Elevate: How we're cultivating leadership skills that last

Leadership—it’s one of those words that means a million things. But here’s something we can all agree on: strong leadership is essential in any organization. In McKinsey’s 2023 report on modern leadership, they put it like this: “The old hierarchical model of leadership is increasingly seen as an obstacle to meeting the complex demands facing today’s organizations. Companies seeking to thrive now still need leaders who are accountable for their individual roles—but leadership itself resides in the teams of leaders acting in service to the organization.” 

At Osedea, where we have a no-managers structure, leadership qualities are essential for everyone. Back in our early days, with just a few team members, each of us had to step up and show some leadership—there was no other choice. But as we grew, we realized we needed a way to develop these skills in a more structured way. That’s how our leadership program, Elevate, came to life.

We designed Elevate to help our team develop real, hands-on leadership skills over time, and we believe this model could be the foundation for your organization’s leadership program too. In this article, we’ll share how we built it, the results so far, and tips to help you get started on your own leadership journey.

Doing leadership differently

When we started planning Elevate, we knew we wanted something unique.  Too often, leadership programs are quick-fix solutions—think one-day seminars that claim to turn you into a leader overnight. As Simon Sinek, renowned author and speaker on business leadership, says clearly in this video, becoming a leader is about doing the little things consistently over time to make people’s lives better.

That’s why we built Elevate as a six-month program, designed to help our team develop practical leadership skills. Even after the program ends, participants continue to build on what they’ve learned. Here’s a peek at how we put it together and how you can use it as a foundation for your own leadership development program.

Start with the right skills for success 

Before jumping into a training plan, it’s essential to take a step back and identify the specific leadership capabilities your team needs. Leadership isn’t one-size-fits-all. As Herminia Ibarra emphasizes in her book “Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader,” individuals at all levels can step up to leadership by making small, but significant changes to their role, networks and themselves. This perspective helped shape how we approached leadership development at Osedea.

We started by defining the skills our team members needed to excel in their roles. From there, we developed a model with three key components—Leading Self, Leading Others, and Leading Ideas—each with two pillars that provide a solid foundation.

This model became the framework for Elevate, helping us focus on building well-rounded leaders who can guide themselves, support others, and spark new ideas. We invite you to use this structure as the starting point for developing your own program. 

It’s a journey, not a quick fix 

As mentioned before, we don’t believe that a one-day seminar or intense training week will build lasting leadership skills. True learning happens when skills are applied, reflected on, and shared. Six team members from different roles joined our very first Elevate cohort, who, over the course of our six-month program, completed weekly pre-work—readings, watching videos, etc.—before meeting for hands-on sessions where they discussed insights and practiced skills related to that week’s theme. 

In addition to the weekly sessions, participants completed graduation projects to put their skills into action. These included tasks like delivering constructive feedback, presenting insights from a book, and pitching new ideas. These projects gave participants the chance to reinforce what they learned and gain real-world confidence.

The program wrapped up with a two-day offsite, where we dug deeper into areas that needed more focus. This offsite also strengthened bonds within the group, creating a sense of community that will support them as they continue their leadership journeys. 

Take week 11, for example 

The pillar was Building Capabilities and skill development was focused on helping others grow by offering guidance, mentorship, and constructive feedback.

• Pre-Session Prep - Participants completed curated pre-work (articles, videos, etc.) that offered diverse perspectives to ensure they came prepared for discussion.
• Collaborative Discussion - We kicked off with a 15-20 minute discussion to share key takeaways, reinforcing critical thinking, analytical, and communication skills. 
• Feedback Game - While one team member stepped out of the room, the rest of the group hid an object. When the person returned, the team guided them to find the object through different feedback styles: negative (e.g. “You’ll never find it”), non-constructive (e.g. “You’re amazing”), and constructive positive (e.g. “You’re on the right track, have you considered…”). This highlighted the power of different feedback approaches.
• Practical Application - Each participant delivered constructive feedback to a colleague, observed by a coach who provided personalized tips for improvement. 

Gather feedback often and adapt

To ensure Elevate continues to meet the needs of our team, we gathered feedback from our first cohort every week. This real-time input allowed us to tweak the program on the fly and it provided valuable insights we will apply to future sessions. We were able to adjust the balance between  discussions and activities to keep the experience dynamic and engaging. 

Make participants ambassadors for the program

As our first execution of Elevate progressed, participants naturally became ambassadors for the program. They shared their experiences with colleagues, spreading the impact beyond the initial cohort. Knowledge spread organically throughout our organization, creating positive ripple effects that reached the broader team. 

Our early wins 

Our first Elevate cohort wrapped up this summer, with some amazing results. Participants rated the program’s organization at 9.3/10 and the quality of our content and activities at 8.9/10. These scores give us a solid foundation to build on, and we’re already planning our next cohort for early 2025. 

But don’t just take our word for it—here’s what our first group had to say:  

“I had the opportunity to participate in Osedea's first ever Elevate Leadership program. The experience was transformative for me and I think I can safely say for my fellow attendees as well. We were provided a lot of relative material, tailored workshops and projects to help us build our leadership muscles. I gained invaluable insights on myself as well as the confidence to know that I have the fundamentals to be a great leader.”

“The experience was transformative, connecting me more deeply with my team and significantly enhancing my leadership skills. The engaging and practical activities provided valuable takeaways that I’ll use for years.”

“The Elevate program allowed us to grow and develop as individuals while learning new business skills to become better leaders. It's like a condensed MBA with your colleagues, tailored to our work reality.”

“The Elevate Leadership seminar far surpassed my expectations. It encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone, becoming more empathetic not only towards others but also towards myself. It helped me create habits that will support my continuous learning and leadership development. It inspired me to explore new approaches, introduced fresh ideas, and challenged some of my existing beliefs. Throughout the program, we built a supportive community of evolving leaders who I know I can rely on. After just a few months, I've noticed a significant shift in my mindset, both on a professional and personal level, as well as growth within the entire cohort.”

The bottom line

Whether your team members have formal leadership titles or not, we can all agree: we need more people acting like leaders. Elevate is our way of cultivating that, one person at a time.  

We’re passionate about this initiative. If you’re inspired to create your own leadership program, we invite you to use our model as a foundation (read more about our model in-depth here). And, if you have any questions after reading this article or want to explore Elevate in more detail, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d love to connect and share insights on what’s working for us—and how you can bring it to your team.