To navigate uncertain times effectively, what leadership does your organisation need next?
Organisations today are operating in an environment of rapid change and rising complexity. Our 2026 Leadership Navigator report shows that this is not a short-term disruption, but a continuing reality for leaders across sectors and markets. Drawing on data from more than 700 executives, together with insights from MU Experts, the report explores why some organisations are better led through uncertainty than others.
For executive teams, the central question is clear: What leadership does our organisation need to perform in uncertain times? Our research identifies three essential themes for leaders to focus on. Organisations that address these themes more effectively are more likely to build leadership teams that perform strongly under pressure, adapt to change, and deliver results in complex environments:
These themes form the foundation of our 2026 report. The report also explores future leadership needs across key sectors, including Manufacturing, Life Sciences, Professional Services, Public Sector, Retail & Consumer, and Automotive & Mobility. We hope it offers a valuable perspective for executives seeking to strengthen leadership quality, organisational resilience, and long-term performance in uncertain times.
The findings from the MU Leadership Navigator 2026 report, and other developments around the world, influence industry practices in different ways. Based on the findings, our MU practice experts discuss how this might affect their industries and other focus areas. The MU Experts have answered the question “To Navigate Uncertain Times Effectively — What Leadership Does Your Organisation Need Next?”
For manufacturing organisations, uncertainty is no longer temporary. It has become a permanent condition. Leaders today face several pressures at once: geopolitics, rapid technological change, higher expectations on speed and innovation, and continued cost pressure. Together, these forces shape decisions that will affect manufacturing companies for many years.
Read the Manufacturing perspective
The automotive and mobility industry is managing several major shifts at once. This means leadership requirements are changing. Companies do not only need strong general leaders. They need leaders who can perform in a very specific business context and deliver clear business results.
Read the Automotive & Mobility perspective
Professional services firms face simultaneous pressure from technology, talent expectations, pricing competition, and geopolitical uncertainty. The question many boards now face is not whether leadership must change, but what leadership is required next.
Read the Professional Services perspective
In today’s rapidly changing environment, Boards and CEOs face unprecedented uncertainty. The traditional roles of governance and executive leadership have evolved significantly. Boards must transition from mere compliance and performance oversight to become proactive strategists.
Read the Board & CEO perspective
Periods of uncertainty tend to expose leadership more than they transform it. What changes is not the essence of leadership, but the degree to which leaders are required to make sense of ambiguity, align others around direction, and deliver results when established reference points no longer hold. The question organisations face today is about understanding whether their current leadership system is fit for what comes next.
For today’s organisations, sustainability is no longer a side topic or a communications exercise, it is a leadership imperative. At the same time, ESG is inherently complex. It cuts across functions, silos and traditional responsibilities: Strategy, operations, finance, risk, HR, supply chain and corporate affairs are deeply interconnected. ESG therefore changes not only what leaders decide, but how they think and operate.
Uncertain times do not create one single leadership challenge. They create different challenges for different organisations. Strategy, industry, digital maturity, and risk exposure all shape what leadership is required.
Read the Digital & Transformation perspective