They institute a process, first teaching the skills, then rating the performance of up-and-coming leaders, and finally promoting those who show the attributes the company cares about.

"Congressman Jackson has been one of the major new up-and-coming African-American leaders in this country, and he has been enormously helpful already," Dr. Dean said in an interview on Monday.

In 1995, the New York Daily News named her "one of the one hundred up-and-coming young leaders for the 21st Century."

In fact, he mentioned that a dozen years ago he had traveled through the United States under a program sponsored by the American Embassy in Madrid for up-and-coming foreign leaders.

In June 2004 he was one of Arkansas Business's "40 Under 40" up-and-coming young leaders.

A dark horse is Haim Ramon, 45, the up-and-coming leader of the Histadrut labor movement, but he broke with Labor and has yet to announce where he will throw his support.

Mr. Cohen worked to win the loyalties of up-and-coming local leaders with such blandishments as trips to America; the Soviet Union countered with trips to Moscow.

Faegre and Benson, who first met in 1909 as opposing players in a college football game, became up-and-coming leaders of the firm.

GOPAC, an organization whose mission it is to support up-and-coming Republican leaders, recently added Shannon to its national advisory board.

The guys who are the up-and-coming leaders are thinking that they don't want to make it seem like they're trying to take over.