Leadership is learned in practice, not in theory.
Most managers in tech were promoted for being excellent at the work. Nobody taught them how to influence a skeptical director, give feedback that lands, or hold their ground in a meeting run in someone else’s first language. The Leadership Circle is where you practice exactly that, in a small, confidential group, on your real situations.
Over twelve weeks you meet six times, every two weeks, for 90 minutes. Each session pairs one proven framework with live practice and a peer case discussion. The two weeks in between are where the real work happens: you try the approach at work and bring back what happened.
You’re a fit if you…
- Manage people or lead projects in tech, product, data or operations
- Are new to management, or ready for your next step up
- Work in an international team, often in English as a second language
- Want practice and honest feedback, not another lecture
What you leave with
- A stakeholder map and a plan for managing up
- Scripts for your hardest feedback and conflict conversations
- A three-minute leadership story you have delivered and refined
- A one-page leadership action plan for the next six months
How it worksEvery session follows the same rhythm.
A predictable structure means less time on logistics and more time practicing. Each 90-minute session runs like this:
| Minutes | Segment | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Field report | Each person shares what they tried since the last session: what worked, what didn’t and what they noticed. |
| 20 | The framework | One practical model, explained with tech-world examples and the exact language to use it. |
| 30 | Live practice | Role-plays in pairs and trios on your own scenarios, with feedback from me and the group. |
| 20 | Peer case clinic | One participant brings a live situation. The group asks questions, offers options and challenges assumptions. |
| 5 | Commitment | You name one specific thing you will do at work before the next session. |
Field work
One short assignment applied at work, about an hour over two weeks.
Real cases
Every role-play and case uses situations participants are facing now.
Confidential
What’s said in the Circle stays in the Circle. Sessions are not recorded.
The curriculumSix sessions, three phases.
Understand your leadership style and how others experience it.
| Session | Theme | Framework & practice | Field work |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1 · WK 1 | Your leadership baseline | Working styles and how they clash across teams and cultures. Communicating with the Pyramid Principle: lead with the answer, then the reasons. Everyone delivers a two-minute update and gets feedback. | Ask three colleagues for one strength and one blind spot |
| S2 · WK 3 | Executive presence & influence | Credibility, relationships and visibility as the three levers of influence. How to speak so senior people listen: brevity, a clear point of view and calm under questions. | Draft your three-minute leadership story |
Handle the conversations most managers postpone.
| Session | Theme | Framework & practice | Field work |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 · WK 5 | Stakeholders & managing up | Stakeholder mapping: decision-makers, influencers, blockers and champions. How to bring your manager a problem, a recommendation and a decision to make. Practice pitching an idea to a skeptical executive. | Map the stakeholders of one current initiative |
| S4 · WK 7 | Difficult conversations & feedback | Feedback with Situation–Behavior–Impact, and coaching conversations with GROW. Three role-plays that get progressively harder, from a missed deadline to a disagreement with a peer. | Hold one feedback conversation you’ve been avoiding |
Lead people who work, disagree and decide differently from you.
| Session | Theme | Framework & practice | Field work |
|---|---|---|---|
| S5 · WK 9 | Leading across cultures | Direct and indirect feedback, how decisions get made, and what silence means in different cultures. Conflict modes: when to collaborate, compromise or hold firm. Practice announcing an unpopular decision. | Agree working norms with your team, or one team you work with |
| S6 · WK 11 | Your leadership action plan | Bring together the feedback you’ve collected and what you’ve learned. Each person presents a five-minute plan: two or three development areas, the actions behind them and how they will stay accountable. | Your leadership action plan, reviewed by the group |
The peer case clinicYour situation, six perspectives.
The case clinic follows a simple, disciplined format so the presenter gets options, not opinions:
1 · Present
The presenter describes the situation in three minutes and states what they want help with.
2 · Clarify
The group asks questions only. No advice yet.
3 · Explore
The group discusses options while the presenter listens and takes notes.
4 · Commit
The presenter chooses a next step and reports back at the next session.
Stories that landTelling your leadership story with PAR.
From session 2 onward you build short stories that show how you lead, for promotion conversations, interviews and introductions to senior stakeholders. Each follows the PAR method:
P: Problem
What was at stake, and why it mattered to the business.
A: Action
What you did: the decisions, the conversations, the trade-offs.
R: Result
What changed, with numbers where you have them, and what you learned.
Practical detailsJoining a Circle.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Where | Live on Google Meet. Sessions are scheduled at a time that works for the group. |
| Group size | Four to six people from different companies, so everyone practices and gets feedback in every session. |
| Time needed | 90 minutes every two weeks, plus about an hour of field work between sessions. |
| Start date | A Circle starts as soon as a group fills. Join the waitlist to hear about the next start date first, with no obligation to join. |
| If it doesn’t fill | Move to the next start date, or switch to one-to-one leadership coaching instead. |
| Language | Sessions run in English. Participants don’t need perfect English: practising leadership in English is part of the point. |
InvestmentPricing.
Leadership Circle
Six 90-minute group sessions over twelve weeks, field work, templates and group feedback on your action plan.
Prefer one-to-one?
Leadership coaching is also available one-to-one at €150 per session, in bundles of 5 to 25, fully tailored to your situation. Companies can book a private Circle for their own managers. See corporate programs on the website.
Invoices are available for employer reimbursement.