Growing From Subject Matter Expert to Effective Leader

— 01

The Problem

Promoted for what they know. Now expected to lead.

The engineer who solved your hardest problem. The clinician everyone goes to. The accountant who knows the numbers cold. They got promoted because they were the best at the work. And now they're managing the people who used to be their peers — without ever having been taught how.

The cost of getting this transition wrong is high. Good technical people quit because their new managers don't know how to lead them. Newly-promoted leaders burn out trying to do their old job and their new one at the same time. Teams stall. Talent walks. Most of it is preventable with the right preparation.

"Their work did more than teach me leadership — it transformed me into a leader."

Patrick Giordano · Director of Engineering

— 02

The Program

Twelve months. Twelve sessions. One leader at the end.

Growing From Subject Matter Expert to Effective Leader is a year-long, in-person leadership cohort that meets monthly in Nashua, New Hampshire. Each session builds on the last.

Participants come from different companies and industries, which means they get the unfiltered cross-pollination that single-employer programs can't offer.

Insights Discovery® Personal Effectiveness

Learn the four Insights Discovery color energies, identify your own preferences, and start adapting your style for more effective relationships with colleagues, direct reports, superiors, and clients.

Feedback, Difficult Conversations & Goal-Setting

A scripting process for the conversations leaders avoid most. Why feedback — given and received — is a gift, and how to set goals that actually move the work forward.

Insights Discovery® Four Manifestations of Leadership

The shift from boss to leader. Supervisory skills, listening skills, managing with vision. How to stay centered, see the big picture, and spend your time on the right things.

Insights Discovery® Eight Elements of Team Effectiveness

Assess your team against the eight elements and the four stages of team development. Build a plan for synergy that accounts for what motivates and blocks each individual.

Choosing Your Approach to Conflict

Conflict is information, not failure. Tools and skills from the KCS Conflict Resource Guide for picking the right approach for the situation in front of you.

Mediation & Coaching Skills

Practice mediating disputes between others and coaching individuals through the issues holding them back. The two skills that separate managers from leaders.

Managing Remotely

Read each direct report differently. Run meetings that don't waste anyone's time. Build a remote team that actually feels like a team.

Growing into Greater Leadership

Strategic thinking and planning using facilitation and process tools. How to think a layer above the day-to-day without losing touch with it.

Managing People Through Change & Multiple Leadership Styles

Different methods for guiding people through change. A diagnostic of your current leadership styles and where you have room to grow.

Skills for Working with Human Resources

Interviewing, building and maintaining a psychologically-safe workplace, training essentials, and effective delegation. The HR skills every leader needs and few are taught.

Influencing & Managing Up

Build your public-speaking presence. Write emails people actually read. Manage time, priorities, and the relationships above you.

The Finale

Designed by the facilitators and participants to pull together the year's growth. Each participant's manager is invited — so they see directly how their investment paid off.

— 03

Outcomes

Past cohorts have produced multiple promotions.

From the beginning of the engagement, Joy and Perry demonstrated a strong ability to connect with participants and create a thoughtful, engaging learning environment. The feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive. Many began applying the techniques almost immediately.

Janice Lyman

HR Director, Concepts NREC

They challenged me to look inward, to confront my limitations honestly, and take ownership of my growth. This was not an easy process, but it was deeply empowering. Their work did more than teach me leadership — it transformed me into a leader.

Patrick Giordano

Director of Engineering

months of in-person work, not a 5-day intensive that fades

8–12

participants per cohort, drawn from different companies

senior facilitators present at every session, not rotating staff

— 04

Who Teaches It

The two people you'll spend the year with.

Joy Conley Kacik

Partner · ICF Certified Coach · Insights Discovery® Practitioner

Joy has spent 35+ years training and coaching leaders. She is a Certified Professional Coach through the Center for Coaching Certification and a member of the International Coach Federation. As a licensed Insights Discovery® practitioner, she brings the Insights portfolio to leaders, teams, and whole organizations.

Her career includes 28 years as a UniServ Representative and Negotiator with the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the last five as a Regional Field Director. Since founding Kacik Consulting Services in 2008, she has designed and delivered two prior 12-month leadership programs — both producing multiple promotions among participants.

ICF Certified Coach Insights Discovery® NTL Institute Alumna Bryant Women's Summit, 8×

Perry Kacik

Partner · M.A. Antioch New England · NTL Institute

Perry holds a Master's degree in Management and Organizational Development from Antioch New England Graduate School and an advanced Organizational Development Certificate from National Training Laboratories (NTL Institute). He served as Field Manager for NEA New Hampshire, Executive Director for Vermont NEA, and Regional Director for the National Education Association — consulting with the Executive Directors and Boards of 17 NEA state-level affiliates.

Since 2005, Perry has worked as an organizational development consultant, executive coach, university faculty member, and interim executive across a wide range of organizations. He brings the executive-chair perspective to every session — because he's sat in it.

M.A., Antioch NE NTL Institute Former NEA Regional Director University Faculty

— 05

Logistics

The details.

When

Twelve full days, monthly

Total sessions12
CadenceOne per month
Day lengthFull day
Next cohortFall 2026
Cohort closes30 days before kickoff

Where

Nashua, New Hampshire

RegionSouthern NH
AccessRoute 3 / I-93
From Boston~45 min
ParkingFree, on-site
LodgingRecommended hotels nearby

Included

Tuition covers

All 12 in-person sessions✓
Insights Discovery® profile✓
KCS Conflict Resource Guide✓
All session materials✓
Refreshments & the Finale✓

Not Included

Participants cover

Travel to Nashua—
Lodging if staying overnight—
Lunch each session day—

Tuition

^$8,000

per participant, full program

Multi-participant rate: $7,200 per participant when a company sends two or more.

Early bird: $500 off when registered 60+ days before kickoff.

Per-session, the program is priced in line with regional 6-month emerging-leader programs — and at roughly half the per-day rate of national flagship programs.

— 06

Common Questions

Things people ask before they apply.

Who is this program for?

Anyone moving from individual contributor or technical specialist into a leadership role — or any current leader who knows they were promoted before they were prepared. Past participants have been engineering managers, clinical leads, finance managers, manufacturing supervisors, software team leads, construction project managers, and more.

Do I need to already be managing a team?

No. The program works for anyone preparing to lead, currently leading, or who wants to lead better. Many participants have been promoted recently and are still finding their footing.

What if I miss a session?

We work hard to make sure you don't. Sessions build on each other. We provide makeup materials if a session is missed, but the in-person experience and peer cohort are central to how the program works — consistent attendance is a real commitment.

What is Insights Discovery® and why is it part of the program?

Insights Discovery® is a globally validated personality and communication assessment built on Jungian psychology. We use it as a shared language across the cohort — a way to talk about how each person works, what energizes them, what trips them up, and how to adapt to others. Joy is a licensed Insights practitioner. Three sessions of the program are built around it.

Can my company send more than one person?

Yes — and most of our best results come from companies that send two. The discounted rate is $7,200 per participant when a company sends two or more. Two participants from the same organization reinforce each other's learning back at work.

What's the application process?

Submit the inquiry form below, or schedule a 20-minute call with Joy. We use the conversation to make sure the program is the right fit for you and the moment in your career — and to answer any questions you have. Once we're both confident it's a fit, we'll send registration and payment instructions.

What's the refund policy?

Full refund if you withdraw more than 30 days before the cohort begins. After kickoff, tuition is non-refundable, but a participant can be substituted with another person from the same company within the first two sessions.

Is the program tax-deductible for my company?

Generally yes, as professional development. We provide a detailed receipt; talk to your accountant about treatment in your specific situation.

The leader inside
your subject matter expert.