Most managers were promoted for being good at the job, not taught how to lead. In twelve weeks your leaders learn the art of leadership one week at a time: a 30-minute video lesson from ActionCOACH founder Brad Sugars, an hour with your coach and the group, and real work to apply it to.
Bring your team, or join an open batch. Small groups, so everyone is heard.
Week by week
Passion+Focus
The leadership gap
Promoted for doing the job. Never taught to lead.
It is how most businesses grow. Your best salesperson becomes the sales manager; your most reliable engineer runs the team. They are good at the work, and nobody shows them how to lead the people doing it. So they manage tasks, fight fires and do it themselves, and you stay the only real leader in the building.
That isn’t a people problem. It’s a skill nobody taught.
“It’s quicker if I just do it myself.
“Why does every decision still come back to me?
“We set the goals in January. By March, nobody mentions them.
“My managers manage tasks. Nobody is leading the people.
Sound familiar?
Decisions wait for you
Meetings end without owners
Good people leave
Firefighting replaces planning
Feedback only when something goes wrong
The team does what’s asked, and no more
The difference
Management is a system. Leadership is an art.
Your business needs both. Management is the systems: the meetings, documents and processes that make a team productive. Leadership is the skills, the thinking, the way you act and the way you communicate. It is what makes people want to do the work well.
Management
Runs the systems
Meetings
Documents
Processes
Productivity
Leadership
Moves the people
Skills
Philosophy
Ways of thinking and acting
Communication
And leadership comes down to two things:
PassionPeople who care about their work
+
FocusTheir effort aimed at the right things
Passion and focus check
Where is your team today?
Think of your team, or one manager in it. How much do they care about the work, and how well is their effort aimed at what matters? Pick the square that fits. Your answer stays on this page.
Your team
Pick a square to see what it means
And which of the twelve weeks would change it most.
Busy, not productive
Plenty of energy and goodwill, spread across too many things. Lots of activity, uneven results.
Goals, OKRs and daily leadership actions in weeks 4 and 5 point that energy at the few things that matter.
Leading
People who care about the work and know exactly where to put their effort. The job now is to keep it, and spread it.
Mentoring, coaching and team building in week 10 multiply what’s working, so it no longer depends on one or two people.
Drifting
Turning up and getting through the day. Not much energy, not much direction.
The first three weeks rebuild the basics: what leadership is, a vision people can see and a culture they want to belong to.
Compliant, not committed
They do what’s asked, on time and to the letter, and no more. The ideas and the extra mile stay at home.
Culture, communication and emotional intelligence in weeks 3, 6 and 7 build the trust that turns compliance into commitment.
A one-day workshop inspires. Twelve weeks change habits.
Leadership takes time to build. A day out of the office gives people ideas, but on Monday the inbox wins and the ideas fade. Twelve weeks gives every idea a week of real practice and a group to report back to, then builds the next one on top.
An illustration of how habits form, not measured data.
01One idea a weekNot forty ideas in a day. Each one gets your full attention.
02Practised before the nextEvery lesson is used with the team at work before the next one starts.
03Reported backThe group hears what you did and what happened, so it sticks.
How each week works
Learn it. Live it. Report it.
The same simple rhythm every week for twelve weeks. About ninety minutes of learning, and the rest happens where it counts: with your team.
30 minutes, any time
1Watch
This week’s video lesson from ActionCOACH founder Brad Sugars. Watch when it suits you and note your BFOs: your Blinding Flashes of the Obvious.
1 hour, with your coach
2Meet
Your coach and the group: what you applied last week and how it went, your top five learnings from this week, your actions and your questions.
All week, at work
3Apply
Your HomeFUN: put the idea to work with your own team, straight away, while it is fresh.
Every week, from week 2
4Report
Your leadership numbers, shared with the group. What gets measured gets done, and a little friendly competition helps.
Then again, twelve times. About six hours a month: less than one working day.
The 12 weeks
One leadership skill a week, built on the last
From the fundamentals to your own leadership plan. Pick a week to see what it covers and what you’ll try at work.
Week 1 of 12
Understanding Leadership Fundamentals
Where it all starts: what leadership is, how it differs from management, and the two things every leader builds, passion and focus.
What you’ll cover
Leadership versus management, and why you need both
Passion and focus, the two pillars of leadership
Turning leadership into simple day-to-day actions
People first: trust, empathy and honest decisions
Try this at workScore yourself on the leadership self-assessment and start your leadership journal.
Week 2 of 12
Building Organisational Foundations: History and Vision
Where your company has been shapes where it can go. Use its story to set a vision your team can see.
What you’ll cover
The milestones and leaders that shaped your culture
Recreating the times your team was most productive and motivated
Moving from reactive to proactive leadership
Communication styles, self-awareness and the art of listening
Try this at workMap your company’s milestones and what each one taught you.
Week 3 of 12
Cultivating Organisational Culture
Culture defines identity, guides behaviour and shapes values. This week you make yours deliberate.
What you’ll cover
Defining and writing down your core values
Using your values to recruit, manage and lead
Inclusion, and why different points of view matter
Culture from four sides: team, company, customers and owners
Try this at workBring your core values into this week’s planning and reviews.
Week 4 of 12
Strategic Leadership Execution
Turn the vision into action, with goals worth chasing and a way to measure them.
What you’ll cover
Daily, weekly and “Mount Everest” goals
Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)
A communication plan: when, where and how you connect
Recognition, influence and rapport
Try this at workSet one objective with three key results for your team.
Week 5 of 12
Strategic Thinking and Leadership Impact
Step out of the day-to-day to think strategically, and lead your team through change.
What you’ll cover
Making time for strategy, not just tactics
Focus, clarity and motivation in your team
Showing people their future in your business
Leading change and overcoming resistance
Try this at workDraft a simple plan for one change your team needs to make.
Week 6 of 12
Effective Communication and Strategic Leadership
Communication is measured by the response you get. Learn to plan messages that get the right one.
What you’ll cover
Planning every message around the action you want
Stories, questions and clarity
Active listening and body language
Asking for feedback, and using it
Try this at workPlan your next team message: the point, the story and the action.
Week 7 of 12
Emotional Intelligence and Reflective Leadership
The heart of leadership: self-awareness, empathy and the passion that keeps a team going.
Build a team that brings ideas, adapts quickly and keeps getting better.
What you’ll cover
A culture where new ideas are welcome
Leading people through transitions
Removing what blocks passion and productivity
High performance, problem-solving and handling underperformance with empathy
Try this at workRun a brainstorm on one process your team could improve.
Week 10 of 12
Mentoring, Coaching and Building Effective Teams
Leadership multiplies when you grow other leaders. This week you become their coach.
What you’ll cover
Building a mentoring culture
Coaching skills: listening, questioning and feedback
Teams that support each other
Attracting, developing and keeping top talent
Try this at workPair a newer team member with a mentor.
Week 11 of 12
The Leadership Journey and Self-Development
From manager to leader: look back at how far you’ve come and plan how you’ll keep growing.
What you’ll cover
Lessons from renowned leaders
The move from manager to leader
Coaches, mentors and peers in your own growth
Your self-leadership plan
Try this at workAsk a peer or mentor for honest feedback on your progress.
Week 12 of 12
Your Leadership Journey and Next Steps
Graduation week: your leadership vision, your plan to keep growing and your team’s next steps.
What you’ll cover
Your vision for yourself as a leader
A reading and learning list to keep growing
Sharing what you’ve learned with your team
Reviewing your team’s passion and focus, and planning their development
Try this at workHold a team meeting to share your biggest lessons and your next goals.
Measured, not hoped for
You’ll see what changed
Training is usually bought on faith. This one is measured: your leaders set goals before they start, check them halfway and review them at the end, with their leadership numbers reported every week in between.
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3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Before week 1BaselineGoals set and a starting survey, so you know where everyone begins.
HalfwayMidpoint checkA second survey: what’s working and what needs adjusting.
Week 12ResultsA final survey, goals reviewed against the baseline, and graduation.
Every week from week 2: leadership numbers reported to the group.
Twelve weeks from now
Picture your Monday meeting in twelve weeks
What we work towards with every group. How far each leader goes depends on the work they put in between sessions.
Your team today compared with what the MasterCLASS works towards
Area
Today
What we work towards
Decisions
Wait for you
Made by your leaders, within clear goals
Goals
Set in January, forgotten by March
Objectives and key results, reviewed every week
Meetings
Updates and firefighting
Results, recognition and next actions
Feedback
Only when something goes wrong
Asked for, given and used
Culture
Whatever happens by default
Values written down and lived
Your managers
Manage tasks
Lead, coach and mentor people
You
The only real leader
A leader of leaders
Who it’s for
For anyone who leads people, or soon will
Whether you run the business or are just stepping up, the skills are the same. And several people from one company learning together build a shared language that lasts.
Business ownersWho want to lead the business, not just run it, and build leaders beneath them.
Managers and team leadersPromoted for being good at the job, and now responsible for the people doing it.
Emerging leadersThe people you are preparing for their first leadership role.
Two ways to join
In-house group
Bring your team
A private group of 10 to 20 of your people, learning and practising together. The same language, the same goals and the same accountability across your leadership team. Best run in person.
An investment in every leader you send, and in every person they lead. One fee per participant covers the whole program.
12 video lessons from Brad Sugars, to watch any time
12 one-hour sessions with your ActionCOACH coach and group
Program materials and weekly HomeFUN
Weekly leadership numbers and accountability
Surveys at the start, the middle and the end, with the results
Recommended reading each month
Dates for all twelve weeks, agreed before you start
Graduation in week 12
Investment per participant: On request · Ask about the next batch and we’ll share the fee with its dates, format and coach · Bringing a team? Ask about an in-house group.
Your coaches
The coaches who run it
Every ActionCOACH TNPY coach runs the 12-Week Leadership MasterCLASS. Each batch names its coach.
About ninety minutes: a 30-minute video you watch when it suits you and a one-hour session with your coach and group. Then the real work, applying it with your team during the week.
Is it in person or online?
The video lessons are online. The weekly sessions work best in person, and online sessions suit teams spread across locations. Each batch states its format.
Can I send several people from my company?
Yes. Send a few people to an open batch, or bring a group of 10 to 20 for a private, in-house MasterCLASS. Learning together gives your leaders a shared language.
Do they need to be managers already?
No. It suits owners, managers and team leaders, and the people you are preparing for their first leadership role.
What if someone misses a week?
The video lessons stay available, so nobody misses the content. Let your coach know, and catch up on the week’s actions before the next session.
Is it just theory?
No. Every week ends with actions to take at work, and from week 2 each participant reports their leadership numbers to the group.
How will we know it worked?
Goals are set before the start, checked halfway and reviewed at the end, with a survey at each point and leadership numbers every week in between.
How much does it cost?
The fee is per participant and on request. Ask about the next batch and we’ll share the fee with its dates, format and coach.
What comes after the twelve weeks?
Many leaders go on to another 12-week MasterCLASS, a 360° leadership assessment or one-to-one coaching. Your coach will suggest the right next step.
12-Week Leadership MasterCLASS
Leaders aren’t made in a day. They’re built, one week at a time.
