What To Do With Development Dollars

Last year our team hit a goal we had been chasing for a while.

The reward was real. As part of the bonus, every staff member received a significant bump in their leadership development budget for this year. It was something we had all been wanting and it felt great to deliver it.

But when I sat down with my team to talk through how to spend it, I noticed something. Almost everyone was thinking about the same thing. A week-long conference out of town. One option. One week. Done.

Something Isn’t Working

Progress is slow. The results you hoped for aren't showing up. And you're stuck asking yourself a question that doesn't come with an easy answer.

Do I change direction or do I stay the course?

Get it wrong and the consequences are real. Pivot too early and you abandon something that just needed more time. Hold on too long and you waste years and resources on something that was never going to work the way you hoped.

I've been on both sides of this. And I've learned that knowing which one you're facing is one of the most important skills a leader can develop.