Developing a Pipeline of Internal Leadership Talent at 3M

3M has had a developmentally oriented, coaching-based approach and philosophy with employees. Learning from experiences and from others is core to the 3M experience. The CEO of the company, Inge Thulin spends about one-fifth of his time as CEO on talent, for example, teaching in leadership programs such as the Accelerated Leadership Development Program (ALDP) and the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP), and by directing pipeline development. The three roles at 3M that leaders play to assist in people's development and innovation are mentor, sponsor, and champion. 3M's talent process uses management team reviews (MTRs) to identify high potential or “top talent” leaders within each business. While there are no rigid, cookie-cutter, step-by-step placements, 3M does have several types of placement opportunities that contribute to leadership development.