The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Future Council on Leadership and Forum of Young Global Leaders developed Next Generation Leadership for a World in Transformation: Driving Dialogue and Action (January 2026).
Human Level’s Take:
- Leadership is outdated: WEF argues that traditional models are not equipped for today’s complex, crisis-driven world, leading to reactive, short-term decision-making and declining trust.
- What can change this? WEF identifies four leverage points for systemic change: (1) improve leadership by creating more diverse pipelines and examining selection criteria; (2) better equipping leaders of today and tomorrow through fit-for-purpose training; (3) enhancing decision-making by bringing in other perspectives; and (4) focusing on long-term legacy rather than short-term gains.
- Systemic shifts will be needed: a move from linear to intergenerational leadership, from top-down control to co-creation, from individual authority to shared agency, and from short-term performance to long-term impact.
- Youth and emerging leaders will also be essential to bring fresh perspectives and building systems fit for the future they will inherit.
Some key takeaways:
- Today’s leadership is not future-proof: WEF argues that traditional leadership models are no longer fit for today’s rapidly changing, complex and crisis-driven world. Tech, geopolitics, ecological stress and societal divides are creating a new landscape for decision-making, and leaders are not prepared for the current moment, or future evolutions. In parallel, we’re seeing declining trust in leaders and institutions, reflecting a deeper failure to adapt to evolving global challenges. Driven by pressure and a sense of “permacrisis,” many decision-makers are making choices reactively and with a short-term mindset, which can undermine long-term outcomes for current and future generations. Leadership now needs to fundamentally evolve to meet the current moment and prepare for the future. In particular, youth and the next generation of leaders have an important role to play in refreshing thinking. This can also help ensure the systems of tomorrow are adapted to those who will inherit them.
- Four systemic leverage points: The report puts forward four systemic leverage points to help future-proof leadership. The first leverage point is the leadership pipeline and selection of leaders: how are leaders cultivated and chosen? A sustainable leadership pipeline requires both bringing in new potential leaders and redesigning selection systems to be more adaptive to evolving realities. Organisations can do this via outreach, partnerships with underrepresented communities, networks and training institutions, and career acceleration programmes. They will also need to manage for structural biases in current selection procedures that might eliminate critical new voices. The second leverage point is the training and development of leaders: what and how do leaders learn? This involves not only having substantive knowledge but also knowing how to act when confronted with ambiguity, ethical dilemmas and technological disruption. Training for leaders should include the ability to foster dialogue despite diverging perspectives, learning outside of the classroom, lifelong learning, and mindful listening and storytelling. The third leverage point is decision-making and action: how do leaders make decisions and take action? Interdisciplinary insight is becoming increasingly important when confronting complex challenges, requiring leaders to use collective intelligence and build decision-making capacity in others. Effective communication is also very important to achieving results. The fourth leverage point is the leader’s legacy: how might leaders leave a lasting legacy? Leadership legacy is shaped by both individual mindset and organisational systems, requiring strong governance and clear succession planning. In a more volatile world, leaders must prioritise long-term thinking over short-term results, thinking in decades rather than financial quarters.
- Strategic shifts to reinvigorate leadership: With these four leverage points in mind, the paper also proposes four shifts that can help equip leaders for the challenges of today and tomorrow. This includes a shift from linear to intergenerational leadership, incorporating youth perspectives that can help build the systems they will inherit. It also includes moving from control to co-creation, creating spaces for collective problem-solving rather than top-down decision-making. Another needed shift is from individual authority to shared agency, enabling others to have ownership and responsibility for action. Finally, the report calls for a shift from a focus on short-term performance to long-term impact, rethinking incentives to prioritise long-term benefits over short-term gains. WEF concludes with an open invitation to leaders across sectors (including business, government, academia, civil society), geographies and generations to participate in a new leadership lab that will explore what’s needed to make leadership future-proof and intergenerational.
