From ground-level managers to senior executives, it’s leadership that makes a company.
In fact, Gallup found that 70% of the variance in employee engagement is attributed to managers.
Given the ever-tightening labor market, solid leadership is more important than ever. But, leadership development doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Below are a number of lists for leadership development resources.
Leadership Development Associations
Leadership development associations provide a central hub for leadership training resources. They’re an essential tool when developing a leadership development strategy.
Listed below, you’ll find the top organizations that specialize in developing leadership.
The American Management Association
Society for Human Resource Management
Association for Talent Development
American Leadership Development Association
National Management Association
American Society of Association Executives
Association of Leadership Programs
International Leadership Association
Academy of Human Resource Development
Center for Creative Leadership
Harvard Business Publishing: Corporate Learning
Business Professionals of America
Association of Latino Professionals For America
The Senior Executives Association
American Veterinary Medical Association
TedTalks on Leadership
TedTalks are an excellent way to reinforce leadership lessons. They offer bite-sized inspiration that can fit in anywhere.
Below are some of the best leadership talks available.
Roselinde Torres: What it takes to be a great leader
Drew Dudley: Everyday leadership
Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action
Simon Sinek: Why good leaders make you feel safe
Elizabeth Lyle: How to break bad management habits before they reach the next generation of leaders
Charlene Li: Efficient leadership in the digital era
Dan Pink: The puzzle of motivation
Margaret Heffernan: Dare to disagree
Itay Talgam: Lead like the great conductors
Stanley McChrystal: Listen, learn … then lead
David Logan: Tribal leadership
Tim Harford: Trial, error and the God complex
Sheryl Sandberg: So we leaned in … now what?
Derek Sivers: How to start a movement
John Wooden: The difference between winning and succeeding
Rick Warren: A life of purpose
Shawn Achor: The happy secret to better work
Adam Grant: Are you a giver or a taker?
Dan Pink: The puzzle of motivation
Tom Wujec: Got a wicked problem? First, tell me how you make toast
Fields Wicker-Miurin: Learning from leadership’s missing manual
Nancy Duarte: The secret structure of great talks
Nilofer Merchant: Got a meeting? Take a walk
Fred Swaniker: The leaders who ruined Africa, and the generation who can fix it
Linda Cliatt-Wayman: How to fix a broken school? Lead fearlessly, love hard
Adam Grant: The surprising habits of original thinkers
Amy Cuddy: Your body language may shape who you are
How should a CEO lead? A musical exploration
Charlene Li: Efficient leadership in the digital era
Thought Leaders
Thought leaders provide a wealth of content. Going straight to the source of those quotes you’re always seeing is a great way of finding deeper insights.
Below are some essential thought leaders to look into and model after.
Workshops
Leadership development workshops provide hands-on experience that can pack a lot of learning into a short amount of time. There’s a lot out there, however, so it’s vital that you find one that caters to your needs.
Below is a selection of proven workshops with a variety of specialties.
Disney Institute: Professional Development & Leadership Training
John Maxwell: On-Site Workshops
CMOE: Bottom Line Leadership Training
Dale Carnegie Leadership Development
Talensmart: Emotional Intelligence Certification
WJM Associates: Leadership Development Workshops
The Ken Blanchard Companies: Leadership Events and Training
Leadership Development Books
CEOs on average read 60 books a year. This isn’t a coincidence. To be an effective leader, there’s no way of getting around the need for the occasional deep dive.
Below are some essential classics in leadership development to get you started.
The Science of Story: Brand is a Reflection of Culture by Adam Fridman
Developing Global Leader: Insights from African Case Studies
Applied Leadership Development (Leadership: Research and Practice) by Al Bolea and Leanne Atwater
Developing the Leader Within You 2.0 by John C. Maxwell
Humble Leadership: The Power of Relationships, Openness, and Trust (The Humble Leadership Series)
Leadership is an Art, by Max DePree
Leadershift, by John C. Maxwell
Scholarly Leadership Research
Unfortunately, the world of leadership development is full of claims that aren’t backed by research. The best way to get around this is to turn straight to scholarly research.
Test your assumptions and read the insightful, research-backed articles below.
Global Leadership Development Why Leadership Development Efforts Fail Leadership Development: The Path to Greater Effectiveness Harvard Business Review: The State of Leadership Development Report Academia.edu: Leadership Development
Leadership Development Method: A Literature Review of Leadership Development Strategy and Tactics
The Many Faces of Leadership: Proposing Research Agenda Through a Review of Literature
How Effective Leadership Can Facilitate Change in Organizations through Improvement and Innovation
RAND Corporation: Organizational Leadership Development
Research on the Importance of Leadership Development
Leadership Development: A Review and Agenda for Future Research
Senior Leaders’ Strategic Role in Leadership Development
Leadership Conferences and Live Events
Like concerts and sporting events, live leadership events have a special way of pumping you up. They provide the inspiration you need to take that pivotal next step.
Below is an exciting assortment of live events and conferences in leadership development.
Human Capital Institute: 2020 Learning & Leadership Development Conference
2020 Chief Executive Leadership Summit
Stanford Business: Executive Education
Small Business Leadership Conference
EY: The Strategic Growth Forum
The Culture First Global Conference
Continuing Education
New developments are emerging every day. In today’s marketplace, lifelong learning is essential to remain competitive.
The programs below provide the education leaders today need to develop.
eCornell: Leadership Certificates
Walsh College: Master of Science in Organizational Leadership
SNHU: Organizational Leadership (BS)
UC Berkeley: Leadership Development Programs
Yale: Leadership Development Programs
Brockport: Leadership Development
Bloomfield: Student Leadership Development Program
Rider: Leadership Development Program
Umass Lowell: Leadership Development & Rotational Programs
Great Valley: Master of Leadership Development
Southern Maine Community College: Leadership Development Courses
Harvard Business School: Program for Leadership Development
Babson College: Leadership Series
Colorado State University: Online Organizational Leadership BS
Michigan Ross: Emerging Leaders Program
MIT: Leadership in an Exponentially Changing World
Antioch University: Graduate School of Leadership and Change
Northwestern: Kellogg Executive Education
Columbia: Leadership Development
University of Colorado Boulder: Master of Science in Organizational Leadership
Queens University of Charlotte: Executive Leadership Institute
Sellinger Business School: Advanced Leadership Development Program – Sellinger Business School
University of Minnesota: Leadership Development Programs
