As artificial intelligence reshapes jobs and employee engagement reaches a five-year low, business strategist and entrepreneur Jose Daniel Duarte Camacho is urging organizations to rethink how they develop leaders, communicate change and support their managers.
According to Gallup's State of the Global Workplace 2026, only 20% of employees worldwide were engaged at work in 2025. Low engagement cost the global economy an estimated $10 trillion in lost productivity—approximately 9% of global GDP.
Managers are under particular pressure. Global manager engagement declined from 31% to 22%, while Gallup found that managers account for at least 70% of the variance in team engagement. At best-practice organizations, however, 79% of managers were engaged—nearly four times the global average.
“These figures reveal a leadership challenge, but they also point to an enormous opportunity,” said Duarte Camacho. “Organizations cannot expect engaged, adaptable teams when their managers lack clarity, preparation, or support. Leadership must move beyond directing work. It must create trust, connect people to a meaningful purpose and give them the confidence to perform through uncertainty.”
Leadership Skills Are Increasing in Value
The rapid adoption of AI is changing both the nature of work and the capabilities organizations require. The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 estimates that 39% of workers' existing skills will be transformed or become outdated by 2030.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, 70% of surveyed employers expect demand for leadership and social-influence skills to increase. Employers also anticipate growing demand for creative thinking, resilience, flexibility and agility—demonstrating that human leadership capabilities will remain essential as technology becomes more advanced.
Duarte Camacho believes organizations should respond by treating leadership development as a measurable business investment rather than an occasional training exercise.
“Artificial intelligence can accelerate analysis and execution, but it cannot replace responsible judgment, empathy or the ability to unite people around a shared objective,” he added. “The strongest leaders will combine technological fluency with the distinctly human ability to listen, communicate and make principled decisions.”
Five Priorities for Modern Leaders
Drawing on more than 25 years of experience across entrepreneurship, business strategy, e-commerce, FinTech and operational leadership, Duarte Camacho identifies five priorities for organizations:
- Create strategic clarity: Translate corporate objectives into understandable priorities and measurable outcomes.
- Strengthen frontline managers: Give managers practical training, appropriate authority and the resources necessary to support their teams.
- Communicate change transparently: Explain what is changing, why it matters, and how employees will be affected.
- Combine human and technical skills: Develop AI literacy alongside critical thinking, collaboration, adaptability, and ethical judgment.
- Measure leadership outcomes: Track engagement, retention, internal development and team performance—not only short-term financial results.
Duarte Camacho emphasizes that leadership credibility is created through consistent actions. Employees are more likely to trust leaders who acknowledge uncertainty, follow through on commitments, and demonstrate that feedback influences decisions.
“People do not expect leaders to predict every disruption,” Duarte Camacho said. “They expect honesty, direction and accountability. When leaders provide those consistently, uncertainty can become a source of alignment and momentum rather than fear.”
About Jose Duarte Camacho
JD Duarte is originally from Heredia, Costa Rica. He has been an entrepreneur and business owner for more than 20 years and divides his time between his existing operations and researching new possibilities in which to invest. When he's not dedicating time to his businesses, He spends time with his supporting wife and two children.
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