What is it that makes executive
education superstars stand out?

A thin line of perceived success separates the small group of individuals who can charge more than $10,000 per day to conduct executive education programs for corporate buyers from the thousands of suppliers who earn less, say researchers from Penn State and The College of William and Mary.

In the report "Executive Education and Leadership Development: The State of the Practice," the researchers estimate that only about 50 "global superstar" individual suppliers in the field can ask for and receive daily rates above $10,000. Around 250 individuals in the highly competitive profession can get from $5,000 to $10,000 per day. The pay scale for the remaining 30,000 or so practitioners worldwide falls as low as less than $1,000 per day.

"Many of the people we consider 'global superstars' are riding the crest of a popular book, work all over the world for up to $50,000 per session, and can rack up more than 100 billable days per year," report co-author Albert A. Vicere, associate dean for executive education in The Smeal College of Business Administration, said.

Moving from one rank to another can make for startling differences in daily rates and depends a great deal on image, the researchers say.

Also highlighted are trends among users of executive education/leadership development programs such as how firms budget for the programs and determine who is eligible to attend.

The full report is available through the Penn State Institute for the Study of Organizational Effectiveness.