Developing Future Leaders

No retail background. No fashion experience. She was head of HR. Now? She leads Chanel. Leena Nair’s path to the top wasn’t traditional. But it’s exactly what makes her leadership so powerful. Here’s how she’s redefining leadership and career path: 1. From small-town India to the C-Suite Leena was never the obvious choice. • Started on a factory floor in India • Rose to CHRO of Unilever • Achieved gender parity in global leadership And when Chanel called? She almost said no. What changed her mind? A call with mentor Indra Nooyi, who reframed her “weaknesses” as her strengths. ✅ She wasn’t what the industry expected. She became what it needed. 2. She leads a $20B brand without chasing the spotlight Leena doesn’t chase hype. She avoids the spotlight. She turns down 1,995 of 2,000 speaking requests. Instead, she leads by listening. Her first month at Chanel? No press. No product launch. Just people. She visited ateliers. Met milliners, artisans, embroidered. And asked: “Help me understand why we do it this way.” She made humility her leadership edge. In a high-gloss industry, she brought calm. ✅ She centers people, not PR. 3. Rewriting What Power Looks Like Under her leadership, Chanel is transforming, quietly but boldly. • Fondation Chanel funding grew from $20M → $100M • Over 60% of leadership roles now held by women • Still no e-commerce for fashion, craft over convenience Success is measured differently here: • Only 20% of bonuses tied to financials • The rest? Tied to impact on people, brand, and planet ✅ She’s not chasing quarterly wins. She’s building century-long relevance. Leena Nair didn’t come from the runway. She’s not loud. She’s not flashy. She’s not typical. And that’s exactly why she works. Join this FREE masterclass to learn how quiet, strategic leaders reach executive roles. https://lnkd.in/gEXrUQPM

If you're setting goals to create a more inclusive workplace in 2025, my experience may save you time, money, and unmet expectations. ✅ Quick Wins (low effort, high impact) Start with team psychological safety. Inclusion is felt most in everyday team interactions—meetings, feedback, problem-solving. 👇 Use tools like: 1. The Fearless Organization Scan to uncover blind spots and team dynamics. 2. Debrief session with an accredited facilitator to discuss results openly and set clear, actionable improvements. 3. Action plan with small shifts in behavior, like leaders modeling vulnerability, asking for input first, or establishing "speak-up norms" in meetings. These micro-actions quickly build team inclusion and unlock collaboration. 🏗️ Big Projects (high effort, high impact): To create sustainable change, invest in structural inclusion. 👇 Focus on: 1. Inclusive hiring & promotion practices: build diverse candidate pipelines and train interviewers on bias mitigation. 2. Inclusive decision-making: ensure diverse perspectives are integrated into key business decisions. 3. Inclusive leadership: train leaders to actively foster diverse perspectives, intellectual humility, and trust in their teams. Empower leaders to align inclusion with business goals and make it part of their day-to-day behavior. 🎉 Fill-ins (low effort, low impact): Awareness events (like diversity month) are great for building visibility but should educate, not just celebrate. 👇 For example: 1. Pair cultural events with workshops on how diverse values shape workplace communication. 2. Use storytelling to highlight how diverse perspectives lead to tangible business wins. 🚩 Thankless Tasks (high effort, low impact): Avoid resource-heavy initiatives with little ROI. 👇 Examples: 1. Overcomplicated dashboards: focus on 2–3 actionable metrics rather than endless reports that don’t lead to change. 2. Unstructured ERGs: without clear goals and leadership support, these often become frustrating rather than empowering. 3. One-off training programs: A two-day training on unconscious bias without follow-up or practical tools is a missed opportunity. 💡 Key Takeaways 1. Inclusion thrives where it’s felt daily—in teams and decisions. 2. Start with quick wins to build momentum and tackle big projects for systemic change. 3. Avoid symbolic efforts that consume resources without measurable outcomes. 🚀 Let’s turn inclusion into a tangible, strategic advantage that empowers your teams to thrive in 2025 and beyond. _____________________________________________ If you're new here, I’m Susanna—an accredited team psychological safety practitioner with over a decade of experience in DEI and inclusive leadership. I partner with forward-thinking companies to create inclusive, high-performing workplaces where teams thrive. 📩 DM me or visit www if you want to prioritize what truly works for your organization. 

Why oversimplified images about leadership miss the mark in 2025 We’ve all seen leadership diagrams like this one from Pinterest, which lists integrity, empathy, drive, and respect as the keys to leadership. These are important, but let’s be honest → in 2025, this is just the starting line. According to LinkedIn’s Future of Skills and Skills on the Rise reports, the most in-demand leadership skills now include AI literacy, adaptability, digital agility, and a growth mindset. Korn Ferry’s 2025 leadership trends echo this: leaders today must drive innovation, create psychological safety, and build inclusive, purpose-driven cultures—none of which show up in oversimplified diagrams. How should this diagram be updated? Add... → AI & digital fluency → Adaptability → Curiosity → Inclusivity → Purpose-driven vision Show leadership as a dynamic, social process—LESS about static traits, MORE about creating direction, alignment, and commitment across teams. Leadership in 2025 is about guiding people through uncertainty, leveraging technology, and fostering cultures where innovation and diverse perspectives thrive. It’s not just about being respected—it’s about empowering others to act, adapt, and grow. Your title doesn’t make you a leader. Neither does checking off a list of virtues. Let’s move beyond feel-good graphics and demand more from ourselves and our leaders. Coaching can help; let's chat. | Joshua Miller Sources: LinkedIn Future of Skills Report LinkedIn Skills on the Rise 2025 Korn Ferry Top Leadership Trends 2025 #ExecutiveCoaching #Leadership #FutureOfWork #Skills2025 #AI

10 insights: Peter Drucker Forum, Vienna,  𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐄𝐫𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩: 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐤   1. The world, especially technology will evolve faster than we can adapt. So the future is increasingly less and less, an extrapolation of the past.  2. Future leaders need to develop new opportunities, sense unseen threats, challenge status quo & inspire teams to change. Not the same as managing more of the same.        • So to lead differently, one must learn differently. 3. Reframe uncertainty as information to process and respond/adopt to 4. Think about leadership in the context of increasing followers. Not reportees 5. THE ONE trait of future-ready organizations = 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 & 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 simultaneously:       • 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 = Deliver in excellence what they do best today       • 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 = Invest in what they will excel in tomorrow 6. Trust that your organization will leverage AI to evolve will not come through making townhall declarations. Needs:       • A displayed commitment to training the workforce in AI        • Investing in your own Buy+Build models        • Democratise AI adoption where anyone using AI innovatively will be heard 7. Change information sharing from ‘𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸’ to ‘𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸’  8. Leaders need to learn to recognize ‘𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨’ – where everything reported on the outside looks 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯, while in fact, everything inside is 𝘳𝘦𝘥 9. Think about providing 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘥-𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 (quick forward looking responses to performance in short intervals of time) than sticking to traditional annual 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘥-𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬  10. Leaders need to think and be honest about what the world will miss if their business stops existing   The following quote by one of the panelists sums up the general sentiment aptly …. “𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘳, 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳”   ….To tomorrow.  

At Champions of Change Coalition, we’ve set out to tackle one of the toughest challenges in corporate Australia: building CEO pipelines that reflect the full depth of talent and experience across our communities. More women are participating in the Australian workforce than ever before, and unlike previous generations, many are maintaining strong career connections through different life stages.  Despite this unprecedented participation and depth of talent, women remain significantly underrepresented in the most senior leadership roles, including women from culturally and racially marginalised backgrounds and women with disability, who face additional and compounding barriers to accessing leadership positions.  These gaps point to much deeper issues at play including a candidate selection system that is too narrow in how it defines and recognises leadership potential.    “Securing your future leader: Building diverse and inclusive CEO pipelines” is a practical guide for Boards, CEOs, People & Culture leaders and recruitment advisers to build pipelines that are transparent, fair and future-fit. It includes:  • Transparent CEO capability and selection criteria with inclusive leadership embedded across all categories. • Practical tools for Boards, CEOs, People and Culture leaders and recruiters to broaden pathways and strengthen talent development and selection systems.  • The first collection of case studies from women CEOs, capturing candid insights into barriers, enablers and advice for future leaders.  • Guidance on setting up new CEOs for success, ensuring they are supported to lead both business performance and cultural change. Leadership strength and inclusive capability are now inseparable. The organisations that get this right will be the ones that stay ahead. Organisations that fail to build gender-equal diverse and inclusive CEO pipelines will find themselves short of choice, capability, and ultimately credibility.  This work began as an initiative of our Property Champions of Change Group and grew into a Coalition-wide collaboration. It’s grounded in research and deep listening, drawing on more than 40 interviews with CEOs, Directors, recruiters, Chief People Officers, and emerging women leaders. It is an easy, practical read, full of great tools that can be adopted, adapted, or built upon to help us collectively create a new standard of leadership. We’d love to hear your reflections: Download the resource: https://lnkd.in/g696qqem My heartfelt thanks to everyone across Champions of Change Coalition who contributed to this work — to our Members, CEOs, Directors, recruiters, People and Culture leaders, and the incredible women who shared their experiences so generously. You have created something both practical and powerful: a roadmap for the next decade of leadership. #InclusiveLeadership #FutureLeadership #GenderEquality #CEOPipelines #SystemChange 

Inclusive leadership: are your managers falling behind? Imagine this: A manager in your organization organizes a team meeting. Around the table (a virtual one too) are team members with different perspectives, experiences and needs. Does the manager: ✅ Create space for every voice? ✅ Catch their own biases before they influence decisions? ✅ Show genuine curiosity about ideas they don’t yet understand? … Or does the pressure of their workload or uncertainty about how to lead inclusive meetings keep them stuck in "business as usual"? Juggling tight deadlines, team dynamics and strategic goals—all while navigating the emphasis on DEI -  it’s no wonder many managers sometimes feel overwhelmed, even as they genuinely want to do better. Inclusivity doesn’t happen by chance—it happens by choice. And your managers need the right tools, support and mindset to make that choice. So, how can you support them? Here are some strategies to help managers foster inclusivity: 1️⃣ Training and education: Provide DEI training for all managers, but not just those that "increase awareness and understanding". Choose ones that teach concrete tools, techniques and ways for behavioural change. 2️⃣ Tools: Equip managers in a couple of tools that will help them to create an environment where team members feel safe to speak up and share ideas. 3️⃣ Clear policies and procedures: Ensure that managers are trained in unbiased hiring, promotion and performance evaluation processes. 4️⃣ Inclusive team norms and open communication Encourage managers to establish inclusive team norms and regular one of ones to actively listen to their team members and consider diverse perspectives. 5️⃣ Regular check-ins: Schedule regular check-ins with managers to discuss their inclusion efforts, address concerns and provide ongoing support and resources. Here’s an idea for January: think of one specific thing you can do this month to empower your managers to lead more inclusively. What does ‘choosing inclusivity’ look like for you?

💥 Increasing diversity isn’t enough. What you do next is what makes all the difference 💥 We know that greater diversity can bring real advantages: better decisions, smarter risk management, stronger client relationships, more creative solutions and fewer costly blind spots. But as the latest research from TheDiversityProject and Alex Edmans highlights, it’s more complex than that (link in the comments). And those of you who have followed me for a while know that I love getting into the nuance - for that is where the difference that makes all the difference lies. Here are some of the findings:- 👉 Diversity isn’t just about who’s in the room; it’s about how these people work together 👈 Demographic diversity, such as gender, race or background, can bring different perspectives. But it doesn’t automatically lead to diversity of thought. Simply adding diverse individuals into existing teams without adapting the leadership styles, culture or ways of working often leads to frustration, tokenism and lost potential. 👉 Cognitive diversity brings different ways of thinking, and that’s exactly why it can create friction 👈 When people approach problems from different mental models, disciplines or communication styles, it becomes harder to coordinate, align decisions and fully understand one another’s perspectives. Without strong leadership, shared frameworks and psychological safety, people often end up talking past each other and the benefits stay locked away. This strongly echoes what my research. Women feel that if the surrounding culture often remains rooted in traditional leadership norms, what looks like inclusion on paper can feel very different in practice. 👉 Psychological safety is non-negotiable 👈 When people don’t feel able to challenge or share alternative views safely, cognitive diversity stays dormant. Many women in my research described the Communication Bias where assertiveness and volume are given unfair focus and mistaken for competence, leaving many unable to make their valuable contributions. ✅ Inclusive leadership is the real lever Leaders need to create environments where different thinking styles are welcomed, dissent is safe, and contribution isn’t limited to those who shout the loudest. This is about more than just increasing diverse people in your teams; it’s about building a genuinely inclusive culture where those people feel able to contribute fully. 🔑 The key takeaway is that having diverse people and thinking holds huge potential but it requires intentional leadership for it to be unlocked. It will not add value by default - it only delivers when leaders create the conditions for it to flourish. What are your thoughts? Where have you seen cognitive diversity work well, or not, in your organisation? And how are you creating the conditions for real diversity of thought to thrive? #Inclusiveleadership #Organisationalculture #Psychologicalsafety #Womeninleadership

Many things that happen in our lives are out of our control. ⁣ But focusing on the what we can control increases our success⁣. ⁣ Here's 9 skills to develop to make sure your career has the best chances⁣: ⁣ 1: Problem Solving⁣ ↳ The ability to connect insights from different fields to solve multi-layered challenges.⁣ ↳ AI can optimize within systems, but humans excel at seeing patterns across unrelated domains.⁣ ⁣ 2: Emotional Intelligence⁣ ↳ Understanding and managing emotions in yourself and others to build trust and collaboration.⁣ ↳ As work becomes more remote and AI-assisted, human connection becomes increasingly rare and valuable.⁣ ⁣ 3: Adaptive Learning ⁣ ↳ The capacity to quickly understand new concepts and pivot when circumstances change.⁣ ↳ Industries will shift rapidly, requiring professionals who can learn and unlearn at high speed.⁣ ⁣ 4: Systems Thinking⁣ ↳ Seeing how individual pieces connect to larger patterns and long-term consequences.⁣ ↳ Automation handles linear tasks while humans add value by understanding complex interconnections.⁣ ⁣ 5: Creative Innovation⁣ ↳ Generating novel solutions and approaches when standard methods don't work.⁣ ↳ Creativity and imagination remain uniquely human advantages that machines cannot replicate.⁣ ⁣ 6: Digital Fluency ⁣ ↳ Understanding how to leverage technology as a tool while maintaining human judgment.⁣ ↳ The future belongs to people who can work with AI, not those replaced by it.⁣ ⁣ 7: Future Planning⁣ ↳ Anticipating trends and making decisions based on where things are heading, not where they are.⁣ ↳ Strategic foresight becomes more valuable as change accelerates and uncertainty increases.⁣ ⁣ 8: Resilience⁣ ↳ Maintaining performance and well-being when facing constant change and ambiguous situations.⁣ ↳ Future careers will require thriving in uncertainty rather than just surviving it.⁣ ⁣ 9: Cross Cultural Communication⁣ ↳ Working effectively with diverse teams and understanding different cultural perspectives.⁣ ↳ Remote work and global collaboration make cultural intelligence essential for leadership.⁣ ⁣ Which skill will you prioritize developing first?⁣ ⁣ 💚 Follow Hetali Mehta, MPH for more.⁣⁣ 📌 Share this with your network.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ 👇Subscribe to my newsletter: https://lnkd.in/ehMbvmiY

PageGroup Perspectives: The Future of Executive Leadership   In this instalment of PageGroup Perspectives, I’m exploring a critical question for today’s businesses: How do we future-proof leadership in an era of constant change?   As markets become more complex and global trends evolve, it’s clear that leadership itself is transforming, and with it, the challenges organisations are facing.   It’s no longer enough for executives to bring traditional leadership skills to the table. Today’s leaders must be agile, innovative, and prepared to handle disruption, all while fostering cultures that attract and retain talent.   Here are 5 attributes our Page Executive team is seeing as game-changers for future-ready leaders – and how businesses can embrace these qualities to secure and empower tomorrow’s executives.   1. Adaptability Leaders who are comfortable with change and see disruption as an opportunity rather than a threat, will be the ones who drive sustainable success. Cultivating adaptability within your leadership pipeline through cross-functional experience, innovation-focused projects, and interim leadership roles can prepare your team to navigate change head-on.   2. Culture-Driven Leadership While leadership skills are critical, culture is the engine that propels organisations forward. Leaders who actively shape and uphold a positive, inclusive culture inspire loyalty, engagement, and high performance across their teams. Research from Page Executive found that 40% of leaders globally identified company culture as a top consideration when evaluating new roles, highlighting the value of a strong culture in attracting and retaining talent.   3. Digital and Data Fluency Leaders with a strong understanding of digital and data strategies are better equipped to guide their organisations through digital transformation. With 75% of senior leaders expecting AI to drive significant change in the next three years, investing in leaders who leverage data and technology for informed decision-making will be critical in the years ahead.   4. Visionary Thinking with Real-World Insights We are seeing a growing demand for executives who can blend big-picture thinking with real-world insights. Leaders who can set a compelling vision for the future and then operationalise that vision will be those who inspire confidence and drive results.   5. Lifelong Learning In a fast-evolving landscape, leaders who embrace continuous learning will have a competitive edge. Whether it’s through formal training or peer networking, executives who commit to lifelong learning are better positioned to anticipate industry shifts and lead with insight.   Strengthening future leadership teams is crucial to navigating complexity and achieving resilience. Feel free to share your thoughts on which qualities you believe will be most important for leaders over the coming years.   To learn more about Page Executive, visit https://lnkd.in/ehezr9Rp

𝗜𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴? 𝗔 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 In our recent LinkedIn Live session on "𝙐𝙣𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙝 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙎𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙨® 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙁𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙑𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙚-𝘾𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘽𝙤𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙂𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚," Gregg Anderson and I posed a challenging question to board directors and C-suite executives: 🤔 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? The uncomfortable truth? When we survey board directors and executives, most respond with "unsure" or a flat-out "no." ⚠️ Today's boards face unprecedented challenges—from AI and cybersecurity threats to economic volatility and geopolitical instability. ❌ The old playbook of relying solely on CEO/CFO experience and backward-looking metrics is no longer sufficient. What's the solution? 🎯 In our latest article, we reveal a powerful framework called The Five Leadership Superpowers® that equips boards to balance critical tensions in governance: 1. How to focus on today while preparing for tomorrow 2. When to trust experience vs. embracing new learning 3. Taking smart risks while building resilience 4. Integrating strategy with execution 5. Balancing accountability with collaboration The stakes couldn't be higher. 👎 Boards that fail to develop these capabilities risk value destruction, loss of stakeholder trust, and becoming targets for activist investors. 💎 Want to discover how your board can transform from compliance-focused to value-creating? Read our full article to learn how The Five Leadership Superpowers® can equip your board for future success—and the four immediate steps you can take to begin your transformation. Don't wait until disruption forces your hand. The time to build future-ready governance is now. #Leadership #CorporateGovernance #RiskManagement #Future #TheFiveLeadershipSuperpowers #TopVoice