I'm delegating well
so that
our capacity increases.
I'm delegating well
I'm focusing on clear priorities
I'm coaching others successfully
I'm communicating clearly
I'm articulating a vision
I'm building trust
I'm having conversations sooner
I'm strengthening my network
I'm giving useful feedback
so that
our capacity increases.
we deliver on time.
I develop future leaders.
people hear what I mean.
people know where we're going.
people want to be on our team.
we avoid escalations.
I have support during tough times.
peoples' careers keep growing.
Leadership gets harder at inflection points.
A promotion, a different organization, a new team, a big initiative — these are the inflection points of our careers. And they often bring a common challenge: what worked yesterday doesn’t work today.
It’s no accident that Marshall Goldsmith's bestselling leadership book is titled What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There. He writes, “The higher you go, the more your problems are behavioral.”
Leaders often thrive early in their careers. But new responsibilities demand a different set of skills that require us to shift how we work. Relying on what worked previously means getting pulled into the weeds, giving feedback too late (if at all), and struggling to articulate a vision.
Many of us get to a point in our careers when it’s important to change our behaviors.
Doable alone, but easier and more successful with support.
The Coaching for Leaders Academy provides the community and structure to accelerate your movement on the behaviors that are most critical right now.
Our Principles
Strengths over Weaknesses
Consistency over Intensity
Community over Solitude
Practical over Hypothetical
Your Coach
Dave Stachowiak is host the Coaching for Leaders podcast, downloaded 40 million times since 2011. Apple Podcasts lists the show as #1 search result for management in the United States. Dave has facilitated every Academy session personally since 2015 and he leverages his award-winning career at Dale Carnegie, doctoral degree in organizational leadership, and insightful conversations with top experts.
But that's not everything…
Early in his career, Dave was passed up for promotions…multiple times. His results were so bad his first year at Dale Carnegie that he tried to resign (thankfully, his manager talked him out of it). He still gets nerves before podcast interviews.
He founded the Academy because he discovered how much community and structure helped him lead better and build his own career. It's a big reason the Coaching for Leaders audience keeps growing.
A personal note from Dave…
If you're anything like me, you like knowing the backstory. If so, read on:
I did two graduate school degrees through evening and weekend classes while working full-time. It was a tough balance, but I loved being around lots of smart people who were exploring new ideas together…
The best moments were when someone surfaced an issue from work and everyone helped them figure it out. The diversity of industries and experiences would allow unique, creative ideas to emerge.
But that was a small percentage of the time.
Most of school was either a prepared lecture, explantation of an assignment, or a presentation to listen to.
It got me thinking as I got to the end of my degrees:
What if professional development for experienced leaders wasn't built around lectures, prepared case studies, and group writing projects…but instead was driven by what each person needed most, right now?
When I finished my doctorate, I jumped at the opportunity to apply for a group coaching program to get perspective from other leaders. It helped a bunch. When it ended, I sought out another one. Once that one was complete, I decided to build my own.
I've been meeting monthly with other leaders for almost 15 years to keep myself sharp and support others. I wanted every leader to have that experience, too.
That's why, in 2015, I founded the Coaching for Leaders Academy.
Shortly after the Academy began, something happened I didn't expect. I started getting messages like this from listeners I'd never met:
“I just listened to the last three episodes. I have no idea how you're reading my mind and knew exactly what I needed right now. How are you doing this?”
The secret is pretty simple:
I facilitate every session of the Coaching for Leaders Academy. Because I do, I'm in the middle of every conversation and situation. Our members are learning from each other and me — and I'm gaining perspective from them.
That insight informs who I invite on the podcast, what topics we zero in on, and the questions I ask. It's the best professional development I've ever had — and I work to share as much as I can with everyone else.
Leadership is too complex for any single person, organization, or industry to have every answer. That's why we come together in community to create movement.
Because leaders aren't born. They're made.
Curiosity over Certainty
Behavior Change over Theory
Tailored over Lock-Step
Insight over Industry
Our Principles
How the Academy Works
Here's what happens, step-by-step:
Selection
Relationship Building
Vision and Focus
Skill Development
Reflection and Sustainability
A Bit More on Skill Development
We put knowledge into action. Two, key practices help us turn actions into skills:
60 Day Commitments
Members are working on a single, 60 day commitment throughout the Academy. When the first 60 day commitment complete, they take on a second for the next 60 days — and then a third.
Each is tied to one of the member's three focus areas and suggests a 5-minute, daily action in the workplace. Members work with the cohort and a peer accountability partner to learn from their actions, refine their approach, and develop new skills.
Member Focus Conversations
Members are invited in rotation to confidentially bring current opportunities, situations, and struggles to the cohort. We zero in on one situation at a time during our 30-minute, member focus conversations.
Members learn how to frame a problem, ask helpful coaching questions, provide useful insight, and take next actions. We learn together in real-time by leveraging the wisdom and experience of the entire cohort and Dave.
What Other Leaders Are Saying
Employees started troubleshooting their own challenges in conversations, which was a huge win. We didn't run into as many escalations where leadership needed to come in and troubleshoot. We bypassed a lot of that by getting better at having conversations early.
Monica Chartier
Senior Manager
I was transitioning to a new position, managing a big team, and leading interdisciplinary academic research projects. During my first several sessions, I felt like an impostor since my role was not in the corporate world. I quickly learned that my specific area was not relevant. Dave provided transferable knowledge and resources that enhanced my mindset and skills as a manager and leader, and prepared me to take a big leap in my career. I leave every session feeling smarter and better connected.
Yashoda Sharma
Program Director
Dave’s passion for coaching and caring for leaders has made me a better person and leader. I can’t put a value on his willingness to generously share the insights, experiences, and resources he has collected.
Mike Burch
Chief Operating Officer
This has really helped in terms of building trust and having open conversations. There is more ease and speed to have conversations about things when they're not working. In the past, I would stew about it and think about it. Now, I'm much more likely to just message someone and say, “Hey, can we talk?”
Susan Salomone
Assistant Vice President
Frequently Asked Questions
How are applicants selected?
Dave reviews all applications and selects candidates for a personal, virtual interview. During the interview, the candidate and Dave explore the application in detail, discuss outcomes for the Academy, and answer each other's questions. Assuming the Academy is the right fit on both sides, candidates are considered with other qualified applicants for final selection.
Dave selects candidates who fully align with Academy qualifications, have clearly articulated outcomes for the program, and are prepared to support their Academy colleagues and create movement for themselves.
Since every candidate is interviewed personally before final selections are made, the entire application and selection process is typically 2-3 weeks.
Do participants seek funding support from their organizations?
A majority of Academy members receive either full or partial funding support from their organization to attend the Academy. Applications are encouraged to seek funding support since their organization will receive the benefits of their development.
Our downloadable PDF with Academy details may assist you in making this request. In addition, Dave has prepared a brief audio lesson on how to land professional development funding.
How are cohorts formed and scheduled?
Candidates are selected with 5-6 other leaders for a specific cohort that best aligns with everyone's intended outcomes, diversity of experience, and schedules. Preferences for cohort meeting times are requested and considered during the selection process. Dave works to match accepted candidates with their first or second schedule choice.
If selected, your cohort will meet twice-monthly for 90 minutes at a consistent day and time. Once a cohort is finalized, the same leaders work together with each other and Dave for the entire length of the program (i.e. leaders do not move between cohorts). This supports strong relationship-building and continuity of dialogue.
You'll receive the full schedule at the start of the program so you can plan in advance for all live sessions.
Who will be working with me?
Every virtual session is conducted live and personally facilitated by Dave. In addition to his direct support, you'll be working closely with 5-6 other leaders to clarify your focus areas, support each other through real-time problem solving, and provide accountability and support for forward movement.
Dave prioritizes bringing a cohort of diverse leaders together. He balances cohorts for gender, ethnicity, geography, industry, and experience. This creates a cohort with as much objective perspective as possible, while fully aligned with the expectations and outcomes of the Academy.
Leaders range in experience from first time managers to CEOs and executive directors. Members commonly have teams of 5-10 direct reports, although team size varies among individual leaders. Historically, industry representation is diverse, including leaders from for-profits, nonprofits, government, higher education, and faith-based organizations.
What's the workload between sessions?
During the the first month of the Academy, Dave invites each member to complete the CliftonStrengths assessment (included with membership) and to draft a leadership vision to serve as the foundation of our work.
Members follow a detailed, 5-step process to draft their vision. Due the nature of personal reflection during these steps, most members report a time commitment of 2-3 hours of work outside of live session times during the first month of the Academy.
After the first month, the workload between sessions is entirely practical in nature. Members take action on their 60 day commitment, consisting of a 5-minute daily action. Each member works with an accountability partner (another member of their cohort) to support each other with their commitment. Members decide how and when to check in with each other, typically for a minimum of 15-20 minutes between live sessions.
Approximately every third session, members are featured in the member focus to support them in a situation they are handling right now. Prior to that session, Dave invites that member to prepare a brief write-up to frame the situation so that we can maximize time for problem-solving when together live. Most members draft this write-up in 15-20 minutes.
What else is included?
In addition to the core expectation of attendance at our twice-monthly, 90-minute cohorts sessions, all Academy members enjoy full access to all the benefits of Coaching for Leaders Pro and Coaching for Leaders Plus.
This includes invitations to attend every monthly Expert Chat (a live dialogue with a recent podcast guest), monthly Ask Dave Anything events, monthly Idea Circles reviewing the lessons from a past podcast episode, and full access to our online community of members across the globe.
What happens once the Academy completes?
After graduation, many members elect to stay active in our community through membership in Coaching for Leaders Pro. Many of our Pro members are alums of the Academy who continue to connect and support each other through structured, peer learning.
Occasionally, members elect to return to the Academy (either immediately or in the future) to support a new transition or inflection point in their careers.
