Planning and strategy session for TLC Alliance Board Members

Electron Room

Othello Meeting Room

8:30 – 9:00 - Gathering for Coffee and Informal Connection 

9:00 – 9:10 – Introductions and Review of the Learning Objectives

9:10 – 9:20 - Ice Breaker

9:20 – 10:15 – The Fine Art of Facilitation

10:15 – 10:35 – Meet a New Friend

10:35 – 11:30 – Missouri Case Study

11:30 – 11:40 – Break

11:40 – 12:15 – Five Pro Facilitation Tips

12:15 – 1:15 – Lunch

1:15 – 1:40 – Energizers and Experiential Activities That Work Around the World

1:40 – 2:25 – Cultural Nuance in Facilitation – Panel Discussion

2:25 – 2:35   Break

 2:35 – 3:00   Reflection and Action Planning

3:00 – 3:20 – Peer Coaching

3:20 – 3:30 - Shout outs, Encouragements, and Closing Circle

3:30 – Adjourn for the Day

Pick up your badges and program in the Signature Ballroom Foyer before the fun starts!

Signature Ballroom – First Floor of the Doubletree

The TLC Alliance Board of Directors invites all TLC Alliance members to the 2026 Annual Meeting in Chicago. We will reflect on the past year, celebrate the community’s impact, and look ahead to what’s next. During the meeting, Alliance leaders will share updates on programs, finances, and key initiatives; recognize contributions from members and volunteers; conduct required governance business; and outline priorities for the year ahead. Members will also have the opportunity to engage in discussion and help shape the future of the TLC Alliance.

Agenda

• Welcome & Board of Directors Introductions

• 2024-2026 Major Achievements

• 2026-2027 Strategy, Plans, and Key Metrics

• Board of Directors Election

• What Do You Want from Your Membership?

• A Celebratory Toast (Sponsored by Dynamic Perspectives)

Join us at Crust Brewing (5500 Park Place, Rosemont) for pizza, salad, hand-crafted beer, and lively conversation as we kick off the Rally.

An 8-minute walk from the Doubletree. Map

Meeting Place TBD

Signature ABC Room

Signature Ballroom

In a time marked by uncertainty, polarization, and declining trust, the need for leaders with moral values, character, and conviction has never been greater. In this session, Jim Kouzes will engage in a candid conversation with Harry Kraemer about what it means to be a values-based leader and what leaders and leadership development professionals can do to build and sustain cultures in which leaders consistently do the right thing. Jim and Harry will discuss key themes in From Values to Action, including Harry’s fundamental principles of self-reflection, having a balanced perspective, true self-confidence, and genuine humility. This dialogue-rich session will inspire reflection, spur motivation, and deliver practical insights for leading with purpose and integrity.

Harry Kraemer is a Clinical Professor of Leadership at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and the former Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Baxter International, Inc. He’s also the author of several leadership books, including the recently released From Values to Action: The Four Principles of Values-Based Leadership, Second Edition.

Jim Kouzes is the coauthor of The Leadership Challenge and over a dozen other books on leadership, including the forthcoming book with Steve Farber and Barry Posner, The Radical Promise. Jim’s been passionate about values-based leadership since he was an Eagle Scout and served in John F. Kennedy’s Honor Guard in 1961.Item description

Item descriptionIn this in-depth case study session, participants will explore how Chumash Enterprises used The Leadership Challenge® to enable a major business transformation—moving from current-state challenges to a more resilient, future-ready organization. The presenters will share the change journey, highlighting the critical players involved, how leadership roles were integrated, and how each of The Five Practices was intentionally deployed to shift behaviors and culture. Through stories, videos, and concrete examples, attendees will see how leadership behaviors translated into measurable impact, including tangible business metrics and return on investment. The session concludes with key lessons learned and reflective questions for the audience to consider in their own transformation work.

John Elliot is Principal of Strategy Elevation Alliance and former CEO of Chumash Enterprises. 

Therese (Teri) Hill is Principal of Strategy Elevation Alliance, Founder of Hill-Summit Consulting, and was a Strategy Consultant at Chumash throughout the transformation. 

Signature Ballroom

You’ve explored the Five Practices—now it’s time to put them to the test. Your final quest? Break into the box and uncover “The Heart of Leadership.” Get ready to LEAD, LEARN, and LAUGH as you race to uncover clues and crack codes. In this fast-paced, high-spirited session, every lock you open will connect back to the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership. This session is part challenge, part celebration, and all fun.

Facilitators: Patia Rountree, Ph.D. and Shannon Robertson are help bring The Student Leadership Challenge to life through the creation of the Student Leadership Academy. With over 30 years of experience as educators, they believe in leading from any seat and actively use The Five Practices with both students and adults to positively impact their schools, community, and professional organizations.

In this dynamic session Andrea Butcher and Terrence Yeung offer a complete roadmap for transforming your TLC expertise into a thriving practice. They will move from the foundational mechanics of building your business to the nuanced art of becoming a strategic partner.

First, they tackle the entrepreneur’s mindset: why client sourcing trumps more qualifications and how to build a pipeline that aligns with your authentic personality. Learn practical strategies for generating referrals and social proof—the true engine of sustainable growth. Then, they shift to the client’s perspective, exploring how to transition from “selling a program” to co-creating a journey. They’ll demonstrate a light-touch discovery process that connects TLC directly to the client’s “why,” framing it as a catalyst for culture change and talent development. This “selling without selling” approach fosters deep ownership and lasting impact.

This is a shared learning experience, not a lecture. Through interactive discussion, we’ll harvest the group’s collective wisdom on what works—from initial pitch to global project scaling. Attendees will leave with a pragmatic toolkit for both the “engine” (business model) and the “heart” (client partnership) of a successful TLC practice.

Andrea Butcher is founder of Abundant Empowerment based in Indianapolis. She is a visionary business leader, executive coach, and keynote speaker. She hosts the popular leadership podcast “Being [at Work]” and is the author of The Power in the Pivot and HR Kit for Dummies.

Based in Hong Kong, Terrence Yeung has been a training consultant in Asia for 20 years. He has centered his successful consulting practice on The Leadership Challenge for over a decade.

Panelists:

Shannon Robertson and Patia Roundtree, Ph.D. utilize The Leadership Challenge with Middle and High School age students as well as aspiring Teacher Leaders and administrators in schools. 

Ron Siers, Ph.D. is a professor and coach at Salisbury University and co-founder of Ascendant Global Leadership, LLC, producing ascendant leaders capable of conquering organizational challenges.

Ed Condon is a non-profit executive director, working to advance leadership in Head Start and early childhood programs in the west.Item description

Steve Farber shares the behind-the-scenes story and creative dynamics that shaped The Radical Promise (Wiley, August), which he co-authored with Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner. The book explores what it truly takes to master credibility as a lived discipline—how leaders earn trust by consistently doing what they say they will do. In this session, Steve reveals how their shared values and distinct voices came together in a deeply collaborative process—and what that collaboration may mean for the future of the TLC community. The conversation concludes with a lively Q&A featuring all three authors.

Steve Farber, founder and CEO of The Extreme Leadership Institute, is a bestselling author, keynote speaker, and leadership coach. Formerly vice president at Tom Peters Company, he helps organizations build award-winning cultures. His books include The Radical Leap, Greater Than Yourself, and Love Is Just Damn Good Business.Item description

Up early?  Join us for a stretch and walk in the neighborhood.  Meet at 6:15 am in the hotel lobby. Bring your own water!

Signature ABC Room

This session explores a mindful movement approach to The Leadership Challenge® , pairing accessible movement with The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership®. Experience how intentional movement supports presence, emotional regulation, and effective leadership behaviors. Each movement sequence aligns with The Five Practices® , offering an embodied way to navigate change, build trust, and strengthen connection. Through guided demonstrations, we’ll practice adaptable techniques you can immediately apply in personal and professional leadership, facilitation, and coaching. No special clothing or equipment required — movements are gentle and accessible to all bodies and abilities.

Angie Chaplin is facilitator, mindfulness teacher, and recovery coach based in Iowa. She brings extensive experience applying TLC across higher education, public service, and community-based organizations, with a growing focus on the mental health and recovery sector. Grounded in both leadership practices and lived experiences in sustained sobriety, Angie received permission from Jim Kouzes, Barry Posner, and Wiley to develop The Way Onward, a facilitator training curriculum rooted in The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership for behavioral health professionals.

In this interactive session, we’ll explore how AI is reshaping leader and coach development—and why feedback, practice, and iteration are the new currency of leadership growth. Drawing on frameworks like The Leadership Challenge® and insights from modern L&D ecosystems, participants will examine where AI adds signal, not noise: simulating real conversations, accelerating feedback loops, and expanding access to deliberate practice.

Greg will demonstrate LeadersLab.io live, showcasing conversational rehearsal with an expert-trained AI bot and the kind of immediate feedback most programs can’t operationalize in the moment. He’ll close with a lightweight, call to action to connect, explore AI experimentation options, and share what conversation you’re practicing next.

Greg Allen, Ph.D., based in Charleston, South Carolina, is a leadership educator, executive coach, and consultant who teaches and works with leaders across all sectors, integrating The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership®, the LPI® 360, and AI-enabled tools through The Leaders Lab.io to develop more effective, transformational leaders.

Leadership development has long centered on organizational settings, yet some of the most profound leadership moments emerge far beyond the workplace. This session presents groundbreaking research that explores The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® in an often-overlooked context: home. This session will draw on a qualitative, holistic single-case study that explored how millennial mothers enacted The Five Practices ®in their personal best parenting experiences. The findings reveal powerful parallels between transformational leadership and modern motherhood. Attendees will gain an inside look at how The Five Practices® surfaced in the mothers’ stories. Spoiler: Mothers not only practice leadership in the home but also offer a domain that can inform and enrich leadership theory itself. By examining motherhood through the lens of The Five Practices, we open new pathways for inclusive leadership development. Attendees will walk away with a richer understanding of how the framework shows up in non-organizational environments and how these insights can reshape coaching, curriculum design, and future research opportunities.

Brittney Majka, Ed.D. lives in the Washington, D.C. area where she works as a leadership coach and conducts TLC research related to parenting.

Great story writing leads to great story telling! Facilitators are always looking for a good story to demonstrate The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership®. In this session Joseph Jacob and Renee Harness explore the power of storytelling and writing — with a special appearance by Jim Kouzes, who will share his perspective on how story fits into building a thriving community and developing exemplary leaders.

Joseph and Renee will partner in sharing the story of leadership and the steel pan — its history, evolution, and the leadership structure that drove its innovation — interweaving the Story Spine throughout their conversation. Leave with a framework you can apply to your own stories for maximum impact, whether in the workshop or in other learning settings.

Joseph Jacob, Ph.D. is a leadership and organizational transformation coach, developing relationships with board members of businesses, as well as entrepreneurs while planning executive leadership and team coaching programs that enhance operational efficiency and facilitate business growth.

Renee Harness is President of the Board of the TLC Alliance and wrote a story that was published in The Leadership Challenge, 7th Edition about Pat Christen from Hopelab, an organization that helps pediatric cancer patients through video games. Renee has contributed to the 4th through 7th editions of The Leadership Challenge.em description

In a world that often rewards speed over substance and comfort over courage, leadership excellence is never accidental—it is chosen. Drawing from the proven framework of The Leadership Challenge by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner and his book Nobility: Rejecting Mediocrity, Pursuing Perfection and Overcoming Your Previous Self, John Thomas will explore how extraordinary leadership includes a daily, deeply personal decision to become better than yesterday. At the heart of nobility is the belief that leaders are not defined by titles, but by the standards they refuse to compromise. When that inner commitment is paired with The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® nobility moves from philosophy to practice.

This closing keynote challenges leaders to reject mediocrity, confront their previous self, and embrace leadership as a disciplined pursuit of excellence. Attendees will gain insight into how personal growth fuels credibility, how daily choices shape culture, and how noble leadership creates lasting impact in teams, organizations, and communities.

John Thomas has over 25 years of leadership experience in higher education, government administration, nonprofits and independent organizational consulting. He has led efforts in leadership coaching, design and delivery of development solutions, team building, employee engagement, and human resource functions. In addition to independent consulting, John currently serves as a consultant with the Organization Development team at WashU in St. Louis.