Overview:
The demands on leaders have changed. The systems, structures, and supports around them have not always kept up. This whitepaper from Canadian Management Centre and AMA Global explores what is driving that gap, which leadership skills matter most now, and what organizations can do to better support leaders in today’s workplace.
Leadership today looks very different than it did even a few years ago. Leaders are expected to guide people through uncertainty, influence across functions, support employee well-being, make decisions with incomplete information, and respond to rapid technological change.
At the same time, many leaders are still working within systems designed for a more stable workplace.
Canadian Management Centre and AMA Global surveyed 1,249 leaders across industries, geographies, generations, and leadership levels to better understand how leadership is changing, where the pressure is building, and what organizations can do to close the gap.
The findings point to a clear challenge: leadership effectiveness can no longer depend on individual effort alone. Organizations need to create the conditions that help leaders create clarity, develop others, and focus on the work that matters most.
Key Findings From the Research
The research highlights how much the leadership role has expanded and how that expansion is affecting strategic focus, preparedness, and organizational support.
- 71% of leaders regularly take on work outside their formal role.
- 59% of leaders say this limits their ability to focus on strategic priorities.
- Only 44% of leaders feel fully prepared for what their role demands today.
- 69% of respondents spend 50% or more of their time influencing others without direct authority.
This is not simply a time management issue. It is a leadership support issue.
The Problem With Leadership Spillover
When leaders consistently absorb work that should sit elsewhere, the organization may keep moving in the short term, but it creates problems over time.
Strategic work gets pushed aside. Coaching and development become reactive. Managers and team members miss chances to build confidence and capability. Senior leaders become bottlenecks, not because they lack commitment, but because the organization is relying too heavily on their personal effort.
The whitepaper describes this as leadership spillover: leaders taking on tactical work, project execution, routine decisions, or operational workarounds that pull them away from their core leadership responsibilities.
This matters because organizations still expect leaders to think strategically, build talent, and prepare for the future. That becomes much harder when leaders are constantly stepping in to fill gaps.
Influence Matters More Than Authority
Today’s organizations are more matrixed, cross-functional, and complex. Leaders often need to align priorities and move work forward without direct authority over the people involved.
That means leadership effectiveness depends less on title or position and more on trust, communication, stakeholder alignment, and the ability to create shared understanding.
Leaders need to build relationships across functions, clarify shared goals, and help others understand how their work connects to broader priorities.
The Skills Leaders Need Now
While AI and technology disruption are reshaping the workplace, the most critical leadership skills remain deeply human and practical.
The whitepaper identifies decision making, communication and transparency, strategic thinking, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and empathy as essential capabilities for today’s leaders.
Technology may help organizations move faster, but leadership helps organizations move in the right direction.
Leaders do not need to master every technology themselves. They do need to help people understand what is changing, what matters, how decisions will be made, and where to focus.
What Organizations Can Do Next
Closing the leadership gap requires more than asking leaders to do better. Organizations need to create the conditions that allow leaders to lead.
The whitepaper outlines five practical recommendations:
- Strengthen clarity by communicating direction, priorities, and purpose in ways that reduce ambiguity.
- Establish shared leadership standards for decision making, accountability, and cross-functional alignment.
- Build influence without authority through trust, negotiation, and stakeholder alignment.
- Redefine delegation as a way to build capability, not just reduce workload.
- Enable leadership through better role clarity, ownership, decision rights, and aligned systems.
Together, these actions help shift leadership effectiveness from personal endurance to more sustainable ways of working.
Download the Whitepaper
Explore the full research findings, leadership data, and recommendations for supporting leaders in a changing workplace.
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