Leadership Development Program (LDP)®

Leading from the middle of an organization is a balancing act, with pressure coming from both above and below. Leaders must be able to collaborate across the organization — and across the globe — with courage, curiosity, and compassion, all while maintaining resilience in the face of uncertainty.

Best for

Mid-level leaders

Format

In person or
Live online

Duration

5-day intensive, within a 5-month journey

Model

Live instructor-led, with executive coach

Class Size

Faculty-to-participant ratio: 1:12

Locations

Americas

APAC

EMEA

About the Program Experience

The longest-running and most widely recognized program of its kind in the world, our flagship Leadership Development Program (LDP)® is the one that pioneered the industry.

It’s a highly personalized, evidence-based leadership training program built on decades of research and designed especially for those leading in the middle of their organizations.

LDP® builds the skills and confidence that leaders of managers need to inspire commitment, handle challenges, and translate strategy into effective action.

Our Leadership Development Program is designed to address the unique challenges experienced by those leading from the middle of the organization: Experienced leaders, mid-level managers, directors, and leaders of senior professionals.

Participants in our Leadership Development Program learn:

  • How to enhance impact by building self-awareness and agility
  • Ways to inspire team performance, whether in person, virtually, or in hybrid work environments
  • Effective feedback techniques
  • Holistic resilience tools to leverage their whole self across their many roles
  • Skills for building trust and leading with authenticity in a complex and changing world
  • Mindsets of curiosity, compassion, and courage to meet the challenges of today and create success that can shape the future

Participants gain a clear perspective on who they are as leaders, discover how to find balance to thrive in personal and professional environments, and forge a clear path forward with ongoing support for whatever the future may hold.

The leadership development program learning journey includes intensive, individualized assessments, innovative and hands-on learning exercises, peer feedback, and one-on-one coaching sessions to help reinforce learning and sustain transformation.

Delivered by highly qualified faculty and coaches, this leadership development training includes:

  • 360-degree assessment + 2 self-assessments
  • Research-based curriculum on the skillsets and mindsets required to lead from the middle
  • Hands-on practice applying new skills to a real-world challenge
  • 5 hours of one-on-one coaching

Preparing a Foundation for Lasting Impact

In the 2 months leading up to the program intensive, participants prepare for the experience by engaging in required online coursework. This allows time to complete assessments and other activities, ensuring each participant receives maximum benefit from their CCL experience to support their personal and professional growth.

Engaging in the Program Intensive: Program Agenda

Whether experiencing the program intensive live in person or live online, participants explore the following topics:

Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5
Understanding Yourself in a Complex and Changing WorldAccelerating Team Achievement & BelongingIncreasing Capacity in Organizational SystemsFinding Opportunity in Challenges & New Solutions to Systemic ProblemsSetting a New Direction

In-person classes are held from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm local time Monday through Thursday, and 8:00 am to 12:00 noon local time on Friday.

The Next Chapter

Following the program intensive, participants continue to receive support for their development, including 2 personalized follow-up coaching sessions to reinforce lasting behavior change; opportunities to reconnect with program peers; and access to toolkits and other resources to plan their next steps and sustain their learning. Participants also have an opportunity to complete a final assessment, Reflections® 360, to measure application and post -program growth.

With hundreds of thousands of proud program alumni around the globe, our Leadership Development Program (LDP)® is the one that started it all. The world’s most widely known and longest-running leadership development training program, it provides:

  • Evidence-based learning, addressing what our decades of research has found are the top challenges faced and competencies needed when leading from the middle
  • World-class faculty, highly trained and experienced in classroom delivery and group facilitation (both in person and virtually)
  • Intense and individualized feedback, with highly personalized insights from 360 and other assessment data, 1:1 executive coaching sessions, and peer learning to unlock self-awareness, reflection, and personal and professional development
  • An opportunity to build a peer network of fellow leaders who are on a similar path and join our exclusive alumni community for ongoing support and continued reinforcement
  • Real-world application, with dedicated time to focus on a current leadership challenge that really matters to the participant and organization
  • A chance to earn continuing education credentials — upon completion, participants are awarded 3.5 CEUs in partnership with National University
  • Lasting results and return on investment, with post-program data showing meaningful changes for participants as individual leaders and sustained impact on their teams and organizations

After completing our Leadership Development Program, participants consistently report greater self-awareness and positive changes related to influence, teamwork, and communication.

In fact, many will tell you that LDP was the most transformational development experience they’ve ever had in their career or personal life.

Requirements for Program Participation

Our programs provide personalized insights into participants’ unique leadership style and abilities. Completing required online coursework and assessments ensures maximum benefit from the development experience to support personal and professional growth. Specific assignments will be communicated with ample time for completion. 

Payment & Cancellation Information

Online registration requires payment by credit card. If you require other payment methods, such as invoicing your organization, please contact us to register.

If you need to transfer or cancel a program registration, fees may apply. Please review our Transfer & Cancellation Policy for complete details.

Program tuition includes all program materials and some meals and transportation. Participants are responsible for reserving and paying for their hotel, airfare, additional meals, and other travel expenses.

We strongly encourage participants to book early at the designated program hotel to access the CCL-provided transportation to and from the program each day. Details vary by program and location. After you register, you’ll receive a link to our Leadership Accelerator platform, where you’ll find the recommended program hotel and travel information specific to your program.

Upcoming Program Dates & Locations

Want to Offer Leadership Development to Multiple Participants?

Volume pricing options are available for organizations wishing to offer our flagship leadership training experience or other open leadership programs to multiple leaders.

Let’s co-create a custom leadership development program for leaders at your organization. Our dedicated experts can assess and design for your unique context.

Scale leadership development for every leader level with unlimited access to our proven programs, assessments, and more, all based on 50+ years of pioneering research.

Still Have Questions?

We’re here to answer your questions about our leadership development program and more.

What Our Alumni Are Saying

As a top-ranked provider of leadership development, we’ve shaped the industry for more than 50 years and are trusted globally to design and deliver solutions that enable individuals and organizations to reach their full potential. Clients around the world — including 2/3 of the Fortune 1000 — have partnered with us to offer our flagship Leadership Development Program (LDP)® to their leaders, driving remarkable transformations at their organizations.

But don’t just take our word for it — take theirs.

LDP transformed my understanding of leadership and what it means to work within an organization. I expected lectures and catch phrases, but instead I found genuine connections and a new perspective on my life and my career.

Christy Byrd headshot

Christy Byrd

Associate Professor & Director of Graduate Programs

North Carolina State University

LDP helped develop my thinking as a leader, as well as the most important aspect I learned during the week: actually receiving feedback. This course was fantastic and I enjoyed every day, especially given the diverse group of people that I experienced it with. I would gladly do another course with CCL after taking this course; it was well worth the time and money!

Jon Maas

Director of Finance and Administration

Dancing Goat Distillery

LDP will change your life if you let it. The program removes you from the day-to-day work environment and creates a unique learning culture I’ve never experienced before. Each step of the program is well-designed and strategic — you leave with tools and a personal coach to keep you accountable on your new goals. I highly recommend this investment in yourself!

Sunshine Weihert

VP of Support Services

FAST Credit Union

This program is transformational… Rather than tidbits or tips and tricks, this course will change the fundamentals of how you think through leadership, team building, workplace conflict and networking.

Charlotte Wells

Client Services Manager

CCL changed me forever when I participated in their flagship Leadership Development Program. The program helped me become much more self-aware and evaluate my leadership skills.

Natalie Dean Hawkins

Assistant Manager

Village of Pinehurst

When was the last time you felt yourself noticeably grow in less than 5 days?

Megan Kennedy

Head of Online Learning

Kromatic

Impact of Our Leadership Development Program (LDP)®

With over 100K alumni, our world-renowned Leadership Development Program (LDP)® is the longest-running program of its kind in the world. Here’s what global participants have to say about this transformational experience:

would recommend this program to a colleague
1 %
say they are better prepared for future responsibilities
1 %
say this program was worth the time & effort
1 %

Learn More About Our Leadership Development Program

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Related to Our Leadership Development Program (LDP)®

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Leadership Development Training for Those Leading from the Middle: Research & Resources

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More Information About Our Leadership Development Program

A leadership development program helps build an individual’s leadership skill and capacity to excel, both personally and professionally, in their role and organization. The best leadership development programs are research-based and build needed competencies while preparing leaders to tackle the challenges they face.

At the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), we’ve been pioneering leadership training and research since the 1970s, and we literally hold the trademark for leadership development training with our flagship Leadership Development Program (LDP)®, the longest-running program of its kind in the world. With over 100,000 global alumni, our Leadership Development Program is widely recognized as best-in-class leadership training and provides a highly personalized, transformational learning experience for leaders.

Professional development is important for leaders because it helps ensure their skills and knowledge stay up-to-date. Our Leadership Development Program (LDP)® provides participants a clearer understanding of their leadership style, as well as opportunities for skill development and personal and professional goal-setting — which are crucial to success.

The program is specifically tailored to support mid- to senior-level leaders, and helps them bridge the gap between senior management and the front lines while building self-awareness and critical leadership competencies. 

Participants of our Leadership Development Program (LDP)® learn how to lead more effectively across boundaries, align their teams around a shared direction, build team commitment and collaboration, solve complex issues and balance competing priorities, manage stress and increase resiliency, and engage with a network for support. 

Leaders at all levels can benefit from leadership development training programs, but our world-class Leadership Development Program (LDP)® is an immersive training created specifically for the needs of mid- to senior-level leaders — those who are “leading from the middle.” This may include team leaders, general managers, plant managers, regional managers, divisional managers, directors, and even vice presidents. This research-based leadership development training program is built around the 6 key skills mid-level leaders need to succeed.

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