Some of you read that headline and thought, “That would never happen here.” Others read it and immediately thought of an example from your own organization where it happens every day, and know exactly what I am talking about. Unfortunately, the second group is right; this dynamic is more common than leaders care to admit.

A few years ago, I worked with a global manufacturing company where two managers took very different paths. One, a brilliant but insecure leader, quietly undermined one of his top-performing direct reports, assigning impossible deadlines, blocking access to resources, and even taking credit for her ideas. Eventually, her performance slipped, and he seemed vindicated: “See? She wasn’t as good as people thought.” But she left the company, joined a competitor, and within two years was leading a major business unit, directly against her old employer. He, meanwhile, fizzled out and will be remembered more for the talent he chased away than the results he delivered.

The other manager in the same company did the opposite. He actively built up his direct reports, gave them stretch assignments, and advocated for their success. Within five years, three of his protégés had moved into senior leadership roles across the enterprise. His reward? He was promoted to an executive vice president level not just for his results, but for the leadership legacy he created.

That contrast captures the issue perfectly. Over the past several months, as I’ve been conducting dozens of executive interviews while designing and delivering business simulations, I’ve heard an unsettling theme emerge: senior leaders are seeing managers who actually want their direct reports to fail.

Why? The motivations are rarely stated out loud, but they are painfully human:

• Fear that a talented direct report could “take their job.”
• Anxiety that a strong performer will raise the bar and force others to work harder.
• Discomfort with disruptive ideas that challenge the status quo.

Whatever the root cause, the outcome is the same: subtle sabotage, withheld support, and a toxic culture where high-potential talent is stifled rather than developed. Left unchecked, this behavior doesn’t just hurt individuals; it corrodes trust, slows innovation, and ultimately weakens the organization’s ability to compete.

Last week, we conducted an intensive business acumen program for a group of new hires. The goal
was simple but powerful: build a foundation in strategic thinking and financial management so they can deliver more value to their clients and accelerate their own careers.

At the center of the learning journey was a customized business simulation. In small teams of five, participants ran their own simulated companies, literally walking a mile in their clients' shoes. Over three “years” of running their businesses, they faced the same real-world challenges leaders confront every day: pricing pressures, cost decisions, investments in innovation, and the constant balancing act between short-term wins and long-term sustainability.

Sometimes the best blog ideas emerge during the process of designing and developing new business simulations. Earlier today, I was interviewing a senior finance subject matter expert as part of the process of designing a new business simulation, and I asked him about the single biggest business skills challenge he thinks the organization faces. Before I even finished asking the question, he blurted out...“Without a doubt, forecasting! It is our Achilles heel, and if you can help our company develop better forecasting skills, that would be amazing. Think of it this way. If we were just 1% better in forecasting, we would create over $50 million of free cash flow every quarter. That’s a significant number.”

We had a great 10-minute conversation about it, which prompted me to do some research and review years of notes I’ve accumulated on forecasting skills. Based on that work, here are five quick skills that make business forecasting more effective:

With Q3 nearly behind us, business leaders face a dual challenge: closing 2025 strongly while preparing for 2026. That’s never easy, and in today’s environment, it’s even harder. At Advantexe, we’re always scanning ahead. Here are five issues leaders must anticipate in the next three months, with their potential impact and actions to consider.

1) The Jobs Picture

Impact: While the unemployment numbers remain relatively stable, early warning signs suggest potential shifts in the labor market. Rising layoffs in certain sectors can quickly impact consumer confidence and spending, directly affecting demand for products and services. If that happens, your budgets are going to come under extreme pressure. Get ready for it.

Over the past few months, I’ve been researching and developing new content for our Strategic Business Selling practice. With several major projects underway that focus on building key account management skills, a disturbing theme has emerged:

The turnover of key customers with decision-making power within strategic accounts is accelerating, and it is dramatically changing how companies sell, grow, and retain their most important accounts.

Classic key account management teaches us to invest for the long term: deepen relationships, align with long-term strategies, and build multi-year account plans. The assumption has always been that our customers, the decision-makers and champions, will be around long enough to appreciate the effort and reward it with continued revenue and growth.

But today, if a key customer only has a “shelf life” of two to three years, it becomes much harder to maintain continuity, grow business, and achieve account goals. Worse yet, when a new customer arrives, you may be forced to start all over again, sometimes at a disadvantage if the incoming leader wants to shake things up or has an existing relationship with a competitor.

Inevitably, when new decision-makers come in, they question everything and often push back on the value pricing you have worked so hard to position through great products and services.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like this trend will change in the near term, so what are we supposed to do?

Based on interviews and research, here are three suggested best practices to consider: