Central Intelligence Agency, Center for Creative Leadership Recognized for Program for Middle Managers; Unique Curriculum Earns ``Best Practices'' Citation from American Society for Training and Development.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- A unique leadership development program for middle managers at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been honored with a "Best Practices" citation in workplace learning and development from the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). Called Managing and Leading Change from the Middle, the program was developed by the CIA in partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL(CCL(R))), a nonprofit educational institution and pioneer in leadership training and research.

ASTD is the world's largest association dedicated to workplace learning and performance, with 70,000 members and associates from more than 100 countries. The best practices citation was presented during the organization's annual international conference and exposition this month in Orlando, Fla.

The CIA program honored by ASTD is designed to train new mid-level managers in the flexible, collaborative skills they will need to lead the organization through the challenges of the 21st century - from stretched resources and conflicting stakeholder demands to rapidly changing technology and a multigenerational workforce.

"Our objective is to foster a new management culture with shared values and practices that will help break down internal and external organizational stovepipes," said Barbara Ramey, chairwoman of the New Leaders Department of the Central Intelligence Leadership Academy. "Managing and Leading Change from the Middle has very high visibility and support within our organization and has rapidly moved from being a 'new' initiative to becoming both a regular part of a manager's development and an integral part of our strategic plan for the future."

As a first step in developing the program, the CIA and CCL conducted a comprehensive review of the organization's most compelling issues and the leadership behaviors needed to address them. The resulting three-month-long course combines 12 days of classroom training with interactive exercises, skills assessments, coaching and a variety of peer learning opportunities. Participants also are given assignments to work on independently during periods between classes - reinforcing the training and helping them learn to apply their new skills.

The program has been well received, with 100 percent of the participants saying it achieved its objectives, was practical and worth time away from the job and would be recommended to others. In addition, 85 percent of participants report progress on personal improvement initiatives and are continuing to use the skills they learned.

"In partnering with organizations around the globe to create custom programs, we seldom see as comprehensive an approach to leadership development for mid-level managers," said Lisa Moye, senior associate for custom solutions at CCL. "Managing and Leading Change from the Middle truly reflects the CIA's commitment to transforming its management culture and incorporates the kinds of learning opportunities that many organizations reserve only for their most senior leaders."

About the Center for Creative Leadership

The Center for Creative Leadership is a nonprofit, educational institution with international reach. For more than three decades its mission has been to advance the understanding, practice and development of leadership for the benefit of society worldwide. Center staff members conduct research, produce publications, and provide programs and assessment products to leaders and organizations in all sectors of society. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the Center also has locations in Colorado Springs, Colorado; San Diego, California; Brussels, Belgium and Singapore, as well as Network Associates around the world certified to offer selected Center programs.

The Center annually serves leaders from more than 2,000 organizations - both public and private, including two-thirds of the Fortune 500. Each year, more than 20,000 individuals participate in a Center program and 100,000 professionals complete a Center assessment. In 2003, BusinessWeek's biennial special report on executive education ranked the Center 1st worldwide in leadership education for the third consecutive time. The Center also ranked 4th worldwide among open-enrollment programs and 7th among custom program providers in that report. In a 2005 Financial Times survey, the Center earned an overall Top 10 ranking worldwide among providers of executive education. In addition, CCL ranked 3rd worldwide for open-enrollment programs. This marks the fourth consecutive year that the Center has ranked in the Top 10 for open-enrollment programs.