Executive Summary

In a significant achievement for leadership development, a leading retail company and TrainingPros were honored with the Silver Brandon Hall Group Award in 2024 for the “Best Leadership Development Program.” This virtual, nomination-based program was designed to fill a leadership development gap for high-performing individual contributors and focused on developing critical skills such as personal branding, influence without authority, and managing up and across.

The program achieved remarkable success, with participants experiencing a significant improvement in leadership competencies, a 30% promotion rate within eight months, and a 100% retention rate. Featuring senior executive involvement and a focus on peer learning, the program is now a cornerstone of the retail company’s leadership offerings. 

The Business Need

The leadership development initiative was driven by a clear business goal: to increase the promotion rate of individual contributors within the company. In 2022, the retail company’s internal promotion rate was 17.5% over a 12-month period. To enhance this, the Leadership and Development team identified a gap in leadership development offerings for high-performing individual contributors, a group previously not included in corporate leadership programs.

Through a comprehensive needs analysis, they pinpointed key skill gaps among individual contributors. The analysis revealed a pressing need for personal branding, influencing without authority, and managing up and across the organization. In response, they crafted the award-winning leadership development program, focused on helping these aspiring leaders build a personal leadership foundation. 

The Solution 

TrainingPros provided expert instructional design consultants to work with the leadership development team. Together, they designed the award-winning leadership development program. The leadership program was designed to be virtual, catering to remote employees. It was delivered over three days, with each day focusing on a specific leadership theme—Influencing Others, Managing Up, and Prioritizing Self-Development. Interactive workbooks, peer feedback, and breakout sessions were included to foster learning and engagement. Each session also featured an executive speaker, ensuring the program had senior-level buy-in and provided participants with opportunities to connect with company leaders.

The Result 

The measurable benefits of this program were substantial. Participants showed significant improvements across several leadership competencies, including a 67% increase in influence without authority and a 111% increase in on-the-job influence. Furthermore, 30% of the program participants were promoted within eight months, demonstrating a notable increase over the company’s general promotion rate. Additionally, 100% of the participants were retained, outperforming the company’s 92% overall retention rate.

This award-winning program is now a permanent part of the retail company’s leadership development offerings, with future cohorts already scheduled for 2024. The collaboration between the retail company and TrainingPros not only resulted in enhanced leadership capabilities but also secured their place as industry leaders in cultivating internal talent.