Category Strategy

Why customer service should be a leadership priority

customer services best excellent

Customer service standards are steadily slipping, and it’s costing businesses billions. Steve Macaulay and Sarah Cook explain, with examples, how HR and L&D leaders can drive a cultural shift towards service excellence, boosting loyalty, reducing inefficiencies, and embedding the mindset,…

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Rewriting the leadership playbook: Why burnout is a system failure

Stressed Businessman

Burnout isn’t a flaw in individuals; it’s a warning light for broken systems. Mia Serra and Claudie Plen-McCormack argue that leadership and culture must evolve to prioritise inclusion, psychological safety and sustainable performance. Without structural change, well-being initiatives remain surface-level…

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From cost centre to strategic asset — what gives L&D a seat at the strategy table?

L&D isn’t just about courses and compliance. In a world of constant change, it can be a powerful driver of growth and resilience. Jennie Marshall explores five ways learning teams can move from support function to strategic partner and earn…

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The future of frameworks is integration, not competition

Digital documents fly through a data tunnel

Ben Satchwell explores why well-intentioned frameworks often cause confusion rather than clarity. Drawing on common mistakes and missed opportunities, he shows how better integration, rather than wholesale replacement, can unlock value. One global reference for digital skills, SFIA9, offers a…

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Finally, a conference for self-employed folk in L&D!

The inaugural Free Spirits LIVE! virtual event next month is designed for L&D independent L&D professionals who crave connection, clarity and practical support. With a lively online community, real-time sessions and a laser focus on freelance life, it promises something…

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A real-world approach to the employer skills gap

Potential for growth, sign showing potential in busy office environment

For many organisations trying to reduce their skills gap, recruitment along is not working. The recruitment process is often uncertain and expensive, and yet investment in employee training to redress the skills shortage is falling. Isn’t it time for employers…

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EQ isn’t enough: How CEOs are tapping into deeper wisdom

Two business women sit at desk discuss project details, diverse female colleagues met in office, share opinion, working on collaborative task, sales manager makes commercial offer to company client

Modern leaders face more than just business challenges, they’re navigating purpose, pressure, and people in a world that often feels unmoored. What if the real leadership edge isn’t just empathy, but a deeper kind of awareness that connects values, meaning…

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The future of work: Stop confusing performance with capability

Professional woman talking to her team in an office meeting

Many organisations confuse past performance with future capability – and it’s costing them. Ban Satchwell explains why relying on outcomes alone leads to flawed decisions, missed potential and ineffective people development. To build resilient, adaptable teams, we must treat performance…

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L&D’s moment to reboot management for a hybrid world

Hybrid Working Culture sign in a busy commuter city center

Hybrid working isn’t broken; but it is being left to chance. Gary Cookson shows how L&D can fix it: define team norms, build purposeful onsite experiences, enable collaboration and management capabilities, and support individuals with real-time learning tools. Enabling hybrid…

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Six leadership essentials for a changed world: From the legacy of Andrew Kakabadse

LEADERSHIP graphic notes on notepad

Professor Andrew Kakabadse’s leadership insights remain vital for today’s HR and L&D professionals. Drawing from decades of research and consultancy experience, Steve Macaulay distils six essential principles that equip leaders to thrive in a complex, unpredictable world. These lessons demand…

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