Understanding Curated Leadership

Curated Leadership™ is a research-backed leadership development framework built around one central idea: your leadership isn't a fixed recipe, it's a pantry. Instead of prescribing a single leadership style, Curated Leadership empowers individuals to identify their natural strengths (their base "board"), recognize the skills they haven't yet developed ("missing ingredients"), and intentionally select and blend the right approaches for each situation. This approach fosters experiential learning, resulting in leaders who move away from defaulting to one style and begin to lead with range, intention, and adaptability. Curated Leadership is delivered through interactive workshops, multi-day intensives, and scalable cohort programs, all supported by 90 days of AI coaching.

Traditional leadership development programs often operate from a deficit model, focusing on identifying weaknesses and attempting to fix them. This approach can lead to feelings of shame and resistance, and research consistently shows that fewer than 15% of traditional training transfers back to the job without structured follow-through (Baldwin & Ford, 1988). In contrast, Curated Leadership takes a different path by leading with strengths and reframing gaps as 'missing ingredients.' It utilizes an experiential learning framework that is designed to be memorable. Each program incorporates a 90-day AI coaching component, recognizing that real development occurs over time rather than in a single workshop. Harvard Business Publishing's 2024 research highlights the urgent need for leadership development programs that foster lasting behavior change. Curated Leadership was specifically created to address that need.

DISC, StrengthsFinder, and Myers-Briggs are assessment tools that reveal aspects of your identity. In contrast, Curated Leadership serves as a development tool, guiding you on the next steps in your journey. While assessment frameworks provide leaders with a label, type, or color, Curated Leadership equips them with a pantry and the skills to cook from it. Notably, Curated Leadership integrates seamlessly with these tools: your DISC or StrengthsFinder results can inform your 'base board,' forming a foundation for the curation process. However, Curated Leadership goes beyond just labeling; it fosters experiential learning by helping leaders cultivate real behavioral range through reflection, skill selection, intentional pairing, and applied practice. Moreover, unlike assessment-only tools, it includes 90 days of AI coaching to bolster that leadership development, ensuring support continues long after the workshop concludes.

No. Curated Leadership is not a personality assessment or a psychometric test. It does not assign fixed types, labels, or codes. The framework begins with a style reflection that helps participants identify their natural leadership tendencies — whether they tend toward the Artisan Board™ (people-focused, relational, developmental) or the Architect Board™ (process-focused, directive, systematic). These boards serve as starting points for growth, not ceilings. The entire purpose of Curated Leadership is to help leaders expand beyond their default style through experiential learning, intentionally developing the skills that context demands. This innovative approach aligns with AI coaching principles and is grounded in growth mindset science (Dweck, 2006), emphasizing that leadership range is learnable by anyone through effective leadership development programs.

Curated Leadership is built around four moves: Reflect, Select, Pair, and Serve, enhancing leadership development programs through experiential learning and AI coaching.

Reflect: Participants identify their base board — their natural leadership style and default strengths. This isn't about labeling; it's about building self-awareness as a foundation for effective leadership.

Select: Using the Pantry Map™, participants choose from a variety of leadership skills. They select the ingredients most relevant to their current development goals, leveraging insights from AI coaching to enhance their choices.

Pair: Participants learn to combine ingredients with intention — empathy paired with accountability, for example. Great leadership lives in the pairing, not in any single skill alone, which is a critical aspect of effective leadership development programs.

Serve: Leaders practice flexing into unfamiliar styles through scenario-based activities and role-play — building the range to adapt and show up differently as situations demand, a key component of experiential learning.

A Leadership Board is a participant's personalized leadership profile within the Curated Leadership framework, which is enhanced through AI coaching and experiential learning. There are two primary boards: the Artisan Board™, representing a people-focused, relational leadership orientation characterized by empathy, deep listening, collaboration, and optimism; and the Architect Board™, which embodies a process-focused, directive orientation marked by clarity, accountability, decisive action, and structure. Additionally, there is the Quartz Board™, a hybrid orientation for leaders who naturally modulate between both styles. These boards are not fixed personality types — they serve as starting points that describe a leader's natural tendencies and most common defaults. The goal of Curated Leadership, especially in the context of our leadership development programs, is to always expand beyond the board, developing missing ingredients and building genuine leadership range.

The Pantry Map™ is the core selection tool of the Curated Leadership framework — a curated library of leadership skills, organized into three zones. Staples are the everyday core competencies every leader needs: clarity, empathy, accountability, decisive action, adaptability, resilience, storytelling, and more. Spices are the meta-skills that amplify everything else: confidence, courage, emotional intelligence, judgment, and integrity. Special Reserves are the rare, high-impact capabilities that distinguish exceptional leaders: innovation mindset, inclusion and belonging, change agility, curiosity and learning agility, and digital/tech fluency. Leaders can enhance their leadership development programs by using AI coaching to interactively explore the Pantry Map, identifying which ingredients they rely on naturally, which they've underused, and which they want to intentionally develop. Each ingredient includes a definition, leadership expression, reflection prompt, pairing guidance, and a risk-if-overdone note, all designed to support experiential learning.

Leadership ingredients are the specific, developable skills and qualities that contribute to a leader's effectiveness — described through the culinary metaphor of the Curated Leadership framework. Each ingredient represents a concrete, observable leadership capability essential for leadership development programs. For example, Cheddar symbolizes Clarity & Communication — the ability to set clear direction and simplify complexity. Honey embodies Deep Listening — the discipline of fully attending to what others are saying and feeling. Pepperoncini signifies Challenger Energy — the willingness to push teams toward higher performance. With over 20 named ingredients across the three pantry zones (Staples, Spices, and Special Reserves), each includes a definition, leadership expression, reflection prompt, natural pairings, and a

A missing ingredient is what Curated Leadership calls a skill or quality that a leader hasn't yet developed — similar to what traditional frameworks would label as a weakness or development area. This reframe is central to the entire program, especially within leadership development programs that emphasize transformational growth. When leaders hear "you have a weakness," research on growth and psychological safety indicates they often feel judged and become defensive. Conversely, when they hear "you're missing an ingredient," the response is fundamentally different — they become curious, motivated, and open to growth. This shift isn't merely semantic; it alters the emotional context of development from a place of deficit and shame to one filled with possibility and agency. Leaders aren’t broken; their pantry just isn’t fully stocked yet. As the Curated Leadership framework suggests, great leaders aren’t flawless — they’re curators who know which ingredients to add next, often utilizing AI coaching and experiential learning to enhance their skill sets.

Curated leadership development programs start at $10,000 for the Foundations one-day workshop (up to 25 participants) and $20,000 for the multi-day Intensive (up to 25 participants). The Intensive includes 90 days of AI coaching for every participant — a value we position at $500+ per person, comparable to a single executive coaching session. A complimentary "Tasting" session is available for qualified organizations that want to experience the experiential learning framework before investing. Pricing for cohort programs, enterprise licensing, and conference keynote sessions is customized based on engagement scope. To put cost in context: Harvard Business Publishing's 2024 research found that organizations spend an average of $82 billion annually on leadership development for roughly a 53% effectiveness rate. Curated Leadership is designed to be the program that actually changes that equation.

Yes to both. All Curated Leadership programs — the Tasting, the Foundations workshop, and the Intensive — are available in person or virtually. The experiential learning experience is designed to work equally well in both formats, with interactive elements, Leadership Board exercises, and Pantry Map activities adapted for virtual delivery. The 90-day AI coaching component included in the Intensive is fully digital and functions regardless of participant location, making it ideal for distributed teams and global organizations. For organizations interested in in-person delivery, Curated Leadership can facilitate on-site or at a selected venue, ensuring a comprehensive leadership development program.

Curated Leadership is designed to work across leader levels — from managers and frontline team leads to senior directors, VPs, and C-suite executives. This framework is flexible by design: the Pantry Map spans foundational competencies (Staples) through to future-facing leadership capabilities (Special Reserves), ensuring it meets leaders wherever they are in their journey. The sweet spot for organizational engagement is mid-market to enterprise companies investing in their leadership development programs — especially organizations looking to create a shared leadership language across a team or cohort. Curated Leadership is also well-suited for organizations that have already deployed assessment tools (DISC, StrengthsFinder, etc.) and want a development framework that incorporates AI coaching and builds on those results through experiential learning.

Curated leadership development programs start at $10,000 for the Foundations one-day leadership workshop (up to 25 participants) and $20,000 for the multi-day Intensive (up to 25 participants). The Intensive includes 90 days of AI coaching for every participant — a value we position at $500+ per person, comparable to a single executive coaching session. A complimentary "Tasting" session is available for qualified organizations that want to experience the experiential learning framework before investing. Pricing for cohort programs, enterprise licensing, and conference keynote sessions is customized based on engagement scope. To put cost in context: Harvard Business Publishing's 2024 research found that organizations spend an average of $82 billion annually on leadership development for roughly a 53% effectiveness rate. Curated Leadership is designed to be the program that actually changes that equation.

Yes to both. All Curated Leadership programs — the Tasting, the Foundations workshop, and the Intensive — are available in person or virtually. The experiential learning experience is designed to work equally well in both formats, with interactive elements, Leadership Board exercises, and Pantry Map activities adapted for virtual delivery. The 90-day AI coaching component included in the Intensive is fully digital and functions regardless of participant location, making it ideal for distributed teams and global organizations. For organizations interested in in-person delivery, Curated Leadership can facilitate on-site or at a selected venue, ensuring a comprehensive leadership development program.

Curated Leadership is designed to work across leader levels — from managers and frontline team leads to senior directors, VPs, and C-suite executives. This framework is flexible by design: the Pantry Map spans foundational competencies (Staples) through to future-facing leadership capabilities (Special Reserves), ensuring it meets leaders wherever they are in their journey. The sweet spot for organizational engagement is mid-market to enterprise companies investing in their leadership development programs — especially organizations looking to create a shared leadership language across a team or cohort. Curated Leadership is also well-suited for organizations that have already deployed assessment tools (DISC, StrengthsFinder, etc.) and want a development framework that incorporates AI coaching and builds on those results through experiential learning.

Yes, scalability is an integral component of the Curated Leadership model. This framework is offered in a licensed facilitation format, making it ideal for large organizations that wish to train internal facilitators and implement the program at scale. Utilizing a culinary metaphor, which is one of the most culturally universal frameworks in leadership development programs, the model resonates across cultures that have a deep relationship with food, ingredients, and the careful act of crafting. This makes it exceptionally well-suited for global delivery. Furthermore, the Pantry Map and Leadership Boards can be customized to fit an organization’s specific context, industry, and culture. A recent survey by Harvard Business Publishing in 2024, which involved over 1,100 L&D professionals, revealed that scalability is the most sought-after attribute in leadership development programs, a key insight that has significantly influenced the design of Curated Leadership's delivery model. Additionally, integrating AI coaching into this experiential learning framework enhances the overall development experience for participants.

The 90-day AI coaching component is a personalized, post-workshop coaching experience that provides every participant of the Curated Leadership Intensive with a leadership mentor in their pocket for three months following the workshop. This AI coaching is tailored to each participant's Leadership Board, guiding them through real leadership situations as they arise. It fosters the development of essential skills over time, helping to prepare for specific leadership moments, such as difficult conversations, performance reviews, or presentations to senior leadership. This component is vital because research on training transfer (Baldwin & Ford, 1988) consistently indicates that fewer than 15% of workshop learning transfers to the job without structured follow-up support. By incorporating AI coaching, the Curated Leadership Intensive evolves from a mere training event into a comprehensive 90-day journey in leadership development programs, enhancing the impact of experiential learning.

The AI coaching component in Curated Leadership serves as a valuable development support tool within our leadership development programs — not as a substitute for human judgment, connection, or professional mental health support. This AI coaching tool operates within the Curated Leadership framework, guiding participants through experiential learning focused on leadership skill development, ingredient application, and behavioral practice. Importantly, it does not collect sensitive personal data, conduct performance evaluations, or take over the responsibilities of a manager or executive coach. Participants engage with the AI coach voluntarily, and the system is designed to enhance human facilitation — reinforcing key concepts learned during workshops and ensuring continuity in development throughout the following months.

Yes. Curated Leadership is an integrative framework that draws from six established bodies of leadership science, enhancing leadership development programs with insights from various disciplines:

1. Situational Leadership (Hersey & Blanchard): Effective leaders adapt their style to the moment — not the other way around.

2. Competency-Based Development (McClelland; Center for Creative Leadership): Leadership skills are observable, nameable, and developable by anyone.

3. Experiential Learning (Kolb): Real development occurs through reflection, practice, and intentional application — not information alone. This approach aligns well with AI coaching, which emphasizes personalized learning experiences.

4. Emotional Intelligence (Goleman): Relational and self-awareness skills determine how effectively leaders show up for others.

5. Positive Psychology & Strengths-Based Development (Seligman; Clifton/Gallup): People grow faster when building from what's working, not from what's broken.

6. Constructivist Learning & Metaphor Theory (Lakoff & Johnson): The way we frame development changes how deeply we absorb it. The pantry metaphor is a learning design decision, not just branding.

Additionally, Harvard Business Publishing's 2024 survey of over 1,100 L&D professionals across 15 countries confirms the urgency of the problem Curated Leadership addresses: only 53% of leaders are considered truly effective, with a fixed leadership style identified as a primary driver of that gap (Jordan, Wade & Yokoi, Harvard Business Review).

Curated Leadership measures outcomes at three levels, reflecting the urgency identified in Harvard Business Publishing's 2024 research regarding the enhancement of leadership development programs: 

Level 1 — Self-Reported Ingredient Progress: Participants rate their weekly development on their chosen ingredients through the AI coaching system. This creates a continuous, time-stamped record of perceived growth. 

Level 2 — Behavioral Application Stories: The AI coach collects specific examples of participants applying their selected ingredients in real leadership moments — providing concrete evidence of behavioral transfer through experiential learning. 

Level 3 — Organizational Outcomes: For Intensive engagements, Curated Leadership delivers a formal behavioral data report at 30, 60, and 90 days, incorporating manager observations, 360-degree feedback, and referral/repeat engagement rates as business signals of program impact. 

This three-level measurement approach is built into the program design from day one — not added as an afterthought.