Leaders in the travel space are dealing with a changing workplace while simultaneously addressing agentic artificial intelligence (AI) and changing customer behavior. To prepare teams for the future and maintain talent, leaders need to be ready to adapt and strategize.
During the “New Leadership for a New Age Session” at The Phocuswright Conference last week, industry leaders convened to discuss just that, focusing on “future-proofing teams, navigating uncertainty and leading with agility.”
The interactive session was led by event facilitator Melissa Maher, CEO and founder of Pinnacle Enterprises Group, and host Kimberly Newbury, VP of sales at Phocuswright.
Mentors included founders, CEOs, C-suite executives and more from across the industry, representing big names such as American Express Global Business Travel, Allianz, Priceline and Sabre.
Starting in mentorship roundtables, small groups were asked to discuss leadership and culture, technology and transformation or teams and inclusion. Mentors then shared their table's thoughts with the larger group.
Those discussing company culture focused on leading in remote settings, while those looking at tech and transformation focused on the speed of artificial intelligence, applying the technology appropriately and leaving space for human employees to be creative. For leaders, it was also suggested that AI is encouraging a shift from the typical role of decision makers to decision orchestrators.
Innovating quickly requires a layer of trust, leaders said, and that trust can be built through acts of appreciation and ensuring teams have clarity.
As a last step, groups were asked for two words to describe the new age of leadership. Some descriptors included being purposeful and agile, and others focused on having courage, adapting to the changing space and staying humanly honest.
“New Leadership for a New Age showed that leadership today is less about directing and more about connecting,” Maher told PhocusWire.
“People aren’t looking for perfection—they’re looking for honesty and courage. Over and over, we heard a desire for leaders who make room for co-creation and genuine dialogue. The biggest insight was clear: When leaders pair vision with empathy, teams feel braver, more committed and more resilient. That’s the kind of leadership the future is calling for.”