Leadership, Teams and Capability in 2026: Why Depth Now Matters More Than Ever
2 February 2026
Across industries and regions, organisations are taking a hard look at how they build capability and whether it is actually delivering results. A consistent theme is emerging from global research: traditional development approaches are no longer keeping pace with the demands leaders and teams now face.
Gartner’s latest survey of HR leaders shows that leadership and manager development remains a top priority. At the same time, many organisations acknowledge that familiar programs are not driving meaningful behaviour change. Leaders may attend, participate and even rate programs positively, yet little shifts once they return to work.
This concern is echoed in Deloitte’s 2025 Global Human Capital Trends report. As AI reshapes work and increases complexity, organisations are under pressure to unlock human performance through adaptive leadership, effective collaboration and clearer strategic alignment.
Taken together, these signals point to a simple but challenging expectation. Capability development must be deeper, more relevant and visibly connected to performance. Generic training and satisfaction scores are no longer enough.
Technical competence alone will not carry organisations forward. What is emerging is not a push for more development, but a demand for development with real depth.
1. Leadership Depth
Leadership development is moving away from generic, one-size programs.
The priority we are seeing is depth-leaders, with heightened self-awareness. They need to understand how they work, how they are experienced by others, and how their behaviour holds up under pressure.
This aligns with what many HR and L&D leaders are observing internally:
technical skill and good intent don’t always translate into consistent leadership behaviour, particularly in complex or high-stakes situations.
Depth shows up when leaders can:
- recognise their natural work preferences and blind spots
- adjust their approach without losing authenticity
- lead with steadiness when conditions are unclear
This is where development grounded in self-awareness and behavioural feedback becomes essential. Tools such as the Team Management Profile (TMP) and Linking Leader Profile (LLP|360) provide leaders with clear, work-focused insights about how they lead, collaborate and get work done.
Importantly, this kind of insight gives leaders a shared language that can be revisited over time, supporting growth rather than a one-off intervention.
2. Team Performance in Ongoing Complexity
Complexity is no longer an exception.
Hybrid work, matrix structures and rapid reprioritisation mean teams are expected to perform across boundaries while maintaining trust and pace. High-performing teams are not those without friction, but those that can work through difference productively.
AHRI in Australia, and similar bodies across the globe, consistently note that collaboration breakdowns, not capability gaps, are a leading contributor to performance issues.
The most effective team development we see focuses on helping teams:
- understand differences in work approach and values
- surface and work through tension early
- maintain momentum when direction shifts
Profiles such as the Team Management Profile provides a practical framework for understanding how work gets done across a team, while the Window on Work Values (WoWV) helps teams explore what matters to individuals and where misalignment may be draining energy.
When teams have a common reference point for preferences, values and expectations, difficult conversations become easier to have and more productive.
3. Practical, Measurable Development: The New Expectation
A clear message from HR leaders is that participation rates and positive feedback are no longer sufficient measures of success.
Boards and executives are asking different questions:
- What has changed in behaviour?
- What decisions are being made differently?
- What is demonstrably better six or twelve months on?
This is where many development initiatives can struggle because they lack structure for follow-through.
The most effective approaches integrate:
- diagnostic insight at the start
- targeted development rather than broad capability building
- opportunities to re-measure progress over time
Profiles such as the Linking Leader Profile (LLP|360) and Team Signals support this shift by providing data that can be revisited. They allow organisations to track changes in leadership behaviour and team engagement.
For HR and L&D teams under pressure to demonstrate return on investment, this kind of measurability is essential.
Support how people work today
Taken together, these priorities point to a clear direction for 2026 capability strategies:
- Leadership depth, not only breadth
- Team effectiveness that acknowledges real-world complexity
- Development approaches that lead to measurable and observable change
This does not require reinventing development from scratch. It requires choosing frameworks and tools that that can evolve with the organisation.
The opportunity now is to design development that genuinely supports how people work today, while building the depth needed for what comes next.
If these questions are already part of your 2026 planning conversations, we’d be happy to support you further, crafting the perfect fit for your organisation. Contact us.