Leaders have expressed for years how hard it is to find time to address those important-but-not-urgent tasks made famous by President Eisenhower’s two-by-two matrix. Today, finding time takes on a new urgency. When leaders are squeezed by new operating modes, increased turnover, longer hiring cycles, and more demands on their work-life balance, they find it hard to step back and think about longer trajectories and broader frames. In fact, according to a survey of 2,800 workers by staffing firm Robert Half, nearly 70% of professionals who transitioned to remote work as a result of the pandemic report that they now work on the weekends, and 45% say they regularly work more hours during the week than they did previously. For many leaders, it feels as if there are simply not enough hours in their days to fit everything in.

In the United States, an estimated $166 billion — yes, that's with a "b" — is spent each year on leadership development training, according to a recent Forbes article. Despite this kind of investment, some efforts to upskill leaders flop. Why do some leadership development programs fail? And what can you do to guarantee that your efforts succeed?

How can you know that, as a leader, you are hearing the full story from your people? After all, the way you lead influences what information your team shares with you. As a leader, you must prepare yourself, support others, and create systems for an open exchange of information. You need to create your own Business Cycle of Leadership.

The longer I work in the field of leadership development and the longer I am a human being, I find that I increasingly appreciate the power of the network. In my experience, networking — a term that many of us dislike and even fear — can be the fastest and most enjoyable way to obtain and share useful information with the good people with whom we work. And I have seen more and more clients paying attention to not only their internal networks within their organisations but also their external networks.

Before joining the ranks of the so-called Great Reshuffle, you may want to think twice. Have you truly learned everything you can in your current workplace? Even if your employer isn’t actively investing in you, you could mine your current role for career-changing growth opportunities before you start anew. Taking personal development into your own hands is up to you and your mindset.

Insight Experience is pleased to announce that we have received three coveted 2022 awards that recognize our innovations and accomplishments in leadership development and business simulations. We are the proud recipients of: The 2022 Brandon Hall Group Silver Award in Best Use of Games or Simulations for Learning in the category of Learning and Development. The 2022 Training Magazine Network Choice Awards in the category of Leadership Development. Selection as a Training Industry 2022 Experiential Learning Technologies Watch List Company.

I teach financial acumen to senior leaders all over the world. Although financial regulations, cultural practices, and market dynamics differ, understanding the timing trajectory of financial and business measures is key to every class I facilitate.