DECEMBER 2025 - 6 Human Skills Leaders need to excel in 2026
The human skills that leaders have either set them apart or hold them back in every step of their professional life. Human skills are the abilities that enable people to think, relate, communicate and behave effectively with themselves and others.
These skills are uniquely human capabilities that drive connection, collaboration, creativity and good judgement and they cannot be replaced by technology.
From the 1000’s of people the Vivid L&D team have worked with in 2025, and the successes, setbacks, dreams and goals we are privy to hearing about and supporting people on, we propose:
The definitive list of human skills leaders need to excel in 2026
1. Meta cognitive thinking: vital in a world of complexity
This advanced type of thinking is having the ability to think about and manage your own thinking. There are two parts to it.
The first is metacognitive knowledge which is the knowledge you have about your own strengths, weaknesses, learning styles, personal strategies, gaps, assumptions, habits and bias.
The second part is metacognitive regulation which is the strategies you use to manage yourself by planning, monitoring and evaluating your learning, development and problem solving.
2. Presence: vital in a world of distraction
The average person checks their phone every 12 minutes in the UK. Every time you check your phone you lose concentration from what you were doing previously.
Studies show it takes 23 minutes to regain the focus you had before checking your phone. Every time you check your phone whilst in the company of others you are not present to the people in the room, and it will take 23 minutes to fully bring your attention back into the room. This lack of focus and attention cumulatively builds up and negatively affects concentration, focus and presence.
Presence is about the quality of your own attention and awareness of the present moment, mentally focused, emotionally grounded and physically calm.
3. Curiosity: vital in a world of change
Curiosity is a willingness to explore, ask questions, challenge assumptions and look beyond the obvious. This superpower is about exploring new perspectives and innovating.
You can be curious about anything and everything: people and their views, why something worked or why it failed, how to optimise a process, generate wealth, enhance productivity or seek to empathise with diverse views. The curiosity muscle leads to a nimble mind and an iterative approach to progress, constantly nurturing a growth mindset and a growth environment
4. Realistic Optimism: vital in a world attracted to drama and bad news
Optimistic people live up to 10 years longer than their pessimistic colleagues. Optimism builds resilience meaning optimistic people can weather setbacks more easily.
This does not mean ignoring risks. Realistic optimism means examining the risks, the difficulties, the burdens and the challenges; and seeking to overcome them, manage them, or communicate them. Optimism is about seeking the light but knowing there will always be darkness to manage and overcome.
5. Human connection: vital in a world where collaboration is a superpower
People who seek to solely achieve alone achieve less. Human connection requires, empathy, compassion and thoughtful communication. Building effective relationships in work is the foundation for a happy, productive career. We are wired for connection for three reasons: our brains like social interaction, we evolved to need community to survive and thrive, and it is a core human desire – to belong.
6. Emotional literacy: vital in a world of disruption and division
The starting place for having a good relationship with others is to have a good relationship with yourself. While meta cognition is about understanding your thoughts, emotional awareness is about understanding your feelings. How do you come across? What triggers you and how do you manage those triggers? In professional life, emotional awareness is nothing without its partner, emotional regulation. When you understand how you feel, and how you come across to others you can reflect, change, and grow.
These are the key human skills leaders can grow and develop to thrive in 2026.
Whilst AI augments our human abilities, bringing knowledge and analysis, suggesting ideas, planning meetings, managing workflows, automating tasks, and summarising discussions, it cannot be human.
What human skills will you develop in 2026?
If you want to chat to us about skills development for yourself or your teams, then contact us here for a no obligation conversation.
Wishing you all a Happy Festive Season and an exciting 2026
From the Vivid Learning & Development Team