The Paradox of First Time Leaders
Step Confidently into Leadership: Master the Paradox of Being a First-Time Leader
Becoming a leader for the first time is a pivotal moment—filled with both excitement and uncertainty. You've worked hard for this promotion, but now that you're in the manager's seat, the reality of leading others may feel overwhelming. Are you finding that your enthusiasm isn’t quite enough to inspire your team?
This is a critical stage in your leadership journey, where the path forward may seem unclear, and self-doubt can creep in.
- How sure are you of the direction you're taking?
- How comfortable do you feel in your new role?
- What kind of leader are you truly becoming?
As seasoned leaders and coaches, we understand the unique challenges of this transition. That’s why we've designed
"The Paradox of the First-Time Leader"—a group program tailored to support you during this strategic yet often solitary time.
Join us to gain the clarity, confidence, and connection you need to thrive in your new role.
The challenge
These statistics underscore the profound impact that leadership quality can have on a team's motivation, engagement, and loyalty, making it crucial for first-time leaders to develop the necessary skills and insights to lead effectively.
- A study by Gallup found that managers account for at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement levels. Poor leadership can significantly diminish motivation, leading to decreased productivity and overall performance.
- Research by the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) indicates that ineffective leadership is one of the primary reasons for low employee engagement, with only 30% of employees in the UK reporting being engaged at work.
What our clients say
"This training is such an amazing support for our entire team. We can see so many positive changes already, especially in terms of engagement, self-reflection, positive leadership."
Barbara Lax, CEO & Founder,
Little Green House
"Paradox has been a transformational program for our new leaders, equipping them with essential skills to excel in today’s ever-changing environment. The training has empowered those that have participated to hit the ground running, enabling them to trust their own instincts and lead with confidence."
Terri Fanz-Falzone, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Vice President, Human Resources, ENGEL North America
What we did exceptionally well, according to our previous participants...
"The coaches handled the large group setting very well, and the individual coaching sessions were the highlight of the program for me."
"Very useful, and definitely something to leverage in my day-to-day activities with my team."
"The breakout groups were great - encouraging and allowing participants to share with each other"
"Framing the content and challenging thinking"
The solution
- 8 interactive live webinars of 90 minutes : each month, a new topic is studied with a highly engaging coaching approach and a mix of leadership insights, group discussions and self-reflection (6 modules charted below + introduction and closure)
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3 hours (3 or 4 sessions) of individual coaching for each participant spread over the course of the program
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3 mastermind circles : 60 minutes of powerful live group discussions to deepen the learnings of the program
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A learning platform where participants share and discuss between sessions, find additional resources on each topic, and do some prework to actively prepare for each webinar
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... ALTERNATIVELY, we can also deliver an intensive version of this program face to face in 4 half day sessions
and for whom...
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1st line supervisors recently appointed in a leadership position
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1st line supervisors who want to enhance their leadership skills or improve team engagement
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Leaders of leaders who want to set their supervisors for success
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HR managers who want to better support leaders or help improve people engagement
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Any leader who wishes to take some time to assess the different components of their role
Dates for 2025
Remote Program (100% live on-line) will take place at:
9:00am (CET) French speaking Program
3:00pm (CET) English speaking Program, on the following dates:
- January 28th 2025: Introduction (90mn) – Includes a section on how to maximise your coaching time
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February 11th: Paradox 1 (90mn) - Me or Team: should I take care of me or my team first?
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March 4th: Mastermind 1 (1h Group Coaching)
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March 18th: Paradox 2 (90mn) - Leading or Working: if I lead all the time, when do I get my work done?
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April 8th: Paradox 3 (90mn) - Helping or Judging: if I develop people, how can I also evaluate them?
- April 29th: Mastermind 2 (1h Group Coaching)
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May 13th: Paradox 4 (90mn) - Today or Tomorrow: am I supposed to focus on short-term or long-term?
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May 27th: Paradox 5 (90mn) - Adapt or Control: if things keep changing, how can I control anything?
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June 10th: Mastermind 3 (1h Group Coaching)
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June 24th: Paradox 6 - Authentic or Political: if I handle politics, how can I be authentic?
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July 8th: Conclusion (90mn)
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Throughout: 3 hours of coaching individually planned for each participant
Your investment
Super early bird: 1'300CHF* (register by 30th November 2024)
Early bird: 1'500CHF* (register by December 31st 2024)
Standard: 1'900CHF* (register by January 24th 2025)
* This is the price by participant excluding VAT
The team behind this solution
Isabelle Verdon
Isabelle is a certified leadership coach with 15 years of theatrical practice and a management degree from a top French business school. Her mission is to support her clients to be authentic leaders at work and in their lives, starting from within. She has experience in communication, marketing, teaching, training and coaching and has lived and worked in many countries. She is the co-founder of Leadership-paradox©
Lena Moll
Lena is a leadership coach, facilitator, trainer and mediator who is guided through life by following her joy and her drive for purpose. For 16 years, she worked with the UN and other International Organizations where she supported leaders on all levels to bring out the best in themselves and their teams and thereby create a more effective, enabling, and kinder work environment, better equipped to meet the world’s challenges.
Pierre-Laurent (Pilo) Verdon
Pilo (Pierre-Laurent Verdon) has 25 years of global leadership experience. He has practiced leadership for 20 years in a fortune 100 company. In 2020, he started his leadership coaching company to provide leaders with time and space to create newness in the world. He has focused his work on coaching gifted leaders with a strong sense of purpose. He is the founder of Pilosophy.ch and the co-founder of leadership-paradox©
Susan Kuepfer
Susan is a leadership development, team development, and professional coach. Her professional experience includes 21 years working at the multinational Caterpillar, including over 10 years in dynamic, high-level roles. During this time, she worked in various areas of the business, while cultivating her skills as a leader and change agent.
She is a certified practitioner in numerous industry-recognized coaching tools and is an International Coaching Federation credentialed member to PCC level. Susan is the co-founder of Leadership-paradox©
Register now!
Please choose the program you wish to register for based on the information provided above. 2 options are available:
- Remote, French speaking 9:00am (CET)
- Remote, English speaking 3:00pm (CET)
Not the right time?
If you're interested but not quite ready for the course, or it's not the right time, sign up for our waiting list!
