FOUNDER
TO LEADER
Personal Leadership Development Program for Founders
Delivered by
STEP INTO YOUR ROLE AS LEADER CONFIDENTLY
To move successfully from the role of a founder into the role of a leader requires a new and different set of skills. In this exclusive 4-month Personal Leadership Development Program, designed specifically for entrepreneurs and founders, you will learn to lead yourself and others with empathy and confidence. Under the close guidance of our team of seasoned leadership coaches combined with input from a tight-knit group of founders, you will strengthen your ability to build a healthy and sustainable foundation to scale your team and company effectively.
EXPLORE, LEARN, AND EXPAND NEW SKILLS IN A 4-MONTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
Leadership and people related challenges are indicated as a reason for failure for more than 29% of all failed startups. As your startup grows and evolves, so must your efforts and abilities to navigate and steer your team toward success. But for many founders resources are scarce and relevant and targeted offers for leadership development in startups are limited.
We are changing that.
The Founder to Leader program is a 4-month personal leadership program designed that help founders build and expand their capabilities and repertoire to better handle people and leadership-related challenges in their role as leaders.
Based on a solid theoretical and methodological framework from organizational psychology we are equipping founder leaders with a new set of tools designed specifically for the startup context.
Each year we welcome 3 cohorts of 24 founders to participate in a series of learning activities covering 2 x workshops, 2 x immersive off-site retreats, and 4 x individual coaching sessions with leadership advisors to support significant personal development and growth. Participants will find themselves working closely with other founders in peer-to-peer groups facilitated by a leading team of advisors.
Apply directly through our application system to enroll on the waitlist to be considered for our upcoming cohorts.
THIS PROGRAM IS FOR FOUNDERS WHO ARE
01
A founder and leader of people. Who are as ambitious in the quest of becoming great leaders and developing their self-awareness and interpersonal skills as they are in building their business.
02
Driven to go above and beyond the normal quick fixes and short-term tactics.
03
Conscious and intentional about creating a strong and healthy company culture where people thrive and feel motivated.
04
Interested in helping your team balance and better their performance without the risk of burning out.
05
In search of tools to strike the balance between management and leadership.
06
Highly motivated to develop yourself personally and strengthen your role within leadership
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POPULAR QUESTIONS
o WHO CAN APPLY FOR THIS PROGRAM?
This program is designed for founders who are operating at C-level and hence have the responsibility to manage, lead, and scale their team. We prioritize startups with paid employees and/or startups looking to scale their teams significantly within a few months. Founders who have a startup based in Denmark can apply to this program free of charge.
*Please note that each cohort has a limited number of seats available, and admission to the program is not guaranteed for all applicants.
o WHAT DOES IT COST TO ATTEND THIS PROGRAM?
It is free of charge to participate in this program due to a partnership between Copenhagen Business School and the Danish Growth Foundation.
If you are accepted into the program, you will be asked to participate in all activities in person. Our program activities take place in either Copenhagen (Copenhagen School of Entrepreneurship) or at off-site venues (located one hour of transportation from Copenhagen). In case of a no-show or cancellation, we reserve the right to claim a no-show fee of DKK5000 per day to cover the cost of the spot.
o WHAT TYPE OF FOUNDERS AND STARTUPS CAN I EXPECT TO MEET?
In this program, you will meet and become part of a tight-knit group of founders who – like yourself – are transitioning from the early days of their startup and a ‘doing everything yourself’ kind of mentality into a formal role as a leader with the responsibility to build a sustainable foundation that supports the growth of the business and enables their employees to perform and thrive. We curate our cohorts based on parameters such as diversity, the ‘degree of urgency’, and potential impact.
You can expect to meet a diverse group of founders, some of whom are like-minded and at the same stage as yourself, as well as founders from other industries who operate startups with different business models and organisational structures. As a result, you will be challenged in your own ways of thinking and encouraged to step out of your comfort zone to achieve growth and develop your leadership capabilities. All peer-to-peer groups are facilitated by a well-versed team of leadership coaches and advisors who will make sure to match you with a relevant group of founders and provide you with a safe space for learning.
o DO I NEED TO HAVE ANY PRIOR LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE?
No prior leadership experience is required or expected in this program.
o WILL THERE BE A LOT OF THEORETICAL MATERIAL IN THIS PROGRAM?
The ambition of the Founder to Leader program is to empower startup founders with the necessary skills and knowledge to successfully navigate the transition from being a founder to becoming an effective leader.
In this program, we draw upon experiential learning formats that use “here-and-now” cases, while also drawing on the utilization of peer-to-peer groups and 1:1 coaching sessions for learning. We provide you with learning material for the core methodology and concepts of the program, but there is no expected homework or preparation prior to our workshops.
All exercises are designed to cultivate self-awareness, build a repertoire of ways to navigate and address leadership challenges and equip you with a safe space to explore new paths.
Copenhagen Business School
Porcelænshaven 26, 2nd Floor
2000 Frederiksberg
CONTACT: foundertoleader.cse@cbs.dk
