The Coaching for Leaders Community supports members in creating regular connection with other leaders, discovering real-time advice from experts, and surfacing practical wisdom.
Whenever I would send out surveys to our listening community, people told me things like this:
- It would be great if there was a way to get connected with other people listening to the show.
- Could we get even more insight into what other listeners are dealing with?
- I’d love to learn what’s working and not working for others leaders. Maybe even do some problems-solving in real-time.
- Could there be a forum or other online portal for us to access?
I get it — after all, leadership can be a lonely endeavor. Not because we’re not around people all day long — but because the people we’re around tend to be folks who either report to us, manage us, or rely on our product or service. That means, it’s not always easy to get objective perspective that’s not influenced by organization's politics.
It’s one of the reasons that I’ve engaged with professional communities as well. But, often I’ve found them not quite hitting the mark…
Either the “community” was paying for additional content or fewer ads…
…or it was a group of thousands of people I didn’t know on a public social media platform.
Awhile back, I joined the membership of another program and was thrilled to make connections with people — but it seemed hard to build relationships with thousands of others inside the forum. And, even when I did connect, there wasn’t really any way to engage other than just posting in the forum.
That’s why, despite the requests, I originally delayed building a formal community for our listeners. For a long time, I hadn’t seen it done well — and outside of the social media platforms, the technology wasn’t there yet to make it happen.
But then, two things changed…
We migrated our Academy members onto a new technology platform that allows us to have richer dialogue — and discover more about each other through member profiles — and connect with other leaders with similar interests – and even find each other geographically.
It’s helped our Academy members enhance relationships outside our live interactions — and it’s opened doors for us to support live events for a larger community.
And, this also happened…
I got to thinking — wouldn’t it be great if I could open up the opportunity for members to have conversation with experts, just like I do on the podcast?
So, I invited two people who I respect a lot and I knew would be helpful to our members to have a line conversation with — Michael Bungay Stanier of The Coaching Habit and Scott Anthony Barlow of Happen to Your Career.
We called the events…Expert Chats. Rather than just watching a video from an expert, I knew it would be even more valuable for our members to get to have a conversation with them directly. So, we turned the tables and asked questions of them.
It worked — and our members gave rave reviews. And I realized…
So many other listeners would benefit from getting connected with experts in this way.
But that’s not all…
I've witnessed first hand how much our members gain from each other though live conversations. So many of our members bring tons of heart and wisdom to discussions about leadership — and a strong desire to support each other.
That’s why, we've been begun hosting Idea Circles inside our membership community. Twice a month, it's chance for our members to come together live with a small group of other leaders (3-4 people total) and discuss a current topic that's relevant for most of us.
We explore where each of us is struggling with a particular topic, what's worked (and not) in the past to address it, and then put our heads together to surface practical steps we can all use in future situations. Then we share what we've discovered with other small groups.
Now that I’ve seen the benefits that people have received from being connected better to experts and each other, I’m thrilled to invite you to get connected in a more meaningful way.
You’re Invited to Get Connected
Join with us inside the Coaching for Leaders Community.
Our Community members get full access into our private platform for real-time discussions with each other members, and me — to support each other with help, celebrate wins, share practical tips and ideas, and discuss what we’re hearing on the podcast.
Our member portal allows our members also, if they want, to make connections with others members in the same industry and also connect with others who are close to them geographically. And, every member gets to create and share a custom profile to assist in making connections throughout the community.
But that’s just the foundation. Each month, we hold three live, online events via videoconference that support our community members in getting connected with other members and experts in our community.
First, we host two live, monthly Idea Circles. I regularly ask for input from our members on what's most useful to discover from other leaders right now. Then, twice monthly, we meet in small groups (3-4 leaders) to discuss obstacles, share experiences, and determine a few practical steps to move forward. Here's a few topics we've addressed in recent months:
- How to Improve Hybrid Meetings
- What to Do When High Performers Behave Badly
- How to Attract Talent
- How to Keep Meetings Productive and Timely
- How to Onboard People Better
After meeting with the small group, we share what we've discovered on the topic with the larger group — and discuss best ways to implement the ideas in our work. It's a useful way to learn in real-time how other leaders are navigating complex situations — and build relationships with others leaders across industry who also care deeply about great leadership.
And there’s a second event every month — an Expert Chat.
There are many classes online from experts — maybe you’ve even watched a few before. Often they feature someone who has a bunch of videos posted in a course that you get to watch and learn from.
They’re great — but they’re generally only one way communication. Instead, we’ve turned the tables and invited members to pose questions to expert guests live once a month, via online videoconference — people who’ve appeared as guests on the podcast.
Recent Expert Chats have featured Jonathan Raymond, Mamie Kanfer Stewart, Ginger Hardage, and Lisa Cummings. We've also previously welcomed Michael Bungay Stanier, Kwame Christian, Scott Barlow, Jill Schlesinger, Hassan Osman, Tom Henschel, Susan Gerke, David Hutchens, Oscar Trimboli and many more:
Here’s what on the schedule for the next few months of Expert Chats:
How to Engage People Through Change, with Cassandra Worthy (August 30th)
Cassandra Worthy is the author of Change Enthusiasm: How to Harness the Power of Emotion for Leadership and Success. Several of our members are utilizing her work already in leading change inside their organizations. She'll be joining us live to respond to questions on how to engage people through the change process.
The Way to Have Career Conversations With Employees, with Russ Laraway (September 15th)
Russ Laraway is the leading through leader on how to lead great career conversations. Russ served as the Chief People Officer at Qualtrics, and is now the Chief People Officer for the fast-growing venture capital firm, Goodwater Capital. He'll be teaching us how to conduct career conversations, featured most recently in his book, When They Win, You Win: Being a Great Manager Is Simpler Than You Think.
How to Have Difficult Conversations About Race, with Kwame Christian (October 26th)
Kwame Christian is a best-selling author, lawyer, professor, and the Managing Director of the American Negotiation Institute. He has conducted countless specialized trainings worldwide and is a highly sought after keynote speaker. His best-selling book, Finding Confidence in Conflict: How to Negotiate Anything and Live Your Best Life has helped countless individuals overcome the fear, anxiety and emotion associated with difficult conversations. He'll be sharing insight from his forthcoming book: How to Have Difficult Conversations About Race.
Ready to join in on our upcoming Expert Chats? Apply for Community membership:
The Benefits of Annual Membership
The doors are open for you to apply to the Coaching for Leaders Community. Members get access to three core benefits throughout their annual membership:
Regular connection with other leaders
Our membership portal provides continual access to other leaders to discuss recent episodes, share resources, find answers to problems, and celebrate wins.
Real time advice from experts
The monthly Expert Chats provide personal insight you can’t get from simply listening to video courses or podcast episodes. Experts respond to questions in real time to address the immediate concerns and needs of all members.
Ideas for next steps
The twice monthly Idea Circles are the place for discussion and problem-solving on the most relevant leadership struggles today. Members share with each other what's working (and not) on relevant topics and surface practical steps to help every leader move forward.
Ready to benefit from Community membership?
Want more details? Be sure to review the frequently asked questions below.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many members are able to participate in the Expert Chats and Idea Circles?
Each month, I host an Expert Chat with a guest expert so our community can ask live questions from them. Prior to the event, our members volunteer to serve as panelists (we select 2-3 members for each Expert Chat) and they join live on videoconference with me to ask questions on behalf of all of us.
All other members join the event in view-only mode so that you can watch us live and submit your own questions to the panel. The panel curates questions in real time coming for everyone listening in and we pose the best questions to our guest expert to respond to live.
For the twice monthly Idea Circles, every member who attends participates in the conversation in real-time. Once the event is underway, we divide all attendees into breakout rooms of 3-4 leaders so that each member can participate in an intimate discussion and build personal relationships with others. Near the end of the hour-long Idea Circle, we reassemble as a larger group and share the most useful ideas from each small group for the benefit of all. It's the best of both worlds.
When do live events typically take place?
The monthly Expert Chats are almost always held at 3:00 p.m. New York / 12:00 p.m. Los Angeles time for one hour. This time allows members to attend live from most time zones in the world. The monthly Expert Chats featuring guest experts are recorded and made available to all Community members after the event, for those unable to attend live.
The twice monthly Idea Circles are held at either 6:00 p.m. New York / 3:00 p.m. Los Angeles time or 12:00 p.m. New York / 9:00 a.m. Los Angeles time for one hour. We alternate times for each event to ensure that each member, regardless of time zone, can attend at least one Idea Circle each month. Please note that we do not record Idea Circle conversations, as those conversations often surface real-time struggles that our members are facing inside their organizations (see below on confidentiality).
Regardless of time, most live events are held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays.
What guidelines do you have to ensure great relationships within the community?
There are three guidelines for all members:
Kindness
Our community is a safe place for all of us to ask for help, share ideas, and get better. Perspective, experiences, and different opinions are welcome and part of the value we receive from this space. When members offer an idea or suggestion, I ask them to do it with kindness and grace.
Confidentiality
In order for members to best help each other, it's sometimes prudent to share information about careers, colleagues, or organizations. As a result, all members are expected to keep conversations in our community confidential.
No Self-Promotion
Our members seek the experiences, wisdom, and objective perspective from other leaders. Many of us regularly recommend books, organizations, and services to each other that will help support our goals.
While resource sharing is welcome and encouraged, self-promotion is not. I ask that members refrain from promoting any organizations, products, or services they have a personal or financial interest in.
Will members have personal access to you?
I facilitate most live events and engage regularly inside the membership portal. So, you’ll see my input in a lot of places and conversations.
While I will encourage all of us to connect and support each other, I’m not able to respond to personal requests for support or coaching as part of your community membership.
If personal coaching is important for you right now, the community is probably not the right fit. I’m happy to suggest coaches in my network who may be helpful for you. I don’t offer 1:1 coaching services myself, as my time is focused on our Academy and Community members, and the podcast.
You may also want to consider the Coaching for Leaders Academy, where 6-7 other leaders and I work personally with you for an entire year.
Is the Community a “light” version of the Academy?
No. The driving intention behind the two is different.
The focus of the Academy is movement. Academy members complete a full assessment, craft a leadership vision, work personally with me and a dedicate cohort for an entire year, and stay accountable to 90 day commitments. I’m focused personally on helping all Academy members make sustainable behavior change that drives their leadership development. That’s why over 30 hours of live, personal interaction with 5-6 other leaders and me occurs over the entire year.
The focus of the Community is connection. Community members are invited to attend every monthly Expert Chat, the twice monthly Idea Circles, and engage regularly inside our member portal. This supports our members in discovering wisdom from experts, gaining new perspective from other leaders, and building sustainable relationships.
Academy members also receive all the benefits of Community membership, so all members are able to leverage relationship building and connection across both memberships.
I’ve been considering your Academy. Can I transition into the Academy later if I become a Community member?
Yes. I offer early/preferred application opportunities for Community members who wish to move beyond connection with other leaders and want to create substantial movement in their leadership development inside the Academy.
If you apply to and are accepted into the Academy during your Community membership, your Academy membership will be prorated to reflect the membership fee you’ve already paid. In addition, many of our Academy members elect to continue with a Community membership at the conclusion of their Academy year.
Is annual membership the only option? I’ve seen monthly membership options for other communities.
The driving intention behind our community is to create connection between leaders. Monthly memberships encourage transiency — and may attract members who are more interested in specific events instead of connection with other members.
As a result, I don’t offer a monthly membership. That means we exclude some potential members, but those that jump in are more invested in connection over the entire year.
I’ll be expensing my membership dues to my organization. Will you accept payment from them instead of a credit card?
In order to simplify membership logistics for all of us, I only accept credit card payments for Community membership.
If your organization is sponsoring your $500 USD annual dues, you may elect to either use a corporate card — or simply have your organization reimburse you directly.
This document may be useful if you are requesting reimbursement for your membership fee.
Will you auto-renew my membership at the end of the year?
No. I do not auto-renew Community memberships.
I want our members to be actively engaged inside our Community and, should they elect to renew their membership, make an affirmative decision to do so.
At the end of the year, you’ll receive an invitation to renew your membership. If you take no action, you will automatically be migrated back to a Free membership.
Now, it’s your turn…
If you're ready to connect more intentionally with other leaders, you're invited to join us. Submit your application for consideration:
