Purpose Leadership development programs (LDPs) have emerged relatively recently in the healthcare context as a mechanism not only to develop capable and competent leaders but also to retain them. The purpose of this paper is to describe a perspective on practice by illustrating a case example that showcases a pilot LDP for newly promoted healthcare leaders. The details about how it was developed and implemented collaboratively by a healthcare consortium and higher education institution (HEI) to address shared healthcare leadership talent pipeline and retention challenges are provided. Design/methodology/approach This perspective on practice describes how a consortium of competitive healthcare organizations, a type of branded Inter-organizational Relationship referred to as “Coopetition,” contracted with a HEI to design, develop and launch a pilot LDP, referred to as the Academy for Healthcare Education and Development program, using the analyze, design, develop, implement and evaluate model. Findings The significance of this illustrative case example is discussed along with some initial lessons learned based upon this pilot LDP that 24 program participants completed. Implications for research, theory and practice are presented, followed by limitations and a conclusion. Originality/value Inter-organizational relationships, particularly coopetition, are relatively new in the healthcare sector, along with collaboration with HEIs to develop interventions to solve compelling industry problems. This illustrative case example offers insights that address scholars’ calls and practitioners’ needs to explicate different approaches for LDPs to build the healthcare leadership talent pipeline.
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