Main Conference Day 1: Tuesday, August 4th, 2020

Networking Lobby Opens

Welcome & Introductions

Don’t be the Best Kept Secret: Shining a light on your program’s impact

As talent management professionals, we don’t often think marketing and branding applies to us. We recruit and prepare the best new talent, and too often rely on our program’s high-quality graduates to convey the value of our program through the good work that they do. But there is danger in letting your program “speak for itself.” In this opening keynote, international marketing and customer experience expert David Avrin addresses why messaging is critical to building talent programs that gain and retain the support needed to thrive: from uniting executive sponsors, assignment managers and alumni around a shared vision, to driving the next generation of recruits. Whether you’re expanding, justifying or fighting to control the growth of a program, learn how a strong brand can be used to generate focus, cement support and create an army of ambassadors.

Networking Break

Panel: What Went Right? 

It has been said that one should “never let a good crisis go to waste.” Despite its cynical overtones, this quote captures the reality that we often experience our greatest periods of growth during times of great challenge. Our program associates would likely agree. The pressures of COVID have let to innovation & important learning in early talent management. This panel session will highlight several bright spots in the community – where strong positives emerged from the struggles with a new COVID world.

Building & Marketing your Program’s Brand

Ready to put the ideas in the keynote address into action?  Roll up your sleeves in this workshop-style session with David Avrin and take control of your particular program’s brand.  Uncover specific ways to improve the “customer experience” of your community members as they interact with your program. Determine your program’s competitive advantages and devise a tactical blueprint on how to leverage them into better recruits, stronger assignment managers and more loyal alumni.   Leave with a list of actionable ideas!

Networking Break

Topic Tables: “Idea Snack” discussion rooms

The landscape of managing early talent pipeline programs has changed dramatically over the past six months.  The best help we get is from each other. What is your most pressing challenge as you navigate the new environment?  Where do you need ideas, guidance or validation from your peers? Choose from several “topic tables” for open group discussion in this interactive community session. Stay with the same group, or pop in and out of these moderated intimate chats. Leave with ideas and confidence.

Main Conference Day 2: Wednesday, August 5th, 2020

Networking Lobby Opens

Improving Results through Better Orientation: A Model you can Reproduce

How well are you preparing your new hires for success in your program? The most recent LDP Survey results show a strong correlation between length of orientation and the confidence of managers in their ability to demonstrate program value. Immersive and multi-faceted orientation events pay dividends to participants, assignment managers and the company. In this session, we will explore the critical elements of orientation, and how to optimize the experience for participants. Drawing on many years of experience supporting early career development, we will share an onboarding model that provides new-hires not only the functional, business and leadership foundation they need but more importantly the confidence needed to make an immediate positive impact in their rotations and on their teams. This early success translates into better retention and higher performing graduates

Networking Break

Servant Leadership: Building Meaningful Service into your Curriculum

The best leaders are those who serve – making service an important value to growing companies and our next generation of manages.  Fortunately, most of today’s top campus hires have grown up in an environment of community service. But inside of a fast-track development program, is there room for it? How do can you provide a service experience that both reinforces the values of your company and keeps your associates moving forward with their development plan? Vince Bond, Associate Vice President of Leadership Programs at Synchrony, co-founded a service initiative with Synchrony’s Business Leadership Program that sends associates on fully-funded, month-long assignments serving the community with skills developed in-program. This session will cover the challenges and rewards of that journey, including aligning service with learning, winning executive support, building a partner network and the positive impact of this program on Synchrony’s success.

Scaling without Dilution

When thinking about scaling your program, sometimes a refresh can be a nice validation of the essential work already at play and an opportunity to evaluate the gaps. This session will be a strategic exploration of how to scale program administration to align and deliver on your company’s objectives without diluting its impact. We will seek to raise dialogue on the following questions: How much can we handle without diluting our program’s impact? How do program stakeholders’ roles evolve? How can we creatively package and scale elements of the program? How do we properly manage the expectations of our community members? Join Tina Gonzalez and Shanon Phillips for a case study on how Cardinal Health managed the refresh of its leadership development program and discuss strategies for managing it in your organization.

Networking Break

Day 3: Thursday, August 6th, 2020

Networking Lobby Opens

Analysis of Key Findings from the 2020 LDP Survey

The 3rd edition of the LDP Survey captured data on how 140 early career pipeline programs across the United States are positioned, managed and evaluated.  Our research analyst took a look at what practices correlate to higher levels of program performance and success.  We’ll explore those findings here.  What do the data tell us?

Networking Break

Going Global: How to accommodate regional differences without losing your grip

On paper you may have one program. But once your program has expanded into different countries, and been influenced by local needs and expectations, it can start to feel like several. This natural tendency to take on different forms across new regions does not need to lead to chaos or frustration. You can ensure your program’s key success factors drive consistency globally, while remaining flexible to unique regional needs. Tiffany Poeppelman of LinkedIn’s Business Leadership Program (BLP) will share the lessons that have helped keep a dispersed team aligned and operating as one program globally, while accommodating cultural differences. She will discuss how we can match region-specific needs with globally focused campaigns, drive performance management practices globally (while maintaining local flexibility), invest in program-wide operational hygiene, and maintain accountability through consistency, and consistency through accountability. Bring your own ideas and challenges around expanding a program with integrity, and navigating the cultural differences that simultaneously delight and frustrate us!

Development Programs and Professional Associations: Alinging for better outcomes

Professional associations have long worked to deliver to its members what we hope to deliver to our program participants: practical and measurable learning, professional development, and a strong network.  Lisa Beaudoin of the Institute of Management Accountants will share examples of how the IMA has supported corporate partners to deepen curriculum and keep associates connected to the larger community of their profession.  At a time when programs are becoming more focused on the career progression of their alumni, aligning with a professional association can begin to fill post-program gaps that program managers can’t address on their own

Networking Break

This is the Brain before Age 25: Cognitive-Based Strategies for Supporting LDP Associates in their Early Twenties

Setting the proper expectations for our program participants is a popular topic of discussion inside the LDP community.  We want associates to meet our standards, set realistic objectives and understand their opportunities.  But have you ever taken a deep look at what you expect of your participants?  You may be surprised by what the neuroscience tells us about the cognitive development of someone in their early to mid-twenties. Could a better understanding of the brain help you better align with your hires and to help them get more out of themselves?  Join Lora Dever, Learning and Development Consultant at Dell, and Education Leadership & Policy doctoral student at Vanderbilt University, for an exciting trip into the minds of your new hires, and a look at how brain maturation can impact leadership development.

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