TCI LEAP Program

On October 24, 2008, The Commonwealth Institute (TCI) and Inner Resources announced that TCI will be implementing the Arch of Leadership Leader Mentoring Program. The program will be administered by Bonnie Gorbaty of Inner Resources. As part of that announcement we have put together this question and answer paper.

There is always a need for leadership, but in these tough times, leaders are our best resource. Investing in your leaders brings commitment and imagination to difficult situations. The best way to invest in the development of truly authentic leaders is through mentoring. Our Leader Mentoring Program taps into that innate aspiration of leaders and shapes its growth in order to meet the challenges these times demand.

1. Why is TCI offering the Leadership Accelerator Program (LEAP)?

TCI’s mission is to support women CEO’s, entrepreneurs and senior corporate executives by helping them grow their businesses and careers. Mentoring is at the core of TCI’s philosophy to help members build their businesses through their interaction with others facing similar challenges. LEAP uses a leader mentoring approach developed by the “Arch of Leadership” (see www.leadermentoring.com) that is fully compatible with TCI’s strategy in fulfilling their mission. It was chosen based on its success in the corporate and entrepreneurial sectors with high tech, research and development and professional service firms all challenged by complex change and increasing competition.

2. What role does Inner Resources play in the offering of LEAP?

Inner Resources will serve as the Program Administrator working closely with the TCI staff in the design, development and successful implementation of the Leadership Accelerator Program (LEAP). Inner Resources is certified in the “Arch of Leadership’s Leader Mentoring Program”and has worked with several TCI members to develop into better leaders.

3. What makes Leader Mentoring different than other approaches to leader development?

Our fundamental premise is that leadership is not a set of skills that can be learned. Leadership comes from within one’s own self and the development of one’s character which emerges through a process that is facilitated by a trusted mentor.

4. How does the content of Leader Mentoring differ from leader training?

A leader’s development must go beyond management skills toward an authentic leadership brand that others will follow. Leaders bring different motivations and personal experiences that define how they think and act. The Leader Mentoring approach is designed to help aspiring leaders clarify their motives, life experiences and personal stories that informs how they lead and create followers.

5. How does Leader Mentoring differ from executive coaching in the development of leaders?

Leader Mentoring focuses on one’s self-discovery and the inner journey that is required of leaders in building their character. Four skills of character are emphasized leading to the development of one’s self-trust and authentic leader brand that inspires the trust of others.

In contrast, executive coaching takes a skills approach that focuses on the external characteristics and behaviors of leaders. Typically this includes assessing a leader’s style and learning communication, decision-making and other skills.

6. How will the Leadership Accelerator Program (LEAP) work?

The program offers a framework for introspective self-study for the aspiring leader who we refer to as the “mentee” that is greatly enhanced through a relationship with a leader mentor. Up to twenty mentees and mentor pairs form a Cohort. Some of the key aspects of the program include:

The program is structured into eight sequential segments allowing a month to work on each segment
Mentors and mentees meet each month focused on a specific segment for up to 90 minutes
Over the course of the 8 months, there are 4 group (Cohort) sessions designed to bring together all of the mentors and mentees to share their experiences and learn from each other
Mentees clarify a set of intentions at the beginning of the engagement with their mentor reflecting their expectations in working through the program; This defines some of the results for the participants
Mentors are carefully chosen based on a set of criteria established by Inner Resources and trained in the “Arch of Leadership Mentoring Methodology”
Mentees are interviewed by Inner Resources to guide in the appropriate assignment of mentors

7. What kind of results can I expect?

Each participant can expect to experience different types of insights, breakthroughs and tangible results in their leader role and with their leader challenges. The testimonials of three graduates of the program who are active TCI members are shown below. For a more in depth story of the experiences of different leaders, you can see the excerpts from the book “Leader Mentoring” (http://www.amazon.com/Leader-Mentoring-Inspire-Cultivate-Leaders/dp/1601630123) that provide a deeper understanding of the shifts that can occur for participants.

At a company level, the return on investment of this program has clearly demonstrated the power of great leadership to strengthen a company’s ability to attract, retain and develop top talent, build succession plans from within and achieve challenging, company-wide initiatives thought to be unattainable.

8. Who can participate in this program?

All members of The Commonwealth Institute and members of their senior staff both male and female may participate as mentees. The ideal mentee is one who is faced with leadership challenges and often asks themselves the question, I know I can do more. “What more should I be doing?”. Oftentimes we find mentees are looking to shift from a focus on managing to a more strategic focus on issues related to growth, change and more effective ways of engaging their staff.

Mentors, both male and female are carefully chosen for their sensitive role in being able to be fully present for another through their own depth of experience, self-trust and delight in helping others. The most critical skills of a mentor is the ability to deeply listen to the mentee’s story, mirror back what they heard and guide the mentee in synthesizing their self-discovery into their own leader brand and story.

9. What is required to do the program in terms of time and investment?

A mentee will have one 90-minute session per month with their mentor. Preparation for that session takes approximately two hours.

Although costs are yet to be determined, with The Commonwealth Institute’s sponsorship, participants gain the benefit of a highly cost effective program fee. Mentors in the program will offer their time pro bono in exchange for being trained as mentors and experiencing the satisfaction of helping a future leader come into their own resolve to lead greatly. The fee covers all books, fees and other materials.

10. When will the program start?

TCI will launch the first cohort in the Spring of 2009 with a limit of 20 mentees per cohort. We will begin to select interested mentees and mentors in November and December of 2008 with final applications due by January 15 , 2009. Mentor training will be launched in January with a full kick-off of the program targeted for March, 2009.

11. What do TCI Members who have completed the Arch of Leadership Program have to say about its value for them as leaders?

Kip Hollister, Founder & President of Hollister, Inc.

The leader mentoring work I did with Bonnie Gorbaty of Inner Resources was truly transformational. The best part was igniting what truly lies within me, bringing it to life so that I can become my own authentic leader and create my living legacy – to be able to grow other leaders within my organization. As I celebrate our 20 th year in business in 2008, I am building the executive team through our shared values, vision and culture that will take us to our next level of excellence.

Michelle Drolet, Founder & President of Towerwall, Inc.

I realized in growing my business that I needed to grow as a leader. Working with the Arch of Leadership Program and Bonnie Gorbaty as my mentor, I was able to make significant shifts in how I think as a leader. I focused my intentions on setting and communicating a clear vision and engaging my staff to reach higher levels of performance. I am clearer now on where we can go and more realistic about who we need to become. The decisions I am making are a good indicator of how far I have come.

Andrea Cohen, HealthWorks

It is easy for me think strategically and create a strong vision for how we all want to grow old. What the leader mentoring helped me realize is the critical role I play in communicating my vision and passion to my employees. Before this, I didn’t understand the importance of engaging staff to experience my vision and to get their buy-in. My mentor helped me realize this, and then worked with me to refocus my priorities. The result has been powerful. I now connect with my employees in new and different ways and am a more present leader in my company. This will surely help HouseWorks position for continued growth and success.

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