BLACK WOMAN LEADING™ is a virtual small group learning experience to help you strengthen your leadership skills, share and process your workplace experiences as a Black woman leader, and create your action plan to meet your professional goals. 

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From microaggressions to isolation to developing relationships that support career advancement...Black women leaders experience unique challenges in the workplace.

Black Woman Leading™ was created to provide a safe space to center your experience as you learn, heal, and grow in your leadership capacity.

This program is best suited for mid-career Black women leaders and managers that aspire to continue to grow into more senior leadership roles in corporate and larger organizational spaces. Although it is not an eligibility requirement, our participants are often one of the only Black women leaders at their level within the department or organization.

Past participants have come from a diverse selection of industries, including technology, health care, government, higher education, and the nonprofit sector, representing companies such as Dell Technologies, Zillow Group, the Chicago Department of Public Health, and the FBI. In addition to the value of the program content, this interaction with other Black women leaders from different industries creates a robust peer-learning and networking opportunity for program participants.

Get connected in a positive community of like-minded women that support your growth by providing the encouragement, accountability, and celebration you need along the journey.

Specifically, this program will help you in these key focus areas:

Leadership Development

  • Gain awareness about key competencies of transformative leaders, assess your strengths and weaknesses, and develop your action plan to advance your career as a stronger leader and manager
  • Discover leadership tools and frameworks, based on best practice strategies, to implement into your work right away. This includes topics such as strategic thinking, change management, having difficult conversations, creating a high performing team, coaching and developing team members, conflict management, and delegation and holding others accountable
  • Boost your confidence, clarify your value, and amplify your voice in the workplace

Self-Awareness, Healing & Self-Care

  • Participate in collective healing activities, speak your truth, and process the emotional labor required of a black woman in a majority work space
  • Name the negative effects of burnout, microaggressions, internalized oppression, and being highly visible (and invisible all at the same time) on your overall wellness and professional development. Awareness and “calling a thing, a thing” is a critical first step to empowerment and healing
  • Identify your wellness needs, develop healthy coping skills, and create and activate your personal self-care plan with accountability from your coach and fellow members

Relationship Management

  • Learn how to maximize professional relationships and your network to help you achieve your professional goals
  • Understand how to honor and utilize ally connections without de-centering your perspective and needs
  • Strategize how to create mutually beneficial mentor and sponsor relationships that allow you to give and receive value
  • Brainstorm with your fellow members about how to increase professional relationships between Black women

When I came to Laura I had just become a manager of a team for a large organization for the first time. I was feeling anxious and overwhelmed and I really needed help with transitioning from an individual contributor to now leading the same team I had been working with since we all started together. She helped me to define my leadership style and find ways to make the transition smoother. Laura helped me to create a plan to step into my authority without isolating anyone on my team. I learned how to have effective one-on-one's and how to manage conflict on the team. As a result, I have confidence in my ability as a leader and my team has been fully supportive of me in my new role. I appreciate Laura's ability to "meet me where I was" and help me to overcome the self-doubt I had about whether I was qualified for the role and if I could succeed. I now feel ready to step into additional leadership opportunities as a result of working with Laura.

— Jeanette Alexander, Team Lead, Zillow

When I came to Laura, I was growing my team larger than ever before and I was feeling anxious and downright fearful about bringing on new people. I really needed help with putting processes in place. What I didn’t know I needed was guidance on being a better leader. Laura helped me to focus, get organized, and, most importantly, showed me how to operationalize the values of my company. Working with her helped me take my role as a leader more seriously. It was a mindset shift that will serve me forever! As a result of working with Laura, I have confidence in my ability to be a good leader, and I feel blessed to have worked with her at this pivotal moment in my company. She is extremely good at what she does!

— Addie Anderson, Founder, Begin Within

Join the Collective!

How Does the Program Work?

This is a virtual, small-group program facilitated over a 13-week period. The next program session will begin individual coaching sessions the week of January 25, 2021; continue with group sessions starting February 2, 2021; and end with a closing reflection session on April 27, 2021. In between, we will meet approximately twice per month with a learning session and mastermind session each month (see below for detail). All group sessions will take place via Zoom.

The time commitment is approximately 26 hours over 13 weeks, an average of two hours per week for participating in group sessions, individual coaching sessions, and your own self-study work to inform your personal leadership development plan.

Here's a snapshot of the program schedule:

  • Upon registration, receive prep exercises (including a DISC Leadership Assessment) and schedule a jump-start individual coaching session to strategize about key components to include in your personal leadership development plan
  • 2/2/21 Kick-off group orientation session (7:30-9:00p EST)
  • 2/9/21 Group learning session 1 (7:30-9:30p EST). Focus: Developing Your Leadership Development Plan
  • 2/23/21 Group mastermind strategy session 1 (7:30-9:30p EST)
  • 3/9/21 Group learning session 2 (7:30-9:30p EST). Focus: Self-Awareness, Healing, and Self-Care
  • Month of March: Schedule second individual coaching session
  • 3/23/21 Group masterminding session 2 (7:30-9:30p EST)
  • 4/6/21 Group learning session 3 (7:30-9:30p EST) Focus: Relationship Management
  • 4/20/21 Group masterminding session 3 (7:30-9:30p EST)
  • 4/27/21 Reflection, Next Steps, and Closing  (7:30-9:00p EST)

Breakdown of the Program Components:

Prep Exercises + Program Playbook

Upon registration, you will receive a welcome email with instructions for how to get started, a program playbook with exercises to help you prepare for the program, and the link to schedule your first individual coaching session. The preparation exercises will guide you to reflect on your values, strengths, areas of improvement, and professional goals as you prepare to begin this journey. Your program playbook will help you stay organized and on track during the program. ($50 value)

DISC Leadership Assessment & Debrief Report

You will receive a link to take the DISC Leadership assessment with your welcome email. After completion, you will receive a debrief report with your assessment results that will give you insights into your behavioral leadership style, and how to interact with others for desired impact. You will explore the impact of your results on your workplace experiences and your personal wellness in your initial coaching session. ($100 value)

Two 60-minute Individual Coaching Sessions

You will engage in two individual coaching sessions--one at the onset of the program and another at the middle point of the program. These sessions are designed to help you clarify the components of your personal leadership development plan, and to help you personalize the learning content to your specific situation. This is also a time for you to bring targeted challenges/goals and receive personalized coaching support to identify solutions. ($500 value)

Kick-Off Orientation Session

On 2/2/2021, the group sessions will launch with a one-hour group orientation call via Zoom. You will meet your fellow members, and collectively we will establish intentions for our time together by creating group rules and participating in an engaging get-to-know-you exercise. ($150 value)

Six Live Group Sessions: 3 Learning Sessions + 3 Mastermind Strategy Sessions

Starting 2/9/2021, we will meet as a group via Zoom every other week (two meetings per month). The meeting format will alternate between Learning Sessions and Mastermind Strategy Sessions. All sessions will be recorded, and you will have access to the recordings until 5/31/2021 (one month beyond the program end date).

  • Each of the three learning sessions will focus on one of the key areas of the program (leadership development self-care, relationship management), and will be aimed at informing your leadership development plan and helping you implement practical strategies into your work right away.
  • During the three mastermind strategy sessions, you'll use your own dedicated time slot to share leadership challenges you are facing and receive feedback from  your peers and coach.  You’ll leave each session with a set of specific action steps to address your issue. The "collective mind" of your coach and group members, who will each bring their own skills and expertise, is a powerful experience that allows you to use the synergy of the group to quickly determine your next steps to move forward. ($5400 Value)

Toolkit with On-Demand Video Trainings + Mini-Workbooks

Because each participant will have a different focus for their personal leadership plan, our on-demand learning vault will allow you to choose your own adventure for just-in-time supplemental learning. Topics such as change management, building influence, communicating your value, situational leadership, coaching others, creating a high performing team, motivating others, amongst others, will be covered in brief on-demand video trainings to share best practice frameworks and theories to deepen your learning. Each topic has mini-workbook to help you with reflection and immediate application. The expectation is that you will spend some self-study time with these materials during the program to support your growth and development in the program. You should plan for approximately 2-3 hours of self-study time each month during the program. You will have access to the toolkit for 30 days beyond the program end date. ($500 value)

Growth Partner

Iron sharpens iron! You will  be connected with a dedicated growth partner to provide more intensive accountability and one-on-one support during the entire 13-week program.  The expectation is that you will check in with your accountability partner virtually at least once a week. (Priceless)

Private Facebook Community Group

Stay connected with group members to share wins, ask for feedback, and get encouragement in-between sessions. In addition, Laura will contribute weekly to provide insights, answer questions, and share resources. (Priceless)

The Investment

The total value of all the program components is over $6500, but you can experience all the benefits of this special program for less than $1000!   

*NOTE: Many of our program participants have their program registration sponsored by their employer, so consider that option if it is available to you.

Two convenient payment options:

  • OPTION 1: Pay in full $997
  • OPTION 2: Three monthly payments of $333 for a total of $999. $333 deposit at registration and two additional payments of $333 charged to your card in 30-day increments.

Take the Next Step

SCHEDULE A CALL

Get to know us, discuss your challenges and goals, get all your questions answered, and decide if the program is right for you.

CONFIRM YOUR PARTICIPATION

If you decide that the program is a fit for you; you'll make your payment, submit your program agreement, and receive your program playbook with prep exercises to help you prepare for the official program start on 1/25/21.​

BECOME A STRONGER LEADER

You will join the Black Woman Leading community! You will strengthen your skills, engage in collective healing and self-care, and activate your leadership development plan.

SCHEDULE CALL

Contact Information

Email: laura@knightsconsultinggroup.com

Phone: 888-661-7104

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Meet Laura

Laura Knights is the creator of Black Woman Leading™ and Founder & CEO of Knights Consulting, LLC, where she helps organizations cultivate more confident, conscious leaders and high performing teams. She is an executive coach, speaker, facilitator, and trainer with 17+ years of experience creating professional development programs that have touched leaders all over the world. Her expertise and background in business, human resources, adult education, and as a licensed clinical social worker uniquely equip her to teach others how to deal with both the "head work" and "heart work" required to succeed at work and in life. 

Laura received her Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration, with a concentration in Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Management, from Washington University in St. Louis. She obtained her Master’s in Social Work from DePaul University. Laura is a certified workplace critical incident response professional, a certified clinical trauma professional, a certified practitioner for both the DISC and Core Values Index assessments, and holds the Licensed Clinical Social Worker designation in both Illinois and Georgia.

Laura is a teacher and master strategist at heart. She has always been dedicated to supporting Black women to move from surviving to thriving in both their personal and professional endeavors. Black Woman Leading™ is the latest iteration of her efforts, and a true passion project that combines all the best of her professional experiences and skills.