Amid accelerated technological transitions, rising geopolitical instability, eroding trust in institutions, and increasing inequality, leadership—in business, public administration, and the non-profit sector—takes center stage. It’s no longer about exercising authority, but about the ability to guide, mobilize, and inspire trust in high-variability contexts.
Rome Business School and Buono & Partners present Better Leaders of Tomorrow, a white paper exploring leadership’s evolving trajectory and offering a six-phase operational model to support organizations and companies in adopting a new managerial culture. This model focuses on three key areas:
All surveyed managers (100%) rated the ability to manage unforeseen events as the top leadership priority for the future, while over 91% of students highlighted the urgent need to balance automation with human relationships. Navigating uncertainty goes beyond crisis management—it’s about making decisions without stable reference points, integrating data, intuition, and contextual awareness.
Purpose-Driven Networking also garnered widespread agreement, with average scores of 4.75 from managers and 4.66 from students. Networks based on shared meaning and trust are viewed as cornerstones of credible leadership that fosters belonging.
When purpose is formalized and lived within the organization, it becomes a stable reference point aligning leadership and employees, facilitating strategic decisions, and strengthening trust,” said Maria Carla Garcea, CEO of Lab11, TEDxPisa organizer, and contributor to the report.
Duccio Vitali, CEO of Alkemy and another contributor, emphasized a purpose- and ethics-led approach to leadership:
People first: talented people and good people. That’s where we begin in building strategies, processes, innovation, and a culture rooted in trust, freedom to speak and act, and shared responsibility. Being a CEO also means safeguarding the values you believe in and making purpose a daily reality.”
Survey data shows a significant shift in mindset. Modern leadership is seen as a mix of curiosity and agility, entrepreneurial spirit, and attention to psychological well-being—qualities deemed crucial in a world where AI is transforming roles and processes. Technology stands out as both a stressor and an opportunity: the global AI market is projected to surpass $4.8 trillion by 2033, with up to 80% of professions being significantly impacted.
Amid this tech acceleration, there’s growing demand for authenticity and trust.
“It’s no longer enough to ‘be’ a leader, you must ‘become’ one every day, adapting with awareness, empathy, and a systems-thinking mindset,” notes Benedetto Buono of Buono & Partners.
According to LinkedIn’s 2025 Work Change Report, by 2030, 70% of today’s job skills will undergo substantial transformation. The linear career path is being replaced by non-sequential, flexible journeys that involve regular renegotiation of roles. This shift is driven not only by technological innovation but also by new social and cultural expectations about the meaning and sustainability of work.
In this evolving scenario emerges the “adaptive talent”—a professional capable of rapid learning, combining technical expertise and soft skills, and thriving amid ambiguity. Employability is no longer tied to static skillsets, but to the ability to learn how to learn, constantly regenerating professional value in response to changing contexts.
Continuous learning is the only sustainable response to ongoing uncertainty. Adaptability becomes the core value: investing in upskilling and reskilling is essential to keeping pace with rapid change. Leaders must know how to blend technology with human sensitivity, rethinking processes, relationships, and organizational models to foster human-innovation coexistence.
Hybrid workforce management emerged as a central theme for both surveyed groups, though with different emphases:
Hybrid work is now preferred by over 83% of global workers and structurally adopted by 44% of EU employees.
According to the April 2025 UNCTAD report, the global AI market is set to grow from $189 billion in 2023 to $4.8 trillion in 2033.
AI is no longer just a process support—it’s becoming a true co-actor in the workplace, enhancing productivity and amplifying human potential, even in roles traditionally most at risk of automation,” says Valentino Megale, Program Director of the International Master in Artificial Intelligence at Rome Business School.
Up to 80% of jobs are expected to be at least partially impacted by these transformations, particularly through advanced language models and AI agents. Leadership must account for this reality, radically redefining operational models and organizational dynamics.
To help organizations navigate structured transformation, the report proposes a six-phase model that guides the journey from analysis to action:
What today’s leaders must embody: curiosity, entrepreneurial spirit, humanity, a relational, systemic, and adaptive approach. They must inspire hope, build trust, and convey compassion and stability.
The challenge is clear: design training programs and recruitment strategies focused on durable skills—high-value transversal skills with strong cognitive and relational depth—so leaders can interpret complexity and act responsibly.
Today’s talent seeks coherence, belonging, and real work-life balance. Purpose and value-driven culture are fundamental—the foundation of credible leadership capable of building trust, attracting talent, and driving change,” concludes Antonio Ragusa, Dean of Rome Business School.