Adults learn best by doing. L&D professionals have known this for years, which is why they have incorporated experiential learning like case studies, simulations, and action learning into their programs. Nonetheless, these methods usually fall short.

They are often only loosely tied to key strategic initiatives and incorporate limited accountability for business results. They fail to create the adrenaline-boosting charge that is necessary to propel people out of their everyday rhythms and patterns of work. This is imperative for adult learning. Exposure to new skills does not guarantee change; people need to be pushed outside their comfort zones in order to practice new behaviors.

Our 55+ years of experience and research show that this is especially true for the capabilities crucial for success in today’s turbulent environment. These include skills like forming spontaneous collaborations and dividing work among a group, mobilizing resources from across the company, leading through influence, and conducting low-risk experiments to test possibilities and discover what works. We have codified these into four conditions that must be in place for organizations to successfully navigate complex, unpredictable situations like we are facing today.

Achievement Learning is our unique approach for building these crucial skills and the next evolution of leadership development – one that produces rapid, dramatic capability development by making measurable progress on important business opportunities. In these experiences, achievement and learning are interdependent: Ambitious business results cannot be achieved without learning new skills, and these skills cannot be developed without moving the needle.

To learn more about our thinking and work in Leadership Development, see our case studies, articles, books, and blogs or contact us.