Background The healthcare industry is currently facing unprecedented challenges, and the need for effective leadership has never been higher. One way organisations might address the need for healthcare leadership is through tailored leadership development programmes, which are designed to maximise impact. This research sought to examine potential differences between physician and administrative leaders’ unique needs and to use this information to inform the design of future leadership development programmes.

Methods Survey data from a sample of international leaders who participated in cohort-based leadership development programmes at the Mandel Global Leadership and Learning Institute at Cleveland Clinic were examined to explore potential differences between physician and administrative leaders in order to cultivate future training outcomes.

Results Findings demonstrate that there are significant differences in personality, motivation to lead and leadership self-efficacy between the two populations at Cleveland Clinic.

Conclusions These results indicate how understanding specific traits, motivations and developmental needs of the target audience may guide the development of more effective leadership development programming. Future directions for addressing leadership development in the healthcare industry are also discussed.