By Bjorn Biel M. Beltran, Special Features and Content Assistant Editor

To be a leader in today’s business environment is to face ever-growing, ever-daunting challenges. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic threw the world into disarray, technological disruption, trade wars, and global economic headwinds were already demanding much out of corporate executives.

Popularizing the concept of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in 2016, Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum (WEF), had coined the term ‘Leadership 4.0,’ envisioning the leaders of tomorrow: “We need leaders who are emotionally intelligent, and able to model and champion co-operative working. They’ll coach, rather than command; they’ll be driven by empathy, not ego. The digital revolution needs a different, more human kind of leadership.”

Almost a decade later, his ideas continue to resonate.

As different as the world today may seem from that of nine years ago, the demands of the times have stayed, by and large, almost the same. In an interview, Karmeli Love Kintanar, chief operating officer of executive search company KSearch Asia Inc., described what companies today have been looking for when it comes to their leaders—and they bear a striking resemblance to Mr. Schwab’s ideals.

“There was a time when being the ‘ideal candidate’ just meant having deep expertise in a specific industry or role. That’s still important, but today, companies are looking for a lot more than just technical know-how,” Ms. Kintanar said.

She highlighted three main qualities that defined a modern leader: digital fluency, a mindset for sustainability, and empathy. She stressed that more than their technical expertise, leaders today must have the innate ability to establish the relationship between emerging technology and business outcomes.

“It’s knowing how to use digital tools in ways that directly impact business outcomes,” Ms. Kintanar noted. “Then there’s sustainability literacy. Leaders who can explain ESG in simple terms, and show how it affects money, risk, and the future of the business.  It’s becoming more than just a reporting exercise.  Big-picture thinking matters more than ever. The strongest leaders understand how everything in the business is connected: people, data, operations, even sustainability goals.”

Finally, empathy is needed to be able to bridge the gap between the different teams in an organization and a company’s various stakeholders. Naturally, amid a disruptive environment, leaders who can stay calm under pressure, communicate clearly, and keep people engaged through the chaos hold an edge over those who cannot.

“There’s been a clear shift in what leadership really demands today.  Leadership today means navigating constant disruption, whether it’s how quickly tech is evolving, global uncertainty, or the growing demand to balance growing the business while still doing good,” Ms. Kintanar said.

Redefining executive talent

Research from the Business Continuity Institute (BCI), an international network of disaster recovery and business continuity experts, found that in 2024 almost 80% of organizations’ supply chains have been disrupted over the preceding twelve months, with most experiencing between one and ten disruptions.

“This is an increase on the previous year’s disruption levels and that, despite the good practices many organizations are now following, more needs to be done to ensure supply chains are more resilient to shocks,” the BCI wrote in their Supply Chain Resilience Report 2024.

“The report highlights that third-party failures remain the primary cause of these disruptions, followed by cyber-attacks and natural disasters, indicating persistent vulnerabilities in global supply chains.”

A separate study from the WEF found that businesses are increasingly finding more anxious about their global outlook, with a majority of respondents (52%) anticipating an unsettled global outlook over the short term or the next two years. Almost a third (31%) expect turbulence, while 5% are preparing for a “stormy” future.

“As we enter 2025, the global outlook is increasingly fractured across geopolitical, environmental, societal, economic and technological domains,” the WEF Global Risks Report 2025 said.

“Over the last year we have witnessed the expansion and escalation of conflicts, a multitude of extreme weather events amplified by climate change, widespread societal and political polarization, and continued technological advancements accelerating the spread of false or misleading information.”

According to their findings, pessimism among businesses are more prevalent as the time frame increases. Over a ten-year period, 62% of respondents expect stormy or turbulent times, reflecting “skepticism that current societal mechanisms and governing institutions are capable of navigating and mending the fragility generated by the risks we face today.”

In this landscape, leadership today, Ms. Kintanar pointed out, must now shift to a greater role: one that is about guidance and adaptation, more than technical expertise.

“The leaders who stand out today are the ones who can connect big-picture strategy with ground-level execution, all while navigating complexity, uncertainty, and speed. That’s a very different kind of leadership from what was required in the last several years,” she said.

“Today’s leaders don’t need all the answers, but they do need the instincts to ask the right questions and stay focused and decisive through change,” she added. “Hard skills still matter, of course. But what clients want now is proof that a candidate can adapt, grow, and lead through change, especially when the usual playbook no longer applies.”

As an executive search company in the Philippines, KSearch Asia must acquaint themselves intimately with the changing face of leadership as required by the times. Ms. Kintanar pointed out that their approach begins by understanding the businesses of their clients from the inside and out.

“Before we open a single résumé, we spend as much time as possible with the people who actually make the decisions, ask how decisions actually get made, and listen for the unwritten rules that shape culture,” she said.

“Together we decide which skills are non-negotiable, which are nice to have, and which behaviors will click with the culture. Everyone signs off, so we’re all chasing the same target from day one.”

Among the most important values in a leader today, she noted, is the capacity for resilience. Amid headwinds that are only expected to get stronger over the next few years, leaders today, like the story of the bamboo and the oak, must have the ability to bend, not break.

“Companies have to deal with everything from rising costs to talent gaps and changing market demands. So, they’re looking for leaders who’ve been through tough times and know how to keep things moving. People who stay calm under pressure, make good decisions quickly, and can rally a team even when things are uncertain,” she said.

“We’re seeing some clear shifts, both from what leaders are saying in Manila and what global research is showing. The next wave of Filipino executives will need to be very different from the ones who came before.”