UNC Executive Development

Leadership continuity requires intention and consistent measurement.

Many organizations invest in succession planning but face uncertainty when evaluating results.

Clear metrics like the percentage of critical roles with at least one ready successor, promotion rates of high-potential employees, and retention rates of top talent help turn effort into insight.

When organizations measure what matters, they gain the clarity needed to strengthen leadership pipelines.

Read “Why Metrics Matter for Succession Planning” today: https://ow.ly/uVuX50Z7MjY

Learning and development efforts are most effective when leadership behaviors support them.

Adaptability quotient (AQ) encourages ongoing skill development and openness to change. Emotional intelligence (EQ) shapes how leaders communicate goals, feedback, and progress.

Our article explores how aligning these capabilities strengthens talent development initiatives over time.

Read more: https://ow.ly/TNfk50YHccT

When employee recognition is part of your organization’s culture, it becomes a powerful driver of strategic success.

When employees feel appreciated, they are more engaged, productive, and aligned with your organization’s goals.

How are you embedding recognition into your workplace culture? Read “Recognition: The Heart of Workplace Motivation” to learn how to show your teams that their work matters.

Check out the full article today: https://ow.ly/Coym50XqJyQ

AI delivers speed, precision, and scale, but leadership requires more than algorithms.

Ethics, empathy, and trust cannot be automated, and they remain essential for guiding teams and shaping organizational culture.

Explore how to integrate AI without losing the human qualities that define strong leadership, accountability, trust, and long-term organizational success: https://ow.ly/AXcN50XUbtC

AI adoption is accelerating across industries, but better systems rely on one thing: better data.

This article breaks down the root causes of technological bias in generative AI systems and offers a leadership‑focused framework for building trustworthy and transparent AI systems.

If your organization is exploring or expanding its use of AI, this article offers key insights: https://ow.ly/36XT50YvZyY

It was a great few days in Boston, MA for the UNC Executive Development team at the CLO Exchange Health and Life Sciences.

A highlight was a main-stage conversation between Ellen Conway and Liz Dorney-Wilcox, recently retired Head of Executive Development at AbbVie.

The discussion showed how real L&D impact comes from building a leadership system rather than delivering isolated experiences.

Liz shared a powerful example from her career where leadership development was tightly aligned to strategy, integrated with talent processes, and reinforced through performance management and executive engagement. As she put it:

“Executive sponsorship and engagement sends a strong message for the importance of learning and development…. Finding a partner like UNC Executive Development who could work with us at a pace to deliver a really high-quality learning experience was critical.”

A few additional themes stood out across the event:

• Storytelling drives alignment, but must be backed by systems, not just vision
• Human capability remains the differentiator in an AI-driven world
• Critical thinking and curiosity are essential for responsible AI use
• Shared learning experiences shape culture and strengthen enterprise alignment

Blake Aldridge, Laura Butcher, and Ellen Conway are grateful for the conversations and perspectives.

If your organization is thinking about how to better align leadership development to strategy and measurable outcomes, let’s connect: https://ow.ly/nQKY50Z093C

The competition for top talent is shaped by candidate experience.

Every interaction in the hiring process influences how candidates perceive your organization, whether they stay engaged, and how they talk about your brand afterward.

In a market where information moves quickly, these perceptions reach far beyond a single applicant.

Leaders who invest in clarity, communication, and psychological safety during hiring create stronger connections with high-quality candidates and reinforce their talent brand.

Read the full article to learn why candidate experience is a strategic talent advantage: https://ow.ly/GT7J50YWK3f

Transitioning from military to civilian life is just the beginning.

At the April 2025 "Always Learning for Success" event hosted by UNC Executive Development in Chapel Hill, NC, veterans and spouses explored strategies for thriving in today’s world, supported by leaders in the public and private sectors.

Panelists like Ian Peoples of event sponsor Apex Service Partners shared how networking and lifelong learning have been critical to his success after military service. Conversations like these highlighted the importance of planning for development across the entire career journey.

Read the full story: https://ow.ly/ukA850XL4ug

Curiosity is a cornerstone of sustainable influence.

Leaders who ask questions uncover perspectives, reduce groupthink, and strengthen team resilience. This approach builds trust and creates space for innovation, even in times of uncertainty.

Our latest article shares strategies for making questions your most persuasive tool and explores why this habit matters more than ever for leaders: https://ow.ly/mXqu50XC5xM