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.

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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:

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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.

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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.

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One of the most interesting and relevant things about Advantexe’s business acumen simulations is that they track all user inputs and results as they set and execute a business strategy in a learning-by-doing format. We recently conducted an intensive business acumen workshop for a group of emerging leaders, and we used AI to analyze the simulation data from more than 50 teams, each with about 5 participants. We leveraged our new and innovative machine learning tool developed by our internal AI team, which we are building into all our simulations. Our goal? To uncover trends in R&D investment and innovation focus so that we can share insights and data with our clients about the trends and culture of participants in our simulation-centric workshops. More and more, our clients are asking for training programs that help to push innovation, especially within their R&D teams.

The results were astounding! Even in a risk-free simulation, where participants could test strategies without real-world consequences, there was a strong apprehension about investing in short-term and long-term R&D. Most teams seem to prioritize short-term efficiencies and cost management to drive margins over long-term innovation and “being bold.”

So why the hesitation? Based on our data and interviews with participants, here are three thoughts and suggestions on how to address the issues we uncovered.

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