LCP LCP LCP
Skip to content

155258267_compWe see it all too often: top-level leaders who have all the strategic skills they need to make complicated business decisions but lack the interpersonal skills required to gain them buy-in for those big ideas. For many, this lack of balance creates a real barrier to success.

So, how do we ensure leaders have the balance of skills they need?

It starts with understanding. While the idea of Balanced Leadership™ is one that’s widely accepted as common sense, it can be challenging to sustain. That’s because, though we understand the concept of a balanced approach,  we fall back on competencies we’re comfortable with in urgent situations. 

Yet it’s in these times of stress (or moments of leadership leverage, as I like to call them), when leadership can make a major difference in business outcomes. These are the times when being balanced is the most essential and, often, the toughest thing to do.

Fortunately, business simulations provide a powerful way to test leadership balance. Not only do they create a challenging context for leaders to work in, bt they also allow them to see the results of their actions play out over time. In this way, they can experience both the impact of Balanced Leadership™ and the level of trust it creates.

Having said that, there is a caveat: The simulation must have algorithms that don’t take interpersonal dynamics for granted. Many simulations model only the economic dynamics of a business. And, although that can be helpful in learning about the economic business system, it’s a miss from a leadership perspective.

The best simulations require leaders to assess a challenge; make strategic choices; and, most importantly, engage a network of stakeholders (employees, customers, bosses, partners) to deliver on them. Only when strategic and interpersonal skills are included can leaders build the Balanced Leadership™ skills they need when times get tough.

 

Amanda Young Hickman is co-founder of Insight Experience, a Boston-based firm delivering contextually rich, immersive business simulations and learning experiences to accelerate and integrate leadership, business acumen and strategy execution.

Subscribe to Our Blog

Let's Talk

We'd love to hear about your leadership development goals.

Leave Comment

Recent Posts

Leveraging Decision Data for Organizational Excellence-featured-image
Leveraging Decision Data for Organizational Excellence
Click to view Leveraging Decision Data for Organizational Excellence

How does your organization quantify leadership effectiveness beyond subjective self-assessment reports and...

Category:-  Featured , Business Simulation , Leadership

Learn More Click to view blog post
Leadership Illuminated: A Q&A with Women Shaping the Future-featured-image
Leadership Illuminated: A Q&A with Women Shaping the Future
Click to view Leadership Illuminated: A Q&A with Women Shaping the Future

Four years ago, just before heading back to work after the birth of my second child, I spoke to my close...

Category:-  Featured , Leadership

Learn More Click to view blog post
Digital Handshakes: Embracing Virtual Networking-featured-image
Digital Handshakes: Embracing Virtual Networking
Click to view Digital Handshakes: Embracing Virtual Networking

In today's evolving professional landscape, virtual networking has become vital for corporate leaders looking...

Category:-  Featured , Leadership

Learn More Click to view blog post
Your Guide to Bringing Strategic Leadership to Life, Part 2-featured-image
Your Guide to Bringing Strategic Leadership to Life, Part 2
Click to view Your Guide to Bringing Strategic Leadership to Life, Part 2

Back in September, in a blog post titled "Your Guide to Bringing Strategic Leadership to Life," I explored...

Category:-  Featured , Business Simulation

Learn More Click to view blog post
New Offerings to Help Your Leaders Succeed-featured-image
New Offerings to Help Your Leaders Succeed
Click to view New Offerings to Help Your Leaders Succeed

At Insight Experience, we believe in the constant evolution of our offerings to meet our clients'...

Category:-  Featured , Leadership

Learn More Click to view blog post
Lead from Your Feet: The Leadership Benefits of Taking a Walk-featured-image
Lead from Your Feet: The Leadership Benefits of Taking a Walk
Click to view Lead from Your Feet: The Leadership Benefits of Taking a Walk

Recently, a member of my team asked if they could sign off a bit early to go for a bike ride, “now that it...

Category:-  Featured , Leadership

Learn More Click to view blog post
Insightful Ideas: 2023 Flashes of Understanding-featured-image
Insightful Ideas: 2023 Flashes of Understanding
Click to view Insightful Ideas: 2023 Flashes of Understanding

A few weeks ago, a colleague sent me this (delightfully) cryptic message via Slack: "Today's NYT crossword...

Category:-  Featured , Leadership

Learn More Click to view blog post
Winter Wisdom: Reframing Leadership in the Quiet of the Season-featured-image
Winter Wisdom: Reframing Leadership in the Quiet of the Season
Click to view Winter Wisdom: Reframing Leadership in the Quiet of the Season

Note: This is the second blog post in our Season of Leadership series. Look for one about summer here, and...

Category:-  Featured , Leadership

Learn More Click to view blog post
Why Giving Tuesday Matters-featured-image
Why Giving Tuesday Matters
Click to view Why Giving Tuesday Matters

Today marks the National Day of Giving, more commonly known as Giving Tuesday, which was initiated in 2012 by...

Category:-  Featured , Leadership

Learn More Click to view blog post
Leadership Express Sims: Interactive Learning in a 2-4 Hour Format-featured-image
Leadership Express Sims: Interactive Learning in a 2-4 Hour Format
Click to view Leadership Express Sims: Interactive Learning in a 2-4 Hour Format

Business simulations bring complex ideas to life. Simulations enable adult learning because they engage...

Category:-  Featured , Business Simulation , Leadership

Learn More Click to view blog post