During my usual end-of-the- year/beginning-of-the-year routine, key areas of focus for the year ahead became clear.  I was reminded of my attendance of the Global Leadership Summit in October last year and started researching global key leadership trends for 2026. In the quietness that year-end provides, I tried  to connect the dots and wrote down a few items in the back of my journal  that  I believe I need to focus on in 2026. Some of these are very practical, while others are deeply personal. This is an exercise I have done for many years; it works for me and may be valuable for readers.

Human-centric skills in an AI world

One of the important trends that caught my attention was the blending of human-centric skills (such as empathy and psychological safety) with artificial intelligence (AI). This trend acknowledges the continued need for the human side of leadership and management in an environment increasingly invaded by AI.

AI simply cannot produce empathy, despite sometimes generating nice- sounding words. I tried  to deepen my understanding of empathy by reading about it again. Empathy is feeling with someone – sensing their emotions as if they were your own – while compassion is feeling for someone, recognising their suffering and being motivated to help alleviate it.

Agriculture is a very unforgiving environment.  Just think about the consequences of drought, disease in your fields, or illness in a herd of cattle.

My take is that one has to dig deep to find empathy in abundance for our sector. How would you score if your employees or family had to evaluate your level of empathy?

Listening as the core of empathy Empathy is a skill demonstrated by listening well; in other words, listening deeply with the intention to understand not only the factual data, but the tone and emotion behind it. It means stepping into another person’s shoes.

Creating a safe space for team members or family to share concerns and ideas without interruption demonstrates empathy. I am not a good listener. Halfway through a conversation I tend to make assumptions (mostly wrong ones) and then start fixing what  I think is wrong. This is not empathy. My argument was always that I wanted to save time, but in the long  run I lost important connections. You cannot build a bridge from only one side.

I learned this lesson dearly when my married daughter came to our house one afternoon and poured out her frustration about a work matter. The tears were flowing. Halfway through, I was my usual self and started proposing solutions. Then she stopped me: “Pappa,  I came here for empathy, not solutions.” Ouch!

You cannot heal what you have not heard. Benjamin Franklin once said: “Those things that hurt, instruct.” Today, I hope I am a better listener because of it.

Digital empathy

Something I learned from Erica Dhawan late last year was how to show empathy through digital communication. She said that reading messages carefully is the new listening, and writing clear messages is the new empathy. Are you also one of those who read text messages while driving or walking and respond with just an emoji? (She is an expert on digital body language, a relatively new field to me.)

Some of your hard skills can be replaced by AI, but empathy towards your team and family cannot. If you fear becoming obsolete, invest in the softer  skills that AI cannot replace. AI cannot replace human connection.

Hint: Create spaces to know others and spaces where you can be known. Showing empathy towards colleagues will expand your influence, irrespective of your authority over them. Your presence and genuine care for the people around you cannot be replaced by AI.

The power of in-person encounters Ultimately, nothing replaces a face-to-face encounter. God said this about His friend Moses (Numbers 12:8): speaking face to face. John echoed this when writing to the congregation in Jerusalem (II John, verse 12), saying he could write more letters but preferred to meet in person.

The evidence is there, so let’s step up in 2026 by expanding our capacity to listen with empathy and by not neglecting in-person encounters

Points to ponder By Jannie de Villiers