Frequently Asked Questions

We believe in integrative, interdisciplinary, multi-mode learning that’s fun, interactive, and meaningful. Programs include large group lectures, time for participants to get up on their feet and move around as they experience and create classroom collateral, lots of storytelling and real-world examples followed by application assignments back in the field, periodic pop-ins and guest speaker presentations, and small group work.

We love variety. Customizable to meet our clients’ specific needs, current programs enable us to choose from up to 40 components ranging from slide provisions, workbooks, field guides, participant maps and posters to group activities, reading assignments, case studies, introduction to a coach and mentor network, project opportunities, job aids, and a rich, vibrant alumni network that is growing wider and deeper year after year. 

As a boutique consultancy (by choice), we’ve tried every size and stripe for our programs and come to treasure more intimate groups over a sea of faces. To this end, most programs max-out at 18 participants, with some of our Cohort Series maxing-out at 12-15 participants. As a result, participants become more than acquaintances, often graduating as friends or feeling like family.

They do vary, and because many programs are provided for international audiences (but instructed from the US), start/end times can occur 24/7, so please contact our Program Advisors for details. As a general rule, 8:30AM is a common start-time, 4:30PM is a common end-time, lunch is typically 11:30-12:30, and half-day programs end around 11:30AM and other half-day programs begin at 1:00PM.

Because it varies by program, please make your travel plans according to the confirmation email you receive from a Program Advisor. To receive a Certificate of Completion (not offered in all programs), you must attend the program in its entirety.

For programs comprising our Non-Series Series, perhaps 30-45 additional minutes each class day. For our Series programs (especially Lodestone, Cornerstone, and Keystone), approximately 1-2 hours each week beyond class time. Additionally, as the soul of Keystone is coaching, cohort participants need to plan for an additional 1-1.5 hours of coaching each month (in addition to the aforementioned 1-2 hours/week for reading, project time, and checking in with peers).

We offer at least four programs per quarter and launch new cohorts in the spring and the fall. If you’re interested in a program and don’t see it publicized—or wonder if/when a particular program is coming, just email our Program Advisors at learning@leathgroup.com. 

Rather than asynchronous, self-paced learning, our focus is recreating the live experience. In light of COVID-19 and the digital transformation since, we have (like so many) taken to the airwaves to offer our formerly In Person (instructor-led workshops) virtually via Zoom. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, as we are now able to stream an ever-increasing faculty straight to your screen. This immediate, live, collaborative learning experience has been nothing short of a blast, and we are looking forward to offering these ‘humanly digital’ programs well into the future and long after the preceding crisis has passed.

Well, In Person is where the magic happens: that sense of intimacy, connection, esprit de corps, handshakes, slaps on the back, and electrified eye contact. For some programs, In Person just feels right…and we offer as many as we can. But in terms of access, Live Online remains a truly viable alternative, and one that gets better month after month. But do join us when you can In Person, as we visit some gorgeous resorts and properties—not only in North America, but around the world.

We’ve come to love co-mingling In Person and Live Online experiences. But we also incorporate readings, podcasts, films, tasks, projects, in-field applications, and so much more. Whenever you see Blended Learning, you can anticipate variety.

We honor all current guidelines as suggested by the CDC. For Spring 2021 programs and client experiences, we are focusing on Live Online delivery. As soon as it’s safe to convene In Person at scale, hosting global participants and joining clients overseas, we will offer In Person alternatives for those already enrolled. Going forward, post-COVID-19, we will offer a slate of alternatives allowing participants to choose Live Online, In Person, or Blended Learning.

Most commonly at resorts in the United States. Cohort participants who meet multiple times In Person often experience a new resort each quarter (per Volume). International programs are provided upon request.

Absolutely. Proficient English speakers attend our programs and participate in our experiences from around the world, and special interpretive arrangements can be made (and have been) on case-by-case bases. In 2020, nearly 2/3rds of our program participants were non-US residents. Given the distribution of the world’s population, we expect this will often be the case. 

A minority of our programs (the briefest ones, usually) include only facilitated dialogues. The overwhelming majority of our programs include slides and a workbook (softcopy in the case of Live Online, and hardcopy in the case of In Person). A number of our programs include much more. Contact our Program Advisors to learn more about specific material provisions per program.

Program materials are available only through attending and cannot be purchased separately. If, however, you are interested in purchasing any of our popular retail products (Books, Playing Cards, and general Merchandise & Gifts), please visit our shop.

Yes. Think of them as LEGOs or building blocks. More than once a month we are creating tailored solutions for clients around the world. Configuration possibilities are endless. Contact us to begin.

To the fullest extent imaginable. We live for this: to create meaningful, substantive, transformational, and sustainable solutions that have long-term impacts on your organization’s people, potential, and performance. Our ‘from scratch’ programs begin with your vision and organization’s purpose, goals, values, and talent. Our curricula development team and programmatic designers will work with you and your team from beginning to end to create learning experiences grounded in contemporary adult-learning science. Though we thrive in the classroom, reflecting, thinking, and knowledge are not enough; our programs and experiences are only successful if they achieve the desired results in the real world. 

Through one-on-ones, interviews, surveys, or our own independent and objective market analysis and research, we work to help you see your current and future state through new eyes. Once we agree on challenges and opportunities moving forward, we then explore the ideal learning modalities for achieving the desired endgame in light of existing constraints, be they time, money, people, energy, or focus. 

Our internal team of approximately 70 consultants (plus our extended enterprise, and often even program alumni) can then be brought to bear on your issues in order to create fantastic frameworks and content for (1) Baselining the current state and (2) Implementing appropriate learning approaches to achieve what you want and when you want it. We’re big believers in inclusion, so we often suggest tapping your own existing, in-organization leadership pool to become ‘faculty’ members in our combined solutions, thereby ensuring that deliverables feel fresh, yet are also grounded in your present people and their future potential. 

Upon conclusion of what is reliably a fulfilling, mutually beneficial and rewarding multi-month or multi-year partnership together, some clients choose to commission an ROI study to determine overall intervention effectiveness, and many clients also relish the chance to re-convene former participants for ‘alumni reunions and refreshers’ for years to come. 

Beyond achieving whatever we set out to in the first place (predicated on our joint, preliminary research together and baselining), surely our greatest gratification is to see workshops become workgroups whereby graduates are tapped regularly and in increasingly strategic ways to tackle issues not only expediently, but also exponentially. Seen in this way, our programs are a source of inspiration, differentiation, employee retention, leadership development, and yes, long-term competitive advantage. 

In our experience, inquiry itself is positive intervention, so most clients needn’t wait 3, 5, 7, or 10 years to see fruit from our labor. It often begins within days of our having set out to sea together as clients start to say, “I’m glad we’re doing this. Keep asking me questions; I guess somewhere along the way my inquiry got eclipsed by problem solving, and assumptions became conclusions. You’ve given me time and means to rise above the fray…and now I’m starting to get a really good feeling about all this.” 

A number of faculty are drawn from Leath Group, the consulting umbrella of our business. As such they are talented, even philosophical, but always pragmatic. 90% of them are former participants, former clients, business owners themselves, friends, and in some cases even family. If not in name, in spirit. We give you our very best.

You’ll find our entire team is accessible throughout daytime program delivery, and if you need additional time with them to discuss workplace execution of principles and practices taught, please coordinate time directly. Beyond program delivery, nearly half double as consultants, so if your intervention requires more than curricula, please contact our Program Advisors to identity how our team can best serve you.

Upon acceptance into a program, kindly pay 40% of program price within 7 days to secure your seat. The remaining 60% is due no later than 45 days prior to published start date. We accept all major credit cards, plus Venmo and PayPal. Leath Group clients and/or Leath Learning alumni (already set-up in our system) may also pay by check or ACH deposit.  

To enjoy a 10% discount on the published program price, simply pay the program fee in its entirety following acceptance into a program and no later than 60 days prior to the published program date. 

Though registration can be difficult within 30 days of a program’s published start date, we make every effort to accommodate all eligible applicants. In the event we cannot, we will ask if you would like to be added to a Wait List for future program dates.

Your seat and any provided materials. Travel expenses, accommodations, transportation, and meals are not included in the program tuition fee.

We can either refund any payments or, yes, in the case of recurring cohorts (e.g., Lodestone, Cornerstone, Keystone) you may defer to the next cohort. Deferrals are granted once per registration and must be submitted by email (learning@leathgroup.com) no later than 45 days prior the published program start date to receive a full refund. Due to the volume of pre-program preparation, deferrals received 31 to 44 days prior to program start date are subject to a fee of 50% of the program fee. Requests for deferral received within 30 days of the program start date are subject to full payment of the program fee. 

Any substitutions will need to apply before being accepted, so please email your request to learning@leathgroup.com no later than 30 days prior the published program start date so we can confirm substitute’s qualifications for attendance.

Substitutions within 30 days prior to start date are possible, but sometimes very difficult. The earlier you can warn us the better; let us know as soon as you can so we can problem solve.

Cancellations must be submitted by email (learning@leathgroup.com) no later than 45 days prior to the published program start date to receive a full refund (refunds will be made within 30 days following the receipt of written requests). Due to the volume of pre-program preparation, deferrals received 31 to 44 days prior to program start date are subject to 50% of the program fee. Requests for deferral received within 30 days of the program start date are subject to full payment of the program fee. 

Refunds are made upon request only for registrations cancelled 45+ calendar days prior to the class start date. Credits granted can be used for any future program within two years of the initial program date. After one year any balance is non-refundable.

You are admitted with the understanding that you will be free from company duties during the program’s events. Both your and your peer-participants’ learning is contingent on full engagement free of disruption, distractedness, and tardiness. We request—for everyone’s benefit—that you devote your full attention to the program. This will ensure you and those around you benefit from 100% participation. Attendance in class, participation in small groups, and at program events (mixers, dinners, tours, other activities), unless otherwise noted as optional, is required. Any absence(s) may impact your eligibility for a Certification of Completion upon conclusion of the program.

Leath Learning reserves the right to ask any participant to withdraw who does not meet the required standards regarding class attendance and participation in the work of the program, or whose personal demeanor is not conducive to others’ learning.

If you fail to attend class, the full tuition is due and there is no credit available to transfer or refund.

Yes. We call these multi-participant discounts, or “MPs.” MP discounts are applied as follows:

If you’re considering registering 8+ participants, running a full program on-site for your organization may be the best way to go. It will enable us to tailor the experience a bit, plus, it may cost you less overall. Email our Program Advisors at learning@leathgroup.com to discuss. 

Yes. We call these multi-volume discounts, or “MVs.” MV discounts are applied as follows:

If you’re considering registering for 8+ programs, consider running what we consider “a university” on-site for your organization. It will enable us to tailor the experience quite a bit, plus, it may cost you less overall. Email our Program Advisors at learning@leathgroup.com to discuss. 

Yes. All Leath Learning alumni (regardless the program, experience, or completion date) now receive a 10% discount on program tuition.

As long as you have applied and been accepted for a public program bearing a published start date, yes. 

Or, if it’s a private program to be hosted on-site by your organization (pre-approved by a Program Advisor), yes, even if the actual start date has yet to be solidified.

Given such generous advance notice and payment, we will also honor the 7%, 10%, and 15% discount schedule as outlined for MPs and MVs. Thank you for your business!

Yes. We believe wholeheartedly in the work we do and consistently hear from alumni that what they learned in programs like ours has made an impact on their leadership, their life, and on the communities in which they serve. We are committed to honoring good work and therefore extend program scholarships to leaders who may not otherwise be able to attend by traditional means. Scholarships are based on individual need, type of organization, program availability and are, of course, limited and competitive.

Those eligible to apply are leaders from:

1. 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organizations;
2. Education;
3. Foundations;
4. NGOs and INGOs;
5. State and Local Governments; and
6. Volunteers, community leaders, and other individuals willing to formally document for one full year the application of principles learned in one or more of our programs for the betterment of society or those served.

When applying or registering for one of our programs, please indicate that your participation is contingent on scholarship funds. Following a pre-qualification interview with a Program Advisor, then receipt of a Letter of Recommendation on your behalf, our Scholarship Committee will consider you for candidacy.

If a program becomes overbooked, we reserve the right to re-schedule a scholarship recipient and enroll you in a program at a later date.

For more information, please contact a Program Advisor at learning@leathgroup.com.

Tax-deductible donations make it possible for many nonprofit leaders, K–12 educators, student leaders, and others like these to participate in life-changing leadership development. Please contact a Program Advisor for more information.

By participating in a program or series in its entirety, including the satisfactory on-time completion of all assignments. In instances of illness or unavoidable emergency that result in partial attendance, make-up sessions are available.

In some cases, yes, our programs have been used toward CEUs. They are, however, neither associated with any university nor accredited college courses and therefore cannot be equated with such.

For programs occurring downtown, in cities, or near airports, you are responsible for securing and paying for accommodations. Stay where you choose. For programs occurring at resorts with limited space, we will reserve a block of rooms, but you are responsible for contacting the resort directly, booking your reservation, and paying for it. Tuition includes your seat and material(s), not travel, accommodations, local transportation (taxis, rideshares, etc.), or other expenses incurred.

You are not obligated to stay at the resort where our programs occur. We understand such decisions are personal, and we treat your right to choose accordingly.

They may not attend the program or scheduled program events, but we love it when spouses and other family members join you—especially at resorts. Many program participants enjoy arriving 1-2 days early or staying 1-2 days after to enjoy local amenities. When occurring at resorts, we typically schedule programs for Monday-Tuesday or Thursday-Friday (versus Wednesday) for this very reason.

We do not coordinate or pay for travel, accommodations, local transportation (taxis, rideshares, etc.), or similar. Over the years, we have found that most participants prefer the freedom to make such arrangements personally. To the extent advice, input, or other guidance making such arrangements would be helpful—especially for international participants—please contact the resort or hotel where the program is occurring, or a Program Advisor at learning@leathgroup.com who can direct you to other resources or guides for additional local information. 

We’re not stuffy, and we prefer comfort to overdressing, so business casual is fine. Our definition of business casual is jeans and collared shirts. More than this is fine (blouses, sweaters, khakis, pressed pants, skirts, dresses, leather shoes, or casual walking shoes); less is not. T-shirts, shorts, flip-flops, and the like are distracting and strongly discouraged. Military uniforms are not required for members of armed services. Depending on time-of-year and program location, temperatures vary, so do plan accordingly. Some programs include dinner(s) elsewhere, so you may consider packing a sport coat or light, comfortable jacket.

Most programs begin at 8:30AM and start with a review of the course agenda, lite introductions, and participant expectations. You are responsible for your meals, so we encourage you to eat beforehand. We will break throughout the day, including 60-90 minutes for lunch (depending on facility location and services) during which you can eat where you like.

No.

No. Please coordinate your food yourself, directly, so that you can be confident you get what you want. At lunchtime, we will allow ample time for participants to depart, eat, and return. Locations are chosen, in part, based on the variety of eating options within walking distance or abundant, affordable, easy ridesharing access and availability.

Most programs conclude by 4:30PM, after which you are free to go. Remember, you are responsible for transportation and travel, so if you require a ride or flight, please reserve these yourself.

No. In fact, we discourage the use of laptops in our programs. Part of the value in program participation is avoiding external distractions.