Immersive development for experienced leaders.
An experienced leader is measured on results, and their development should be too. We measure the leader, the role and the pressure on it. The engagement is built around what that role asks of that leader: live situations, feedback and coaching at their level.
Book a callThirty minutes on Zoom. Which managers, where they are starting, and what has to be different.
What we measure for an experienced leader
Five assessments, before the work starts. Each result is set against the role the leader holds now and the one they are moving toward.
| Measure | What it scores | What it gives an experienced leader |
|---|---|---|
| P×E Arena2 forces · 7 working conditions | The role's Threat and Stability. Then seven working conditions: demands, control, support from the manager and from peers, relationships, role clarity and change. | Which arena the leader is in now, and how the next role differs from it. A tendency that pays in one arena can cost in another, so the plan starts from the role. |
| P×E Personality5 traits · 30 facets | The Big Five traits and their thirty facets, scored against adults of the leader's age and sex. | Which tendencies the role rewards and which it taxes, facet by facet. The plan aims at the few that matter in this role. |
| P×E Leadership10 behaviors · 7 families | How often the leader uses ten leadership behaviors, from structuring the work and setting standards to developing people and sharing authority. | The behaviors a larger scope asks for more of, and the ones it asks for less. Each comes with the research behind it, so the leader can see why it matters at their level. |
| P×E Levels of Leadership4 levels | Which of four levels the leader works at: Passenger, Analyst, Engineer or Architect. The level comes from how far they see the conditions around them and how far they shape them. | The next transition, what sets it off and what holds people back. At the top level the leader shapes conditions for people they do not manage. |
| P×E 12 Ordeals12 ordeals · 3 domains | The pressure each of twelve ordeals puts on the leader now, from uncertainty to balance, and how well they handle each one. | The three to work on first, ranked by pressure against capability, with the laws from The 12 Ordeals of Leadership for each. |
The leader sees every result in full, with a PDF of each report, in the Leader Development Tool. The sponsor sees the priorities and the progress.
Customized to the leader's level
We start with the leader. What scope do they hold, which decisions are theirs, and what is the next step they are working toward? The five assessments above put numbers beside that picture. The engagement is built from both, so an experienced leader works at their own level from the first session.
Grounded in the role
Before we set the development plan, we look at the demands of the role itself. How much pressure is there? How clear is it? How much authority does the leader hold? How far ahead does the job require them to think? The P×E Arena scores the pressure and the predictability, and the leader sees their own tendencies against it. The plan aims at what this role asks of this leader.
Practice on live work
The practice is on the leader's own work. They bring a live situation to a session, or type it into the Leader Development Tool in plain sentences. The tool builds a plan from their assessment and the research it cites. Then they try the plan with their real team and bring back what happened. At this level the situations are usually these:
- A larger team, a function the leader has never led, or a reorganization.
- A whole decision handed to another leader, with the authority that goes with it, and then left alone.
- One standard across every team, and the conversation when someone does not meet it.
- Peers and senior leaders who do not report to them, and work that depends on them anyway.
- A plan for the next few years, kept while this quarter takes most of the week.
For leaders who lead leaders
An experienced leader's results often come through other leaders. The Team Development Tool draws them in one diagram. The leader is at the top, with a line to each person they lead, and on each line the days since their last one-on-one. A line turns red at fourteen days. A diamond marks a promise made to that leader, red once it is overdue. Under each leader is their team, with how many answered the latest team survey. The leader uses it to decide where the next week's attention goes.
Reading for experienced leaders
Three articles from Insights on the questions this work starts from.
- Why leadership strengths reverse in a new environmentA strength is a tendency that pays off under particular conditions. Change the threat or the stability of a role, and the same tendency can start to cost.
- What a leadership assessment should measureA trait score on its own predicts little. A useful assessment measures the leader, the conditions of the role, and the gap between them, and ends with something to test.
- Executive coaching or executive assessment?Coaching works when the target is clear. When the problem is unclear, assess first.
Questions we get
Who is this for?
Experienced leaders at any stage. It fits a leader moving into a bigger role, or one taking on a new team or a reorganization. It also fits a strong leader the organization wants to invest in. One leader, or a small group at their own level.
How is it different from a leadership course?
A course teaches the same material to everybody in the class. Here the leader's own role and goals set the content, and the practice happens on their live work, with coaching to review it.
What does the leader see, and what do we see?
The leader sees every result in full, with a PDF of each report. You see the two or three areas of focus, the plan, and the monthly progress briefing. The scores stay with the leader.
What if the role itself is part of the challenge?
We will tell you. The conditions around a role often shape results as much as the person in it. The plan can include changes to the role as well as to how the leader works.
How long does it take?
The length is set on the call, from the leader's level and what has to change.