How to Drive Business Growth in 2026: Strategic Talent, Leadership & Culture

There’s no doubt that businesses across the globe are continuing to invest in future growth and long-term development. But with economic uncertainty, skills shortages and increased competition, where should leaders focus their efforts to achieve results that genuinely add value?

The start of a new year is a natural point for business leaders to reassess strategy, set clear goals and objectives, refine internal processes, and communicate priorities across the organisation. For many, this means taking a more considered, strategic approach to growth rather than pursuing short-term gains.

Whether it’s investing in people, products, or the markets in which they operate, organisations are looking for ways to strengthen their overall business offering, increase market share, remain competitive within their industry, and scale their headcount sustainably.

In this article, we explore the key focus areas businesses should prioritise to drive meaningful results, enable sustainable growth, and build the leadership and talent capabilities required for long-term success.

Contact CSG Talent for support hiring top senior-level talent.

Invest in Employee Development and Address Skills Gaps

One of the most effective ways to support employee engagement and retention is by providing clear, achievable career pathways across all business functions. Employees want to understand not only what progression looks like, but also how it can be achieved and how the business will actively support their development.

Investing in employee development ensures teams have the skills, knowledge, and resources required to perform at their best. With the right training and development in place, employees are better positioned to contribute to business goals and deliver measurable results. Whether through ongoing in-house training, access to external programmes, or recognised qualifications, learning and development should be a core part of resource and workforce planning.

Employee development also plays a critical role in retention and engagement. 94% of employees say they are more likely to stay with a company longer if it invests in their learning and development, which highlights the direct link between upskilling and long-term workforce stability.

Strengthening Your Employer Brand to Attract and Retain Top Talent

A company’s brand extends far beyond logos and visual identity. It encompasses marketing, content, employer branding, and every interaction perceived by both internal and external audiences. A strong, consistent brand plays a vital role in business growth, expansion and long-term success. A clear and compelling employer brand helps engage existing employees, attract high-quality candidates and build trust with partners, investors, and stakeholders.

Joel Coogan, Senior Business Manager - Mining Recruitment at CSG Talent, explains: 

“At CSG Talent, our consultants regularly provide insights and guidance on talent branding to help attract the highest calibre of candidates to our clients’ business in what is currently an extremely competitive market. One way that we support that is through the creation of bespoke candidate engagement packs and briefing documents to showcase the brand, culture, and overall scope of working with our clients in one easy-to-engage-with and professional-looking document. This additional service supports greatly improved engagement, attraction, and trust from candidates. It helps us to provide stronger shortlists of suitable people for the talent projects we are managing by effectively positioning the employer brand of our clients.”

Embracing Innovation and Technology to Drive Business Growth

Technology and innovation have been driving business change for over a decade, and this pace of advancement continues to accelerate. To improve efficiency, increase activity and support more sustainable operations, businesses must embrace digital technology as part of their growth strategy.

Digital-first approaches are becoming increasingly common, but new technology also brings new skills requirements, prompting many businesses to reassess the capabilities needed within their workforce.

AI and machine learning are two of the most in-demand skills, with 40% of businesses citing them as top priorities across the UK job market. To remain competitive, organisations must either upskill existing employees or attract talent with the specialist skills required to drive innovation forward.

Establishing and Communicating Company Vision for Long-Term Growth

Clear short- and long-term business plans are essential for setting realistic, achievable goals and supporting sustainable growth. Communicating this vision across the organisation helps increase engagement, alignment and buy-in from employees at all levels.

When teams understand the direction of the business and how their role contributes to wider objectives, they are more likely to feel valued, motivated and committed to delivering results that support overall success.

Enhancing Business Processes and Employee Experience

Enhancing internal and external processes is critical as businesses grow and evolve. The specific areas to focus on will vary depending on size, structure and market, but often include onboarding and induction, performance management, business operations, customer experience and employee experience.

A positive, aligned experience for both customers and employees strengthens brand perception and supports business performance. Poor or inconsistent experiences, on the other hand, can have a direct negative impact on reputation, engagement and growth.

Building a Strong Company Culture to Improve Performance and Retention

Company culture has a significant influence on employer brand, talent attraction and retention. Organisations that foster a results-driven, supportive culture often see increased productivity, improved retention and a more positive working environment.

Many organisations are now focused on creating cultures that prioritise work-life balance, meaningful benefits and flexible working environments that reflect different life stages and individual preferences. Culture remains a critical component of any successful growth and talent strategy.

Using Business Analytics and Performance Measurement to Drive Results

Using data and analytics allows organisations to measure performance, assess outcomes and make informed decisions. Data helps identify which activities are delivering results, where performance is strong, and which areas require review or improvement.

Establishing clear metrics and effective measurement frameworks enables continuous development and optimisation. With the right insights in place, businesses can refine strategies, allocate resources more effectively and drive sustained growth.

Growth and Hiring Strategies to Support Business Success in 2025

While reactive hiring will always be necessary in response to unexpected demand, growth, or resignations, organisations that achieve sustainable success typically operate with a well-defined hiring and talent strategy. Forecasting headcount growth in line with wider business objectives enables leaders to plan effectively and proactively pipeline talent.

At CSG Talent, we work closely with clients to develop robust talent strategies that support long-term growth, ensuring they can attract the right people at the right time to achieve their objectives. Our talent strategy services are designed to inform, refine and strengthen hiring approaches in line with overall business goals.

We work with our clients to advise on the best hiring approach and all elements of the recruitment process, including the interview stage. David MacDonald is a Principal Consultant in Federal Technology at CSG Talent. David has recently been working with the Chief Growth Officer for a Federal Business who was time poor and struggled to arrange interviews at pace. He consulted with the client and explained the impact this was having on the candidate experience, and in the current market this would result in losing top talent if the speed of the process didn’t improve.

The client has now refined their approach with more structure and they have three senior leaders involved in the recruitment process, managing interviews and feedback stages. As a result, the process has become much more efficient and within three weeks from candidate submission, interviews have been conducted, and offers have been made.

Executive Search Experts at CSG Talent

At CSG Talent, our recruitment and executive search experts support clients not only with hiring and talent attraction, but also with broader talent strategies that underpin business growth. This includes talent mapping, market insights and talent pipelining approaches tailored to each organisation’s objectives. If you’re looking to explore effective ways to grow your business and attract top talent, speak to a member of our specialist team or explore our service offerings below:

To explore our Executive Search services, click here.

To explore all our Talent Strategy service, click here.

Take a look at some of our client success stories here.