The past year revealed compelling trends in leadership development. Setting meaningful developmental objectives has never been more critical for leaders who are working with a coach. The right objectives don’t just shape development—they ignite transformation. At Nebo, our work with leaders across industries reveals emerging trends that shed light on what will define leadership success in 2025.
In 2024, leaders’ top three most frequently-cited objectives for their coaching reflected the complex demands of modern leadership:
- Leading Teams
The emergence of leading teams as the top priority in coaching in 2024 wasn't surprising, but its dominance was striking.
Leaders faced extraordinary challenges in managing hybrid workforces, fostering collaboration across digital divides, and maintaining team cohesion amid rapid change. The pressure to perform has intensified, as leaders must not only navigate uncertainty but also assess whether they have the right team members to meet evolving demands. The stress is compounded by the need to collaborate with team members who bring varying perspectives, experiences, and working styles. Additionally, the complexity of managing nested teams—where leaders oversee their own teams, report to higher-level teams, and work cross-functionally with still others—has reshaped the leadership landscape. This shift has placed a premium on coaching that helps leaders build resilient, adaptive, aligned teams who are capable of thriving across multiple layers of organizational interaction in an environment of rapid change. - Executive Presence
Executive presence as a focus took on new dimensions as leaders continued to navigate both physical and virtual environments.
The ability to project authority, build trust, and influence people across multiple channels became non-negotiable. Many leaders in our networks sought to develop an authentic presence that resonates well in any setting. Under the current political climate and societal shifts, the nature of executive presence is evolving, with many leaders grappling with the tension between maintaining authenticity and adopting a more decisive leadership style. This shift reflects the growing need for leaders to balance clarity and strength, empathy and adaptability, ensuring their presence is effective in today’s dynamic environments. It’s no surprise that executive presence emerged as the second most salient coaching objective for 2024, as leaders are expected to drive innovation, deliver results, focus people on strategic priorities, and collaborate more effectively within their teams. - Strategic Thinking
With economic headwinds and market volatility becoming the norm, strategic thinking emerged as a critical competency and a priority for most leaders.
Leaders wanted to sharpen their ability to “see around corners,” anticipate disruptions, and make confident decisions with imperfect information. The rapid integration of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies has further heightened the need for strategic foresight, as leaders must evaluate both risks and opportunities in real time. As organizations face constant change, it’s no surprise that strategic thinking ranked as the third most prominent coaching objective in 2024, with leaders under pressure to navigate uncertainty, identify growth opportunities, and align their decisions with both short-term performance and long-term sustainability.
In addition to the top three objectives mentioned above, other top coaching objectives included effective leadership communication, managing conflict, and giving and receiving effective feedback. What are the top coaching objectives for the leaders in your organization? Contact us if you would like to learn how we can support your leaders in developing these competencies.
Interested in more insights? We invite you to download our Transformational Leadership White Paper that details how you and your leadership teams can transform your organization by adapting to a new strategic and dynamic leadership style.
