OUR COMPANY OUR GOVERNANCE OUR PEOPLE OUR COMMUNITIES THE ENVIRONMENT THE NUMBERS AND SMALL PRINT Feature Story: Learning and Development DEVELOPING NEW PATHWAYS FOR DIVERSE LEADERSHIP In this new era of Un-carrier, we’re doubling down on our commitment to cultivate a culture of belonging. We do this by listening to our employees, creating career development programs centered on DE&I, and by addressing barriers underrepresented talent face at critical points in their careers. At T-Mobile, it’s important we open new pathways for development and increase leadership diversity across the company. More Than Mentorship Our Lead Magenta Next (LMN) leadership development program is aimed at putting underrepresented talent at the intersection of sponsorship, readiness, and opportunity. Sponsored by T-Mobile’s ERGs and designed with their guidance, LMN participants can be nominated by anyone in the company, including themselves, a feature that helps mitigate potential bias. The program also prioritizes sponsorship to help women and people of color build a network of advocates. By nurturing these relationships, LMN opens avenues for new partnerships across the enterprise, connects program participants to new opportunities, and brings together diverse groups of employees for innovative, authentic growth. A Support Team Around Each Participant The level of support provided to the 25-person cohorts is one reason the program has been so successful. A Personal Advisory Board is built around each participant and includes an internal mentor to guide them through the stretch assignment, an external mentor to assist with individual development planning, an executive sponsor to open networks and advocate, an internal executive recruiter to provide insight into hiring, and the participant’s manager to support engagement in the program. “You get an external executive coach, and to me that was unique,” said Monic Payne, who participated in the program and is now a Director Product, Portfolio & Sourcing at T-Mobile. “Having this outside perspective really helped me to grow and look at things from a different view. Through this journey with Lead Magenta Next, I had the opportunity to apply for a director position. I called my internal executive sponsor and received guidance from my external executive coach during the process.” Launched in 2020, this program is already seeing results with 28% of the participants being promoted within two months of completing the program. Sponsorship was reported as a key factor in gaining their promotions. 28% of the first Lead Magenta Next cohort were promoted within two months of completing the program LMN was recognized by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), a leading global human capital research firm, and named the i4cp Next Practice winner in 2021. i4cp Next Practice Awards recognize companies that are leading the way in HR, talent, and workforce innovation. This recognition is a testament to the impact the program is already having on driving development opportunities and diversity in our leadership. We are so lucky to have had the opportunity to participate in Lead Magenta Next and present our concept to leaders... Not only did they understand the vision, but they incorporated it into their already amazing roadmap and expanded our concept even further. Can’t wait to see what new ideas and concepts come from the next generation of LMN leaders!” Lawrence Garcia Sr. Business Development Manager, Ru ral Consumer Group, MCA 2020 2021 CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 37