7 Leadership Skills Needed in 2023 & Beyond

Workers in the US have been facing a number of stressful factors outside their control including Covid variants, supply chain disruptions, talent shortages, historic inflation, widespread violence, and political divisiveness. People are stressed out at work and at home.

Uncertain times call for leaders who have skills that are human-centered. In other words, leadership that puts people first. This is a must for every industry, including senior living.

While strategic thinking and financial acumen will always be essential to leadership, these human-centered leadership skills are at the top of the list when it comes to leadership competencies needed to succeed in 2023 and beyond:

–Empathy. An empathetic leader has the ability to understand the needs of others and are keenly aware of their thoughts and feelings. Empathy in the workplace increases communication and a sense of worth for team members. In addition, managers who practice empathetic leadership toward their direct reports were viewed as better performers and leaders by their bosses.

–Team Support.  Leaders who support their team build a trust relationship and help them overcome any challenges encountered. In addition, showing support empowers and inspires a team to take ownership of assignments. Supportive leaders motivate and support their team by providing opportunities, promotions, and training.

–Coaching Abilities.  Leaders must be competent and capable however, in this era, they also need to be great coaches. Leaders should help their people reach their full potential and goals. Today’s employees are looking for a personal connection from their leaders. Therefore, coaching needs to demonstrate a genuine concern about their team as a whole and how each individual is faring in their professional lives.

–Building Adaptive Culture. The pandemic demonstrated the need for organizations to adapt quickly to an ever-changing environment. Leaders who are flexible and can accept change and uncertainty, think outside the box and find creative solutions. Adaptive leaders encourage their teams to do the same. This helps employees deal with changing conditions and be more resilient when facing uncertainty.

-Leadership Development of Others. Great leaders will take action to teach and guide others in order to broaden their skill sets for advancement. The commitment to leadership development provides great value to an organization and builds professional relationships. In turn, this boosts employee engagement, increases organization’s ability to deal with talent gaps, and decreases turnover.

–Health & Well-Being Promotion. Due to the pandemic, mental health and well-being were thrown to the forefront of every company’s agenda. Leadership cannot avoid the topic. They must directly communicate about it to their teams and advocate for a mental health offering to be included in benefits that provides free therapy to employees and their families. Rolling out these new initiatives lets employees know that leaders care and are listening to worker’s needs.

–Communicate Effectively & Openly.  Leaders must be open to feedback and champion their teams. Leaders need to create a safety zone and not punish or humiliate others for speaking up with ideas, suggestions, questions or concerns.  With open communication, leaders can receive information that can help them tackle issues that prevent the team from reaching its full potential. Repressing problems is only a way to multiply them.

ABOUT JULIE RUPENSKI

Julie Rupenski is the Founder & CEO of MedBest Recruiting. Since opening its doors in 2001, Julie has grown MedBest into an award winning, multimillion-dollar national firm, garnering impressive awards including INC 5000 2021 and Tampa Bay Fast 50 2021!  This year, Julie was named as one of the “Top 100 Women Leaders in Tampa 2022″ by Women We Admire.

MedBest has gained national recognition due to Julie’s industry expertise and high level of success. Julie has an in-depth knowledge of the senior living industry.  She previously worked in operations for both senior housing and senior living prior to founding MedBest. Today, Julie and her industry-savvy team of recruiters, make it their mission to place exceptional industry executives in senior living positions where they have the greatest impact.

Julie’s industry articles and interviews have been published in Provider Magazine, Argentum Quarterly, LeadingAge Magazine, McKnight’s Senior Living, Florida Senior Living Association, Florida Health Care Association, Florida Assisted Living Association, LeadingAge Florida, LeadingAge Indiana, LeadingAge Oregon, Virginia Assisted Living Association and the Pennsylvania Health Care Association.

Julie earned her degree in Gerontology at the University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida and continues to cultivate her career through senior living conferences, forums, trade shows, and expos.

ABOUT MEDBEST
MedBest is an award-winning national Executive Search Firm exclusive to the Senior Living Industry. For more than two decades, we have connected senior living organizations with exceptional senior living executive talent for both permanent and interim roles. MedBest was named as one of American’s top companies by Inc.5000 plus we are a Tampa Fast 50 Company!