Shaping Future Leaders: Eaton’s Comprehensive Approach to Early Talent Development

The Talent Management Insights Series features conversations with HR and talent management leaders, uncovering emerging leadership trends and innovative practices within their organizations. In this discussion, I met with Katie Appel, Early Talent Program Manager at Eaton. Katie shares how Eaton’s leadership development programs prepare early talent for success and how their organization is evolving to meet technological and generational shifts. 

Dylan Williams (DW): How does Eaton approach leadership development with early talent?   

Katie Appel (KA): Leadership development is a huge focus at Eaton. We have a dedicated learning and culture team that oversees leadership development across all levels of the organization. My work focuses specifically on early talent.

At Eaton, we’ve built our approach around critical competencies needed to be successful leaders at Eaton.  For early talent specifically, we’ve identified four critical topics. Based on these topics, we’ve developed a two-year curriculum for our early talent leadership development program participants.

We will have four key topics that are covered on an annual basis. The topics include influencing others, feedback, problem solving and change agility. We emphasize that even as new hires, participants have a voice and can make a meaningful impact. They’re encouraged to speak up and offer their perspectives, even as they’re learning the ropes.

Though the topics stay the same while the participants are in program, the way that they can relate to and understand them will change based on their level of experience. We expect them to be able to go deeper and share their learnings with others the longer that they are in program.

DW: How do you measure the success of these programs? 

KA: At the start of our program, we evaluate participants to create a profile of their skills and attributes. Some traits are relatively fixed. But behaviors, such as motivation to lead, learning agility and ability to influence others can be developed.

Throughout the program, we use these evaluations to track growth. For example, after a period of time, we reassess participants to see how much they’ve improved in the key areas we focus on.

We also measure success through promotability. Five years post-program, we look at where participants are in their careers. Are they managing people? Have they been identified for other leadership programs? Are they on track to become future leaders within Eaton? These outcomes are critical indicators of the program’s effectiveness.

And while the core competencies remain aligned with the Eaton Leadership Model, we make program adjustments based on patterns we see in our assessments. If there is a pattern of several cohorts rating lower on certain attributes, we adapt the curriculum to address those gaps.

DW: What trends or challenges do you see shaping the future your talent programs? Are there specific areas or innovations you’re focusing on? 

KA: The first is AI—it’s here to stay, and we need to embrace it. We’re exploring how AI can enhance leadership training, such as personalizing learning experiences to meet individual needs.

For example, AI could help create more engaging and interactive training sessions by offering real-time feedback or tailoring content based on the participant’s learning style. It’s about finding ways to make learning more accessible and impactful while also allowing us to focus on strategic aspects of leadership development.

We’re also rethinking the format of training programs. Traditional two-hour sessions every few months are less effective for today’s workforce, especially with attention spans becoming shorter. Gen Z, for instance, brings unique expectations and learning styles to the workplace. They’re looking for bite-sized, on-demand learning that aligns with their digital-first mindset. But it’s not just about adapting to Gen Z—every generation in the workforce is experiencing shorter attention spans and a greater demand for flexibility. To address this, we’re moving toward micro-learning—short, self-paced modules that participants can engage with daily. For instance, five to ten minutes of leadership development each day is more digestible and can create sustained learning over time. This approach not only helps participants absorb information better but also makes leadership development a routine part of their workday.

Another emerging trend is the emphasis on soft skills and emotional intelligence. While technical skills remain critical, organizations increasingly value leaders who can navigate ambiguity, inspire others, and foster inclusivity. These are skills we’re embedding into our curriculum and coaching sessions, not just for early talent but across all leadership levels.

Finally, we’re paying close attention to global shifts like the impact of COVID and the rapid pace of technological change. COVID significantly disrupted traditional career paths, especially for those entering the workforce during the pandemic. We’ve noticed that early talent affected by these changes sometimes struggles with decision-making and ambiguity. To address this, we’re incorporating tools and strategies to build resilience and confidence.

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Katie Appel is the Early Talent Program Manager at Eaton, an intelligent power management company dedicated to improving the quality of life and protecting the environment for people everywhere. Katie is a graduate of Bowling Green State University (BS, 2012) and The Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business (MRHM, 2017).