Professional leadership development programs are a course or a whole system that aims to help top-tier employees develop their skill sets and qualities for efficient leadership as well as find new roles within the company to exercise those skills with a long-term influence. Such an investment in development is essential because it’s important to prepare future company managers and supervisors in advance.
So why should businesses have a leadership development program? It has several advantages at once. First, it’s a way to identify in advance talented young professionals and help them develop their leadership skills. Secondly, you don’t need to spend time looking for and training managers outside of your company when launching a new project.
Many companies also offer internships for students and university graduates. Thus, it’s a good opportunity for young professionals to start a career in a large company and develop their professional/leadership skills.
Top 5 Companies with the Best Leadership Development Programs
It’s those organizations that invest resources in the professional development of leaders that receive positive feedback from employees. In the U.S., such companies make it into the TopWorkplaces’ Top 10 Employers in the World.
1. Adobe
The renowned software developer, Adobe, has created a series of special educational programs for leadership development. The list includes online and offline courses not only for company employees but also for college students as follows:
- Adobe Career Academy. A virtual program for students through which participants can gain interpersonal skills and develop emotional intelligence + creative problem-solving skills;
- Accelerate Adobe Life. A program for new company employees that aims to help them adapt to the workplace ASAP. The course includes performance reviews, access to educational resources, and meetings with future colleagues.
Additionally, new employees get access to Adobe’s specially created library of educational materials, which, apart from the detailed information about the company, also includes materials on ways to develop leadership skills and career advancement. After completing the program, the employee is required to take a background check before starting a new position.
2. MasterCard
MasterCard has created several options for educational programs to develop employee leadership skills. They are designed for different levels of professional training:
- Mastercard Launch. A program for college graduates and students with a bachelor’s degree. The course provides a comprehensive curriculum for the training and professional development of future employees of the company. It also includes engaging activities aimed at learning about the business processes and customers of the MasterCard payment system;
- Summer internship program for students. The course includes effective teamwork skills, a Speaker Series for managers, practical tasks for business results, etc.;
- MBA program for business administration graduates. An 18-month rotational course includes such topics as the creation of new economic business models in Europe and the implementation of marketing strategies to promote various products worldwide.
Graduates of these programs have excellent communication skills and the ability to use systems thinking to partner effectively across the organization.
3. NBCUniversal Media
NBCUniversal has been operating its own early professional development program since 1933. It is designed for students who want to begin a career in media. A special “Future Leaders” course, designed for the comprehensive development of leadership skills, includes the following topics:
- Digital technology;
- Corporate functions;
- Business process fundamentals;
- Business development strategy.
The course involves 4 rotations, each lasting 7 months.
4. Revature
Revature is an American company that specializes in finding and developing new technical talents. Revature’s educational training programs include Appian Low-Code, a unified platform designed for people with different levels of education.
The platform helps develop the following key capabilities:
- Process mining;
- Workflow features and peculiarities;
- Business process automation.
The company also offers customized training programs for young employees.
5. McMaster-Carr
McMaster-Carr is a privately held American supplier of electronic equipment and industrial materials (e.g. hardware, fasteners, tubing, pipes, bearings, etc.). The company offers the following two types of programs for leadership development and professional growth:
- McMaster-Carr Management Development is aimed at introducing future employees to different lines of business and helping them work on productive projects;
- Long-term programs of support for employees include mentoring young managers and regular meetings with experienced colleagues for consultations.
The company also offers training benefits to all young employees, including an MBA program. In some areas, McMaster-Carr reimburses 100% of tuition fees.
Other companies
1. Upwork
The well-known freelancing exchange offers training programs for leadership development in the following areas:
- HR management;
- Professional advancement.
Both courses involve elements of coaching, as well as the transfer of experience from more experienced colleagues to younger managers. At Upwork, the aspiring manager can quickly learn new professional skills and improve his/her career growth.
2. Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young specializes in audit, consulting, and legal services. To train future managers in the Netherlands and Belgium, the company offers several leadership development courses as follows:
- Creating corporate networks;
- Motivating the team, engaging employees in productive work, and achieving strategic goals;
- Conducting meetings with business partners and customers;
- Sales training, etc.
All of these leadership development elements are designed, among other things, for startup owners.
3. Paycor
Since 1990, Paycor has specialized in creating software to automate various business processes. The main goal of the company is to help managers create successful teams and foster employee development.
In addition, Paycor has developed a joint leadership development program with Miami University’s Farmer School of Business. It is designed for high school and business school students.
The course necessarily includes final practice – the team of high school students receives a real business challenge, and the results are evaluated by a Paycor committee.
3. BetterUp
BetterUp specializes in a variety of coaching programs to create business strategies. A comprehensive leadership development program aims to produce the following results:
- Successful communication;
- Strategic planning;
- Negotiation;
- Change management.
Each participant has a personal mentor. For the duration of the training, employees can have a safe space to share their ideas and get a better idea of the skills they want to learn.
4. Stryker
Stryker is one of the most well-known manufacturers in the medical technology industry. To find new talents, the company offers various internships for students for a variety of business process areas as follows:
- Finance and Accounting (FAR);
- Rotational Intensive Specialized Experience (RISE);
- Advanced Operations Global Engineering Development Program (AOGEDP);
- Operations Leadership (OLP).
All program participants receive the support of a personal mentor, hands-on experience, and a certificate of completion. Internships are held at various company offices located throughout the United States.
5. Success Academy
Success Academy is a network of charter schools that specializes in comprehensive support of students, identification, and development of their creative abilities.
The organization offers 2 options for leadership development programs as follows:
- A 20-week annual support program is available to all Success Academy teachers. The course includes skills for successful classroom management, project management, and public speaking;
- A paid leadership development program for professionals in different industries. The 3-year course is designed for people who want to get a position in one of the Success Academy network schools.
Also included in the leadership development program are regular team meetings to promote employee development.
6. Bigos Management
Bigos Management is a Minnesota-based company that specializes in property management. The company offers comprehensive programs for the continuous professional development of leadership skills to its employees.
7. Roivant Sciences
Roivant Sciences is a large company that specializes in developing innovative medicines and their fastest possible delivery. A special analytical program for university graduates is aimed at training managers and executives.
The program involves 3 directions:
- General;
- Technical;
- Accounting.
Young specialists of the company are mentored by more experienced colleagues. The program covers a period of two years. During this time, future managers become familiar with various areas of work, thereby preparing themselves to successfully perform their job functions.
8. Triage Consulting
Triage Consulting Group is a San Francisco-based consulting company that provides consulting services to hospitals. The employer provides new employees with a comprehensive onboarding program that has won awards from Modern Healthcare, Great Place to Work, and Glassdoor.
The onboarding program involves the following 2 stages of training for new employees:
- Initial training under the guidance of experienced Triage professionals;
- A comprehensive professional development program that includes leadership development.
The help of experienced colleagues helps new Triage employees adapt quickly and feel comfortable in their new workplace. In addition to developing leadership skills, future managers also learn how to successfully manage projects.
9. Trimble
Trimble is a U.S. company mainly focused on the production of surveying equipment, GPS receivers, and laser range finders. It offers a comprehensive program to help university graduates with a bachelor’s or master’s degree launch a successful career in the company.
Trimble offers two types of programs as follows:
- An annual apprenticeship for a group of graduates. The list of areas includes, among others, HR and customer service;
- A comprehensive training program for a period of 24 months. In addition to the opportunity to gain practical experience in the business area of interest, internship participants also have the opportunity to develop their leadership skills and gain experience working in a team.
The annual Trimble Hackathon is also available to all Trimble employees. Teams from all over the world get an opportunity to share their unique ideas and gain new technical skills.
10. Veeva
Veeva Systems Inc is an American company known for its promising developments in cloud computing for the pharmaceutical and life science industry. The company offers several program options for university graduates as follows:
- Analytics development program;
- Consultant development program;
- Business consultant development program;
- Sales development program.
These programs are designed not only for interns but also for company employees. With their help, it’s possible to go from a university graduate to a leading specialist in the chosen industry.
For example, the sales development program is designed for a period of 4 years. In addition to consulting, the training program includes building partnerships with the most well-known pharmacological and biotechnological companies.
All this is possible within Generation Veeva. Future employees can work from any location in the United States. For the entire period of training, they receive the support of a mentor and the opportunity to put their newly acquired skills and knowledge into practice.
Conclusions
Leadership development programs are a long-term investment in the successful development of any organization. That’s why worldwide known companies, including Mastercard, NBCUniversal, and Upwork created their own leadership development programs for finding new employees and successful career growth.
Depending on the direction and specifics of the company, these can be internships for schoolchildren and students or internships for graduates. The purpose of such training programs is to find future employees and help them develop their professional/personal qualities.
In particular, with the help of such programs, future managers have an excellent opportunity to develop their communication and leadership skills, as well as gain valuable experience in team management.
