Events & Programs
Leadership Accelerator Program
Bringing a new model of leader mentoring to Boston, The Commonwealth Institute, the leading business group for women CEO's and business owners in the Boston area, has launched a new Leadership Accelerator Program (LEAP) and Leadership Luncheon Series.
What is the Leadership Accelerator Program (LEAP)?
The Leadership Accelerator Program, also known as LEAP, is an intensive eight-month program, focusing on the development of creative and authentic leaders. Using the “Arch of Leadership” program, aspiring leaders are guided through a self-discovery process and work with a Leader Mentor in capturing a deeper understanding of themselves as leaders and the life of leading. All LEAP participants (both mentors and mentees) meet four times as a group to gain a shared experience that strengthens their individualized learning. Click here to access Frequently Asked Questions about LEAP:
Since mentoring is at the core of TCI's philosophy, it is only fitting that we selected LEAP as another offering to our community. While most TCI programs are geared towards women business owners, CEOs and non-profit executive directors, LEAP is available to all employees of our member companies and organizations. This enables others to draw upon LEAP as part of their own leader development efforts for their respective companies. As a way to share the experiences of this program and promote its benefits, we designed a Leadership Luncheon Series that are scheduled at three key points of the program. Click here to read the latest press release about our luncheon on November 12th.
LEAP Mentors and Mentees
LEAP mentors are carefully chosen and trained by Bonnie Gorbaty, LEAP Program Director and long-time TCI Forum Facilitator. The most critical skills of a mentor are the ability to carefully listen to the mentee's story and mirror back what they heard. Their goal is to guide the mentee in turning self-discovery into the mentee's own leader brand and story. Our mentors are all leaders in the Boston business community and see their participation as a way to learn how to become a Leader Mentor and to give back.
The ideal LEAP mentee is one who is faced with leadership challenges and often asks themselves the question, “What more should I be doing?”. Often, we find mentees are looking to shift from a focus on managing and “working in the business” to a more strategic focus that gets them “working on their business.” Typical issues that attract participants to LEAP include bringing a new vision and growth strategy to their company, launching a major change initiative and more productive ways of engaging their staff.
The next cohort of mentors and mentees will begin in April 2010. For more information, please contact Bonnie Gorbaty at bgorbaty@inner-resources.biz or (617) 964-2730.
Leadership Luncheon Series
Throughout the eight-month program, we offer three luncheons that bring the LEAP participants together to share their experiences. We also open these luncheons to the general public as a way for all to see LEAP in action and to hear the inspiring stories of the mentors and mentees. At each luncheon, a mentor and mentee share some of the defining insights and breakthroughs they are gaining from the program. We also spotlight a prominent and dynamic business leader who shares their “lessons learned” and personal story. Each of the leadership luncheons carry a theme that tracks with the “Arch of Leadership” program. To learn about our upcoming luncheons, please visit the TCI program calendar. The final lunch in the 2009 cohort is scheduled for February 24th. Details are posted on our calendar. Click below to read a press release about this series.
LEAP Sponsors
In offering our Leadership Luncheon Series and promoting the program throughout the year, we extend invitations to companies who are themselves committed to bringing leadership to our community and supporting the development of creative, authentic leaders. In our first year of LEAP (2009), we were delighted to engage the TJX Companies of Framingham, MA as our Corporate Sponsor. We also received member support for the promotion and implementation of the program from Solomon McCown and Hollister, Inc.
