Courage to Lead

At the heart of authentic leadership is the courage to be fully human, to take risks, to care deeply and to take action even in the midst of change and uncertainty. Courage to Lead® is rooted in the belief that effective leadership flows from the identity and integrity of the person. Courage retreats and programs are designed to help leaders move beyond the “what” and “how” questions of leadership, to the “who” questions.

Who could benefit from Courage to Lead?

Courage to Lead is open to those in leadership from diverse fields and is designed to help participants renew their passion, enthusiasm and commitment to their leadership and the communities they serve. Leadership can also be reflected in other ways that we show up in the world through our professional, family, or community life.

Past participants have included school teachers, administrators, managers, support staff, activists, writers, clergy, coaches, doulas, mental health practitioners and leaders from the nonprofit and corporate sectors and beyond. 

Our retreat experiences and individualized programs offer CEUs and PDUs, and some may provide administrator licensing credits.

Courage to Lead brought our administrative team together during tough times. We learned more about ourselves and why we do the hard work that we do with passion and excellence. It was about discovering our identity, showcasing our integrity and participating in deep self reflection. These powerful components of solid leadership helped us design a shared vision for the future of our school district.

– Karen Gray, Superintendent, Lincoln County School District

Leading Together

Leading Together is a research-based program rooted in the belief that students flourish best in an environment where all educators feel supported, working together in a culture of mutual respect and courageous dialogue. The same can be said of other organizations, including higher education, nonprofits and businesses. Building relational trust among colleagues in any setting can increase positive outcomes.

We offer customized Leading Together programs for schools, businesses, and other organizational communities seeking to strengthen relational trust, collaboration, and empowerment.

The four main components addressed within the Leading Together program are: Creating Trustworthy Spaces; Honest and Open Communication; Empowering and Engaging Others; Building Deep Seated Accountability

What can a Leading Together program look like?

The Leading Together program ideally involves two full days of experiential training and follow up coaching for a leadership team to advise on implementing the program within in their community. The schedule and program structure is customizable to meet the needs of participants, and is adaptable to the objectives identified by the team requesting the program.

“Leading Together has all the critical features needed to become a model for school change: effective school leadership, positive adult relationships in schools, and relational trust.”

- Dr. Sara Rimm-Kaufman, Univ. of Virginia, Final Report

Courage to Teach

Courage to Teach focuses neither on teacher techniques nor on school reform. In this time of teacher shortages, this program offers renewal to education’s most important resource: the teacher. 

Participants explore the “heart of the teacher” through sharing stories from their own journeys, reflecting on their classroom practice and drawing upon the insights of poets, storytellers and diverse cultural traditions.

The Courage to Teach program invites teachers to speak honestly about their lives as educators, and to listen and respond to each other with encouragement and compassion. We explicitly seek both novice and experienced teachers, those of whom society demands much but rewards little in terms of encouragement and support.

“Courage to Teach has helped me to be mindful of my teaching. It is too easy to get caught up in the hubbub of schools…and not take the time or care that is needed to do the job. Now I’m taking time to see the child as a whole person.”