Next Generation Leadership for a World in Transformation: Driving Dialogue and Action

The World Economic Forum argues that current leadership models are outdated and unable to keep pace with technological disruption, ecological stress, and societal divides. To future-proof leadership, the report proposes focusing on four systemic leverage points: the leadership pipeline and selection, training and development, decision-making and action, and leadership legacy. It advocates for strategic shifts from linear to intergenerational leadership, control to co-creation, individual authority to shared agency, and short-term performance to long-term impact. The report concludes by proposing a 'global leadership lab' to pilot these new frameworks and tools, such as a leadership impact scorecard, to rebuild trust and ensure intergenerational justice.

• Current leadership models are failing to evolve at the pace of global crises, leading to a widespread erosion of trust. According to the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer, nearly 70% of people believe business and government leaders are misleading the public, and 61% report moderate or high levels of grievance against these institutions.
• The report identifies four systemic leverage points to make leadership present- and future-proof: the leadership pipeline and selection of leaders, the training and development of leaders, the decision-making and action of leaders, and leadership legacy.
• To reinvigorate leadership, the report proposes four strategic shifts: moving from linear to intergenerational leadership, from control to co-creation, from individual authority to shared agency, and from short-term performance to long-term impact.
• Leadership training must shift from static competencies to holistic, lifelong learning that integrates moral grounding and 'spiritual intelligence'—the inner ability to process challenges and align action with transcendent values. A 2025 YGL Leadership survey found that 64% of respondents agree or strongly agree that faith and spirituality can be guiding principles for leadership.
• Generative AI is perceived as a complicating factor for leadership; 45% of 2025 YGL Leadership Survey respondents believe it will not make the exercise of leadership easier. Leaders are urged to adopt 'adaptive governance' to ensure decisions remain agile and reversible as new evidence emerges.
• The report advocates for redefining leadership legacy from a 'static monument' to a dynamic process of stewardship, where the goal is to be a 'good ancestor' by leaving future generations more options and agency rather than focusing on individual short-term recognition.
• The report proposes a 'leadership impact scorecard' to shift incentives toward long-term value. This tool would track metrics such as long-term trust and legitimacy, the continuity of initiatives after a leader's term, representation of minorities in pipelines, and an organizational well-being index.

APA

World Economic Forum (2026). Next Generation Leadership for a World in Transformation: Driving Dialogue and Action. https://reports.weforum.org/docs/GFC_White_Paper_on_New_Leadership_Models_for_Future_Generations_2026.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Next Generation Leadership for a World in Transformation: Driving Dialogue and Action. 2026. https://reports.weforum.org/docs/GFC_White_Paper_on_New_Leadership_Models_for_Future_Generations_2026.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Next Generation Leadership for a World in Transformation: Driving Dialogue and Action |date=January 2026 |url=https://reports.weforum.org/docs/GFC_White_Paper_on_New_Leadership_Models_for_Future_Generations_2026.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2026next, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Next Generation Leadership for a World in Transformation: Driving Dialogue and Action}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2026}, month = jan, url = {https://reports.weforum.org/docs/GFC_White_Paper_on_New_Leadership_Models_for_Future_Generations_2026.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }