In a world where change is constant and decisions are rarely black and white, problem-solving isn’t just a skill; it’s a survival tool.

Today’s business environment is anything but simple. Leaders are navigating unpredictable markets, shifting technologies, and rising stakeholder expectations. In this complexity, one core capability stands out: the ability to solve problems.

Problem-solving enables organizations to recognize issues, adapt to change, drive innovation, and deliver results. It’s what helps a company stay resilient when facing disruption, and what empowers leaders to make confident decisions even when the data is incomplete or unclear.

However, here’s the problem with problem-solving: it’s not a valued skill today as it was in the past.

Many leaders feel too busy to address issues thoroughly. The pace of change makes it tempting to jump to conclusions or fire off quick fixes. And let’s be honest, most people never actually learned how to solve problems well. Training often focuses on technical skills or strategy, rather than the messy, iterative, and collaborative process that real problem-solving requires.

Thursday was another one of those all-too-familiar days where markets imploded, stock prices cratered, and billions of dollars of shareholder value were wiped away.

I was sitting in the heart of Silicon Valley working with one of our clients in the semiconductor industry – an industry being decimated by the geopolitical news of tariffs – while the world crumbled around us.

By now, most business leaders are used to being in crisis. Between the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the financial industry meltdown of 2008, and the dot-com bust of the early 2000s, industry veterans have experienced a great deal and can demonstrate remarkable resilience.

Typically, it's easy to brush it off and think that it’s just cyclical, and it will all come back. But this time, it feels a little different.

Here’s why, from a business acumen perspective, this crisis isn’t just another insignificant blip on the radar:

I have a prediction: one of the biggest business acumen trends of 2025 will be large companies instructing their mid- and upper-level managers to stop being so passive and start making significant bets.

Why do I make this prediction? Because five out of the last six business acumen programs I have delivered for clients across various industries, including pharmaceuticals, high tech, chemicals, and consumer products, have requested that I develop business simulations to help participants learn about the processes and best practices of making big bets.

It’s Still a “Bet”

I always worry when a company brings a gambling term into strategic thinking. The truth of the matter is that the premise of making big bets isn’t really about taking risks and trying new things; it’s about forcing leaders to be more aggressive and to think more boldly.

The problem is that not everyone understands the potentially devastating consequences.

The first quarter of 2025 has been one of the most challenging and volatile times for business ever. Markets are down, there is tremendous uncertainty, and we still have the raging debate of working remotely vs. working in an office. At the same time, the pressure to perform has never been higher.

One of Advantexe's largest growing areas of work during this time has been our customized coaching simulation business. We have seen a significant increase in requests for both skill-building and practice simulations in coaching, and the types of scenarios have been very complex and difficult.

A skill-building simulation scenario is a multi-layer, decision-tree situation in which the learner engages in a simulation scenario and weaves through alternatives, building the skill along the way. A practice simulation is an AI-driven conversation in which the learner practices a specific coaching skill.

In anticipation of the Presidential Memorandum on Tariffs, many of our Advantexe clients have been focused on understanding the tariffs' impacts on their business from a business acumen learning perspective.

Over the past few weeks, we have launched a “tariff wobbler” portfolio into our business simulations so leaders can prepare and learn what to do in the “real world.” A tariff wobbler is a curveball we throw at participants to see how they react. These tariff wobblers include raw material shortages, escalating COGS, lower-quality vendor options, and opportunities to expand domestic manufacturing capabilities.

The workshops have been interesting, and although we’ve only delivered the wobblers to a small number of industries (semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and automotive), we have some rich learnings to share.