Nested within these often challenging and complex institutional settings, individual professionals themselves must develop specific skills and competencies that can help them successfully navigate those challenges and complexities. Asked about the competencies at which they are currently most proficient and which will be most important to their careers in five years, respondents clearly highlighted two competency areas in particular: leadership (principles in leadership, interpersonal skills, professional values and ethics) and communication (effective communication practices with diverse audiences within and outside the institution) (see figure 20). Comparing current proficiencies with the competencies that will be needed in the future, change management and finance emerged as the competencies with the most room for growth. For change management just 28% of respondents currently proficient, while 47% said they will need it for their future career. And for finance just 13% of respondents are currently proficient, while 23% said they will need it for their future career. These findings may suggest key areas of focus for institutions' PD planning in the coming years.

Asked to provide additional key competencies they believe will be important for their careers in the future, respondents reflected on the shifting nature of technology's role within the institution, changes taking place within the institution at large, and the particular skills required to work most effectively in these evolving institutional environments (see table 3). In particular, the increasing adoption of cloud technologies and use of data and analytics will require an increased focus on security capabilities, data literacy, automation, and third-party vendor management. Moreover, the proliferation of technologies throughout every aspect of the institution's day-to-day operations and the institution's increasing reliance on technology as a vital asset call for IT and technology leaders who are perhaps more strategically savvy and empathetic than they are technically proficient. A number of respondents also reflected on the dynamic, ever-shifting nature of higher education and technology and suggested that leaders must develop both a deep knowledge of the trends that are shaping education and technology and skill anticipating and adapting to the changes that will continue to mold the future state of higher education.

Given these shifts in the roles of leadership and the ways in which technology and data are becoming integrated into the institution's operations and strategy, it is interesting to observe institutions' current areas of focus in providing staff with professional development (see figure 21). For the majority of respondents, institutions are providing support for conferences and networking (75%) and leadership training (64%). Far fewer respondents, however, reported that their institution is providing opportunities in areas such as communication (36%), project management and strategy (33%), and change management (19%), areas that are increasingly important for the more strategic and empathetic leader.

Asked what their institution could do to improve its professional development offerings, "more money" was far and away the most common response (see table 4). Many IT and technology leaders simply lack the funds to engage in the professional development opportunities they need, with budgets not yet returning to pre-COVID levels or simply not being sufficient for conference expenses or costly training programs. Instrumental to improving institutions' professional development support, leaders clearly have a role in helping structure those supports in meaningful and responsive ways for their teams (e.g., tailoring PD to career pathways) and in helping their teams understand the value and dedicate the time they need for focusing on professional development.

Finally, as leaders look to expand their engagement in professional development opportunities, their ability to travel will be critical in enabling that engagement. Fortunately, the majority of respondents (66%) reported that they are now able to travel the same amount as before the pandemic, a promising signal that at least some aspects of our working lives are returning to pre-pandemic "normalcy" (see figure 22). For those respondents unable to travel as frequently, "lack of funding" was far and away the most common reason for their restricted travel (see figure 23).