There are two key issues for me: First, the ladder of competence. Managers need to be consciously incompetent before they can progress and learn through both education and experience. Understanding this helps with life long learning; Second, the what and the how of management and leadership. In my experience how managers manage is most damaging to organisations in terms of staff commitment and engagement. Poor behaviour costs millions each year, but this is largely unmeasured.

Managers are largely measured by outcome in financial terms. If the costs of poor management behaviour were measured and taken into account by more employers they would recognise that management and leadership education and development is an investment with a high rate of return.