A Trio of Leader Development

The University of Texas Anderson Cancer Center: 2025 BEST Award Winner, #13

Houston, Texas

5-Time Winner

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center concentrates on supporting current leaders and developing future leaders. By recognizing the need to recruit and retain the best talent and the critical need for leaders who can adapt and lead major strategic change initiatives, the talent development team invests significant resources toward leadership development.

In 2024, the TD team created three leadership development programs that span all levels of the organization. The LEADing Self Discover program, for frontline employees, prepares individuals for career advancement. The initiative comprises four modules, each of which spans six months and 30 hours of curated content, readings, and self-guided activities revolving around the institution's leadership characteristics and associated competencies. Upon successful completion of two bundles, the organization awards participants one year equivalency of supervisory experience when applying for internal positions.

The first cohort of 41 team members has a 10 percent higher promotion rate compared to other individual contributors.

The LEADing Others Discover program is an initiative for individuals seeking to be proactive in their development and prepare for a higher level of leadership in scope and responsibility. For supervisors, managers, and faculty, the course revolves around the concept of peer mentoring groups, or mentoring circles. The circles, comprising eight to 10 leaders and one facilitator, meet over five sessions.

The TD team launches a new module each year, highlighting a different leadership characteristic in the leadership competency model. Participants, as well as their supervisors and employees, report that the initiative is beneficial for their leadership development and promotability.

The final program, LEADing Teams Discover, is for leaders who are chairs, directors, executive directors, clinical medical directors, and executive medical directors. It caters to leaders of multiple teams who are navigating diverse and complex relationships, setting collective goals, and managing conflict. Each module offers 40 hours of curated content, including 10 hours of peer-led mentoring circles over six months.

"Our president is a consistent and outspoken advocate of the organizational benefits derived from the development of our workforce as leaders," states Courtney Holladay, associate vice president of the leadership institute. "He leads by example, reinforcing the message that every executive leader should leverage their HR business partner in operations and other functions. This explicit expectation serves as a model as it cascades through the organization."

Some of the ways the president supports leadership development and learning include:

• Participating in development programs monthly and attending new employee orientation, cohort program graduations, talent reviews, and other strategic sessions

• Adding learning in his monthly email, describing the resources available, courses, events, and what the senior leaders have done to support their own development

• Attending and speaking at the semiannual TD External Advisory Board meetings and annual Leadership Day

• Emphasizing key accomplishments and outlining development objectives for the year in his annual State of the Institution address

View the entire list of 2025 BEST Award winners.