Since launching in January 2020, NAED’s Leadership Development Program (LDP) — a 12-month curriculum uniquely designed to develop leaders in the electrical distribution industry – has successfully prepared nearly 60 distributor and manufacturing individuals for greater levels of responsibility and success. Offering everything from personal leadership assessments to instruction in best leadership practices, training in communication styles, one-on-one coaching, networking opportunities, and more, the LDP also features another signature element – a several month-long “Capstone Project” enabling participants to tackle a specific issue, process, or program that can benefit their company.
Over the past three years, LDP participants’ Capstone Projects have focused on everything from finance, logistics, organizational, and marketing/sales-related initiatives and LDP graduates have raved about the unique opportunity to help lead and contribute to their company’s success.
In this third in a series of Exclusive Features, recent graduates of the NAED Leadership Development Program tell tED magazine how they benefitted personally from the program, and how their companies benefitted from their capstone projects.
See the other articles in this series:
Stokes Electric: Refocusing Jobs Through Leadership Development
Service Wire: Leadership Development Brings More Employee Training
Schneider Electric: Capitalizing on Infrastructure Opportunities with Channel Partners
Company Issue/Need: Preparing and positioning distribution partners to capitalize on new federally-driven infrastructure initiatives and funding
Scope of Capstone Project: Creation of a Channel Action Plan to help position partners to win opportunities stemming from federal spending
According to LDP graduate Danielle Gollenberg, manager of Channel Enablement for Schneider Electric, there are outstanding opportunities to help improve the nation’s infrastructure with a focus on sustainability.
“Historic levels of federal stimulus are driving exceptional infrastructure spending across the country and creating tremendous opportunities for our industry, and we want to position ourselves and our partners to benefit from this once-in-a-lifetime funding,” she said. “Schneider’s mission to create a more sustainable and carbon-neutral future in electrification, industry, and manufacturing offers our partners the opportunity to sell advanced and sustainable solutions and change the energy landscape at the project and municipality level. For my Capstone Project, I worked with our Government Relations and Water teams to build a Channel Action Plan that includes training, lobbying, relationship-building, and business development with the goal of selecting our most-ready partners to join us on this journey to better support local projects and build a more sustainable future together.”
Through her project, “we’ve had several discussions with various distributor partners to build interest in and excitement for this unique opportunity and we’ve also hosted government committees and elected officials in our facilities nationwide to showcase our solutions and better understand how federal funds will be flowing at the state level,” Gollenberg said. “We’re then sharing this information with our partners to determine ways of capitalizing on these opportunities and positioning them to win.”
Overall, “the LDP offered a unique environment to learn alongside existing Schneider partners, industry-adjacent manufacturers, and even competitors, which allowed for thoughtful and honest dialogue about the state of our industry, the common challenges we each face, and what we can do as growing leaders to reimagine the future of electrical distribution,” Gollenberg concluded. “Culminating with our Capstone Projects, we each brought back to our company new perspectives, a toolbox of leadership skills, and disruptive ideas that will help our companies be better positioned to take on the active recovery we’ve been, and will continue to be, facing.”
For More Information
NAED’s next LDP cohort begins in January 2023 and enrollment is now open! If you’re interested in attending or sending individuals from your company, please contact memberengagement@naed.org. For more information about a customized program for your company, please contact Catherine Viglione at cviglione@naed.org or Kitty Lasinski at klasinski@naed.org.
Tagged with LDP, leadership, Leadership Development Program