Why This Exists
The global training and development industry is worth $401 billion — and yet the corporate training system has somehow managed to make employee engagement worse, not better.
Every year, companies spend more on learning platforms, more on compliance modules, more on video libraries with auto-play and progress bars that measure seat time, not skill growth. And every year, the Gallup numbers get worse. In 2025, U.S. employee engagement fell to its lowest point in a decade. According to Ebbinghaus's forgetting curve, 50% of what people learn in traditional training is forgotten within an hour, and 90% is gone within a week — regardless of how well-produced the content is.
Only 30% of employees say someone at work encourages their development.
The industry's answer? More content. More platforms. More AI-generated micro-courses that take 4 minutes and change nothing.
Leaders Edge Labs is a different bet. Our team believes the skills that matter most — conflict navigation, influence without authority, communication under pressure, strategic tradeoff thinking — can only be built through practice. Not watching. Not clicking. Practice.
We believe the manager who facilitates that practice — who runs the session, who creates the space for their team to struggle and grow — is doing the most important work in the organization.
That's why this exists.
About the Founders
1-X is an advisory council of small business owners, tech entrepreneurs, senior healthcare leaders, and people leaders in the outdoor hospitality industry.
Friends and professional associates for over 25 years, the members of 1-X looked across their own careers and recognized the same gap: the tools available to develop their teams weren't built for how people actually learn. Too much content. Not enough practice. Too many platforms. Not enough conversation.
What started as a set of skill labs shared among them for personal use has become a comprehensive library of professional development kits designed to help leaders across every industry build the skills that matter most — through practice, not passive consumption.
Design Philosophy
Scenario-Based
Real workplace dilemmas, not abstract case studies. Every scenario is calibrated to create productive struggle.
Research-Backed
Built on Kahneman, Cialdini, Edmondson, Lencioni, Tetlock, and decades of behavioral science.
Facilitator-Friendly
Any thoughtful people leader can facilitate. No certification, no special training, no expertise required.