Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • November 2005 (Revised March 2007)
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

Leadership Development at Goldman Sachs

By: Boris Groysberg, Scott A. Snook and David Lane
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:23
ShareBar

Abstract

In November 1999, 11 of Goldman Sachs' finest gathered to put the final touches on a revolutionary leadership development plan. Following Goldman's explosive growth during the 1990s and its eventual IPO in 1999, a diverse group of leaders from across the firm were selected to "assess the future training and development needs of Goldman Sachs, with a particular focus on the need for a more systematic and effective approach to developing managing directors." After six months of brainstorming, holding discussions with Goldman Sachs colleagues, interviewing experts, and benchmarking best practices, it was finally time to present their findings to the management committee. The briefing contained an integrated leader development plan with concrete recommendations on how to resolve several critical design issues, including: location, faculty, content, format, method, target audience, governance, and sponsorship. No one sitting on the management committee had relied on a formal leadership program to reach the top. How skeptical might they be? How do you convince hard-nosed bankers to leave their desks and invest precious time focusing on what many perceived as "soft" issues?

Keywords

Initial Public Offering; Leadership Development; Growth and Development Strategy; Management Skills; Organizational Design; Planning

Citation

Groysberg, Boris, Scott A. Snook, and David Lane. "Leadership Development at Goldman Sachs." Harvard Business School Case 406-002, November 2005. (Revised March 2007.)
  • Educators
  • Purchase

About The Author

Boris Groysberg

Organizational Behavior
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • March–April 2023
    • Harvard Business Review

    The New-Collar Workforce

    By: Colleen Ammerman, Boris Groysberg and Ginni Rometty
    • March 2023
    • Faculty Research

    Shelly Sun at BrightStar Care: The Evolution of a Leader

    By: Boris Groysberg, Colleen Ammerman and Sarah L. Abbott
    • February 2023
    • Faculty Research

    The LPGA’s Long Drive Toward Gender Equity

    By: Boris Groysberg and Alexis Lefort
More from the Authors
  • The New-Collar Workforce By: Colleen Ammerman, Boris Groysberg and Ginni Rometty
  • Shelly Sun at BrightStar Care: The Evolution of a Leader By: Boris Groysberg, Colleen Ammerman and Sarah L. Abbott
  • The LPGA’s Long Drive Toward Gender Equity By: Boris Groysberg and Alexis Lefort
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College