Overview | ALUMNI | DETAILS | Price | Dates
The Execitive Founder Program is a 6-month leadership program for high-impact executives ready to expand their influence and accelerate their growth. Participants are nominated by a network of industry leaders and selected after a competitive application process.
The core program is conducted in small, deeply intimate groups in which participants discover for themselves how and when they are most influential, how their behaviors impact others and gain a richer toolkit for building trusting and powerful professional and personal relationships. Many former participants have described the experience as profoundly transformational.
Our programs have a NPS of 92 and over 90% of alumni say LIT had a lasting impact on their effectiveness as a leader.
The Leaders In Tech Fellows program is based on T-groups, a form of experiential learning popularized by Interpersonal Dynamics, the most popular elective at the Stanford Graduate School of Business for over 30 years (commonly known and referred to as "Touchy Feely").
T-group is an experiential learning format focused on discovering when and how you are most influential, and how others really think and feel about how you act.
Most participants say their experience has helped them make hard decisions with more clarity, persevere, resolve conflict, hire and retain talent, and lead more effectively. Again and again, they report building some of the deepest, most honest, and enduring relationships of their lives. Hundreds have called the experience "life-changing".
The program begins with an intensive 4-day retreat. Participants engage in open and confidential conversations that build deep trust within the group, creating a unique environment to gain insights into how others perceive you and how you understand yourself and practice giving and receiving feedback effectively.
After the kickoff retreat, each learning group continues to meet throughout the year - with shorter sessions twice each quarter by zoom and once each quarter for a full day session in the Bay Area. These monthly sessions continue to build on the insights from the kickoff retreat and also give participants an ongoing support and reinforcement structure as they begin to apply their learning into the most pressing challenges and opportunities in their business and in their life.
Participants will join together with their current Fellows cohort and Fellows alumni for an in-person graduation dinner at the conclusion of their program.
Once they complete the program, Fellows become part of the LIT Alumni community for life. Many groups continue meeting in various formats for years after the program ends and there are regular formal and informal alumni community meetups and events in many locations as well as an active online community.
The Executive Program is for senior leaders at late-stage startups and post-IPO companies who are ready to lead through self-awareness and stronger relationships, not just expertise. Most participants are Senior Directors, VPs, or C-level executives, but what matters most isn't your title—it's willingness to learn from honest feedback.
The foundation of this program is interpersonal learning so the participation of each member impacts not only their own experience but the entire group. In joining the program, participants make a commitment to (1) attend the 4-day kickoff retreat in full, (2) attend each of the monthly peer learning group sessions, (3) enter the program deeply curious, willing to question existing mindsets and beliefs, and prepared to give and receive honest feedback in service of their own and others’ learning.
Tuition for the Fellows program is $15,000 and includes the 4-day retreat (with accommodations, meals, program materials), monthly learning groups, and the graduation dinner.
Most participants have their company cover tuition, similar to executive coaching. We also offer quarterly payment plans and financial aid for exceptional candidates—we do our best not to turn anyone away due to financial need.
Full attendance expected for all sessions in a cohort.
October 10-13th
Retreat
(
Santa Cruz, CA
)
Wed Nov 18th, 9-11am
Virtual Session
Wed Dec 16th, 9-11am
Virtual Session
Wed Jan 13th, 9-5pm
In-Person (location TBD)
Wed Feb 10th, 9-11am
Virtual Session
Wed Mar 10th, 9-11am
Virtual Session
Wed Apr 7th, 9-5pm
In-Person (location TBD)
Please take a few minutes to learn more about what to expect before applying.
Join our live Q&A sessions for nominees. This is a chance to hear directly from a Fellow alum and connect with our team to ask anything that would help you decide if this is something you want to invest in. Please click to register and join:
April 24 at 12 pm PT
May 8 at 12 pm PT
Please read The Power of T-Groups and Experiential Learning. This paper will help you better understand the pedagogy, the reason we use it, and how to best prepare to get the most out of a LIT program.
Check out some typical learning goals and skills for LIT programs.
Carole Robin and David Bradford’s website for their book Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends, and Colleagues. There is a wealth of articles, podcasts, interviews, and videos that introduce the foundation of LIT’s programs.
Carole Robin was a guest on Lenny’s Podcast. She covers Touchy Feely, Leaders in Tech, T-Groups, and a lot more about building connection and strong relationships as a leader and in your personal life.