Leading Upward Cohort
Six weeks to manage up, influence without authority, and be heard at the top table. A small live cohort for senior leaders, where every week you practice the real conversations you're facing, with feedback in the moment.
Who it's for
Directors, VPs and senior leaders who work closely with an executive team; chiefs of staff, and high-potential leaders preparing for an executive role; and leaders at scale-ups and large organizations in Canada, the US and Europe.
What's included
- Six weekly 90-minute live sessions on video, with 8 to 12 senior leaders
- More than half of every session is real-play practice in small groups
- Two one-to-one coaching sessions: a goal-setting kick-off and a final review
- A practical handout for every session, and a small peer group for practice between sessions
- A 90-day plan to finish
What you'll be able to do
- Understand what your boss and senior stakeholders need, and work with their style
- Brief executives clearly: the bottom line first, then the decision you need
- Win support for your ideas from people you don't manage
- Give feedback upward and sideways, and handle the response well
- Be heard in leadership meetings, and known for the right things
The six weeks
| WEEK | SESSION | YOU PRACTICE | ACTION BEFORE NEXT WEEK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before week 1 | One-to-one kick-off (45 min): goals with GROW, and the senior relationships that matter most | – | Map your key stakeholders |
| 1 | Managing up: understand your boss's priorities, pressures and preferred style | Agreeing priorities with your manager | Have one “what matters most to you” conversation |
| 2 | Briefing senior people: lead with the bottom line, then the decision you need | A three-minute briefing to an executive | Restructure one update or paper |
| 3 | Influencing without authority: win support from people you don't manage | Gaining a peer's support for a proposal | Pre-wire one decision before the meeting |
| 4 | High-stakes feedback: giving it upward and sideways, and handling the response | Raising a concern with a senior leader | Have the conversation you've been avoiding |
| 5 | Presence and visibility: being heard in the room and known for the right things | Pushback in a leadership meeting | Make one contribution visible to the right people |
| 6 | Putting it together: each leader runs their hardest conversation, with feedback from the group | Your own scenario | A 90-day plan |
| After week 6 | One-to-one review (45 min): progress against goals, and next steps | – | Optional: ongoing coaching |
How each session runs
Every session follows the same 90-minute shape, on video with breakout rooms for small groups of three. More than half the time goes on practice, which is what sets it apart from video courses.
| MINUTES | SEGMENT | WHAT HAPPENS |
|---|---|---|
| 0–15 | Check-in | Each person reports on last week's action: what happened, and what they learned |
| 15–40 | The idea | A short teaching segment with one framework and examples |
| 40–75 | Real-play in threes | One leads the conversation, one plays the other person, one observes. Rotate twice |
| 75–85 | Debrief | What worked across the group, and the hardest moments |
| 85–90 | Commit | One action each before next week, said out loud to the group |
Funding and private cohorts
Companies can fund places from leadership development budgets, with a company rate for three or more places, or book a private cohort for their own leaders. Ask for private cohort pricing. Cohort members can book three one-to-one coaching sessions for $1,050 USD within 60 days of the cohort ending.
Your coach
Jon Fraser is an executive and leadership coach who has worked with executives at companies including Anthropic, OpenAI, AMS and CGI, and helps leadership teams of growing companies align on strategy and work as one team.