I recently attended a Gartner webinar titled “The 2025 Top Trends and Forces C-Suite Executives Must Consider for Strategic Planning”, presented by Marty Resnick (VP Analyst, Gartner). The session explored the major forces shaping the future – not just technology but a broader set of influences – and what it will take for organisations to become truly future-ready.

Innovation is not just about generating ideas but about choosing the right ones to act on. The ones worth mobilising teams for, planning resources around, and launching with confidence because they will genuinely have a positive impact on the organisation.

Research from the Association of Business Mentors (ABM) in the UK shows that mentoring supports managers in developing both personally and professionally. Over 70% of leaders reported improved well-being, time management, and decision-making. Furthermore, two-thirds of managers who received mentoring saw a positive impact on business performance. This approach is well embedded in the U.S., where 97.5% of Fortune 500 companies have mentoring programmes in place (Hamilton, 2025).

What is the definition of Leadership? Haslam, Alvesson, and Reicher (2024) define it as “the process whereby one or more people motivate one or more other people to contribute to the achievement of collective goals (of any form) by shaping beliefs, values, and understandings in context.” This highlights that leadership is fundamentally about the relationships and connections they build with others, and that positive organisational impact comes from the actions of the group, not just individual performance.