Leadership development programs at Johnson & Johnson: 4 reflections from recent participants

Trace back the career paths of many leaders at Johnson & Johnson and you’ll find a common point of origin—not a school or a skill set, but one of our best-in-class Leadership Development Programs (LDPs). What sets these unique rotational programs apart, what do you stand to gain—and how can the experience accelerate your career path as well?

Let’s go behind the scenes with four participants to find out.

“Positively impact people’s lives”

Prior to participating in an LDP at Johnson & Johnson, Nicolette Strauss already had a fairly impressive range of work experiences, plus significant achievements in the arena of public health—her area of expertise. In fact, she’d helped evaluate and implement public health programs not only in the U.S. but globally. And she’d earned a master’s degree in public health, on top of an MBA, from Johns Hopkins.

Yet the LDP offered something unique in Nicolette’s eyes: a way of connecting her passion to work that she could see translated into meaningful real-world impact on a daily basis.

“I remember feeling like I’d finally identified a company where I could positively impact people’s lives and improve society through my day-to-day work—and my hunch turned out to be correct,” she says. “I’ve found an organization that’s devoted to patients and to doing good in the world.”

Not surprisingly, Nicolette has also since moved on to a much broader role: Director, New Products and Business Development, Solid Tumor. Still, her essential mandate remains the same: spearheading healthcare innovation and impacting the lives of patients every day.

“A more well-rounded skill set”

Fresh out of the MBA program at Cornell, Meg Reddy was a burgeoning expert in the field of medical device innovation. Still, she felt like there were gaps in her knowledge that she wanted to fill. “I didn’t have an in-depth understanding of the entire ecosystem—of both upstream product development and downstream sales execution,” she says.

Which is why the rotational structure of our MedTech Marketing Leadership Development Program (MLDP) was a key differentiator and selling point for Meg.

“I was confident that I’d have a much more well-rounded skill set after working in three different roles throughout the course of this program,” she says, adding that the program delivered on that premise—and then some.

“I’m also grateful for the other participants I had the chance to meet and work with,” she says of her cohort. “It was amazing to have this shared experience, and going through common challenges really brought everyone together.”

“I grew up hearing stories about Our Credo”

No two paths to the LDPs at Johnson & Johnson are the same. But even bearing in mind, there’s no denying the continuity in Megan Curham’s story is unusual.

After all, both of her parents worked at Johnson & Johnson when she was growing up.

“I was raised hearing stories about Our Credo and the amazing culture at Johnson & Johnson,” Megan recalls, adding that she came to view the company as simply an extension of her family.

So after graduating from Princeton with the desire to build a career in HR, Megan had at least one idea of where she might get started.

“Above all, I saw this as a chance to positively impact the lives of people around the world and to really make a difference,” she says. “I knew that was the mission at Johnson & Johnson, and I knew that I wanted to be a part of it.”

And so she has. Today, in fact, Megan is living out that vision in her role as Senior Manager, Business Architect, Global Talent Management, where she holds responsibilities every bit as far reaching as those early-in-career ambitions. “It’s a dream come true,” she says.

“A really strong foundation throughout your career”

Today, Steven Derby holds the title of Lead Financial Analyst, but he started his career on our team as an undergraduate intern, later returning to participate in our Finance Leadership Development Program (FLDP).

Steven’s goal? “At the end of the program, I wanted to have a high-level understanding of the way finance works—to be able to speak to every line of a financial statement with confidence, accuracy and knowledge,” he says.

But Steven says he’s also grateful to have built such a strong professional network along the way, in no small part thanks to the rotational structure of the LDP.

“As an added benefit, I’ve developed this incredibly robust network of colleagues, mentors and managers, which I didn’t realize right away,” he reflects. “At a certain point, though, I remember thinking to myself, ‘Regardless of what path you choose to pursue, this is going to serve as a really strong foundation throughout your career.’”

Accelerate your career growth

Wherever you want to go in your career, our best-in-class LDPs at Johnson & Johnson will help you get there—as Nicolette, Meg, Megan, Steven and many others can attest. Looking ahead in that vein, what’s the best next step for you?

• Learning more about LDPs at Johnson & Johnson
• Checking out all of the different ways you can join our team right now
• Signing up for our global talent community, which is an easy way to stay in touch and get updates about jobs that might interest you in the future