Development at Every Level: Build a Pipeline for the Future

Denver N. Ritz-Vorwald, MSHRM, Head of Talent Development & Organizational Effectiveness, Hormel Foods

Denver N. Ritz (He/They) is a seasoned HR professional with 19 years of experience spanning learning and development, leadership coaching, equity and inclusion, and mentoring. A proud queer, Jewish, first-generation college graduate who overcame food insecurity and lives with a brain injury, Denver champions unapologetic authenticity and inclusion in all aspects of life and work. Holding a master’s in strategic human resources from Purdue University, Denver is a certified facilitator and acclaimed speaker, known for inspiring keynotes like "A Conversation with My Future Self."

Through this article, Ritz highlights that leadership skills are essential at all levels, not confined to titles or a corner office and emphasizes the need for a tiered development approach that offers leadership training at every level.

Traditional approaches to leadership development have often been focused on senior leaders or an exclusive club where select high-potential team members receive specialized learning to grow their capabilities. However, this long-practiced model fails to meet the needs of today’s business environment. Organizations now realize that leadership is not confined to a title or a corner office. Leadership skills are essential across all levels, from individual contributors to senior executives, as they build a culture of innovation, adaptability, accountability, and a growth mindset.

This shift represents a new era in leadership development that HR and organizational effectiveness professionals must champion. Today’s workplaces are more connected than ever, and team members collaborate across departments, brands, hierarchies, and even geographies. In this context, leadership is no longer about managing work; it is focused on leading people, influencing outcomes, driving change, developing talent, and fostering collaboration. We must build these capabilities early in every team member’s journey.

So, how can we reimagine our leadership development strategy to meet these new demands?

Traditional leadership programs often cater exclusively to those already in people leadership or executive roles. While these programs are valuable, they miss an opportunity to engage and develop emerging leaders and discover untapped potential earlier in their careers. Consider implementing a tiered development approach that offers leadership training at every level:

● All Team Members: Focus on self-leadership, emotional intelligence, and communication skills while reinforcing the need to adopt a growth mindset. Equip team members with the tools to take initiative and positively influence their peers. Create a culture that recognizes we are all leaders, even those without titles.

● Front-Line Team Members: Introduce foundational leadership concepts like collaboration, decision-making, change adoption, and accountability. Team members comprise the most significant percentage of your organization and can benefit significantly from enhanced interpersonal and problem-solving skills.

● Front-Line Leaders: Provide learning on managing teams, conflict resolution, developing talent, delegation, business acumen, and driving team accountability. Now is the time to build inspirational leaders who can translate strategy into day-to-day operations. Help them build the skills and confidence to transition from individual contributors to effective people leaders.

● Mid-Level Leaders: Develop advanced capabilities such as strategic thinking, leading change, cross-functional collaboration, and global mindset. These leaders play a crucial role in bridging organizational strategy with execution.

● Executive Leaders: Offer opportunities to refine their vision-setting and enterprise-wide collaboration and continually challenge them to think and act in new and refreshing ways. At this level, the focus should be on leading the organization through complexity and ambiguity.

“Leadership is no longer about managing work; it is focused on leading people, influencing outcomes, driving change, developing talent, and fostering collaboration”

Leadership development should not be a one-time event but an ongoing journey. By adopting a culture where learning is embedded into daily work. Use tools like microlearning modules, peer coaching, and real-time feedback to keep leadership principles at the forefront.

Leverage technology that can deliver personalized learning experiences. For example, learning platforms with learning capabilities can tailor content to individual needs, whether an identified gap in capability or confidence in necessary skills. This ensures that every team member receives development opportunities relevant to their role, potential, and career aspirations.

Impactful leadership development programs are aligned with organizational objectives. They should work closely with business leaders and HR Business Partners to identify the capabilities that drive success in your unique environment. Whether fostering innovation, improving customer experience, or enhancing operational efficiency, you can ensure development programs equip leaders with the skills to deliver on these outcomes.

Leadership development initiatives often fall short because they lack clear metrics for success. Successful programs define success and establish a system for measuring their impact. This could include:

● Employee engagement scores

● Retention rates

● Performance metrics

● Career advancement of participants

● Feedback from participants and their leaders

Use these insights to refine your approach continually. Leadership development is not static; it should evolve regularly alongside your organization and its needs.

As HR professionals, we must advocate for a broader definition of leadership that includes everyone in the organization. Leadership is about behavior, not hierarchy. It is the actions our team members take. By empowering team members at all levels to take ownership, influence outcomes, and collaborate effectively, we will create a culture that thrives on shared accountability and collective success.

The shift toward leadership development for all levels is no longer a nice-to-have but a business imperative to ensure a strong bench of capable talent. As HR and organizational effectiveness professionals, we can redefine what leadership means and how it is grown within our organizations.

By expanding development opportunities, fostering continuous learning, aligning programs with business needs, and championing leadership at all levels, we can build a pipeline of capable and confident leaders ready to drive the organization to new levels of success. The time to act is now.

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