The Opportunity
In 2021, global travel restrictions made traditional leadership programmes difficult to deliver. Amid this context, Salesforce sought to create a senior leadership experience focused on purpose and authentic leadership that could be delivered entirely online.
The challenge was not to simply move an existing programme to a virtual environment, but to create a space that maintained depth and engagement while connecting leaders with real-world challenges, thereby creating transformational learning.
The Journey
Emerging World designed a virtual programme delivered over four half-day sessions. The ‘Leading for Purpose’ initiative enabled senior leaders to work in small groups with nonprofit organizations facing complex organizational challenges.
Using the Action Learning approach, participants explored each challenge together before suggesting possible ways forward. Working directly with social impact organizations ensured that discussions remained grounded in real issues rather than theoretical scenarios.
The design leveraged the strengths of the online format: global participation, focused interaction, and structured reflection.
The Transformation
150 senior leaders participated in the programme. Together they worked with 28 nonprofit organizations on pressing organizational challenges.
Participants reported stronger awareness of how their leadership influences others and greater confidence addressing complex issues.
Partners gained new perspectives and practical ideas to move their work forward.
The programme showed that virtual leadership development can be both rigorous and deeply human.
“One of the key issues in using Action Learning in this cross-sector format is investing in relationship building and problem identification up front. This takes time but ensures that everyone involved engages in a positive spirit and can make progress on complex issues relatively quickly” – Leading for Purpose Programme Participant, Salesforce
