The Power of Leadership Development: A Founder's Reflection on 10 Years of Building Better Leaders

Since its inception, the Professional Development Academy (PDA) has been a go-to resource for leaders seeking to bolster their careers, enhance their skillsets, and navigate the complexities of the modern workplace–especially in local government. Founded a decade ago on the principles of accessibility, innovation, and excellence, PDA has consistently strived to provide top-tier education and training to individuals across diverse industries and backgrounds. 

One of the most striking aspects of PDA's success story lies in its expansive reach. With over 10,000 graduates hailing from every state in the U.S., the Academy's impact on local government leaders, their teams, and communities is nothing short of profound. 

PDA co-founder, Dr. Tim Rahschulte, reflects on 10 years of making leaders better.

There are thousands of leadership programs out there. What did you see was missing, and how did you create something to fill that gap? 

The foundation of any product I build is research. I asked over 3,000 executives leading government agencies, multinational enterprises, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, and more, “What is the most pressing issue you face today?” Collectively, the response was leadership. They needed a solution to help existing leaders get better and emerging leaders get ready to address the growing complexity of their work. 

Our initial research identified a critical gap in effective leadership training, particularly for frontline leaders and mid-level managers (“the mass in the middle”). 

Most leadership training programs are not effective at providing content knowledge (i.e. what to do as a leader) AND building confidence to change behavior (i.e. how to do leadership well). Many training resources focus on either entry-level management (not leadership) skills or emphasize executive-level strategy as the core curriculum, neglecting the foundational elements of day-to-day leadership. Effective leaders navigate change, balance competing priorities, align constrained resources, and achieve more with less with a mutual gains approach to collaboration.

Within the foundational understanding of this leadership gap, our first PDA program was born: the High Performance Leadership program. 

What makes your programming unique, especially in the local government space?

Our programs offer immediately actionable ideas, solutions, and value. Most training programs spotlight one or two subject matter experts but our programs feature over 200 public and private sector executives lending their leadership insights in the form of video vignettes, case studies, and practice-based content. In addition, our participants are supported by a leadership coach to help guide the learning journey and training experience. 

Some of the other unique aspects of the Academy include:

• A Departure from the Theoretical: The Academy emphasizes practical application through simulations, assessments, and real-world scenarios relevant to today’s leaders, allowing participants to directly apply their learning to daily responsibilities.
• Recognition of Unique Challenges: Our programming specifically addresses challenges faced by leaders in local government, including  managing limited resources, the expectations of different stakeholders, political dynamics, and complying with regulatory requirements. 
• Networking Opportunities: Our programs include peer-to-peer exchange between participants from varying municipalities. This fosters knowledge-sharing, best practice exchange, and the development of a supportive professional community. That support network has proven to be extremely valuable during the program and long after participants graduate.

Who has championed your process throughout the 10 years?

To answer this question in short: our Academy team and growing alumni base. Our enrollment team works to understand organizational needs that keep our leadership training relevant. Meanwhile, our operations team runs a detailed playbook to ensure the learning journey is effective and unique for participants. 

And externally, it’s the executives who shared their insights ten years ago; it’s the participants who provide real-time feedback during each cohort; and it’s the graduates and their managers. We have a huge community of stakeholders who have cheered the Academy on for the past ten years and who are helping to shape the next ten. 

What are you most proud of with PDA’s first ten years?

Our greatest achievement is seeing our mission make an impact. Our collective team’s dedication to this mission produces feedback from our graduates like, “I can say hands-down it was the best leader-level training I’ve ever experienced. Want to know Gen. Colin Powell’s 13 keys to leadership? He tells you. Want to know how to communicate and negotiate? He offers his secrets. Want to know how to best-manage people? He drops stories that will give you confidence. And it’s not just him. CEOs from around the country are invited in as coaches, too. It’s an incredible cast of experts.”

We’re proud of feedback like this. We have thousands of testimonials like these that serve as a reminder of our continued mission. Our greatest success is knowing that we do this well – PDA's programs offer a transformative impact on local government leadership, resulting in stronger, more resilient communities. 

How do you remain relevant in an industry flooded with virtual resources?

We integrate the feedback we get from our customers–not just the good bits of feedback, but the critical pieces of what’s not working and how it can be better.

We also deliver highly interactive and engaging learning experiences for busy leaders. Rather than simply providing passive online coursework, PDA focuses on creating meaningful connections between participants while integrating real-world expertise with practical (how-to) guidance.

All of this differentiates our Academy from others in a pretty dramatic way. 

The landscape leaders navigate is ever-changing, and the need for leadership development is constant. Dr. Rahschulte and his team are already building on the success of the Professional Development Academy’s first ten years to make more and more leaders better and better over the next ten.