
Adept Leadership FAQ’s
We know you are committed to helping your people reach their potential and have questions as you research leadership development training for your needs and goals. Here we give detailed answers to the most frequently asked questions about our process, systems, and methodology to assist you in your exploration. More questions? Let’s have a conversation to discuss your specific needs and goals.
ADEPT Leadership
What does ADEPT offer?
ADEPT Leadership® offers immersive leadership development. Our programs build habits incrementally over time to create the foundation that unlocks individual potential bolstered by measurable results, proven ROI, and benefits to your organization and people you didn’t even expect.
Who is ADEPT for?
- For Manager/Leaders at All Levels
- For Individual Contributors
- For Intact Teams
- For Whole Organizations
- For Small Companies who want best of class training for a small number of people
What isn’t part of an ADEPT program?
We are not: an offering based on a book; one-time off-site event or lecture; the same as internal company-based training; a self-guided webinar, or online class. Basically, we don’t provide quick fixes, unproven theories, one-and-done ideas, or self-guided content with little to no accountability or practical application. We work with organizations and teams who understand that there are no short-term fixes to build life-long productivity, management, and leadership habits and our programs build core skills over weeks, not hours. Participants are guided through a series of training intervals and use tools, processes, practice, group discussions, and mentoring to build behaviors step-by-step. We believe that developing skills incrementally with accountability for progress is the key to successfully creating positive habits.
What makes ADEPT different?
At ADEPT Leadership® our focus is developing foundational habits for productivity, effectiveness, and collaboration. Our approach is different in that it:
- Defines what changes are important to affect at the individual and organizational level
- Connects the desired outcomes with real-world language, images, and examples
- Incrementally achieves change goals in everyday conditions
- Validates progress through group collaboration and coaching support
- Incorporates assessment and feedback of progress
- Recognizes and celebrates success along the way
Why ADEPT Leadership development vs other options?
Effective leaders are committed to helping their people develop skills to perform better, grow their career, and prepare to be the next leader up. They understand not everyone has the same level of experience, but they want to positively impact the work, careers, and lives of their people by providing foundational leadership skills opportunities. These are the leaders who choose ADEPT.
How does ADEPT define what a leader is?
We believe that leaders exist at all levels, whether they have positional power or not. They may be leaders of their own work before they are responsible for others. Leadership skills and behaviors are critical to address and improve well before someone becomes a formal leader.
What do you mean by Becoming ADEPT?
Becoming ADEPT is a practical way to address performance improvement. On a day-to-day basis, excellent work performance is the result of positive actions, or behavior not just knowledge and insight. Single exposure seminars and workshops can increase knowledge and maybe create insight for participants but do little to support new actions. Becoming ADEPT requires changing behavior to get better results. We achieve this for our clients by using guided intervals and other proven methods to help participants translate their insights into positive actions and improved performance over time.
What do ADEPT programs focus on?
Our focus is not on helping participants develop technical skills, but rather developing personal productivity, managerial effectiveness, team collaboration and other positive actions necessary for everyday performance. We work with individual contributors, managers/leaders, teams, and work groups. Typically, we apply our processes with groups to solve organizational challenges; or take groups that are doing well to a higher level of performance.
Why are ADEPT Programs longer than others?
There is no short-term quick fix to create long-term habits. Only when you link a concept, with a process, and give people time to practice can you form leadership habits that stick.
How long has ADEPT been providing leadership development?
We have been working with executives, managers/leaders, individual contributors, teams, and work groups, to either solve organizational challenges or take performance to a higher level for more than 25 years.
What if we have specific needs or challenges not addressed in an ADEPT Program?
We believe our existing content can address the majority of productivity, management, and leadership needs within an organization. However, if you have a specific need that is not addressed, or if you have an internal procedure or vocabulary you want to incorporate, we are able to customize and modify our proven processes to your particular needs.
Why can’t I find a price on the website?
Our programs are customized to your goals and needs. Once we complete a discovery call, you’ll receive a detailed proposal customized with an outline of the skill-building program(s) that we believe best align for what you want to achieve.
How do I get started to learn if ADEPT can help us?
Schedule a discovery call by calling 407-660-5757, emailing info@becomeadept.com, or filling out our contact form (link). We’ll discuss goals for your people, the improvements you’re looking for, or the areas you’d like to strengthen. We’ll address organizational obstacles and clarify what a successful outcome looks like to you.
What happens after we finish an ADEPT leadership development program?
We have many options for employee development through our Pathways to Success, based on your role and desired outcomes. Whether you are an individual, leader, team, or organization, we have ways to continue to develop your leadership skills over time, level-by-level, program-by-program, goal-by-goal.
MEASUREABLE RESULTS/ ROI FAQs
How Does ADEPT ensure results?
Our systems address the most common organizational core leadership development needs, then we apply our five critical elements that ensures results.
How do I know we’ll have success with ADEPT?
We start with a conversation about your desired outcome for leadership development. Next, we spend time together defining your organizational goals through open dialogue and experience sharing. Then, if we find we need to clarify key metrics further, we use applicable tools and resources to dig deeper. Finally, we agree on what success looks like, how we will measure it, and then articulate what changes will occur with an engagement.
How does ADEPT prove ROI and what is the formula?
Clients achieve a wide range of benefits and frequently see improvements that are unexpected or unknown at the start. What is known from our hundreds of programs and thousands of participants is that two constant facts emerge consistently. From our Foundations of Leadership program, we know:
- Participants consistently attribute 10% of the entire program value to their individual improvement in time use efficiency
- The minimum time saved in terms of increased effectiveness is 15 minutes per day per participant.
To evaluate what you can expect as an ROI, at minimum, we use the following formula:
- We list the total number of participants and multiply that figure by the average hourly wage of all participants.
- We then multiply that number by a factor of 60 (15 minutes per day redirected toward more productive time use = 75 minutes per week, times 48 weeks = 60 hours)
- We multiply that number by a factor of 10 (time usage improvement is historically a minimum 10% of the impact of the program)
- Then we divide that number by the total fee = to get the expected ROI
Based on years of historical data, we can say with confidence that with our unique methodology past performance IS a predictor of future results.
INTERNAL ORGANIZATIONAL FAQs
Who should participate in ADEPT?
When deciding who will participate and the make-up of participating groups, consider these factors:
- Group Size: because of the level of participation, discussion, and engagement, small groups of 8 to 16 work best.
- Group Make-up: The group sessions are regularly scheduled over the course of time and create a natural catalyst for greater understanding between group members of different styles and their roles to reach their goals.
- Mixed Groups: Comprised of similar-level peers from differing departments or functions. Benefits include better understanding of other functions for cross-department effectiveness; higher level of engagement with organizational inner workings and overall goals; comfort in talking through challenges; and the feel of equality and “all in this together” attitude. Varied contributions and goals can make pin-pointing measures of success more difficult.
- Intact Teams or Groups: Comprised of teams or departments with mixed levels within the group. Benefits include total group focus on targeted measures of success and the ability to more directly solve operational issues that surface. However, these groups are sensitive to the leadership roles in the group. When the leader is open and appropriately vulnerable, team growth can be more positive in unexpected ways. If the leader is not open and appropriately vulnerable, the group’s growth and ability to apply new concepts can be stifled.
- Public option: Most sessions are “in-house” groups within one organization. Periodically, we offer our programs in a public on-line forum that includes participants from different organizations and roles. Public sessions allow new clients to test our process before a greater commitment; allow existing clients to fill the gap for teams who need to bring new members up to speed with a previous ADEPT group; and affords small companies the opportunity to receive high level training without a large inhouse group.
How is ADEPT delivered?
Training is conducted onsite, virtually, or a combination of the two, by an ADEPT Leadership® facilitator over the course of weeks, not hours. Guided intervals, proper tools, processes, and practice help participants translate what they are learning into useable actions, resulting in sustainable habits and improved performance over time.
1. On-site
On-site is conducted with a facilitator in the same room as participants to allow for a deeper dive into the content and application, and the flexibility to go off subject if there are specific issues to address.
2. Virtual
Conducted by a facilitator through our Virtual Conference CenterSM with participants face-to-face, but on-line to allow teams that work remotely to “gather” in one place when it’s not practical to be together in the same room.
3. Blended
A blended approach is simply a combination of the two, with at least one session conducted on-site to allow the facilitator and participants to build greater rapport and for the group to come together more rapidly.
What is expected of participants of an ADEPT program?
Commitment to show up and participate is key to success. The old adage you get out of it what you put into it, is true. Guided training is delivered every-other-week and then participants are given time for consideration of new concepts; development of how concepts apply to their unique situation; practicing of concepts through activities; and incorporating activities into habits and actions that produce positive results. Each session reviews the previous concept application, offers exposure to a new concept, and provides practical assignments for application of new concept between sessions.
Using our Learning Experience Platform (LXP), participants take responsibility for their development, realize gaps, and measure their own results along the way. The LXP encourages peer and group accountability and enhances engagement, accelerating progress toward individual goals, and group measures of success.
How do ADEPT Programs establish individual goals before we start?
Our immersive training starts with participant assessments to gather data and insights. Once inputs are received, participants develop their own customized plan for individual goals based on their personal aims and objectives. Customizing the learning experience this way engages the participant on two levels – professional and personal – and is proven to increase success.
How does ADEPT involve others in participants success?
Participants’ supervisors, who we call coaches, are engaged remotely to effectively support the participant in attaining goals and measuring success. An orientation is conducted so coaches know what to expect and how they can best support participants. Periodic updates provide coaches the feedback they need to follow along and track participants’ progress.
Who should be a Coach for an ADEPT Program?
Coaches are usually the participant’s supervisor, and the role is similar to the sponsor role, accept on an individual level. Consistently, this role provides opportunities to improve supervisory relationships.
What other internal personnel are needed for ADEPT Programs?
A designated internal sponsor acts as the bridge between your organization and ours. This role is critical to achieving the measures of success; monitors group progress; encourages people to stay engaged; removes obstacles for participation; monitors progress of goals; provides consequences for poor participation; recognizes achievement; shares insights with ADEPT facilitator; and is the receiver of feedback gleaned from our perspective. During our process initiation, we spend the most time with this individual to support, share best practices, and obtain agreement on the measures of success.
An internal logistics coordinator facilitates the interaction necessary with facilities, materials, and all participants to avoid disruption of normal workflow and is supported by our experienced team to make this a seamless and easy experience.
We expect our engagements to achieve pre-determined measures of success to show significant returns on the investment of money, time, and resources. Often clients experience unexpected gains that magnify that return. The investment is calculated based on the level of our involvement, the materials and resources used, and any travel required. We always calculate the best price and are flexible in modifying payment terms, project scope or requirements to match client resources as long as it achieves the desired objective.
PROGRAM PARTICIPANT FAQs
What is the average amount of time needed for an ADEPT Program?
Our training occurs over the course of weeks, not hours. Guided intervals, useable tools, relevant processes, and consistent practice help participants translate what they are learning into useable actions. The results are sustainable habits and improved performance over time. Within the first couple of weeks, participants start seeing increased results just in the skills they’ve practiced as they are being learned.
I’m already busy, how much work is there?
Like anything else, you’ll get out of it what you put into it. Typically, most people spend about 3 hours per week. Our clients tell us after 3-4 sessions they’ve already saved that amount of time in increased efficiencies by applying the ideas and working “on” their business.
How often do we meet?
The sessions are held bi-weekly.
How long is the process?
You will meet for a total of 8 sessions.
Will you tell me what I need to do to improve?
Our system will guide you to uncover the areas that are personally most important for you to address to improve performance. Then we’ll guide you along the way to apply the appropriate parts of the system to improve in those areas.
What resources are provided?
You’ll receive a workbook, audio recordings of the lesson material, personality style reports, access to a personal online fileserver to track your work, and a notebook for capturing thoughts and tasks during the day. You’ll have email access to your facilitator between the sessions to answer any questions that may come up.
Who else is in the group, and how many will there be?
The specific make-up of each public group is different but there will be people from different companies in different industries. Your group will be limited to 10 people, to maximize interaction and personal attention for you.
Why do I have assignments too?
The assignments are given so you can apply the ideas in the two weeks between the sessions. They are practical, designed to help you work “on” your business so you can be more effective working “in” it.
What happens if I miss a session?
Please notify the facilitator ahead of time when possible and make arrangements to obtain any additional instructions you missed. The assignments between the sessions will help you stay on course. To qualify for graduation, no more than two absences are permitted.
How does the virtual conference center work?
You’ll participate via web cam from your computer and telephone in a live group format. You’ll have a workbook that will be your guide for each session, to take notes and provide the content and assignments.
I don’t have a web conference system, is that okay?
We use a simple software program for creating the virtual conference room so all web cams can be seen during the session. As long as you have a working web cam, you should have no problem participating.