Currier Group Dr. Joe Currier · Founder In honor of Dr. Les Frankfurt
Before You Begin
A Note From Your Facilitators
You have accomplished a great deal to get to this room. This week is about what happens next.
The EMI program is designed to enhance your personal and professional effectiveness — not just at work, but in every domain you lead. This week goes deeper than skill or strategy. It is the inner game: self-awareness, the beliefs you carry, the unconscious patterns you repeat, and the shadow you cast as a leader whether you intend to or not.
This workbook is yours. Use it during sessions, return to it between them, and bring it back with your reflections complete. These pages are designed to hold your experience.
"We learn best when we experience a message on multiple levels."
Hear
You understand the idea.
Do
You learn through practice.
Experience
You change.
In this room, each of us is teacher and student. Come ready to be both.
EMI Year III · Section I · Unit I1
Section I
Unit I — Are You Ready to Lead?
An honest look at your authentic self.
Opening Reflection
On My Way
Yesterday · Today · Tomorrow
Yesterday — What are you carrying in?Today — How are you arriving to this experience?Tomorrow — What do you want to be different on the other side of this week?
EMI Year III · Section I · Unit I2
A Question Worth Sitting With
What Do We Mean by "Leader"? By "Leadership"?
"If you think you are a leader, look behind you…"
John C. Maxwell
Before we explore leadership, the word itself deserves a challenge.
The Leadership Conversation
Transactional or transformational? What is the Number #1 Obligation of a Leader? We will have an answer this week.
Your initial thoughts — transactional vs. transformational leadership
EMI Year III · Section I · Unit I3
Opening Reflection
Goals · Expectations · Cautions · Concerns
What are you hoping to get from this experience? What might get in the way?
My goals for this weekMy expectationsMy cautions and concerns
EMI Year III · Section I · Unit I4
Are You Ready to Lead?
Lead · Follow · Hide
Many people falsely define "leadership" by rank, title, authority, and control. Just because you own it doesn't mean you're leading. And many falsely believe that "follow" is in opposition to great leadership. Great leaders know how to follow.
Lead
What does it mean to genuinely lead? First impressions and examples.
Follow
When do great leaders follow? Why is this so often misunderstood?
Hide
Where do you hide — in the expert role, in anger, in being "nice"?
The question remains — are you ready to lead?
Where do you most often find yourself — and why?
EMI Year III · Section I · Unit I5
Lead · Follow · Hide
Vulnerability & Authentic Narrative
Most executives believe it is career suicide to show vulnerability.
Your true power and lessons-learned are as rooted in your "defeats" as they are in your victories.
Leaders need clear, consistent, authentic autobiographical narratives.
Who has earned the right to hear your story?
How will it impact the mission, relationships, and performance?
What is the defeat or vulnerability you've been most reluctant to name as a leader?
EMI Year III · Section I · Unit I6
Leadership Fundamentals
Are Leaders Born — or Is Leadership Learned?
Many, if not most, Natural Born Leaders FAIL. Why? Excuses. Bad habits. Poor models. False beliefs. Childhood trauma. The assumption that talent alone carries you.
"Leadership is learned. And what is learned can be unlearned — and relearned."
What did you inherit about leadership — stated and modeled?What are you learning? What are you unlearning?
EMI Year III · Section I · Unit I7
An Honest Look at Your Self
Character Ethics
"Character Ethics are what a person used to be judged on."
Stephen Covey
Today, people ask you to judge them on their brand, their social media presence. Leaders redefine common words, cook the books, spin the truth. Many leaders have let us down.
"Character, truth, and honesty lie in the 5%, not the 95%. We have a moral compass that lets us know right from wrong."
Thursday question: Who in this group would you want to marry your sister or brother? Be part of your family?
What does character ethics mean to you — not in principle, but in practice?
EMI Year III · Section I · Unit I8
Rules of Engagement
Teams Need Clear, Consistent Rules of Engagement
The One Rule
Every individual, regardless of rank, is OBLIGATED to tell others how they positively and negatively impact him or her. These feelings and "facts," when they seem important for personal and professional development, will be given in a CARING SPIRIT. This information will be received as a SIGN OF RESPECT. Power Teams need clear, consistent rules of engagement.
What makes this rule hard to practice? What makes it necessary?
EMI Year III · Section I · Unit I9
Attitude Determines Outcome
Where Are You Right Now?
1Defensive · Closed
"I'm fine as I am — no need to change."
2Cautious · Skeptical
"If you can prove the value, I'll listen."
3Open to a Challenge
"While I'm here, I may as well go for it."
4Motivated
"Bring it on. I'd love to learn more."
Stay in your comfort zone — or not. The choice is yours.
Where are you right now — honestly? Where do you want to be by Thursday?
EMI Year III · Section I · Unit I10
Journal Prompts
We Will Ask You to Consider…
Throughout this experience, please be thoughtful and honest. What you share is up to you.
Who taught you to lead — stated and modeled?
Why do YOU want to lead?
Why would "I" want to follow YOU?
Is it better to be loved or feared as a leader?
EMI Year III · Section I · Unit I11
On Change
Awareness · Accountability
"What is necessary to change a person is to change their awareness of themselves."
Abraham Maslow
"Leaders have no right to change anyone else until they change themselves."
Stephen Bisciotti — Founder, Allegis Group · Owner, Baltimore Ravens
What do you already sense about yourself that you haven't yet acted on?
EMI Year III · Section I · Unit I12
Ground Rules
How We Work Together
Everyone's input is important. Your perspective is not optional to this group — it is part of what makes this work.
We are student and teacher. You will teach from your experience. You will learn from the room.
Confidentiality of information and process. What is shared in this room stays in this room. Names, stories, and disclosures are not carried outside.
Challenge ideas, not people. Disagree with concepts. Do not attack character.
Participation is required. Passive = active listening. Active = direct involvement. You decide the level.
There Are No Dumb Questions — Only D.U.M. Ones
If you Don't Understand the:
M
Meaning
You don't understand what the words mean.
M
Motivation
You don't understand why someone is saying it.
M
Message
You don't understand what is actually being communicated.
M
iMpact
You don't understand the effect the communication is having.
Ask until you do. That is not weakness. It is a behavior this program is designed to develop.
EMI Year III · Section I · Unit I13
Assignments
Your Work This Week
Tonight's Assignment
Complete the Self-Understanding Scale with honest responses.
Throughout the Week
Consider three (3) changes you intend to make in your life and/or career. Specify these in your workshop notes. Network with your partners and offer precision feedback to each other.
My three intended changes — draft them now1.2.3.
EMI Year III · Section I · Unit I14
Section I · Unit II
Introduce Your Partners
Relationships — the single most critical element in leadership.
Unit II
Let's Meet Our Partners
Think about it: what do you want "me" to know about you? What cultural norms HELP or INTERFERE with how you build and interact with teams?
"All relationships take great, Great, GREAT effort."
The Dalai Lama
People come into our lives for a reason · a season · a lifetime.
What I want you to know about meCultural norms that shape how I show up in teams
EMI Year III · Section I · Unit II15
Relationships
We Operate Best in a Feedback-Rich Environment
"It takes two or more people to understand one human being."
Dr. Gregory Bateman
What do you know that I need to know? Leaders need authentic feedback to understand the impact they are creating — otherwise they operate in a blind window — which can be dangerous for a leader.
"When it comes to feedback, the higher you go, the less you know — because feedback gets diminished. We call this the Leadership Trap."
When did someone tell you something about your impact that you didn't know?How did you react? Defensive? Accepting?
EMI Year III · Section I · Unit II16
The R-Factor
The R Factor: Levels of Relationship
R¹
Level I
Relationship is casual, relatively guarded, closed or somewhat private. Willing to share some personal information IF asked.
R²
Level II
Relationship is proactively open. Willing to share more of my true story — which raises the level of mutual trust, respect, and risk-taking.
R³
Level III
Relationship is more intimate and part of my life mission and legacy. Vulnerability-based trust. Speak the unspeakable. Mutual responsibility.
Leaders of POWER Teams expect Level II and strive for Level III relationships.
Which version of you shows up in relationships at work? In community? At home? Why the difference?
Human Behavior Determines Business Behavior
Peak Performers and POWER Leaders drill down to understand root causes of human behavior. Because human behavior determines business behavior.
"Relationship development is the single most critical element for any leadership model. Leaders who develop powerful, purposeful, and productive relationships inspire greater productivity, career growth, innovation, and overall employee performance."
Every leader needs a clear, consistent, authentic autobiographical narrative — dependent on self-development and self-awareness.
What are some of the leadership challenges you are facing? What autobiographical narrative do you want to carry?
EMI Year III · Section I · Unit II17–18
Feedback & Awareness
You Know Your Intentions — Not the Impact
"You know your intention — but you do not know your impact — until someone tells you."
E-Rule of Diminishing Feedback
Amount of Honest, Constructive Feedback — Employee to Boss
Lower ManagementE-Zone of Accommodation & Collegiality
High
Middle ManagementE-Zone of Healthy Tension & Productive Competition
Moderate
Upper ManagementE-Zone of Fear, Caution & Destructive Competition
Low
Executive C-LevelE-Zone of Intimidation
Minimal
← More feedbackLess feedback →
Psychological size: The higher you rise, the larger your presence looms for those around you — making honest feedback increasingly rare.
Leaders need to build true partnerships within a Feedback Rich Environment — or risk operating in the blind.
How much honest feedback do you actually get? What happens when you don't?
EMI Year III · Section I · Unit II19
Partner Exercise
Interview Your Partner
Exercise
Partner Interview — 30 Minutes Total
Person A interviews Person B · 15 min | Person B interviews Person A · 15 min | Debrief · 5 min
Job & Goals
What is your current job? How long in your current position? Long-range goals?
Notes
Why EMI
Why are you attending EMI? Expectations for Year III? Cautions and concerns?
Notes
Personal
Family? Hobbies? Interests? Especially proud of?
Notes
Career Reflection
Traits that have helped your career? Hurt your career? Anything else you'd like us to know?
Notes
EMI Year III · Section I · Unit II20
Section I · Unit II
Expert · Manager · Leader
Which hat do you wear? Right hat — right voice.
Expert · Manager · Leader
We Measure the POWER of the People Who Drive the Organization
Excellence is the OUTCOME — not the goal — for POWER Teams. The goal is to develop the POWER within people.
P
Passion
Passion to MAP my life-career journey — why I do what I do. MAP = Motivation And Purpose
O
Open Communication
Builds trust. We operate in a feedback-rich environment where SILENCE is not an option.
W
Well-Being
Manages DIS-EASE before it becomes Disease. Leaders who thrive take care of themselves first.
E
Excellence
Excellence is the OUTCOME — not the goal. Revenue. Growth. Job Opportunity. Brand Recognition. These follow from POWER.
R
Relationships
Build bridges from ME to WE. Relationships that sustain missions and grow people.
Where in the POWER framework do you have the most work to do?
EMI Year III · Section I · Unit II21
Expert · Manager · Leader
Which Hat Do You Wear?
Right hat, right voice — and the competency behind the role.
Most people in leadership roles arrived there by being exceptional Experts. The problem is that the skills that made you a great Expert are not the skills that make you an effective Leader.
"What got you here won't get you there."
Marshall Goldsmith
Expert
F · Ip · (S)
Individual contributor. Main thing: task, performance, outcome.
Manager
Ip · F · (S)
Main thing: build clear expectations and healthy competitive relationships.
Leader
S · Ip · (F)
Main thing: proactively reflect the genuine self — values and vision. The message is the messenger.
Three Core Competency Areas
F — Fundamentals
KSAs · Technical expertise · Functional mastery · Industry know-how
What you know
Ip — Interpersonal
Communication · Collaboration · Influence · Relationship quality
In what ways could you enhance your situational awareness — of which hat you are wearing, and when?
EMI Year III · Section I · Unit II22
Expert · Manager · Leader
How the Forces Converge
Each role is defined by which competency leads.
Expert
Knowledge leads. Interpersonal ability supports. Self-awareness is present but secondary.
Manager
Interpersonal skill leads. Functional knowledge supports. Working through others is the differentiator.
Leader
Self — character, values, inner clarity — leads. Interpersonal skill carries it. Technical expertise recedes to context.
Role Definitions
Expert: A technical professional whose primary value comes from specialized knowledge and the ability to apply it. Their credibility rests on what they know and what they can do.
Manager: A person whose primary value comes from the ability to mobilize, direct, and develop others. They leverage the expertise of the team — not just their own.
Leader: A person whose primary value comes from who they are — the inner stability, the clarity of purpose, the values under pressure — that others orient to. They create direction and meaning, not just results.
Where are you in this transition — and what level of situational awareness does that require of you right now?
EMI Year III · Section I · Unit II23
Executive Competencies
The Transition — What the Data Shows
"The very things that got you to this point in your career may have to be abandoned in order to succeed at the next level."
Peter Drucker
Averaged standardized assessment scores from successful managers and leaders across career stages (Korn Ferry, N=21,355).
↑ Average Standardized Assessment Scores
Transition of Executive Competencies — Korn Ferry (N=21,355)
SupervisorManagerDirectorVice PresidentExecutive
Task / Work Ethic / Expert Role
Strategic Thinking
Build Diverse Teams
Self Development
What does this chart say about where you are right now — and what it will take to go further?
EMI Year III · Section I · Unit II24
End of Section I
Section Reflections
Before you move on — what landed?
What was the most significant insight or moment from this section?What assumption about yourself or your leadership did this section challenge?What is one thing you intend to do differently — starting this week?