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The Institute for Leadership Development and Research
ELC DEPARTMENTAL UPDATES
DEPARTMENT LEAD Ramien Pierre
Director
Return to In-Person Delivery
Our Institute for Leadership Development & Research continues its longstanding commitment to strengthen the talent pipeline of Black leaders. This year, as COVID-19 restrictions lifted and cases of outbreaks reduced, the department’s efforts centered on the return to delivering in-person and hybrid leadership development programs.
C-Suite Academy
In June, 40 senior executives convened in Atlanta for the Institute’s first open-enrollment leadership development program since 2019. This year’s program featured fireside chats with CEOs from Accenture, BlueLinx Inc., Converse, and UPS.
Leadership Development Week East
From July 3–August 5, 123 Black corporate professionals gathered in Miami Beach to attend the following six-week-long courses: LDW East: Bright Futures, Strategic Pathways for Women, Navigating the Corporate Landscape, Leading Innovation, Strengthening the Pipeline 1, and Strengthening the Pipeline 2.
Leadership Development Week West
In San Francisco, 53 Black corporate professionals attended the three-week-long courses that constituted LDW West: Bright Futures, Navigating the Corporate Landscape, and Strengthening the Pipeline 1.
Mid-Level Managers’ Symposium
From October 3–6, the Institute held both a virtual and an in-person MLMS—the first live MLMS since 2019. Both programs had over 1,000 participants and featured 26 sessions delivered by 46 presenters.
“I earned my place in LDW by showing up as a leader in my workplace in a specific capacity. What I’ve learned this week is that I do not and have not leveraged myself and my abilities strategically. This week has not only given me an awakening, and a guideline to follow, it has also given me a network of like-minded leaders who can provide me with feedback as I reinvent myself.”
- Leadership Development Week East 2022 Participant
The Institute also published two editions of The ELC’s A Research Journal for Black Professionals and served as research partner for a study of the Black experience in the UK workforce. Being Black in the United Kingdom was released in July 2022 with findings revealing that “racism, microaggressions and unfair treatment are still the norm for Black professionals in the UK workplace.”
What can you expect from The Institute in 2023?
In support of The ELC’s future-focused strategic pillars, The Institute has a number of exciting initiatives planned for 2023 to expand the breadth and impact of its work.
This year, the organization piloted a variety of enhancements to the Corporate Board Initiative (CBI). Despite some challenges, distilled lessons learned will be leveraged by The Institute towards partnering with a member advisory group to refine and relaunch a CBI that meets the needs and expectations of the membership.
Similarly, The ELC plans to renew its focus on research, measurement and evaluation, with the aim of using more analysis and data to inform every part of the business -- from member engagement to advocacy and human resources.
Virtual and Hybrid Delivery
In 2023 several programs will be delivered virtually or be offered in a hybrid format — with both in-person attendees and streaming options for virtual attendees. While the Power of Women at Work (May 3-5, 2023) and Black Men in Leadership (May 3-5, 2023), will only be held virtually, next year’s Mid-Level Managers’ Symposium will be one hybrid event hosted on October 4th and 5th.
Three Leadership Development Weeks
The ELC’s signature intensive leadership development program, LDW, will be delivered three times in 2023. Two of those deliveries will be virtual (February 21-23, 2023 and November 7-9, 2023) and feature six courses: Bright Futures, Strategic Pathways for Women, Navigating the Corporate Landscape, Leading Innovation, Strengthening the Pipeline 1, and Strengthening the Pipeline 2. The Institute is proud to add two additional courses entitled, “Crucial Conversations,” and “Navigating Racism as Leaders” to the roster. In 2023, there will be only one in-person delivery of LDW: June 26-29, 2023 in New Orleans.
Accreditation
As part of its efforts to design, develop and deliver best-in-class leadership development programs, The ELC is working to attain accreditation for Institute programs in 2023. After it is finalized, accreditation will allow The ELC to offer continuing education credits and certifications for Institute programs.
Featuring ELC Members
As part of ongoing efforts to increase the member value proposition, The ELC will use Institute programs to feature ELC members as the subject matter experts they are. This includes featuring ELC members as presenters, moderators and fireside chat interviewees for both open-enrollment Institute programs (e.g., LDW, MLMS), and custom leadership development programs provided to ELC corporate partners.
