25 top companies for leaders by Beth Kowitt and Kim Thai

（Fortune magazine) -- Most large companies love to talk about developing strong leaders. But when it comes down to it, many of them don't know how to turn their words into action. So Fortune teamed with human resources consultants Hewitt Associates and the RBL Group to find out which companies do it best.

The names that top our list, like IBM (IBM, Fortune 500) and Procter & Gamble (PG, Fortune 500), have gone beyond the basics of grooming 【groom：To prepare, as for a specific position or purpose: groom an employee for advancement.】strong leaders and have come up with new ways to test their employees in the global marketplace.

How we picked the Top Companies for Leaders

To create the ranking, we surveyed more than 500 global companies in search of the top businesses at attracting, retaining, and nurturing talent. After several rounds of analysis and interviews, we turned to a team of respected judges from around the world to help select the final list.

The results highlight the top 25 global companies for developing leaders. We also rank companies within four geographic regions. The companies that made the cut have one thing in common: They know that investing in their employees isn't a luxury -- it's a necessity.