Learning at work: A strategic imperative for leaders | Insights

In a fast-paced world marked by transformation and uncertainty, leaders can no longer afford to view their professional development as a luxury or a side project. Our recent Learning at Work Week webinar spotlighted powerful, lived experiences from leaders who have placed structured reflection, mentoring, and cross-sector learning at the heart of how they lead through complexity.

From navigating large-scale organisational transformation to shifting personal leadership styles, four speakers from diverse sectors shared one common message: growth doesn't just happen in the job, in isolation—it happens when we create space to reflect, connect with others, and lead with both courage and curiosity.

Key takeaways: 

• Prioritise self-reflection and growth: Make space to step back, question your leadership defaults and invest in personal development.
• Seek diverse voices and perspectives: Networking beyond your industry helps you see the world and your work differently.
• Use mentoring as a resilience strategy: In times of change, mentoring offers more than advice; it provides anchoring, confidence, and a renewed sense of purpose.
• Broaden your perspective through mobility: Whether through secondments or peer learning, stepping into a different sector builds self-awareness, strategic clarity, and confidence.

Making space for self-development is a strategic choice

Ayesha Aspbury, Director of HR Delivery at the Competition and Markets Authority, shared how her participation in WIG’s Women’s Leadership Programme became a moment of recalibration, both professionally and personally.

Her reflections revealed how the programme enabled her to:

• Step back from the constant pace of work, creating space to reflect and re-energise her strategic thinking.
• Engage with cross-functional peers, testing ideas and challenging assumptions in a trusted environment.
• Collaborate on real-world challenges with leaders from other sectors through action learning sets.
• Gain from coaching that bridged personal and professional development, helping her prioritise more clearly, lead with confidence, and improve work-life integration.
• Learn from a charity visit that underscored the value of resourcefulness, proving that powerful lessons and lasting inspiration often come from unexpected places.

·    After the programme, Ayesha returned with renewed energy, a better understanding of strategic planning, and a more adaptive leadership style, changes that positively influenced her team and departmental culture.

Cross-sector connections and new perspectives

Tony Lee, Mulesoft Transport Lead at Salesforce, brought a private sector lens to the discussion, one focused on the strategic value of networking beyond traditional boundaries.

Tony offered three powerful insights:

• Broaden your reach: In-person, cross-sector events enable you to have meaningful conversations with thought leaders, innovators, and decision-makers beyond your usual environment, thus reducing the risk of an echo chamber mentality.
• Challenge your biases: Exposure to diverse ways of working (e.g., in healthcare or not-for-profits) can help shift ingrained assumptions, particularly around decision-making, innovation, and change.
• Apply cross-sector insights: Adopting mindsets from other sectors can help organisations and their leaders become more agile and emotionally intelligent.

Tony also reflected on how a WIG policy dialogue reshaped his approach to leadership. He described learning about the “70% rule” — the idea that most decisions should be made when you have 70% of the information. Waiting for 100% certainty creates delays and unnecessary pressure. He also embraced the “two-way door” mindset: most decisions are reversible, and treating them as final only slows progress. Both ideas helped him and his team move more quickly and with greater confidence.

Building resilience during transformation through mentoring

Olga Bogomolova, Chief Services Engineer at Rolls-Royce, brought a powerful story of how mentoring, paired with structured development, supported her through a period of personal and organisational transformation.

Through her WIG-facilitated mentoring with a transformation leader from the public sector, she discovered:

• The power of honest dialogue gave her a sounding board and practical tools during a major business restructuring.
• Permission to pause, step back, and lead her team with more clarity and emotional awareness.
• The value of transferable skills, which allowed her to shift from a purely technical focus to a strategic leadership role.
• A mindset shift from “this is happening to me” to “this is happening for me”—an insight that turned uncertainty into opportunity.

Unlocking strategic perspective through secondment

Currently on secondment from the Home Office to Sheffield Hallam University, Gemma Barlow’s story highlighted the transformational value of cross-sector experience, especially for long-time civil servants.

Her secondment offered:

• A fresh appreciation of pace, culture, and accountability in a non-government context.
• Greater clarity about her own skills, beyond the technical knowledge developed in the civil service.
• Space to step out of reactive leadership and step into a more reflective, long-term view of impact.
• The ability to build strategic partnerships, drawing on both public and academic sector insight.

Despite differences in mission and structure in a new sector, Gemma found that the core values of leadership — empathy, collaboration, and integrity — remain constant.

Why cross-sector learning matters now

The insights shared during Learning at Work Week highlight a common thread: in a fast-changing world, driving real impact and growth requires more than technical expertise; it demands reflection, fresh perspective, and the courage to lead differently. It is only possible when leaders step outside their familiar circles, challenge their assumptions, and remain open to learning about themselves, their teams, and the systems in which they operate.

That’s why at WIG, we bring together current and future leaders from across sectors to learn from one another through strategic dialogue, experiential leadership programmes, mentoring, secondments, and more. Our leadership development offer is designed to build the relationships, insights, and cross-sector capabilities leaders need to navigate complexity with confidence and drive meaningful change.

Applications now open: Autumn 2026 Leadership & Talent Programmes
Take your leadership and your impact to the next level. Join a diverse, cross-sector cohort this autumn through one of our collaborative leadership or talent development programmes. Learn more and apply.

Want to explore which programme is right for you or your team?
Join an upcoming info session or get in touch via the programme webpages.