Dynamic Leadership:
The Coach Approach

Senior Leadership Development Program

Build stronger people. Create clearer ownership. Lead with less drag.

Senior leaders are not short on experience.

The challenge is usually different: too many decisions still escalate upward, accountability conversations take too much energy, and capable people still look to you for answers they should be learning to own.

Dynamic Leadership: The Coach Approach helps senior leaders use coaching as a practical leadership discipline, not as a soft skill.

Participants learn how to lead conversations that build ownership, sharpen thinking, strengthen accountability, and develop people without carrying their work.

Next cohort begins 9 September 2026.

For: Senior directors, experienced managers, business leaders, and high-potential leaders

Focus: Coach approach, accountability, ownership, difficult conversations, people-centred performance
Format: Live cohort sessions, focused practice labs, assessment, tools, and between-session support
Investment: $4,500 per participant
Best fit: Leaders who influence people, performance, and culture

"Marderé and Eric were amazing. They provided the information in a clear and concise manner, stopped in between instructions to ensure we understood, and made sure we knew the class was interactive."

"I enjoyed the availability and candidness of the instructor — the freedom to reach out and ask questions made a real difference."

"I was struggling with motivating an employee to work harder — or what I thought was to work harder. Upon coaching, it was determined she just needed to identify a more structured work day. I didn't need to dictate that. She came up with the solution via coaching."

"A course to develop strong coaching techniques that will help you coach rather than boss others, both in professional and personal life. This course teaches you how to facilitate life-enhancing skills by asking questions, listening intently, and creating change in those you lead."

"The biggest difference I see is that I am dealing with situations differently — listening more and structuring responses better."

The next level of leadership is not more control.

At senior levels, performance depends on the quality of thinking, ownership, and follow-through you build in others.

A coach approach helps leaders:

Reduce dependency.
Create clearer accountability.
Develop stronger judgment in others.
Lead difficult conversations earlier.
Build trust without lowering standards.
Stay more deliberate under pressure.

This is not remedial leadership training.

It is practical development for senior leaders whose roles now require more influence, less reactivity, and greater capacity-building.

What Is Included

Dynamic Leadership: The Coach Approach includes:

Six live leadership sessions.
Five focused immersion labs.
Profiles Select Assessment.
Dynamic Leadership Book.
Dynamic Leadership E-Workbook.
Digital tools and conversation guides.
Session recordings and recaps.
Between-session support from Sage, our AI-powered leadership coach.
Facilitator support by email and text.

Sage acts as a private learning partner between sessions. Participants can use Sage to test their thinking, rehearse difficult conversations, explore different ways to respond, and strengthen how they apply the coach approach in real leadership situations.

Grounded in Dynamic Leadership and Coaching

This program draws from the ideas behind Dynamic Leadership and Coaching: A Handbook for Developing Exceptional Leaders in Turbulent Times, co-authored by Sage & Summit’s Marderé Birkill, MBL, MCC.

The book explores leadership and coaching as complementary disciplines for developing leaders who can adapt, connect, and lead with greater awareness and intention.

The program turns those ideas into applied practice.

"There was a lot of practice and role play that let us explore the various elements of coaching, with instructor observation and feedback that helped us define and understand the role of a coach." — Program Participant, Washington State

"The blend of presentation time and practice time is the best way to learn. You cannot apply your learning by lecture alone — you must be able to put it into practice." — Program Participant

"The length of the course and the spread-out nature really helped concepts sink in and be applied. The in-class exercises were very eye opening." — Program Participant

What Changes

Leaders leave with a more deliberate way to lead people.

They become better able to:

Create ownership faster.
Reduce unnecessary escalation.
Address issues earlier.
Build trust while maintaining standards.
Develop people without carrying their work.
Lead through complexity with more clarity and composure.

For organizations, the value is stronger leadership capacity, better accountability, and less dependence on a few overextended people.

"The learnings are essential leadership skills, coaching, self-understanding, and emotional management."

"A different way of thinking about conversations and interactions with people that allows you to help others learn and grow."

September Cohort Now Open

Dynamic Leadership: The Coach Approach is for senior leaders who want to strengthen how they develop people, hold accountability, and lead through complexity.

Next cohort begins 9 September 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this leadership training?

Yes, but not in the traditional sense. This is an applied leadership development experience for leaders who want to strengthen how they think, communicate, coach, and build accountability.

Is this program remedial?

No. This program is designed for capable leaders who are ready to refine their impact and increase the capacity of the people around them.

Who should attend?

Senior directors, experienced managers, business leaders, technical leaders, and high-potential leaders who influence people, performance, and culture.

Will this help with difficult conversations?

Yes. Participants practice how to lead conversations involving accountability, performance, tension, ownership, and development.

Can this be delivered internally?

Yes. Sage & Summit can deliver internal cohorts for organizations developing a group of senior leaders or managers together.

September Cohort

The next cohort of Dynamic Leadership: The Coach Approach begins on 9 September 2026.

This program is for leaders who want to strengthen how they develop people, hold accountability, and lead through complexity.