Rethinking How Organizations View Development -- What is the right Question? Have you ever been left wondering, “Are we asking the right question?” As an HR professional, I have often been asked by business leaders about the ROI of a training programme or any developmental input. Business leaders tend to view any expenditure on any part of the business as either a cost or an investment—so if you can't come up with an ROI, the amount quickly moves to a cost item, which is then

The streaks of grey in my unshaven face made me smile. A voice within bantered with me. It said, "Those whites are reminders of a lifetime you spent in the corporate world. Tell me what you have learned." If there's one learning I am sure about, it's this — real progress begins with openness. Fresh ideas are born in unexpected places. Progress happens when we listen more, judge less. This mindset creates fairer systems, knowledge flow, and collective success. In today's inter

-- Scaling an organization is often romanticized as a thrilling ascent—more customers, more revenue, more impact. But beneath the surface lies a complex web of tensions, trade-offs, and transformation. Leaders navigating this terrain must do more than manage growth—they must evolve the very DNA of their organizations while preserving what made them successful in the first place. First, what is scaling and how different is it from growth? Two of entrepreneurs’ favourite topics

Developing future leaders is a priority for most organizations. In fact, almost every competency framework includes “developing subordinates,” “building successors,” or “nurturing the next generation of leaders.” Leaders at every level emphasize its importance, and companies invest significantly in leadership development efforts. These investments usually include defining leadership competency models, running assessment centers to identify high potentials, partnering with con

Lessons from Seven Decades -- Introduction "Nobody knows what strategy is."  – The Economist Few concepts in business are as widely discussed yet as poorly understood as strategy. In countless boardrooms, classrooms, and executive off-sites, the word is used to mean everything from setting goals and writing mission statements to launching marketing campaigns and cutting costs. No wonder when you ask a group of executives “What is strategy?” , the answers range wildly. For som

In high-powered organizations, one lesson shines above all: rule number one—protect the boss’s ego. Disagree you may, but disagree gently. Words must be weighed like gold, and always leave space for the boss’s decision to stand as final. We like to believe that careers are built on talent and hard work. Yet often, they are shaped by the temperament of the person we report to. Employees do not leave organizations; they leave their bosses. And bosses can wound in many ways—the

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