| An organization's long term success is strongly correlated with its ability to build effective and dynamic leaders. Many senior executives acknowledge that there is a lack of formal processes for developing new and current leaders who possess the appropriate skills, aptitudes, and perspectives needed to assume positions of leadership (Cadrain, 2005; Collins & Holton, 2004; Taylor, 2004). Organizations must be able to provide an environment in which future and current leaders learn how to effectively lead and carry out the missions of their companies. This study uses a descriptive quantitative case study method to explore what skills, behaviors, and practices are critical for a specific global pharmaceutical company to develop an effective sales leadership development program.;In this study, data was collected from two different sources: (a) district managers; and (b) sales representatives. Collecting data from multiple levels within an organization allowed the researcher to identify key skills, behaviors, and practices for individual groups as well as identify themes among all participants. The findings and methods of identifying key elements of an effective sales leadership development program (LDP) may be of value to current leadership research and organizations that are designing and implementing LDPs. |
