Bullying and toxic cultures have been in the spotlight lately, with reports of big banks and investors distancing themselves from Odey Asset Management after allegations of sexual misconduct by its founder. Then there have been questions about the culture at the CBI, and complaints against Dominic Raab forcing him to quit his post as deputy prime minister – to name just a few instances.

The fact that bad behaviour by leaders is being publicly called out shows progress is being made on this issue, however. And this movement to call it out may be fuelled in part by seismic shifts taking place in the relationship between employee and employer.

The balance of power has shifted, with a flurry of new trends now making headlines – the latest being ‘Bare Minimum Mondays’, meaning doing as little as possible to avoid burnout.

Beyond burnout

Younger generations are demanding a different approach, and this is reshaping the workplace. A new Deloitte survey has found that Gen Z and millennials are continuing to prioritise their work-life balance.

McKinsey’s recent Future of Work report states that one of the key areas businesses should build strength in is to expand executives’ focus on strategic clarity, coaching, and empathy. The leading driver of performance and productivity isn’t compensation or stretch goals but, rather, a sense of purpose – and leaders people can believe in are critical to this.

Patience has worn thin with the ego-driven ‘tech-bro billionaire’ approach to leadership, as described in Emily Chang’s “Brotopia” which exposed the worst behaviours in the tech industry, including gender discrimination, lack of diversity and toxic work cultures. Poor leadership behaviour and bullying environments may have been papered over with sophomoric office perks, like ping pong tables and free beer in the past but today’s employees demand better.

Leaders who prioritise diversity, inclusivity and equality - and reshape their organisational culture in line with what younger generations value - will win the battle for talent and end up in the best position to future proof their businesses.  

Gender balancing the language around leadership 

We need to boost representation of women and people of colour in the top jobs.

As part of its mission to increase representation of female CEOs to 50%, WACL has launched a playbook that identifies key areas for businesses to focus on. One of these areas is the language around leadership, which has traditionally been defined by ‘male’ traits like ‘power’ and ‘dominance’. 

These traits are not only often defined as being masculine, even when they are seen in women, they’re an outdated notion of what good leadership looks like. Strong leaders combine compassion and competence. Compassionate leadership results in more engaged and motivated staff with high levels of wellbeing research shows.

The most valued leadership traits today are empathy, integrity, and humility. Employers require a leader that can coach and support people as well as direct; who has humility as well as vision; who doesn't just dream big but is also relatable. 

To boost inclusivity, diversity and equality at work, all leaders must ensure their business is recruiting and advancing talent from the most diverse pool possible.

They must also interrogate the qualities of leadership, business needs and values. Once they’ve honed in on these qualities, they should gear their operations, behaviours and communications around them, from training and professional development to recruitment materials.

Gone are the days where only hitting performance targets was the sole measure of success. In the past, competitive drive and unwavering determination were considered paramount, regardless of leadership style or toxicity.

Today, great leaders prioritise self-awareness and embrace their human side. They blend business acumen with qualities that inspire and connect with others.

Leaders leveraging technology to be more human

In the future, leaders may turn to an artificial intelligence assistant, not only to help make more informed business decisions, but also to guide them as leaders. 

The use of AI to help us understand the nuances of our emotions and actions could provide insights into our preferences, strengths, weaknesses, and blind spots. If leaders are not already self-aware, an AI assistant could act as a personal coach to help overcome challenges and build better relationships with teams, helping show us the importance of humanity in strong leadership – all in all maximising leadership potential. 

These automated tools and assistants need to be used carefully of course, as the machines can only take us so far - our human emotional intelligence is what will help take us further. The value is in the people more than it can be in machines alone.

At ScienceMagic - a business which believes in the power of community to fuel success for brands - my personal focus today lies in enhancing my self-awareness and embracing a more empathetic leadership style to help build a stronger community for our own business.

And my hope for the future is that even though we will be living in an increasingly tech-filled world, that we will embrace and value human traits to a greater degree and learn to be more human and empathetic as leaders.