Whenever you’re planning to invest time, energy, and money into leadership development, make sure you choose wisely. Namely, go with vertical development over horizontal development, which helps leaders as well as those they lead.

Vertical development helps individuals use their energy and brainpower to think more critically, creatively and systemically, which is better suited for dealing with today’s uncertainty and complexity.

An analogy for vertical development is your device’s operating system. Vertical stage development is like updating your device’s operating system to improve its processing power. Plus, vertical stage development is a more individualized development approach, which helps individuals deal better with dilemmas and other challenges on their own and with others.

By contrast, horizontal development, the more traditional training (classroom and online), is similar to adding more apps to your device to help you perform well-defined tasks. Horizontal training is ideal for learning how to apply technical solutions to clearly defined problems, which still exist today yet can often be handled by individuals on their own or with automation.

To learn more about vertical development and why it’s so powerful for today’s times, check out my latest article, 3 actions to help you develop vertically and better manage complexity, with Forbes Coaches Council, published online on October 25, 2024. In the article, I also describe three actions that can help you grow outside the classroom: stretch assignments, leadership coaching, and practices that strengthen your mind-body connection, increase your self-awareness and emotional intelligence, and expand your perspective.

If you have any questions, please contact me. Glad to answer them!