Managers can make or break a company's morale, motivation, and productivity

John Kallelil, CEO and founder, XED, explains why one needs to proactively seek learning and development to be better equipped to face an increasingly uncertain future

- Ramya Palisetty

We live in a complex world today marred by information overload, full of paradoxes and contradictions. To be able to lead with clarity, order and purpose in these disruptive times, it is imperative for learning to go beyond conventional educational approaches. With the aim to address the skills gap among senior leaders and to decentralise and democratise education, John Kallelil founded XED in 2015 and since then, it has been a game changer, empowering leaders who are eager to drive change, influence and create a positive impact. With his mantra to revolutionise the way people learn, earn and lead the future, he has been leveraging technology to provide access to high-quality education to leaders from across the globe.

In an exclusive chat with People Matters, Kallelil reveals what it takes to lead in the VUCA world, why are there no quick fix solutions to toxic work environment, the skill set of a great leader vs a good leader, what are the programmes to help new-age senior leaders navigate through tumultuous waters and the ultimate answer to phenomenas such as the great resignation and quiet quitting.

As organisations across the globe are focusing on digital and structural transformation, Kallelil also shares his insights on the silent killers that block systemic change required to make learning and development programmes effective and what the age-old adage, ‘employees don’t leave organisations but managers’, really mean.

As one of the pioneers in designing senior leadership learning programmes, what are the radical shifts and trends you have come across in the L&D space in the postCOVID era in comparison to the pre-COVID era?