The Opus Group was recently featured in Forbes for its distinctive approach to leadership and talent development.
In the article Why This Company Calls Its Managers ‘Talent Developers,’ contributor Kevin Kruse explores how our global network of event marketing agencies—including Opus Agency, MAS, and Verve—has built a system to make professional development part of everyday culture.
At the center of that system is Marissa Long, Director of Talent Development at The Opus Group, who leads programs designed to give employees across the organization access to growth tools and leadership training.
Rather than referring to people leaders as “managers,” we call them Talent Developers. This deliberate shift reinforces our belief that developing people is one of the most important parts of leadership.
“It takes some time to shift your thoughts on the language,” Marissa explains in the feature. “But there’s no reason to gatekeep my title. I cannot oversee the talent development of a 650-plus-person community—it’s a partnership with our leaders.”
We support this philosophy through our Talent Developer Series, a five-part program that equips leaders with practical skills in hiring, coaching, feedback, performance management, and career development.
The article also highlights our approach to emotional intelligence training, which focuses on team-based learning. By developing shared language and norms across teams, this program helps us build stronger collaboration and trust.
“We try to make sure that when we have those emotional intelligence-like topics, we are having those workshops and conversations as a team,” Marissa adds. “That way, everyone, not just the leader, can learn together.”
Our approach is simple: when development becomes a shared responsibility, it becomes part of our culture.
