Leaders today must be more decisive and more comfortable with rapid, iterative modes of action. More complexity is needed to make things simple. The level of technical sophistication embedded in most businesses has increased significantly. But complexity doesn't sell, simplicity does. Leaders today must be more technically savvy and more adept at leading technical workforces with higher levels of specialized knowledge than ever before.
Greater diversity makes unity harder to achieve.
The generational impact of younger employees on businesses is larger than ever before. There is also more cultural diversity in the workplace. Leaders today must be prepared to identify and attract young, adept, culturally diverse employees. Global scale, integration and competition redefines what it means to be local. There have been global businesses in the past, but never so much potential for almost any business to go global.