1. You are here:
  2. Homepage
  3. Member Resources
  4. Emerging Leaders

Emerging Leaders

Emerging Leaders is a training and coaching program for managers who hope to pursue senior leadership roles and advance their careers, knowledge, and leadership skills. Through this program, participants become more effective leaders while building close relationships with their LEA Global colleagues.
 

Meet Our Partner: The Center for Character-Based Leadership

Center for Character-Based Leadership

 


LEA Global is in its fifth year of hosting Emerging Leaders in partnership with the Center for Character-Based Leadership (CCBL). For over 30 years, CCBL has provided leadership and team development consultancy to mid-market and professional service firms. Their coaches use their research-driven, field-tested approach to help our members foster meaningful change.

Who should join? Managers with five or more years of experience who intend to become senior leaders at their firms. Previous participants have held the following job titles within various service lines: senior manager, manager, supervisor, director, and shareholder.

Keys to a Successful Program


The coaches at CCBL integrate character and competency with the mission to better your life, leadership, and world. The Emerging Leaders program features five key elements:

  1. Grounding managerial skillsets in underlying character work
  2. Customized-developmental roadmaps
  3. Tapping the power of our peers
  4. Mastering the shift from problem solving to development conversations
  5. Power of practice
Emerging Leaders - Page Photo.png

 

Required Support

Mentor and firm support are integral to successful program outcomes. Here's how. 

Mentors

Each program participant will select a mentor to guide and support them for the duration of the program. Mentors should be partners who are 1) effective leaders and coaches and 2) committed to developing the next generation of leaders. Mentors play an active role in Emerging Leaders; participants should take great care when selecting their mentor.

Participants will meet with their assigned mentor twice (or more!) between each in-person session. In addition, we expect mentors to:

  • Act as the participant's role model, coach, and accountability partner.
  • Provide input on and approve the evaluators who will complete the participant's 360 survey.
  • Complete the participant's 360 survey.
  • Provide input on and approve the participant's development plan.
  • Support and guide the participant in their learning activities - provide regular feedback and hold them accountable for progress against their development goals.

Firm Leaders

Firm leaders will participate in the Emerging Leaders program in several ways - attending the orientation webcast, providing 360 feedback, and serving as a mentor or member of a participant’s accountability circle. Firms may also increase their involvement by hosting a session and associated social activities. 

Accountability Circle (Optional)

Each participant may select a group of two or three individuals, in addition to their program mentor and immediate supervisor, who will become part of their support team within their firm. Each participant will meet with members of their accountability circle - at least twice during the twelve-month program - to share their development goals, and seek ongoing feedback and suggestions to support their progress.

Upcoming Cohort

Emerging Leaders takes place over 12 months, with in-person and virtual elements. Throughout the year, participants build supportive relationships with each other, practice new skills, and apply their knowledge to real-world challenges.

Cohort 4 - Session 1_v2.JPG

Emerging Leaders Cohort 4 and CCBL coaches

Cohort 5 Schedule - 2026/2027

Virtual Orientation | May 14 at 2:30 p.m. EDT

  • Participants and mentors should attend.

Session One | June 25 - 26, 2026

  • Location: Anders CPAs + Advisors - St. Louis, MO

Session Two | December 2 - 3, 2026

  • Location: BeachFleischman - Tucson, AZ

Session Three | June 15 - 16, 2027

  • Location: TBA

Virtual Touchpoints | Participants will also take part in a series of virtual touchpoints throughout the 12-month program, designed to maintain momentum and provide accountability.

  • Two (2) coaching meetings (July 2026 and May 2027)
  • One (1) Coach-facilitated peer group meeting (August 2026)
  • Three (3) self-facilitated peer groups (November 2026, January 2027 and April/May 2027)

Internal Check-Ins | Participants are asked to check-in with internal resources for ongoing feedback and support.

  • Four (4) Mentor check-ins for input and ongoing development support (September 2026, November 2026, January 2027, May 2027)
  • Two (2) Accountability Circle check-ins for on-going feedback and progress review (October 2026 and May 2027)

 


Registration is closed.

Stay tuned for Cohort 6 announcements!

 

Dive Into The Program
 

 

December 2025 | We hosted an introductory webinar about the Emerging Leaders program with insights from a past participant, an executive sponsor, and a coach from the Center for Character-Based Leadership.

Watch the recording to learn about the core tenets of the program, coaching philosophies, program structure, the lasting impact for participants and their firms, and more!
 

Watch the Recording

 

Preview the Curriculum

Session One | Know Your Impact & Leadership Presence

This session helps participants understand their impact on the retention, development, and well-being of team members. We'll address how to look at situations from new perspectives, plus examining behaviors and practices. Participants will consider how they impact others in their firm as they share their 360 feedback in the safety of their peer group.

Session Two | Build Trust, Purpose, and Community in Teams

Participants will explore managers' power and leverage when helping employees find a sense of engagement and purpose in their work. In this session, our goal is to create a sense of community within our group by creating a safe environment where they can share themselves and reduce feelings of isolation.

Session Three | Delivering Results that Matter

Discipline and passion. Energy and productivity. The spark and the grind. We will dedicate our final session to the performance character that allows our teams to be great and consistently deliver results that matter. Performance character integrates two key muscles - discipline and passion, the spark and grind of work. Finally, we will continue to examine practices that drive productivity and engagement. 


Participants can expect learning activities and virtual peer coaching between sessions, as well as participant commitments, experimentation with new leadership practices, engagement with mentors and key stakeholders, and reading assignments.

The LEA Emerging Leaders Program was unlike any other leadership development program in which I have participated. The focus on self-growth and the underlying science and psychology behind the program was incredibly refreshing and inspired me to become the best possible leader I can be! After each session, I couldn't wait to get back to the office and begin implementing new ways of leading my team. Truly a transformational experience!

Shawn Drourr

Kerkering Barberio & Co.

We enter this profession with an accounting degree and we're taught to audit or complete tax forms. As we grow in our career, we're given a taste of the human aspect, but once you make manager - practically everything that you have been taught and have worked on is out the window. Suddenly success is measured based on how you're getting the most out of your people, how you're handling the tougher conversations, how you're planning your next steps in your career - where was the training for that? It's here in the Emerging Leaders Program, and I wish that I had gone through something like this ages ago. This program points out your reactive tendencies and pushes you to transform those into creative attributes. I loved this and learned a lot about myself.

Jill Techenor

Delap

Was amazed at how much growth everyone had in a year. If you're willing to be vulnerable and open-minded, this program is a change agent! The magic is in the peer relationships of professionals with shared experiences but not direct colleagues. Center for Character-Based Leadership provided oustanding coaches!

Gina Brillinger

Bennett Thrasher LLP

I am so thankful that my firm made this investment in my development. I can honestly say that both my firm and I have benefited from my participation. I am able to use the tools I have learned on a daily basis to be more efficient and effective.

Thanh Tran

Han Group

The Emerging Leaders Program was a transformational experience that helped me grow both professionally and personally. The mix of in-person sessions and ongoing engagement created a strong sense of community and accountability. With expert guidance from our instructor, I walked away with sharper leadership skills, greater self-awareness, and practical tools I use daily in my role. I would highly recommend this program to any rising leader ready to take the next step in their development.

Ryan Johnson

Delap LLP

 

2022

Program Inception Year

4

Completed Cohorts

64

Program Participants

12

Firms Represented