lead.forward - Our Framework for Leadership Development
In the world of leadership development, there's a constant risk of programs feeling disconnected, generic, or misaligned with what leaders and their organizations truly need. A one-size-fits-all workshop might generate a temporary buzz, but does it create lasting change? A senior leader might request "team building," but is the root challenge with the individuals on the team, the team's collective dynamics, or the organizational system they operate in?
Without a clear lens, leadership initiatives can miss the mark, investing time and resources in solving the wrong problem.
At transform.forward, we've developed a simple model to cut through this complexity and bring intentionality to leadership growth. We call it the lead.forward framework.
This framework is built on a fundamental idea: Leadership isn’t a skillset - it’s a dynamic capability that flexes across self, team, and system. It provides a structure for designing experiences, scaffolding learning, and empowering leaders to apply concepts where they matter most. It helps us, and the leaders we partner with, answer a critical question: Who or what is this leadership work for?
The Three Rings of Leadership: Self, Team, and Organization
The lead.forward framework is visualized as three concentric circles, each representing a distinct focus area for leadership development and application.
For the Self: This is the core. Leadership begins with self-awareness. This level is about introspection and personal growth. It involves understanding your strengths, values, communication style, and leadership brand. It’s about building the personal foundation from which all effective leadership flows.
For the Team: This is the immediate circle of influence. Leadership is rarely a solo act. This level focuses on interpersonal dynamics and collective effectiveness. It’s about how you lead and collaborate with the people you work with most closely - your direct reports, your peers, and your supervisor. The goal is to foster psychological safety, align on common goals, and create a high-performing unit.
For the Organization: This is the outermost ring, representing the broader system. Leadership at this level is about influencing culture, driving strategy, and championing change across departments or the entire enterprise. It requires systems thinking and the ability to inspire action far beyond your direct authority.
This model serves two primary, interconnected purposes: first, to clarify the target audience of a given development experience, and second, to provide a scaffold for application for individual leaders.
Pinpointing the Target: Designing with Purpose
One of the most immediate benefits of the lead.forward framework is its power as a diagnostic tool. When a partner asks for a leadership program, we use this model to clarify the primary objective. Is the goal to enhance the personal effectiveness of individuals, improve the cohesion of a specific team, or shift a pattern within the wider organization?
The answer dramatically changes the solution. Let's look at a few examples.
Focus on the Self: Executive and Group Coaching
When we engage in executive coaching, the target is squarely on the Self. The work is a deep, personalized exploration of a leader's mindset, behaviors, and impact. Similarly, we often run group coaching cohorts where individuals from different teams across an organization (or multiple organizations) come together. While they are in a group, the curriculum is designed for the Self. Participants work on defining their personal leadership brand, navigating career growth, and improving their individual effectiveness. The group context provides diverse perspectives and support, but the developmental journey is personal.
Focus on the Team: Intact Team Coaching
This is fundamentally different from group coaching. When we work with an intact team (a leader and their direct reports), our focus shifts to the Team as a collective entity. We're no longer just developing individuals; we're developing the team itself. The conversations revolve around questions like: How do we make decisions? How do we handle conflict? Are our roles and goals clear? How can we leverage our combined strengths to be more effective and have a better experience working together? The intervention is designed to improve the health and performance of that specific unit.
Focus on the Organization: Large-Scale Initiatives
This is the broadest sphere of leadership influence. At this level, leadership is about systems thinking - understanding how individual actions, team dynamics, and institutional structures interact to shape culture and outcomes. It involves cultivating perspective beyond one’s own department or function and recognizing the ripple effects of decisions across the enterprise. Leaders operating here focus on alignment, adaptability, and stewardship of the organization’s mission. They serve as connectors between strategy and execution, ensuring that the organization’s values and direction are not just stated but lived.
Example: A Strengths-Based Rollout Across an Entire Company
Consider a large-scale initiative to embed a strengths-based philosophy throughout an organization using a tool like CliftonStrengths. This type of engagement naturally touches every layer of the lead.forward framework:
For the Self: Individuals complete the CliftonStrengths assessment and begin to explore their top talents. Workshops and guided reflections help individuals build self-awareness and begin to articulate their personal leadership brand.
For the Team: Managers are equipped with tools and coaching to understand team composition through a strengths lens. They learn how to leverage complementary strengths, delegate more effectively, and foster greater psychological safety within their teams.
For the Organization: The initiative is designed not just as a one-off training, but as a strategic shift. Strengths language is embedded into performance reviews, onboarding processes, talent development programs, and how cross-functional project teams are formed. Over time, this becomes a cultural operating system.
By mapping this initiative through the lead.forward framework, we ensure each layer (individual, team, and system) is aligned and supported. The framework allows us to avoid the trap of stopping at awareness and instead build a coordinated, sustained experience that drives meaningful culture change.
A Scaffold for Application: Look In, Look Around, Look Out
Beyond designing programs, the framework is an incredibly versatile tool for leaders themselves. In education and design, scaffolding refers to the idea of building one layer of understanding at a time - each level supporting the next. That same principle applies to how we think about leadership development. The concentric nature of the framework also provides a powerful blueprint for structuring long-term leadership development journeys. We have found it is a best practice to build these experiences from the inside out. This layered approach gives leaders a framework for integrating any concept into practice.
Look In (For the Self): How does this concept relate to me personally? What are my natural tendencies here? What mindset shift do I need to make? Before I can lead anyone else in this, I must first lead myself.
Look Around (For the Team): How can I apply this concept with my immediate team? Where can I use this to improve our processes or relationships? This is about translating theory into practice within their direct sphere of authority and influence.
Look Out (For the Organization): How can I use this concept to influence the broader organization? How does this practice align with our company's strategic goals? This encourages leaders to think beyond their own silo and contribute to the health of the whole system.
This "in, around, and out" approach helps leaders build a muscle for multi-level thinking. It transforms a passive learning experience into an active application strategy, empowering them to see opportunities for leadership at every level, regardless of their formal title. This inside-out progression isn't just logical; it's developmental. It scaffolds learning in a way that builds confidence and capability incrementally, ensuring that leaders are not asked to change the organization before they have first learned to lead themselves and their teams effectively.
Clarity in a Complex World
The lead.forward framework is more than a diagram - it's a philosophy. It’s a commitment to providing leadership development that is focused, relevant, and scaffolded for maximum impact. It brings clarity for senior leaders planning their talent strategy and provides a practical mental model for individuals striving to grow.
By constantly asking who and what our efforts are for, we can move beyond generic solutions and create transformative experiences that empower leaders to make a meaningful difference at every level.
