While the business environment has always been highly demanding, today’s challenges are unique compared to those of the past. In a modern business environment, leaders have to go beyond management and communication.
In a highly competitive job market, leaders are expected to support business growth by offering data-driven insights and creating high-impact teams that can support key operational areas. This is not a small task, so leaders must leverage a variety of interconnected skills, including:
These skills can be cultivated in many ways by professionals over the course of their careers. For those looking to accelerate their growth, an online Master of Science in Management degree can fast-track their skill development and position them for success in just one year.
Why Management Skills Matter More Than Ever
We are in the AI era. Algorithms can process data faster than humans, but only leaders can make judgment calls that balance efficiency with ethics. In this tech-driven environment, where business leaders often need to use strong discernment to change directions quickly, it’s essential to have the skills that only humans can have to influence outcomes and inspire teams.
What kind of manager do you want to be?
Managers spend 37% of their time on day-to-day problem solving and administrative tasks and only 15% on planning and strategizing for the future. This imbalance shows why advanced management skills matter: they help managers focus less on busywork and focus on what truly drives results.
Strong leaders help their teams navigate change, operate strategically, collaborate effectively through challenges and move quickly when necessary. In order to make that kind of impact, a blend of human-centered and results-driven skills are key.
What Are the Top 5 Management Skills Employers Want in Emerging Business Leaders?
1. Strategic Thinking
Amongst the rapid adoption of AI and other digital technologies, managers must continue to do the thing that humans do better than chatbots: think critically and strategically.
If you’re only asking yourself “What do I need to do to solve this problem this week?”, you likely aren’t thinking very strategically. For managers to think about a problem in a strategic way, they need to consider multiple factors:
- Future-focused: How can this problem (and its potential solutions) affect us down the line?
- Interconnectivity: How will my path forward affect other teams and departments?
- Results-driven: Is my solution actively supporting organizational goals and departmental KPIs?
- Efficiency mindset: Is there a way to solve multiple challenges with a single solution?
It’s also important to remember that strategic thinking isn’t just reactive; it’s about deliberately shaping the future to advance business goals. Effective managers anticipate the skills, processes and structures their department will need.
For business leaders who align operations with long-term objectives, it means connecting today’s choices to tomorrow’s outcomes. This kind of thinking can evolve constantly as challenges, results and successes arise.
2. Data Analysis
Data analysis isn’t just limited to your organization’s data science team: analytical thinking and data literacy are indispensable skills for managers because they enable stronger decision-making.
44% of business leaders say their companies need more data analysis capabilities.
While managers don’t need the expert-level data analysis skills that IT professionals need, they do need to understand the fundamentals. This will allow them to leverage data for their operational goals, helping to find inefficiencies, unexpected poor performance and other problem areas.
By using tools like Tableau and Microsoft Excel, business leaders can organize data and analyze it more clearly, saving a busy manager hours of time they might spend sifting through individual numbers.
For example, a manager can look at charts that show time spent per project to identify where inefficiencies, resource gaps or process issues are slowing progress. By using this data analysis, managers gain clear visibility into problems that might otherwise go unnoticed, rather than relying solely on employees to raise concerns.
3. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools
AI has become the new normal for businesses around the world. Tools that use AI and large language models (LLMs) can serve as a digital assistant to future-focused managers, allowing them to make more effective decisions in a more efficient manner.
Employers indicated that AI skills will become the most important skill for graduate management education graduates in the next five years — outpacing skills like strategic thinking, problem-solving, and initiative.
AI tools can scan initial datasets for managers when they perform data analysis, helping them to:
- Identify obscure patterns
- Highlight potential risks
- Quickly synthesize data from multiple sources
- Sort data into clear categories
When a manager uses an AI tool to perform the initial, often tedious, work of data analysis, they can spend more time on in-depth analysis. And when managers have time for data deep dives, they make better strategic decisions that are more effective for long-term success.
However, it’s important for all professionals — especially managers — to recognize that AI tools need to be used carefully and responsibly. All tools should be carefully evaluated for data privacy and bias, and managers should carefully fact-check all AI outputs. While AI tools can support faster decision-making, managers have a responsibility to use their expertise to interpret and apply AI-based insights appropriately.
4. Human Capital
Human capital is way of determining the economic value of an individual, team, department or entire workplace in terms of their:
- Skills
- Knowledge
- Abilities
- Training
- Experience
Human capital can also measure other qualities and features that employers value, such as loyalty, punctuality and integrity. While human capital is inherently economical, it’s an intangible asset that can’t be directly measured by an AI model or data spreadsheet.
The thing that separates strong managers from ineffective ones is their ability to coach, motivate and develop their direct reports. Human capital helps business leaders accomplish those things more effectively.
Some team members will have a lot of inherent abilities, but require more training in specific skills. Others may have a lot of experience, but are missing out on some of the continuing education that allows them to keep up with business trends. By measuring the human capital of their team, a manager can identify where they should focus their development efforts on an individual and team level. In the next few years, as AI automates more tasks, the ability to measure and grow uniquely human strengths will only increase in importance.
5. Financial Acumen
Ultimately, private organizations can’t sustain operations if they aren’t profitable. Even in nonprofit organizations and government agencies, where profit is not the primary concern, financial acumen allows organizations to harness resources effectively and achieve meaningful goals.
Managers with strong financial literacy are equipped to accomplish a broad range of goals:
- Making better decisions informed by team, department and organizational budgets.
- Communicating with senior leadership and stakeholders with the terms and information that matters most to them.
- Managing the cost and budgets of their teams in a more efficient way.
Most importantly, managers need to do more than handle the numbers appropriately, they need to understand how to use financial information in a way that leads to actionable insights and organizational success.The ability to forecast accurately, budget appropriately, invest carefully and leverage assets effectively is a major benefit to organizations.
Where Can These Management Skills Take Your Career?
These high-impact leadership skills are also applicable across nearly every industry, especially in those that value cross-functional leadership. Gaining these competencies will demonstrate your worth and make you a stand-out candidate for many leadership and management roles:
- HR manager
- Project manager
- Management analyst
- Marketing manager
- General/operations manager
- Financial manager
- Operations research analyst
Some industries where skilled leaders are in the highest demand include:
- Manufacturing and supply chain
- Health care
- Hospitality and tourism
- B2B services
- Finance
- Marketing
- Tech
For today’s leaders, these aren’t just nice-to-have skills. Rather, these represent the new wave of skills that have become foundational to modern business. Leaders who are able to leverage these core competencies will find themselves in higher demand and better positioned to succeed.
Prepare to Lead With GW’s MS in Management
Advance your career with the GW School of Business’s Master of Science in Management, available online or in-person. Our expert-led blend of live discussion, real-world case studies and multimedia learning will help you develop the strategic thinking skills and global perspective needed for leadership. The MS in Management curriculum will also cover cutting-edge data tools and valuable strategy concepts.
We believe in supporting our students through their academic journeys: every student accepted into our online graduate programs will receive an automatic tuition scholarship.
Learn more by requesting a brochure, or start your application today!
Since 1928, GW School of Business students have leveraged our global presence to pursue practical, insightful expertise in the world of business from an enviable vantage point. One of the most diverse cities in the United States, D.C. is home to leading organizations in the healthcare, hospitality, media, government, defense and technology sectors. Our faculty are thought leaders and educators in these areas and more, and they’re ready to provide you with the business and management expertise you need to succeed.
Sources
- AdaptiveUS — Data Analytics for Managers: Adaptive US Leadership in 2025
- American Marketing Association — What is Marketing? — The Definition of Marketing
- Deloitte — Is there still value in the role of managers?
- Gartner — Gartner Unveils Top Predictions for IT Organizations and Users in 2025 and Beyond
- Harvard Business Impact — It’s All in the Numbers: Financial Acumen
- IBM
- Indeed
- Investopedia — What Is Human Capital?
- Syed A. Ali; Grace D. Brannan — Human Capital