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Leadership, in today's rapidly changing and unstable business environment, becomes critically important. However, leadership development practices have not proven adequate to meet the challenges of the new era. The present cross-cultural research aims to examine the crucial leadership skills for the 21st-century leaders, especially in times of crisis, and identify similarities and differences between fiye European countries (Greece, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, and Cyprus) and the U.S. In addition, the role of a leader in the 21st century and the leadership development methods needed for future leaders were investigated. The sample consisted of 65 leadership experts. The results revealed some similarities, but, also, specific differences between the five European countries and the U.S. in the essential leadership skills and the ones needed in times of crisis. A gap was also identified between the required and the observed leadership skills in the workplace in both European countries, and the U.S., implying the need for a paradigm shift in leadership development methods to prepare future leaders capable of navigating in an uncertain and complex world.
INTRODUCTION
Leadership development, in today's VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) world becomes an urgent and challenging issue. Organizations globally are striving to identify and develop outstanding leaders who will be able to face the new challenges, embrace change, deal with crises, solve real-life problems and have an impact not only on their organizations but on society at large.
However, leadership development practices have not proven adequate to meet the challenges of the new era. A survey conducted by Deloitte (2016) showed the need for improving, strengthening and reengineering organizational leadership. According to the results, the traditional pyramid-shaped leadership development model is not producing leaders fast enough to keep up with the demands of business and the pace of change.
A similar finding was revealed in a survey conducted by the Centre for Creative Leadership, pointing out that "the nature of the challenges that managers were facing was rapidly changing; however, the methods that we were using to develop them were staying the same" (Petrie, 2014, p. 5).
New ways of conceptualizing leadership and developing future leaders are needed as we enter to an unfolding future. Global research conducted by Hay Group (2011) identified six megatrends for the future which will affect leadership....