Leadership Institute of Seattle

09/05/2026

Here is something most organizations get wrong about leadership development:
They treat it as an event.

A training day. A conference. A workshop you attend once and then return to business as usual.
Real development does not work that way. It is a practice. It requires repetition, feedback, and the chance to apply new skills in real situations with real people.

Gil Crosby said it directly: "By leading you empower."
You do not develop leaders by telling them about leadership. You develop them by putting them in situations where they have to lead and then giving them honest, skilled feedback on what they did.

That is the LIOS model. And it is why graduates change.
What is the most useful feedback you have ever received as a leader? What made it land?

09/02/2026

A new season is here. So is a new opportunity to invest in yourself.

If you have been thinking about going back to school, let us be direct: the MS in Leadership, Management and Organizational Development at LIOS might be exactly what you have been looking for.

Not because it is easy. Because it works.

In 2 years, across 12 week-long residencies in Seattle, you will develop the kind of leadership skills that most people spend a career trying to figure out on their own.

How to lead intact workgroups with skill and intention. How to resolve complex conflict without blowing up relationships. How to drive organization-wide change that actually sticks. How to show up as your full self no matter the pressure.

8 to 1 student-to-faculty ratio. Over 2,000 alumni. Founded 1969. State authorized.

The next info session is September 10. Register at lios.org/upcoming-info-sessions

What is the one leadership skill you wish you had developed earlier in your career?

09/01/2026

Next Thursday. One hour. Free. And it could change the direction of your career.
We are hosting a free virtual info session for the MS in Leadership, Management and Organizational Development on September 10 at 6:30pm PST.

This is for you if:
- You are a leader who knows you need more depth but are not sure what that looks like.
- You are an OD practitioner ready to formalize your skills with a graduate degree.
- You are a manager who wants to drive real change, not just manage tasks.
- You are a LIOS alum who wants to know how to talk about the program with prospective students.

One hour. No commitment. Real answers from faculty and alumni.

Register now at lios.org/upcoming-info-sessions
Know someone who should be in this room? Tag them below.

08/31/2026

"You miss 100 percent of all the shots you never take."
— Wayne Gretzky

Applies to hockey. Applies to leadership. Applies to your development.
How many times have you said you wanted to grow, invest in yourself, go deeper, or make a real change in how you lead, and then let the moment pass?
September is here. Tough Stuff is October 5 to 9. Info sessions for the master's program are September 10 and September 24. The shots are right in front of you.

Register for Tough Stuff: lios.org/tough-stuff
Join our Info sessions: lios.org/upcoming-info-sessions

What is one leadership goal you have been putting off that you are going to commit to this fall? Drop it below.

Discover how our Master of Science in Leadership, Management and Organization Development will benefit you!

08/28/2026

There are 37 days until Tough Stuff™.

October 5 to 9, 2026. Seattle, WA. Five days that can genuinely change how you lead.

We know that is a bold claim. But here is what a Transit Authority official said after sending their leaders through Tough Stuff:

"We do an annual employee engagement survey and the results have shown no statistical improvement with one notable exception: the scores for the leaders we have sent through Tough Stuff have all improved in a statistically significant way."

That is their data. Not ours.

If you have been waiting for the right time to invest in your leadership development, this is it.

Register now at lios.org/tough-stuff

What would it mean for your team if you came back from a week of intensive leadership development with genuinely new skills?

Join our Tough Stuff T-Group to enhance your leadership skills. Sign up now for this unique learning journey!

08/27/2026

LIOS has been training leaders since 1969.

Not with lectures. Not with theory alone. With experience.
The MS in Leadership, Management and Organizational

Development is built around 12 week-long residencies over 2 years in Seattle, WA. Small groups. Expert faculty. An 8 to 1 student-to-faculty ratio. Real skill development in real time.

Graduates leave knowing how to lead through conflict, navigate organizational change, coach individuals to their full potential, and build teams that actually function at a high level.
Over 2,000 alumni. State authorized. Applications now open.

The next info session is September 10. Register at lios.org/upcoming-info-sessions

What would change about your leadership if you had two years of intentional, experiential development behind you? 👇

Discover how our Master of Science in Leadership, Management and Organization Development will benefit you!

08/19/2026

“Listen or thy tongue will keep thee deaf.” — Native American Proverb

Short. Simple. And one of the most underrated leadership lessons there is.

The leaders who build the most trust are not the ones who have all the answers. They are the ones who make people feel genuinely heard. Not listened to while waiting to respond. Actually heard.

It is a skill. And like any skill, it can be developed with practice and real feedback.

What is the difference between a leader who listens and one who truly hears? How do you tell them apart?

08/10/2026

"The higher up in the hierarchy, the bigger the emotional impact. Don't leave the EQ at the top of the organization to chance." — Gil Crosby

This is not a soft leadership idea. This is an organizational performance issue.

When a leader at the top is reactive, anxious, or avoidant, those patterns ripple through every layer below them. Teams mirror their leaders. Cultures reflect who is at the top.

EQ at the senior level is not optional. It is structural.

Have you ever worked under a leader whose emotional patterns shaped the entire team culture, for better or worse? What did you notice?

07/31/2026

Organizational change is hard. But here is something that makes it harder than it needs to be.

Trying to change everyone at once instead of starting with the people doing the work.

From Strategic Organizational Alignment by Chris Crosby: you must identify the end users, the people who actually have to do things differently, and work with them before the change happens. Not after. Not during. Before.
When people are involved in shaping a change they are far more likely to own it. That is not a theory. That is 50 years of practice.

What is the number one reason you have seen change initiatives fail in your organization?

07/29/2026

A Transit Authority official who sent their leaders through Tough Stuff™ said it best:
"We do an annual employee engagement survey and the results have shown no statistical improvement with one notable exception: the scores for the leaders we have sent through Tough Stuff have all improved in a statistically significant way."

That is a real result from a real organization. Their own engagement data.
Tough Stuff™ works because it targets behavior, not just awareness.
October 5 to 9, 2026 in Seattle, WA. Limited spots.

Register at lios.org/tough-stuff

Have you ever seen a leadership training actually move the needle on engagement scores? What was different about it?

Join our Tough Stuff T-Group to enhance your leadership skills. Sign up now for this unique learning journey!