The year 2025 will mark a decisive turning point in the evolution of management. Faced with the multiple transformations – technological, environmental and societal – reshaping the world of business, one certainty emerges: Leadership is the cornerstone of performance.
The 2nd Managerial skills barometer published by SAM in partnership with Parlons RH highlights the figure of a re-enchanted leader, who must harmoniously combine emotional intelligence (EI) with the mastery of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.
This report, conducted among 352 professionals, reveals a profound cultural shift: companies are massively favoring a management based on the ability to inspire and to unite, Far from the image of a simple controller. The leader of 2026 is called upon to develop a complete profile, both human professional and technology architect, to accompany the continuous transformation of organizations.
Here are the key points of the barometer!
1. Management skills: the time of the leader manager
The concept of leadership is gaining considerable momentum in today’s management culture. HR and management professionals are gradually abandoning the image of the controlling, protective manager in favor of one of a good manager who guides, inspires, and facilitates.
Faced with the acceleration of change and the agility required to adapt to it, the ability to inspire and empower employees takes precedence over micro-management..
The ideal profile of a good manager: inspiring, visionary, and unifying
If respondents are asked to describe the management that prevails in their company, The term ’Organizer« comes in first (53 %), followed closely by »Leader« (46 %).
However, when it comes to identifying the characteristics to strengthen, the desire for evolution is clear. The three traits most frequently cited form the outline of the strategy. portrait of the leader These are the qualities and managerial skills that are essential to being a manager. «Inspiring», «Visionary» and «Unifying».
The barometer highlights that the times increasingly need good people. managers leaders. The distinction between the two roles is indeed fundamental: if the manager is a function (organizing work, achieving objectives), Leadership is a quality (inspiring, setting an example, embodying the vision).
The leader is recognized by his impact on people
« Management is about moving things forward; leadership is about moving people forward. »
Alexandre Havard, Founder of the Virtuous Leadership System
This leader must embody a vision and inspire his or her teams, relying on common values. Leadership involves two dimensions: «ascending» (galvanizing the teams) and «descending» (paying attention to each person’s personality and showing empathy).
This impulse from the virtuous leader is essential to reconcile well-being and performance, mental health and productivity.
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2. IA and IE: the alliance of performance management
To meet the challenges of the 21st century, managers are required to ensure both the initial functions (planning, organizing, controlling, etc.) and the more recent requirements (managing career paths, teleworking, sense).
In the face of often excessive missions, Technology, and in particular AI, serves as an essential support for routine tasks. (planning, reporting, content analysis).
The imperative of Emotional Intelligence (EI)
While AI increases productivity, it is emotional and decision-making intelligence that allows for meaning to be given and teams to be mobilized.
The highest priority in the development of human skills is unequivocal: Emotional and relational intelligence is cited by two-thirds of respondents (67 %%).
This plebiscite for the IE resonates as a strong awareness of the importance of psychology in the construction of beneficial mutual relations with employees.
Every good manager must know how to negotiate, influence, demonstrate discernment and empathy, manage conflicts, especially in a hybrid environment where micro-management is impossible.
Empathy is a constitutive element of emotional intelligence. It allows one to understand and share the emotions of the other. For a manager, this ability is key building trust relationships, improving communication and defusing conflicts.
Artificial Intelligence (AI): a key skill
In parallel with the IE, Mastery of Artificial Intelligence is becoming an imperative and a key skill for almost one in two managers.
The use of AI is the second « hard skill » the most cited to develop (49 %). With AI supporting the manager in their most technical functions (planning, talent management, productivity), the manager’s added value now focuses on the human factor.
The success of this technological revolution depends on the development of specific technical management skills, notably the ability to use new tools (the art of managing change). prompt), to anticipate risks (confidentiality and cybersecurity), and to choose the right generative AI solutions.
Chez AFNOR, For example, the integration of AI is accompanied by secure internal training and experimentation, with strong managerial involvement. Managers must be trained to understand AI, reassure their teams, and encourage experimentation.
[Interview] Transformation of service companies: from digitalization to AI at AFNOR
3. Technical skills (hard skills) to manage talent and change
The ranking of technical skills (hard skills) Priorities reveals a shift from a management oriented towards «production» to a management focused on people and the piloting of change.
Talent management tops the list of managerial skills
Managing human capital is the primary mission of any manager. The essential skill cited by far the most often as a priority to develop is talent management (64 %) respondents.
This result illustrates the persistence of the talent shortage and the crucial need to acquire, retain, grow talent, and develop skills.
Conscious of these strategic issues, the Michelin Group, as part of its transformation process, has decided to create a new structure to manage its activities in the automotive sector.« Michelin In Motion »It is based on two key pillars: a leadership model and a «Talents in motion» program to identify and develop the talents needed for the future.
[Interview] Industry: strategic alignment and leadership, pillars of transformation at Michelin
Among the other skills to be mastered comes next the use of AI (49 %), Project management and Agile methods (48 %), as well as hybrid management (48 %).
Hybrid management, agility and CSR
The hybrid management, The fact that it requires taking into account employees’ preferences regarding place and working hours is considered a necessary training point by half of the respondents. Agility, whether in project methods or in organization, has become a key factor.
Furthermore, the competencies CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) are integrated into management. company CSR policy (37 %) and its concrete integration into business development (33 %) are emerging dimensions.
Managers are increasingly perceived as privileged channels of communication CSR.
4. The revenge of soft skills (soft skills) at the service of the collective
Soft skills (soft skills) dominate the spectrum of managers’ expectations by far. After Emotional and Relational Intelligence (67 %), the soft skills Leadership skills are the most important skills to strengthen.
Top 5 of soft skills Leadership according to the barometer
- Striking communication (50 %)
- Commitment and managing change (50 %)
- Acknowledgement (gratitude and appreciation) (46 %)
- Development of the visionary mindset (46 %)
- Courage (35 %)
These results show that every good manager must have a vision, the courage to implement it and to make decisions, the ability to communicate it and to value the achievements of their employees.
The soft skills are not seen as individual ends, but as a powerful means of improving collective performance.
Two thirds of the sample (66 %) They expect training in soft skills Managerial approaches aim to increase collective performance. This involves better «lubricating» the collective machine, notably by enabling better-accepted decisions and better anticipation of change.
Michel Barabel (Director of the Lab RH Editions) talks about the « revenge of the soft skills », emphasizing that, to accompany the digital transformation, « Empathic profiles are valued, capable of inspiring and instigating collective dynamics. ».
Recognition is an essential lever of engagement. Knowing how to celebrate successes and showing gratitude is fundamental. The lack of recognition is in fact a major reason why employees leave.
5. The challenge of training: multimodalism and continuous learning
Despite the magnitude of the stakes, the cultural battle to make management a profession that can be learned is largely won: 83 % of the companies offer training in managerial skills.
The main obstacle: a lack of time
The main obstacle to the development of managerial skills is a lack of time, rated an average of 3.91/5, far ahead of the budget (1.9/5). This lack of time creates a dilemma: managers mostly prefer in-person attendance (75 %) for human skills, but this is hardly compatible with a busy agenda.
However, they are very willing to learn: 95 % of the managers They say they are ready to devote some (non-blocked) time to training to their working day, and nearly 8 out of 10 are considering dedicating more than an hour a week to it.
The solution: the continuous multimodal route
The solution lies in multimodality, which intelligently and individually combines formats. Training and upskilling become an ongoing process.
Management communities favor a mix of approaches to develop their skills:
- the present (75 %) for the moments of exchange,
- the coaching/mentoring (43 %) for individualised support,
- the peer-to-peer workshops (31 %) for the sharing of experience and collective intelligence.
Distance formats (e-learning, podcasts) are also chosen by half of the sample, often in addition to the face-to-face format. The preferred modality for acquisition is the path by skill block, supplemented by other modalities, rather than the «action” one shot ».
Experience in the aviation sector, where performance is essential for safety, shows that training must integrate the complexity of the human being and be based on simulation and the repetition of practices («Evidence Based Training»). Patrick Vincent, The captain and instructor also emphasizes the importance of peer support to ensure the well-being of the teams, seeing it as a direct performance-enhancing factor.
As for the training intentions, they are aligned with the identified needs: For middle managers, the top three areas of training planned over the next 12 months are: AI, cybersecurity (39 %), communication (37 %), and… leadership (34 %)..
The manager, human and technological meta-competence
The investigation reveals a management that is at the intersection of human and technological factors; the mastery of tools is no longer enough: it is the ability to connect, inspire, and grow that makes the difference.
In an uncertain environment, the autonomy of employees becomes essential, and The manager must mobilize all his psychological, emotional and relational skills to attract, retain and engage talent.
The synthesis of these requirements outlines the figure of the leader who, in 2026, is the metacognitive managerial competence. This leader must know how to mobilize his people. hard skills and his soft skills, As well as a strong dose of conscience, ethics and virtue, to identify and maintain a direction that makes sense for everyone.
To succeed in the face of the challenges of transformation, the company must cultivate this figure of the leader in a continuous and permanent way. This is achieved through the implementation of multimodal and continuous learning paths and a balance between human and technical skills.
« Responsible leadership thus becomes the catalyst for this alchemy between operational excellence and human development. ».
6 questions about management skills 2026
1. What are the major trends in management skills in 2026?
Companies are looking for Inspiring leaders, Capable of giving meaning, uniting and combining human and technology.
2. Why is talk of a “new leadership”?
The manager is no longer just a team leader: he becomes one guide, which inspires, grows and embodies the company’s vision.
3. Which human skill is the most important for managers?
The’emotional intelligence : know how to listen, understand others, manage emotions and build trust.
4. What role does artificial intelligence (AI) play in management?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) helps to automate tasks and make better decisions, but it is up to the manager to keep the overview. mastery of meaning and human relationships.
5. What are the key management skills to develop?
The talent management, the’agility, the, the communication, the hybrid management and the Understanding of AI.
6. How to effectively develop as a manager?
By following a continuous and multimodal learning In-person training, coaching, peer-to-peer exchanges, and e-learning to advance without blocking your schedule.
To go further, download our example of a management skills framework now!
