The ROI of the Co-Active Leadership Program

The Co-Active Leadership Program is an immersive learning experience that transforms the way you lead. With four in-person retreats, over 200 teaching hours, and a 10-month series of learning integration activities, it’s no small commitment. What can participants expect to get out of their experience? 

“Almost 20 years on, I still regularly think of my experiences and learning at the Leadership Program. It has given me a whole new awareness of myself and my impact on others and in the world.” 

— Tina de Meeus, Leadership Program graduate  

Those who’ve heard about the Co-Active Leadership Program from one of its former participants have likely heard of its transformational nature. It’s an experience that’s difficult to describe: what happens in the program is, in many ways, intangible. People learn about themselves, their self-perceived limitations, their buried or forgotten passions, and their secret strengths. They emerge with more power, choice, and confidence than when they entered, as well as with a newfound range of life and leadership tools to help them take action in their worlds. When it comes to personal development and growth, the outcomes may seem intangible, but that makes them no less impactful. 

For people considering the program though, the reality is that you need to weigh up your investment in both time and money against your expected return. You need to make the intangible tangible.  

This article lays out some of the ways you, as a Leadership Program participant, can expect to see a return on your investment (ROI). 

 

Outcomes for You  

 

“I paid back the program within a year because of all the extra opportunities I was now able to make for myself.” 

— Neil Edwards, Leadership Program graduate  

 

Increased Financial and Career Opportunities  

The program gives you new confidence, authority, and responsibility. From this position, you’ll be better able to create and seize opportunities that otherwise would have passed you by. Graduates of the Co-Active Leadership Program have reported starting new business ventures, securing new contracts of assignments, or gaining promotions or new partnership opportunities in their business.

Leaders in organizations who graduate from this program with a greater understanding of the Co-Active leadership model report elevated leadership capacity and credibility, making them more valuable and impactful leaders and equipping them with additional skills that invite financial reward

Graduates who are self-employed as a consultant, coach, business owner, or entrepreneur, report increased ability and motivation to find new opportunities.  Similarly, the practical skills you gain — as a leader and as a creator — can serve you well as you take your practice or business forward into these new opportunities.

Participants who leave the program tell us they go on to apply what they’ve learned in their businesses, or even start new businesses as a result of what they have discovered. While the program is a deeply personal experience, it has a direct and powerful link to what happens next in your professional life, which is where you’ll see most of your financial return. 

 

Purpose, Wellbeing and Alignment 

Some people choose Co-Active leadership to discover or reconnect with who they are and are then startled by how much they learn. While not directly a financial return, the program offers a journey of self-alignment that leads to fuller, richer, more on-purpose lives. Some people who join the program are looking for something different to what they’ve experienced before: some are burnt out by traditional corporate environments, others feel they’ve lost sight of themselves in the humdrum of an unfulfilling career. In helping people address anything from dissatisfaction to potentially damaging levels of stress and burnout, the program offers a way of living and leading that’s different.  

The program explores your purpose as a leader in depth, and only you can put a price on what leading a more aligned life and career means for you. Research shows that living with more purpose brings both financial and wellbeing benefits and many graduates report finding a purpose in the program that they hadn’t uncovered alone. The program has many design elements that help you get to the heart of your purpose, including more than 200 teaching hours with expert leadership consultants and coaches who are pros at drawing out the “on-purpose you.” 

 

Leadership Network   

What you do in the program is not “networking;” it’s building deep, meaningful bonds and friendships with people that can last a lifetime. But the network you create is also a valuable ally and enabler for you as you move on from the program.  

The value of a close, well-bonded network of leaders is manifold: you have encouragement, professional (and honest!) advice, opportunities to collaborate and partner, and — because you’re all vulnerable and open together during the program — you can recognize each other’s strengths and saboteurs and support each other on your ongoing growth journeys. 

There are times in your life and career when this network will be invaluable, and these people can be a catalyst for whatever you want to achieve — likewise, you can be the catalyst for them. 

 

Outcomes for Your Organization  

 

Expanded Leadership Range and Capacity 

The program doesn’t give leaders a static range of skills, but rather it expands their capacity to manage complexity and ambiguity so they can better lead in today’s unstable business contexts. Graduates of the program report increased levels of confidence and power, especially when faced with challenging circumstances.  

It expands your leadership range and capacity by teaching you to “create” from what’s present in your environment, even if what’s in your environment is chaos. 

For organizations, this means having a leader who can effectively make decisions, guide their teams through uncertainty, and hold the proverbial ship steady in the storm. Given that uncertainty is a significant influence on individual and team performance, leaders who can manage it well ultimately contribute to business stability and financial performance. 

 

Enhanced Relationships and Emotional Intelligence  

A recent study revealed that the annual ROI of providing leadership training to new leaders is 415%. We’d argue that the ROI of providing development to more experienced and senior leaders is considerably higher, given their strategic roles, high visibility, and broader reach and influence as role-models. 

The Co-Active leadership model on which the program is built is heavily focused on relationship and emotional intelligence, helping leaders better understand and manage their impact. Leaders are the biggest influences on culture, engagement, and morale, which is why developing more relationship-led leaders is a strategic investment. This is even more relevant than ever in today’s context, where employees are demanding leaders who can create happier, more inclusive, and purposeful workplaces.  

The advanced level of self-development the program provides results in leaders who are superb at self-management and aware of their impact on others. This kind of leader aids retention and inspires greater performance, which has the potential for limitless financial return. 

 

Stronger Vision and Voice  

Leaders emerge from the program with purpose and direction — and with greater ability to shape and articulate a vision for your organization. Visionary leaders who can enroll and engage employees are the change-makers in organizations, and they can help your costly change initiatives and business transformations succeed.  

They are also more likely to influence behavior change in your organization, helping you shift from the culture you have to the culture you want. A leader with a strong voice and vision can be the champion who rallies employees towards a specific purpose. 

Once you start talking about culture change or business transformation, it becomes difficult to articulate how developing a single individual can yield financial return. But if that one person made the difference between success and failure, what would their value be then?  

 

For more information view our infodoc The Impact of Co-Active Leadership Development