The Skills Every Business Leader Needs to Thrive in 2025

Looking to make 2025 your best year yet? Follow the example set by winners of the inaugural Masters of Scale Business Awards, presented in alliance with Capital One Business.

With 2024 coming to a close, business leaders around the world are looking ahead to next year and wondering what it will take for them to stand out in this highly competitive, often unpredictable marketplace. If that sounds like you, then keep reading. We’ve curated a list of 5 key leadership skills that will spell success for you and your business in 2025 and beyond.

#1: Mission-driven focus

It’s not enough for your company to have a desirable product or a unique service. Sure, that’s a great place to start. But to take your business to the next level, you need a clear mission statement driving everything you do. Something that puts a sense of purpose behind your profit. An ethos that energizes and informs the decisions you make as a leader. 

The non-profit Moms First is a great example of an organization with a mission-driven focus addressing such critical issues as pay equity across genders and industries, paid leave for mothers, and increasing access to affordable child care. “If motherhood is the unfinished business of gender equality…we’re here to finish it,” wrote Moms First founder Reshma Saujani , referencing her speech at the inaugural Moms First Summit earlier this year. To date, Moms First has organized several successful grassroots campaigns, engaging a community of over 1 million moms, and earning themselves a Mission Critical Award at the Masters of Scale Business Awards in the process. With so much uncertainty going into 2025 — across cultural, political, and economic landscapes — it’s even more important to have a strong and clear mission underpinning your business and informing the battles you choose to fight.

#2: Adaptability under pressure

The business world is changing faster than ever before. No one can predict what’s going to happen next month, let alone the next calendar year. That’s why it’s so important for business leaders to be able to adapt under pressure, responding boldly and swiftly to changes in culture or unexpected crises. To see the benefits of quick and decisive leadership, look no further than the Rapid Response Award winner Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company, PBC . Founders Alex Oshmyansky, MD, PhD and Mark Cuban launched the company in 2022 after recognizing a widening gap in the pharmaceutical industry and a slow burning national crisis that needed a rapid response. The healthcare industry was plagued with price gouging and drug shortages, putting basic pharmaceuticals out of reach of most consumers. By cutting out the middlemen and designing a vertically integrated supply chain, Cost Plus Drugs is able to charge a standard markup on every drug they sell. Every business leader knows that the ability to pivot can be crucial to your survival. But people rarely talk about the huge opportunities that can only be reached when your business is agile and ready to adapt to the world around you.

#3: AI innovation

2024 was a massive year for the advancement and adoption of AI. 2025 promises to be no different. If your business hasn’t already experimented with integrating AI into your business model, you’re likely losing out on market share and even falling behind your competitors. But if you want to really stay ahead of the pack, you’ll need to be a little more creative with your development of custom AI tools. One place that’s certainly in need of a little creativity and innovation is the modern classroom. So when the non-profit education company Khan Academy set out to create their next great tool for teachers and students, they turned to AI. The result? Khanmigo, an AI-powered tutor and teacher’s assistant capable of developing rubrics, lesson plans, and guiding students through a range of challenging subjects. With this groundbreaking AI tool, Khan Academy has placed themselves on the forefront of AI innovation in the education sector and encouraged others to enter the space, developing new, creative solutions for real-world problems. Expect to see many other organizations following suit in the next year.

#4: Customer-centric mindset

For nearly every business, success hinges on whether or not your customers and clients have a positive experience with your brand. Did they find their experience memorable? Did it exceed their expectations? Was it life-changing? As you head into 2025, it might be time to rethink your approach to customer service and determine how you can go above and beyond for your customers. Take the online pet supply store Chewy , for example. Providing everything from food to toys to healthcare services, they treat customer service as a partnership between themselves and pet parents through every step of the pet’s life. In recent years, they even instituted a program that sends handpainted pet portraits to random customers as a surprise treat. Whether you’re crafting unique live experiences or just plussing up your customer help line interactions, having a customer-centric mindset will help you surpass client expectations and drive your business towards scale. 

#5: Local focus for sustainable growth

The moment you start your business, it’s tempting to set your sights on the highest heights — envisioning your company standing alongside other industry leaders, smashing marketplace expectations, and contending on the world stage. But the secret to sustainable scale might actually lie in your own backyard. When business leaders turn their focus towards their local community, investing in their local economy and culture, they put down firm roots that support rapid growth and success. Just look at Angel City Football Club (ACFC), the winners of the Hometown Made Award at the Masters of Scale Business Awards. Though they only began play in 2022 season, ACFC has quickly endeared themselves to the city of Los Angeles, launching a series of community events and committing 10% of all sponsorship revenue back into their local community. In pure dollars, that translates to over $7 million in support. As the club continues to grow and find new success, it’s becoming clear that a strong foundation of reciprocal community support is more than a nice-to-have. It’s a need-to-have.

So, if you’re looking to lead your business into the next phase of growth, innovation, and scale in the coming year, keep these 5 leadership skills top of mind. To hear more about the inaugural Masters of Scale Business Awards (presented in alliance with Capital One Business) and the award winners setting the bar for excellence across a number of industries, visit mastersofscale.com/businessawards.