An introduction for improved productivity

In this hands-on module, we’ll show you how to use AI tools to save time, spark creativity, and work smarter. You’ll learn simple techniques for writing effective prompts, explore ways to integrate AI into your daily tasks, and ideate on ways to streamline your workflow. We’ll also cover tips for using AI responsibly and avoiding common pitfalls. Whether you’re looking to tackle big projects or just make your day-to-day a little easier, this workshop will give you practical tools you can use right away.

Embracing authenticity and transparency

Oftentimes leaders feel the pressure to project a leadership image or style that is different than who they really are. Yet, research shows that authentic leadership leads to better engagement, performance and trust. But what characterizes authentic leadership and how can leaders develop it? We will define what authentic leadership is, why it’s so important and explore three defining pillars of authentic leadership: self-awareness, relational transparency and balanced processing. This highly collaborative session will help leaders embrace ways to show up more authentically and ways to fuel an open and transparent culture.

Cultivate trust and connection

Research shows high-trust organizations and teams enjoy more engaged, productive, and collaborative employees. While these factors have individual benefits they also fuel stronger collective performance. In this module, we’ll focus on optimizing the opportunities we have to cultivate such connections, equipping participants with essential skills to nurture relationships of trust. We’ll cover three key areas: identifying your “who”, getting clear on your “how”, and strengthening “us”. We’ll explore the Trust Triangle, which encompasses Logic, Authenticity, and Empathy. Throughout the session, participants will complete a Relationship Map where they’ll apply key frameworks and tools to a real relationship they want to strengthen.

Build professional rapport

Whether you’re reconnecting after years of remote work or refining your in-person presence, this session helps participants build the confidence and skill to create authentic, impactful connections. We’ll focus on three core areas: making strong first impressions, engaging in meaningful conversations, and deepening rapport. Through real-world examples, interactive practice, and research-backed frameworks, participants will leave with tools they can use immediately to connect more intentionally and communicate with confidence.

Guide buyers forward

In this module, we explore what it is that sets consultative sellers apart from traditional sales people. We’ll look at how consultative sellers approach and view buyers, how they present solutions, how they engage and communicate, and how they focus on relationships and partnerships. We’ll cover the four key aspects of consultative selling, including: understanding the client, interrogating the business, building relationships, and architecting the right conversation. We’ll utilize a number of tools and frameworks such as our State of the Union tool which helps diagnose business challenges and opportunities and the SPECIFICS model to help better understand client needs and provide tailored solutions.

Guide employee development

When we become managers, we are not just responsible for delegating tasks and managing people. We are responsible for growing and developing them by helping them unlock their full potential. We are coaches. In this module, we’ll learn what it takes to make the shift from manager to coach. We’ll share a coaching model participants can use to guide employees from their current reality toward their intended goals. We’ll uncover the most common barriers we face as coaches, teach antidotes to overcome each one, and learn a number of effective coaching techniques. Participants will have the opportunity to practice and apply new skills to real scenarios and will leave with a range of coaching tools they can use immediately after the session.

You got this!

We all face moments of doubt, whether it’s speaking up in meetings, sharing new ideas, or stepping into a leadership role. But confidence isn’t something we’re born with-it’s a skill anyone can learn and strengthen. In this module, we’ll explore the Three C’s of Confidence: Competence, Congruence, and Connection. We’ll cover practical frameworks to reframe negative self-talk, address imposter syndrome, and quiet those inner critics that hold us back. You’ll engage in reflection exercises and interactive activities that provide real-time feedback, helping you apply these confidence-building tools in your day-to-day. By the end, you’ll walk away with actionable strategies to tap into your unique strengths and lead with a newfound sense of self-assurance.

Lead with awareness

Cultural Intelligence – the ability to relate, work effectively and lead individuals/teams with diverse and different cultural backgrounds – is essential in today’s diverse workforce. In this module, we’ll define cultural intelligence and examine its role in successful leadership. We will introduce a model for building cultural intelligence that includes four key strategies: embracing curiosity, understanding differences, planning effectively and adapting when needed. Participants will leave with both increased confidence and a practical approach for embracing intercultural situations.

Think it through

Critical thinking is essential in today’s complex and rapidly changing world. This module delves into the “twin engines” of critical thinking-asking insightful questions and interpreting data effectively. Additionally, we’ll examine common cognitive biases that can hinder critical thinking and discuss strategies to mitigate their impact. Through engaging exercises and group discussions, participants will develop their ability to analyze information objectively, evaluate arguments, and make sound decisions even in the face of ambiguity and uncertainty.

Choose with confidence

We all make decisions every day – often including some big or high-stakes ones. But how often do we pay attention to how we make decisions? The thing is, while decision making may feel like a quick and instinctive reaction, it’s actually a skill we can learn and refine over time. In this module, we’ll share a simple but powerful framework for making better decisions, more consistently. We’ll look at the pitfalls we all face when making choices and the antidotes to overcome them. Participants will leave with a clear understanding of the aspects of decision making, and will make progress toward a real decision of their own.

Distribute work well

While delegating is essential for effective leadership, it can often be a challenge. This module explores the common pitfalls that prevent managers from delegating effectively and provides actionable strategies to overcome them. You’ll learn a practical framework for deciding not only what tasks to delegate but also how to delegate them successfully. Through hands-on activities, you’ll have the opportunity to apply these learnings to your own workload, leaving the session with the confidence and tools to delegate strategically and empower your team.

Great delivery turns good content into unforgettable communication. In this session, we’ll break down the three dimensions of delivery—verbal, vocal, and visual—to help participants bring their stories to life in a confident, credible way. We’ll cover techniques for using body language and voice effectively, as well as best practices for slide design and simplicity that support, not distract from, the message. Whether on Zoom or in person, this module helps presenters build presence, engage their audience, and deliver with poise under pressure.

Spark discovery

Ever noticed how children fearlessly ask questions that adults hesitate to voice? As professionals, we often lose touch with this innate curiosity, hindering our creativity and problem-solving abilities. In this session, we’ll reignite that spark! We’ll delve into the habits of highly curious people, providing actionable strategies to cultivate a mindset of curiosity. You’ll discover how embracing this skill can lead to enhanced creativity, stronger relationships, and a greater capacity for innovation. Get ready to unlock your full potential by tapping into the power of your curiosity.

When seeking new drivers of growth and revenue, we often spend our time focused on prospecting and bringing in new business when the reality is it’s usually more profitable, more efficient, and frankly just easier to sell to our existing clients and customers. In this module, we explore organic growth and uncover the often-overlooked opportunities right in front of us – we’ll discuss where to look for them, what form they take, and six strategies for turning those opportunities into outcomes.

Drive vision, alignment & execution with DiSC Work of Leaders

Many people become “leaders” without truly understanding the process of driving teams or organizations toward desired outcomes. This session will provide participants a simple, compelling process to help leaders get real results. Participants will gain self-awareness about their leadership style and strengths. Importantly, each participant’s leadership behaviors will be benchmarked across three best-in-class leadership areas: crafting a vision, building alignment, and championing execution. This session will combine awareness, learning and action – with each participant reflecting on and identifying tangible steps forward in their day-to-day leadership styles and actions. For best results we recommend participants take the DiSC Work of Leaders assessment.

We teach a framework for developing powerful points of view on our work or on a business issue. We’ll learn the three key elements of defending an idea: tone, time, and tenacity, and review practical tips and tricks you can use in your next presentation or sales conversation to defend without getting defensive and move your clients to a “yes”.

Unleash potential in others

Empowered teams don’t just perform better-they think bigger, move faster, and show up with greater purpose. This session explores what it truly means to empower others, especially in a hybrid workplace where trust, autonomy, and accountability matter more than ever. We’ll introduce practical tools and reflection exercises to help leaders build environments where people feel safe to take initiative, speak up, and grow. Participants will assess their own leadership behaviors using the Standards + Devotion model and learn how to strike the right balance between high expectations and deep support. The session blends insight, discussion, and real-life application to help leaders unlock potential-starting with their own.

Navigate with heart

If you want to succeed in your role and build stronger connections, research tells us you need emotional intelligence-or EQ. The good news? EQ is a skill you can grow with practice. In this module, you’ll take an EQ self-assessment and walk away with practical strategies to develop the four key domains of EQ: social awareness, self-awareness, relationship management, and self-regulation. We’ll also dive into the three kinds of empathy that help you truly connect with others and share a framework and tools you can start using right away.

Own your power

Having presence is a critical factor when we’re addressing any audience – in a room or on a Zoom. In this module, we define what presence is and why it’s important for leadership, presentations, meetings, and more. We’ll cover aspects of presence such as focus, power, warmth, character, substance and style – and ways to improve each. We’ll review examples to evaluate presence in others and then complete an exercise to practice applying newly learned skills.

Connect to close

Studies show that high EQ scores have significant correlation to job performance, especially when it comes to those in sales roles. Salespeople with high EQ are more resilient, are better at building trust, and are more able to create strong emotional connections – thus improving their sales outcomes. In this module, we’ll uncover the cognitive processes buyers go through and the role their emotions play when they make decisions. We’ll learn an EQ framework and tips for improving in each of the four key areas: self-awareness, self-regulation, social awareness, and relationship management. We’ll take an assessment to see where we stand with our own EQ, and leverage a number of practical tools such as our Client Buying Dossier.

Shape and sharpen creativity

Evaluating creative ideas and giving feedback can be tricky skills to master. This critical module reviews different ways in which we can evaluate creative ideas through different lenses. We’ll share honest insights on how to deliver comments effectively. We’ll learn practical tips and tricks, look at examples of feedback we hear every day, and finally review actual creative concepts and put new skills into practice.

The pathway to success

We live in a perfectionistic culture that has taught many of us to fear failure and making mistakes – especially in our careers. But the truth is failure is not bad – it is an essential ingredient of individual and organizational success. The greater the ambition or goal, the more likely we’ll come face-to-face with setbacks and failure along the way. This module is designed to help us reflect on and redefine our relationship with failure. We’ll debunk some of the most common “myths” about failure in the workplace, replacing them with truths that showcase the importance and value of failure in our quest towards success. Participants will walk away with best-in-class strategies that will empower them to speak up, take risks and learn from their mistakes.

Igniting sales performance

Ambition fuels high performance-and for sales teams, that ambition has to be sharp, strategic, and sustainable. This customized program is designed to reignite drive and focus within your team, helping sellers think bigger, move faster, and sell smarter in today’s ever-changing landscape. We’ll tailor the session based on your team’s strengths, goals, and growth areas-whether it’s consultative selling, boosting confidence, or creative problem-solving to expand opportunities-participants will walk away with a clear sense of where their ambition lies and how to channel it into confident communication, client trust, and consistent performance.

Give and receive to grow

Feedback is one of the most critical things people want but often the hardest thing to give. In this interactive session, we distinguish between praise vs feedback as well as judgment vs observation. We review a permission-based process for delivering feedback that yields the most impactful results, strengthens performance, and promotes partnership. We’ll look at techniques that have been proven to be most effective and share many practical tips, tools, and examples to use. Lastly, we’ll talk about receiving feedback as a skill, and how to promote a 360 feedback culture within your team and organization.

Connect with purpose

Conversations are the lifeblood of our relationships, both personally and professionally. But are you truly making the most of every interaction? In this module, we’ll go beyond surface-level chatter and explore the art of intentional conversation. You’ll learn a powerful framework for connecting with purpose, navigating the nuances of active listening and forging deeper connections. Through engaging exercises and real-world scenarios, you’ll gain the confidence and practical skills to navigate any conversation with more intention, confidence and ease.

Research proves when leaders set direction, priorities, and objectives for their teams, performance improves. All teams progress through the stages of forming, storming, norming, performing and mourning. In this module, we’ll share a framework that can be utilized to assess a team’s state and develop a plan for optimizing performance. We will review the signs that a team exhibits at each stage and the actions that we as managers and leaders must take to move them to the next level. We’ll also discuss a critical skill that has significant impact on team performance: psychological safety. We’ll define what it is, how to tell if it’s present/absent, and three simple tools and habits managers can use to build and maintain this precious resource. You’ll walk away from this session with a plan and key action items to lead your team to higher performance immediately after the session.

Pitches are among the highest-stakes meetings in our industry, so they require a unique mix of skills. In this course, we’ll examine the essential best practices when it comes to the pitch presentation. We’ll begin by exploring the importance of creating a connection with the audience using the DiSC model as our foundation. We’ll introduce the concept of the “win theme” and how that serves as a North Star. From there, we’ll look at content, including how to leverage storytelling and simplicity to drive persuasion and memorability. We’ll touch on key aspects of delivery, including special considerations of the virtual context. Finally, we’ll address the crucial role of rehearsal, including the frequently forgotten need to prepare for Q&A.

As any good client leader knows it can be difficult to define exactly what it is we do, because our skills are put to the test in so many areas, every day. We are called upon to foster strong client relationships, drive growth, develop high-performing teams, make smart strategic decisions and sell transformational ideas – all at an unprecedented time of accelerated pace and competition in our industry.

That said, there has never been a more exciting time to work in the creative industry, if you have the right tools. In this hands-on course, participants will learn how to:

• Use principles of DiSC to get a clear understanding of their own style and how to flex their style to clients, co-workers, agency partners, and more
• Understand clients and deliver on what they really want
• Sell transformational ideas without being a ‘sales person’
• Offer feedback, embrace conflict and say ‘no’ without ever using that word
• Lead high-performing teams
• Understand and exhibit executive presence
• Increase resilience and better manage stress
• Define their personal brand and identify their authentic leadership style

No matter what it says on your business card, everyone in the agency and creative business worlds needs to bring strategic prowess to the table. In this hands-on course, we’ll cover the mindset, tool set and skill set any creative strategic thinker needs for success.

What you’ll learn:

• Using Your Three Brains
• Asking Better Questions
• Applying Convergent and Divergent Thinking
• Becoming a Ruthless Reductionist
• Finding Inspiration in Unexpected Places
• Developing and Delivering Great Briefs

In our business, we tend to expend a significant amount of time and energy fostering the technical skills of our creative teams, but often we neglect the development of other skills that are critical to driving overall performance – how to sell work and lead clients from the front, managing others and nurturing relationships, and developing teams.

In this program, we’ll focus on building the often overlooked, but critical foundational skills creative leaders need to succeed. We recommend a balance of modules related to sales, client-leadership, and internal management – of both teams and peers.