Leadership & Followership
Build Self-Aware, High-Performing Teams
Understanding how you lead — and how you follow — is the foundation of exceptional teamwork. This session helps your leaders see their default style in both directions, and gives them the tools to flex it on purpose.
Let's Talk- Set the direction
- Make the call
- Own the outcome
- Sharpen the plan
- Challenge well
- Carry it through
Same person. Two roles. Both are leadership.
Where You Are and Where You Want to Go
Most leadership training treats "leading" and "following" as two different jobs. In reality, every leader is also someone else's follower — and the way people default to each role, often without realizing it, shapes how your teams communicate, delegate, and get unstuck. This session starts with the assumptions leaders bring into a room, then gives every participant a clear read on their own style in both directions.
It's built around Dr. Brown's Leadership Basics curriculum — grounded in Theory X and Y, a nine-style leadership self-assessment, and a followership framework that reframes "following well" as a leadership skill in its own right, not a fallback role.
- A clear picture of your natural leadership style — and your default followership style
- Shared language for talking about style differences without it turning into a personality contest
- Followership reframed as a strength — not a subordinate role
- Concrete communication bridges for the style gaps already showing up on your team
- A personal action plan every leader can start using the next morning
- Clarity on where each leader is strong, and where they're stretched
Structured, Practical, Built for Your Team
Times shown as Lunch and Learn / Half-Day / Full-Day.
Naming What's Really Going On
We start with the assumptions each leader brings into a room — Theory X and Y — and set the goals for our time together.
Assessment and Debrief
Leaders complete the nine-style leadership self-assessment and unpack their results, then work through the Followership Framework.
Where the Differences Show Up
Small groups compare style profiles, surface where those differences already cause friction, and practice adjusting their approach.
One Concrete Next Step
Every attendee leaves with a personal action plan tied to their own style. A recap goes to your team lead within 48 hours.
Three Formats for Your Team
Every format is built around the same core framework — the difference is depth.
Lunch and Learn
Best for introducing the framework
- Overview of Theory X/Y and how assumptions drive team dynamics
- Quick self-assessment: your leadership style at a glance
- Followership reframed as a leadership skill
- Takeaway one-pager for every attendee
Half-Day Workshop
Best for teams ready to work through real style differences
- Full leadership style assessment and debrief
- Deep dive into the Followership Framework
- Small-group practice on real team scenarios
- Individual action plan
Full-Day Intensive
Best for teams building a shared leadership language long-term
- Comprehensive assessment across leadership and followership
- Past / Today / Tomorrow reflection process
- Team-level style map and analysis
- Workbook and extended action plan per attendee
You Need a Guide, Not a Guru
Research-Backed Methods
Grounded in established leadership theory and Dr. Brown's own doctoral research on organizational behavior and burnout. Nothing here is trend-chasing.
Real-World Experience
20+ years in Fortune 500, healthcare IT, and organizational leadership. Dr. Brown has led the exact kinds of teams she's now teaching leaders to lead.
Built for Lasting Change
Certified habit and resilience coach. MBA professor at Lipscomb University. Insight without accountability doesn't stick — every session ends with a real commitment.
"Donita was a wonderful coach who really opened my eyes to a new way of goal planning which has really improved my daily productivity. She shared a lot of resources with me, inspiring quotes, and her approach was genuine."— Workshop Participant
