Executive
Leadership
Development
Program
LED BY CRAIG DOWDEN, Ph.D.

Executive Mastermind Overview

In today’s hyper-connected and fast- changing environment, executives are searching for a competitive advantage. They are looking for strategies that can bring the best out of themselves as well as the people and organizations they lead. Although countless individuals and resources promise extraordinary results, this is no easy task. Where can you turn?

Executive Mastermind – Do Good to Lead Well

provides an answer. We organize a group of 8 highly successful senior executives who come from non- competing organizations and who are carefully selected from a pool of potential candidates. As a group, we address leadership issues and challenges unique to the participants, and devise solutions and strategies with each other. Participants have the opportunity for both one-on-one leadership coaching from Craig, and group sessions designed to foster collaboration and mutual learning.

Our Mastermind draws on evidence-informed and industry-leading best practices and provides members the opportunity to be exposed to the latest research into leadership, team, and organizational excellence. You also gain access to Elite Faculty – internationally recognized and respected subject matter experts, including best-selling authors and TED speakers who will share their insights with this select group.

Mastermind members gain the opportunity to build strategic and trusting relationships with other highly successful executives who understand their personal and business challenges. This invaluable network will serve you well throughout your career and life.

Program Components

  • 12 months of one-on-one executive coaching with the facilitator and Forbes author/speaker, Craig Dowden (Ph.D.). Unlike most programs, you have unlimited access to Craig via email and telephone. During this time, you and Craig will work through your most pressing leadership and business challenges in confidential and action-oriented environment. You will build action plans to which Crag will hold you accountable.
  • Access to Elite Faculty (4 X 1 hour sessions with the group). See bios.
  • 360 feedback + debrief
  • Personalized TAIS assessment + debrief
  • Signed books from each Elite Faculty member
  • 4 days of Masterminding (once per quarter) at a local venue (lunch included).
  • Signed copy of Craig’s Forbes book – Do Good to Lead Well: The Science and Practice of Positive Leadership
  • Evidence-informed keynotes from Craig touching on topics within his book.
  • Potential keynotes from subject matter experts in assessment, executive recruitment and others (if desired by the group).

Elite Faculty Members - in alphabetical order

Dr. Marilee Adams

Marilee Adams, Ph.D., is president and founder of the Inquiry Institute, a consulting, coaching, and educational organization and the originator of the QUESTION THINKING ™ methodologies.

Her best-selling book, Change Your Questions, Change Your Life: 12 Powerful Tools for Leadership, Coaching and Life, is in its third edition.

Marilee is an adjunct professor at American University’s School of Public Affairs in their Key Executive Leadership Program, a member of the Core Faculty, Certificates in Leadership Coaching, cosponsored by Adler International Learning and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University Toronto. She is also affiliated with Columbia University’s Learning & Leadership Group at Teachers College.

Adam Bryant

Adam Bryant is a widely respected and noted expert on executive leadership. Prior to joining Merryck as their Managing Director earlier this year, Adam worked for 30 years at the New York Times as a reporter, editor and columnist.

Notably, Bryant interviewed more than 500 CEOs for his “Corner Office” column, a weekly series on leadership and management that he created in 2009. He is the author of two best-selling books based on themes that emerged from the interviews: Quick and Nimble; Lessons from Leading CEOs on How to Create a Culture of Innovation, and “The Corner Office; Indispensable and Unexpected Lessons from CEOs on How to Lead and Succeed.”

He teaches The Practice of Leadership at Columbia University.

Dr. David DeSteno

David DeSteno studies the ways in which emotions guide decisions. His work illuminates how emotions can optimize our actions in favour of the greater good or, by virtue of bugs in the system, lead to suboptimal or biased outcomes. His research continually shows that human character is highly influenced by forces outside awareness and is much more variable than we think. Recognizing how those forces actually operate guides his efforts to work with public and private sector partners to design scalable nudges to enhance well-being.

He is the author of Emotional Success: The Power of Gratitude, Compassion and Pride, The Truth About Trust, and Out of Character: The Surprising Truths About the Liar, Cheat, Sinner (and Saint) Lurking in All of Us.

Dr. DeSteno is a fellow of the American Psychological Association as well as a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review, New York Times, and The Atlantic.

Eli Fathi

Eli Fathi is a serial entrepreneur who has co-founded or founded six companies, and has orchestrated a number of successful exits. His ventures to-date have contributed over $500 million in salaries and other benefits to its employees. His last exit was Fluidware Corporation, which created the widely known and used FluidSurveys platform. The company was acquired by SurveyMonkey in August 2014.

Eli has been recognized with multiple awards throughout his illustrious career, including the Start-up Canada 2016 Senior Entrepreneur Award for Canada. He was also the 2016 Alumnus of the year at Algonquin College. He has been featured in numerous publications such as the Financial Post, Globe and Mail, and Huffington Post.

Currently, Eli is the co-founder and CEO of MindBridge Ai, a company that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to uncover errors in financial data. It has raised close to $15 million in funding since its inception in 2015.

Dr. Brian Little

Dr. Brian Little is an internationally acclaimed scholar and speaker in the field of personality and motivational psychology. His pioneering research on how everyday personal projects and ‘free traits’ influence the course of our lives has become an important way of explaining and enhancing human flourishing. Professor Little is currently at Cambridge University where he is a Fellow of the Well-Being Institute and Director of the Social Ecology Research Group in the Department of Psychology. He is also affiliated with the Cambridge Judge Business School.

Previously, he taught at McGill, Oxford, and Harvard Universities. His course on personality in Harvard’s Department of Psychology was immensely popular, and he was elected as a ‘Favourite Professor’ by the graduating classes of Harvard for three consecutive years.

Dr. Little is the author of two books, Me, Myself and Us – The Science of Personality and the Art of Well-Being as well as his latest book, Who Are You, Really?, which is based on his TED talk that has garnered over 5 million views to date.

Dr. Barry Schwartz

Dr. Barry Schwartz was the Dorwin Cartwright Professor of Social Theory and Social Action in the Psychology Department at Swarthmore College, where he taught for more than 40 years. He studies the link between economics and psychology, offering startling insights into modern life.

He is the author of Why We Work, The Paradox of Choice, and Practical Wisdom. His four TED Talks, which are widely based on these books, have cumulatively received an astonishing 20,000,000+ views to date.

His articles have been published in The New York Times, USA TODAY, Scientific American, The New Republic, Harvard Business Review, and The Guardian. He has also appeared on dozens of radio shows, including Morning Edition, Talk of the Nation, Anderson Cooper 360, and CBS Sunday Morning.

W. Brett Wilson
Former star of CBC’s Dragon’s Den, Order of Canada recipient

Craig Dowden is a leader’s best friend. He understands what the future of business looks like – it’s a combination of doing what’s right for yourself, your community, and your business. If you can do all three well, you have truly become a success and I don’t know of many experts who are better at helping leaders grow into this new paradigm than Craig.

Dr. Adam Grant
Award-winning Wharton Business School professor and New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author of “Give and Take”

Craig Dowden is passionate about bridging the gap between science and practice. He integrates innovative, leading-edge research into his consulting work, and his enthusiasm for bringing out the best in others is contagious. It’s very rare to encounter an expert who can match Craig’s engagement and commitment to making his clients successful.

Gina Ibghy
Chief People Officer (Randstad Canada)

He brings to every session the respect, psychological know-how, and refined understanding of business that allows me to exhale, communicate, and find my own path to creating my best version of leadership. It is without any reservation but with full conviction that I recommend Craig Dowden to any leader that is looking for a coach who can enhance their play book!

Michelle Dodokin
Vice President (Intact Financial Corporation)

Working with Craig as a coach has been transformational. He helped me to discover new perspectives on leadership through engaging and thoughtful discussions on what matters, and most importantly, why. Craig also has a respectful and constructive way of challenging perceptions which is one of his best qualities as a coach. It encourages a much deeper exploration of the topics we discuss. It’s obvious that Craig is passionate about his work and is constantly pointing me to the most current research that ties into our discussions. For me, the coaching experience has absolutely been worth the investment and has shaped who I want to be as a leader.

Read what Craig's clients are saying >>

Inquiries & Applications

Please send application or information inquiries to: craig@craigdowden.com

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