{"id":64289,"date":"2026-03-19T09:50:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T09:50:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mindtools.com\/?p=64289"},"modified":"2026-03-19T09:50:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T09:50:10","slug":"where-should-you-invest-your-ld-budget-next-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mindtools.com\/blog\/where-should-you-invest-your-ld-budget-next-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Where should you invest your L&D budget next year?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Start with your managers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As the financial year draws to a close, many organizations are doing two things at once: reviewing what they\u2019ve achieved and deciding where to invest next. That raises a simple question: where should you invest your L&D budget to make the biggest difference over the next 12 months? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One option is to invest in your managers. It\u2019s often delayed, because it can feel discretionary compared with more immediate operational priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But over the past few years we\u2019ve gathered consistent evidence that suggets investing in managers is one of the most reliable ways to influence business outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The management skills that actually matter<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Back in 2023 we launched our Building Better Managers project. We surveyed more than 2,000 managers and conducted a literature review to identify the skills that most strongly predict management performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, the skills that emerged weren\u2019t the tactical ones many people expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things like recruitment, running performance reviews, or having difficult conversations do matter. But they tend to rely on a deeper set of foundational capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skills such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n