Trend barometer

Executives are dealing with the topics of resilience, employee motivation, and innovation

The current situation in companies is very diverse. While some are desperately seeking new employees, others are reducing their staff. While some have largely maintained a “business as usual” approach, others are undergoing a transformation process and exploring new business areas with the help of AI.

130 executives surveyed regarding the biggest challenges

The challenges faced by executives in companies currently vary greatly. Therefore, the Institute for Leadership Culture in the Digital Age (IFIDZ), Wiesbaden, has titled its latest online survey of executives, which it conducts several times a year, “The Biggest Challenges Facing Leaders in 2025.” Specifically, this means that the institute wanted to determine in the survey called the Leadership Trend Barometer,

• which questions executives are currently most concerned about and

• which topics are causing them the most headaches.

Executives are reaching their limits

The survey, in which 130 executives participated, found that the most pressing question executives have right now is, “How do I remain resilient and effective as a leader in a constantly changing environment?” This statement was agreed to by 49 percent, or nearly half, of the participants. In second and third place, with each receiving 41 percent agreement, are the more operational questions arising from digital transformation:

“How do I promote my team's digital competency and support them in adapting to new technologies and AI?” and

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

Employee motivation is becoming increasingly difficult for executives

Another topic that evidently holds great importance for many executives 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 were currently strongly concerned with the following questions:

• “How can I motivate my team and build a sense of community 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).

Executives have little fear regarding their own position

However, the fear among executives that the goals set for them by company management are unattainable with their team seems to be surprisingly low. Only 20 percent of participants agreed with a related question. Notably, given the announced staff reductions by many companies, which surely also involve the reduction of leadership positions, relatively few executives feel existentially threatened by this. Only 8 percent of respondents stated that they are currently strongly concerned about the question, “How (crisis) secure is my own position as a leader?” It should be noted, according to statements by IFIDZ director Barbara Liebermeister, that the survey did not differentiate between “rather healthy companies” and those “where a reduction in personnel is on the agenda.”