Leadership Development Program®

"I sent three of my senior management team through the Leadership Development Program based on recommendations from companies who called the program 'life changing.' Because of overwhelmingly positive feedback, we already have plans to expand the training to more of our top tier executives."
Paul Avery
Chief Operating Officer
Outback Steakhouse Inc.

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Read about the post-program follow-up.

Created by the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL®), this flagship leadership development experience has been in use for over 30 years and is recognized around the world for excellence in leadership development.  CCL ranked No. 6 overall in the 2012 Financial Times worldwide survey of executive education. 

Focus  

If you are a mid-to-senior level manager—a leader of managers—you lead in what CCL calls "the middle zone." You operate up and down the organizational hierarchy, as well as across functions and silos. To achieve results, you must effectively manage people and processes.

Managing from the middle zone is about connecting the strategy and the everyday work. It's a demanding role for you and an essential role for the organization.

LDP is designed to address the leadership tensions inherent in leading in the middle zone. LDP develops the skills and confidence you need to build commitment and translate strategy into effective action.

How it Works

LDP participants learn how to strengthen and refine their leadership fundamentals—communication, self-awareness, influence, and learning agility—as their roles become more complex and demanding. They will also focus on two essential competencies for managing the in the middle zone:

  • Thinking and acting systemically—understanding the big picture, seeing patterns, dealing with trade-offs.
  • Resiliency—effectively managing stress, uncertainty and setbacks.

The comprehensive assessments, along with coaching and peer learning groups, ensure LDP participants have a powerful and personal experience that drives results. An organizational business simulation and a wide variety of experiential activities drive home key lessons, providing insight that can be readily applied back at work. And two, 45-minute coaching sessions by phone provide extra support and guidance in the weeks and months after the program.

 Outcomes

By applying the lessons of LDP, managers will be better equipped to handle the tensions and ever-shifting dynamics of leading in the middle zone. They will

  • Bridge the gap between senior management and the front line.
  • Collaborate across the organization.
  • Manage complexity.
  • Leverage the experience gained from multiple life roles.
  • Build resiliency for themselves and others.

Special Features

  • Depth of assessment. A comprehensive picture of leadership skills, behaviors and preferences, including a close look at the 12 key competencies needed to succeed as a leader of managers.
  • Peer learning groups. In-the-moment feedback from peers provides insight, suggestions and support.
  • Practice and application. A business simulation and out-of-classroom experience provide tangible, practical lessons.
  • Personal coaching. A half-day session plus two, 45-minute follow-up calls with a CCL-certified coach.
  • Application. Three months after the program, participants complete a follow-up assessment to measure behavioral changes since attending LDP.

Who Should Attend

LDP is for experienced managers who work in the "middle zone" of the organization. These managers are responsible for leading other managers and/or senior professional staff. They are operational, group or department managers who have several management-level direct reports and work with multiple peers, often across functions.

LDP alumni typically describe this leadership development training as the most transformational development experience they have ever had, both personally and professionally.  Over 7,000 leaders have participated in LDP at Eckerd College.

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"We have made significant improvements in our communications working through difficult issues during this recent outage and have emerged stronger as a team to move Palisades to top decile performance. Additionally, LDP has significantly improved our leadership skills here at Palisades. The feedback tools and the high caliber of facilitated learning that takes place during LDP have been instrumental in making positive change in our leadership team's behaviors. This team recently received an Industry Strength for management effectiveness."

Chris Schwarz
Site Vice President, Palisades Plant
Entergy