Warning to male leaders: You risk falling behind in the leadership of the future

By Kirsten Stendevad, author and leadership developer

For over two decades as a leadership developer, I have observed a remarkable pattern: While personal development has become a common buzzword in business, there are still significant differences in how deeply different leaders actually invest in their personal transformation. Particularly striking is that women consistently make up the majority of participants in in-depth development courses.

“I seek out your leadership development course because I want to be good at what the best female leaders master,” a male leader from Ørsted told me. His realization reflects a growing understanding that the leadership of the future requires competencies that many female leaders have systematically developed over decades.

McKinsey & Company’s “Women in the Workplace 2023” study, based on data from 276 companies and over 40,000 employees, confirms this trend. While many organizations today offer leadership development, the study shows significant differences in how leaders prioritize their development. Female leaders more often seek transformative development programs with a focus on emotional intelligence and relational understanding, while their male colleagues typically prioritize professional development, technical skills, and formal qualifications.

This difference in investment patterns has new and crucial consequences in a time when artificial intelligence is radically changing the labor market. The World Economic Forum's "Future of Jobs Report 2023" is crystal clear: As AI takes over more and more technical and analytical tasks, our most human qualities - such as empathy, creative problem solving, and the ability to navigate complex human relationships - become crucial differentiators.

"I am looking for a job as a recent CBS graduate in your leadership direction because I can just as well learn the new era of leadership from the start instead of having to learn, and then unlearn, a leadership model that is outdated," a young male unsolicited job seeker told me. His insight represents a new generation that sees the need to develop their human skills from the start of their careers.

A paradoxical picture emerges: While many leaders today nod in recognition of the value of "soft skills", a large group of leaders - primarily women - have invested significantly more time and energy in developing these very qualities at a deep level over the decades. This gives them a significant head start in an era when these skills are becoming crucial for success.

"I've taken all sorts of leadership courses, but I've realized that what I need is deep personal development," a top executive from a successful global company recently admitted. This realization comes at a time when the difference between superficial "awareness" and true transformative development is becoming increasingly crucial.

For male leaders who have traditionally prioritized professional development, this means an urgent need to rethink their development strategies. They face the risk of falling behind their peers who have spent decades building strong competencies in the most sought-after leadership skills of the future. Harvard Business Review’s meta-analysis of 168 studies underscores the seriousness of the situation: Organizations with strong leadership development programs not only achieve 37% higher revenue per employee, but also significantly better results on parameters such as innovation, employee satisfaction and adaptability.

This creates an urgent need to rethink how we as a society and business community prioritize leadership development. It is no longer about choosing between professional or personal development, but about recognizing that deep personal development has become a strategic necessity - not just for the individual leader, but for our ability to create a future where technology and humanity go hand in hand. In reality, existential themes, regenerative understanding, neurology, philosophy, community and psychology should be a high priority in all educational programs

In a world where artificial intelligence increasingly takes over tasks, our ability to develop and unfold our deepest human potentials will be the determining factor for the leadership of the future. Those people - regardless of gender - who understand this and actively invest in transformative development will stand strongest in tomorrow's job market.