Challenge for leaders: employee motivation and resilience

Challenge for Leaders: Employee Motivation and Resilience

December 16, 2024 – Leaders are currently preoccupied not only with operational tasks but also with questions about how to remain productive over the long term and how to keep employee motivation high.

The current situation in companies is very different. While some are desperately seeking new employees, others are reducing staff. While some maintain a largely 'business as usual' approach, others are undergoing a transformation process and opening up new business areas with the help of AI.

Leaders Asked About Their Biggest Challenges in 2025

Accordingly, the challenges facing leaders in companies are currently very diverse. Therefore, the Institute for Leadership Culture in the Digital Age (IFIDZ), Wiesbaden, has titled its latest online survey of leaders, which it conducts multiple times a year, 'The Biggest Challenges for Leaders in 2025'. Specifically, this means that the institute wanted to determine in the survey named Leadership Trend Barometer

• which questions are currently burning most urgently for leaders and

• which topics are causing them the most headaches.

Leaders Are Sometimes Hitting Their Stress Limits

The survey, in which 130 leaders participated, found: The question 'How can I remain resilient and effective as a leader in a constantly changing environment?' is currently the most urgent for leaders. This statement was agreed upon by 49 percent, nearly half of the participants. In second and third place, with 41 percent agreement each, follow the more operational questions arising from the digital transformation

• 'How do I promote my team's digital competence and support them in adapting to new technologies and AI?' and

• 'How do I meaningfully integrate AI and digital technologies into our work processes?

Employee Motivation Is Becoming Increasingly Difficult for Leaders

Another topic that clearly holds high importance for many leaders is employee motivation and integration. This is indicated by the fact that in the survey, significantly more than a third of the participants stated that they are currently strongly concerned with the following questions:

• 'How can I motivate my team and build a sense of togetherness despite physical distance?' (39 percent)

• 'How can I foster a culture of continuous adaptation and learning in my team?' (38 percent) and

• 'How can I lead effectively in an increasingly uncertain and complex environment?' (37 percent).

Leaders Have Little Fear About Their Own Position

Notably low seems to be the fear of leaders that the goals set by company management are unattainable with their team. Only 20 percent of participants agreed with a related question. It is also striking, given the announced staff reductions by many companies, which will certainly also involve a reduction in leadership positions, that relatively few leaders feel existentially threatened by this. Only 8 percent of respondents indicated that they are currently strongly preoccupied with the question 'How (crisis) secure is my own position as a leader?'. However, according to statements by IFIDZ director Barbara Liebermeister, it should be noted that the survey did not distinguish between 'relatively healthy companies' and those 'where a staff reduction is on the agenda'.

Author: Barbara Liebermeister