Which skills should a leadership development plan prioritise in 2025?

According to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs 2025, the priorities are analytical thinking, cited by 74% of companies as the most critical skill; creativity and original thinking, named by 73%; and resilience and flexibility, considered crucial by 68% of organisations in volatile environments. In practice, that means developing leaders who decide on the basis of data, innovate in the face of real challenges and adapt quickly to change.

How does Upskill's Artificial Intelligence fit into developing leaders?

Upskill works with two distinct and complementary routes. The first is mentorIA, the AI mentoring that leads most of the journey (around 90% of the path), is available 24/7 and is built on a proprietary knowledge base specific to leadership rather than on a generic LLM. That base comes from more than 20 years of real human mentoring in practical, day-to-day corporate situations — the same knowledge that underpins the series “A Mente do Líder do Futuro”. So when Future of Jobs indicates that 85% of the jobs of 2030 have not been invented yet, mentorIA guides the leader with validated frameworks on data-based decision-making, creativity and resilience, whenever they need it. The second route is the plan of weekly 1:1 mentoring with a human mentor — more intensive, and it further accelerates the gains made in AI mentoring. Each company chooses the combination according to the depth and urgency it needs.

Why do many leadership development plans fail to produce results?

The problem is rarely a lack of initiatives; it is the misalignment between which skills are missing and which ones are being developed. Future of Jobs 2025 points out that 63% of organisations identify skills gaps as the main obstacle to their business objectives. Microsoft, for example, was focusing 70% of the time on technical skills and only 30% on behavioural ones, and on reversing that proportion saw a 40% increase in employee satisfaction with their direct line managers.

How do you measure the progress of a leadership development plan?

The report indicates that companies which measure leadership development are 3.2x more likely to reach their business objectives. It is worth using metrics across three horizons: immediate impact over 30 to 90 days, such as the NPS of direct reports and decision-making time; development over 6 to 12 months, such as adaptability in simulations and data interpretation; and organisational results beyond 12 months, such as talent retention and the ROI of the projects being led.

Which practical adjustments can I put in place right away?

The article suggests three adjustments. First, micro-learning based on real data in short bites, given that 67% of professionals prefer just-in-time learning — something mentorIA delivers by guiding the leader 24/7 in place of recorded microlearning. Second, include remote leadership experiences, as 42% of companies will adopt permanent hybrid models. Third, create continuous feedback loops with fortnightly check-ins to adjust the development focus.

Where does artificial intelligence fit into developing leaders?

Future of Jobs 2025 indicates that 85% of the jobs of 2030 have not been invented yet, so leaders need to be prepared to manage teams in constant transition. Petrobras added a module on leadership in the age of AI to its leadership development plan, with labs to integrate humans and machines, and saw a 45% improvement in managing technological change. At Upskill, mentorIA adds the availability of a virtual mentor to the expertise of the human mentor, guiding the leader whenever they need it.

Articles/Leadership development

Accelerate results with a leadership development plan

Has your company already taken the first step to have a structured leadership development plan in 2026? If so, this already puts you ahead of 67% of organisations that still operate without a clear leadership capacity-building strategy. Regardless, the question here is: how can you ensure that a plan to develop leadership not only works, but accelerates results in a surprising way?

Upskill Team

Published on 16 Nov 2025 · 6 min read

What you will find here

67% of companies have no clear leadership strategy
63% see skills gaps as the main obstacle
Prioritise analytical thinking, creativity and resilience
Micro-learning with real data and remote leadership
Continuous feedback loops with fortnightly check-ins
Measure over the short, medium and long term

In this article:

What it is: The article shows how to transform a leadership development plan into a results engine, using the insights from the Future of Jobs 2025 report by the World Economic Forum to prioritise the right skills and adjust the strategy based on data.

Why it matters: According to the Future of Jobs 2025, 67% of organisations still operate without a clear leadership capacity-building strategy and 63% identify skill gaps as the main obstacle to business objectives. Companies that measure leadership development are 3.2x more likely to reach their goals.

What to do: Prioritise analytical thinking, creativity and resilience; add micro-learning with real data, remote leadership modules and continuous feedback loops; and measure progress with metrics for the short, medium and long term to make the plan more agile and evidence-driven.

What your current plan might be neglecting

Even companies with well-structured plans face a common challenge: 63% of organisations identify skill gaps as the main obstacle to achieving business objectives (Future of Jobs 2025, p. 23). The problem is not the lack of development initiatives, but rather the misalignment between which skills are missing and which are being developed. Microsoft, for example, found that its traditional leadership programmes focused 70% of the time on technical skills and only 30% on behavioural competencies. After reviewing their approach based on similar data to that of the WEF, they reversed this ratio and saw a 40% increase in employee satisfaction with their direct leaders.

Critical data to adjust your strategy

Priority #1: Adaptive leadership and analytical thinking

The report is clear: 74% of companies consider "analytical thinking" the most critical skill for 2025 (p. 45). This means that leaders need to make decisions based on data, not just on intuition. Although I can assert, based on my experience measuring executives, that intuition is part of the decision-making equation, it is never alone. If your current plan focuses mainly on traditional soft skills, consider adding modules on:

Dashboard and KPI interpretation
Decision-making based on evidence
Scenario analysis and risk management

Priority #2: Creativity and original thinking

It may seem contradictory, but along with analytical thinking, 73% of organisations rank creativity as essential (p. 47). IBM implemented "Innovation Labs" in its leadership development programme, where managers spend 20% of their time exploring creative solutions to real company challenges.

Priority #3: Resilience and flexibility

68% of companies report that the ability to adapt is crucial for leadership in volatile environments (p. 52). Unilever restructured its development programme to include crisis simulations and rapid adaptation exercises, resulting in leaders 35% better prepared for unexpected changes.

How companies are applying these insights in practice

Petrobras case: Integration of AI in development

Petrobras used WEF report data to add to its existing PDL a module on "Leadership in the AI Era". The report indicates that 85% of jobs in 2030 have not yet been invented (p. 67), so leaders need to be prepared to manage teams in constant transition. They created labs where leaders experiment with AI tools and learn to integrate humans and machines. Result: 45% improvement in the ability to manage technological change. Integrating humans with AI is what Upskill has also decided to do in its mentoring programmes, with the integration of mentorIA into the individual leadership mentoring programme. Thus, the expertise of the human mentor combines with the agility and availability of a virtualised mentor, created based on the methodology of the founders and the experience of human mentors.

Natura case: Focus on green skills

With 59% of companies prioritising sustainability as a business driver (Future of Jobs 2025, p. 78), Natura adjusted its programme to include "green leadership skills". Leaders now learn to make decisions considering environmental and social impact, not just financial.

Metrics to measure the evolution of your plan

The report suggests that companies that measure leadership development have 3.2x more probability of reaching business objectives (p. 89). Consider adding these metrics to your plan:

Immediate impact (30-90 days)

Net Promoter Score of direct reports on their managers
Frequency of constructive feedback offered
Average time for complex decision-making

Development (6-12 months)

Adaptability score in crisis simulations
Ability to interpret quantitative data
Index of creative solutions implemented

Organisational result (12+ months)

Retention rate of high-performance talent
Speed of implementation of strategic changes
ROI of projects led by developed managers

Three practical adjustments to implement now

Adjustment 1: Add micro-learning based on real data

Instead of long workshops, create 15-minute pills where leaders analyse real company data and make decisions. The report shows that 67% of professionals prefer just-in-time learning (p. 134). At Upskill, mentorIA replaces recorded microlearning, being able to guide 24/7 on tools to develop leadership skills whenever the leader needs it.

Adjustment 2: Include remote leadership experiences

42% of companies will adopt permanent hybrid models (p. 156). Your leaders need to be effective both in-person and remotely. Add modules on managing distributed teams and effective digital communication.

Adjustment 3: Create continuous feedback loops

The future of work will be more dynamic, so development also needs to be. Implement fortnightly check-ins where leaders receive feedback on specific competencies and adjust their development focus. This frequent follow-up is the foundation of the leadership development model at Upskill.

What's coming

The world is changing fast, and the data from the Future of Jobs 2025 shows that 54% of skills considered critical today will be different by 2030 (p. 178). This does not mean throwing away your current plan, but rather making it more agile and evidence-driven. Companies that can combine structured planning with evidence-based adaptation create a sustainable competitive advantage. Your leaders not only respond to changes – they anticipate them and prepare for them. If you already have a specific leadership development plan, you are on the right track. Now it is time to take the next step: accelerate skill gains and behavioural change, with personalisation, the support of human mentors and Artificial Intelligence. Want to explore how these insights can be applied specifically to your leadership development programme? Upskill Platform offers specialised consulting for companies that want to accelerate their results by combining strategic planning with the latest market trends. Discover our solutions and find out how we can support the evolution of leadership in your organisation.

Upskill Team

Mentors and specialists in leadership development, with more than 20 years of practice mentoring executives and entrepreneurs.

Accelerate results with a leadership development plan

What your current plan might be neglecting

Critical data to adjust your strategy

Priority #1: Adaptive leadership and analytical thinking