Among the hardest challenges HR professionals face in large organizations is the process of building a leadership development program (LDP) that will meet the needs of varied operational roles, such as information technology, sales, research and development, engineering, and e-marketing. The roles and functions of all these disciplines are different, and as HR training and development professionals, we have to work at understanding these roles and what they have in common and what is unique to each. This is a requirement in order to establish and maintain credibility within the organization. The HR team is being given the charge of developing future leaders, and we have to embrace the role with professionalism. We must be prepared to present well-researched, quality training and developmental opportunities that expose prospective leaders to opportunities to grow and thrive. When you are leading or executing a part of the LDP for a large organization, business acumen is an expectation from all members of the team.

For this discussion, respond to the following:

• If you were assigned to develop and implement a leadership development program in a large organization, what resources would you seek out?
• What attributes and skills would you require your team members to have?
• What would you recommend as processes to select employees for this program?
• How long should the LDP be?
• Should there be different LDP levels? If so, what should they be?