The Leadership Advantage (TLA) is a hands-on learning program designed for mid- to senior-level leaders who are ready to take their leadership skills to the next level.

Improve Business Results

Everything about the program, including the information, experiences and feedback, focuses on a single objective—helping your organization achieve its business goals through the development of critical leadership skills.

Develop Key Skills

Enhance leadership skills across five competencies:

• Analysis & decision making
• Leading & influencing
• Relationships & teaming
• Responsibility & achievement
• Managing & developing

Build self-awareness of leadership strengths and development needs.  Create and implement a development plan addressing both individual and organizational needs. 

ROI Opportunity

Choose an Action Learning Project that, when completed, can improve your organization’s performance.

Establish lasting leader networks that facilitate continued innovation, collaboration and insight.

Customized Development

TLA is designed around the participants. Program curriculum and development plans are tailored to meet participant and organization needs, and are based on leadership assessment results, 360° feedback and input from the executive sponsor and participants.  

Multi-modal Learning

Workshop sessions include case studies, discussion, reflection, group activities and real life practice. Training is designed to facilitate knowledge implementation, skill sustainability and continuous learning. 

Address Real Organizational Issues

Apply leadership concepts and tools to address a real organizational issue during a four-month capstone project chosen by the executive sponsor and participant.

The Leadership Advantage is broken up into three distinct phases.

Phase 1: Develop New Perspectives

• Participants complete a pre-program 360° assessment to gain insight into the their individual strengths and areas for development. In addition, participants complete a behavioral questionnaire to assess their current approach to managing, leading, and teaming.
• This data is utilized to create the participant’s leadership development plan and to identify retreat curriculum specific to developmental opportunities.
  • Optional add-on: Comprehensive leadership assessment with extended feedback.

Phase 2: Accelerate Your Learning

• Participants attend an immersive three-day leadership retreat, hosted at the Charles F. Knight Center at Washington University in St. Louis.
  • Breakfast, lunch, and snacks included.
• After the retreat, participants identify and begin work on their individual Action Learning Projects.
• Participants attend two group coaching calls with their CMA coach.
  • Optional add-on: Individual coaching sessions

Phase 3: Show What You Know

• Participants and their sponsors attend a half-day session at the Charles F. Knight Center at Washington University in St. Louis.
• Participants present their Action Learning Projects.
• Participants, sponsors, and CMA coaches celebrate the leaders’ accomplishments during a graduation ceremony and cocktail reception.

Results

There are many leadership programs around the globe. So what makes The Leadership Advantage special?

Customized development

TLA is designed around the participants, not for the masses. Program curriculum and development plans are tailored to meet participant and organizational needs, and are based on real data like leadership assessment results, 360° feedback and input from the executive sponsor and participant.

Multi-modal learning 

This goes beyond typical classroom instruction. Workshop sessions include case studies, discussion, reflection, group activities and real life practice. Training is designed to facilitate knowledge implementation, skill sustainability and continuous learning.

Addresses real organizational issues

Participants get to apply leadership concepts and tools to address a real organizational imperative in a four-month capstone project chosen by the executive sponsor and participant.

The 70-20-10 rule

Research indicates that the best development experiences consist of:

• 70% on-the-job experience (challenging assignments, etc.)
• 20% support (feedback, mentoring, coaching, etc.)
• 10% formal training (seminars, webinars, etc.)

Many leadership development programs apply the 70-20-10 rule in reverse, with heavy emphasis on formal training and little or no support for on-the-job experience. As a result, development ends when the leader leaves the classroom. Not this program. 

TLA closely models the 70-20-10 rule for sustained skill development and on-the-job knowledge transfer well beyond the program. Every program component is tailored to the unique needs of the leader and the organization, making TLA a comprehensive, individualized development experience.

Program Schedule for 2020 Participants

February (date TBD) 2020

Program kickoff and information conference call (executive sponsor attends)

February 2020 – May 2020

Complete 360° assessment, feedback, and development planning*.

October, 26, 27, 28 2020

Leadership retreat at the Charles F. Knight Executive Education Center, Washington University-St. Louis

November & December 2020 (dates TBD)

Group check-in calls with CMA coach

November 2020 – February 2021

Work on Action Learning Project*

February 15, 2021

Action Learning Project presentations and graduation ceremony with cocktail reception (executive sponsor attends)

*Leadership assessment, if Comprehensive Assessment package is chosen; **Individual coaching, if Coaching package is chosen

Leadership Retreat Schedule

The retreat is held at the Charles F. Knight Executive Education Center,  part of the renowned Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis. Rooms are equipped with state-of-the-art technology and connectivity. The Knight Center is conveniently located for easy access to hotels, restaurants, sports and entertainment.

• Day 1: Leading Self
• Day 2: Leading Others
• Day 3: Leading the Organization

CMA has designed the TLA retreat and is exclusively responsible for its content. Olin Business School provides this first-class executive education environment for our attendees.

Investment (includes all program components listed in the brochure)

• Regular Program Price: $5,500/participant
• Multiple Participant Price (2+ participants from a single company): $5,000/participant

Bottom line – how much does it cost?

Tuition is $5,500 per participant (or $5,000 per participant for 2+ registrants from the same organization), which includes all program components listed here.

There are also two optional add-on packages for participants looking for a more enhanced development experience:

• Comprehensive Assessment Package: In-depth leadership assessment with individual and manager feedback sessions, and extended 360° feedback session (additional $2,600)
• Individual Coaching Package: Three one-hour individual coaching sessions with one of CMA’s Ph.D.-level business consultants for enhanced learning (additional $1,400)

I’ll be coming in from out of town. Do special arrangements need to be made?

Overnight accommodations for the retreat can be arranged directly through the Knight Center. We advise arriving the night before for the retreat. The graduation ceremony with cocktail reception on October 5 is scheduled until 6pm, so you may want to postpone your return travel to the morning after the event.

What if I’ve already participated in a CMA 360°?

If it was more than a year ago, we advise retaking the 360°. If it was less than a year, we will utilize existing 360° feedback results for your development planning and curriculum selection. The program price does not change in either case.

What if we want a leadership development program custom-designed for our organization?

Contact us to find out how CMA can help you design a custom leadership development program for your organization.

Who should attend The Leadership Advantage?

Mid- to senior-level managers who are high-potential, high-performers. Leaders who are either new to a role or preparing to move into a next-level job will find The Leadership Advantage program especially beneficial.

What kind of content will be covered at the retreat?

Foundational concepts include time management, being proactive, effective delegation, performance management, motivating others, giving and receiving critical feedback, commitment and accountability, building trust, promoting teamwork, effective problem solving, situational leadership, visioning/appreciative inquiry, developing followership and leadership pipeline.

Special topics may include honing your executive presence, stress management, strengths-based leadership, coaching and developing others, managing “difficult” employees, conflict management and resolution, emotional/social intelligence, value innovation, leading through transition, fatal flaws of leaders and process improvement.