05/02/2022
Don't overlook vertical development!
As companies struggle to fill their leadership roles, talent managers are shifting their focus from horizontal development (acquiring skills) to vertical development.
At its core, vertical development expands a person's thinking capability and mindset so they can act in more complex and strategic ways.
In many organizations, leaders are promoted to their positions because they have deep technical expertise on a particular topic. However, when these leaders transition into complex leadership roles, they often realize that they need to adopt different ways of thinking and operating.
Of course, skill development is important, but it's most effective when combined with vertical development. Vertical development better equips leaders to manage uncertainty and complexity, and the combination of the two equips leaders to act collaboratively to make effective decisions.
In most cases, vertical development is more challenging than horizontal skill development, which means that you need effective tools to get it right.
Our real-life simulations have multiple solutions (no clear-cut wrong or right answers) that are scored against a set of business metrics. Working in teams, learners collaborate to tease out the best possible outcome. This team-driven, synchronous learning experience fosters vertical development by causing leaders to question their assumptions, adopt different perspectives, ask powerful questions, give and receive feedback, and engage in reflection—all of which helps to accelerate mindset growth. Get in touch with the team to learn more.