As a technology leader you probably came to the job through your passion for coding, robotics, machine learning, physics, or just building things and seeing them work. That dedication and expertise led you to a leadership role.
And now you run a team, department, or even an entire organization.
For most of your education and career you likely focused on honing your technological prowess.
But, because you were doing that, you may not have had time to become equally as expert in leading, managing, influencing and negotiating.
Yet, your role demands you do all of that and more.
Of course, you’ve been improving at those dimensions of your work.
But the role of a technical leader is often viewed somewhat differently from other leadership roles. You may not be called upon for strategic input (although you have strong opinions about the strategy). Or, when the CEO or Head of Marketing requests your feedback, you’re not ready with an answer at that very moment. You'd rather consider and prepare before offering your thoughts.
And then, there's the issue of confidence.
The rest of the leadership team seem to be overflowing with it. But you sometimes wonder whether you even belong in such a senior role (no one else wonders this about you).
It’s so different from the work you have done throughout most of your career. Even though everyone considers you to be an expert technologically, they may not consider your strategic insight to be as valuable; and honestly, maybe you’re not sure it is.
Deep down, you feel like a bit of an imposter when it comes to strategic thinking and executive leadership. It’s so much more natural to act as a subject matter expert rather than an actual driver of the organization.
You recognize the gap between where you are and where you are committed to being.
You’re eager to bridge that gap, but you're not sure how.
Plus, the practical issue of running a tech team is also daunting.
Building a strong, cohesive and unified team is critical. But even before the pandemic, your own team was likely remote, had people from foreign countries, languages, time zones, and even different employment statuses–some contractors, some employees, some part-timers. Different countries, languages, time zones, hemispheres, employers, culture!
Each dimension of difference adds complexity to building a strong and cohesive team.
Delivering –even over-delivering– on the organization's goals is your North Star.
But those often change and morph as different stakeholders exert their own influence.
Whether the sales team’s insisting on a new function to close a deal, an ever more ambitious product roadmap, investors who want the product scaled instantly, or the CEO who simply can’t understand why AWS costs are through the roof.
It's a lot!
Your own wellbeing is also on the line.
The demands of a fast-paced start-up environment make it impossible to work fewer hours.
You want to regain control of your schedule, guard some more time for your fitness, family and hobbies.
But it seems impossible.
Yet you know that other tech leaders have found a way.
You want what they have!
You have always valued and invested time in learning and growing. And while in the past it was a commitment to stay at the technological forefront that drove you, now it also includes being at the forefront as a leader, manager and strategic thinker.
But what are you supposed to do?
Go back to school for an MBA?
When? There aren’t enough hours in the day for that.
Ask HR?
Because the company is growing so fast there’s no real learning and growth function. Plus, you wouldn’t have time for it if it existed.
Read and Research?
You read tons of books, articles, and podcasts. But it still feels like your toolbox is half-empty. You need strong heuristics, data-based strategies , and mostly, an expert in your pocket! NOT clever aphorisms.
You regularly think about quitting.
There is pressure from every direction, and the to-do list is endless and growing. It can feel hopeless. But you know it would probably be the same at any other high-growth start-up. So, you need to stick it out.
Imagine if you had the tools and support you need so you could…
✅ Negotiate confidently to influence cross-functional collaboration and reduce stress.
✅ Build exceptional relationships to easily get buy-in for your ideas.
✅ Effectively manage your team to increase engagement, loyalty, and productivity.
✅ Tackle difficult conversations and produce exceptional outcomes.
✅ Develop incredible work and time management habits to get more done in less time.
✅ Catapult your organization toward its goals while maintaining your health, sleep, and personal life.
✅ Become an invaluable partner to the top leadership team to fine-tune the organization's strategic direction so it succeeds.
✅ Have a brain trust of other successful tech leaders who you can turn to for insight and co-thinking.
Well, now you can.
“The company hired Amie as an executive coach and we worked together for a year. As Chief Data Officer, I found Amie's help fundamental in navigating different challenges with my direct team ranging from work-life balance to impactful communication. Amie's active listening and insightful questions helped me to discover new strategies and tactics to address difficult situations. I have grown professionally and personally with her coaching. I would definitely recommend Amie's coaching to any executive that would want to push the boundaries of his\her own potential.”
Martin Minonni, Chief Data Officer
New York and Argentina
“Properly troubleshooting organizational issues with the rest of the leadership team in the company I work at used to be a very energy-consuming and effortful process that didn't guarantee good results. Thanks to Amie and her wonderful Mastermind setup, I was able to interact and work with like-minded and experienced leaders in the space under a specific structure that was conducive to properly integrating perspectives and experiences in such a way that problem-solving felt like second nature to me - even well after the group's activities were over.”
Martin Chikilian, COO, VP Engineering, SuperWorld
Spain
As a technology leader, you want to grow, but rarely get the tools, resources and time for development that your business counterparts receive.
You've been relentless in building your technical skills and vision, making you an irreplaceable resource for your organization.
But where can you turn to develop the rest of your professional excellence?
Your leadership, strategy, negotiation, management, communication and time management expertise!
You may even find yourself wondering if you should be a leader.
You know that you're a master of the technological demands of your role; but how can you become truly confident that you deserve a seat at the table?
Some call it 'Imposter Syndrome'.
But, knowing the terminology makes no difference.
You want real, evidence-based strategies and the assurance that as you progress in your role, you'll make even greater strides in your own
executive thinking and leading.
We’ve worked with hundreds of tech leaders over many years and understand the dilemma. Technologists rise to manage teams and acquire titles –but they rarely get the support to become great and confident leaders with profoundly satisfying lives.
That’s why we developed The Leaders Lab.
It’s a safe space where you can talk candidly about the challenges you are facing. In our programs, we use
evidence-based tools from multiple disciplines to help you accelerate your growth, and address roadblocks along the way.
Our coaching will guide you to discover novel approaches and new ways of thinking that can facilitate extraordinary results in every area you care about. And with that expertise comes confidence and self-assurance.
You will know it, and so will your peers, team-members and boss.
In this group, you’ll get:
✅ A coach showing you new ways of thinking and helping you stay focused on your goals.
✅ A challenger to push you out of your comfort zone.
✅ A cheerleader to raise the roof on your progress.
But it’s not just about the coaching. It’s about the community and support.
Being a leader in tech can be isolating. Nobody within your organization quite understands the nuances of your function. So, you’ve got no one to complain to (yes, we all need to do that sometimes) or to ask for help. You can’t go to your team or ask the VP of Marketing for advice on solving a dev ops issue.
In The Leader’s Lab, you’ll be connected with seven other highly curated tech leaders.
They get it.
Whether they are facing the same challenge or solved it last year, every one of them can contribute to you. Your cohort will include people who are both seasoned and generous enough to provide a sounding board and give advice –but who also will have questions and challenges for which your own wisdom and genius contain the solution.
You can ask questions and share strategies, but you can also vent in total safety and confidence, get a high five for a win, and have a cheering committee as you face down a crisis.
This is a BIG (yet often unexpected) part of the return on their investment.
She helped me think through many decisions, rework several habits, and knew when to push and when to listen."
-Nicholas Horelik
Co-Founder, CTO of RapidSOS
-Dan Napolitano
Founder, CEO, The Garam Group
This year-long membership has tons of rigorously vetted resources for you.
And the program is entirely online with sessions scheduled to make it convenient for the group. Your cohort of fellow tech leaders will come from across the globe and will become trusted members of your personal support team.
Every month we meet for two and a half hours on Zoom for our Leader's Lab session. These aren't empty check-ins.
They're structured for us all to work on real, active challenges.
The 150-minute session will look like this:
Growth tools and a learning component.
Learning is led by our coach, and in this section, you'll learn a new skill, distinction, or concept. The session will be interactive, and you'll have the chance to deepen and master the techniques you learn with exercises.
Rotating hot seats to discuss and solve the biggest challenges you have right now.
The hot seat will focus on one person each month, and preparation work will be circulated beforehand. Everyone else will also get a 10-minute slot to discuss burning issues, so you always have a chance to use the group as your own brain trust to work through a problem.
Occasional guest speakers.
Guest speakers will join the sessions as their schedules permit. Whether technologists, successful founders, researchers or academics, they will bring unique perspectives and tools, as well as the opportunity to ask detailed questions and discuss specific areas of interest.
Book, Podcast, Research Synopses, Assignments and Recommendations.
You may not have the time to read the newest management books, learn the most cutting-edge strategy method or explore new thinking about the start-up or technology world, but we do. We bring our ongoing immersion in the world of research to you and your cohort.
Over the year, we’ll cover topics such as:
Balance
Politics
One of the worst things about being a technology leader is you don't have peers in your organization who understand what you do. Everybody understands what HR does. Everybody understands what Sales does.
Nobody really understands what Engineering or Development does except other engineers.
That’s why the power of the cohort is priceless.
It offers a unique space for tech leaders to be their true selves, unlike any other environment.
Everyone in the group will face the same challenges, doubts, and fears and can therefore offer support and insight to each other.
Your group will be a brain trust of people you can count on. With them, you can learn from their discoveries, create new approaches, discover unexpected solutions and yes, even safely complain.
You’ll be a mentor and a mentee for each other. And our aim is that you’ll build life-long relationships with each other and become friends.
As the year progresses, you’ll amass a toolbox of approaches you can put into action when needed.
But, there will always be scenarios you haven’t run into before. And challenges and dilemmas can arise anytime, not just when it’s time for a Leader’s Lab session.
That’s why you’ll have access to your coach between sessions. You can chat with Amie via text or email.
Or, if the problem needs a deeper dive, meet one-on-one. As part of your membership in The Leader’s Lab, Amie becomes part of your team.
Whenever you learn a new tool or concept, it's vital you put the theory into practice to deepen our understanding and reinforce learning. You must also remain engaged between the sessions to keep the momentum going.
So, each month you’ll be set some structured practice to complete between the sessions.
You can do the work alone or meet with other group members to collaborate on it.
But don’t worry. This isn’t going to take up hours of your time!
About halfway through the year, we’ll meet up in an exotic location where we’ll combine learning, problem-solving, fellowship, nature, and relaxation.
This will be a chance to take a step back from the day-to-day, reflect, learn, and have some fun!
The retreat will be led by Amie and another Beyond Better expert to provide a rich experience for everyone.
“I first engaged Amie as my coach when I needed help with some challenging and frustrating situations at work. I was mainly looking for strategies on how to engage with my executive team differently and I loved Amie’s direct, no fluff approach. I’ve now been working with her for a couple of years and grown from a place of uncertainty with periods of leadership insecurity— to owning my performance and brokering stronger relationships with the company’s senior leaders. I still face scenarios that I haven’t encountered before, but I am able to draw from the additional tools I’ve amassed with Amie to address them.
Since working with Amie, I’ve ascended to VP and am now considered a candidate for succession of the CIO role. I highly recommend Amie as a coach.”
J. Brown, VP of Digital and Information Systems
NYSE-listed Manufacturing Company
Amie is the founder and president of Beyond Better Strategy and Coaching and a thought-leader on leadership, decision-making and personal development.
She currently consults to and coaches leaders in high-growth technology start-ups, including Founders, CEOs, CTOs and other technology leaders. She will be your Leader’s Lab coach.
Amie has partnered with founders and leaders of organizations across industries including well-known brands like The Boeing Company, The U.S, Coast Guard, and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
In 2008 Amie left consulting for several years to launch and run a mobile parking payment start-up. That company was soon acquired by British mobile parking leader RingGo, and Amie was retained as the US CEO for the remainder of its time operating in the US.
In 2015 she returned to consulting and coaching and founded Beyond Better Strategy and Coaching.
After working and living in the start-up ecosystem for the years of growing IControl Mobile and RingGo, she remained in that community.
Since its founding, Beyond Better has focused on founders and leaders of venture-funded start-ups. Her clients have ranged from less- known B2B and B2G technology start-ups like RapidSOS and Relo Metrics, to leaders within iconic brands like Meta, Shopify and Yahoo.
Amie is the author of ‘Powered by Principle: Using Core Values to Build World-Class Organizations’, a research based book on strategy and organizational change.
Before doing any of that, Amie studied at Bennington College, Harvard University, and the London School of Economics.
Outside of work with organizations, Amie led personal growth programs on behalf of a global training and development company for over 15 years. Those programs included large workshops of 400-500 people – totalling over 20,000 individuals.
That human potential expertise remains a key set of tools that she still calls upon to work with leaders and teams who are determined to improve their performance, deepen their knowledge, and to gain profound satisfaction and joy.
Amie’s personal experience in startups and the tech industry makes her the perfect coach for you. Not only does she have a deep understanding of the challenges you face, she also has the knowledge and expertise to help you overcome them.
“Amie has a rare combination of impressive analytical thinking skills and deep personal empathy that enables her to quickly get to the root of issues.”
“She gives me honest and unadorned feedback about what I am doing and could change to make things work around me.”
“Her grounded, practical advice was both motivating and helpful.”
“Her active listening and insightful questions helped me to discover new strategies and tactics to address difficult situations.”
“She’s direct. She doesn’t dance around the topic. She’ll get right to it and give you her point of view, even if it’s contrary to what you’re thinking about it.”
“Amie is an uplifting but incisive coach who’s uniquely able to identify potential pitfalls in communication and management before they arise. She helps make sense of a tangle of information, emotion, and complexity and understands enough about our business to make concrete and meaningful suggestions but does not require so much detail that we’re wasting time on minutiae. In a few short sessions, she has been able to change the dynamic between myself and my C-level counterparts and enable me with tools to better communicate and motivate my team.”
Michelle B., CEO, Founder
Machine learning-Based Platform, New York, NY
“I have struggled over the years to overcome several personal and professional obstacles that have stalled my growth. I was apprehensive about working with a performance coach, but after years of trying everything I could think of, I finally decided to work with Amie. Best decision I ever made!
She is highly skilled at identifying the real reason for a struggle or obstacle, and she provides excellent behavioral tools to break bad habits and form good ones. Since working with Amie, my productivity, health, and fitness have improved considerably. More importantly, I am happy with myself and the progress I am making in both my personal and professional life.”
Dan Napolitano, CEO
The Garam Group, Syracuse, NY
“I came to Amie when I thought I had no other choice left but to quit my job. But, through our work together, Amie helped me craft a variety of alternative ways to approach my team and my frustrations with the organization–approaches that completely transformed my situation. Over the time we worked together I rose multiple levels. Ultimately, when I made the decision to leave the company, it wasn’t out of frustration; it was because I was tapped to take on a role as CTO in a different company.”
Franz L., Former Data scientist
Facebook (now Meta), New York
“My experiences working with Amie have been nothing but positive. I can confidently recommend her high-quality work. If you’re working with Amie, you can expect her to get you to really think about your goals, identify what you need to change to achieve these goals, and help execute the changes. Amie provides valuable guidance and perspective in every session. I recommend Amie’s coaching services.”
Karen B., Director Talent Management
Global Pharmaceutical Company, New Jersey
“I’m very lucky to have connected with Amie. When I contacted her, I was unenthusiastic about my work and had a feeling that something had to change. She helped me develop a hypothesis for what was missing. Once we figured out the root cause, we quickly got to work to figure out how to tackle the problem. Amie drew on her extensive knowledge regarding behavioral psychology and strategy to help me come up with a concrete and grounded plan of attack. Without her help, I would likely have taken much longer and been much more unsure about how to move forward. Amie armed me with the right mindset and tools to help me make this change. If you’re looking for some clarity on your professional journey, I wouldn’t hesitate – contact Amie ASAP."
S. B., Lead Engineer
Shopify, Montreal, Canada
“Amie has the great talent of sniffing out problem areas for both your business and you and then forces you to face the hard truths about them. She then gives you the tools and advice necessary to overcome these newly uncovered issues while at the same time imbuing you with the wisdom and philosophy that comes from her considerable experience in the business world. She exemplifies the tough-love mentality, and although it can sometimes be uncomfortable to hear or address some of the issues that come up, by the end of the conversation with Amie, you will know what you need to do for the good of your business, your relationships, and yourself. The results very quickly speak for themselves, and you’ll likely find yourself eagerly awaiting your next conversation.”
Zack F., CTO, Founder
3D Imaging Software Company, San Francisco, CA
FAQs
Our application process ensures you're the right fit for the group. So, we anticipate you'll want to stay the entire year and perhaps renew the following year too! However, you can leave anytime and only pay for the months you've been in the group.
The session times will be scheduled once all group members are on board. This is because participants will likely live in different time zones, so we'll need to find a time that suits everyone.
The exact date and location of the retreat will be decided once members of the group have been selected. It will then be chosen based on where everyone is from and their availability.
Your investment for being part of the Leader's Lab Mastermind is $1,600/month.
Enroll by December 1st and get 50% off the investment for the first month of the mastermind.
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