The five tracks
Open any module for what it covers, the frameworks behind it, and what participants leave with. Every module also runs standalone.
- 01 Leadership Foundations
- 02 People Leader
- 03 Executive Presence
- 04 Enterprise Leader
- 05 The Career Track
The Leadership Foundations Track
The fundamentals nobody formally taught youForAnyone responsible for people, whether newly promoted or years into the job without formal training.
- 1Emotional Intelligence & Self-Awareness
The inner game that decides whether your other strengths land.
IQ gets you into the room; emotional intelligence decides what happens once you are there. The four domains, the six-second gap between trigger and response, and the uncomfortable finding that 95% of leaders believe they are self-aware while 10-15% actually are.
You will leave with- Your triggers mapped, with a chosen response
- The six-second pause, practiced
- Outside data on intention versus impact
Goleman's four domains · Eurich · amygdala hijack - 2Command & Control vs. Servant Leadership
Why the best leaders flip the pyramid, and when the old model still fits.
Both models aim at results; they differ on whether people perform best controlled or trusted. A head-to-head on engagement, innovation, retention and decision speed, then, honestly, the rare cases where directive leadership is the right call.
You will leave with- An honest self-rating, and your team's
- One decision handed over and not taken back
- The behavioral shifts that make it daily
Greenleaf · flip the pyramid - 3Earning Trust
Your most valuable leadership asset.
Trust is the currency of leadership; everything else runs on it. The Trust Equation, and the three directions trust has to flow, down to your team, up to your leadership, and laterally to peers, the most overlooked and most fragile of the three.
You will leave with- A trust audit in all three directions
- The behaviors that deposit, and overdraw
- A rebuilding protocol you can actually use
Maister, Green & Galford - 4Building High-Performing Teams
How a team works together matters more than who is on it.
Google studied 180 teams and found the difference was never raw talent. Psychological safety paired with high standards, Lencioni's five dysfunctions, Tuckman's stages and what each needs from you, and Hackman's finding that 60% of performance is set before the work begins.
You will leave with- Your team's stage diagnosed, and its needs
- The conditions checklist, set deliberately
- A weekly, monthly and quarterly rhythm
Project Aristotle · Lencioni · Tuckman · Hackman - 5The Art of Delegating
The lever that multiplies your impact, or the bottleneck that caps it.
Delegation is not handing off work; it is transferring outcome, authority and accountability together. The four reasons leaders resist, the Skill/Will matrix for matching task to person, the five-level authority spectrum, and the six failure patterns with a recovery for each.
You will leave with- Three tasks named that belong to someone else
- The authority level stated out loud, every time
- A debrief that turns a task into development
Skill/Will matrix · 5-level authority spectrum - 6Difficult Conversations & Conflict Resolution
The conversations you must have, and the conflicts you must resolve.
Two acts. The conversation that belongs to you: what avoidance costs, how to prepare, and a six-step model that leaves dignity intact. Then conflict between two others, where your role is facilitator rather than judge, and the Rules of Engagement that make it hold.
You will leave with- The conversation you have been avoiding, held
- A cheat sheet of what to do and never do
- Rules of Engagement for a reset
The Dialogue Model · Rules of Engagement
The People Leader Track
Where the job gets harder, not easierForExperienced managers, managers of managers and functional leads.
- 1Motivation, Engagement, Loyalty & Winning Opportunities
What drives people, engages them, and earns their loyalty.
Four questions, one session. Why intrinsic motivation outlasts every bribe, the twelve de-motivators that sit inside a leader's control, the four- level engagement spectrum with a move for each, the challenge-plus- support pairing that earns loyalty, and how winning compounds.
You will leave with- Every person placed on the spectrum, honestly
- Your own biggest de-motivating behavior
- One visible win engineered for your team
Intrinsic vs. extrinsic · the 12 de-motivators · engagement spectrum - 2Guided Discovery
Leading people to their own breakthroughs.
People do not argue with their own conclusions. The coaching technique that builds capability rather than dependency: five question types, GROW as a scaffold, listening 80% of the time, and the six situations where coaching is wrong and you should simply tell them.
You will leave with- A coaching conversation you can run this week
- Five question types, and when to use each
- A clear rule for when to coach, when to tell
The GROW model · five question types - 3Managing Talent
Finding, growing and keeping great people.
Your highest-leverage work. Building a pipeline before the seat opens, hiring for trajectory not pedigree, the 70-20-10 model, why retention starts on day one rather than at the exit interview, the can't-versus-won't diagnosis, and succession honest enough to name names.
You will leave with- A written development plan per direct report
- Your biggest succession gap, with a candidate
- A quarterly talent review you will run
70-20-10 · the 9-Box talent grid - 4Managing Within the Law
What every manager must know about leading people legally.
Most managers who face legal action are good managers who did not know where the line was. Protected classes and the four-part filter, interview questions, defensible documentation, your first five moves when a complaint lands, progressive discipline, and retaliation.
You will leave with- Three tests for any interview question
- A same-day documentation habit
- A five-question pre-termination checklist
Title VII · ADA · FMLA · PWFA · EEOC - 5Inclusive Decision Making
Better decisions, and decisions that actually stick.
Inclusion is not a soft benefit; it is how decisions get executed, because people implement what they helped shape. What inclusion earns and exclusion spends, facilitation that draws out the quiet ones, and a decision tree for when to be inclusive and when to be directive.
You will leave with- A decision tree for your next major call
- Two people you have been excluding
- The habit of naming your mode out loud
The Inclusion Capital Model · the inclusion decision tree - 6Resilience & Beating Burnout
Perform for the long run, and protect the people who do.
Burnout is chronic workplace stress that was never managed, a system problem with a leadership solution. The three clinical dimensions, six root causes, why mid-level managers burn out most, and the stress-plus- recovery rhythm that actually builds capacity.
You will leave with- Recovery protected like infrastructure
- The root cause diagnosed, not the symptom
- Six moves that defend your team's energy
Three dimensions · six root causes · Gallup & APA data
The Executive Presence Track
Land the message, command the roomForLeaders preparing for board exposure, senior forums and C-suite audiences.
- 1Executive Communication
Clarity, authority and impact at the highest levels.
The skill executives value most and organizations develop least. BLUF and the Pyramid Principle, calibrating to the question a CFO is actually asking, preparing for what you hope will not be asked, and the SCR arc that turns data into a decision.
You will leave with- A one-page brief for your top initiative
- A chart that concludes, not describes
- One rehearsed ask, coalition pre-built
Minto Pyramid · BLUF · Hewlett · SCR - 2Understanding Body Language
When words and body conflict, people read the body.
The brain reads posture before it processes a sentence. Reading clusters of signals rather than isolated cues, recognising what you broadcast under pressure, and adjusting for the moments that carry weight. Includes danger-zone habits and a cross-cultural section for global teams.
You will leave with- The ability to read a room in real time
- Your undermining habits named, with fixes
- A physical approach for each kind of moment
Signal clusters · cross-culture reading - 3Exercising Influence
Making things happen at work and beyond.
Power is something you have; influence is what you do with it. Barnes' four elements, the expressive and receptive tactic sets, and why most leaders overuse the first, the line between influence and manipulation, and what the research on perspective-taking adds.
You will leave with- A plan for one high-stakes conversation
- An honest audit of your default style
- A quick-reference card of tactics
B. Kim Barnes · Galinsky & Maddux - 4Managing Up & Marketing Yourself
Become the leader your leader wants to work with.
Managing up is professional excellence, not politics. Bad news first and fast, arriving with options rather than problems, and the traps that quietly destroy a leadership brand. Then internal marketing: direct and indirect, for you and for your team.
You will leave with- A proactive update sent before it was asked
- One skip-level relationship opened
- A visibility audit of your team's best work
Direct & indirect marketing · visibility traps - 5Financial Literacy for Leaders
Speak the language of business.
Financial fluency is the price of a seat at the strategy table. The vocabulary, how to read a P&L, balance sheet and cash flow, budgeting and variance, the CapEx approval that quietly bills your OpEx budget for years, and building an ROI case finance will fund.
You will leave with- Your team's top three cost drivers
- An ROI case with a payback period
- A one-page financial story in plain language
P&L · CapEx/OpEx · ROI · unit economics
The Enterprise Leader Track
Lead the system, not just the teamForSenior leaders, functional heads and those moving into enterprise roles.
- 1Vision, Strategy & Goals
Craft the vision, choose the strategy, set the goals.
Strategy tells people what to do; vision tells them why it is worth doing. What separates a vision people follow from one nobody can quote, the strategic disciplines 97% call critical and 23% are rated strong at, then OKRs, acceptance criteria and cascading without mandating.
You will leave with- A one-sentence vision, tested on a stranger
- Acceptance criteria for your top three goals
- A cascade everyone can trace upward
VSEM · OKRs · Playing to Win - 2Systems Thinking
Every problem that keeps coming back is a system.
Most management effort is spent at the event level, the lowest-leverage point there is. The iceberg model, the two feedback loops behind every recurring behavior, and four archetypes leaders walk into repeatedly. Worked examples from Amazon, Netflix, Toyota and the firefighting trap.
You will leave with- A causal loop drawn for your worst problem
- The archetype your organization repeats
- One high-leverage intervention, not a fix
The Iceberg Model · feedback loops · archetypes - 3Organizational Power Management
Stop looking up for decisions. Look across.
Built on Barry Oshry's work. We are all Tops, Middles and Bottoms, often within the same hour, and each role carries a reflex trap we fall into without choosing it. Systems blindness, why decisions belong near the data, and power hoarded versus power multiplied.
You will leave with- The role you are actually playing, named
- One decision pushed back where it belongs
- A peer-aligned recommendation, not an escalation
Barry Oshry · Pearce & Conger - 4Culture by Design: Values & Learning
What you stand for when it costs something.
Values are not posters; they are the decisions you make under pressure, and they are only tested when holding them is expensive. Uncovering the values you actually hold, activating them, the three tensions that test them, then the rituals that build a learning organization.
You will leave with- Three to five values, each with evidence
- One place behavior and values diverge
- A learning ritual added to your rhythm
Senge · the Learning Pyramid · values under pressure - 5Leading Change & Transformation
Moving people through uncertainty, and making it stick.
Around 70% of change efforts fall short, and they fail in the human transition. Opens with the First Follower, why the second person matters more than the first, then Kotter to organise it, ADKAR to land it person by person, and Satir to navigate the dip.
You will leave with- A one-minute vision for your change
- Three influential allies enlisted
- One system changed so behavior sticks
Kotter · ADKAR · Satir · Sivers
The Career Track
Your own trajectory, on purposeForHigh performers, emerging leaders and succession pools.
- 1Leadership Passages
From individual contributor to enterprise leader.
Charan's Leadership Pipeline. Six passages, each demanding a shift in skills, time application and, hardest of all, what you genuinely value about the work. Most leadership problems are passage problems: the title of the new level with the habits of the last one.
You will leave with- An honest read on your actual passage
- What your next level demands, specifically
- A diagnosis you can apply to your team
The Leadership Pipeline · Charan, Drotter & Noel - 2Career Development Plan
Design it deliberately. Live it intentionally.
Your career plan and your performance plan are not the same goals, and confusing them is expensive. The twelve questions, the five pillars, mentorship and the life plan running alongside, then the execution layer: prioritising the one gap with the highest return.
You will leave with- A three-to-five year plan, worked backwards
- Your highest-return gap, prioritized
- A completed workbook you keep and revisit
Includes the participant workbook - 3Getting Promoted
Promotion is recognition of what you have already proven.
Three forces must align, your readiness, organizational need and budget, and only one is yours to control. The expectation shift between levels, the two career tracks, the behaviors that signal readiness before the title, and the six mistakes that hold high performers back.
You will leave with- Next-level behaviors, demonstrated now
- Three advocates who can describe your work
- A promotion conversation with an evidence plan
Three forces model · the three network tiers - 4Business Owner Mindset
Think like an owner, wherever you sit.
Acting like an owner has nothing to do with the org chart; it is the lens on every decision. The passenger-versus-owner contrast, the daily habits that separate them, and, uniquely, what to do when acting like an owner makes colleagues feel threatened.
You will leave with- One act of ownership outside your remit
- One source of waste surfaced, with a fix
- A strategy for the colleague you unsettle
Amazon Leadership Principles - 5The Leadership Playbook
The behaviors that separate high performers, and where to go deeper.
Twenty-four behaviors across mindset and attitude, relationships and influence, and execution and accountability, each mapped to the module that treats it in depth. Used at the end of a track it consolidates everything; used at the start it hands a cohort the whole map before they take the first step.
You will leave with- The twenty-four behaviors as one working reference
- An honest read on your strength and your gap
- One behavior committed to, with an action this week
Serves as program opener or capstone
What every module has in common
Grounded
Built on named, tested frameworks. Lencioni, Tuckman, Charan, Kotter, Oshry, Minto, Maister and Greenleaf, not on opinion.
Reflective
Every module opens with the participants' own experience and returns to it. The questions are the teaching.
Engaged
Small cohorts by design. Every module opens a discussion, and leaders learn as much from each other as from the material.
Actionable
Each session closes with specific commitments for the week ahead. Insight without action is just a pleasant conversation.
How to run it
Same curriculum, three depths. Pick the room you are trying to change, then pick how far you want to take it.
One Track
Five or six modules built around one population and one outcome. The standard engagement, and the one most clients start with.
- Five tracks, ready to run
- Each module runs one to two hours
- Cohorts of six to ten
- In person or virtual
The Full Curriculum
All five tracks and 27 modules, run as a single cohort over roughly eight months. The deepest option, and the one that changes how an organization talks.
- 27 modules, 5 tracks, one cohort
- Roughly eight months
- Opens or closes with The Leadership Playbook
- Peer accountability between sessions
1:1 Executive Coaching
The same frameworks applied to one leader and their real situation. The curriculum becomes the map, and the engagement follows what that leader actually needs.
- Individual engagements
- Modules used as diagnosis and language
- Often paired with a track
- Confidential throughout
What a leader walks away with
Listed in order of impact, highest first. Every one of these is built inside a named module and practiced on the leader's own real situations, not left to inspiration.
A formula for building a high-performing team
Psychological safety paired with high standards, Lencioni's five dysfunctions, Tuckman's stages diagnosed for the team they actually have, and a weekly, monthly and quarterly rhythm that holds it together. Hackman found 60% of team performance is set before the work begins.
How to become the leader everyone wants to work for
The Trust Equation applied in all three directions, the twelve de-motivators that sit inside a leader's control, and the challenge-plus-support pairing that earns loyalty rather than compliance.
Their own capacity, multiplied
Delegation as a transfer of outcome, authority and accountability rather than a handoff of tasks. The Skill/Will matrix, the five-level authority spectrum, and one decision handed over and not taken back.
The conversation they have been avoiding, finally held
A dialogue model, a cheat sheet of what to do and never do, and rules of engagement for a reset. Most leadership debt is a single unheld conversation.
Their best people staying
A written development plan for every direct report, hiring for trajectory rather than pedigree, the can't-versus-won't diagnosis, and a quarterly talent review they will actually run.
Influence where they have no authority
Barnes' four elements, the expressive and receptive tactic sets, and Oshry's Tops, Middles and Bottoms, so decisions move across the organization instead of up it.
Credibility in the room where decisions get made
BLUF and the Pyramid Principle, what the body says before the mouth does, and enough financial fluency to hold their own on the numbers.
A coaching habit in place of a telling habit
Five question types, GROW as a scaffold, listening 80% of the time, and a clear rule for the six situations where coaching is wrong and they should simply tell.
Performance that lasts, for them and their team
Burnout diagnosed as a system problem with a leadership solution. Three clinical dimensions, six root causes, and recovery protected like infrastructure.
A career they are steering rather than waiting on
A three-to-five year plan worked backwards, their highest-return gap prioritized, and the three forces that decide a promotion, only one of which is theirs to control.
What the organization gets
A higher-performing organization
A vision people can quote, goals that cascade and trace upward, and strategy that survives contact with execution, which is where most of it is otherwise lost.
Greater employee satisfaction
De-motivation, burnout and going unheard all sit inside a leader's control, and every one of those levers is named and taught.
A common language
One vocabulary across a management layer, so decisions stop being re-explained.
Decisions closer to the work
Delegation levels, the inclusion decision tree, and calls made where the data sits.
A bench instead of a gap
Talent, passages and promotion readiness as one system, ready before the seat opens.
What participants say
“His proven, polished, high-impact content has driven results for leaders at all levels. Every session ends with a clear execution plan.”
“It is rare to come across a leader who not only has a wealth of experience but also takes the time to invest wholeheartedly in developing other leaders.”
“What sets Manish apart is his ability to turn real leadership experiences into simple, elegant and practical lessons that people can apply immediately.”
Start with the gap you are trying to close.
Thirty minutes, no charge and no pitch. We will map it to a track and recommend a sequence that fits where your leaders actually are.
Book a 30-minute conversation Download the curriculum