all these trends is the need for intentionality. Trust your people. Make decisions with context. Stay curious. Be flexible. And most importantly, don’t mistake movement for progress.
Leadership isn’t about reacting to every new wave. It’s about learning to ride the ones that matter most.
References
Eastman, M. T., Rallis, D., & Mazzucchelli, G. (2016). The tipping point: Women on boards and financial performance. MSCI ESG Research. https://www.msci.com/www/research-report/the-tipping-point-women-on/0538947986
Hunt, V., Layton, D., & Prince, S. (2015). Why diversity matters. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/why-diversity-matters
Kellogg Insight. (2010, October 1). Better decisions through diversity. Northwestern University. https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/better_decisions_through_diversity
Phillips, K. W., Liljenquist, K. A., & Neale, M. A. (2008). Is the pain worth the gain? The advantages and liabilities of agreeing with socially distinct newcomers. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34(3), 336–350.
