How do you manage change at work when those leading it don't feel ready themselves? That's the question raised by the Global Leadership Forecast 2027, the research presented by consultancy DDI on 14 October 2026: only 17% of leaders say they feel confident anticipating and responding to change.
The figure doesn't come from a small sample. It is the twelfth edition of a survey launched in 1999, built on the responses of 11,395 leaders and 2,519 HR professionals, across more than 1,900 organisations in over 50 countries and 24 industries. This is the first of three releases: the parts on HR priorities and the future of leadership are announced for November and December.
The numbers in the Global Leadership Forecast 2027
Here are the main figures from the first part, as reported by DDI. Each measures one thing only, and that's how they are best read.
- 17% of leaders feel confident anticipating and responding to change; according to DDI the share is almost unchanged since 2025.
- 19% of leaders say they often feel “depleted”, but few leave their role.
- 21% of non-managerial employees trust senior leadership, and 25% trust their direct manager.
- 9% of leaders say they are fully engaged at work, while 50% sit in a middle zone.
- 87% of leaders have at least some fear that their skills are becoming obsolete.
Alongside these percentages the research points to some associations: organisations that manage change effectively are 2.4 times more likely to meet or exceed financial targets, and leaders lacking self-confidence are a third as likely to stay productive in tough times. These are correlations observed in the data, not proof of cause and effect.
Change is also led through presence
When we talk about how to manage change at work we immediately think of plans, timelines and tools. DDI's data suggest that a big part of the problem lies elsewhere: in trust. If barely one employee in four trusts their direct manager, every announcement of change starts uphill, whatever the quality of the project.
Trust in an organisation isn't built only with the right decisions. It's also built with the way those decisions are communicated: the tone, the consistency between words and behaviour, the willingness to listen, even the way you show up at a difficult meeting. A leader who feels insecure tends to convey it, often without realising: vague sentences, a gaze that slips away, a closed posture at the very moment the team is looking for a point of reference.
When the leader feels depleted
The 19% figure deserves attention. A leader who often feels exhausted stays in post, but their energy shows, and the team reads it. DDI also reports that fully engaged leaders are 8.8 times more likely to consistently bring out the best in their people. Again this is an association, but the direction is clear: the leader's state is reflected in the group.
Another element of the research is worth noting. 87% of leaders fear their skills are ageing, and those with this fear are 5.1 times more likely to say they intend to leave the organisation. Insecurity doesn't stay private: it becomes a risk for the team's continuity.
How to manage change at work: three practical points
From the data you can draw a few concrete points, useful for anyone leading a group through a phase of transformation.
First, clarity. In an uncertain phase people watch the leader more than they read documents. A few simple sentences, repeated consistently, are worth more than a perfect presentation that no one remembers.
Then, consistency between what you say and what you show. If you ask the team to adapt, the first to set the example must be the one leading: punctuality, availability, a polished image suited to the context convey stability even when everything around is moving.
Finally, time to grow. DDI's own CEO, Tacy M. Byham, urges organisations to give leaders driving urgent change the time and space to develop their skills while they keep working. It's an investment in both abilities and the confidence with which they are exercised.
From inner confidence to visible presence
The Global Leadership Forecast 2027 data describe leaders under pressure, unsure in the face of change and surrounded by fragile trust. It's not an alarming picture, but a signal: leadership today also depends on the ability to convey confidence when confidence can't be taken for granted.
CG Imagine's Image-Pro programme works on exactly this point: aligning image, communication and behaviour with the role, so that the 17% of leaders who feel ready for change today can become a larger share, starting with how you show up in front of your team.
Sources
Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash
