Successful businesses look to the future and to their future leaders, and that's precisely what The Executives' Club of Chicago is doing with its New Leaders Development Program and New Leaders Mentorship Program, which hone in on "New Skills for a New Workforce."

The 106-year-old Executives' Club is a business forum for thoughtful leadership, education and best business practices. It has more than 2,000 members and part of its mission is to help the Chicago business community develop future business leaders.

PotashCorp – which believes strongly in fostering executive leadership in the community – is involved in both these new programs. It sponsored the 2007/2008 development program season of five panel discussions with leading executives.

President and CEO Bill Doyle was the guest on October 2, and chatted informally about what he thought being a trusted leader was all about, and answered questions. He shared his experiences on executive presence and learned vs. inherent leadership traits, and also discussed the things he wished he had known before he became CEO.

"Bill Doyle's presentation was very refreshing, because it did not feel canned or formulaic," said Sharon Hildebrand, Senior Director of Business Development, Midwest, for Symbio Group. "I took a lot away from it because the format was more casual, like a town hall meeting. It was great to have a real dialogue with a CEO of a company like PotashCorp."

PotashCorp's Jane Irwin, Senior Vice President, Administration, is spearheading a group mentorship program that will be piloted in 2008, to let new leaders network in small settings. She has previously been an individual mentor with the leader's mentorship program.

"This program is useful because it brings several young executives together to meet each other, as well as more senior executive members," she said. "This way we all learn from each other and make valuable new connections in the business community."

"This program is personally and professionally rewarding for all those involved," Irwin said. "But it also may lead to a long-term payoff for PotashCorp as we develop lasting relationships with successful executives in the community."

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