Scott Gregory Director of Talent Management and Organizational Development for Pentair		"Staff in Executive Education were very partnership oriented, were able quickly to understand what we were trying to accomplish with the program, and provided suggestions and alternatives for us.  I never felt like we were getting a canned program or a canned response from them.  I really felt like they were trying to understand our needs and deliver on them."   Pentair is committed to delivering shareholder value and has done so with impressive results over the course of its 40-year history. To drive continued success, the company undertook a strategic transformation and implemented a growth strategy that demanded faster, more sophisticated, and more consistent leadership development to fuel success.   A critical part of Pentair’s early growth strategy involved an evolution in the company’s culture from a holding company mindset to an operating company. As this shift took hold, its leaders identified three critical talent needs. First, Pentair faced an increasing need to develop its leadership pool. The company’s strategy required senior managers who could think strategically and financially about the company as a whole; who understood and could drive faster growth; and who could manage across global boundaries. Second, the shift to an operating company model demanded a new, collaborative approach to succession management decisions to replace the company’s locally-based decision making model for succession management. Third, Pentair’s growth strategy required a higher level of acquisition activity and a strengthening of leadership resources available to the company at any given point in time.   In response to these needs, Pentair and the Carlson School designed a cutting-edge program to support development of Pentair’s highest-potential future leaders. Pentair’s Executive Development Program (EDP), launched in 1999, includes four modules focusing on Leadership, Finance, Growth and Global Business.   Pentair executives play a key role in the development and delivery of the curriculum, working collaboratively with Carlson faculty. While the focus areas have remained consistent since the program’s launch, the content of each module evolves to reflect Pentair’s progress and corresponding leadership demands. Company-specific cases studies are core to the teaching and include both Pentair cases and external cases. In addition, simulations and action learning projects are integrated into the content to provide opportunities for participants to apply their learning quickly. For example, a competitive business simulation in the finance module provides real time feedback on the implications of key business decisions. Action learning projects, which focus on real Pentair issues/projects and last for approximately six months, are woven into the program’s first two modules, and participants work in self-directed teams with executive sponsorship.   Today, Pentair’s EDP continues to play a vital role in developing the company’s leaders of tomorrow.