In this Brandon Hall Group™ Excellence at Work Podcast, Rachel Cooke, Chief Operating Officer, engages in an insightful conversation with Devin Bigoness, Chief Client Officer from Executive Education and Lifelong Learning at Darden UVA, exploring the critical role of functional leadership development in preparing organizations for future success. The discussion examines how leaders can develop both technical depth and strategic breadth while navigating rapid organizational change and technological disruption.
Key Discussion Points:
- Defining Functional Leadership: Understanding how leaders must develop both deep functional expertise and broad organizational knowledge to succeed as “T-shaped” leaders
- Learning Evolution: How leadership development approaches have expanded from traditional formats to include multiple modalities across digital, virtual, and in-person experiences
- Measuring Impact: Practical approaches for measuring ROI on leadership development through retention metrics, business projects, and capability assessments
- Technology Integration: The role of AI and new technologies in reshaping functional leadership and scaling development initiatives
- Experimentation Mindset: Creating safe environments for leaders to test new approaches and develop adaptive capabilities
- Program Design Approaches: Contrasting “big to small” versus “small to big” frameworks for structuring leadership development journeys
- Business Application: How organizations like Kohler, Capital One, and Millikan leverage functional leadership development to drive innovation and business results
The future of functional leadership requires a sophisticated blend of technical expertise and strategic business acumen. Devin’s insights demonstrate how organizations can leverage customized leadership development experiences to create lasting capability enhancement while driving measurable business outcomes.
About Darden Education: UVA Darden Executive Education & Lifelong Learning is a top-ranked, global provider of transformational learning and development. Delivered by the University of Virginia Darden School Foundation and taught by the Darden School of Business’ highly acclaimed faculty, Darden Executive Education prepares growth-minded leaders to thrive in the context of perpetual change. We offer flexible noncredit certificate pathways for individuals and groups at all career levels, and custom solutions for organizations — provided on Grounds in Charlottesville or the Washington, D.C., area., as well as online.
Social Media Handles:
Darden Executive Education-
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/darden-executive-education
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DardenExecEd/
Devin Bigoness-
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devinbigoness/