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What are Leadership Development Programs?
Also commonly referred to as Rotational Programs or Management Associate Programs, Leadership Development Programs (LDPs) occupy another percentage of the overall structured hiring environment. LDPs require that students get hired into a specific function (such as Finance, Marketing, and/or Operations/Supply Chain), but candidates will then rotate across different functional areas of the business. This approach enables candidates to gain broad perspective of the functions within a large organization, how they intersect, and the impact each area has individually and collectively on the business and its consumers.
Timing
LDPs vary in length, but on average tend to be structured as one or two-year programs with a set number of rotations within that timeframe ranging from 6 months to 1 year]. Some programs will rotate you across functions within one office [typically headquarters], while others will require geographic mobility with rotations across the US. There are also LDPs that include international rotations.
Placement
LDPs are utilized as an intense training ground to develop leaders within an organization. As such, the intent following the successful completion of program rotations is placement [at manager level or higher] within a functional unit. This is not a guaranteed spot, however, and the placement process can be equally rigorous, requiring candidates to interview with units where an opening exists.
Ideal profile
Although companies with LDPs will include emphasis on a specific functional area, overall, these programs are designed to identify and train future business leaders. This goal includes the expectation that selected candidates will bring expertise within a functional area, but also strategic perspective necessary to operate at an elevated level across the business. Key qualities sought by LDP hiring companies include:
- Strong leadership profile demonstrated through prior experience
- Exceptional communication & Presentation skills
- Strategic, forward-thinking. “big picture” perspective
Alumni insight
"Success will always come to those who are hardworking, respectful, and humble. Though these qualities are not directly taught in the classroom, they are profoundly vital in the workplace. It is unfortunate that not everyone possesses these qualities, but if you are able to work on these characteristics during the master’s program and demonstrate daily that you have them, then you will undoubtedly stand out from the crowd."
Sample of companies with Leadership Development Programs
Abbott Labs
Amazon
Archer Daniels Midland
Asbury Automotive Group
AstraZeneca
AT&T
Bank of America
BASF
Baxter
Belden
Bertelsmann
Blinds to Go
BMW
Bosch
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Burke, Inc.
Campbell Soup Co.
Cargill
Chevron
Cigna
Citigroup
CocaCola
Cooper
Diageo
Discover
Dow Chemical
Duke Energy
DuPont
Eaton
Ecolab
Eli Lilly
Emerson Electric
Fidelity
Ford
Gavilon Group
Genentech
General Electric
General Mills
GlaxoSmithKline
Hess Corp.
Hewlett-Packard
Humana
IBM
Intel
John Deere
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson Controls
JP Morgan Chase
Kaplan
Liberty Mutual
Lockheed Martin
L'Oreal
M&T Bank Corp.
Marriott International
McGraw-Hill
Medtronic
Merck
MetLife
Nationwide Insurance
Navistar
Nestle Purina
New York Life Insurance
Nike
Nissan
Norfolk Southern
NovoNordisk
Owens Corning
Paccar
Pacific Gas & Electric
PNC Financial
Pratt & Whitney
Procter & Gamble
Prudential Financial
Putnam Investments
Raytheon
Reckitt Benckiser
Roche Group
SC Johnson
Sears
SEI
Shell
Standard Chartered Bank
Stanley Black & Decker
SunTrust
Syngenta
T. Rowe Price
Target
Tenet
Texas Instruments
Thomson Reuters
Toys “R” Us
Tyco
United Technologies
Vanguard
Volvo
Wal-Mart
Western Southern Fin.
Whirlpool
Zimmerman Biomet
Alumni insight
"My advice to current and future graduate students is to seek as much information from as many people as possible during your times at Tippie. You are seated at a unique fork in the road where you can choose from an unlimited number of paths and the biggest thing that will facilitate your success is the knowledge you glean from those around you, including peers, professors, industry leaders, alumni, and future employers."