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    Developing Future Leaders and Growing the Leadership Bench at Gannett

    Research Brief

    A recording for this session isn't published. Below is the BPI editorial brief — key takeaways, an in-depth summary, and FAQs drawn from the original session materials and the presenter's body of work.

    Key Takeaways

    • 1.Identify high-potential employees by assessing your current talent pool.
    • 2.Create targeted development programs, including mentorship and rotational assignments.
    • 3.Implement succession planning that aligns with strategic goals to ensure continuity.
    • 4.Foster a culture of continuous learning, growth, and constructive feedback.
    • 5.Measure the effectiveness of leadership development initiatives to gauge success.
    • 6.Use special projects to expose high-potentials to diverse aspects of the business.
    • 7.A strong leadership bench ensures organizational sustainability and growth.

    The Importance of a Strong Leadership Bench

    In a rapidly evolving business landscape, the ability to adapt and innovate depends on strong leadership at all levels. Building a robust leadership bench is a critical exercise for any forward-thinking company, ensuring a continuous supply of capable leaders for organizational sustainability and growth. Without a deliberate focus on developing future leaders, companies risk skill gaps, the loss of institutional knowledge, and a diminished capacity for strategic execution.

    Strategies for Developing Future Leaders

    Effective leadership development begins with a clear strategy for discovering and nurturing internal talent. Key approaches include:

    • Identifying High-Potentials: The first step is to assess the current talent pool to identify individuals who demonstrate leadership potential.
    • Creating Targeted Programs: Develop structured initiatives to grow talent. This can include mentorship programs pairing experienced leaders with emerging talent, facilitating knowledge transfer and skill development.
    • Providing Diverse Experiences: Rotational assignments and special projects are effective methods for exposing high-potential employees to different facets of the business, broadening their perspectives and capabilities.

    Fostering a Culture of Growth

    Leadership development is not solely about formal programs. It requires cultivating an environment where employees are empowered to grow. Leaders should foster a culture where constructive feedback and continuous learning are encouraged. This allows employees to step into their leadership potential organically.

    Succession Planning and Measurement

    To ensure continuity and stability, organizations must implement a rigorous succession plan. This plan should be regularly reviewed and updated to align with strategic goals, ensuring the right talent is being prepared for the most critical roles. Finally, it is crucial to measure the effectiveness of these initiatives to understand their impact and refine the development process.

    Building a strong leadership bench is critical for organizational sustainability and growth, ensuring a continuous supply of capable leaders. This session explores effective strategies for identifying, nurturing, and retaining talent within an organization to meet future leadership demands, a crucial exercise for any forward-thinking company.

    What you'll learn

    • Strategies for identifying high-potential employees within your organization.
    • Methods for creating targeted development programs for future leaders.
    • Approaches to succession planning that ensure continuity and stability.
    • Best practices for fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth.
    • How to measure the effectiveness of leadership development initiatives.

    Who this webinar is for

    This webinar is ideal for:

    • HR professionals and talent acquisition specialists.
    • Organizational development leaders.
    • Executives and senior managers responsible for team growth.
    • Anyone interested in creating a sustainable leadership pipeline.

    Why it matters now

    In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, organizations face unprecedented challenges and opportunities. The ability to adapt and innovate hinges on strong leadership at all levels. Without a deliberate focus on developing future leaders, companies risk losing institutional knowledge, facing skill gaps, and hindering their capacity for strategic execution. Investing in leadership development now prepares organizations for future disruptions and competitive advantage.

    How leaders can apply this

    Leaders can immediately begin by assessing their current talent pool to identify individuals with leadership potential. Implement mentorship programs that pair experienced leaders with emerging talent to facilitate knowledge transfer and skill development. Create rotational assignments or special projects that expose high-potentials to diverse aspects of the business, broadening their perspectives and capabilities. Regularly review and update succession plans to align with strategic organizational goals, ensuring that the right talent is being prepared for critical roles. Foster an environment where constructive feedback and continuous learning are encouraged, allowing employees to grow into their leadership capacities.

    About this session

    Key takeaways

    Watching this webinar gives you grounded, practical perspective on Talent Management. Expect ideas you can use in leadership conversations, not abstract theory.

    Who this is for

    CHROs, HR business partners, talent leaders, executive coaches, organizational development practitioners, and senior leaders who are responsible for resources inside their organization.

    Why it matters now

    Workforce expectations, hybrid work patterns, and AI-driven change keep raising the bar on culture and leadership. Sessions like this help leaders make smarter, more evidence-informed decisions about Talent Management.

    How to apply it

    Use the ideas here to challenge a current assumption on your team, design a single concrete experiment in the next 30 days, and bring one finding back to your leadership group for discussion.

    Frequently asked questions

    Best Practice Institute

    Best Practice Institute is the research organization behind Most Loved Workplace® certification, the SPARK Model, the Love of Workplace Index™ (LOWI™), and The Workplace Report.

    The Workplace Report

    The Workplace Report is BPI's original workplace culture research and editorial briefing series for CEOs, CHROs, people leaders, talent leaders, and employer-brand teams. It turns BPI's 25 years of research, Most Loved Workplace® certification data, SPARK findings, and current workforce signals into practical analysis leaders can use.

    The report format includes executive summaries, research-backed articles, company examples, methodology notes, and practical implications for retention, hiring, culture, leadership, and employee experience. New research and analysis is published on an ongoing editorial cadence at /workplace-report.