Leadership Training & Coaching

Be an empowered leader.

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Leadership Coaching

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Programs for Educators

You want to be a leader worthy of being followed. But if you’re like most (good) leaders, you know there’s room for improvement. Whether you figure a little professional development can’t hurt or are experiencing full-fledged imposter syndrome, we can help.

You can choose to dive right into one-on-one leadership coaching with our seasoned coaches, but we almost always recommend kicking off your growth by enrolling in our signature program, the Empowered Leader Program. This 16-session, in-person course (with optional add-on coaching) doesn’t just give you tools and skills to better manage your team. It helps you create a consistent environment where your team can function on a whole other level.

“I have at least one ‘ah ha’ moment each week!”

– Lyssa

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Measure, score, and interpret who is ready for leadership development training.

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Psychological safety is the secret to our sauce.

The Empowered Leader program is the only leadership training program in Michigan designed specifically
to equip leaders with the skills they need to build empowered, psychologically safe teams and organizations

Great, but what’s psychological safety? Put simply, it’s the culture leaders create that makes it easier for their teams to get creative, share ideas, enter into difficult conversations, enjoy their work, and feel connected… not just as co-workers who put up with one another, but as humans on a collective mission.

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Here's how the program works.

LEARN

Participate in a session.

Join leaders from a variety of industries every other week for an interactive, three-hour training session where we'll unravel 16 topics critical to leaders' success. All sessions are held in our 4,000-square-foot riverfront property (right outside the hustle and bustle of Grand Rapids).

APPLY

Practice what you learn.

You know how once you see something, you can't unsee it? In the same way, you won't be able to ignore opportunities to experiment! Expect your homework to feel a whole lot more like "get to" than "have to."

ADJUST

Get one-on-one feedback.

While you can take the course without one-on-one coaching, this cherry on top takes learning to the next level. With this value-packed add-on, you'll meet with an instructor between sessions to get blunt about what's really happening with your team.

Then, we repeat the process for each new topic!

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The Empowered Leader program is broken into two parts.

Scheduling can be tough. To make it easier, we split the Empowered Leader program into two parts that you can book separately or all at once. Here are the modules we cover in Empowered Leader I, the first eight sessions of the program.

Foundational Themes

Understand why psychological safety is the non-negotiable, core ingredient to high performance and healthy culture.

Developing Others

Compare multipliers (who bring out the best behaviors & ideas) and diminishers (who shut down intelligence, creativity, and energy).

Reduce the Drama

Explore the mindsets and practices that stop unhelpful patterns in their tracks and develop habits that lead to growth and empowerment.

Complexity

Understand how leaders can successfully navigate the flood of decision-making & problem-solving in a world of ambiguity.

Curiosity & Empathy

Explore the neuroscience of curiosity, and learn how to activate it to foster learning, connection, and innovation.

Self + Other Awareness

Using DISC and the 12 Driving Forces, gain greater awareness of your own superpowers, how to notice those of others, and areas ripe for conflict and connection.

Productive Conflict

Develop effective patterns of communicating with candor and support healthy “creative abrasion” that leads to innovation, creativity, and trust.

Structured Thinking

Implement structured thinking to help you identify priorities and get more of the right things done individually and throughout the team.

Here's what we cover next.

The following modules are covered in Empowered Leader II, the second eight sessions of the program.

Impostor Syndrome

Uncover feelings that lead to unproductive behaviors, like holding back, procrastination, self-sabotage, and burnout (in yourself and in those you lead).

Ownership

Explore the mindsets, practices, and commitments needed individually & collectively to get work done well, on time, and without conflict or drama.

Failure

Make sense of failure from a neurobiological perspective, and understand how it impacts the way a team learns, innovates, and collaborates.

Culture of Feedback

Review methods on how to create a feedback-rich culture that enables real-time learning, builds trust, and creates a strong connection with your team.

Developing Others

Discover how to listen deeply, probe for the issue under the issue, and ask great questions to unlock the potential of your employee or team.

Polarity Thinking

Break the cycles of frustration, conflict, and stagnation by learning how to leverage the many polarities in our complex world.

Creating Change

Identify roadblocks that are standing in the way of the changes you most want and need. Then, finally embark on a realistic plan to overcome them.

Moving Forward

Articulate the transformation that has unfolded throughout the course, and complete a personal development & action plan for moving forward.

Want the coaching but not the course? We offer that, too. This button is for you →

I want coaching only!

Don't forget your apron!

Actually, just kidding. We already have one for you here… because (drumroll) we incorporate cooking into two of the Empowered Leader course modules! Why not? We have a professional culinary studio on our property, and nothing makes learning stick like activating all five of your senses at once!

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Before you enroll, you might be wondering...

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Who teaches the program?
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How much time will the program take?
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When is the next course being offered?
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Is there a virtual version of this program?
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What if I have to miss a session?
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Who will benefit the most from leadership training?
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Who else will be in the room?
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Is the one-on-one coaching enhancement worth it?
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What if I just want coaching, not the course?
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What if I want to bring all the leaders in my organization?

Have another question? Reach out!

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Testimonials

    – Stacy

    “. . . The content was excellent and well-presented. Interactive and engaging. A lot to learn, but spaced out well. I’ll continue using what I learned from these classes and my 1:1 coaching for years. As a new leader in my job, this was invaluable—but I think anyone at any level in their leadership career would benefit.”

    – Chuck

    “I took the Empowered Leader course last year, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn to grow effective teams and foster collaborative teamwork. It is absolutely a course where you will get out what you put in, and for me, it was a remarkably formative experience.”

    – Corey

    “This course has been incredibly impactful for me as a leader but also as a human! You truly get introduced to a visionary approach to leadership. . . I have found my ability to manage my work, my time, and my stress much improved! Can’t recommend enough.”

    – Michelle

    “. . . Having the opportunity to gather with other leaders to listen, learn, practice and apply the critical leadership topics with the cohort—and then with my team at work—has pushed me to be more aware, more curious, with others. AndI can’t stress enough how supportive and enriching the one-on-one coaching sessions have been, too—they are a key component of my growth on the leadership path.”

    – Luke

    I would push you to add the one-on-one sessions to complement your learning. This really helped me apply the learning to my personal situation and team. It was extremely helpful to have an amazing outside resource like Tara to stretch my personal and professional goals.”

    – Melissa

    I would recommend Thought Design to any company that is willing to invest in people showing up the best way they possibly can that maybe other leadership programs haven’t been able to draw out in them.

    – Nicki

    Knowing Thought Design is shaping and molding leaders gives me more hope than I can actually express. Thought Design is giving leaders tools to thrive and make a difference in the wilderness of today’s world at a time when many people can’t even see how the world and the challenges we face have shifted so dramatically. I have been through several leadership trainings in my career and was skeptical Empowered Leader would be much different, but I am so pleasantly surprised!

    Ready? Let's get you enrolled!

    The Empowered Leader program is broken into two 8-session parts, Empowered Leader I & II— you can purchase them together or separately. Important note: You must complete Empowered Leader I before enrolling in Empowered Leader II.

    Can’t attend an in-person course? Learn about virtual Empowered Leader.

    Empowered
    Leader I Only

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    Enroll Now

    Take part I of the program (24 in-person hours) with or without six sessions of one-on-one coaching.

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    Coaching Information
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    Save up to $550!

    Get Both Parts—
    Empowered Leader I & II

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    Enroll Now

    Take parts I & II of the program (48 in-person hours) with or without twelve sessions of one-on-one coaching.

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    Coaching Information
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    Empowered
    Leader II Only

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    Enroll Now

    Take part II of the program (24 in-person hours) with or without six sessions of one-on-one coaching.

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    Need more individualized guidance? Keep scrolling...

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    All leadership coaching, no course.

    There are some instances where skipping the Empowered Leader program and moving right into one-on-one leadership coaching with one of our seasoned coaches makes more sense. For example:

    You’ve already completed the Empowered Leader program

    Your circumstances are unique or especially sensitive in nature

    You have a need that requires urgent attention

    If one of these sounds like you, let’s talk.
    Simply click “Start the Conversation” to grab a time on our calendar and see if we’re a fit.

    Start the Conversation
    About Our Team