
How to build a manager development program from scratch
From How to Make a Leader by Big Think+
March 12, 2026 · 20 min · Episode 21
About this episode
Sarah Bright discusses building and scaling a manager development program at Darktrace.
Building a manager development program from scratch is hard. But scaling it is harder. Sarah Bright leads Learning & Development at Darktrace. She built a tiered manager development program from scratch, training 75% of all managers across 20 learning cohorts in two years. She shares how her team designed a program that adapts to a fast-moving business, the core competencies that define great managers, and how to measure the real impact of leadership development. Things to listen for : (00:00) Welcome to How to Make A Leader (01:13) Building the L&D function from scratch (02:33) Getting buy-in for manager development (03:49) The first version of Darktrace’s manager program (05:10) Tiered manager development curriculum (06:39) Core competencies for developing leaders (08:31) Measuring the success of L&D initiatives (12:20) Creating a thriving manager community (15:26) What's next for L&D at Darktrace (19:19) One piece of leadership advice About Sarah Bright : Sarah Bright is the Head of Learning and Development at Darktrace, where she leads global initiatives that support more than 2,500 employees, including scalable learning pathways, clear career progression…
People in this episode
Guest: Sarah Bright
Topics covered
- manager development
- leadership
- learning and development
- business scaling
- core competencies
Keywords
- manager development program
- leadership development
- L&D initiatives
- core competencies
- business growth
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Darktrace
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