Vesselina Andreeva, Chief Operations Officer (COO) of Amusnet, shared valuable insights on the evolving landscape of leadership and the essential skills leaders need to thrive in the future.
How do you define the future of leadership?
The future of leadership is less about authority and more about influence, empathy and adaptability. The world and particularly the business landscape are evolving at a rapid pace nowadays and the leaders are expected not only to make decisions quickly but also to guide people through uncertainty and change.
Which leadership skill will be most valuable in the future?
I believe that this is emotional intelligence paired with adaptability. Of course, IQ and professionalism are the baseline, but they are far from enough.
We not only need to be experts in our domain but we also need to be able to ‘read’ our surroundings and to know what is the best approach to handle a situation or initiative. In order to pull out the best qualities out of each person in your team, you need EQ to find out what they are and how to do it.
What role will emotional intelligence play in tomorrow's leadership?
Leadership is all about people, right? Thus, emotional intelligence is key to building trust, resolving conflicts, managing stress, and inspiring people to achieve great results. It’s not a soft skill anymore - it became a must skill in our leadership toolset.
What is one leadership lesson from your own experience that will always remain relevant?
There is a popular saying “people don’t leave companies - they leave managers” and it is based on many different researches in different regions and business areas. And I do feel that. How you make people feel count. Do they feel valued, heard, supported? The biggest lesson that I have learnt is that when you leave a company, what people most remember about you is how you made them feel and how you empowered them to achieve success.
What advice would you give to emerging leaders who want to future-proof their skills?
Invest in self-development and self-awareness. Leadership starts from within. The better you know yourself, the more efficient you will be in any area. Being kind is not a weakness - it is a strength.
