Background Residents need and want practical leadership training, yet leadership curricula are lacking in graduate medical education (GME). We describe our process of curriculum mapping, a method for auditing a curriculum, and its role in iterative leadership curriculum development.

Aims To show how to create a curriculum map for auditing a curriculum using examples from our leadership curriculum and to demonstrate its value through case examples of leadership education integration into existing resident experiences.

Methods We selected our recent systematic review on current leadership curricula to prioritise leadership content given it was the basis for our initial curriculum. We identified existing resident experiences where training can occur. We use the selected content and training environments, layered with a modified Miller’s pyramid, to construct a curriculum map.

Results Our curriculum map provides an example of curriculum auditing that reveals opportunities for leadership training that could be integrated into current residency experiences. We provide case examples of application.

Discussion Effective leadership training should address critical topics and capitalise on experiential learning opportunities that exist within residency training programmes. The training must be seamlessly integrated into the demanding obligations of GME trainees, a process that can be achieved using curriculum mapping. Curriculum mapping can provide insight into a residency programme’s leadership curriculum and create a direction for future leadership curriculum development.