When Advita Patel and I imagined A Leader Like Me, we dreamed of the program we each wished we’d had as we navigated our own careers as womxn (she/her and they/them) of colour growing up in two different continents.
We identified skills and created a support community and began with our first cohort of 30 women to test our Flight program in August. For twelve weeks, we taught development skills, shared strategies, and created a safe space to discuss challenges in a secure and supportive environment.
Anecdotally, we could see, hear and feel the results. Womxn getting stronger, braver, bolder. Womxn who went from victims to victors who took ownership of their career journeys. Womxn who started to step up and step out, knowing there were cheerleaders pushing them forward, ready to catch them when things didn’t go their way, and happy to celebrate the wins, big and small. We were told, and knew intuitively, that we were changing lives.
Yet, as someone who encourages accountability and measurement, we wanted to survey our cohort to understand (in numbers) just how much of a difference had we made.
Overall Satisfaction: 94%
While we received a score of 94% when it came to overall satisfaction, even more amazing was the increase in confidence expressed by our members.
Confidence grew by 28% from 5.6/10 before the program to 8.4/10 after the program was complete.
Honestly, this was better than any of us expected. We saw marked improvements in the areas of having difficult conversations, applying for promotions, understanding personal brand, setting goals and building a community.
Members told us they appreciated meeting and being a part of group of like-minded professional womxn. They enjoyed the community and confidence it gave them. They felt it was a safe space where others would listen and offer help. Others enjoyed the global diversity and empowerment.
We’re pleased that so many of our first cohort have decided to continue with us through our subscription community called The Nest that launched in October.
What’s next?
In 2021, there are several ways to build leadership skills through A Leader Like Me.
- Flight – 12 Weeks of Skills Development in a small group setting which will be followed by access to the Nest to continue the learning and networking – maximum of 30 women will form Cohort #2. Spaces are filling quickly for a mid January start.
- The Nest – Our subscription community to network, support and learn from global experts who provide monthly webinars. This community will open up again for new members in early January.
- VIP – A opportunity to support your development with four 1:1 coaching sessions that focus on you and your plans with a certified coach. Join our waiting list.
Stay tuned:
As part of our future plans, A Leader Like Me will also host our online Diversity In Action Conference on March 23, 2021 to ensure progress and maintain the conversation on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. We have a stellar line-up of thought leaders to highlight those organizations that have turned promises into performance.
We also plan to introduce an in-house corporate program and hope to expand our program to include more coaches and other communities that would like to benefit from this program.
A Leader Like Me has turned from a passion project to a movement that is lifting and amplifying diverse voices around the globe. We’re making a meaningful and measurable difference beyond what Advita and I had imagine.
We’re proud of this new business, but honestly more proud of the brave and beautiful individuals we’ve had an opportunity to work with this past year and we’re truly excited for what the future holds.