What Skills Will Employers Look for in Future Business Leaders?
Future leadership skills include the ability to think clearly, write effectively, explain ideas and work well with other people. Technologies and job responsibilities may change, but these capabilities help professionals make their knowledge useful to an organization.
When asked what employers may value in business leaders over the next five years, Dr. Lynn Hunnicutt, Dean of the College of Business at Concordia University Chicago, focused on those foundations.
Her answer reflects what she is hearing from employers. It offers a faculty perspective on leadership preparation, rather than a formal forecast of hiring demand.
Clear Thinking Helps Leaders Frame Problems
Before a team can solve a problem, someone needs to define it. Leaders have to identify the issue, consider relevant information and determine which questions need further investigation.
This skill matters because workplace problems rarely arrive as neatly organized assignments. A decline in performance might involve resources, communication, customer expectations or several factors at once.
Clear thinking helps professionals avoid jumping to a conclusion before understanding what is happening. It also gives colleagues a shared starting point for discussion.
Writing Makes Business Reasoning Easier to Follow
Dr. Hunnicutt identifies writing as an important capability for future leaders. In a business setting, writing can help people organize their reasoning and communicate it to others.
A recommendation, project update or explanation of a decision should make the important points easy to understand. Colleagues need to know what is being proposed, why it matters and what action is required.
Developing stronger writing habits therefore supports more than academic performance. It helps professionals contribute clearly when teams need to evaluate ideas or coordinate work.
Explaining Ideas Is Different From Knowing the Answer
Specialized knowledge is valuable, but leaders also need to make that knowledge accessible. A technical expert may understand a finding deeply while needing practice explaining its implications to people outside that specialty.
Effective explanation connects the detail to the decision. It helps others understand what the information means for their responsibilities.
Dr. Hunnicutt sees the MBA as an opportunity to strengthen these capabilities. Professionals can explore CUC’s online General MBA as one route to developing broader business understanding alongside communication skills.
Working With People Remains Essential
Leadership involves relationships. A person may have a strong recommendation, but carrying it forward often requires listening, responding to concerns and helping colleagues understand a shared goal.
Dr. Hunnicutt emphasizes the ability to relate to people effectively and efficiently. That includes making communication useful to the person receiving it and recognizing that other people bring different experiences to a problem.
For professionals interested in this area, CUC’s MBA with a Leadership and Change Management Specialization provides an additional program option to explore.
A Non-Business Background Can Add Perspective
Dr. Hunnicutt also highlights a potential strength of entering an MBA from another academic discipline. Students bring abilities developed in their undergraduate studies and layer business knowledge onto that foundation.
The combination may help them approach leadership with a perspective shaped by both their original field and their graduate education.
That observation is particularly relevant to professionals who wonder whether an MBA is useful without a business bachelor’s degree. Their existing expertise can become part of what they contribute to the learning experience.
Prepare for Leadership Through Deliberate Practice
A practical starting point is to assess how clearly you communicate today. Can you explain a complex issue, write a concise recommendation and work productively with people who see the problem differently?
Review CUC’s MBA course descriptions to see how graduate business study could help you develop the capabilities you want to strengthen.
About the Contributor
Dr. Lynn Hunnicutt is Dean of the College of Business and Professor of Business at Concordia University Chicago. Her interests include decision-making and vocation.
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