In partnership with

The Making of a
Modern Leader
in Europe:
Do skills differ from country to country?
Table of contents

Different countries— 3 Leading in a digital 8 Drive impact with better 19

different leaders? revolution leadership today
Research background 4 1. Leading the organization 9

2. Leading teams 13 Endnotes 21

The evolution of 5
3. Leading transformation 15
leadership over time
4. Leading oneself 17
The history of leadership 6

Anatomy of a modern leader 7

in Europe

The making of a modern leader in Europe: Do skills differ from country to country? 2
Different countries—
different Leaders?
Different countries—different leaders?
The pressure building over leadership skills development, Through our Making of a Modern Leader research Research background
coupled with the challenges in reporting soft skills impact, and involving a survey of 400 people managers in Germany
the difficulty finding targeted and easy-to-execute leadership (100 respondents), France (100 respondents), and the A total of 400 managers in the UK, France,
programs, means L&D leaders have to figure out how to scale United Kingdom (200 respondents), with survey partner and Germany participated in the Making of
leadership training quickly at a reasonable cost. OnePoll and insights from remote leadership champion a Modern Leader research. Nearly half of all
GitLab, this report unpacks: respondents worked in either financial services
The skills of modern leadership, such as strategic thinking,
(12.25%), e-commerce (13.5%), industrials
emotional intelligence, resilience, and agility, have changed
(10.75%), or healthcare (10%).
significantly since the pandemic due to the changes brought
about by remote work and digital transformation, employee GitLab’s Darren Murph also participated in the
burnout, and economic uncertainty. analysis portion of this research. Murph is a
What leadership means in Germany, France, and pioneer of and advocate for the title of “head
This situation opens up several questions: what influence is
the United Kingdom and how they compare. of remote.” He authored GitLab’s “Remote
leadership having on talent attraction and retention? How do
Playbook,” which codifies GitLab’s practices
we make sure our teams have what they need to survive in
for working online. You can learn his takeaways
uncertain times?
on Coursera in his “How to Manage a Remote
Moreover, many companies today rely on employees worldwide, Team” course.
leveraging their diversity and local expertise to gain a
competitive edge. But when a successful leader changes country,
and thus culture, what in their leadership do they have to adapt
to, and what should they maintain? Do cultural differences The skills needed to connect, inspire and
influence the effectiveness of specific leadership styles? Or are thrive as leaders in these countries.
there universal qualities?

The making of a modern leader in Europe: Do skills differ from country to country? 4
The evolution of
leadership over time
The history of leadership

What does good leadership look like? It’s a challenge

1800s-1940s:
researchers have pondered for decades. Leaders are born with innate traits, and leadership is not made or trained.
Trait theory

Here are the various leadership models we’ve

seen over time:1

1940s-1950s: Leaders are not born with particular characteristics but learn specific
Behavioral theory leadership-related behaviors.

1960s-1990s: Leaders align their leadership styles for specific contexts given the impact of
Situational theories leader-follower dynamics.

1990s-2000s: Leadership is the culmination of interactions between the leader, their followers,
Modern theories and the situational context.

Coursera’s take today: Leaders are agile employees of any age or seniority level who can motivate and inspire
Leadership in a hybrid world themselves and others with clear goals and accountability from anywhere in the world.

The making of a modern leader in Europe: Do skills differ from country to country? 6
Anatomy of a modern leader in Europe

One goal of our research was to understand the evolution To answer this question, we asked people managers in
of leadership in the face of socioeconomic change and these three countries to select the most sought-after
technological disruptions and the differences in its development characteristics of a leader today:
across various European countries: the UK, Germany, and France

United
Kingdom France Germany
• Confident decision-maker • Confident decision-maker • Confident decision-maker
• Problem solver • Organized and accountable • Problem solver
• Effective communicator • Problem solver • Inspirational and trustworthy

The making of a modern leader in Europe: Do skills differ from country to country? 7
Leading in a
digital revolution
The impact of the digital revolution

Given the speed at which companies introduce technological innovations, employees

may get bogged down or even fall behind without proper leadership. To unlock your
business’s competitive edge, you must empower employees to leverage the right
technology at the right time and place.

What’s more, in a global economy, leaders are up against even stiffer challenges.

“
Creating successful teams is already hard when everyone is local, but when employees
come from different countries and backgrounds, the expectations around leadership
may differ and add more complexity.2
To unlock your business’s competitive
The result is a new set of expectations, demands, and skills in four critical areas of
leadership: leading an organization, leading teams, leading transformation, and
edge, you must empower employees
leading oneself. to leverage the right technology at the
right time and place.
Darren Murph
Head of Remote, GitLab

The making of a modern leader in Europe: Do skills differ from country to country? 9
1. Leading the organization: Hybrid, remote, and in-person challenges

Hybrid, in-person, or remote—what is the norm in Has leadership changed for better or worse since
your organization today? the pandemic?
Most countries surveyed operate in a hybrid work environment, with approximately 50% All countries surveyed report leadership has changed since the pandemic. People
office capacity at all times; however, in Germany, 30% of the people managers surveyed managers in the UK report that it has done so for the better (43%) with its predominantly
were still predominantly working in person. These differences may consequently mean hybrid workplace model. Perhaps because 77% of employees in the UK state they want a
certain leadership traits like flexibility, trust, or motivation are valued or need to be mix of face-to-face and remote working to feel heard.3 France is where respondents feel
practiced differently from country to country. leadership has worsened the most since the pandemic (25%).

Germany France United Kingdom Germany France United Kingdom

8% 5% 1% 4 1 7% 2
% %
17% 16% 21% 8% %

30 %
34% 32%
43%
42% 10% 38%
44% 46% 40%
36%
18%
11%
53% 25% 9%

How would you best describe your current work setup? Has leadership changed for better or for worse?

In person Hybrid (approx 90% office capacity) Better Stayed the same
Hybrid (approx 50% office capacity) Remote Worse Not sure
Some things for better, others for worse

Recommended course on remote leadership:

How to Manage a Remote Team

The making of a modern leader in Europe: Do skills differ from country to country? 10
What are the biggest pitfalls of leadership today? What is essential to lead successfully in remote and
People managers in France (33%), Germany (41%), and the UK (38%) agree that one of the
uncertain times?
biggest pitfalls of leadership today is disregarding employees’ work-life boundaries, which In the UK (32%) and Germany (31%), empathy and compassion were essential traits to lead
is problematic given how much employees value this today. Research by Aviva in the UK during uncertain times. Conversely, people managers in France (31%) felt practical skills
found that employees merit work-life balance more than salary—a contrast from a pre- like change management were more essential than these soft skills to lead successfully
pandemic survey from 2019 that reported the opposite. In a separate study undertaken in during this time.
2022, 41% of the 2,173 employees surveyed reported being attracted to their current role
because of the work-life balance it provides, compared to 36% who cited salary.4
Germany France United Kingdom
In all three markets, neglecting team morale has become an important problem, as have
micromanagement issues in France (28%) and the UK (33%). Empathy & compassion Open dialogue

Change management skills Empathy & compassion

Germany France United Kingdom
What should leaders master in challenging times?
Neglecting team morale & company culture

Prioritizing the wrong things Micromanagement

Ignoring work-life boundaries

Recommended courses on:
What has worsened in remote/hybrid leadership?
Change management: Managing the Company
of the Future

Recommended course on communication: Empathy: Emotional Intelligence: Cultivating

Communication Strategies for a Virtual Age Immensely Human Interactions

The making of a modern leader in Europe: Do skills differ from country to country? 11
“
Leaders must step up to alleviate
Lead organizations with Coursera
In today’s complex business environment, leaders need to grow the
these concerns by offering assurances business, drive culture across teams, and strategically plan for years
and flexibility. They must invest in into the future. Some employees are based remotely, while others go to
new systems and ways of working the office regulary. It can get quite complicated to know how to lead at
your best.
which prioritize equitable access
to information and enable more With the added complexity of traits and qualities of leadership differing
across countries, The Leadership Academy from Coursera is designed
frictionless work. to help your employees develop and grow the fast-evolving leadership
skill sets they need to ensure the organization’s success in the long run.
Darren Murph
Head of Remote, GitLab

The making of a modern leader in Europe: Do skills differ from country to country? 12
2. Leading teams: The rise of the middle manager and individual contributor
An underlying challenge of the remote and hybrid workplace is the intensity What are the most valued practices for leading
of leadership expected from less experienced employees, particularly middle
managers. From motivating peers to maintaining company culture and driving
teams remotely?
business results, they’re on the frontline with their teams while also answering to The most valued practices for leading teams remotely across markets were leading by example
senior leadership on business results. and empowering teams. Over half of the respondents in Germany and the UK considered
leading by example essential to lead teams successfully. In France, this represented 43% of
respondents. Empowering teams was also considered key by over half of the respondents in
the UK and Germany and 39% in France.

“
Since we are remote, there is a high
United Kingdom Germany

Boost team morale & company culture

France

Give open & honest feedback

expectation to do your work without Empower team members

direct supervision. Every team member Set clear goals Encourage teamwork
is responsible for communication,
Lead by example
structuring decisions, and managing
their workload individually. How can leaders best motivate teams?

Darren Murph
Head of Remote, GitLab
Recommended course on leading by example:
Inspiring Leadership Through Emotional Intelligence

The making of a modern leader in Europe: Do skills differ from country to country? 13
What are the best ways for leaders to encourage
team learning?
All three markets—France (20%), Germany (19%), and the UK (16%)—believe hiring for
diversity can encourage learning in remote teams. In the UK, leading by example (24%)
and encouraging a more flexible workplace to give employees the space to learn (21%)
were also important.

United Kingdom Germany France

Reward learning Foster curiosity &

Lead by example through recognition innovative thinking

Hire for diversity Leading teams with Coursera

Allocate time for New managers are essential to organizations tasked with leading a team
Encouraging a more flexible workplace employees to learn
while continuing to bring in the revenue the business needs to sustain itself.
What should leaders do to inspire employee learning in the workplace? One of the most valued traits for leading teams successfully identified in our
research was leading by example. But without proper training, rising middle
managers may struggle with this, burn out, or hurt their direct reports’
productivity and job satisfaction. The Leadership Academy from Coursera is
Recommended courses on: designed to help you make training easy and flexible for this group to learn
how to lead, collaborate, and thrive.
Smart time management: Work Smarter, Not Harder:
Time Management for Personal & Professional Productivity

Hiring diverse teams:

Reward and recognition:
Inclusive Leadership: The
Recognizing Team Members
Power of Workplace Diversity

The making of a modern leader in Europe: Do skills differ from country to country? 14
3. Leading transformation: The role of tech and data on leadership
Connected with the new challenges of remote and hybrid work is the discrepancy What should effective leaders prioritize to lead
between tech, data, and leadership skills. With the increasing pace of digital
transformation in the workplace, organizations rely on tech and data subject
at their best?
matter experts to solve difficult business problems. When asked what leaders should prioritize to lead successfully, all three markets
agreed motivating teams, encouraging employee development, and learning
But by promoting these technical leaders into managerial roles without proper
and growing were most important. As a Gallup survey confers, at least 70% of the
leadership training, organizations hurt their business goals and team morale.
variance in team engagement can be explained through the manager or team
Leadership, once again, is a must-have for everyone in the business.
leader.5 Leaders have a huge influence on whether their employees’ strengths are
used to do what employees know how to do best.6

Germany France United Kingdom

Recommended courses on:
Learning & growing

Supporting employees: High-Performance Collaboration: Motivate teams

Leadership, Teamwork, and Negotiation
Handling conflict Setting priorities Supporting employees

Motivating teams: Inspiring Employee development: Encouraging employee development

and Motivating Individuals Influencing People
What should effective leaders prioritize today to lead at their best?

The making of a modern leader in Europe: Do skills differ from country to country? 15
Case study: Visible Alpha
Aware of the importance of helping technology experts build soft skills alongside technical
ones to upgrade their team’s leadership abilities, the innovative financial market analysis
software company, Visible Alpha, offers courses on Coursera in communication and team
management to new hires, as well as to those looking to move into leadership roles.

Lead transformation by merging

“
technical and soft skills harmoniously
Many employees with the right technical skills to transform the business
We’ve found that Coursera is versatile enough to be lack the leadership skills to lead this transformation harmoniously
useful for employees, managers, and executives. throughout the organization. One of the most important things influential
leaders should prioritize, according to people managers across the four
Our learners like that the content is from leading countries surveyed, is motivating teams. The Leadership Academy from
universities and institutions. Coursera’s rich catalog Coursera helps employees acquire these and other such skills and create the
means we can find leadership and communications right environment to inspire and drive change.

courses relevant to our company’s specific needs.

Alyssa Chen
Human Resources Director, Visible Alpha

The making of a modern leader in Europe: Do skills differ from country to country? 16
4. Leading oneself: The evolution of the competencies of a leader

What is your preferred leadership style to Preferred

lead in 2022? Leadership style9
Preferred in Definition

Understanding one’s leadership style has proven to be a key part of effective

leadership practices.7 Our research shows that the preferred leadership style in Focusing on tangible
2022 varies significantly across markets, though no leadership style was selected as success, these leaders
The Classic Entrepreneur France prioritize metrics related
preferred by over 50% of the respondents in any market.
to financial results, such
as costs & quality.
The UK and Germany find that leaders who believe in uncovering talents from
everyone in the organization are most suited for today’s world of work. In France,
the Classic Entrepreneur, who focuses on financial results and quality, is preferred.
Humble & self-effacing,
Cultural values play a role in a leader’s style. By acknowledging their cross-cultural these leaders believe in
United Kingdom uncovering the talents
differences, leaders can improve their ability to function on a global scale.8 The Solutions Finder
Germany of their colleagues &
maximizing the collective
genius of the organization.

The making of a modern leader in Europe: Do skills differ from country to country? 17
“
With socioeconomic uncertainties on the
horizon, leaders cannot afford to undermine
credibility and jeopardize their reputation by Reflecting on oneself matters
compensating with overconfidence. Instead, in leadership
they need to find a way to reassure their teams Whether the preferred leadership style is Classic Entrepreneur,
and approach the future with confidence Moden Missionary, Solutions Finder, or any other style outside
our researched classification, The Leadership Academy from
using empathy and strong storytelling, relying Coursera helps develop strong foundational leadership skills
on concrete information and particularly on to reflect from within and become an effective leader.
strong data and strategies.
Darren Murph
Head of Remote, GitLab

The making of a modern leader in Europe: Do skills differ from country to country? 18
Drive impact with better
leadership today
Drive impact with better leadership today

In the face of global socioeconomic uncertainty, technological

disruptions, and a hybrid workplace, effective leadership is
more important and complex than ever.
Ready to power your organization
Our research shows that leadership styles, traits, and valued with the next generation of leaders
qualities differ from country to country. Sometimes there is a and create high-performing teams?
discrepancy between the types of leaders employees need and
those currently heading our teams and organizations.
Request a consultation today
To support this, learning leaders must prioritize upskilling
programs in competencies that empower employees to lead
transformation, provide the business with a competitive
edge, reduce talent attrition, and allow leaders to be agile in
navigating the changing needs of their teams across countries
and cultures. Deploying ongoing soft skills training for all
through affordable and scalable leadership programs, such as
Leadership Academy from Coursera, is an important first step.

The making of a modern leader in Europe: Do skills differ from country to country? 20
Endnotes
The evolution of leadership over time

1. Leadership Theories and Styles. Western Governors University. 2020.

Leading in a digital revolution

2. Global Teams That Work. Harvard Business Review. 2015.

3. The rise of hybrid working: How to transform your organization for our changed world. PwC. 2022.
4. Employees favour work-life balance over salary, study suggests. People Management. 2022.
5. Employee Engagement on the Rise in the U.S. Gallup. 2018
6. Effective Employee Development Starts with Managers. Harvard Business Review. 2022.
7. Your leadership style: why understanding yourself matters. The Learning Zone. 2020.
8. Cultural Differences in Leadership Styles. Chron. 2021.
9. The Four Leadership Styles, and How to Identify Yours. Harvard Business Review. 2016.

The making of a modern leader in Europe: Do skills differ from country to country? 21