Optimize
Learning Journey Presented in Partnership with
W. Brad Johnson & David G. Smith
The award-winning authors of Good Guys and founders of Workplace Allies are leading The Institute’s Optimize program — designed with male leaders in mind. Optimize aims to enhance team dynamics through research-backed strategies that foster trust, collaboration, and unity.
Unlock the Full Potential of Your Talent and Your Business
Optimizing talent and building highly effective teams means developing everyone’s unique strengths and skills. SHRM Linkage Institute works with teams and organizations to meet the unique needs of women across their leadership journey and empowers organizations to harness their full potential to drive business results.
The Institute is a four-day, immersive leadership development experience for organizations who want to develop, engage, and align their high-potential leaders and drive team performance.
Transformative Impact Starts Here
The Institute equips talent with tools to lead thriving organizations and drive business results. No two development journeys are the same—which is why the experience is facilitated through pre-event sessions and comprehensive assessments, all personalized to meet the needs of your talent pipeline and workforce.
Custom, Immersive Learning Journeys for Your Whole Team:
- Participants begin their journey with a personalized self-assessment to uncover strengths and growth areas.
- Pre-event webinars prepare them to get the most from the experience.
- Inspiring keynotes with learning guides deliver actionable insights.
- Small group learning teams provide a format to produce real-world applications.
- Tailored interactive breakout sessions sharpen leadership skills.
- High-impact networking provides long-lasting, career-building connections.
- Growth continues through post-event tools—such as 90-day content access and the Extended Learning Leader for Life Guide.
Small Group Learning:
Experienced coaches work with your teams in small groups to offer targeted individual feedback and coaching and facilitate conversations for participants to connect and reflect together. Team members share insights and learn from one another, as well as become mentors and champions for one another. An overview of your cohort’s progress will be shared at the conclusion of The Institute.
Actionable, Measurable Results:
You will receive actionable insights on participant progress to ensure alignment on goals and growth helping you drive maximum business impact. Business leaders that send cohorts to The Institute see an immediate impact on culture and results.
World-Class Speakers:
Leaders drawn from culture and business are inspirational and thought-provoking for all participants. Last year’s speakers included Ally Love, founder & CEO of Love Squad and well-known Peloton instructor, as well as Carla Harris, Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley.
A PROVEN PROGRAM WITH POWERFUL RETURN ON INVESTMENT
Now is the time to blaze a path forward for your workforce. Your top talent will maximize their impact across your organization. Access special packages when you send a team of 5+ attendees.
Learning Journeys for Your Whole Team
The Institute offers five ticket types, each with specialty sessions designed to build on the unique experiences of your team members.
Advance: Women in the Workplace
High-potential women in your organization at the director or early executive level benefit from enhancing their leadership skills through coach-guided learning, team building, and networking.
NEW Optimize: Cultivating Thriving Relationships
Approaching leadership with curiosity, interest, accountability, and action creates an environment where everyone thrives. Designed with male leaders in mind, this journey focuses on strengthening leadership skills to drive organizational success by cultivating relationships that create high trust, collaboration and unity.
NEW Ascend: Continue the Journey
Attended The Institute and ready to move to the next level? We created a unique capstone experience—with advanced content, immersive sessions, and peer networking—to help alumni build momentum and continue the leadership journey.
NEW Excel: Mission-Focused Leadership Transition
We are proud to support military service members with specialized sessions to help them transition to the corporate workforce. These sessions focus on leveraging their unique military strengths as key workplace assets and provide tools, strategies, and community support to navigate their next steps.
NEW Ignite: The Next Generation of Leaders
(Virtual Journey) Transitioning from campus to corporate can feel overwhelming. This program gives students and new graduates the insights and connections needed to grow and succeed in today’s competitive workplace. Participants will hear from keynote speakers, learn from their challenges and triumphs, and gain practical tips to fuel their passions.
FAQs
The Institute offers two flexible formats: in-person in San Diego, CA, or 100% virtual. Regardless of how your team chooses to engage, expect to gain actionable strategies that will advance your workforce through engaging keynotes, data-driven development, and more. Customize the experience with options designed to fit your needs and goals:
- All-Access (In-Person): A four-day immersive experience featuring keynotes, breakout sessions, and small-group learning teams led by expert executive coaches. This is ideal for those seeking a comprehensive and high-impact leadership development journey, with components of the experience being fully customized to their organization and cohort of attendees.
- Virtual Keynotes: Perfect for busy professionals or those unable to travel, these options provide access to keynotes and a condensed conference schedule
- Partnership Packages: Enhance The Institute experience with additional learning and coaching. All sessions are customized and facilitated by talent optimization experts with SHRM Linkage
If you have questions or need help deciding which experience is best for you and your team, please contact us at linkage-customerservice@shrm.org.
Yes. Our proprietary assessments ensure leadership development is targeted and impactful, tailored to the needs and goals of our partner organizations. Attendees will be measured on their proficiency in key competencies designed for a specific learning journey. By translating assessment data into customized development solutions, we provide valuable insights into each attendee’s strengths and growth opportunities—guiding a personalized and effective learning experience.
Unlike a conference, the content of The Institute is designed to build throughout the experience. To get the most out of the all-access pass and cover the entire curriculum, it is on a set schedule during the week of the live event. Your cohort’s participation in small-group learning and in-the-moment sessions is critically important.
To maximize the impact of The Institute for your organization, we highly recommend participating live either in-person or virtually. However, every participant will be given extended access to the recorded content, which includes keynotes, some breakout sessions, and other special sessions, for 90 days after the start of the event.
The Institute is hosted and broadcast live in Pacific Standard Time from the San Diego metro area. Please see the full agenda for timing.
To send a cohort of 5+ attendees—and transform your organization with the impact of The Institute - please fill out this form. We will be in touch to discuss details of the program and opportunities to customize the SHRM Linkage Institute experience to the needs of your team.
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