Leadership Training Case

New Manager Development Initiative: Burger King — “Future Star” Leadership Program

Project Overview

As Burger King expanded its footprint in China, the company needed to develop a strong management pipeline. Prothink designed a year-long leadership development initiative for high-potential employees, focusing on essential leadership skills while balancing operational demands.From its experienced workforce, Burger King selected a group of high-potential talents and partnered with Prothink to design and deliver a structured, year-long leadership development initiative delivered across four quarterly phases.

Based on a thorough understanding of participant profiles, leadership expectations, on-the-job challenges and priority capability gaps, Prothink adopted a light-customization approach to design a coherent series of leadership development programs.

The Challenge

How can high-potential new managers be equipped with essential leadership capabilities while balancing operational demands in a fast-paced, high-growth environment?

Our Approach

We designed a practice-oriented leadership development journey that emphasised learning through application and reflection.

  • Business simulations and management sand-table exercises
  • “Learn–apply–assess” cycles integrating immediate practice and evaluation
  • Individual and team assessments to support self-awareness and collective learning
  • Structured debriefs and reflection sessions to consolidate learning outcomes

Outcomes & Impact

  • A one-year leadership development journey comprising four structured program phases
  • Core learning themes included:
    • Influence Without Authority
    • Execution Excellence
    • Problem Analysis and Problem Solving
  • Participants strengthened leadership fundamentals while improving practical management effectiveness in their day-to-day roles