Get Traction Quickly on your Most Pressing Problems

Leader Intensive Day

I’ve done a lot of thinking since I went into consulting on what I really needed when I was in the leader’s seat, the kind of guidance and clarity that would’ve been a complete game changer had it showed up at the right time, and most importantly… how many leaders out there feel this way right now. 

So I poured my knowledge, experience, and “been there, done that” sense into one potent process: the Leader Intensive Day. What the heck is a Leader Intensive Day? Well, it’s when..

You want to solve the challenge that’s been keeping you up at night, even when that challenge feels like a big, ultra hairy, somewhat vague situation. 

Lately, you’ve found that this problem sits somewhere between “this is going to take forever/a million dollars/a unicorn sacrifice to solve” and, “maybe this is just the way things are gonna be,” but the truth is, you’re not feeling either of those options. 

And, kind of like a leaky faucet, eventually this dilemma is going to drive you crazy and before you know it, you’re going to need to make a swift exit from your organization before you get swept away in the flood.

Meanwhile… you can’t really work this thing out with the people around you, because everyone (as in EVERYONE) looks to you as the leader, the finder of solutions, the solver of things. And you really want to be the solver of things because you know that if you only had a solution you could….

  • Demonstrate a clear path forward to a better future

  • Approach your work with clarity and confidence

  • Leverage best practices to level up your organization

  • Leave this challenge behind (finally)

  • Lead your team through a clear plan, rather than carry the burden of creating it

  • Make meaningful progress on all of your organization’s mission-critical work (read: put that energy where it’s truly needed)

You’ve tried to solve it on your own, but…
it’s just not working. 

That’s okay. Contrary to how it might feel, you really don’t need to have all the answers. 

Especially when you’re also doing your best to make the most out of a tight talent market, lead through a time of cultural upheaval, navigate the pandemic’s aftermath for adults and kids in one of the most chaotic times in memory, oh…and continue moving as a human being while holding all the things by yourself. (exhale)

No big. 

And yet, with all of that, you’re still wondering why you haven’t been able to slay the dragon plaguing you.

Let’s step away from the “why haven't you?” and really ask ourselves “how could you?”. You didn’t have the distance from the situation, the time to dedicate to figuring it out and that outside perspective that helps you see the forest, not the trees.

It’s time to broaden that perspective. I can help: I’ve seen it from both sides.

As a consultant, I spend my days getting deep in the work with clients to help them get through to the other side, their Blue Sky vision. As a certified Gallup Strengths coach, I’ve invested hundreds of hours in learning how to take your strengths and aim them at the challenges you face: so that you have a solution that works for you, uniquely–and you can lead from a place of excellence, ease and even enjoyment. As a former CEO and Founder, I have been exactly where you are–I know how lonely it is and the particular feeling you get when you feel like you’ve been beating your head against the wall trying to solve this problem for about, oh, 113 years.

I bring that outside perspective you’ve been missing, and put it together with dedicated time to figure it out: where I go offline from all other clients and all other work for a full day to work on helping you, and only you, with this problem.

The Leader Intensive Day is a solution where I help you solve your most pressing challenge in just one day with a customized plan and tools tailored to your strengths so you can lead with clarity, confidence and calm. I’ll even be there to support you during the part where you actually start solving the thing through 60 days of follow-on support (because hitting you with a strategy and pushing you out the nest isn’t really my style).

What results to expect from your Leader Intensive Day

 

  • A comprehensive and clear plan so you can lean into actually implementing

  • A suite of proven tools to use as you dive into action

  • Advice and insight tailored to your Gallup Clifton Strengths as a leader

  • A clear path forward for the short, medium and long term

  • Calm certainty—which you and your team will LOVE

  • More sleep at night since you’ve tackled this thorny issue and put it behind you

  • This is a new service I offer that is totally customized to you. I go offline for a full day and focus only on solving your thorniest problem–whether you know exactly what needs to be done, or you have no idea where to even begin.

    Once you schedule an Intensive, I customize a prework checklist for you where you compile all the info you have about the challenge it might be helpful for me to know, and you spill your guts on everything going on (which stays confidential, clearly).

    We hop on a prep call where I clarify anything I have questions on and we get real clear about what the solution would look like and entail.

    After that, I curate your agenda for the day–part of it you’ll be on a Zoom with me (as we pressure test solutions, role play conversations and make a plan to get this moving) and part of it you will be doing your thing on your own while I dive into the planning.

  • While each day is unique and customized to your needs, here’s an example:

    • Get Clarity after completing a customized pre work survey, sending me your Gallup Strengths results and alllll the documents you think may be helpful (whether that number is 1,713 links or exactly zero) we hop on a call and get clear on the problem we’re solving and what success looks like in a Blue Sky world.

    • Confront the Challenges, or Come to Some Conclusions: We dig into data, unpack mindsets, prioritize what the best domino to fall first is, and really untangle the issue. I bring all my best questions and they run the gamut from hyper-detailed or as broad as the situation demands–we can dig in anywhere from mile marker 17 of the marathon you’re running to that day 23 years ago when you first decided you want to run a marathon in the first place…

    • Chart the Path: You take a break, and I work up a PLAN–and I’m talking about a plan that captures the short, medium and long term, designed for your top 10 Strengths and how you operate. Simple beats complicated anyday and this will strike the right balance between thorough enough to ensure success and simple enough so you don’t get lost in it. I’ll go through the thousands of files I have for the best examples and resources for you and your situation to create your customized new favorite Google Folder.

    • Challenge: Now it gets really good, because the plan is part of the solution–and the other part is the confidence to carry it out. You hop back on the Zoom and we pressure test the plan. I have a list of “what if” scenarios to run though that range from the “most likely will happen” to the “wait, are you for real that this just happened?”. We’ll role play difficult conversations, poke holes and pressure test what’s ahead, making any adjustments.

    • Catalyze: The rubber hits the road here, and we make a plan for what you’ll do after the Zoom is over: what comes first, second and third. You’ll leave confident, ready and clear about where to go.

    And I won’t just leave you at the altar like a Love is Blind bride in 6 inch stilettos, we’re in it for the long haul. I send you recordings of our Zooms, your google folder links and the links to schedule two follow-on support sessions for implementation that you can use any time after our day. Think of it like your own personal Bat Phone to help you solve this problem for good. There’s also unlimited Voxer and email support for 60 days (where we can voice text back and forth–yeah, it does feel like the Bat Cave, doesn’t it??).

    Leaders are some of my favorite people to spend time with, and I also understand that as a leader you’re responsible for taking care of everyone, all the time. But not in this case: I’ll make sure everything is taken care of, from ordering you lunch during the Intensive Day to sending you a link to order your own customized snack box for our time together–even your snacks are curated for you, that’s how individual this is! (and also, delicious).

Let’s Get Started

I’m sure you’ve got questions before jumping in (or maybe you’re just like “take my money and help me fix this, Beth!!”). In either case, let’s talk about it! You can click here to book your initial consultation and take one step towards solving your problem for good.

Testimonials

“Beth’s support was invaluable as I started a new role and worked to navigate some tricky dynamics. We got a lot done in a short time and it set me up for maximizing the year ahead!”
— Melissa, Executive Director, Park West Co-op Nursery School
“My time with Beth was well spent: there are workshops that are all fluff and no action that I criticized. Then Beth got right to work with me and I was reminded of.. “Careful what you wish for”... because it was practical work right away! I became more confident in implementing systems that were yet untested. ”
— Francisco, Executive Director, Monarca Academy

FAQs

(because we can start taking questions off your plate right now)

  • While I am quite good, there are indeed problems that I am not the right person to help solve: for example, creating new code for your website. That’s why the very first step—before you sign on any dotted lines—is hopping on a call to talk about your challenge so that I can listen carefully and ensure that it is the kind of problem I am well-equipped to solve with my instructional, operational, cultural and people-related expertise.

  • There are definitely problems that take longer than a day to solve. If that’s the case, another solution may be better (like a consulting engagement, or a short-term project). We talk about this during our intro call: we may be able to narrow the scope to the most impactful aspect of the issue that can be solved in a day, or design a unique solution (like splitting the work over two days to allow for team feedback in between). During the initial consultation I listen closely to whether I can solve the problem, and in a day. If the answer is no for either of those questions, I tell you that. I want satisfied and happy clients so it’s in my best interest to make sure this solution is a fit for this particular your thorny challenge.

  • It really varies, honestly. Certainly a lot of issues around teams, culture, performance management and getting results through others come up, as well as working on a leader’s individual systems and expectations for themselves. That can look like resetting a team to be as amazing as the E Street Band, setting clear expectations, addressing toxicity, setting and using goals to measure and motivate, turning a culture around or improving employee engagement and/or staff retention.

    Sometimes people come in and know exactly what should happen, they just don’t have the bandwidth to get it done. Other times, it’s like “I have no idea what to do, but give me a plan and I can follow it”--and that works, too.

  • This can be really critical, and part of what I consider in our initial consultation to see if this problem fits the Leader Intensive solution. I keep an eye on it through the process, asking for you to share any data in the prework that might be useful. On our prep call, if additional feedback needs to be gathered we make a plan for that (like me sending a survey, or inviting optional input from stakeholders).

  • You start knocking out the plan like the Boss you are! Don’t worry, I don’t leave you high and dry. While you’ll have a plan that takes any potential pitfalls into account, the truth is we don’t live in a vacuum and sh*t happens. Which is exactly why you’ll have unlimited email and Voxer support for 60 days as well as two free follow-up coaching sessions to use in the time after your day.

  • Compared to the price of letting this problem slowly bleed you dry? It’s a bargain! I know too many non-profit leaders and educators who are reluctant to spend money on anything that doesn’t immediately affect their results (meanwhile the real problem takes a cozy spot on the back burner and those results suffer silently from its simmering heat). So for now, to scratch the itch without throwing your nervous system off, it’s a high four-figure investment, with payment plans available (because I know that nonprofit cash flow life all too well…). This constitutes leader professional development and thus any restricted funding that allows professional development (like ESSER, EANS, Title 2, etc.) can be used towards this.

  • I have time blocked on my calendar and we figure out a date that works together! Once we have a consultation call, it can happen as soon as a few days later, or you can reserve a date for a time in the future knowing that come the day after our Leader Intensive, you may have 99 problems but this particular thorny challenge will not be one.

  • If you’re intrigued, let’s talk: book a time here and we’ll explore to see if this is a best fit.