Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face unprecedented complexity in our sectors, from technological disruption and supply chain shifts to talent shortages and global security pressures. Responding effectively to these challenges demands a workforce that is continuously developing new skills and capabilities. Companies with strong learning cultures often outperform their peers, strengthening their competitive position and strategic advantage.
Embedding skills development and continuous improvement at every level of the businesss
In research, companies that prioritised employee training and development saw a 24 % increase in productivity compared to those that didn’t. This reflects that learning can be a strategic lever for performance and resilience as well as a powerful return on investment. But recognising the value of learning and development is only the first step — the challenge for many lies in implementing targeted, high-impact training that aligns with business goals.
Working with a specialist learning organisation can make all the difference – from diagnosing skills gaps to designing bespoke programmes and coaching leaders through organisational change. ADS business services members have the skills and sector experience to help SMEs transform. In sectors where mission-critical outcomes depend on people as much as technology, that partnership can be the difference between surviving complexity and mastering it.
In this guest blog, Steve Turner of Explosive Learning Solutions offers three key leadership strategies that will benefit your team and your business.
Leading through complexity: practical lessons for SMEs building capability and resilience
At Explosive Learning Solutions, we’ve supported hundreds of organisations — from micro-businesses to major primes and directly to government — to strengthen leadership, capability and workforce development.
Over the past decade supporting organisations across high-consequence sectors, one lesson has consistently surfaced: the strongest SMEs are the ones who intentionally build learning into the way they work. This isn’t about expensive programmes or long training cycles. It’s about leadership behaviours that create an environment where people can grow, solve problems and contribute with confidence.
Below are three practical leadership principles that any SME can apply to strengthen capability and resilience — without adding unnecessary burden.
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Lead with clarity, not complexity
Uncertainty often creates hesitation, errors, or duplicated effort. Clear leadership cuts through this.
Clarity means:
- Defining what “good” looks like for each role
- Explaining why tasks matter, not just what needs doing
- Reducing unnecessary process noise
- Making priorities explicit so people can make confident decisions
When your team understands the destination, they’re more comfortable navigating the route. Clarity builds confidence — and confident teams deliver.
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Build capability as a habit, not an event
One-off training rarely sticks. High-performing SMEs treat capability as an ongoing practice.
This includes:
- Short, focused development moments built into the work week
- Creating stretch opportunities for employees to trial new skills
- Encouraging people to share what they learn — and recognising it
- Making learning relevant to future business growth, not just compliance
Small, continuous development investments compound into deep organisational expertise over time. Apprenticeships, micro-learning and structured on-the-job development are especially powerful for SMEs because they strengthen capability while maintaining productivity.
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Create psychological safety — especially in times of change
In many SMEs, people wear multiple hats and navigate competing priorities. When the culture supports honest discussion, asking questions and constructive challenge, performance rises.
Leaders can foster this by:
- Inviting input before decisions are final
- Rewarding problem-raising, not just problem-solving
- Being transparent about risks, constraints and expectations
- Modelling healthy responses to pressure
Teams who feel safe to speak up are quicker to innovate, quicker to adapt and quicker to protect the organisation from preventable mistakes.
Where we’ve seen this work
SMEs who apply these principles typically see:
- Higher performance and better decision-making
- Increased retention through clearer development pathways
- Stronger bids and delivery outcomes
- More resilience when workloads spike or environments shift
- Better alignment between leadership vision and day-to-day operations
Most importantly, they see people step into their potential — and that is the foundation of sustainable growth.
Our contribution to the SME community
Explosive Learning Solutions is a veteran-owned SME working closely with Government. We understand the demands placed on smaller organisations and the practical steps that genuinely make a difference.
We regularly help SMEs to:
- Develop leadership capability for scaling
- Improve workforce performance and learning strategy
- Build apprenticeship assessment pathways that deliver measurable value
- Navigate regulatory and procurement expectations with confidence
- Construct a learning academy that is scaled for and routinely delivers against your needs and price constraints.
If your organisation is exploring how to strengthen performance or develop your people, we’re happy to support.
ADS Business Services Network
A growing band of ADS members are business services firms providing professional advice and solutions in specialised areas such as financial, legal and digital services. They can help streamline operations, save costs and minimise risks.
Access that expert knowledge today.
Source: Towards Maturity, The Transformation Curve report (2016): high performing learning organisations, on average are seeing a 24% increase in productivity and performance as a result of learning done well. Page 5.
