IT leaders have never been more essential to the success of any organisation – or had more demands heaped upon their shoulders. So how is the role changing? And what are the skills required to step up to the challenge?

*Originally published in December 2018. Updated for 2020.

Henry Ford is credited as once saying: “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” Now, we’re not suggesting that ongoing training and development is some kind of elixir for youth, but it is true that you should never stop learning: professional development should be an ongoing process throughout your career.

*Originally published in December 2018. Updated for 2020.

Moving up in your career can be more difficult the higher up the career ladder you rise. At lower levels, progression is almost a given with solid effort and time, but something changes at the higher levels.

Here at Cranfield Executive Development, we work hard to ensure that our leadership development programmes consistently deliver the value that businesses both need and expect. We get great feedback from course participants, many of whom are only too happy to tell us about the difference attending Cranfield has made within their business and to their personal outlook and career development.

In a recent article in Developing Leaders, my colleagues Susan Vinnicombe, Hilary Harris and I discuss how organisations can successfully become more inclusive when it comes to promoting talented women into senior roles.

In February 2019, we invited HR and L&D professionals responsible for investing in the development of their organisations' high potential employees to join us at Chelsea Football Club to explore Cranfield's new General Management portfolio, meet our tutors, and learn how to align the different development pathways with the specific needs and challenges embedded within their own organisational context. 

February 2019 saw the launch event of Cranfield's refreshed General Management portfolio at Chelsea Football Club. 50 HR and L&D professionals came together to explore the new courses, meet the tutors, discuss how to invest in the development of their organisations' high potential employees and learn how to align the different development pathways with the specific needs and challenges embedded within their own organisational context. 

In workplaces around the world, great talent is getting harder and harder to find. The latest statistics show that, as technology continues to transform organisations and skills-needs are changing rapidly, global talent shortages are reaching new heights.

In September 2018, we ran our first ever People Strategy Workshop. This three-day residential course is aimed at HR leaders and general managers, and aims to equip them with the knowledge and tools to create an effective people strategy for their business.

Henry Ford is credited as once saying: “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” Now, we’re not suggesting that ongoing training and development is some kind of elixir for youth, but it is true that you should never stop learning: professional development should be an ongoing process throughout your career. In this blog, we look at why you might want to put it in your New Year’s resolutions for 2019. 

Professional development can help...