In a time when AI, hybrid work, and global disruption are rewriting the rules of business, the demand for future-ready leaders has never been more urgent. According to Skillsoft, 31% of employees require targeted learning due to a lack of leadership skills, underscoring the urgent need for effective leadership development strategies. With that in mind, Skillsoft and People Matters hosted an exciting webinar to continue the discussion on this shift in leadership and upskilling. 

The insightful conversation, moderated by Skillsoft’s Ankur Gupta Vice President, Marketing and featured Govind Srinivasan, Global L&D Lead at Conduent, Srilatha Kolachana, Director L&D, APAC at CGI and Richa Sethi, VP HR & Global Capability Development, Coforge, who mentioned their leadership programs, their learning from their initiatives and discussed further how leadership development is no longer a one-time course or event; It’s a continuously evolving journey that blends the human and the digital in equal measure.

The webinar is part of "Skill Shift Success Story" series, a special collaboration between Skillsoft and People Matters, where the spotlight lies on impactful learning initiatives led by industry pioneers, all designed to inspire a culture of continuous growth and learning within the HR community.

What makes a leader future-ready - Empathy meets digital fluency

Leadership in 2025 requires more than expertise; it demands adaptability, compassion, and tech fluency. “Leadership today isn’t about having all the answers; it’s about creating an environment where teams can sense, interpret, and act with speed, autonomy, and purpose,” said Govind. As the learning journey of Conduent pivots from stabilization to growth, he shared that the leaders need to do two key things in the current scenario: be human-centric and be digitally fluent.

Similarly, Srilatha highlighted a fundamental shift happening among the leaders: “Leaders today must lead with both compassion and courage while taking tough decisions with kindness.” She also underlined the rising importance of the three Rs in modern leadership: Reskilling, resilience, and rethinking.

Richa, meanwhile, brought the power of acronyms to life: “I use EVADE- Empowerment, Vision, Adaptability, Digital Fluency, Empathy. Those are the skills you can’t EVADE.”

How learning sustains both business culture and strategy

Organization’s culture and employee learning behaviour were top of mind as the panel explored how real change takes root in a learning journey.

“Psychological safety is critical,” said Govind. “It allows team members to speak up without fear.” He also spoke of micro-messages, “small things that can significantly lift or damage morale.”  He also added how at Conduent, their leadership program spanned 12 months and included AI simulations from Skillsoft, refresher sessions, and fireside chats. “That, to us, is a win,” underscoring the importance of sustained engagement.

At Coforge, the Elevate program took shape across 23 countries and multiple formats: self-paced modules, VILT (virtual instructor-led training), and Master Classes with internal leaders. “We consciously named the program Elevate because it’s about elevating yourself—continuously,” said Richa. Their results were quite impressive- 80 %+ completion rates, 93% application rate and improved learner retention within the Elevate cohort.

As for Srilatha, true transformation began within their own HR function. “We preach learning to the organization, but what are we doing for ourselves?” she asked. Their three-year internal learning journey was built around foundational knowledge, strengthened key competencies, and introduced electives, all of them powered by Skillsoft. 

“L&D satisfaction scores in HR rose by a full point, and more than 10 team members moved into new roles. We now walk the talk,” Srilatha added. So when it came to AI literacy, CGI went big: “We had a 90% completion rate for our AI learning journey, and we won a Skillsoft award for it.”

What sparked the shift? Data, Design and Dialogue

Asked what made their programs truly impactful, the panelists offered practical wisdom.

Govind pointed to something deceptively simple: acting on feedback. “We didn’t just collect feedback, we analyzed sentiment, made changes, and closed the loop. That made stakeholders feel heard.” This approach led Conduent to experiment with program duration, where they went from 12 to 8 to 6 months.’ “Learning is a continuum, not a one-off event,” Govind added. 

Srilatha credited the concept of ‘pull, not push’ for their success. “There’s strong leadership engagement. Leaders sponsor and participate, and there’s a pull for learning, I don’t have to push it.” CGI’s 70:20:10 approach includes capstone projects, mentoring, and access to internal subject matter experts. 

As for Richa, it all came down to the “ABCs” - “Application, Business problem, Context. That’s the bottom line for any solution I design.”

The shift from ‘nice-to-have’ learning programs to non-negotiable

Leadership development is no longer optional or one-size-fits-all. It’s a business imperative—designed around human needs and powered by digital fluency.

Whether it’s the Elevate initiative at Coforge, the AI literacy drive at CGI, or Conduent’s adaptive learning journeys, these programs share a common DNA: learner-centricity, agility, and contextual relevance. 

As Govind summed it up, leaders today must become  ‘change huggers, not just change managers, ’ i.e. ready to evolve, experiment and adapt.”

In a world where change is the only constant, that mindset might just be the most essential skill you can’t evade.

You can continue to learn more by watching the webinar below: