Best Foot Forward

The year has barely begun, and we are already drowning in distractions. How do we reclaim our focus and put our best foot forward?

This month, 欧洲工商管理学院 (INSEAD) faculty guide us on mastering the art of delegation, channelling our hopes into action plans and getting the most out of our coaching relationships. They also challenge us to think about retirement as a new chapter – a time to finally reap the rewards of our hard work.

And speaking of rewards, are you letting your valuable loyalty points go to waste? New research reveals how you spend your loyalty points says a lot about you as a consumer – and carries potentially lucrative implications for the multi-billion-dollar loyalty programme industry.

The Art of Delegation

The critical leadership skill of delegation is in short supply in many organisations. We all know we need to delegate, but get stuck on how to do it, and how much.

INSEAD's Nadav Klein and his co-author offer a simple roadmap to help us. It starts with small tasks and gradually increases the level of responsibility given to your direct reports. The ultimate goal is to reach "clairvoyant delegation" where your team anticipates your needs and you don't need to delegate at all.

Hope Is a Skill We All Need to Practise

Hope isn't na?ve optimism, or something you either have or don't have; it's a learned skill that can be cultivated. It should be goal-oriented and accompanied by a realistic plan.

INSEAD's Manfred Kets de Vries spells out how we can write our hopes and fears into clarity and map paths to achieve meaningful goals. He argues that hope is an engine that helps us envision a future possibility, while empowering us to take action to create that future.

So, You Have a Coach, Now What?

Finding the right executive coach isn't about luck – it's about attunement. Success comes when both parties invest in the relationship and maintain honest dialogue about progress, say INSEAD's Derek Deasy and Enoch Li .

Even the most acclaimed coach can't create change without your active participation and honest self-reflection. To get the most out of a coaching relationship, bring your curiosity, courage and honesty to the table.

Talk About Making a Good Exit

Retirement is often a taboo topic in the workplace – and companies who avoid these conversations are losing out, say INSEAD professor Graham Ward,Ph.D, PCC and alumna Isabelle Lebbe .

Everyone benefits when organisations address both the emotional and practical aspects of retirement. From coaching to pre-retirement sabbaticals, forward-thinking companies are creating programmes that preserve institutional knowledge while supporting employees through this transition.

Your Money or Your Points

Imagine having two wallets – one filled with cash, the other with airline miles or hotel points. Which would you reach for when it’s time to pay?

The answer, according to INSEAD's So Yeon Chun and Ville Satop?? , says a lot about you as a consumer. Their research findings can help companies optimise revenue from loyalty programmes in a way that benefits both the business and its customers.

For more forward-thinking insights from our faculty, watch our latest video in the INSEAD Explains Sustainability series, or read the January research round-up by Dean of Research and Innovation Lily Fang.

Have a knowledgeable month ahead!

The INSEAD Knowledge team