The 4× Advantage What the 2008 Financial Crisis Teaches Federal Agencies About Leadership Investment Every major budget downturn produces the same argument: leadership development is a discretionary spend, and discretionary spending is the first thing to go. It is a rational-sounding position. The research evidence says it is wrong — and the consequences of getting […]
Budget pressure is a permanent feature of federal operations. And when pressure mounts, leadership development programs are predictably among the first casualties — budget line items that appear discretionary, visible enough to cut, and easy to defer. That instinct is understandable. It is also, according to a substantial body of peer-reviewed research, expensive. This article
The federal government trains hundreds of thousands of people every year. From frontline staff to senior leadership, from compliance-focused mandatory training to specialized skill development, government agencies are among the largest training enterprises in the world. Yet government training faces unique pressures. Budgets are scrutinized. Compliance requirements are non-negotiable. Learners are geographically dispersed across time
