A Workforce Strategy to Leverage AI in Life Sciences
WHAT DEFINES A GOOD LEADER? LOOK FOR THESE SIX QUALITIES
Modern business challenges can require new approaches. Leadership will need to evolve in order to continue to guide organisations in tomorrow's world of work. But what are the characteristics of a good modern leader in the workplace - and how can organisations develop them?
Many studies draw parallels between effective leadership and solid organisational performance. But whether they’re a junior manager or a senior executive, the qualities that leaders need are changing.
Nearly 1,500 HR professionals ranked leadership development as the number one priority for 2025, with managers feeling 'overwhelemed' by the expansion of their responsibilities. In today’s unpredictable world, you must combine traditional leadership skills with new abilities. So, what does an effective modern leader look like?
1. Remember what makes a good leader
Before looking at the new skills future leaders may need, it is worth reflecting on what a leader actually is.
What are the qualities of a good leader? It’s not what you may think.
Being in charge of colleagues does not necessarily make you a ‘leader’. Former Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg explains: “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”
Retired astronaut Chris Hadfield believes that good leadership is: “Not about glorious crowning acts. It’s about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivated to do their best to achieve it. Especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter.”
There may be varying opinions on the strengths and weaknesses of leaders. But overall, most people believe that great leaders motivate their team members to perform their best and achieve common goals.
What traits do you need to achieve this in the modern workplace?
2. Use blended leadership styles for a VUCA world
Stacey Philpot from Deloitte Consulting maintains that the core skills needed historically in leadership roles have remained unchanged.
“These skills allow someone to become a leader faster than their peers. This is even true in today’s volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) environment,” she says.
The core skills for leading in a VUCA environment include:
- Pattern recognition
- Motivation
- Agility
- Emotional intelligence
- Ability to understand, control and express emotions
This represents psychological assessments of 23,000 senior leaders globally over the past 25 years.
Consider introducing servant leadership:
Leaders need new styles of leadership to deal with changing cultures. Being comfortable with not having the answer and owning failure can create an environment of trust and openness.
Collectively, these behaviours form ‘servant leadership’. The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) defines servant leadership as emphasising behaviours and values such as:
- Active listening
- Empathy
- Leading by example
These are instead of opting for a more authoritative, ‘command-and-control’ leadership style. Leaders create the conditions for team members to excel by displaying vulnerability. But given the stigma around servant leadership, how can organisations encourage it?
How to combat stigma surrounding servant leadership:
Alsu Polyakova, HR Leader for GE Healthcare, says reducing stigma around servant leadership will take a specific strategy. Most importantly frequent performance appraisals for leaders.
“We give leaders lots of opportunities for self-reflection, so they understand how they behave,” she says. GE Healthcare’s most successful leaders help to encourage behavioural change, Polyakova says. The company measures success by how well employees rate leaders on achieving GE Healthcare’s ‘cultural pillars’. These pillars include inspiring trust and empowering employees.
3. Create a culture of trust in the workplace
Gaining workers’ trust is more important than ever. One way to build trust is for leaders to take action on issues such as climate change. 71 percent of employees consider their CEOs’ social awareness as critically important, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer.
Social awareness may yield rich rewards. The Edelman poll shows that workers who trust their employers are far more engaged and remain more loyal than their more sceptical peers.
Leadership styles are clearly changing. The most effective leaders will need to tailor their styles to suit different scenarios, says Professor Sattar Bawany. “Leaders need a broad repertoire of management styles and the wisdom to know when each style should be used,” he says. “In crisis scenarios like cybersecurity breaches, for example, leadership should be authoritarian because the scenario is unstructured.”
4. Adapt your leadership style for different generations
Managers must also balance leadership styles to suit different generations. Modern workplaces will soon house up to five generations under one roof. Therefore, there will be many people with differing preferences on leadership style.
As of 2023, millennials are the biggest group in the UK workforce, at 35 percent. Modern leaders must mix old and new leadership styles that meet the needs of younger generations. Doing so will future proof organisations. However, new leadership approaches cannot come at the expense of alienating older workers.
5. Commit to lifelong learning
With the workplace evolving so rapidly, leaders cannot rely on past experience alone to get by. Ben Farmer, Head of HR at Amazon UK agrees: “Experience is not always synonymous with wisdom and judgement. And naivety doesn’t always engender novel thinking and openness to change.”
Organisations should look for leaders who understand the future as well as those with experience. “Success comes from the ability to combine understanding of exciting, new trends with the experience required to put that knowledge into action,” says Farmer.
But what is the right balance? There is no one-size-fits-all approach when balancing experience with adaptability. Achieving the right balance will mostly depend on the organisation and the sector it operates in.
6. Be conscious of culture
Organisational culture is an important factor. Risk-averse firms may prefer experience over novel thinking. Leaders may be fearful of a backlash from stakeholders should novel thinking fail. To lower risk, companies should seek leaders who use both scientific evidence and intuition when making decisions.
Ultimately, there’s no single blueprint for an effective modern leader. Each organisation must tailor their approach to leadership development. There must be a focus on organisational culture, industry nuances and employee mix.
But above all, leaders should recognise that today’s reality may be old news tomorrow.
For more expert advice, take a look at the following articles:
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A Workforce Strategy to Leverage AI in Life Sciences
The global market for AI in the Life Sciences industry is expected to grow to $7.09 billion by 2028 as more organisations use AI applications to further advance innovation. The disruption caused by technologies such as AI, ML and Big Data has ignited a revolution in the industry, propelling it into an era of unprecedented possibilities.
You will probably know that one of the main areas in which these technologies are transforming the industry is precision medicine, which uses AI and ML to offer personalised healthcare by analysing genetic data and patient records to guide treatment decisions. Another heavily impacted field is drug discovery, in which AI and ML are enabling the mining of unstructured data to improve trial participant selection and predict drug properties, potentially boosting the pharma industry’s growth by $60-$100 billion annually.
It goes without saying that the anticipated economic growth across the whole Life Sciences sector due to AI and ML applications underscores the immense potential these technologies hold.
So far, we’ve discussed the beneficial impact these technologies will have on the healthcare and pharma sectors, yet it’s important to acknowledge that there are challenges, too.
AI for Life Sciences: opportunities and challenges in the workplace
As companies navigate this new landscape, it is imperative to tackle the potential issues presented by AI, ML and Big Data if we are to fully realise their benefits.
1. Security and data protection
The Hays Salary Guide surveys across the EMEA region show that, while employers think AI is beneficial for business growth, 60% of them still have no quality assurance protocols in place, though most will surely be aware of the need to implement robust data protection measures to safeguard patient information. Ensuring the integrity and quality of data used for training AI models is essential, as it directly influences the performance and reliability of AI systems in clinical and research settings.
2. The ethical debate around AI replacing jobs
The EMEA Hays Salary Guide survey results reflect a common anxiety that AI might lead to job displacement, with 32% of employees and 35% of employers in the Life Sciences sector anticipating that AI could potentially eliminate more jobs than it creates. This underscores the need for strategic planning and policymaking to ensure that the integration of AI into the workforce is accompanied by measures to reskill and upskill employees. By doing so, the workforce can transition into new roles that are created as a result of AI advancements, thus mitigating the impact on employment and harnessing the full potential of AI for innovation and growth in the industry.
3. Shortage of skilled professionals
There’s a lack of skilled professionals who can effectively navigate the intricacies and keep pace with the advancements that are constantly being made in the industry. As the sector continues its rapid evolution, the demand for professionals who can adeptly manage these complexities and stay ahead of new developments is increasing. Some of the new in-demand roles include research data specialists, AI scientists in fields such as imaging foundation models and healthcare data scientists.
A collaborative effort in education and training is needed to cultivate a workforce that is proficient in current technologies and can adapt to future innovations. Initiatives such as specialised training programs, partnerships with academic institutions, and investment in continuous professional development are essential to bridge this gap and ensure that the Life Sciences field remains at the forefront of scientific and medical progress.
A talent strategy to leverage AI in Life Sciences
Companies in the healthcare and pharma sector are being faced with multiple challenges. But it’s clear that they need to move forward if they want to remain competitive. So, what can Life Sciences organisations do to cope with the challenges posed by AI, ML, and Big Data?
1. Train:
By channelling funds into learning initiatives like workshops and webinars, workers can gain essential insights into AI and its practical applications within the Life Sciences and healthcare sectors. The Hays Salary Guides show that 90% of EMEA Life Sciences employees report having no AI training, yet 75% are willing to receive it, which means Life Sciences workers want to leverage technology. Investing in this knowledge can foster an environment of innovation and efficiency, ultimately enhancing the quality of services provided in healthcare and pharma.
2. Talk:
Maintaining a focus on transparent and direct communication is essential in cultivating a sense of trust and understanding among employees in the Life Sciences sector concerning the adoption of AI technologies. Having open forums and collaborating with experts can help employees reduce anxiety and overcome challenges when using the new technologies. This commitment to openness can lead to a workforce that is more engaged and better prepared to leverage AI for innovative solutions and improved outcomes in healthcare.
3. Team-up:
Forming alliances between Life Sciences companies and technology enterprises to establish AI pilot initiatives can offer a structured and safe environment for the trial and examination of AI technologies. Sanofi, a global leader in healthcare, has recently joined forces with Aqemia, a Pharmatech leveraging quantum physics and AI for drug discovery. These partnerships can pave the way for innovation, allowing for the careful assessment and refinement of AI’s role in advancing healthcare and scientific research. Through these collaborative efforts, both sectors can share expertise, mitigate risks, and optimise the integration of AI into critical workflows.
Embracing a comprehensive strategy that tackles upskilling and reskilling to equip your Life Sciences workforce, effectively communicates how AI, ML and Big Data can be safely leveraged in the industry and leans on IT tools to navigate tech confidently is key to driving business growth in the healthcare and pharma sector.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Romain Dionnet
Director
Romain Dionnet joined Hays 15 years ago, working his way up to his current position of Director at Hays in France. Romain specialises in the Life Sciences and Technology sectors, managing an extensive team of people and ensuring client expectations are met.