MD Anderson Leadership Institute

At each level of LEAD, our curriculum-based program, there are three tiers of development. Core curricula develops the foundation of leadership skills and behaviors necessary to succeed at the current level of leadership. Discover and Accelerate are designed to help leaders prepare for advancement before the opportunities arise.

• LEADing Institution
• LEADing Leaders
• LEADing Teams
• LEADing Others
• LEADing Self

Targeted development

Additional curricula are available to help leaders hone the specific competencies and knowledge to further their development.

• Competency Tracks: Take a deep dive into competencies needing further development.
• Financial Literacy: Learn financial fundamentals and take a deeper dive into how our leaders impact our financial health.

Coaching

Coaching is a key development tool within the Leadership Institute. All internal coaches in the Leadership Institute are International Coach Federation (ICF)-certified. Our external coaches are highly qualified, successful individuals who have a unique blend of experience and perspective. They are carefully screened, thoroughly trained and continually evaluated. 

Mentoring

The My Mentoring Program provides two-way programs, guidance and tools to help leaders become effective mentors as well as learn from the experience of other leaders and their teams.

Change enABLEment

Build skills in change leadership through MD Anderson's change enABLEment program and consulting services. Leaders learn how to effectively anticipate, manage, and lead change of various complexities. Change management consultation is available to partner with division and department leaders and implement high impact projects or programs.

Team Development

Using our team-science based framework, we have a diagnostic that will allow a team to understand where they stand on their Foundations, ABCs of Teamwork, and Ideal Team States. Interventions are customized to the team’s needs. We also have Team Effectiveness Workshops to help teams grow their skills and self-service Team Building activities available.

Assessment Tools

We use a range of assessment tools to assist with hiring the right talent for a team or a leadership role, such as personality and emotional intelligence measures. We have also developed the LEAD 360 assessment to provide leaders with insights into their competency strengths and opportunities for growth.

Peer-Reviewed

• Cavanaugh, K.J., DeVeau, M.F., Schaefer, C.C., & Holladay, C.L. (2024). Transforming Leaders and Culture through a Comprehensive Leadership Institute. Physician Leadership Journal. https://www.physicianleaders.org/articles/doi/10.55834/plj.8006872059
  
• Middleton, E.D., Zajac, S.A., Cavanaugh, K.J., Westmoreland, K., Brown, R.P., Smith, D.B., DeVeau, M.F., & Holladay, C.L. (2024). Assessing Workplace Coachability: A Multi-Study Approach to Design and Validation. Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research & Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/17521882.2024.2367425
• Parikh, J. R., & Cavanaugh, K. J. (2024). Formal wellness training of academic radiology leaders improves work-life conflict. European Radiology, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-024-10735-2
• Woods, A., Zajac, S. A., Middleton, E. D., Cavanaugh, K. J., Hayes, W. C., Johnson, S. K., & Holladay, C. L. (2024). Doing the work: The role of inclusive leadership in promoting psychological safety and openness to diversity through diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. Psychology of Leaders and Leadership. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/mgr0000158
• Holladay, Courtney L. Ph.D.¹; Cavanaugh, Katelyn J. Ph.D.²; Perkins, Larry D. Ph.D.³; Woods, Amanda L. Ph.D.⁴. Inclusivity in Leader Selection: An 8-Step Process to Promote Representation of Women and Racial/Ethnic Minorities in Leadership. Academic Medicine 98(1): p 36-42, January 2023. | DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000004956​​​​​​​
• Elizabeth H. Lazzara, Joseph R. Keebler, Logan M. Gisick, Kimberly N. Williams, Stephanie Zajac & Jillian Gunther (2022) Improving Cancer Care Teamwork: Five Patient-Centered Strategies to Strengthen Care Coordination, Oncology Issues, 37:6, 26-34, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10463356.2022.2124808​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
• Cavanaugh, K., Cline, D., Belfer, B., Chang, S., Thoman, E., Pickard, T., & Holladay, C. L. (2022). The positive impact of mentoring on burnout: Organizational research and best practices, Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice, Volume 28, 100521, ISSN 2405-4526, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xjep.2022.100521.
• Zajac, S. A., Randall, J. G., & Holladay, C. L. (2022). Promoting virtual, informal learning now to thrive in a post-pandemic world. Business and Society Review. https://doi.org/10.1111/basr.12260
• Traylor, A. M., Reyes, D. L., Cavanaugh, K. J., & Holladay, C. L. (2021). Leaders’ Reactions to 360° Feedback: Examining Individual Attributes and Format Effects. Journal of Management, Knowledge and Learning. https://toknowpress.net/ISSN/2232-5697/10.275-291.pdf
• Cavanaugh, K.J., Johnson, M.A., and Holladay, C.L. The effect of service excellence training: Examining providers' patient experience scores. Patient Experience Journal. 2021; 8(3):109-116. doi 10.35680/2372-0247.1564. https://pxjournal.org/journal/vol8/iss3/12/
• Cavanaugh, K., Zajac, S., Middleton, E. D., Brown, R. P., Smith, D. B., and Holladay, C. L. (2021). On Coachability: How Practitioners Determine Whether Someone Can Be Coached. The International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching. 
• Zajac, S., Woods, A., Tannenbaum, S., Salas, E., & Holladay, C. L. (2021). Overcoming challenges to teamwork in healthcare: A team effectiveness framework and evidence-based guidance. Frontiers in Communication, section Health Communication. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2021.606445
• Reyes, D. L., Traylor, A., & Holladay, C. L. (2021). Do We Practice What We Preach?: The Association Between Judgments of Soft Skills and Performance Evaluations Over Time. Current Psychology. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-020-01276-0
• Zajac, S., Holladay, C. L., Tannenbaum, S. & Salas, E. (2021). Building effective healthcare team development interventions in uncertain times: Tips for success. Organizational Dynamics, 100824, ISSN 0090-2616, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0090261620300760.
• Cavanaugh, K., Lee, H.W., Daum, D., Chang, S., Izzo, J. G., Kowalski, A., and Holladay, C. L. (2020). An Examination of Burnout Predictors: Understanding the Influence of Job Attitudes and Environment. Healthcare. https://doi:10.3390/healthcare8040502

Other Articles

• Cavanaugh, K.J., Woods, A.L., & Holladay, C.L. (2023). LEADing Self Accelerate at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Training Magazine. https://trainingmag.com/ld-best-practices-strategies-for-success-may-2023/
• Cavanaugh, K. and Holladay, C.L. (2021). 4 Steps to Rigorous Leadership Development Program Evaluation. Training Magazine. https://trainingmag.com/four-steps-to-rigorous-leadership-development-program-evaluation/
• Cavanaugh, K., DeVeau, M., and Holladay, C. L. (2021). Reframing Leadership Through Coaching. Talent Development Magazine. https://www.td.org/magazines/td-magazine/reframing-leadership-through-coaching
• Anderson, C., Byler, C., Miller, D. Rowe, J., Simon, J. & Holladay, C. L. (2021). Mentoring Up: A different approach to leadership development. Training Magazine. https://trainingmag.com/mentoring-up-a-different-approach-to-leadership-development/

Two advisory boards play a role in guiding the Leadership Institute.

The Leadership Development Council

The Leadership Development Council, compromised of divisional and administrative leadership, gives input into and evaluates plans for leadership programs, and serves as a connection point between the core team and their stakeholders in the institution. The purpose of this council is to create and sustain an integrated, dynamic and learner-centric leadership development program that enables an accountable, thriving culture of servant leaders with a patient-centered, value driven and inclusive focus in all mission areas.

External Advisory Board

The External Advisory Board consists of thought leaders, Board of Visitors members, and industry leaders and meets biannually with the Leadership Institute and leadership to discuss ongoing programs and share their high-level insights and experiences. The purpose of this board is to ensure program alignment with current industry trends, evaluate the investment in leadership development, and share best practices.