How to Successfully Lead Through Change

Just as it is in life, change is an inherent aspect of business. Several trends are driving significant changes in the workplace: hybrid and remote work models, an increased emphasis on work-life balance, a growing need for employee training, and rapid technological advancements, including the ever increasing influence of artificial intelligence (AI).

In the face of these constant challenges, effective leaders are essential. Organizations can develop plans and establish timelines, but navigating change successfully requires leaders who can communicate a clear vision and help people adapt with confidence. Strong leaders can have a measurable impact on the success of an organizational change.

Leading through change requires the ability to provide direction and build trust with employees when the path forward is uncertain. Pursuing an advanced degree can help current and aspiring leaders gain the ethical and transformational leadership skills they need to guide organizations.

What Is Change Leadership?

Change leadership is the act of guiding an organization through a significant disruption, transition, or transformation. It is focused on the people affected by the change and the support they need as they adjust.

Leaders play a key role in helping employees make sense of a change and their role in it, as well as keeping them engaged as new priorities take shape. Effective change leaders exhibit a compelling vision, clear communication skills, patience, and a willingness to address concerns as they arise. Successfully leading an organization through a change also demands strong adaptability in order to be able to respond thoughtfully when circumstances shift.

Because a change can affect employees across an organization, the responsibilities of change leadership aren’t limited to a particular role. Executives, managers, and team contributors can all be change leaders.

Change Management vs. Change Leadership

To better understand what change leadership is, it’s also helpful to distinguish it from change management. While these concepts are related, they are not identical:

• Change management generally refers to the practical, structured side of organizational change, including the timelines, processes, and tools involved in guiding an initiative from start to finish.
• Change leadership focuses more on the human elements of change: establishing a vision, motivating employees, building trust, and dealing with uncertainty.

Both change management and change leadership are needed to effectively guide organizations through transitions.

Challenges of Leading Through Change

Even when it’s necessary, a change can create uncertainty in an organization. Employees may worry about the impact the change — whether it is in the form of a new policy or a different workflow — will have on their role, their workload, the company’s culture, or their ability to succeed under the new expectations.

The following are some of the most common challenges today’s change leaders face when guiding organizations through periods of transition.

Employee Adjustments and Change Fatigue

Employees may be hesitant about adapting to a change when they don’t understand its purpose or lack the support they need to adjust. They may need time to process what’s happening and how it affects their day-to-day work.

In an era marked by frequent disruptions, change fatigue is a very real concern for organizations. It can manifest among teams as stress, burnout, decreased productivity, or reduced engagement, and can even contribute to turnover.

Navigating Hybrid Work Models

Hybrid work models can contribute to the declines in employees’ engagement and support during a change. When teams are split between in-person and remote environments, individual team members may have different access to information and collaboration opportunities. This can make fairness harder to maintain across locations and work styles.

Without intentional efforts focused on leading through change, hybrid work models can also make it more difficult for employees to feel connected to their team and the organization.

Building Trust and Psychological Safety

Trust can be difficult to cultivate and sustain in an organization that is undergoing a major change. Employees often look for consistency and transparency from their leaders in times of uncertainty.

Employees’ psychological safety also can be affected during a transition if they don’t feel they are being respected and heard. When leaders earn the trust of their teams, employees may be more likely to share their ideas, take risks, and stay committed to their teams’ shared vision.

How Strong Leaders Navigate Change

Effectively leading through change requires paying attention to both the process and the people involved in the change. Strong leaders help create a structure around the transition by establishing timelines and delegating tasks while providing employees with the support they need to keep moving forward.

The following are a few key strategies that leaders can employ to encourage buy-in and build trust with their teams during periods of change:

• Communicate the purpose behind the change: Employees are more likely to understand and accept a change when leaders explain both what’s changing and why it matters. Clear communication can help connect the transition to broader organizational goals and give employees a stronger sense of context.
• Collaborate early and often: A change is easier to navigate when employees feel included in the process. Strong leaders encourage collaboration among teams and involve staff in decision-making when appropriate, helping them arrive at solutions that work for everyone. This can help employees feel connected to the change rather than separate from it.
• Show empathy: Empathy is a core leadership trait, especially during periods of change. Leaders can work to understand the people affected by a change and address their questions and concerns throughout the process. At the same time, leaders can balance their empathy with accountability by setting clear expectations and maintaining responsibility for their team’s progress.
• Create momentum through support and small wins: A large-scale change can feel overwhelming. Leaders can make their team’s progress more visible by breaking major initiatives into smaller steps and recognizing the contributions employees make along the way. Providing the appropriate level of support to employees and removing barriers to their progress — rather than focusing exclusively on the results — can also help ease the change process.

Lead Through Change With Clarity and Trust

Leading through change requires more than a plan. It calls for a people-centered approach to leadership that gives employees a clear sense of direction while building their trust and providing them with the support they need to move through uncertainty.

If you aspire to become an effective change leader, explore the Master of Arts in Leadership program at Belmont Abbey College. The program helps students develop the ethical, transformational, and servant leadership skills they need to lead organizations with purpose. Our fully online curriculum is designed to accommodate students’ busy lifestyles, allowing them to complete the program within one year.

Learn how Belmont Abbey can help you become a better leader.

Recommended Readings

Key Traits of Effective Nonprofit Leadership
Servant Leadership vs. Transformational Leadership: Key Differences
How to Make Your Organization a Data-Driven Organization

Sources:

BDO, “Change Leadership: Definition and Strategies for Success”
The Change Leadership, “Change Leadership Defined, and How It Differs From Change Management”
Forbes, “8 Workplace Trends That Will Define 2025”
Forbes, “Leading Through Rapid Change: 6 Key Challenges to Master Today”
Indeed, “Leadership During Change: How to Be a Great Change Leader”
Prosci, “Change Management Success”
SHRM, “How to Combat Change Fatigue in an Era of Constant Disruption”

Leading a Nonprofit: Exploring the Executive Director Career Path 

In any organization, informed and adaptable executives play a vital role in skillfully overseeing the organization’s daily operations. These leaders devise long-term strategies, coordinate projects among the many teams they oversee, and define the organization’s mission and values.

In that sense, nonprofit executive directors are no different from their private-sector colleagues, except in one way. Nonprofit directors aren’t focused on increasing profits, their goal is to improve their communities and the lives of the people who call those communities home.

Becoming the executive director of a nonprofit is typically a mid- to late-career move, meaning it can take years to accomplish. For those interested in pursuing this career path, here’s what to know about the skills, experience, and education needed to become an effective nonprofit leader. 

Nonprofit Executive Director: Job Description and Key Skills

Like chief executive officers (CEOs) in the private sector, nonprofit executive directors oversee an organization’s daily operations and steer its overall strategy. These professionals are often the highest-ranking employee in their nonprofit, but the organization’s board of directors typically has the final say in many decisions.

Common duties for nonprofit executives include:

• Coordinating with other leaders, such as program, fundraising, and volunteer directors
• Reviewing and dispersing budgets and other resources
• Presenting information about operations to the board of directors
• Fostering relationships with leaders in other organizations
• Communicating with the public
• Ensuring all programs and policies comply with local, state, and federal laws
• Guiding policy and program development
• Fundraising and development
• Financial oversight
• Visionary leadership to inspire employees and the public

To carry out these duties, executive directors need to be well-versed in organizational theory, behavior, and communication. They must also be able to turn data about operations, finances, and program effectiveness into actionable plans and policies. Above all else, nonprofit executives must be able to foster trust among their employees and the public and lead with an ethical, community-first approach. 

From Entry-Level to Executive: The Path to Becoming a Nonprofit Executive Director

Nonprofit executive directors come from many different professional and educational backgrounds. Some work their entire careers in the nonprofit sector, while others pivot from private-sector leadership roles. Either way, gaining relevant professional experience, developing key skills, and pursuing an advanced degree are often key steps.

1. Earn a Bachelor’s Degree, Then Look for Entry-Level Roles

Future executives often start their careers in entry-level positions in fundraising, volunteer coordinating, development, or program administration. In these positions, professionals can become familiar with how nonprofits function on a daily basis. Entry-level private-sector positions in human resources and business administration also can give professionals insight into how organizations operate.

Earning a bachelor’s degree helps aspiring executives prepare for both entry-level employment and higher-level positions. A degree in business or public administration can be helpful, but many professionals start their careers with a degree in finance, communications, sociology, or any of a number of other disciplines.

2. Pursue Management and Mid-Level Leadership Positions

With a bachelor’s degree and some experience, professionals can start pursuing management and mid-level leadership roles in the nonprofit sector. These include fundraising manager, program manager, and similar positions.

In these types of roles, professionals can learn how to manage resources, lead small teams, and navigate the unique laws nonprofits must adhere to. Professionals in mid-level roles in the private sector also can develop key skills in areas such as communication and collaboration.

3. Consider Earning a Master’s Degree to Pursue Senior-Level Positions

Once a professional has gained some leadership experience, they can start working their way up to director-level positions. Each nonprofit has its own leadership structure, but positions often include development director, human resources director, and director of a specific community program. Professionals in these roles help guide policy and often work closely with the nonprofit executive director.

In addition to experience, candidates for these types of positions often have a master’s degree. Many hold a master’s in an area such as business or public administration., But earning a Master of Arts (MA) in Leadership can help professionals earn sector-specific leadership skills in areas such as:

• Building trust with stakeholders, such as the board of directors, government agencies, and the public
• Complying with the financial laws governing nonprofits
• Managing and securing resources in a nonprofit environment
• Evaluating and developing community programs
• Leading with an emphasis on ethics and values
• Fostering an environment of cultivation of and thankfulness for gifts received
• Developing strategic leadership skills and learn to create a vision

Earning an MA in Leadership degree also can help private-sector leaders tailor their skills to the challenges of nonprofit administration to prepare to make the transition. Along the way, master’s students can meet peers and mentors and build a support network of like-minded, community-focused professionals.

Nonprofit Executive Director Salary

According to Payscale, the median nonprofit executive director salary is about $87,700 as of April 2026. The highest-earning professionals in this position make up to around $146,000. Individual salaries can vary based on a person’s region, employer, and experience.

Reasonable Compensation: Legal Guidelines for Determining a Nonprofit Executive’s Pay

Because of their tax-exempt status, nonprofits must follow a number of laws regarding financial transparency and how they use their funds. One of these guidelines is that leaders and other employees must receive what the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) refers to as reasonable compensation.

Reasonable compensation for a nonprofit executive is determined based on what leaders in similar organizations and similar circumstances are being paid. To ensure compliance, a nonprofit’s board of directors or an impartial third party regularly reviews other comparable organizations’ compensation policies. All relevant information is also sent to the IRS and other related agencies to maintain transparency.

Become the Type of Leader All Organizations Need

In Belmont Abbey College’s MA in Leadership program, ethical leadership is just as important as effective leadership. Built around Catholic principles, this 100% online program teaches students how to lead, listen, and collaborate in a wide range of sectors. And with classes such as Leading Effectively in Nonprofit Environments and Leading in a Data Driven Organization, it is a great option for anyone seeking to advance in or pivot to a nonprofit administration career.

To learn more about this program and its full-time and part-time enrollment options, reach out to Belmont Abbey College today.

Recommended Readings

Servant Leadership vs. Transformational Leadership: Key Differences
How to Make Your Organization a Data-Driven Organization
How to Successfully Lead Through Change

Sources:

Indeed, “Nonprofit Executive Director Job Description: Top Duties and Qualifications”
Indeed, “What Does a Nonprofit Executive Director Do? (With FAQs)”
National Council of Nonprofits, Executive Compensation
Payscale, Average Executive Director, Non-Profit Organization Salary
U.S. Internal Revenue Service, Exempt Organization Annual Reporting Requirements: Meaning of “Reasonable” Compensation

Which Types of Leadership Styles Are Right for Me?

Effective leaders know when to modify their leadership style in order to achieve organizational success. In 2024, McKinsey & Co. concluded that leaders who were able to change their leadership style in step with changes in factors such as technological advances and employees’ motivations were better able to:

• Maintain their organization’s overall health
• Help employees continue to perform at their highest levels
• Maximize shareholder returns

Whether an individual is considering enrolling in a Master of Arts (MA) in Leadership degree program to gain advanced leadership expertise or is a veteran leader with many years of experience, they need to remain up to date on different types of leadership styles and when applying each of these styles can be beneficial.

What Are Leadership Styles?

A leadership style is the way a leader approaches working at the helm of a team or an organization, and how they handle responsibilities such as:

• Communicating with others
• Motivating employees
• Behaving in their role
• Making decisions

Defining specific leadership styles is a method of classifying the many ways in which individuals can lead others, and the unique aspects of various approaches to leadership.

Why Is Finding the Right Leadership Style Important?

The leadership style that an individual chooses can have a significant effect on the following:

• The overall culture of a workplace
• How well employees and teams perform
• Whether an organization’s employees communicate well
• Employees’ engagement and morale throughout the workplace

Choosing a leadership style also is important because each different leadership style works best under different conditions. For example, leaders should consider the following factors when selecting the best leadership style:

• Whether their organization is highly structured or thrives on creativity
• The skills and needs of the organization’s employees
• The degree to which the organization wants to promote innovation
• Whether their organization is experiencing financial growth, stability, or instability

4 Types of Leadership Styles and Their Benefits

Exploring specific types of leadership styles and the benefits they each offer can be a good way to begin understanding the range of styles that leaders can follow. Four of the most common leadership styles are described below.

1. Servant Leadership

Servant leadership is a style that is focused on supporting others. Leaders who practice servant leadership concentrate on providing the people they lead with what those individuals need to succeed. For example, servant leaders ensure that employees have access to the professional development opportunities or mentoring resources they require to perform well.

Servant leaders emphasize the personal development of others, communication, and compassion. They also stress the importance of respect for one’s fellow employees and accountability for one’s actions.

Servant leadership can be a good style for leaders to apply when their organization wants to spur innovation, promote collaboration, or strengthen employees’ trust in the organization in times of change. However, it might not be the best leadership style to implement when an organization needs to move quickly or wants to build a relatively rigid structure.

Benefits of Servant Leadership

Implementing a servant leadership style can foster strong feelings of trust among employees, which can increase employees’ productivity. This style of leadership also can be a catalyst for improving employees’ morale, encouraging collaboration, and instilling an overall culture of positivity.

2. Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership is a style that concentrates largely on inspiring and motivating others. Transformational leaders serve as role models, consistently demonstrating the high standards for workplace behavior that they want others to uphold. They encourage employees to look for opportunities to innovate, apply their creativity, and find new ways to solve problems.

Transformational leaders also place an emphasis on ensuring that others understand and commit to the organization’s vision. They look for ways to help others feel a sense of purpose that is connected to that vision.

Transformational leadership can work best when employees are skilled and require relatively modest levels of direction or guidance, or when innovation is a critical element in achieving success. But when organizations need to accomplish specific goals in a short amount of time, transformational leadership might not be the best style of leadership to implement.

Benefits of Transformational Leadership

Employing a transformational leadership style has the potential to boost employees’ performance and well-being. Employees also can feel a deep sense of empowerment when their leaders take a transformational approach to leadership. When executed well, transformational leadership can enable the development of a strong connection between the individual success of an employee and the overall success of the organization.

3. Transactional Leadership

Transactional leadership is a style that is focused on rewards and punishment. Transactional leadership is characterized by clear expectations and structures, and by well-defined roles. When employees perform their specified roles well, leaders reward them. However, employees who do not perform well face consequences such as disciplinary action or even the end of their employment.

Transactional leaders emphasize the importance of following procedures and meeting performance standards. They step in when employees underperform and provide guidance to help the employees elevate their performance. To succeed, transactional leaders need to be very clear in their communication and ensure that employees have a thorough understanding of what leaders expect from them.

When organizations want to avoid variation and emphasize consistency, transactional leadership can be a good leadership style to implement. However, transactional leadership might not be the best approach to leadership when organizations need to have the flexibility to innovate or make significant changes.

Benefits of Transactional Leadership

Using a transactional leadership style can be a good way to instill stability in a workplace. This style of leadership also has the potential to keep employees focused on the task at hand. Transactional leadership can be a good approach for establishing clarity and motivating employees to earn rewards for good work.

4. Laissez-Faire Leadership

Laissez-faire leadership is a style in which employees have considerable decision-making authority and manage their own work. Laissez-faire leaders offer very minimal direction to employees, but they remain available for employees to consult with them when necessary.

While they support their employees, leaders who employ a laissez-faire approach concentrate on delegating tasks and allowing employees to make their own choices about how best to complete those tasks. Laissez-faire leaders empower employees and trust in their ability to conduct their own work.

A laissez-faire style of leadership can work best when employees are highly skilled and when organizations rely on the creativity of their employees to get the job done well. Employees who are already driven to succeed and have a passion for their work can thrive under a laissez-faire leadership style.

Benefits of Laissez-Faire Leadership

A laissez-faire leadership style can be effective when an organization needs to accelerate the decision-making process and eliminate the time it takes to obtain approval for decisions through a structured chain of command. This leadership style encourages innovation, so it also can be a good leadership style to employ when the work to be done requires a high degree of creativity.

Acquire Expertise in Leadership With a Master’s Degree

Knowing about different styles of leadership and the benefits of specific approaches to leading others can be invaluable to individuals when they rise to positions of leadership. Pursuing an advanced degree in leadership can help professionals establish a solid educational foundation that will enable them to steer organizations toward success.

If you are interested in gaining advanced expertise in leadership, explore the online MA in Leadership degree program that Belmont Abbey College offers to learn how it can help you achieve your goals. The program helps students prepare for leadership roles across industries by teaching them how to lead organizations effectively and ethically.

Now is the time to build your knowledge and skills in leadership.

Recommended Readings

Servant Leadership vs. Transformational Leadership: Key Differences
How to Make Your Organization a Data-Driven Organization
How to Successfully Lead Through Change

Sources:

Career Concepts, “Servant Leadership: Why It’s Good for Business and How to Practice It”
CIO, “What Is Transformational Leadership? A Model for Motivating Innovation”
Forbes, “Who Is a Servant Leader and What Does It Take to Be One?”
International Consortium for Agile, “The Pros and Cons of 10 Common Leadership Styles”
McKinsey & Co., “Healthy Organizations Keep Winning, but the Rules Are Changing Fast”
The National Society of Leadership and Success, “What Is Servant Leadership and How to Apply It”
Payset, “Transactional Leadership vs. Transformational Leadership: Understanding Their Differences and Similarities”
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, “7 Steps to Finding the Leadership Style That Works Best for You”
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, “What Is Laissez-Faire Leadership?”
Verywell Mind, “How to Lead: 6 Leadership Styles and Frameworks”
Verywell Mind, “How Transformational Leadership Can Inspire Others

How to Become a Human Resources Manager

Even in an increasingly technology-driven work environment, employees are still an organization’s most important asset. Human resources is the entrance point, training ground, and source of support for an organization’s employees. Human resources professionals ensure that all employees are on the same page and feel supported. No matter the industry, an organization with well-trained human resources managers will be the most resilient.

A human resources manager not only leads in their department but also coordinates cross-functionally with departments across the entire organization. Training employees on all systems is a major part of their role. Remote, hybrid, and in-person workplaces all require strong systems and effective leaders to teach people how to use them.

To prepare to become a human resources manager, individuals can earn a Master of Arts (MA) in Leadership to develop the skills and knowledge they need to qualify for the role.

What Does a Human Resources Manager Do?

Human resources managers work on administrative and people operations at an organization. They oversee functions that include daily office operations, people recruitment, conflict resolution, legal compliance, and efficiency.

At the beginning of their career, human resources professionals may focus on one aspect of human resources or assist HR managers in their role. Getting a view of the range of their responsibilities can be helpful in understanding what it takes to become a human resources manager.

New Employee Onboarding 

The first part of an employee’s experience is their hiring and onboarding process. Human resources professionals recruit talent by identifying and preparing candidates for interviews with hiring managers and onboarding new employees during the orientation process.

Human resources managers must stay up to date with state and federal regulations on fair hiring practices and integrate them into their processes. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), employers must work to diversify their hiring pools, while human resources managers have to be trained on Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) policies to prevent discrimination in hiring based on race, gender, or ability.

According to the Pew Research Center, 46% of all managers in the U.S. were women in 2023, which was up from 29% in 1980. Part of this rise was due to the active recruiting of women to correct the imbalance in men and women in the workforce.

Human resources managers also work with leadership to identify the employee healthcare insurance options and overall benefits to offer to employees based on which are most cost-effective for the organization. They also ensure that offer letters to new employees include all the details on these benefits. When a candidate accepts an offer, a human resources manager onboards them as a new employee in the system and makes sure they have access to all their benefits information.

Staff Engagement

The more an employee advances in an organization, the more they’ll need human resources. Employees get yearly performance reviews from their managers, and HR is a part of that process. Human resources managers also help with promotions and raises.

Human resources managers are responsible for managing employee appreciation events, planning staff retreats, and coordinating professional development opportunities as well. Since human resources professionals have a major role in fostering the culture of the organization, they also may keep calendars of employees’ birthdays, their anniversaries, and key organization celebrations (such as holidays and organization-specific events). Engagement is a key aspect of employee retention.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, in 2025 the cost-per-hire of a new employee was $5,475. Human resources managers help with cost savings by helping to retain employees and promote from within.

Conflict Resolution

Human resources managers are responsible for helping employees resolve conflicts. When there is an issue between employees for personal or work-related reasons, human resources managers may work as mediators to determine what next steps need to be taken to solve the problem. Human resources managers can use their conflict resolution experience to guide other human resources specialists in active listening and maintaining professional standards while working on complex interpersonal issues.

According to a study conducted in 2024 by the Workplace Peace Institute, 73% of respondents cited trust as the main driver of conflict at their organization, while 55% cited destructive communication patterns. Human resources managers can work to identify gaps in trust and communication among employees, such as situations where employees feel they can’t speak up or are receiving competing information from multiple departments.

Legal Compliance and Employee Well-Being

There are a number of rules and regulations designed to help ensure workplaces are safe for everyone. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) outlines rules for workplaces that encompass everything from specific requirements that help ensure the safety of people doing highly physical labor to general standards for providing a comfortable environment.

The mental well-being of workers in an organization is also very important. Human resources managers pay attention to the mental health concerns of employees and ensure that they’re aware of the services available to them. Many workplaces have mental health care as part of their benefits, or employee resource groups for discussions about identity and how it plays into their role at work.

Steps to Become a Human Resources Manager

The career path to become a human resources manager involves education, work experience, and identifying growth opportunities.

Step 1: Earn a Bachelor’s Degree

Most entry-level human resources positions require a bachelor’s degree. Students who wish to pursue this career path can pursue a degree in human resources, business, psychology, or a related field.

Courses that focus on communication, business, and financial analysis are all important for skill-building for a future career. Exploring different fields through general education requirements allows students to understand what excites them for the future and enables them to pursue careers that align with those interests.

Students who thrive in classes about organizational management, employment law, and research for evidence-based decision-making would likely work well in human resources environments.

Step 2: Gain Work Experience 

While pursuing their bachelor’s degree, students can look into internship opportunities in human resources. These kinds of roles are available in talent acquisition, employee operations, and research.

Entry-level positions in human resources are available in similar categories, but a recent graduate can also get their foot in the door at an organization through an administrative role. Working as an executive assistant or office assistant gives a new employee an understanding of how a workplace functions. Transitioning into a human resources role with preexisting knowledge of the organization sets up an employee well for talent recruitment and people management since they understand both what hiring managers are looking for and how the existing organization operates.

A human resources manager is a well-rounded leader. Specialist experience helps them understand the different pieces of human resources and how they fit together.

Step 3: Develop Managerial Skills

Human resources specialists gain mastery of the technical and administrative structures of an office environment. Skills specific to human resources professionals, such as talent recruitment, resume assessment, and employee onboarding, are foundational to a human resources worker.

These are some of the areas in which human resources managers need technical and soft skills:

• Data management
• Knowledge of current employment laws and standards
• Talent identification and discernment for hiring
• Communication
• Priority management and alignment
• Cultural sensitivity
• Employees’ physical and mental well-being in accordance with state and federal law
• Administrative and operational expertise
• Teamwork
• Strategy planning
• Coaching and mentorship

Step 4: Earn an Advanced Degree and Pursue Leadership Opportunities

Earning a master’s degree in business administration prepares individuals for executive and business planning roles, while earning a master’s degree in leadership enables them to master the people management aspects of work. Earning a master’s in leadership can be a great stepping stone for human resources specialists looking to grow into managers.

Completing a class in a leadership program on ethical and value-based leadership can provide individuals with an important foundation that will help them as they pursue their careers. Additionally, studying communication allows professionals to learn about both the professional way to approach communication and the knowledge of how to break down technically difficult information (such as employment law and healthcare packages) into understandable language. One of the biggest issues human resources managers will have to face is change. With AI transforming work, professionals can prepare for what’s to come by completing coursework on change management to gain crucial skills in this area.

For professionals who need to continue working while they pursue a degree, there are plenty of flexible, online master’s in leadership programs available that are designed for busy professionals.

Human Resources Manager Salary and Job Growth

The median annual salary for human resources managers was $140,030 as of May 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Job growth for this position was projected to be 5% between 2024 and 2034, which is higher than the average growth projected for all occupations, according to the BLS.

Pursue an MA in Leadership to Advance in Your Human Resources Career

The best human resources managers bring a mix of skills from their education and real-world experience to the role of leading people within an organization. Legal knowledge is just as important as ethically driven leadership capabilities.

The MA in Leadership program at Belmont Abbey College is designed to educate students in how to demonstrate servant leadership, as embodied by the school’s values. Students in the program complete courses in value-based leadership, technical skills, communication, using data, and organizational change management. As a full-time student, you can complete the fully online master’s program in one year.

Find out how earning a master’s degree from Belmont Abbey can help you gain the knowledge and skills you need to become a human resources manager.

Recommended Readings

Servant Leadership vs. Transformational Leadership: Key Differences
How to Successfully Lead Through Change
4 Types of Leadership Styles

Sources:

Business News Daily, “What Does It Cost to Hire an Employee?
Human Resource, “10 Effective Employee Retention Strategies”
Los Angeles Times, “Four Trends Talent Management Leaders Will Need to Prepare for in 2026”
Pew Research Center, “Women Are a Rising Share of U.S. Managers and Professionals”
Robert Half, “2026 Human Resources Job Market: In-Demand Roles and Hiring Trends”
Society for Human Resource Management, “The Real Costs of Recruitment”
Society for Human Resource Management, “SHRM Releases 2025 Benchmarking Reports: How Does Your Organization Compare?”
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Human Resources Managers
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Human Resources Specialists
U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Best Practices for Employers and Human Resources/EEO Professionals
Workplace Peace Institute, “State of Workplace Conflict in 2024: Insights and Solutions”

How to Make Your Organization a Data-Driven Organization

Access to data is easy for most organizations. But access does not equal advantage. The real challenge is knowing what to do with all of that information: understanding which data can produce an edge, where and how to obtain it, and how to draw accurate insights from it.

PwC reports that 89% of U.S. operations and supply chain leaders said their technology investments had not delivered the expected results, and 87% pointed to poor data quality as a drag on the value of their digital initiatives. Becoming a truly data-driven organization is the way to close those gaps.

This takes having leaders who can maintain meaningful oversight of their organization’s digital programs and ensure they work as they should. It calls for people who know how to guide an organization through change: trusted leaders capable of aligning teams around shared goals and making sound decisions in the face of uncertainty. Developing these capabilities often means pursuing focused, advanced education, such as a Master of Arts in Leadership program focused on preparing professionals to lead with strong ethical and transformational practices within their organizations.

Key Traits of a Data-Driven Organization

In data-driven organizations, leaders run operations and base their decisions on data, relying on metrics and trends to move the organization forward. Each organization pursues that effort differently, but they all generally have a few of the same traits.

Making Decisions Grounded in Evidence

A leader might rely on their instincts to make certain decisions, such as when they choose to hire a candidate because the person felt like they were the right fit for the position. Leaders are expected to make those types of judgment calls, but in a data-driven organization, most of their choices are grounded in data, such as customer feedback, market trends, and financial data. A decision based on evidence can reduce uncertainty and increase confidence in the decision.

Implementing Feedback Loops

What sets successful organizations apart is their employees’ skills, how efficiently their processes react and scale, how ambitious their goals are, and how well they make decisions. A data-driven organization uses data to shape and improve its business and operations, creating feedback loops that keep it adaptable and responsive.

Ensuring Data Can Be Reached, Tracked, and Trusted

Since data often sits in various systems and formats, it is integrated in data-driven organizations, so that it’s available to use. It is easy to track how systems reach their conclusions and easy to trust that the data is valid through strong security and regular accuracy testing.

Benefits of Being a Data-Driven Organization

Integrating data and sharing it across teams, rather than keeping it locked in silos, can improve an organization’s success in achieving meaningful change. PwC found that performance gains in speed, accuracy, visibility, and collaboration were higher in companies operating with collaborative, horizontal structures than in their more siloed peers.

Embracing a data-driven approach can bring many positive outcomes for organizations across industries. In Rhode Island, the state Department of Health and the state Medicaid agency set up a data-sharing agreement so they could jointly gather and evaluate results from a program that provides in-home asthma counseling to families of high-risk children. Pooling data that each agency held separately let them measure how the program affected patients in ways neither could have assessed alone. That evaluation found the program cut asthma-related hospital and emergency costs by roughly 75% after one year, according to Pew.

Here are other common benefits that organizations often enjoy when they make data a key part of their operations.

Better Understanding of Customers

Data reveals what customers prefer, and organizations that use those insights well improve their chances of keeping them. Companies put customer data to work in several ways:

• Building data-driven targeted marketing programs that engage prospective customers
• Analyzing customers’ browsing and purchase history to power recommendation engines that create personalized shopping experiences
• Tracking what customers watch or read to keep current customers engaged with content they are likely to enjoy

Better Strategic Planning and New Growth

Good data can help organizations plan for the future and identify opportunities to grow. Organizations use data to do several things:

• Anticipating trends and challenges through predictive analytics
• Identifying untapped customer segments by understanding how their market moves
• Developing new products and services to meet demand

Stronger Leadership and Public Outcomes

Benefits from prioritizing data in decision-making show up in areas beyond sales and profits. Data-driven methods can improve organizations’ outcomes in the following ways:

• Identifying the skills and practices  that predict strong performance, then building them through focused training and development
• Directing resources toward the programs and interventions that the data shows are working
• Coordinating across agencies and departments by sharing data insights

6 Tips for Making Your Organization Data-Driven

To become a data-driven organization, it helps to focus on several parts of the operation — culture, access, and skills — and find ways they can work together.

Here are some tips for organizations seeking to make the transition.

1. Lead With Clear Objectives

The first steps for leaders include demonstrating their commitment to a data-driven approach and providing clear direction and objectives. Well-defined goals are also useful, as they provide a concrete direction for the organization’s priorities so all employees know where to direct their efforts.

2. Make Data Accessible and Governable

Accessible analytic tools and platforms democratize employees’ access and analysis, while accurate, trustworthy data builds confidence in its usefulness over time. Good data governance does this by establishing standards, roles, and responsibilities for the collection, storage, and use of data, making it clear who is responsible for what.

3. Invest in Employees’ Education

Employees often fear working with data, and a skills gap can harm efforts to become a data-driven organization. To bridge this gap, leaders can invest in training their employees and address their doubts through transparent communication.

4. Build Collaboration Across Teams

Sharing data makes the insights gleaned from the data stronger. Teams that share insights and lessons learned often outperform those that keep data centralized. This openness enhances the speed, accuracy, and visibility of the teams’ work.

5. Get Ready for Changing Roles

Artificial intelligence and automation are taking over routine tasks, and new roles are emerging in data-driven organizations. Leaders can plan for that shift now, through training current employees and updating their hiring practices to help keep their organization on track.

6. Treat the Effort as Ongoing

Building a data-driven culture requires an ongoing effort. Periodic reviews of processes and technology with regular feedback to employees can strengthen the program over time. Outcomes can get measured against goals, and strategies can be adjusted as needed.

Prepare to Lead a Data-Driven Organization

According to McKinsey & Co., companies are heading toward “data ubiquity” by 2030, a state in which current data is always available to employees and built directly into the systems and decisions that drive automated action. However, human oversight will remain crucial. What this trend means for leaders is that guiding an organization will depend more on building and overseeing the systems that turn data into action.

The Master of Arts in Leadership program at Belmont Abbey College prepares students to lead ethically and effectively in any industry. Its curriculum, with courses such as Leading in a Data-Driven Organization, Organizational Change Management, and Leadership and Innovation, is grounded in the principles of servant and transformational leadership and is designed to enable students to build a strong command of organizational leadership theory and practice.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to lead and thrive in a data-driven organization, contact Belmont Abbey College today to find out how the program can help you reach your career goals.

Recommended Readings

How to Successfully Lead Through Change
Key Traits of Effective Nonprofit Leadership

Servant Leadership vs. Transformational Leadership: Key Differences

Sources:

IBM, “What Is Data-Driven Decision-Making?”

International Institute of Business Analysis, “The Challenge of Creating a Data-Driven Organization”

KMPG, “Build a Data-Driven Culture in 8 Steps”

McKinsey & Co., “Charting a Path to the Data- and AI-Driven Enterprise of 2030”

Pew, “States Can Use Data-Driven Partnerships to Improve People’s Health”

PwC, “PwC’s 2026 Digital Trends in Operations Survey”

Psychology Today, “Data-Driven Leadership Development”