While the vast majority of HR professionals surveyed by Careerminds said they believe their managers are ready to lead through workplace uncertainty, they also said their organizations have “substantial gaps” in skills like artificial intelligence tool adoption, organizational change and navigating complex workplace dynamics — all required for modern leadership, per an Aug. 4 report.
Fewer than half of managers surveyed said they feel ready to lead through critical leadership challenges. And only 35% of people managers said AI has made their roles significantly easier; many instead reported increased worker anxiety and greater pressure to deliver with fewer resources.
“The role of the manager has fundamentally changed,” Mark Saddic, senior partner at Careerminds, said in a statement. “Today’s leaders aren’t simply managing performance. They’re helping employees navigate AI, organizational transformation, shifting career paths and increasing uncertainty — all while delivering business results.”
Notably, while 2 in 3 executive-level people managers surveyed said they feel very ready to lead through challenges, only 42% of senior-level and middle managers agreed. Executive-level people leaders were also much more likely to say they had very adequate training for difficult conversations compared to senior and middle managers, indicating organizations “may underestimate the challenges managers face every day,” Careerminds said.
Other surveys have shown that managers may not feel ready for the challenges of leading in the AI era; 43% of managers surveyed by Indeed and YouGov said they felt either poorly equipped to lead workers with AI expertise or not equipped at all. And only 3% of C-suite, CHRO and senior talent acquisition leaders surveyed by ManpowerGroup Talent said their leaders were highly prepared to lead AI adoption efforts.
“The organizations that succeed over the next decade won’t simply adopt new technologies faster,” Saddic said. “They’ll invest in preparing managers to lead people through change. Leadership readiness has become a competitive advantage.”
