Soft skills training for emerging leaders and how to integrate AI

Nearly 60% of new managers receive no training before transitioning to leadership, contributing to a 60% failure rate within the first 24 months.*

Are our current training programs truly equipping emerging leaders for real-world challenges?

AI-powered coaching provides a scalable, personalized solution, offering real-time insights and tailored development plans to enhance decision-making and empathy.

Platforms like Retorio demonstrate this innovation, using dynamic simulations and measurable outcomes to transform soft skills training. With so many new managers unprepared and unsupported, adopting advanced solutions like AI coaching is critical to building a robust leadership pipeline.

Retorio’s AI coaching solution offers an innovative approach to address these challenges by providing personalized, scalable, and hands-on coaching experiences. This blog post explores how Retorio transforms leadership development and empowers emerging leaders with the soft skills necessary to drive business success.

Companies with robust leadership training programs report up to a 25% increase in overall organizational performance.^♦

The critical tole of soft skills in leadership

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, the demand for effective leadership has never been greater. As organizations face complex challenges, leadership requires more than just technical expertise—it hinges on the ability to connect with teams, drive collaboration, and navigate the intricacies of interpersonal dynamics.

This is where soft skills become a pivotal factor. For L&D leaders and managers, equipping their teams with the right soft skills is key to fostering success and driving organizational growth.

Soft skills are the intangible, interpersonal attributes that enable leaders to interact effectively with others.

Unlike hard skills, which focus on technical knowledge, soft skills include:

• Communication: Conveying ideas clearly and listening actively.
• Adaptability: Embracing change and learning from new challenges.
• Emotional Intelligence: Recognizing and managing one’s own emotions while understanding others’.
• Inclusive Leadership: Fostering a culture where diverse perspectives are valued.
• Conflict Management: Navigating disputes with fairness and empathy.
• Decision-Making: Evaluating options and making informed choices.

Why emerging Leaders Training is Critical

As organizations navigate rapid technological advancements and shifting workplace dynamics, the transition from individual contributor to leader has never been more complex.

Emerging leaders—often high-performing employees promoted for their technical expertise—suddenly face a stark reality: success in leadership hinges less on technical prowess and more on soft skills. Without guidance, they risk becoming "accidental managers," ill-equipped to inspire teams, resolve conflicts, or drive strategic outcomes.

A 2023 Gartner study found that 60% of new managers underperform in their first two years, often due to inadequate soft skills training. This skills gap can lead to disengagement, miscommunication, and attrition, costing companies up to 9% of their annual revenue (Gallup). Investing in emerging leaders training isn’t just a "nice-to-have"—it’s a strategic imperative to future-proof leadership pipelines and sustain growth.

Benefits for L&D Managers Investing in Emerging Leaders Training

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, the success of an organization hinges on its ability to cultivate a strong leadership pipeline. Yet, many companies face a critical gap—high-potential employees remain underdeveloped, leading to stagnation and missed opportunities. For Learning & Development (L&D) leaders, investing in emerging leaders' training isn’t just a strategic advantage; it’s an imperative for long-term resilience.

Only 27% of UK workers describe their managers as highly effective; improved training is linked to a potential £76 billion increase in productivity over ten years.^†

With AI-powered platforms like Retorio, L&D professionals can go beyond conventional leadership programs, leveraging behavioral intelligence and data-driven insights to accelerate leadership readiness. By fostering adaptive, high-impact leaders from within, organizations can future-proof their workforce and gain a competitive edge.  

The question is no longer if L&D leaders should invest in emerging leaders, but how to do so effectively. Traditional training methods often fall short in preparing leaders for today’s complex challenges.

Retorio’s AI-driven simulations and real-time behavioral analytics offer a scalable, personalized approach—allowing organizations to identify, nurture, and empower their next generation of leaders with precision. By integrating smart, adaptive training methodologies, L&D managers can drive tangible business outcomes while cultivating a leadership culture that thrives in the face of disruption.

The future of leadership development is here—will your organization seize the opportunity?

Core Soft Skills for Emerging Leaders

In today’s fast-changing workplace, leadership isn’t just about expertise—it’s about influence, adaptability, and emotional intelligence.

As emerging leaders step into management roles, mastering core soft skills becomes non-negotiable for driving team success. From assertive communication to conflict resolution, these competencies shape high-performing, engaged teams.

But traditional training methods often fall short in providing personalized, real-time insights. That’s where Retorio transforms leadership development—using AI-driven behavioral intelligence to refine and accelerate skill acquisition, ensuring emerging leaders thrive in the modern workplace.

Based on the training outline, here are the non-negotiable skills for leadership success:

1. Assertive Communication

   • Why it matters: Balances confidence with empathy, enabling leaders to set boundaries (e.g., saying "no" without guilt) while fostering trust.

   • Training focus: "I" statements, managing passive-aggressive behaviors.

2. Conflict Resolution & Emotional Intelligence

   • Why it matters: 85% of employees face workplace conflict; leaders who navigate it fairly reduce turnover and boost productivity.

   • Training focus: SARA model (Shock, Anger, Resistance, Acceptance) for feedback reactions.

3. Active Listening

   • Why it matters: Teams led by active listeners are 1.7x more innovative (Salesforce).

   • Training focus: Decoding verbal/non-verbal cues, paraphrasing, and summarizing.

4. Situational Leadership

   • Why it matters: Adapting styles to employees’ developmental stages (e.g., directing vs. delegating) increases commitment by 40% (Blanchard).

   • Training focus: Tuckman’s Stages of Team Development (Forming to Adjourning).

5. Feedback Mastery

   • Why it matters: Constructive feedback improves performance by 12% (Officevibe).

   • Training focus: Positive vs. developmental feedback frameworks.

6. Social Style Adaptability

   • Why it matters: Tailoring communication to styles (Driver, Analytical, Amiable, Expressive) reduces misalignment by 30%.

   • Training focus: Self-assessment tools and behavioral preference recognition.

The transition from an individual contributor to an effective leader is a journey of continuous learning and self-awareness. By focusing on core soft skills—assertive communication, active listening, conflict resolution, and beyond—emerging leaders can build trust, inspire teams, and navigate challenges with confidence.

With Retorio’s AI-powered coaching platform, L&D leaders can take leadership training beyond theory, offering immersive, adaptive learning experiences that drive real behavior change. 

Retorio's AI Coaching: Bridging the Leadership Gap

Leadership development has long struggled with a critical gap—turning theoretical knowledge into real-world impact. Traditional soft skills training often falls short, failing to provide leaders with the hands-on experience needed to navigate complex, high-stakes situations. This is where Retorio’s AI coaching platform revolutionizes the game.

By leveraging advanced virtual simulations, real-time feedback, and personalized coaching, Retorio empowers leaders to hone their decision-making, communication, and conflict-resolution skills in a dynamic, risk-free environment. For L&D leaders and managers seeking scalable, data-driven solutions, AI-powered coaching is the key to unlocking the next generation of effective leadership.  

• Virtual Simulations: Creating realistic, scenario-based simulations of common leadership challenges.
• Flexible Learning: Allowing leaders to pause, review, and repeat scenarios in a safe and supportive environment.
• Real-Time Feedback: Providing immediate, constructive insights on communication, decision-making, and conflict resolution.
• Personalized Coaching: Tailors feedback and training scenarios to individual learning needs.
• Performance Management: Uses customized scorecards to track progress against specific coaching goals.
• Conflict Resolution Tools: Guides leaders through simulated high-stakes decision-making processes.
• Scenario Customization: Allows users to upload materials and integrate with CRM/HRM systems to create industry-specific challenges.

In today’s fast-paced business environment, leadership excellence isn’t optional—it’s essential. Retorio’s AI coaching platform ensures that leadership training is not only engaging but also impactful, bridging the gap between theory and practice with personalized, scenario-based learning. 

Benefits of Retorio's AI Coaching for Emerging Leaders

Did you know that 69% of millennials feel a lack of leadership development in their workplace?^‡

Or that only 25% of employees rate their organization's talent development programs as highly effective.^Φ

That’s where AI-driven coaching is changing the game.  Unlike static training programs, AI coaching—like Retorio—adapts in real time, personalizing guidance to emerging leaders strengths, weaknesses, and business goals.  

The best part? You don’t have to wait months for results. Emerging leaders using AI coaching improve performance after just five training sessions, leading to stronger employee relationships, higher motivation, and lower turnover. Let's check some advantages of Retorio's AI coaching: 

• Tailored Learning: Retorio offers personalized coaching that adapts to each leader's needs. This personalized approach ensures that emerging leaders receive targeted support and guidance to address their specific skill gaps and development areas.
• Alignment with Business Goals: Retorio ensures that training translates into real-world leadership impact, not just theory. By aligning the coaching with specific business objectives, emerging leaders can directly apply their learning to drive tangible results for the organization.
• Fast & Scalable: Retorio provides fully developed training modules in under 20 minutes. This rapid development and deployment capability allows organizations to quickly scale leadership development programs to reach a larger audience of emerging leaders.
• Hands-on Practice: Retorio provides leaders with opportunities to sharpen decision-making skills through immersive, real-world role-play scenarios. This practical experience allows emerging leaders to apply their knowledge in a safe and controlled environment, building confidence and competence.
• Continuous Development: Retorio helps keep leadership growth ongoing with interactive, on-demand training sessions. This continuous development approach ensures that emerging leaders have access to ongoing support and resources to continue learning and growing over time.
• Improved Engagement: Retorio's easy-to-use, relevant simulations drive real behavioral change. By providing engaging and relevant content, emerging leaders are more likely to participate actively in the coaching process, leading to improved learning outcomes.
• Proven ROI: Retorio helps track leadership progress, knowledge retention, and training effectiveness with AI-powered insights. By measuring the impact of the coaching program, organizations can demonstrate the value of their investment in leadership development.
• Real-time Coaching: Retorio provides real-time coaching for various situations, including feedback delivery, performance management, conflict resolution, and navigating high-stakes decisions. This immediate support enables emerging leaders to address challenges effectively and develop critical leadership skills.
• Scalable, Actionable Playbooks: Retorio helps transform leadership principles into scalable, actionable playbooks for every manager. By providing practical guidance and tools, emerging leaders can effectively implement leadership strategies within their teams.
• Fosters a Global, Cross-Functional Leadership Force: Retorio's AI coaching can foster a global, cross-functional leadership force. This is particularly valuable for organizations with emerging leaders from diverse backgrounds and locations.
• Improved Performance: Leaders improved their performance after just five training sessions and strengthened their relationships with employees, leading to higher motivation, lower turnover, and increased performance.
• Addresses Real-World Challenges: Retorio's AI coaching is designed to address real-world challenges such as lack of continuity, low participation rates, resistance to change, and difficulty in measuring ROI.
• MLR-Approval Secured: Retorio's AI is designed to learn from MLR-approved documents and can provide recommendations that are pre-approved.
  
  

Use cases AI based emerging leadership programs

In the fast-evolving world of Learning & Development (L&D), equipping teams with the right skills isn’t just a goal—it’s a necessity. For pharmaceutical sales representatives and leaders, staying ahead requires a combination of adaptability, compliance expertise, and persuasive communication. Traditional training methods often fall short in delivering personalized, scalable, and measurable development. That’s where AI-driven coaching steps in. Retorio’s cutting-edge AI simulations provide real-time, data-driven feedback, helping sales teams and leaders refine their skills with precision and efficiency.  

Pharmaceutical sales representatives

A single repetition of an AI coaching session led to a 16% improvement in performance among pharmaceutical sales representatives. This enabled them to navigate complex regulatory challenges more effectively and enhance their communication skills.  

Global pharmaceutical company

At a multinational pharmaceutical company, over 300 AI-driven coaching sessions resulted in significant improvements in leadership competencies. The detailed performance metrics provided strong justification for the program’s return on investment. 

The results speak for themselves—AI-powered coaching is transforming professional development across the pharmaceutical industry. Whether it’s boosting sales performance or strengthening leadership, Retorio’s immersive learning platform enables L&D leaders to deliver measurable improvements at scale. By leveraging AI-driven insights, organizations can ensure their teams stay agile, compliant, and ahead of the competition.

Are you ready to transform your organization’s leadership pipeline? Join the growing number of companies investing in soft skills training for emerging leaders with Retorio’s AI coaching platform.

“Leadership isn’t about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge.”

– Simon Sinek

Empower your team with personalized, data-driven coaching that drives real-world results, boosts employee engagement, and fosters a culture of continuous learning.

Invest in your leaders today for a better, more innovative tomorrow.

FAQs for Soft skills training for emerging leaders