Leadership Workshops That Move the Needle
Leadership workshops should challenge the status quo by shifting perspectives, expanding awareness, and transforming how people lead.
Every organization has its own goals, challenges, culture, and people. Whether I’m partnering with a Fortune 500 company or a smaller boutique firm, every workshop is customized around the outcomes that matter most to that organization. Together we’ll identify what will create the greatest impact for your team and build an experience that moves the needle in ways that matter.
Let's begin by reimagining what's possible. Here are a few places we might start.
Shifting Perspectives
High-performance Teams
High-performing teams don't struggle because people don't care. They struggle because people are operating from different assumptions, expectations, and ways of communicating.
This workshop helps people better understand themselves, better understand one another, and recognize how those differences influence every conversation, decision, and relationship.
When people see one another differently, conversations change. Relationships strengthen. Trust grows. And High Performance Teams begin performing at a whole new level. Full-on coaching observations happen in the moment as well as optionally including the Open 360° Feedback Session™️.
Better understand yourself, your team, and those around you
Reduce friction and build trust with healthy communication
Replace assumptions with curiosity, and grace.
Build a culture of shared ownership and accountability
Build a team that works together instead of around one another
Ideal for leadership teams and organizations that know stronger relationships lead to stronger results.
NOTE: Team outings are built into programs only if valuable and relevant to the team goals.
Leadership Reset
The greatest shift in leadership rarely comes from learning something new. It comes from seeing something anew.
Leadership has a way of tapping into old patterns. The way we solve problems. The way we communicate. The assumptions we make. The way we approach different people in the same way. These patterns quietly limit both the leader and the team.
Leadership Reset challenges leaders to step back, see themselves and others through a new lens, and rethink the assumptions that shape their leadership. When leaders begin seeing something anew, better decisions, stronger relationships, and healthier teams naturally follow.
Greater ownership and accountability across the team
Increased self-awareness and emotional intelligence
New perspectives on communication that build trust and understanding
Stronger team dynamics and healthier relationships
Leaders who spend less time in the weeds and more time leading strategically
Ideal for emerging leaders, newly promoted managers, experienced leaders, and organizations ready to rethink how leadership shows up every day.
Executive Influence
Executive presence isn't a mask you put on. It's something people experience when who you are aligns with how you lead.
Too often, capable leaders unintentionally undermine their own influence. Some diminish their presence. Others overpower it. Executive presence isn't found at either extreme—it's found in balance and alignment.
Executive Influence & Presence helps leaders recognize the habits that quietly undermine their credibility, strengthen how they communicate, align who they are with how they lead, and with increased confidence, become more effective leaders. When leaders are more aligned and authentic, others naturally experience them, and follow them differently.
Communicate with confidence without overexplaining or overpowering
Align who you are with how you lead.
Navigate difficult conversations with confidence and capability
Build credibility through consistency, and neutral communciation
Influence through trust rather than authority.
Ideal for emerging leaders, experienced leaders, executives, and professionals ready to strengthen their influence and leadership presence.
Change Mindset
The greatest challenge during times of change isn't the change itself. It's how people process it.
Change naturally creates uncertainty. Questions. Resistance. A desire to hold on to what feels familiar. Yet leaders have far more influence over how people process it than they realize. By remaining grounded themselves—and using reframing, intentional communication, and a deeper understanding of personality and the human need for control—leaders can profoundly influence how people move through change.
Change Mindset helps leaders remain grounded despite uncertainty, reduce resistance through understanding, and create the conditions where people embrace what's next.
Remain grounded when circumstances aren't
Build buy-in instead of compliance
Reduce resistance through understanding and communication
Lead with clarity during uncertainty.
Build resilience, trust, and forward momentum.
Ideal for leaders guiding organizational change, growth, or significant transition.
NOTE: NO, we will not be walking on hot coals! 😆
Beyond the Workshop
Awareness begins in the workshop. Lasting transformation takes root in the follow-through.
A workshop can spark new thinking, shift perspectives, and build momentum. But lasting change doesn't always happen in a single event. It happens through the conversations, choices, and habits leaders develop after the workshop ends. That's where transformation takes root.
Beyond the Workshop extends the learning through coaching, accountability, follow-up sessions, observations, assessments, leadership support, and practical reinforcement designed to help leaders apply what they've learned, maintain momentum, and create lasting organizational change.
Ideal for organizations committed to turning learning into lasting leadership and meaningful culture change.
Precision Solutions
Organizations often know they are hurting (plateaued, frustrated, stuck, or simply underperforming). They just don't always know the source of the pain.
Every organization is different. So are the challenges they face. Sometimes the right solution isn't another workshop or a standard leadership program. Sometimes it requires stepping back, uncovering what's really happening beneath the surface—the root cause—and designing a solution around it.
For organizations seeking a more targeted approach, Precision Solutions combines Heidi's coaching, facilitation, leadership development, assessments, and custom-designed experiences to address your specific challenge. New exercises, facilitation techniques, and learning experiences are often developed specifically to target the issue, unlock new perspectives, and move people forward.
Ideal for organizations ready to move beyond symptoms, uncover the root cause, and create meaningful, lasting change.
The right solution starts with the right conversation. Together, we'll determine what will create the greatest impact for your people and your organization.
“I learned how to better articulate and essentially become a better listener so I could help my team and my staff perform better and with ease.” - Jennifer Czekai, Director of Marketing - Meijer
The Methods I Use
With over two decades of experience coaching execs, leading high-impact programs, and working with complex teams, I use the real stuff—Enneagram™, B.A.N.K.™, D.i.S.C.™, and StrengthsFinder™ among other assessments, to dig deeper and find out what’s missing.
My toolbag is very full and I draw on whatever tool necessary to help the client get it. Models, various questioning techniques, real-life examples/stories, exercises, metaphors, role-playing, E.F.T., case studies, E.M.D.R., and visulaization, to name a few.
Whether we’re working on conflict, communication, leadership, or strategic influence, my approach is practical, tailored, and built to shift behavior where it matters most. No firewalking required (been there, done that!). Just real results, for real leaders.
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Assessments are leveraged as an accompaniment to executive coaching, public talks, and team workshops, helping clients transform, versus as stand-alone products.
On their own, assessments are an excellent way to grow awareness, but the common belief is that this awareness alone will shift behavior.
I use many assessments strategically in conjunction with development work, to move clients forward.
Assessments, when used mindfully, are excellent catalysts to deepen development work.
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Three client favorites include: B.A.N.K.™, D.i.S.C.™, and ENNEAGRAM™.
B.A.N.K.™: Fast, fun, educational, and interactive, this workshop provides easy-to-learn, B.A.N.K.™ communication and relationship basics. Participants leave with enough information and capability to be dangerous! This is an excellent topic for team building and/or communication workshops. B.A.N.K.™ cards are purchased separately and available on the SHOP page.
D.i.S.C.™: Highly engaging, interactive, and insightful, this workshop is ideal for team development. This segment helps participants communicate more effectively, and understand and resolve communication issues, while learning new skills and gaining self-awareness.
ENNEAGRAM™: The deep and complex Enneagram™ assessment is highlighted in this workshop. Interactive and introspective, participants gain a high-level knowledge of the tool, themselves, and their team.
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People go to extremes to be who others want them to be. Imposter Syndrome, experienced by many, is a frequent outcome.
Not operating from the core, operating inauthentically, is often a blindspot.
We delve into the Authentic Self, where leaders learn to BE the real and best version of themselves, operate from their core, and address limiting beliefs.
Additional topics include trust, real and candid conversations, inspiration, and overall fulfillment and happiness.
When the Authentic/CORE foundational layer is healthy and strong, the likelihood of a successful operational and strategic layer implementation is also strong.
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Every organization experiences change, so the big question is, does your organization have a change mindset?
Track 1: Leadership
Leaders who have been leading through remote work, process issues, engagement, and retention, while juggling relationships, teamwork, and healthy communication are exhausted!
This program is a call-to-action for leaders to shift their mindset. Gain new awareness and adjust perspective with game-changing techniques and exercises. As you manage and lead, create change acceptance, resilience, and maybe even excitement.
Track 2: Organizational Change Mindset
Even good change can cause anxiety. Sometimes it’s because people don’t feel heard. Sometimes it’s because people aren’t on the same page. And sometimes it is because differing personalities perceive change (and each other) differently.
Learn to handle resistance, perceptions, and lack of control. Foster real dialogue, build trust in the midst of change, and embrace an organizational change mindset.
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Communication is a huge topic and at the root of many issues. The gap between what you intended to say, and what was heard (or not) is one of the core principles tackled in this segment.
If you vacillate between staying silent or blasting others with your opinion, often causing a rift, underdeveloped communication skills are most likely the cause …often compounded by communication confidence, emotional intelligence, and binary mindset.
Heidi incorporates your input and skill level into her design to deliver a program that takes you and your team to the next level. Outcomes include real and authentic communication, improved relationships (even the ones you’ve been avoiding!), real conversations, honest/tough feedback, clarity, and personality-type capability.
Anticipate an overall improved communication skillset and communication confidence.
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How you move through and resolve conflict is career defining. For instance, accepting and ignoring a team member’s unacceptable behavior sends a message. Maybe that you are protecting a friend, don’t have the courage to handle the situation, or can’t hold a person accountable. Leaders often ignore the subtle pre-conflict indicators, thinking everything is okay…until it isn’t.
Whether it is toxicity, avoidance, false perceptions, or a conflict resolution style mismatch, enhancing your skills to handle disagreements proactively puts you in the leadership driver seat, and helps you protect those in your charge.
Stand up to conflict so it doesn’t stand in your way!
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Whether intentional or not, your organization has a culture, and your team has an identity. It is defining. But is it how you want to be defined?
Maybe it is time to be intentional. Culture definition and identity work provides a framework for decision making in the absence of clarity.
This foundational topic is critical for business success. How does your organization/team define itself? What do you stand for? Is the team on the same page, “rowing in the same direction”? Is the vision energizing? Can the organization move forward without constant supervision?
Without a clear target and defined execution tactics, the end goal is allusive, and people flounder.
As teams build trust, intentionally define themselves and the culture, identify their purpose, and anticipate their barriers to success, they build a team rich in creativity, problem-solving, collaborative relationships, and laser-focused execution.
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IQ gets you in the door, but EQ (emotional intelligence) determines how successful you are once you’re inside. EQ impacts most everything …how you are perceived, your relationships, your reviews, promotional opportunities, and most everything in-between.
It’s not IQ or EQ, it is IQ and EQ. Especially at the higher leadership levels, there is an expectation for both.
Interestingly, the more dominant an individuals’ reliance on IQ, the more likely their resistance to working on EQ …the “silly soft stuff”. Why? Working a lethargic, atrophied, not-used muscle is uncomfortable. The good news is, this muscle can be strengthened. Everyone benefits from an EQ workout…and it can be fun. What are you waiting for?
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Most leaders dread annual reviews. They are time-consuming and challenging. Writing (and delivering!) a review that is accurate, honest, courageous, and kind, requires much fortitude, and is why leaders stall.
Avoidance often sends a subtle message that the person receiving the feedback isn’t important (I know, because this is a common complaint!). Ultimately this causes unnecessary stress, and loss in work product quality.
Feedback resistance prevents leaders from learning, adjusting, and growing. Constructive feedback is difficult to hear, yet necessary. Receiving feedback allows people to shift perspective, hear what is truly being said, see the benefit of the feedback, clarify, and use it for the greater good. The goal is BE-ing the best version of YOU! Are you ready to get out of your own way?
Both giving and receiving feedback are important parts of leadership, whether a leader of yourSELF or a manager/leader of others. Learn to give and receive feedback in a constructive, non-ego triggering, balanced way!
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If you are a leader of people, or a leader of yourSELF, it is important to keep those leadership muscles toned. Have you stopped working out? Have you gotten leadership lazy? If so, you’ve probably reverted back to a not-so-beneficial go-to default style …which is probably not in the best interest of you or your team.
A few sample leadership questions to consider: Have you connected your team’s goals to the organization/corporate goals? Have you communicated the connection? Do you mostly lead down? Are you leading in a true 360° way? How are your critical thinking skills? Are you getting the best out of the people who follow you? Are you bogged down by people problems? What are you modeling to your team? Are you emotionally intelligence in your interactions? Are you operating from your foundational layer of authenticity?
If you are a success-oriented but out-of-shape leader, it might be time to hit the gym. Heidi can help you with your workout and is available for executive coaching, corporate events/keynote address, public motivational talks, and team workshops and programs.
p.s. There are many leadership subcategories, call to explore the best options for you, your team, and/or your event. (i.e. awareness, candid/courageous conversations, engagement, perspective, sales, strategic thinking, team identity, team meeting optimization, and so on).
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The heartbeat of an organization is represented by the many people who synergistically work toward common goals at the operational layer. This layer is tangible—you can see it in action! This is the layer where the organizational culture lives and breathes. When the authentic layer is not fit or healthy, people problems and/or execution issues result at the operational layer.
The Operational Leader™ (healthy or unhealthy) touches many organizational topics including accountability, communication, conflict resolution, engagement, goals, management, mentoring, performance, recognition, systems, team dynamics, teamwork, and trust.
Which is why leadership fitness at the Operational-Self layer is critical. Working out and developing the Operational-Self is key to a Whole Leadership™ strategy.
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Organizations cannot thrive without trust, and people cannot build trust when they do not fundamentally understand each other. With little common understanding, there is minimal alignment, and the result is stagnation, disengagement, and conflict.
The key to unlocking many organizational issues (especially people problems!) is understanding personality tendencies. More than an exercise in self-awareness, the “big win” is other-awareness—learning about the personality and behavioral tendencies of others, understanding what makes them tick, and ticked off.
In this workshop topic, people learn how to bring out the best in each other, and the worst. With a sigh of relief, renewed confidence, and sense of power, they (finally) play nice in the sandbox. The result is trust. Quickly followed by engagement, synergy, productivity, and growth.
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The Strategic Layer is the fun layer, where most leaders want to play. And if honest, they do not actually spend a lot of time here. Most leaders are imbalanced, and spend much of their time “in the weeds”, micro-managing and in the middle of people problems.
A strong foundation (in the Whole Leadership™ model), frees leaders up to focus their energy on actual strategic endeavors like the vision, critical thinking, creativity, the big picture, and idea generation. By staying out of the weeds, leaders (at the top of the organization, over a business unit/department, or individually), create new space for proactively identifying opportunities, gaps, leverage points, and strategic solutions.
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The Open 360° Feedback Process™ is the #1 most positively rated team transformation exercise of all the UPwords Inc./Heidi Frye facilitated workshops.
The Open 360° Feedback Process™…
• is excellent for a team refresh
• gets teams unstuck
• addresses behaviors negatively impacting the team and/or organization in a kind, honest, and productive way
• addresses the “elephant in the room”
• exposes and resolves conflicts and misunderstandings
• gives teams the best opportunity for healthiness, open dialogue, and as BE-ing as dynamic as possible
• has received many positive comments, like
“This process was pivotal in my growth as a leader”,
“My favorite part of the program was the Open 360’s—the feedback was transformational”,
“I wasn’t surprised by the feedback, I already know that about myself, however, I was surprised by how much my behavior impacted the team”, and
“The negative comments didn’t surprise me at all, but I will say, I was totally blown away by the positive…I had no idea I was so valued.”
This highly regarded program is masterfully facilitated by Heidi Frye. With great respect for each contributor, and a process that is 100% proven successful, Heidi fosters a healthy feedback environment which benefits each participant, leveraging a skillset that draws out the truth, an intuition for the needs of each participant, and a keen sense of humor.
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When an organization is healthy and runny smoothly, leadership seems deceptively simple. Like a well-oiled machine, leadership is independent while dependent, complex and interrelated—easily taken for granted. And for that reason, many leaders are surprised by the ongoing hard “developmental work” it requires.
Like working out only one half of your body, unused muscles atrophy. Can you imagine intentionally only exercising the muscles on one side of your body? To maintain overall balance, a full workout is required. The same holds true for your inner leader. Overall leadership fitness requires a balanced inner workout of the Authentic Self™, the Operational Self™, and the Strategic Self™.
When out of balance, organizational indicators include silos, people problems, passive agreement, disengagement, and turnover. When out of balance, leaders feel like they are alone, spinning the plates—working hard to illicit input from people, making sure the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed, hanging out in the weeds (because they feel the need to), and trying to keep the momentum going. It is exhausting!
When whole, leaders tap into real power, creating authentically with others, operating from their CORE, accessing their inner truth, strength, and wisdom, and standing up for that knowingness. True power is powerful and effortless, when balanced and whole.