Leadership development is the process of preparing current and future leaders to be effective in their roles. According to Gartner, leadership development involves activities that help employees improve their skills in areas such as decision-making, project management, strategy, network building, team management, innovation, coaching, and developing others.

McKinsey emphasizes that a well-designed and executed leadership development program can help organizations build leaders' capabilities broadly and at scale, and that it's important to zero in on the leadership shifts that drive the greatest value, architect experiential journeys to maximize shifts in mindsets, capabilities, and practices, and measure for holistic impact.