The Leading Edge logo

Join thousands of leaders benefiting from their bi-monthly copy of The Leading Edge, to keep themselves at the cutting edge of leadership and management thinking.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.
The cutting edge of leadership and management innovation, in brief.
Leading Edge magazine image
What Is Included

Hot Topic
& Checklist

A key topic for great leadership, right now.

High performance
management

The latest ideas and fresh thinking from around the world.

Innovation
leadership

New findings on building the innovative enterprise.

Expert
Viewport

Guest expert shares their latest insights on the future of leadership

Recent Hot Topics
Research

Use Creative Techniques in Agile Design for Better Business Processes

“Agile” techniques usually make little reference to established creativity theories and techniques, and integrating creative thinking into agile processes is a challenge.

KB logo

KnowledgeBrief

September 2016

Use Behavioural Strategy for Better Strategic Decisions
Research

Use Behavioural Strategy for Better Strategic Decisions

Cognitive biases are often a result of our attempt to simplify information processing. They are rules of thumb that help us make sense of the world and reach decisions with relative speed. These personal rules are very often unconscious.

KB logo

KnowledgeBrief

August 2016

Innovate from the Bottom-Up
Research

Innovate from the Bottom-Up

Research suggests that creativity is less mysterious than we seem to believe. In any population, the distribution of creativity follows the normal curve. It is an ability that can be developed and, therefore, taught. This means that in a given context, creativity can be shut off — or turned on, if the environment dampens or supports creativity in the right way.

KB logo

KnowledgeBrief

July 2016

Win with the Superpower of Persuasion
Research

Win with the Superpower of Persuasion

Persuasion has received some bad publicity over the years and, for many, persuasion conjures up images of manipulation, deceit, or brainwashing. However, the superpower of persuasion is directly relevant in all of our day to day experience and even more to those leading change and transformation.

KB logo

KnowledgeBrief

June 2016

Use Networks for a Better Innovation Strategy
Research

Use Networks for a Better Innovation Strategy

Social network analysis provides the capacity to map and understand the patterns of linkages between individuals, projects, project teams, departments, business functions, entire organisations, or even documents, databases and regulations.

KB logo

KnowledgeBrief

May 2016

Deliver Excellent Customer Experience
Research

Deliver Excellent Customer Experience

Today, trust is the basis for every business exchange and all customer behaviour. Creating customer loyalty puts customer value, rather than maximising profits and shareholder value, at the center of business strategy.

KB logo

KnowledgeBrief

April 2016

Build Resilience against Cybercrime
Research

Build Resilience against Cybercrime

In the current turbulent environment, many organisations are prioritising risk management as never before. However, according to the newly released Global Risk Report 2016, organisations are still not fully internalising cyber security risks. Despite cyber‐dependency being stated as one of the most important trends shaping global development over the next 10 years, organisations are only just waking up to the technological risks involved.

KB logo

KnowledgeBrief

March 2016

Make Radical Innovation Happen
Research

Make Radical Innovation Happen

Successful radical innovations are rare – and most attempts at them fail. High uncertainty and the risk of failure lead many senior managers to stay in their comfort zone: they resist radical innovation and instead focus on incremental improvements to existing offerings.

KB logo

KnowledgeBrief

February 2016

Innovation Governance
Research

Innovation Governance

Effective governance is essential for steering, managing and sustaining a complex, cross-functional and multidisciplinary activity like innovation. Innovation governance itself can be thought of as “a system of mechanisms to align goals, allocate resources and assign decision-making authority for innovation, across the company and with external parties”.

KB logo

KnowledgeBrief

January 2016

Understanding Net Present Value and Activity-Based Costing in Improvement Decisions
Research

Understanding Net Present Value and Activity-Based Costing in Improvement Decisions

Improvement proposals often fail not because the ideas are weak, but because the benefits are unclear. Decision-makers need more than enthusiasm or logic; they need evidence that improvement will create value. Two tools are particularly useful here: Net Present Value (NPV) and Activity-Based Costing (ABC). Used proportionately, these methods help clarify whether an improvement is worth pursuing, how value is created, and where costs truly sit, strengthening both credibility and decision quality.

KB logo

KnowledgeBrief

Understanding Net Present Value and Activity-Based Costing in Improvement Decisions

How we can help

Become a Leader Your Employees Want To Follow

Become a Leader Your Employees Want To Follow

What makes a great leader?

Creating a Happier and Healthier Workforce

Creating a Happier and Healthier Workforce

Sustain a positive and psychologically healthy workforce

Better Management Training, Better Results

Better Management Training, Better Results

Our professional development courses are available to individuals or teams. Funded via the apprenticeship levy, the UK’s government apprenticeship scheme.

Essential Training to Grow Your Small Business

Essential Training to Grow Your Small Business

You can now get the same leadership, management and customer service training as the world’s most successful companies – funded via the government apprenticeship levy.

Maximise your Apprenticeship Levy

Maximise your Apprenticeship Levy

The Apprenticeship Levy, now in its third year, can on the face of it appear complex and inflexible and is often overlooked as a solution to recurring HR and L&D challenges. The good news is, the Levy doesn’t have to be disruptive at all.

Trusted by over 700 organisations
and more than 2,000 learners

“The quality of support I have received from my coach has been extremely high. His coaching is considered, tailored and aligned to my personal experience, career stage as well as my day-to-day balancing of responsibilities. My apprenticeship has helped to bolster my confidence that I am taking a reasonable approach with some challenging clients.”

“The apprenticeship with KnowledgeBrief was transformative, improving my leadership, strategic decisions, and confidence. I gained skills in planning, change management, financial acumen, and stakeholder engagement. Completing with distinction, I secured a new contract and expanded my consultancy.”

“The coaching course through KnowledgeBrief was well-structured, balancing theoretical and practical knowledge. The platform is easy to navigate, providing access to support and promoting a solid understanding of coaching fundamentals. The resources provided have been comprehensive.”

“KnowledgeBrief has great content and is detailed in the area I am developing in. The system is very clear and easy to use and navigate. Thanks to my Skills Coach for his support and guidance. I apply my course knowledge and experience, such as team performance, leadership styles, and the Eisenhower Matrix, to manage tasks effectively.”

“The apprenticeship has greatly enhanced my understanding of strategic work and how different areas of the organisation operate. It has boosted my confidence to ask questions and take on senior-level tasks. Studying has pushed me out of my comfort zone, showing me my capabilities and improving my overall performance.

“The support has been timely and professional and, since starting, I have increased my knowledge through the online platform and workshops. I'm covering subjects like business understanding, communication, and operational plans - which has boosted my confidence. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would recommend it.

“As a result of this apprenticeship, I have gained confidence at work. I've developed key skills in project management, communication, and technical processes, and have improved my performance through focused feedback. I am now better prepared to contribute to the team's goals and tackle future challenges.”

“I have seen positive work improvements using what I’ve learnt about leadership, communication, and decision-making. I highly recommend the easy-to-use KnowledgeBrief platform with visual progress tracking, extra resources, and valuable information.”

“This journey has strengthened my strategic vision, stakeholder management, team and organisational influencing skills, and, most importantly, my confidence in communication. The structured learning and the tailored guidance has proven invaluable in giving me direction and purpose as a senior leader.”

“This course improved my performance by helping me create strategies, demonstrate values, develop my team, identify growth areas, and gain leadership principles like communication, conflict resolution, and strategic thinking. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to strengthen their leadership abilities and make an impact.”

Equip your employees with the skills to increase results

If you would like to discuss how we can create your Leadership and Management Training Programmes, please get in touch