This series strengthens a leader’s ability to influence through relationships (not just position). Leaders build self awareness, deepen MyHardWired application in real interactions, and identify their greatest leadership challenge so they can lead with consistency under pressure.
Session 1 sets the tone for the series by grounding leadership in influence and relationship, not title. Leaders clarify “who you are is how you lead,” go deeper on MyHardWired communication patterns, and identify their greatest leadership challenge so the rest of the program stays practical and personal.
We begin with a Leadership Roundtable that centers the conversation on leadership as action and influence, and helps participants reflect on the kind of leader they want to be (Your "Leader’s Legend”). From there, we go deeper into MyHardWired so each leader can see their strengths and blind spots in communication and relationships, and why certain interactions work or break down depending on the person and the situation. We then connect communication to MyHardWired across Preferred style, Expectations, and Instinctive needs so leaders learn what has to be in the message (information, timeframe, context) for people to understand goals and buy in. Finally, we introduce the “5 gears / 5 speeds” concept to help leaders recognize how stress shifts their behavior and energy, and we close with a Personal Assessment where each participant identifies their greatest leadership challenge to apply between sessions.
Session 2 equips leaders to delegate in a way that frees up the supervisor, develops the team, and prevents bottlenecking. Leaders learn the basics, assess where they currently stand, and build a repeatable delegation approach that connects delegation to situational leadership and ends with a clean “hand off.”
We start by grounding why delegation matters and why most leaders get stuck doing work that would be more effective at the team level and participants identify what prevents them from delegating more. Leaders then take a quick self-assessment to see how delegation is currently showing up (or not) in their habits and workload. From there, we teach the three core components of effective delegation like responsibility, authority, and accountability and walk through a clear delegation process: analyze your job, decide what to delegate, select the right person, plan the delegation conversation, and then make the delegation with clarity on results. Next, leaders connect delegation to situational leadership using the DAC model (Diagnose, Adapt, Communicate) so they can match the task and the person’s readiness to the right leadership approach. Finally, leaders practice what the delegation conversation sounds like (acceptance early, then task details, deadlines/quality, reporting standards, and skill needs), and we reinforce follow up and reporting so the leader doesn’t “take it back,” creating a true handoff.
Session 3 helps leaders build (and keep) the right team by learning how to evaluate capability, set clear expectations, and make better people decisions then connect those decisions to engagement. The goal is to put the right people in the right seats and create an environment where performance and commitment increase.
We start by helping leaders evaluate team capability and understand how the skill demands shift as someone moves into supervision. From there, we walk through a practical selection methodology that begins with clarity of mission, culture, and role competencies and then moves into résumé review and behavior based interviewing so leaders don’t rely on “gut feel.” Participants build a Must/Want list, practice stronger questions, and prepare for common interview challenges. Once the selection side is clear, we shift to employee engagement and what leaders actually control day to day: casting vision, developing people, creating the right environment, and using recognition effectively. Leaders explore the “reality today” gap (clarity, trust, accountability), then translate it into specific actions: know your people, set written expectations, use performance conversations consistently, and reinforce performance through frequent, specific recognition.
Session 4 equips leaders to build teams that perform with less friction by teaching what makes a real team (not just a group), how to create synergy, and how to lead a team through predictable development stages using situational leadership. Leaders also learn practical standards for high performance, trust, and team operating rhythm.
We start by defining teamwork and synergy (“the whole is larger than the sum”) and clarifying what makes a team: a small group with complementary skills committed to a shared purpose, goals, and mutual accountability. From there, we walk through what effective work teams look like in real life (participation, clear purpose, constructive disagreement, follow through, shared leadership), and what traditional teams require to function well (shared purpose, operating principles, interdependence, and attention to process). Next, leaders evaluate the benefits and limits of team building, then move into practical strategies: balancing skills and personalities, establishing team norms/behaviors, building trust/openness, involving the team in decisions, and celebrating progress. Participants also complete a team exercise that forces clarity: building a “resume of the entire team” (skills, strengths, experience) and assessing key factors like skills/resources, diversity, implementation, authority/power, attitude, and team size. We then shift into team development and situational leadership: leaders learn to diagnose team needs and adapt their leadership style as the team moves through Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing. Leaders see what each stage looks like, what leadership tasks are required, and which leadership style best fits each stage (S1–S4) so the leader provides what the team can’t yet provide for itself. Finally, we define the standards of a high performance team (clear written goals, clear roles, frequent feedback, functional decision making, trust, consistent communication, engaged leadership) and give leaders a simple framework to operationalize it: G.R.I.P. (Goals, Roles, Interpersonal, Procedures). We close by addressing trust directly (common reasons people don’t trust their leader) and the five steps for building value through expectations, doable work, timely feedback, and reward.
Session 5 helps leaders understand what trust is, why it directly impacts organizational success, and what leaders can do to build (or rebuild) trust through daily leadership behaviors. Leaders assess current trust levels, learn practical ways to reduce risk when deciding whether to trust, practice the five pillars of trust, and apply leadership techniques that strengthen a culture of trust.
We start by defining trust as a relational issue that is grounded in truth (real or perceived), shaped by values, and processed through both the emotional and logical side of people. Leaders then discuss why trust matters, how leaders measure trust in real workplace terms (clarity, integrity, communication, fairness, follow through), and what high trust vs low trust environments look like day to day. From there, participants assess trust using an organization trust survey and a personal trust self-check to identify where trust is strong, where it’s thin, and what behaviors are creating drag. We then teach and practice the “Essentials of Trust” using the five pillars: Caring, Character, Competency, Communications, Consistency, and apply them to real scenarios so leaders can connect specific untrustworthy behaviors to predictable trust consequences. Leaders also evaluate what trustworthy leadership looks like by working through a group ranking exercise of the top qualities of trustworthy leaders, and we connect those qualities back to daily leadership habits. Finally, we shift from concept to culture: leaders apply the trust pillars through the lens of company values, identify how values shape trust behaviors, and write trust statements that reinforce those standards. The session closes with practical trust building techniques (integrity, follow through, direct but thoughtful communication, avoiding vague commitments, and clear accountability), plus a reset plan for regaining trust when it’s been damaged.
Session 6 helps leaders get control of their time so they spend more of it on what matters most. Leaders learn a practical system for planning, prioritizing, and capturing commitments so important work doesn’t get crowded out by constant urgency and so nothing gets overlooked.
We start by framing the session around one outcome: getting control of time and attention so leaders can execute priorities instead of living in reaction. Participants identify their personal objectives, then use the 80/20 principle to define their High Payoff Activities (HPAs) and the few activities that create the majority of results. From there, we diagnose “crisis mode” management and the tyranny of the urgent, how constant interruptions, email, meetings, and demands train leaders to spend their days on urgent things instead of important things. Next, we shift the group into proactive management: leaders learn to plan and set goals, schedule their priorities, communicate plans, and track results so their calendar reflects what matters. We then introduce the core commitments of the system which are agreeing to a productivity plan, blocking time monthly to plan, taking a few minutes daily to organize from goals and HPAs, capturing commitments in one place, and tracking progress over time. From there, leaders complete the “Balance Wheel” reflection to evaluate priorities across the major areas of life and clarify what they want to change over the next two years, then translate that into written goals (including a bucket list) and SMART goal planning. Finally, we walk through the planning tools step-by-step: monthly intention and planning sheets, a month at a glance planner to schedule priorities, and a daily organizing page that prioritizes tasks and keeps appointments, commitments, contacts, expenses, and “not-to-do’s” in one place followed by a close out process to track progress and keep the system clean.
Start building the leadership behaviors your supervisors need to lead with clarity, consistency, and confidence. Let’s build a leadership development experience that fits your people, your culture, and your goals. Contact us to get started.