Manager Academy
Five live virtual sessions. Two hours each. One year of practice built in.
Wednesdays, October 7–November 4, 2026
10:00 AM–12:00 PM Pacific
Where Strategy Becomes Action
Middle managers are where strategy either becomes action or dies in translation. No vision handed down from leadership ever comes to life in the daily work of an organization without passing through the hands of the managers in the middle. Yet those same managers are routinely promoted into brand-new skills with almost no formal training—only what they happened to observe from their own bosses along the way.
The Focus on the 40 Manager Academy exists to close that gap. Grounded in leadership and organization-development research, as well as the science of human happiness, the Academy teaches management the way it is actually practiced: one conversation at a time, in all four directions—leading yourself, leading your team, leading across to peers, and leading up to the executives above you.
Five Sessions. One Complete Leadership Journey.
Each live, two-hour session combines practical instruction, guided discussion, breakout practice, and tools participants can immediately use at work. Attend one session or complete the entire five-session Academy.
Session 1: Leading Yourself
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Self-awareness is the foundation: a live leadership assessment, strengths put into deliberate action, beliefs as a leading indicator of behavior, and the 10-year question that anchors your identity as a leader.
Session 2: Leading Your Team
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Make the shift from subject-matter expert to leader of experts through clean feedback, situational leadership, and weekly disciplines that build trust and capacity through others.
Session 3: Leading Across
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Learn to lead without authority through peer conflict, cross-boundary work with contractors and partner agencies, and the lateral conversations that close the gap between the conversations teams need and the ones leaders actually have.
Session 4: Leading Up
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Explore managing up as a reciprocal responsibility: understanding your boss’s goals before seeking influence, asking for the “why” before carrying out the “what,” and building the credibility that turns frontline intelligence into executive action.
Session 5: Leading Through Change
Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Put your leadership skills to the ultimate test: moving a team through change, staying in conversation when instinct says to go quiet, and modeling resilience—lose, adjust, and try again—when the plan falls apart.
Built to Stick
Every session stands alone—attend one or all five, in any order. Each session combines short teaching segments, live breakout practice, a named “discomfort” moment that normalizes the hard parts of management, and a completed scorecard participants can take back to work.
A free graduation session closes the Academy with capstone commitments, before-and-after scorecard results, and a one-on-one strategy session.
Every registration also includes a yearlong practice bundle: 52 Weekly Tips, the companion book 50 Powerful Manager Moments, High Trust Cultures: A Resource Guide, and The Little Book of Workplace Happiness—turning two hours of learning into a year of small, compounding leadership moments.
Who It's For
The Manager Academy is designed for supervisors and managers across sectors—from newly promoted frontline supervisors to seasoned executives leading newly formed teams. It is especially valuable for leaders who want practical tools for building trust, navigating difficult conversations, and turning organizational goals into daily action.
The program is pending STC certification with the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC).
Choose Your Registration Option
Register for one individual session or complete the full five-session Academy. Select the option that matches your organization type.
For-Profit Businesses
One Individual Session
$399 per person
Choose one of the five live sessions.
For-Profit Businesses
Complete Five-Session Academy
$1,599 per person
Attend all five live sessions and receive the complete yearlong practice bundle.
Need to pay by check?
Public agencies and other approved organizations may submit a registration request and arrange payment by check.
