The takeaway
In the latest thought paper in his leadership series, Dr. John Reynolds, president of APU Global, shares the 7 essential skills for those who find themselves leading a rapidly changing workplace.Despite entering a “post-Covid” era, the pace of disruption triggered by the pandemic continues at a rate unseen in history. Navigating abrupt changes in the workplace is no longer a “nice to have” skill, but a clear “must” for those leading teams and organizations.Read the paper here
In the latest thought paper in his leadership series, Dr. John Reynolds, president of APU Global, shares the 7 essential skills for those who find themselves leading a rapidly changing workplace.
Despite entering a “post-Covid” era, the pace of disruption triggered by the pandemic continues at a rate unseen in history. Navigating abrupt changes in the workplace is no longer a “nice to have” skill, but a clear “must” for those leading teams and organizations.
Read the paper here and follow Dr. Reynolds on LinkedIn .
The seven skills
- Sense-making, reading ambiguous situations before they harden into crises
- Communicating change clearly, repeatedly, and without spin
- Building trust across hybrid and distributed teams
- Coaching rather than directing, so capability grows with the workload
- Making decisions with incomplete information and revisiting them openly
- Designing work around outcomes instead of hours observed
- Sustaining your own resilience so you can carry other people's uncertainty
Why these skills matter now
Workplaces are changing faster than org charts can keep up. Remote and hybrid arrangements, generational turnover, and shifting employee expectations have all raised the cost of weak leadership. The skills above are the ones that consistently separate managers who hold teams together from those who watch them fragment.
How to build them
These capacities are learned through practice and feedback, not memorization. Formal study accelerates the process by giving you frameworks, a cohort of peers facing the same problems, and faculty who lead in the field. APU Global's BA and MA in organizational leadership are designed around exactly this: applied assignments you can bring back to work the same week.
See how online learning works at APU Global, or talk with an advisor about which level fits your career stage.
Keep reading on related topics from APU Global: The Formula for Organizational Impact, Growth in Faith and Leadership.
Explore the B.A. in Organizational Leadership at APU Global to see
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APU Global
APU Global faculty and editorial team. Practical, research-backed guidance for working adult learners.
