How Trailblazing Leaders Are Transforming Their Workforce

While change may be the only constant, the speed at which organizations must adapt to external threats has never been higher. In the face of research showing 44% of workers will need reskilling within the next five years, persisting economic and regulatory uncertainty, geopolitical uncertainty, and AI being poised to impact almost 40% of global employment, leaders are faced with a new mandate: transform your business or get left behind. And to transform one’s business often means transforming one’s workforce.

Leaders are recognizing this necessity, with 42% of leaders identifying workforce transformation as a top five threat to their organization’s health in the next 12-18 months.  Yet despite the rising importance of workforce transformation, only 38% of leaders believe that their organization is prepared to face this issue.

To better understand the workforce transformation landscape, we conducted an in-depth analysis of the ways in which leaders are approaching workforce transformation.  Our analysis revealed:

1. Despite strong confidence around the ability for one’s organization to transform, few feel their organization is well-adapted to change today.
2. Trailblazing leaders effectively transform their organizations when leading by example, instilling trust and alignment, and leveraging technology and upskilling efforts to drive change.  
3. Leaders who are ready to embrace transformation drive better overall organizational performance.

Few leaders feel their workforce is prepared to transform

We asked leaders to rate the degree to which they believe their workforce can adapt for the future and their confidence in the organization’s ability to transform. Confidence is largely divided, as nearly half of leaders (49%) feel confident in the organization’s ability to transform their workforce to keep pace with changing needs, while the other half of leaders feel unsure or lack confidence in their organization’s ability to change (Figure 1).

We also observed a disconnect between leaders’ confidence in their organization’s ability to transform and workforce preparedness for the future. While the majority of leaders (46%) view their workforce as somewhat adapted and 35% think it is moderately adapted, only 4% of leaders believe their workforce is very well adapted. Meaning that despite relatively high confidence levels, only a very small group of leaders believe their workforce is truly prepared for the future.

This gap in confidence vs workforce readiness signals potential misalignment between ongoing transformation efforts and the capability for employees to meet those changes. Without the right capability, skills, and mindset, leadership may fail to adapt to changing business landscape. Leaders need to focus on investing in development, whether through upskilling, reskilling, or fostering a culture of adaptability, to close the gap between leadership confidence and workforce readiness.

Figure 1: Leadership readiness for workforce transformation

_{Source: RRA Global Leadership Monitor, H2 2024, n=1821 CEOs and C-level executives}

Senior leadership must embrace change and lead by example

Which workforce function requires the most transformation? According to executives, the senior leadership team themselves. Specifically, 89% of leaders indicate that senior leadership needs to change to effectively lead in today’s business environment, and 19% of executives believe that the senior leadership team needs a complete overhaul (Figure 2). The need for change at the senior leadership level is expected as leaders today are faced with a plethora of unprecedented challenges – from economic uncertainty to talent shortages, and technological change.

Corporate functions, middle management, and other areas follow closely behind the senior leadership team demonstrating the widespread need for change. While change is needed at all levels, it must start at the top. To successfully drive transformation of the workforce, senior leadership must lead by example, ensuring that they are the first to actively participate in learning efforts and serve as champions of change. This helps set the tone for transformation to cascade throughout the rest of the organization.

Figure 2: Functions where transformation is needed, by segment
% of leaders selecting complete or some transformation needed

_{Source: RRA Global Leadership Monitor, H2 2024, n=1632 CEOs and C-level executives}

From stragglers to trailblazers: The four ways leaders are approaching transformation

To better understand how today’s leaders are approaching workforce transformation, we developed four distinct segments. These segments help us understand similarities and differences between leaders with varying levels of readiness for workforce transformation. Specifically, it helps us identify which behaviors are driving change and which may be causing organizations to fall behind.  The four segments include (Figure 3):

1. Stragglers (16%) – These leaders have low confidence in the organization’s ability to change in the future and feel their workforce is somewhat or minimally adapted to change today. This group struggles with adapting, often feeling stuck in traditional methods.

2. Explorers (35%) – This segment is slightly more confident in the organization’s ability to change in the future than Stragglers and has mixed feelings toward their workforce’s ability to adapt, with most indicating their workforce has somewhat adapted. While they are open to adapting, they’re unsure of their organization’s ability to effectively transform.

3. Navigators (45%) – These leaders are highly confident in the organization's ability to change for the future but feel their workforce is only moderately or somewhat adapted.  While they may be confident in their ability to change, there is still room for their workforce to evolve.

4. Trailblazers (4%) – Leaders who are highly confident in the organization's ability to change and believe their workforce is very well adapted to meet the needs of the future. While this segment is small in size, these are the pioneers of workforce transformation and the most receptive to change.

Figure 3: Leadership segments for workforce transformation
Segments derived from the degree of confidence for the organization’s ability to transform and degree which leaders believe their workforce is ready to adapt for the future

_{Source: RRA Global Leadership Monitor, H2 2024, n=1813 CEOs and C-level executives}

What makes a trailblazer? How these leaders are effectively transforming their workforce.

1. Trailblazers instill trust and alignment across all levels of the organization

Despite widespread agreement on the need for change, there is a marked difference among senior leaders on their ability to drive transformation. Stragglers, in particular, exhibit a false sense of confidence in their own change management abilities, despite their organization lagging behind in readiness.

Specifically, 69% of stragglers feel that they are personally managing change well, yet less than one in three stragglers feel their organization or their peers do the same. On the other hand, 93% of trailblazers feel that they are personally managing change well—and they also rate their peers highly, with 90% and 89% of trailblazers indicated their peers and the organization as a whole are managing change well (Figure 4).

This gap highlights the disconnect between how leaders perceive their own ability to manage change versus their peers or organizations as a whole. While trailblazers demonstrate alignment on both personal and organizational change management, stragglers often have an inflated sense of their own capabilities. This disconnect can hinder workforce transformation, highlighting the need for building alignment and trust within the senior leadership team and across the organization to effectively manage change and overcome differing views on change management.

Figure 4: Managing change during transformation, by segment
% of leaders selecting managing change very well or well

_{Source: RRA Global Leadership Monitor, H2 2024, n=1380 CEOs and C-level executives}

2. Trailblazers differentiate themselves with technology and upskilling

Successful transformation requires a holistic approach. Leaders across all four segments indicate that their organizations are actively driving change, with levers like employee surveys, performance recognition processes, and hybrid work ranking among the most widely adopted initiatives for the broader workforce.

However, trailblazers distinguish themselves through 1) their advanced progress in embracing technology resources and 2) their investments in workforce skills development. For example, 43% of trailblazers indicate that they have implemented task automation and digitization for the majority of employees, while only 11% of stragglers have implemented the same initiative.  Furthermore, 42% of trailblazers indicate they have implemented upskilling efforts vs only 8% of stragglers (Figure 5).

Though all leaders prioritize similar foundational initiatives, trailblazers and navigators engage in more advanced efforts, related to technology and skills development. Leaders must be forward-thinking, embracing both foundational and advanced transformation efforts to ensure their organizations are truly ready for the future. This balanced approach will help leaders stay ahead of the curve and foster a culture of continuous change.

Figure 5: Technology and skills initiatives implemented, by segment
% of leaders selecting ‘we have implemented this for a majority of employees’

_{Source: RRA Global Leadership Monitor, H2 2024, n=1513 CEOs and C-level executives}

3. High performing organizations embrace change as it happens

The ability to continually change is a crucial characteristic for high-performing organizations today. Our data shows that the trailblazers are nearly three times more likely to rate their organization’s overall expected performance for 2024 as excellent or very good compared to those with lower readiness (Figure 6). Unsurprisingly, these leaders also report better outcomes across all our performance measures, including operational excellence innovation, financial performance, and culture (Figure 7).

Navigators are closely following in the footsteps of our trailblazers. Our research indicates that these leaders maintain strong perceptions of organizational performance, as they prioritize similar transformation priorities. For navigators to transition into trailblazers, they must continue on their current trajectory, ensuring that senior leadership actively drives transformations efforts related to technology and upskilling forward.

Those who do not embrace change in real time—explorers and stragglers—expect poorer performance. These leaders report the lowest organizational performance ratings and have made the least progress toward transformation, despite expressing the greatest need for change. While explorers slightly outperform stragglers, both groups must critically assess their leadership team's capacity to foster a culture of continuous change.

Figure 6: Overall organizational performance, by segment
% of leaders selecting excellent/very good

_{Source: RRA Global Leadership Monitor, H2 2024, n=948 CEOs and C-level executives}

Notably, culture plays a pivotal role in how well organizations handle workforce transformation. Trailblazers are three times more likely to rate their company culture highly (Figure 7). A strong, adaptable culture creates a foundation for continuous improvement, making organizations more resilient in the face of disruption. When leaders foster employee wellbeing and cultural alignment with transformation initiatives, they establish a framework that supports both innovation and operational excellence. As our research indicates, the organizations that excel in this area are not just surviving change—they are thriving through it.

Figure 7: Organizational performance measures, by segment
% of leaders selecting strongly agree/agree

_{Source: RRA Global Leadership Monitor, H2 2024, n=948 CEOs and C-level executives}

How can leaders drive workforce transformation?

In today’s fast-moving world, staying ahead requires not just responding to change, but actively driving it. With the right leadership and mindset, organizations can thrive while simultaneously steering workforce transformation. Here are three ways you can supercharge workforce transformation at your organization:

• Invest in leadership to drive change: This encompasses strategically identifying and recruiting exceptional leaders who can navigate organizational challenges and lead transformative growth. It is crucial to identify high-impact leaders who not only possess the right skills, but also align with the organization’s goals, values, and vision for future growth.
  
  
• Engage next-generation leaders: Empowering next-generation leaders involves providing targeted development programs that enhance their leadership capabilities and prepare them for future organizational challenges. By supporting their growth through mentorship, skill-building, and strategic transitions, companies can ensure these leaders are ready to drive impactful change and innovation in their teams and the broader organization.
  
  
• Foster a strong culture: Building a strong organizational culture requires intentional strategies that align values, behaviors, and leadership to drive long-term organizational success. Through culture building, leaders can create an environment that supports collaboration, accountability, and innovation, helping them navigate transformation and thrive in dynamic markets.

Authors

Ela Buczynska and Gabrielle Lieberman of RRA’s Center for Leadership Insight conducted the research and authored this report.

The authors wish to thank the thousands of leaders from RRA’s global network who responded to the Global Leadership Monitor over the last four years. Their responses to the survey have contributed greatly to our understanding of leadership in 2025 and beyond.