#leadership-development

#leadership-development

In his reflections on the 2025 Wall Street Journal CEO Council summit held in December, WSJ Leadership Institute president Alan Murray noted that CEOs are not actually preoccupied with AI, tariffs, or geopolitics. Instead, they're focused on something far more fundamental: people and culture. How do you build an organization that can adapt, collaborate, and innovate amid persistent volatility? That instinct is correct. Yet one of the most effective tools for strengthening culture and developing talent remains surprisingly underused-skills-based volunteering (SBV).

AI is rapidly absorbing the routine work that once defined early career roles. Data entry, basic financial analysis, customer support triage, and even junior coding are increasingly automated.The result is a shrinking base of entry-level positions and rising expectations for those who remain. Graduates are being asked to demonstrate experience that they have fewer opportunities to acquire. This is not only a labor market shift. It is a leadership shift.

On Jan. 4, 2023, GE HealthCare Technologies (No. 219 on the Fortune 500) debuted as a standalone public company on the Nasdaq exchange. Since then, its stock is up almost 50%. It was the first of three businesses to be spun off in the breakup of General Electric, the conglomerate founded on the inventions of Thomas Edison that went public in 1892 and became one of the original 12 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average four years later.

Here are twelve practical lessons that I've learnt from working with small business leaders across many different sectors and our community of expert business school members. Resilience as a growth strategy Imagine a business that is not only equipped to withstand economic disruption, but which can also rapidly adapt to changing market conditions and seize new opportunities. The most resilient SMEs that I have worked with do exactly that - facing down uncertainty while maintaining a competitive edge.

In a wide-ranging conversation with Fortune, they talked about the Shakespearean themes of leadership and turmoil and the feeling that "heavy is the head that wears the crown." For those aspiring to reach the top, Thompson shared the conventional wisdom he'd learned from his mentor, Marshall Goldsmith: "What got you here got you halfway there." (Goldsmith had a New York Times bestseller in 2007 with What Got You Here Won't Get You There.)

A coaching chemistry session is more than a polite introduction. For senior leaders, founders, and high performers, it is the decisive point where strategic clarity, interpersonal trust, and coaching readiness intersect. On kasiasiwosz.com, the chemistry session acts as both a diagnostic and a strategic alignment tool, designed to help clients validate fit, articulate goals with precision, and set the tone for a results-oriented partnership.

As directors of career centers, our job is to spot the skills tomorrow's leaders will need and to design ways to help them build those skills now. At the top of that list is the ability to navigate change and to help others do the same. It's not a "nice-to-have" skill anymore; it's part of how one leads, collaborates and makes their own work sustainable.

Oxford Leadership was born from a moment of ethical conviction by its Chairman Brian Bacon. Bacon started the company based on the belief that leaders are the biggest influences for positive social and environmental change. And that when each leader connects their inner personal purpose with their work, real (and lasting) transformation truly happens. Purpose-driven leadership was a ground breaking idea at the time and continues to be integral for the future. Hence, the firm's mantra, "Transforming Leaders for Good".

Twenty years ago, getting promoted to manager was a major milestone. Today it's a punishment. That's according to recent research from LinkedIn. In a survey of more than 10,000 LinkedIn users, nearly 7 in 10 said they would leave their job if they had a bad manager. But only 30% said they want to become a people manager within the next few years.

The headlines are clear: AI is disrupting entry-level jobs across industries, including consulting and professional services. There's just one problem. Eliminating these roles overlooks a critical business need-your pipeline of next generation leaders. The rush from pyramid to diamond workforce models is short-sighted. In the pyramid model, you grow leaders from the ground up. In the diamond model, you cut the base and bet on later-stage talent to carry the weight.

Coaching isn't just for executives; it helps any business owner reflect, make smarter decisions, and unlock potential. The right coach shows you new perspectives, highlights strengths, and helps you tackle challenges with confidence. From start-ups to established businesses, more leaders are turning to coaching to adapt, communicate better, and get the best out of themselves and their teams in today's unpredictable world.

This top L&D industry award celebrates the Capgemini-SweetRush team's co-creation of the high-impact ADVANCE program. Designed for an elite cadre of 500+ senior delivery executives (DEs), this high-energy, three-month blended leadership development journey focuses on preparing DEs with the core competences they need to lead the most complex and high-stakes client engagements. The award-winning blended approach incorporates executive-led discussions and skill-boosting sessions; small-group simulated practice sessions, and 1:1 mentoring on learners' development goals.

These questions were central to a recent roundtable discussion that we hosted together with Visma. There seems to be a growing awareness that diversity in teams is more than just a moral goal. It demonstrably leads to better performance and innovation. Companies with inclusive teams can leverage new perspectives and innovate more quickly. The key question, therefore, is how organizations can attract women and enable them to grow sustainably toward leadership positions.

A decade ago, fresh out of business school, I joined a tech company in my first business development role in Singapore. Within the first quarter, I had closed two quarters' worth of sales targets. But the environment was abusive. The CEO yelled regularly. Personal and sexist remarks were common, on body, appearance, even what women ate or wore. It was triggering. Having lived through a previous abusive situation, I found myself in constant flight-or-freeze mode.

That's according to recent research from LinkedIn. In a survey of over 10,000 LinkedIn users, nearly 7 in 10 said they would leave their job if they had a bad manager. But only 30% said they want to become a people manager within the next few years. So, why the change? Why doesn't anyone want to be the boss anymore? We could sum up the answer in seven words: Nobody showed them how to lead effectively.

At McKinsey, recruits rotate across industries and geographies, dissecting sprawling problems and creating and defending solutions before skeptical executives. General Electric built its reputation on world-class management programs that groomed future chiefs through exacting operating roles. PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble are legendary for giving young managers full P&L responsibility early and demanding sharp marketing instincts. JPMorgan Chase exposes rising leaders to complex global markets, risk management, and high-stakes client relationships.

In Washington, D.C., more than 100 young activists came together for Advocates for Youth's annual Youth Activist Institute (YAI) - a five-day gathering that has become a cornerstone of youth advocacy and leadership development. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the Institute, underscoring decades of commitment to equipping young people with the tools to fight for sexual health, reproductive justice, and LGBTQ+ rights.

The food and beverage industry has a problem. Despite women making up a significant portion of the workforce in restaurants, bars, and hospitality venues worldwide, fewer than 7% of the world's top restaurants are led by women. It's a staggering statistic that reveals just how much untapped leadership potential exists in our industry. But here's the good news: Rosewood Foundation is doing something about it.

Mentoring has long been a staple of leadership development, usually flowing top-down: senior leaders share wisdom with rising talent. But in today's era of rapid technological change and shifting cultural dynamics, a quieter but growing trend is taking shape: reverse mentoring. In reverse mentoring, junior employees mentor executives, offering insights into emerging technologies, generational expectations, workplace culture, and customer trends. What started as an HR experiment is fast becoming a strategic tool to keep leadership grounded, adaptive, and future-focused.

The specialty snack industry just witnessed a significant leadership transition as Truly Good Foods (TGF) announced the promotion of Eric Leonard to President, effective September 1, 2025.

What drew me to ELB was its vision for driving and supporting human capital transformation and a leadership team committed to driving real business impact. I'm looking forward to helping strengthen the financial infrastructure that will support ELB's next phase of growth.

"Thought leaders typically share their ideas in meetings, articles, books, journals, TED talks, blogs, and webinars. Two standout traits are original and innovative thinking, plus clarity in presentation."

Many leaders can fail to recognize the very traits that others deeply appreciate. Skills like critical thinking, problem solving, or strategic insight can feel so effortless that we don't notice them in ourselves.

At the core of Von Oben Solutions is a structured approach to training and mentorship that starts on day one. New team members receive hands-on guidance not just on sales techniques, but also on communication, leadership, and management skills.

"During a period of transition, organizations often struggle to maintain momentum when a vital leadership position is left vacant. This can lead to stagnation and lost results."

The biggest shift is mental: stop thinking like a training provider and start thinking like a capability consultant. Your job isn't to supply content. It's to solve problems.

In a rapidly evolving business landscape, change is a constant, necessitating a transition towards change readiness instead of traditional change management. This entails fostering a culture that prioritizes flexibility and adaptability among employees.

12min is a productivity tool that distills key insights from over 1,800 bestselling titles into bite-size, 12-minute reads or audio summaries, designed for busy professionals.

The most valuable outcome was discovering capabilities we didn't know existed. Our most technical co-founder, who rarely spoke in client meetings, turned out to be exceptionally skilled at understanding customer needs when he had to step into that role.

"Leadership is becoming a tougher job every day. While organizations can't control the deluge of external challenges they face this year, strategic HR executives can build resilience by using trusted people analytics to forecast needs, build their bench, and reinvigorate the next generation of leaders."