GFC White Paper on New Leadership Models for Future Generations 2026

Images: Getty Images, Unsplash Disclaimer This document is published by the World Economic Forum as a contribution to a project, insight area or interaction. The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed herein are a result of a collaborative process facilitated and endorsed by the World Economic Forum but whose results do not necessarily represent the views of the World Economic Forum, nor the entirety of its Members, Partners or other stakeholders. © 2026 World Economic Forum. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system.Contents Foreword 3 Executive summary 4 1 The challenge of future-proofing leadership 6 2 Thinking next generation: Leverage points for new leadership futures 8 2.1 The leadership pipeline and the selection of leaders 8 2.2 The training and development of leaders 10 2.3 The decision-making and action of leaders 12 2.4 The legacy of leaders 14 3 Driving dialogue, collaboration and action: A global leadership lab 16 Contributors 17 Acknowledgements 18 Endnotes 19 2 Next Generation Leadership for a World in Transformation: Driving Dialogue and Action