Innovative Connections launches vertical development program with Vālenz Health

By AI, Created 9:36 PM UTC, June 04, 2026, /AGP/ – Innovative Connections is rolling out “Leading at the Edge” on July 1, starting with Vālenz Health and opening the program to other organizations through its website. The initiative is built to help leaders handle complexity, uncertainty and faster change by expanding how they think and make decisions.

Why it matters: - The program targets a gap in traditional leadership training: technical expertise alone often does not prepare leaders for competing priorities, interconnected systems and fast-moving change. - Vertical development is designed to help leaders expand their mindset and decision-making capacity, which can affect how organizations respond to complexity in real time. - Vālenz Health is using the program to strengthen its leadership bench as the company works to support its mission of simplifying healthcare.

What happened: - Innovative Connections launched “Leading at the Edge,” a new vertical development program created in partnership with Vālenz Health. - The program becomes available to other organizations on July 1 through Innovative Connections. - Laurie Cure, founder and CEO of Innovative Connections, said the program is built to help leaders develop broader perspective, greater adaptability and deeper awareness.

The details: - The program is grounded in the science of vertical development and is aimed at leaders working in demanding environments. - Participants will take part in leadership assessments and multi-source feedback. - The curriculum includes facilitated sessions, peer dialogue, coaching and guided reflection. - The program emphasizes real-time application to current business challenges. - Innovative Connections says the design uses experiential learning to deepen leadership capacity. - Vālenz Health describes collaboration, innovation, integrity, customer love and accountability as core pillars of its approach. - Hava Moss, director of talent management at Vālenz Health, said the company wants leaders to grow beyond foundational leadership skills and operate at a higher level.

Between the lines: - The launch reflects a shift away from training that only builds skills and toward development that changes how leaders think under pressure. - The partnership gives Innovative Connections a flagship use case and gives Vālenz Health a structured leadership development tool tied to its business priorities. - The focus on complexity, uncertainty and systems thinking suggests the program is aimed at senior or high-potential leaders rather than entry-level managers.

What’s next: - Innovative Connections will open the program to additional organizations starting July 1. - Interested leaders and organizations can learn more through the company’s website and program information page. - The partnership could serve as an early test case for whether vertical development gains broader traction outside the initial Vālenz Health rollout.

The bottom line: - Innovative Connections is betting that leadership growth now requires changing how leaders think, not just what they know.