Bad leaders make good people quit.
But in just 10 1/2 LESSONS, your colleagues can learn to lead so good people stay.
"Good-enough" leadership is costing you money.
But they don't inspire the people around them.
They don't have the gift of making others feel valued, creative, and confident in their work.
No matter how much you pay people, if they don’t see that their contributions matter, they’ll leave.
At their most extreme, good-enough leaders create toxic workplace cultures. Employees are 10 times more likely to quit over toxicity than low pay.
And when folks quit it’s not just frustrating—it’s expensive.
Replacing even one employee can cost a department up to two times that person's annual salary in recruiting, training, and lost productivity. Multiply that across an entire organization and the cost of mediocre leadership quickly adds up.
That low-key hum of dissatisfaction and disengagement you're hearing?
It's not just morale, it's money.
And it’s the price you pay when you settle for "good-enough" leadership.
On the other hand, exceptional leadership pays for itself.
It transforms disengagement into energy and purpose.
It builds a culture people want to be part of—one where innovation, collaboration, and belonging thrive.
10 1/2 LESSONS
that transform leadership
that transform leadership
Each lesson is built around one memorable phrase leaders can easily recall and use in the moment—when it matters most.
Each phrase distills a complex leadership idea into a single, simple, actionable concept.
Although each lessons stands alone, they stack to create a system every leader can customize to fit their style and values.
That's what makes these lessons so powerful:
They are universal lessons individual leaders can adapt to feel authentic, grounded in their own values, and excited by their own leadership choices.
At the same time, the shared language makes it easy and fun for colleagues who have gone through the workshop to support each other. They'll quickly understand what their peers are trying to accomplish and be ready to jump in with meaningful encouragement, feedback, and support.
10 1/2 LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP
The Curriculum
10 LESSONS
CASE STUDIES
At several points we pause to practice applying the key lessons using carefully crafted case studies. The case studies are written specifically for each workshop and are particular to your organization, so you'll be applying what you learn to the actual challenges you're facing.
COMMUNITY
THE SECRET 1/2 LESSON
You'll learn one specific way to pull everything together. This is a skill you can practice over and over -- on your own, with a trusted inner circle and even with your team.
Carole Chabries, PhD
Your Trusted Leadership Guide
Thirty years in leadership.
Hundreds of colleagues at dozens of institutions who trust me.
Hundreds of colleagues at dozens of institutions who trust me.
Teaching other leaders and learning from their feedback.
And facilitating this workshop for more than 10 years.
I'm known for leading my own teams to achieve what looks impossible. My secret? Building relationships so strong that folks can do really hard things together and have fun doing it. I’ve been training leaders for over a decade, teaching them everything I know about building an exceptional team of folks who love working together.
Hundreds of leaders at all levels have participated in this workshop over the years. I can’t wait to show you how rewarding and energizing inclusive leadership can be.
Past participants say...
Frequently Asked Questions
Leaders at any level.
This started as a program for new department chairs and quickly grew to include program directors. This workshop benefits anybody leading a team, no matter their functional area or level of experience.
Why? Because people are people no matter what work they do. Leading people is fairly universal.
Yes, we include material that's specific to faculty because that's essential in higher ed. Consider it a bonus.
Hands down, this is best as a full two-day, immersive experience.
If you need mini-workshops spread over several weeks or months, we can do that too.
The workshop is a mix of active conversation, reading and reflection, and individual planning. We will organize those activities to meet your schedule and deliver the workshop in a way your leaders will enjoy.
We intentionally break the paradigm where inclusion is “extra” training.
Leading people is fundamentally about inclusion and psychological safety. Exceptional leaders value everyone on their team. We show them how.
As many as you like.
This workshop works incredibly well with large groups. It also can deepen connections for a small leadership team.
We've taught this to groups as small as a dozen and as large as 100+.
We'll work with you to accommodate your needs.
Either!
This workshop is incredibly dynamic in person – you can feel the buzz in the room.
But we’re skilled with hybrid and hyflex learning, so if you’re looking for an online workshop, we’ll bring that to life.
Let's talk about how your team likes to learn and what's best for your institution.
For a flat fee of $15,000, we’ll train up to 90 of your leaders.
The fee is fully inclusive, regardless of modality and schedule.
If you’re a smaller organization, you can partner up with another group to increase the number of participants.
We’ll support you with registration processes so that it’s easy for everyone to sign up.
Sources
College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR), The Higher Ed Employee Retention Crisis. (2023) || International Journal of Educational Administration and Policy Studies, The Relationship Between Leadership and Employee Morale in Higher Education. (2022) || California State University, San Bernardino, Emotional Intelligence and Retention in Higher Education. (2023) || Burns Leadership, The Cost of Poor Leadership and the Power of Well-Executed Leadership. (2024) || SHRM, The Real Cost of Recruitment. 2022)Gallup, The Right Culture: Not Just Employee Satisfaction. (2023) || Gallup, State of the Global Workplace 2022 Report. (2022) || CEB Global, The Alarming Cost of Poor Leadership. (2015) || Boston Consulting Group, Diversity Still Matters. (2020) || MIT Sloan, Toxic Culture Is Driving the Great Resignation. (2022)