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Business Acumen
Why Every Employee Needs Business Acumen Click to view Why Every Employee Needs Business Acumen
Business acumen is the understanding of what drives a business’s performance. It combines knowledge of how a business makes money; how different parts of an organization work together to drive performance; and awareness of its markets, competitors, and customers. Business acumen...
Featured
Business Simulation
Learning to Lead Together: Cohort-Based Simulations Click to view Learning to Lead Together: Cohort-Based Simulations
Every time a program wraps, we look forward to the written comments. Some participants write a sentence. One recently (and cheerfully) apologized for the length of their answers ("See my book above"). We read every chapter.
Here are two recent favorites:
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Leadership
The Human Side of Leadership: 5 Truths from 25 Years Click to view The Human Side of Leadership: 5 Truths from 25 Years
We started a leadership development company 25 years ago with a core belief: Great leaders bring both business acumen and human empathy to their task.
Leaders need to make courageous, creative business decisions and nurture and empower their teams and organizations to bring...
Posts by Amanda Young Hickman:
2 Min Read
Leadership Express Sims: Interactive Learning in a 2-4 Hour FormatLeadership Express Sims: Interactive Learning in a 2-4 Hour Format
Business simulations bring complex ideas to life. Simulations enable adult learning because they engage learners in...
Amanda Young Hickman
Nov 10, 2023
4 Min Read
Business Simulations: The Challenge Leaders NeedBusiness Simulations: The Challenge Leaders Need
Ed. Note: This post was originally published in 2022 and has been updated for 2025. Have you been through a simulation...
Amanda Young Hickman
Feb 8, 2022
2 Min Read
The ART of Connection in Leadership DevelopmentThe ART of Connection in Leadership Development
All leaders grow at their own pace, shaped by their strengths, opportunities and the situations they face. What's...
Amanda Young Hickman
Jan 11, 2022
2 Min Read
Insight Experience: Best of 2021Insight Experience: Best of 2021
Throughout the year at our blog, we share practical leadership tips and observations. The “greatest hits” of the year...
Amanda Young Hickman
Dec 21, 2021
4 Min Read
The ART of Leadership DevelopmentThe ART of Leadership Development
Editor's Note: This post was updated in 2026. Developing leaders takes more than a one-size-fits-all process. Leaders...
Amanda Young Hickman
Nov 3, 2021
2 Min Read
Large Scale Meeting? Large Scale Learning!Large Scale Meeting? Large Scale Learning!
Most of our clients use business simulations in virtual or classroom settings. Groups of 15 or 25 or even 50 are the...
Amanda Young Hickman
Jun 24, 2021
2 Min Read
What Is Empathetic Leadership?What Is Empathetic Leadership?
Empathy is simply defined as the ability to identify with others and be aware of their thoughts and feelings....
Amanda Young Hickman
Mar 2, 2021
1 Min Read
Powerful Communication Opportunities Most Leaders MissPowerful Communication Opportunities Most Leaders Miss
Employees pay an extraordinary amount of attention to what we do in the moment. What we communicate when we aren’t...
Amanda Young Hickman
Feb 23, 2021
2 Min Read
The Overlooked Drivers of Leadership Development ROIThe Overlooked Drivers of Leadership Development ROI
We often measure only a narrow slice of what effective leadership delivers. Organizations don’t measure three...
Amanda Young Hickman
Jan 12, 2021
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