A quick glance at the Top 20 U.S. Companies for Leaders makes one thing clear...manufacturers rule when it comes to developing leaders. Fourteen of the firms in the Top 20 and eight of the top 10 are manufacturing companies.

The Top Companies research--sponsored by consulting company Hewitt Associates and The Human Resource Planning Society--shows that these 20 companies approached the practice of developing leaders with more rigor than the other 353 companies studied. For instance, every single one of the Top 20 companies prioritize leadership development and have CEOs who participate directly in the process. In contrast, less than 60% of the other companies focused on fostering leadership and 65% of their top execs are actively involved in the process.

"[The Top 20 firms] understand that programs such as executive education, assignment-based development and mentoring are all good, but the only way they truly work is if senior leadership is involved in and accountable for the success of these initiatives," Marc Effron, a global practice leader at Lincolnshire, Illinois-based Hewitt Associates, tells IndustryWeek.

Here are the 20 companies that made the list, acing a three-stage process that included a survey, a detailed interview and an analysis of financial performance:

Top 20 U.S. Companies for Leaders

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

Below are some more distinctions between Top 20 companies and those that did not make the list...

95% of the Top 20 and
60% of the other companies...have CEO succession plans.

85% of the Top 20 and
59% of the other companies...have emergency succession plans.

83% of the Top 20 and
51% of the other companies...set aside at least 6% of their senior executives' incentive pay for leadership development.

Source:

Nurturing Leaders
Jill Jusko
IndustryWeek, June 1, 2005
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