When leadership gets tough, this is the toolkit.
Most leadership training prepares you for the good days. This intensive equips you for the hardest moments: resolving conflict, addressing underperformance, and leading with clarity when stakes are high. You learn to diagnose root causes, coach with accountability, and hold the difficult conversations that keep teams on track — and exit roles when fit isn't right.
Who it's for
Frontline and mid-level managers spending too much time dealing with drama, tension, uneven performance, or recurring issues that drain team momentum
HR leaders who need their managers to step confidently into complexity instead of letting things fester
Anyone who's avoided a hard conversation longer than they should have
What you walk away with
Tools to separate facts from stories and reduce bias in performance judgments
A step-by-step model (TRAIL) to de-escalate conflict and co-create solutions
Coaching frameworks (GROW) that build capability and ownership instead of dependency
A values-based BRIDGE guide for exits and role transitions when fit isn't right
Confidence to set expectations, give feedback, and hold the line — with empathy
Cost: $950 / $300 with the code EARLYBIRD (Expires July 1 2026)
What You’ll Learn
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Conflict isn't failure. It's information. Learn to spot it, decode it, and understand how working styles shape it.
Understand what conflict actually is (and isn't), and how it shows up at work — loud and quiet
Identify the four sources of conflict: facts, goals, methods, values
Map your own working style using the Personality Compass (North/South/East/West) — and how it changes under stress
Separate facts from the stories you tell yourself about the people you're frustrated with
Recognize your default conflict response and what it's protecting you from
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Once you understand the conflict, you can navigate it with clarity and candor — together.
Prepare yourself for hard conversations: managing your emotions, clarifying intent, choosing the right moment
Get comfortable with Radical Candor — caring personally and challenging directly without sliding into ruinous empathy or obnoxious aggression
Use the TRAIL model (Talk, Reframe, Assess, Identify, Lead) to navigate difficult discussions toward shared resolution
Apply the BRIDGE model when the conversation needs to lead to a role transition: Begin with candor, Reflect on the road, Identify the disconnect, Discuss possible futures, Give them a path forward, Exit with empathy
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The longer work of building a culture where conflict and underperformance can be addressed before they cost you.
Diagnose underperformance: skill gap, motivation, role fit, life factors, or your own bias
Coach team members through performance challenges using the GROW model (Goal, Reality, Options, Way Forward)
Interrupt halo bias and horns bias in your judgments of team members
Build the small signals of inclusion (comfort, connection, contribution) that make accountability conversations actually work
Participants have found “Managing Conflict and Underperformance” to be immediately actionable and practical.
“Story vs. Fact! Love this. Understanding the facts and really using the TRAIL system to provide feedback.”
“Advice was specific and had examples. Actionable. The philosophy of coaching is one thing. What to do? That is another question and is more important.”
Recent cohorts have included managers from Google, DocuSign, Fortune 500 companies, national and international nonprofits, scaling startups, and construction firms.
Leadership Intensive Structure
Three Live Virtual Sessions
Over five weeks, you'll participate in three two-hour sessions over Zoom, hosted every other week on the same date / time. We don't believe in reading off slides: you'll have dynamic discussions with your classmates, hear some terrible puns from your facilitator, and be expected to contribute. Expect to spend about an hour in small break-out groups and have a 10-minute mid-session bio/dance break.
Powerful Cohort Experience
You'll be paired with your own Board of Directors — a group of 5-6 who serve as your practice partners, confidants, cheerleaders, and supporters as you experiment with new skills in your normal work. You'll meet with the same group consistently during the live sessions and collaborate on application between sessions.
Facilitator Office Hours
Between each session, you’ll have an opportunity to attend your facilitator’s office hours. Come prepared with your specific challenges and be ready to leave with concrete steps you can take right away.
Frequently Asked Questions
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This is a hands-on experience. We expect you to:
Attend all sessions, cameras on
Practice what you're learning with your real team
Reflect and share takeaways to support your peers' learning
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Three things.
First, every framework, model, and tool in the course is anchored in the Compass Method approach of Uncharted Leadership, our founder Katie Sheketoff's book (Ripples Media, July 2026). This approach
Second, we believe in learning from peers and learning on the job: this is not a straight lecture.
Third, you leave with tools you can use Monday morning, not a list of concepts to remember.
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Yes. We offer customized versions of the Intensive tailored to your organization's culture, values, and goals. Book a consultation to discuss.
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Yes. Reach out to katie@elevatelabs.biz for nonprofit pricing or bulk enrollment for your team. Early bird pricing of $300/seat is available for all cohorts through July 1, 2026.
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Live attendance is the core of the cohort experience. If you miss one session, we'll help you catch up via online materials and a brief 1:1 with your facilitator — but missing two means you should join a later cohort. Email katie@elevatelabs.biz if you're unsure.