The past few years have brought significant transformation to the modern workplace—2024 is no different. Leaders face new and complex challenges and carry the weight of helping their teams develop resiliency, build community, and invest in the skills required to succeed in an ever-evolving workplace.

The world outside of work remains unpredictable and volatile. Geopolitical tensions, trade disputes, lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing supply chain disruptions are just a few of the issues coloring the context of each employee's life. Additionally, each day seems to bring new advancements in technology and AI and, with them, discussions about the nature of work and human creativity.

What does effective leadership look like in 2024? It requires agility, foresight, and a commitment to fostering a resilient organisational culture capable of thriving amidst uncertainty.  

Research from the O.C. Tanner Institute’s Global Culture Report spotlights four leadership trends and recommends key solutions to these issues that you can bring to your teams. Read on to learn more.  

1. Mid-level managers are feeling burned out and unappreciated

Our research shows that burnout among mid-level managers is getting worse. Gallup reports that while stress, burnout, anxiety, and diagnosed depression declined in recent years for individual contributors and high-level leaders, it increased for managers. That trend continues as 70% of individual contributors reported that their managers are possibly or definitely stressed.

It’s important to remember that mid-level managers are also employees and can easily feel undervalued and overloaded. Many times these leaders don’t receive regular recognition from their own superiors, peers, and direct reports. How can you help mid-level leaders feel more appreciated and supported?

“The healthiest cultures don’t just treat every employee as a leader. They treat every leader as an employee.”
— Global Culture Report

recognise and appreciate mid-level leaders more frequently

Leaders often say they don’t need recognition. A full third (37%) of them claim their salary makes recognition unnecessary (compared to 23% of individual contributors.) But that number paints an incomplete, inaccurate picture because leaders are employees, too. They need to feel valued, appreciated, and supported like everyone else.  

Appreciating leaders matters:

• Entry-level leaders are 47% less likely to feel appreciated compared to senior leaders ‍
• Mid-level leaders are 33% less likely to feel appreciated ‍
• Appreciation reduces leaders’ anxiety by 67% and stress by 52%

Get all the data and insights into the state of leaders in this chapter from the Global Culture Report.

Encourage employees to recognise their leaders too

Managers, just like all employees, need appreciation for everyday effort, accomplishments, and career anniversaries. They need to feel seen and valued—to know that their work matters.

• 65% of leaders say receiving more recognition from direct reports would improve their experience at work
• 38% drop in anxiety when leaders work in a culture of integrated recognition‍

2. Leaders with increased responsibilities find it harder to practice modern leadership skills

Modern leaders are collaborative and focused on coaching, developing, and empowering people to do great work, rather than gatekeeping, commanding, and evaluating. These types of leaders connect employees to purpose, accomplishment, and one another in ways that build thriving teams.

The problem is that leaders’ increased responsibilities over the past couple years have made their ability to practice modern leadership skills more challenging, with 61% of leaders reporting they have more general responsibilities at work than before the pandemic.

Leaders are burning out as organisations give them more to do without the necessary support or resources to do it. How can leaders practice modern leadership skills despite new responsibilities?

18x increased odds that an organisation’s culture will thrive when leaders feel connected to their teams.— Global Culture Report

Help leaders connect their employees to purpose, accomplishment, and one another

‍Building strong and genuine connections with team members is critical for leaders who want to reap the benefits of modern leadership strategies. One way to build connections is through appreciation.

• 248% increase in odds of practicing modern leadership when leaders work in a culture of integrated recognition

Provide more support and encourage modern leadership

While organisations may not always be able to remove new tasks and responsibilities from leaders, they can provide more support and better leadership strategies.

This might look like a training series facilitated by your internal learning and development team, access to mentors who can provide suggestions and feedback, or ongoing coaching during 1:1 meetings that focuses on how each individual leader can develop their people management skills.    

Modern leadership benefits everyone, and leaders need to experience it as much as any employee.

• 25% less anxiety in leaders when they feel connection and inclusion
• 16% increase in odds of wellbeing when modern leadership is practiced

Support for leaders also means providing them with the right tools to build their teams and their people. Employee recognition platforms like O.C. Tanner’s Culture Cloud, that can make it easier for leaders to create meaningful connections with their people and practice modern leadership skills.

3. Mid-level leaders feel left out of changes and decisions

Another reason mid-level managers are feeling stressed is because they are responsible for the organisation’s choices and changes on employees, yet aren’t always involved in the conversations or decisions precipitating the changes. These leaders are the shock absorbers in an organisation, taking hits from both above and below. This conflict can take a toll on leaders’ wellbeing and the organisational culture.

Leaders are sometimes asked to deliver a message to employees without much support or rationale. When communication lines are down between mid-level leaders and executive teams, it can lead to negative feelings and a lack of connection and buy-in between the C-suite and individual contributors. How can you help mid-level leaders feel like they’re included in new changes?

Consult with leaders on change management plans‍

Avoid rolling out new initiatives or programs without involving leaders, which can put them in potentially frustrating positions. Implement a robust people-centered change management plan for new programs that not only includes leaders in communicating the changes, but also consults with them before making any final decisions. When leaders play an active part in determining changes, they’re much more likely to understand and back them.

Communicate what they should expect and how it will affect them‍

Give leaders resources to manage the change. And check in with them regularly. Modern leaders will step up and guide their teams, but providing them with information, support, and appreciation will help them do it more effectively and minimize their stress, anxiety, and burnout.

4. Employee experience improves with practical empathy from leaders

When leaders feel supported, by their own leaders and by the systems and tools at their disposal, they are better able to extend meaningful empathy to their team members. Empathetic leadership is about more than just sympathizing with team members—it’s about translating that sympathy into action. We call this practical empathy.  

Practical empathy encompasses six key elements:

• Focusing on the person
• Seeking understanding
• Listening to learn
• Embracing perspectives
• Taking supportive action
• Respecting boundaries

Practicing this brand of practical empathy makes a difference for employees. When a leader is empathetic, we see:

• A 695% increase in the odds that employees experience a sense of belonging ‍
• A 522% increase in the odds that employees feel fulfilled at work  

‍

Teach leaders how to practice empathy while setting boundaries

One key component of practical empathy is setting boundaries. Without these boundaries, it can be too easy for leaders to get burned out while trying to provide ongoing emotional support to their teams. Meaningful practical empathy is sustainable—it’s a practice that leaders can embrace without sacrificing their own mental health.  

How can leaders set boundaries while communicating true empathy? Here are some suggestions:

• Connect with team members during regularly scheduled 1:1s. Encourage employees to take advantage of this opportunity—it will help prevent extra meetings down the road.
• Once leaders understand the needs of a specific team member, taking supportive action can mean connecting that employee to other resources. Think mental health benefits provided by your EAP or your company’s emergency fund for employees. Practicing practical empathy doesn’t mean leaders have to be the ones to carry the full weight of supporting and helping their team members.  

Get more insights into how practical empathy impacts the employee experience. Download the eBook here.

Leaders are tasked with a difficult job, especially mid-level leaders. They are responsible for leading their own teams while facing their own struggles with current market issues, filling vacancies on the team, and finding time to incorporate modern leadership skills. Don’t forget that these leaders need support and care too.

Be sure leaders are recognized for their efforts, feel inspired, and see how their work is helping their employees and the company be successful. Then you’ll create leaders, and teams, who will thrive through unfamiliar times.

Get more leadership and workplace insights in our Global Culture Report.

O.C. Tanner is the global leader in software and services that improve workplace culture through meaningful employee recognition experiences. Learn more at octanner.com.