Leadership trends to consider in 2026

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In this blog, Senior Learning and Development Consultant, Philly Graham, explores emerging leadership styes and what it means to be a good leader.

Recently I had the chance to hear Jacinda Ardern in conversation with Bill Bailey at the Royal Albert Hall. It was a generous and thoughtful interview. I left feeling genuinely lifted. It made me wonder: why did it land so strongly?

Jacinda is a recognisable figure on the global stage. Her compassionate response to the Christchurch attacks and her fast, protective action during Covid positioned her as a leader whom the world watched closely. But what struck me most wasn’t her profile or her achievements. It was whether her leadership style and subsequent popularity was part of a new trend appearing. Has our understanding of what “good leadership” is shifted since Jacinda first came to prominence?

Back in 2019, when Jacinda had been in office for two years, our pre-pandemic world had no idea of the crisis ahead and what we would need our leaders to shepherd us through. When we asked managers and leaders on our training programmes what they felt were the characteristics of a great leader, they would say:

• inspirational communication
• charisma
• leading from the front

These characteristics aren’t new. They have been evident in leaders across the world in both fact and fiction for centuries. And they’re still valuable qualities we look for in leaders today. But Jacinda’s style is noticeably different. It hints at a new trend on the horizon. One being echoed by many leaders across the non-profit sectors.

Let me paint a picture. As part of the management and leadership courses we run, we always ask participants early on to tell us what characteristics they think a great leader has. It helps us as trainers to understand our participants perceptions and manage expectations about what they will get from the learning. Thoughts are captured and circled back to at the end of the programme. The three characteristics above around comms, charisma and positioning would almost always come up.

About a year ago, we started tracking the responses to this question. Now, after twelve months of data, a different pattern is emerging. Those older, more heroic descriptors still appear – but they’re no longer doing the heavy lifting. Instead, something quieter and more human seems to be repeatedly showing up.

New managers tell us they value leaders who listen, who set a clear direction, who are open and genuinely caring.

Middle managers emphasise honesty, decisiveness, relatability, and resilience.

And senior leaders themselves? The themes we hear most often are authenticity, honesty – and, perhaps surprisingly, calmness.

It’s a move away from the charismatic archetype that seemed to dominate descriptions a decade ago.

During her interview, Jacinda was asked by the audience for examples of this different type of leadership. She referenced Canada’s new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, for his focus on wellbeing, fairness, and the human impact of systems. Despite a few hopeful exceptions the global picture doesn’t always reflect this shift. On the contrary, command-and-control type leadership still feels prominent in public life.

Perhaps movies and television dramas have conditioned us to associate strong leadership with heroic characteristics. Quietness is not confidence by this rule. The characteristics of calmness, honesty and humility in the face of mistakes are historically associated with weakness when we think about someone in the public eye. But when it comes to making big decisions as a leader, surely, we don’t want them to be all talk and no substance?

Maybe that’s exactly the point. The gap between what people experience from leaders and what people want from leaders is widening – and it’s in that space that our work takes on even greater importance. As trainers, facilitators, and colleagues, we have a role in helping these emerging expectations and needs of leadership to turn into real, practical capability. Not soft skills as an afterthought, but essential skills for organisations navigating complexity, pressure, and change.

What’s next?

If you’re a leader, or involved in leadership development at your organisation, consider this question:

What is the culture your leadership creates when you’re not present?

The answer to this can reveal valuable insight into how leadership practices are really working, and where things might need improving. N.b. it’s not just about your perception of the culture based on what you do, it’s about what your people really think and do when you’re not there as a physical reminder of who’s boss. Remember: leaders who gain the genuine respect and commitment of their teams will see far greater output as a collective than those who don’t. And if Jacinda’s style and our data is anything to go by, leaders who are honest, reliable and relatable are more likely to gain that position.

If you’d like to explore your leadership practices and their impact, the Transformational Leadership programme is a valuable investment. It includes a pre-course questionnaire for you and your colleagues, to help uncover what people really think of your style. Take a look at the programme details and benefits by clicking on the programme name above. You may also benefit from a conversation with one of our experienced leadership coaches to see what development route is best for you and your organisation. Contact us online or call 074 3690 3103 to set up a (free) meeting.