Leadership development that deepens over time.
A one-day retreat or a standalone workshop can give a team a strong start. Lasting change across an organization takes longer: months of practice, regular check-ins, and a leadership vocabulary that people at every level share.
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Our Sustained Leadership Programs run six to twelve months. They typically begin with planning sessions with your senior leaders and a kickoff for all participants, then combine CliftonStrengths® assessments and debriefs, StrengthsWork, group and team coaching, and on-site sessions, with regular check-ins so the plan keeps pace with what is happening in your organization.
The lead.forward Framework
Each program is organized around the lead.forward framework, which moves from the individual leader to the team and then to the organization:
Self
Grounded in positive psychology and self-discovery, leaders identify their natural talents, unpack communication preferences, and develop personal operating systems to manage energy and workload.
Team
Leaders learn the mechanics of high-performing team dynamics—mastering strengths-based delegation and navigating workplace tension proactively and professionally.
Organization
Senior and executive leaders work to deconstruct departmental silos, translate executive strategy into daily priorities, and lead transparent change initiatives.
Built Around Your Organization
We do not believe in rigid, one-size-fits-all leadership curricula. Every lead.forward engagement is custom-built for your context, pulling modularly from our full portfolio of services based on your organization's growth stage and strategic priorities:
Individual Coaching
Confidential coaching for executives, managers, and emerging leaders, using CliftonStrengths, the Leadership Versatility Index (LVI), or the Enneagram as a starting point.
StrengthsWork
Our CliftonStrengths program, completed with the lead.forward Guidebook, in which participants spend about two months working through their top five strengths one week at a time.
Team & Group Coaching
Coaching for intact teams and for cohorts of leaders, so the program reaches more people than individual coaching alone.
Training & Retreats
Workshops and facilitated retreats scheduled throughout the program, drawn from the eight content areas in our training catalog and our change management track.
Onboarding for New Team Members
When someone joins a team partway through a program, our Foundations onboarding helps them learn the frameworks and shared experiences the group has already built.
Hands-On Methods
Visual mapping, scenario simulations, and the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method, used to bring unspoken group dynamics into the open and build shared working agreements.
Reaching Every Level of Leadership
Friction often grows when senior leaders and middle managers describe priorities in different terms. Our programs can engage several levels of leadership at the same time or in phases:
Executive Leadership Teams
Aligning senior leaders on vision, decision authority, and how change will be led.
Mid-Level Manager Cohorts
Preparing supervisors to lead from the middle, translate strategy for their teams, give useful feedback, and coach their direct reports.
Cross-Functional Peer Partnerships
Pairing leaders from different departments so they build working relationships outside their own units.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a sustained leadership program?
A sustained leadership program is a six- to twelve-month partnership that develops leaders through a combination of executive coaching, StrengthsWork, cohort workshops, on-site sessions, and assessments such as CliftonStrengths® and the Leadership Versatility Index (LVI). Because it runs over several months, leaders get regular practice and check-ins that help new habits take hold.
How long does a leadership development program take?
Our Sustained Leadership Programs run six to twelve months. Most begin with planning sessions with senior leaders and a kickoff for all participants, followed by assessments, coaching, workshops, and on-site sessions scheduled across the engagement.
Who should participate in an organizational leadership program?
Programs can include executives, mid-level managers, and supervisors at the same time or in phases. Bringing several levels of leadership through the same program gives them a shared language for strengths, decisions, and change.
How do you customize a leadership program for our organization?
We build each program from our coaching, StrengthsWork, training, and retreat services, choosing the assessments and sessions that fit your priorities and the time your leaders can give. Planning sessions with your senior leaders at the start and regular check-ins along the way keep the program aligned with what is happening in your organization.
What happens when a new leader joins partway through the program?
Our Foundations onboarding helps new team members learn the frameworks and shared experiences the group has already built, so they can contribute without starting from scratch.
Schedule a Conversation
Tell us a little about what you need and what you are working on, and we will follow up to set a time to talk.