Mind the Gap: Bridging Leadership Breakdowns
How Leaders and Employees Can Step Up to Close the Cracks and Build Stronger Teams
"Leadership is not about titles or positions. It’s about taking responsibility and bridging the gaps where others see divides." – Anonymous
Leadership gaps aren’t just challenges—they’re opportunities waiting to be filled. Whether you’re a leader spotting cracks in your team’s alignment or an employee sensing areas where you could step up, these gaps offer a chance to grow, innovate, and lead.
The key? Don’t wait for permission. Take a hard look at what’s missing, ask the right questions, and be bold enough to start bridging the divide.
This issue dives into how leaders and employees can work together to close these gaps and create a stronger, more resilient workplace. Let’s get to it.
What’s Happening
Mass Manager Layoffs Are Creating a Leadership Gap (Built In), Leadership gaps are widening as companies embrace flatter hierarchies and younger workers hesitate to step into management roles. The key to navigating this shift is empowering managers with the tools, training, and support they need to lead effectively while fostering a workplace culture that values growth, resilience, and well-being.
How the G20 can help close the women’s leadership gap (Atlantic Council), The G20 Women’s Empowerment Working Group marks a pivotal step toward advancing gender equality, with its first-ever ministerial declaration addressing empowerment, violence prevention, and representation. While challenges persist, this initiative demonstrates the potential for transformative policies to elevate women’s leadership across member nations and beyond.
3 Key Steps to Bridge the Leadership Gap in Your Organization (HR Daily Advisor), Job-hopping is on the rise, but the real issue lies in leadership development gaps within organizations. To attract and retain top talent, companies must prioritize upskilling, mentorship, and leadership assessments to build stronger teams and future-ready leaders.
Quick Takes
Leadership gaps don’t fix themselves. If you see a problem, step up. Waiting for someone else to act only widens the divide. Be proactive in identifying and addressing gaps before they grow.
Upskilling isn’t optional anymore. Leadership today demands more than just showing up. Whether you're in the role or aspiring to it, constantly sharpening your skills is non-negotiable—learn, adapt, lead.
Mentorship is the ultimate shortcut. Great leaders don’t rise alone. Seek out mentors to guide you and pay it forward by mentoring others. Leadership is a team sport, not a solo act.
Technology
The AI Skills Gaps Is a Leadership Crisis—Women Could Be The Solution (Forbes)
The Big Picture: The AI skills gap isn’t just a tech problem—it’s a leadership crisis. Organizations struggling to keep up with AI advancements are also missing an opportunity to address broader leadership gaps by empowering underrepresented voices, particularly women. Women bring diverse perspectives that can drive innovation and bridge these gaps, especially in a rapidly evolving field like AI.
Why It Matters: Leadership gaps in AI reflect a bigger issue across industries: a lack of diverse, prepared leaders to tackle complex challenges. By prioritizing inclusivity and development, companies not only close skill gaps but also build leadership teams that better reflect the diversity of their workforce and the world they serve. This isn’t just about filling roles—it’s about strengthening resilience, creativity, and long-term success.
What You Can Do: Addressing the AI and leadership gap starts with action. Create initiatives that actively recruit and support women in AI, offering mentorship, tailored training programs, and a clear path for growth. Build an inclusive culture where diverse contributions are valued, and leaders are encouraged to step up and evolve. Closing the AI skills gap is a chance to reshape leadership itself, making it more adaptive, innovative, and inclusive for the future.
Human-Centered
Leadership in the Human Digital Age: Can Your Organization Afford to Get it Wrong? (EY)
The Big Picture: Leadership is evolving to address a growing “connection vacuum” in workplaces where people crave purpose and genuine engagement. The future of leadership emphasizes empathy, adaptability, and collaboration, equipping leaders to navigate constant transformation while keeping their teams connected and inspired.
Why It Matters: Disconnected leadership widens gaps between vision and execution, leaving teams without the guidance they need to succeed. Organizations that invest in human-centered leadership close these gaps, driving innovation, resilience, and emotional alignment, all critical for thriving in today’s fast-changing business landscape.
What You Can Do: Focus on developing leaders at all levels—especially the middle layer—with coaching, training, and tools for emotional and organizational connection. Foster horizontal collaboration by empowering teams, encouraging feedback loops, and prioritizing psychological safety. Transform leadership into a shared, adaptable effort that bridges gaps and fuels sustainable growth.
The Real World
What 17 Leadership Gaps Look Like (And How Companies Can Address Them). This Forbes article identifies common leadership deficiencies, such as leaders overstepping into their team's tasks, and provides actionable solutions to enhance leadership effectiveness.
Identifying Leadership Gaps: 14 Strategies That Work. Another Forbespiece outlines practical methods for organizations to detect and bridge leadership gaps, emphasizing the importance of proactive assessment and development.
The Leadership Gap: How to Fix What You Lack. The Center for Creative Leadership discusses causes of leadership gaps and offers guidance on developing necessary competencies to strengthen leadership across organizations.
Three-Part Exercise: Identifying and Addressing Leadership Gaps
Part 1: Reflect and Share
Objective: Encourage open dialogue about personal and team leadership strengths and gaps.
For Leaders and Employees:
Individually, list two areas where you feel confident in your leadership or team contributions and two areas where you see room for improvement.
Reflect on how these strengths and gaps impact your work and the team’s overall dynamic.
Group Discussion:
In small groups, share one strength and one gap you’ve identified.
Discuss common themes and differences. Leaders should actively listen and encourage employees to share openly.
Part 2: Define the Impact
Objective: Connect leadership gaps to real-world outcomes to understand their importance.
Scenario Mapping:
Think of a recent project or challenge where leadership gaps (yours or others’) played a role.
Document the effects of those gaps on decision-making, team morale, or results.
Discussion:
In pairs or small groups, share your scenarios and identify one or two key insights about how gaps affected outcomes.
Leaders and employees together brainstorm how better leadership practices could have changed the result.
Part 3: Co-Create Solutions
Objective: Develop actionable steps to address identified leadership gaps.
Brainstorming Solutions:
Individually, write down one actionable step you or the team could take to address a leadership gap identified in Parts 1 and 2.
Examples: Offering mentorship opportunities, enhancing communication, or requesting targeted training.
Group Alignment:
Bring the group together to share individual ideas.
Combine ideas into a collective action plan with clear next steps and accountability. Leaders should commit to supporting these steps and providing resources.
Follow-Up:
Schedule a check-in after 30 days to discuss progress on the action plan.
Encourage ongoing dialogue about leadership gaps and celebrate improvements.
This exercise not only identifies gaps but also fosters a collaborative culture where employees and leaders work together to grow and lead effectively.
Wrap Up
Thanks for reading! Your feedback is invaluable as we refine this newsletter to deliver the insights and tools you need. If there’s a specific topic you’d like to see, or if you’d prefer more coaching tips or real-time news content, drop me an email—I’d love to hear from you.
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