Connecting the pieces to drive global leadership

 "At Varian Medical Systems, we develop and manufacture life-saving x-ray and radiation therapy equipment. Part of what makes this company great is our ability to innovate and evolve our products as technologies and patient needs change. When it comes to developing leaders, our partner, Advantage Performance Group, helps us stay ahead of the curve.

 "We first partnered with Advantage in 2007 to implement stand-alone leadership development programs for U.S. managers. At the same time, our counterparts in Europe were developing their own training separately. While the programs on both sides of the pond were successful and considered best of breed, there was no coordination between our departments and the programs were not linked to larger business initiatives. We recognized the need to develop a more synergistic global program—one that is aligned with corporate initiatives and drives organizational learning beyond the classroom."

Advantage partnered with Varian to create a high-quality foundation for learning that included:

• Three leadership workshops, developed and customized by Advantage's strategic partner BTS
• A fully customized execution program
• A hiring program
• A customized business simulation called Interplay, from another of Advantage's strategic partners, 10,000 Feet.