In uncertain times you need your leaders to step up

The New Zealand economy is still facing uncertainty. The unemployment rate is still above where many want it to be; our economic recovery continues to be stubbornly slow; more NZ […]

The New Zealand economy is still facing uncertainty. The unemployment rate is still above where many want it to be; our economic recovery continues to be stubbornly slow; more NZ citizens are leaving our shores than returning home, and yet, business confidence is rising.

Businesses say we’re doing it hard, but we’re confident that things will get better.

Where many might think adding additional time and cost pressure to a business may not be appropriate, one can equally argue this is the best time to think about retaining your best performers and levelling them up to the next tier for leadership.

Leadership training comes in all shapes and sizes but the University of Canterbury’s MBA program has doubled down on leadership training. Prof Ekant Veer, Director of the UC Business School MBA says that leadership, for him, is a focus on the leader and not just on the skills.
“We have to develop the person doing the leading. We can equip someone with all the skills and tools to complete the job, but ultimately if the person isn’t ready to lead themselves or understand what sort of leader they can be, then have we achieved anything of value? That’s why we
are very purposeful about ensuring our learners spend time with one another in the classroom and in the community.”

“While the high achievers may be looking off-shore for brighter opportunities it’s time for businesses to embed them into the workplace that has grown them and prepare them for the anticipated growth to come.”

He says the transformational nature of a person’s MBA journey is credited as much to the teaching faculty as it is to the other people in the class.

“It is the people they learn with that helps leaders grow. Our faculty are amazing, but it is the group mate and classroom debate that really makes the difference.”

It’s an approach that is unapologetically industry focused the learners have both an academic and industry professional in every class to ensure the content is based on evidence and still relevant.

So, is 2026 the year businesses lean into upskilling as a retention strategy? Possibly. But timing matters both for the organisation and the individual.

Advanced leadership training has a powerful effect: it propels people forward.

Sometimes that means rising through the ranks internally; other times it means stepping into a new challenge elsewhere.

Either way, effective training changes people. They don’t emerge the same as when they entered.

That transformation is not something businesses should fear. It is something they should plan for. Developing leaders builds capability, raises performance, and contributes to a more resilient and futureready workforce for Aotearoa.

If uncertainty is the backdrop, effective leadership becomes the differentiator.

And the organisations that invest in their people now will be the ones best positioned to thrive when confidence turns into momentum.