To explore if your manager, organization, or partner is willing to sponsor you partially or fully to attend the Fearless Leadership Mastermind, please feel free to reference this flow for your conversation.

This in itself is a “training” on advocating for yourself and what you believe in.

Please Note: Every organization is different. Please ensure you understand the proper channels in your team and org for requesting training support. Based on what you know and discover, schedule to have a compelling conversation with the appropriate person who is a decision-maker. The subject can be something like “Developing Leadership Skills.”

If appropriate, we recommend enlisting the support of your manager if it requires that you speak with someone above your manager’s level. Or perhaps this conversation is with your Manager. Be strategic, authentic, and transparent to ensure your allies can support you too. For example, ask a mentor who knows your environment well what could be the best approach to ask for sponsorship for this leadership training if you’re unsure.

Your #1 goal is to ensure you are very clear on the VALUE your organization (or you if it’s personal) will gain by you enrolling in this immersive leadership development effort for the next 12 months. Here’s the summary of how the Fearless Leadership Mastermind works for you. To learn more about valuable member success stories, videos, and flexible investment options, please visit www.FearlessLeadershipMastermind.com.

For the first six months, you will:

• Attend 12 bi-weekly Mastermind circles with your cohort of up to 10 women and your leadership coach.
• Train online at your own pace and uplevel with 14.5 hours of engaging leadership training videos and your personalized Workbook with tools and exercises to develop critical leadership skills.
• Bring real-life scenarios and questions to the 12 Mastermind circles to get answers and support.
• Receive four private coaching sessions from your leadership coach to address specific areas for development, including finalizing your unique value proposition, building your centers of influence diagram, breaking through self-imposed limitations and beliefs, and creating your 12-month action plan.
• Get support M - F, 9 - 5 PM ET, as needed.
• Train risk-free with a 100% satisfaction guarantee or your tuition back.

Then, during the last six months, you’ll:

• Check-in monthly. Join your cohort and other graduates at the monthly Visionary Leaders Circle–the first Wed. of each month, 12 - 1 PM ET.
• Continue to “practice” all the leadership skills you learned, and practice your coaching skills in a safe space.
• Receive additional support from your leadership coach and the talented women like you in our mastermind community, M - F, 9 - 5 PM ET, as needed.

I encourage you to follow this approach to engage in this conversation and influence a positive outcome.

1. Identify specific skills you will develop: Using the Syllabus and the Fearless Leadership Mastermind brochure and FAQ (download both here), please highlight the essential skills you will leverage in your role to benefit the organization. This exercise will give you much-needed clarity to engage in a productive and persuasive conversation with your manager, key stakeholder, or partner at home.
2. Craft the flow of your conversation: First, start with your vision and speak from the heart. Focus on your compelling leadership vision and the leader you want to become for your company.

Your organization or partner will follow your “energy” and how much conviction you demonstrate. If you approach the conversation very wish-washy, they will not get “certainty” that you’re “sure” this will be an excellent direction to grow your career. Get in a positive headspace and exude optimism and excitement that’s authentic for you.

For example: Start with “Where is this coming from?” Share your Why for speaking with them.

As my [manager, role, partner], I would like to share with you an exciting opportunity I learned about, which will support me in gaining critical leadership skills to continue to grow and advance and add the most value to our organization.

I’m sharing this with you to ask for your support and encouragement in leveraging this opportunity.

I attended a complimentary leadership training with Dr. Ginny Baro of ExecutiveBound. It became very clear that to grow in my role, I need to develop myself in these areas ____ (fill in the blank–be specific. Address any pain points you know the organization or stakeholder is currently facing).

Or

[for your partner at home]:  I attended a complimentary leadership training with Dr. Ginny Baro of ExecutiveBound. During the training, I realized that  I want to develop myself, take myself to a new level, and acquire new leadership skills to help me grow and advance in my career–do meaningful work and reach my financial potential. I want to stop struggling with (fill in the blank).

Then, go into your plan for acquiring these leadership skills:

To grow and achieve my leadership vision, I also realized I need to learn about ____ (list the skills you highlighted in item #1 above that you need to develop).

For example: I want to improve my communication skills, build relationships with my centers of influence here, lead and engage my team to work well together and be high-performing, increase my influence and the impact I deliver for the organization, and become a more strategic thinker and problem solver.

I’m committed to doing this and putting in the time, money, and effort to gain these skills. Based on my experience during my time training with Dr. Baro, I can see how valuable and practical it would be to spend the next 12 months developing these skills with her and other women like me who would be part of my cohort at the Fearless Leadership Mastermind.

What’s impressive about this training is that it will happen over 12 months–with plenty of time to perform my work as usual, take care of my responsibilities, engage with the leadership training, practice the skills, and get support along the way–from my leadership coach and from the other women in the cohort.

Here, I’d like to share with you what we’ll be covering the first six months and then the last six months!

(Share with them the Curriculum and the Brochure with excitement and curiosity).

Pause. And ask them, “What are your thoughts?”

Practice active listening. Listen carefully without interruptions so that they can express their perspective and any “objections.”

Once they are finished, answer any questions they ask you. Make sure to answer the question and give them “certainty.” Please read the FAQ –link above–before you have this conversation. If you don’t have the answer, indicate that you’ll look into it and get back to them.

Address their objectives based on what you know. Do not be defensive or combative. Be honest and realistic. You can start to address their objections by saying, “Those are great points, AND here’s how I plan to address them.” ___ (fill in the blank).

If they think it’s a ‘FABULOUS” idea, their next question would be, “How can I support you?”

Share with them…

The 12-month training requires an investment in my professional growth and future, and because I attended the complimentary training, I received a member’s savings of 50%! The program is typically $10K for the year, and it’s only $5K for the members who were engaged in the training.

If what I experienced during that training with Dr. Baro and the women who participated is any indication of the value and environment that I’ll receive and learn in, I know it will be a high return on our investment (ROI) and a game changer for me moving forward–I feel it. And I know myself, once I say Yes to something, I’m all in.

Given the investment, would you consider sponsoring me for this leadership training? And how can we make it happen?

If they say Yes to partially or fully sponsoring you, say something like, “A million thanks! I can’t wait to start and share what I learn along the way with my team and you. Use your own words and be genuine.

I’m very grateful for your support and championing my career development–it will be an exciting and adventurous journey that I’m ready to take on. I’ll learn more about enrolling and getting started in October!”

If they are NOT THRILLED about this opportunity, show your conviction.

If it is a “financial” concern, ask for partial sponsorship:

If the organization isn’t able to fully support me in attending this training, how can we allocate some of the funds that would be allocated for my professional development toward this training?

If their concern is something else–thank them and let them know you’d like to revisit the conversation after you’ve both had more time to digest it. Then, set up a 15-minute cyber-coffee with me to share their objection and strategize a follow-up conversation.

[with your partner] I know this will make a massive difference in my career. How can we get creative to make it happen? What can we de-prioritize to invest in our future through this training? Here are some ideas I came up with ___(fill in the blank). What about you, what do you think?

--The End --

You’ve got this! This is a perfect example of how to "advocate" for yourself.

Please reach out if you have any questions or need additional support at [email protected].

Looking forward to being your journey partner as you grow and advance in your role and fulfill your professional goals with confidence and joy! 

Live with purpose, live with joy!

Coach Ginny