Senior Leader and High-Potential Development

Building Your Senior Leadership Bench

About 60% of executives say they were not prepared for the strategic challenges they faced upon being appointed to senior leadership roles. It’s no surprise, then, that 50%– 60% of executives fail within the first 18 months of being promoted or hired.1

Organizations need their next generation of leaders to assume greater leadership scope, responsibility, and complexity at a rate faster than their predecessors. Much will be asked of these future leaders, yet what do proven experiences look like that truly prepare high potentials to meet and exceed expectations? We can help.

MDA Leadership excels at crafting company-specific, tailored development journeys to prepare your senior leaders for future priorities and challenges in a changed business world. We advocate these best practices as they increase the ultimate impact and sustainability of high-potential programs:

  • Think of high-potential development as a business imperative—Senior leadership needs to look at this as a way to engage a core group of leaders in building the organization of the future.
  • Engage senior leadership—Be sure that senior leaders are engaged in and support your high-potential development efforts. Walk them through the thinking and decision-making around your program and involve senior leaders as faculty in developing high potentials.
  • Create a cross-pollination of participants—Seek a diverse group of high potentials from across the organization, so that they can learn more from one another and build strong networks across the enterprise.
  • Emphasize assessment—Empower participants with knowledge about their strengths and development opportunities through assessment, so they can fully leverage program content based on their own context.
  • Accelerate leadership growth and capacity through coaching—An executive coach can help high potentials understand what is required to be successful at different levels of leadership, gain deep insight into their leadership impact, and translate this insight into action through growth planning.
  • Include powerful action learning projects—Be sure that the action learning opportunities provided are substantive and relevant to the organization’s interests.
  • Set participant expectations—Remind high potentials that the value of this work is not entirely from the action learning project and that the organization cares equally about their personal development and growth.
  • Take a long view of ROI—While the action learning projects will likely provide a solid return on your investment, think of high-potential development ROI as a long-term process, spanning several years, in order to see the ultimate impact on the business.

1Harvard Business Review, “Executives Fail to Execute Strategy Because They’re Too Internally Focused,” November 2017.

C-suite Selection and Succession: Delivering Leadership Excellence for the Future

MDA Leadership helps CEOs articulate executive leadership needs, identify top talent, and accelerate C-suite transitions.

Senior Executive Blueprinting ™
Succession planning begins at the top. CEOs, in partnership with human resources and their boards, must think carefully about the talent they need for the future in key leadership roles. Similar to CEO Blueprinting™, MDA Leadership helps our clients articulate the executive leadership they will need to successfully navigate emerging business challenges and drive evolving strategies.
C-suite Selection and Succession
Not all C-suite hires and promotions achieve success. We help CEOs select the right executives by bringing an informed, experienced, and objective voice to the table. Based on a CEO’s criteria and an organization’s norms, we assess and analyze executive candidates to provide definitive and well-grounded promotion and hiring recommendations.
C-Suite Transitions
About 60% of executives say they were not prepared for the strategic challenges they faced in their new senior leadership roles.3 MDA Leadership accelerates effective transition into the C-suite. Through a unique discovery process, we help executives gain deep insight into what it will take to be successful given stakeholder expectations, team dynamics, and the nuances of C-suite leadership. Our seasoned coaches guide leaders in designing and executing highly relevant and engaging onboarding plans.

Board Services: Enhancing Board Effectiveness

MDA Leadership helps boards strengthen their governance roles and internal dynamics.

Board Evaluations
Most boards are required to evaluate their own performance on an annual basis—an exercise that can range from “checking the box” to an experience that truly engages board members in the right conversations. Our services include full board evaluations, individual director reviews, peer feedback, chair role transitions, and action planning.
Board and CEO Consultation
Creating strong board and CEO collaboration requires mutual trust and respect. Forging and maintaining productive relationships cannot be left to chance. MDA Leadership provides trusted advisor consultation for CEOs and their boards to foster alignment in critical areas such as decision-making, role clarity, governance, and communication.
CEO Coaching and Trusted Advisor Consultation
Two-thirds of CEOs don’t receive any outside advice on their leadership skills, and yet almost all would be receptive to suggestions from a coach.4 Since a one-size-fits-all playbook for CEOs doesn’t exist, MDA Leadership provides CEO coaching. Whether business performance is hitting the mark or not, even seasoned CEOs benefit from the safe place and counsel we provide to help them evolve their leadership.

Let’s begin a conversation.

At MDA Leadership, we know there are no one-size-fits-all solutions for every organization. We take the time to get to know your business and your leadership needs and recommend a range of options that are the best fit for your growth goals. Let's see how MDA Leadership can optimize your Talent Strategy for the Long Run®.