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RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
How the Top 20 Companies
Grow Great Leaders
2005
H
Top Companies For Leaders.qxp 5/24/05 10:18 AM Page 3

Hewitt Associates initiated the Top Companies for Leaders research in 2001. We set our sights
high—to identify the combination of factors that allow financially successful organizations to
consistently produce great leaders. We examined the variables that influence a leader’s growth
in an organization, including developmental experiences, senior leader interaction, compensation,
organizational culture, and succession planning processes. The research uncovered a link between
financial success and great leadership practices, and identified the few differentiating elements
found uniquely at top companies.
Top Companies for Leaders Project Team
The 2005 Top Companies for Leaders research study was managed by a team of consultants
from Hewitt’s Talent and Organization Consulting Practice, listed below.
Marc Effron—Global Practice Leader, Leadership Consulting
Marc works with the world’s leading corporations to help them build the quality and depth
of their leaders through executive coaching, development of leadership strategies, and
management of succession activities. He can be reached at (203) 852-1100 or by email at
marc.effron@hewitt.com.
Michelle Salob—Top Companies for Leaders Project Manager
Michelle consults with clients in the design and implementation of talent management
processes and programs, including leadership development, organizational development,
performance management, and HR transformation. She can be reached at (770) 956-7777
or by email at michelle.salob@hewitt.com.
Shelli Greenslade—Top Companies for Leaders Research Manager
Shelli designs and conducts original research studies on critical HR issues including
leadership, talent management, and the global workforce. She can be reached at
(847) 295-5000 or by email at shelli.greenslade@hewitt.com.
About the Research

Research Methodology
Key Findings
CEO and Board of Directors Provide Leadership and Inspiration
Commitment Starts at the Top
Boards of Directors Are Actively Involved
Active Participation Yields Positive Results
Clear Differentiation of High-Potential Talent
High Potentials Are Formally Identified and Tracked
Compensation Is Clearly Differentiated
Increased Access to Senior Leadership
Developmental Assignments Propel High Potentials’ Growth
The Right Programs, Done Right
It Starts With Strategy
Execution Elevates the Best
Practical Accountability
Accountability for Leadership Programs
Accountability for Personal Development
Accountability for Others’ Development
Better Financial Performance
The Judges Panel
The 2005 Top 20 U.S. Companies for Leaders
Moving Forward
Contents
10
2
1
3
5
7

Hewitt Associates surveyed human resources executives from 373 public and private companies in
the United States in early 2005, a 16% increase from our last survey, in 2003. The median revenue
of participating organizations was approximately $2 billion, with a median employee size of 7,300.
More than half of the participating companies had employee populations under 10,000.
Based on the three-step screening process described below, the list of possible companies was
narrowed to 75 finalists. An independent Judges Panel, composed of renowned authors, professors,
and executive coaches, selected and ranked the 2005 Top Companies for Leaders.
All participating companies completed a 41-item questionnaire that broadly examined factors that
influence leader quality and depth in organizations. All surveys were analyzed for responses
that were consistent with strong leadership practices. Of all participants, 75 were asked to complete
an interview with Hewitt to gain greater clarity and detail regarding specific practices. All inter-
viewed companies were then screened for financial performance, using a three-year compound
annual growth rate in net income metric. Net income was selected as the primary screening metric
so that both public and private companies could be evaluated consistently.
The Judges Panel discussed this data in a full-day meeting and selected the 2005 Top 20 U.S.
Companies for Leaders. The judges considered many variables in selecting and ranking the list,
including the survey and interview data, company reputation, industry trends, diversity prac-
tices, and what they deemed “fresh approaches to leadership development.” The Judges Panel
acknowledged that there may be companies that are good at growing great leaders that were
not considered for the Top 20 Companies since they did not elect to participate in the study.
Hewitt is also conducting a 2005 Top Companies for Leaders study in Europe, and the results will be
published in a separate report.
Research Methodology

In Hewitt’s previous research studies on leadership development, we uncovered several building
blocks—the “Three Fundamental Leadership Truths”—that Top Companies for Leaders use to build
a sustainable pipeline of leadership talent. These findings still apply. In fact, the Top 20 Companies
continue to distance themselves from other companies in these areas and make continuous
improvements to better support the direction of their organizations. The Leadership Truths are:
• CEOs and Board of Directors Provide Leadership and Inspiration. One of the key enablers of
building leadership quality and depth is active involvement from the CEO and Board of Directors.
This is certainly the case among the Top 20 Companies, which boast CEOs and boards that are
actively engaged in leadership development programs and are personally involved in the selection,
review, and development of their best talent.
• Clear Differentiation of High-Potential Talent. The Top 20 Companies are serious about investment
in their top talent. They more actively manage and develop their best talent as compared to other
companies. High-potential leaders at the Top 20 Companies receive clearly differentiated compen-
sation, development, and exposure to senior leadership.
• The Right Programs, Done Right. Although companies may have the right programs in place,
it is the integration and execution of these programs that make the most difference. The Top 20
Companies differentiate themselves by effectively utilizing their practices to develop leaders
in support of their business strategy.
Additionally, two important differentiators emerged among the Top 20 Companies in 2005. They
have a clear focus on accountability and execution, which apply across all three Leadership Truths.
Practical Accountability. The Top 20 Companies formally hold their leaders accountable for the
success of leadership programs, the development of their employees, and the development of their
own leadership capabilities. Leaders are held accountable for these results through their annual
incentive, with up to 20% or more of incentive pay impacted by these behaviors.
Consistent Execution. Great leadership practices are not simply designed at the Top 20 Companies—
they are consistently well executed. Top 20 Companies focus on building lean, non-bureaucratic
practices and ensure that they are executed by line leaders. The Top 20 Companies find that this
focus on execution allows them to better identify more great talent within their organizations, as
well as to attract the best talent from outside the organization. (See The Right Programs, Done
Right on page 5, for more detail on this finding.)
Key Findings
1

2
CEO and Board of Directors Provide Leadership and Inspiration
Commitment Starts at the Top. CEOs and Boards of Directors are actively involved in developing
leadership talent at the Top 20 Companies. Their involvement goes beyond succession planning and
talent reviews. All of the Top 20 Companies’ CEOs are actively involved in developing leadership talent,
compared with only 65% of CEOs at other companies. “My number one job is developing leaders,”
stated one Top 20 Company CEO. The CEO at another Top 20 Company maintains a mentoring part-
nership program in which he meets with early- and mid-career high potentials throughout the year.
Nearly all of the Top 20 Companies’ CEOs regularly teach leadership courses within their organiza-
tions. This involvement, particularly with the CEO, is a critical factor in building leadership quality
and depth.
The more active the CEO is in developing leadership talent, the more effective a company rates itself
in developing leaders. Not surprisingly, participating companies rated senior team support as one of
the most important enabling factors in successful development of leader quality and bench strength.
Those companies with active CEO involvement also show higher financial performance.
Boards of Directors Are Actively Involved. The role of the Board of Directors continues to expand.
Sixty-five percent of the Top 20 Companies report that their Boards of Directors are actively involved
in developing leaders. What’s more, this involvement reaches beyond succession planning at the
senior executive level. For example, at one Top 20 Company, the board sponsors all leadership
development at the organization. Several of the Top 20 Companies’ board members visit with high
potentials at their locations and make a concerted effort to get to know them on a personal level. In
contrast, less than a third of other companies report such
active involvement of the board. Consistent with the
CEO findings, companies rate themselves as more effec-
tive in developing leaders when the Board of Directors
is actively involved in leadership development.
Active Participation Yields Positive Results. Consistent
with Hewitt’s 2002 and 2003 findings, active CEO and
board involvement is linked to a stronger focus on
developing leaders at both the corporate and business-unit
levels. All of the Top 20 Companies report a strong to very
strong focus on leadership development at the corporate
level, while 81% of the other companies report the same.
Similarly, 100% of the Top 20 Companies believe that there
is a strong to very strong focus on leadership development
at the business-unit level, compared with 72% of other
companies. In those organizations with little or no CEO and
Board of Directors involvement, the focus on leadership
development at the corporate level is not strong in 33% of
participating companies and leadership development at the
business-unit level is not strong in 41% of firms.
Are the CEO and Board of Directors
actively involved in developing
leadership talent?
0
20
40
60
80
100
CEO Board
31%
65%
100%
65%
Top 20 Companies All Other Companies

3
The Top 20 Companies are maniacal about their best talent.
High Potentials Are Formally Identified and Tracked. Ninety-five percent of the Top 20
Companies formally identify high-potential leaders, while 77% of other organizations do the same.
All of the Top 20 Companies use their succession planning process to identify high potentials,
compared with 86% of other companies. High potentials are told of their status at 68% of Top 20
Companies. In contrast, just over half (53%) of other companies tell high potentials of their status.
Seventy-two percent of the Top 20 Companies formally track high-potential turnover, compared
with 60% of other companies. The Top 20 Companies take high-potential retention seriously. One
Top 20 Company has a policy that the CEO must be notified if a high potential resigns, and a
counteroffer must be made within 24 hours to that high potential, at any level within the organiza-
tion. Moreover, leaders at this company are required to retain 90% of the high potentials in their
departments or their bonuses are reduced.
Compensation Is Clearly Differentiated. Seventy-five percent of the Top 20 Companies say that
compensation is clearly linked to a leader’s potential to advance, while the same is true at only
38% of other companies. Similar to our previous study findings, different practices underlie these
statistics. Among the Top 20 Companies that differentiate pay for potential, 100% use stock options
and restricted stock as key compensation vehicles. In contrast, only 65% of other companies use
stock options, and even fewer (44%) use restricted stock. Moreover, 87% of the Top 20 Companies
use long-term incentives, compared with 53% of other companies. Seventy-eight percent of other
companies use base pay to reward potential, which sharply reduces their ability to differentiate
pay. Only 53% of the Top 20 Companies do this.
The Top 20 Companies reinforce a performance culture through their compensation systems. More
than two-thirds of the Top 20 Companies target long-term incentive pay for high potentials between
the 90th and 100th percentile, compared with only 13% of other companies. Undoubtedly, the
Top 20 Companies realize the value of their top talent and reward them accordingly.
Increased Access to Senior Leadership. Nearly all of the Top 20 Companies (95%) provide their
high potentials with frequent opportunities to interact with senior leadership. More than two-
thirds of the Top 20 Companies say that their high potentials almost always or always have regular
exposure to the CEO, while fewer than half of the other companies report the same. The Top 20
Companies often provide opportunities for their high potentials to interact with senior leaders
on specific projects. Several Top 20 Companies have talent showcases where high-potential leaders
present to the board at meetings. In other Top 20 Companies, high potentials are invited to various
lunches and dinners with board members during training sessions or board meetings.
Clear Differentiation of High-Potential Talent

4
Developmental Assignments Propel High Potentials’ Growth. Eighty-nine percent of the Top 20
Companies regularly grow high potentials’ capabilities through developmental assignments, while
only 43% do so at other companies. For example, one Top 20 Company provides its high potential-
swith challenging assignments as Six Sigma black belts and master black belts, and works to ensure
appropriate stretch assignments upon reintegration from a Six Sigma role. Another Top 20 Company
encourages leaders to serve on nonprofit Boards of Directors to accelerate their development and
demonstrate skills beyond their job responsibilities.
The Top 20 Companies also target their efforts more cost-effectively than do other companies. For
example, 90% of Top 20 Companies say that internal leadership training is almost always or always
used, compared with just 51% at other companies. Rotational assignments are used for high potentials
in 37% of the Top 20 Companies, while 18% of other companies do the same. Even more compelling,
other companies are not utilizing the developmental programs that are the least costly—namely,
internal coaching (22%) and mentoring (24%). More than half of the Top 20 Companies consis-
tently use internal coaching and mentoring with their high potentials.
0
20
40
60
80
100
Internal
Leadership
Training
Developmental
Assignments
51%
90%
43%
89%
24%
58%
22%
58%
Mentoring
Program
Coaching—
Internal
Provider
18%
37%
Rotational
Assignments
Are these practices regularly used
to develop high-potential leaders?

5
The Top 20 Companies understand the unique type of leadership that their businesses and cultures
demand. Not only do they differentiate themselves by the breadth and depth of their leadership
practices, but they specifically tailor these practices to align with their organizations’ goals. The
Top 20 Companies’ focused approach to leadership strategy differs sharply from other companies,
as it is linked to business strategies and not simply to the accepted practices popular today.
It Starts With Strategy. The Top 20 Companies’ approaches to building leaders are firmly rooted
in strategy. The Top 20 Companies consistently offer more programs for growing leadership talent
and are distinctively more successful in making them work. This success may be due to having
specific strategies for developing leaders, a feature at 100% of the Top 20 Companies but at only
62% of other companies. All of the Top 20 Companies have a strategy for selecting leaders from
within and rewarding leaders, compared with only 55% of other companies. One Top 20 Company
created a new leadership competency model to match its new business strategy, then integrated
the competencies into practices such as succession planning, selection for developmental assignments,
and performance management.
At the tactical level, the Top 20 Companies offer a greater range of developmental opportunities to
leaders than other companies, and the differences are striking. While 95% of the Top 20 Companies
offer mentoring, only 45% of other companies do. All of the Top 20 Companies also offer develop-
mental assignments, compared with just 57% of the others. Ninety percent of the Top 20 Companies
have a defined process for assimilating leaders into new positions, while only 44% of other
companies do the same, and only 64% of those companies believe that the programs are effective.
More important, the Top 20 Companies are decidedly more effective in executing these programs.
Execution Elevates the Best. The Top 20 Companies get more from their leadership practices by
executing them effectively. While 100% of the Top 20 Companies and 73% of other companies have
leadership competencies, the Top 20 Companies are significantly better at integrating these into
leadership processes. All of the Top 20 Companies integrate these competencies into the succession
planning process, while only 78% of other companies do so. At 60% of Top 20 Companies, leader-
ship competencies are used in determining base pay and annual incentive pay, compared with
approximately 30% of other companies. This focus on execution might be why the Top 20 Companies
find more of their leaders inside, including their future CEOs, and deliver significantly better returns
to shareholders.
Other companies clearly underutilize their leadership infrastructure. While 65% of the Top 20
Companies say that they choose middle managers using their succession planning process, only
42% of other companies do. Those numbers improve only slightly for choosing senior leaders;
85% of the Top 20 Companies rely on their succession planning information, compared with 53%
of other companies. One Top 20 Company not only consistently utilizes its succession plan,
it formally measures the success of succession planning decisions three years after a placement.
The Right Programs, Done Right

6
Given these numbers, it’s not surprising that 85% of the Top 20 Companies consider themselves
effective at developing leaders, with only 37% of other companies holding a similar opinion.
0
20
40
60
80
100
Base Pay Annual
Incentive Pay
30%
60%
31%
60%
23%
65%
Long-Term
Incentive Pay
How often are leadership competencies
used in determining pay?
0
20
40
60
80
100
59%
95%
Is diversity a formal part
of your leadership strategy?
Yes
Top 20 Companies
All Other Companies
Top 20 Companies
All Other Companies

7
Practical Accountability
The Top 20 Companies hold leaders accountable for practices that build leadership quality and depth,
which further distinguishes them from non-Top 20 Companies. Top 20 Companies leaders are held
accountable for:
• The success or failure of leadership programs;
• Their own development; and
• The development of others.
Accountability for Leadership Programs
The Top 20 Companies place accountability for the success of leadership programs on all parties
more frequently than other companies, with the greatest gap found in senior management accounta-
bility. While 80% of Top 20 Companies hold senior management accountable for the success of
programs such as succession planning, performance management, and high-potential development,
just over one-third of other companies have the same rigor. In other companies, the human
resources department is most likely to be held accountable for these processes. At one Top 20
Company, business leaders are rated on six dimensions of talent management, and the scorecard
results are shared publicly with other business-unit leaders.
0
20
40
60
80
100
Human
Resources
Leadership/
Organizational
Development
51%
85%
39%
75%
35%
80%
Senior
Management
Who is held accountable, through
performance management, for the success
or failure of leadership programs?

Accountability for Personal Development
Leaders at the Top 20 Companies are measured on both their leadership behaviors today and
improvement in those behaviors over time. At 95% of Top 20 Companies, leaders are measure-
don performance against competencies; 90% of Top 20 Companies also have follow-up measures
to gauge progress. At other companies, only 69% measure performance on competencies and
just 65% follow up.
8
0
20
40
60
80
100
65%
90%
Companies that both measure performance
on leadership competencies and monitor
progress against those competencies.
Top 20 Companies
All Other Companies

0
20
40
60
80
100
46%
85%
Are leaders held accountable,
through the performance
management process, for
developing their direct reports?
0
20
40
60
80
100
What percentage of average annual incentive is
tied to this development objective?
0%–5% 6%–10%
49%
18%
24%24%
19%
35%
11%–20%
8%
24%
Over20%
Accountability for Others’ Development
Improving talent quality across the organization is a priority at Top 20 Companies, with 85%
holding leaders accountable for developing others. Only 46% of other companies do the same.
More important, the percentage of the annual incentive dedicated to this factor was significantly
higher in Top 20 Companies. While nearly 75% of other companies dedicated 10% or less of a
leader’s annual incentive to people development, many Top 20 Companies allocated up to 20%
and more. This higher percentage sends a clear signal to leaders that building the organization’s
talent is truly a priority.
For example, one Top 20 Company links 30% of senior leaders’ incentive compensation to talent
development. Managers are assessed on how effectively they develop talent over a 12-month period,
and incentive compensation is affected accordingly.
9
Yes
Top 20 Companies
All Other Companies
Top 20 Companies
All Other Companies

1 All return on equity (ROE) calculations are based on industry-adjusted, five-year compound annual growth rates of ROE.
2 Ibid.
10
Based on the financial analysis of the 2005 Top Companies for Leaders results, several significant rela-
tionships were found to exist between leadership development and a company’s business results.
There is a clear relationship between a company’s financial performance and its approach to building
leaders. Better-performing companies:
• Hold senior leaders accountable;
• Use metrics to assess the effectiveness of leadership programs;
• Link performance management to succession planning; and
• Have CEOs and Boards of Directors that are actively involved in developing leadership talent.
Better Financial Performance
52%
100%
Compensation is linked to
a leader’s future potential.
64%
85%
Strategy for developing
leaders is effectively utilized.
Top-Quartile Performers
Bottom-Quartile Performers
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
In 78% of companies that perform at the 75th percentile or higher in industry-adjusted return on
equity1
, senior management is formally held accountable for the success or failure of leadership
development programs, but only 55% of companies that perform below the 25th percentile do
the same. Additionally, better-performing companies2
(85%) hold leaders accountable, through a
formal performance management process, for developing their direct reports. The same is true of
only 55% of bottom-quartile performers.

3 All total shareholder return (TSR) measures are based on industry-adjusted, five-year averages of TSR.
4 Ibid.
Not only do high-performing organizations hold leaders accountable, they also use metrics to assess
the effectiveness of their leadership programs. Nearly half of companies that perform in the top
quartile for total shareholder return (TSR) have metrics in place to assess effectiveness of programs
for developing leaders, while only 19% of bottom-quartile performers do3
. Moreover, ratings
from the performance management process are formally incorporated into the succession plan-
ning process at 71% of companies performing in the top quartile for TSR, compared with just 46%
of bottom-quartile performers.
Active CEO and board involvement is more prevalent at higher-performing organizations. Eighty-
three percent of companies that perform at the 75th percentile or higher in TSR have CEOs who are
actively involved in the development of leadership talent, compared with 56% of those companies
that performed below the 25th percentile. Similarly, Boards of Directors are actively involved in
leadership development at nearly half of higher-performing organizations4
. Only 38% of bottom-
quartile performers can say the same. Not surprisingly, 61% of companies that perform in the
top-quartile for TSR believe that their organizations are more effective in developing leaders,
compared with 31% of bottom-quartile companies.
56%
83%
CEO is actively involved in
leadership development.
0
20
40
60
80
100
11

The Judges Panel
Hewitt partnered with The Human Resource Planning Society (HRPS) to identify the Top
Companies for Leaders. The Judges Panel, composed of renowned authors, professors, and
executive coaches, selected and ranked the Top 20 U.S. Companies for Leaders. The members of
the Judges Panel are listed below.
John Byrne is the Editor-in-Chief of Fast Company magazine and the author of eight books on
business, leadership, and management. He was previously a senior writer at BusinessWeek and the
author of 57 cover stories at the magazine. He is a frequent commentator and public speaker
on topics ranging from creativity and innovation to leadership and corporate governance.
Price M. Cobbs is an internationally recognized psychiatrist and management consultant. Pacific
Management Systems, the company he founded, consults with organizations on leadership, execu-
tive development, and diversity strategies. He is the author of several books, including Cracking the
Corporate Code: From Survival to Mastery.
Marshall Goldsmith is a leading executive coach, prominent speaker, and author of many books
and articles on leadership. He is an authority on how to help leaders achieve positive, measurable
changes in their own behavior and that of their people and teams. The author of 18 books, he has
been named one of the five most respected executive coaches by BusinessWeek, and one of the 50
greatest thinkers in the field of management by American Management Association.
Jay Jamrog is the Executive Director of the Human Resource Institute and identifies and analyzes
the major issues and trends affecting the management of people in organizations. He is an associate
editor of Human Resource Planning, and is frequently quoted in business publications on topics
relating to the future of people management.
Joseph McCann is Dean of the John H. Sykes College of Business, Dean of Graduate Studies, and
Co-Chief Academic Officer at the University of Tampa. He is a consultant, researcher, and author
on organizational design and strategic change, mergers and acquisitions, rapidly growing technology
companies, and new business venturing. He is an associate editor of Human Resource Planning.

1. 3M Company
2. General Electric Company
3. Johnson & Johnson
4. Dell Inc.
5. Liz Claiborne, Inc.
6. IBM
7. The Procter & Gamble Company
8. General Mills, Inc.
9. Medtronic, Inc.
10. American Express Company
The 2005 Top 20 U.S. Companies for Leaders
11. Capital One Financial Corporation
12. Whirlpool Corporation
13. Colgate-Palmolive Company
14. Pitney Bowes Inc.
15. Pfizer Inc.
16. FedEx Corporation
17. Washington Group International, Inc.
18. The Home Depot, Inc.
19. Avery Dennison Corporation
20. Sonoco Products Company

Hewitt started the Top Companies for Leaders research to help companies understand the facts about how
financially successful companies grow great leaders. Our studies have provided clear direction on
leadership practices and built a strong business case for action.
We would like to help your company achieve the same results as the Top 20 Companies for Leaders.
Hewitt Associates’ Leadership Consulting group offers a strategic, fact-based, and practical approach
to building great leaders. Equipped with the latest knowledge from the 2005 Top Companies for Leaders
research, our global team of experienced leadership consultants can:
• Audit your company’s leadership practices, identifying critical gaps and making practical
recommendations for improvement.
• Develop a comprehensive leadership strategy with detailed plans for sourcing, aligning,
developing, and rewarding leaders that aligns with your organization’s business strategies.
• Design and implement world-class leadership practices, including executive assessment
and coaching, succession planning, executive education, and senior team effectiveness.
You can grow great leaders and Hewitt can help. Please contact Marc Effron, Global
Practice Leader for Hewitt’s Leadership Consulting group, at (203) 852-1100 or by email at
marc.effron@hewitt.com for more information.
Moving Forward

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