Lead Forward FAQs

Yes!

The only portion of Lead Forward held in-person is the Learning Labs. 

Virtual Learning Labs are reserved for employees who are fully remote and living outside Tompkins County or another commutable radius.

When reviewing the class schedule for enrollment, participants should select the Learning Lab format that aligns with their location.

Lead Forward is specifically designed for individuals who are currently in manager roles — those who supervise others, lead teams, and are responsible for supporting performance, development, and day‑to‑day operations.

Because the program focuses on real‑time application of human‑centered management skills, participants need to be actively leading people to fully benefit from the content and activities.

Check out the Career Success Center for information about other relevant trainings to prepare for a supervisory role and opportunities like mentoring and coaching, or schedule a consultation with Career Development Services.

Yes! Lead Forward is designed for individuals who are currently in roles that manage and lead others — regardless of how long they’ve been managing. In addition to those new to supervisory roles, many participants join the program during transitions, such as stepping into a new unit, inheriting a larger team, or navigating new levels of complexity. In these situations, reinforcing and expanding core leadership skills can be especially valuable.

Yes. The Lead Forward program is open to both non‑faculty academic employees and non-academic staff.

Anyone in a manager or supervisor role, or who is newly stepping into people‑leadership responsibilities, is eligible to participate. Managers and supervisors in core facilities are welcome to register.

There is no fee to participate in the Lead Forward: Manager Development Program. 

All program components — Learning Labs, Panel Discussions, Peer Coaching sessions, and asynchronous modules — are fully sponsored.

If you are within a commutable distance, or if you select the virtual Learning Lab format, there are no costs associated with participation.

Yes. If your department or unit is willing to support travel, you may attend the in‑person Learning Labs even if you live outside a commutable distance. The program is designed to be flexible so participants can choose the format that best supports their learning.

If you’re considering traveling to campus for the in‑person sessions, we recommend coordinating with your supervisor or department administrator to confirm support for travel time and any associated costs.

You should plan on 6-7 hours per month to participate in Lead Forward, plus about five minutes per week to read weekly emails.

The typical time commitment is:

• Asynchronous learning: 2–3 hours
• Learning Lab: 3 hours
• Panel discussion: 1 hour
• Peer coaching: 1 hour
• Learning Journey emails: about 5 minutes to read, with a couple of small reflective or day‑to‑day application actions

During NY Paid Family Leave (PFL): Participants may choose to engage in voluntary professional development on days they are not using PFL, since PFL does not need to be taken continuously. Because this program is voluntary and not a work requirement, participation is permitted. Participants should not use PFL on the days they choose to participate in training.

During the short‑term disability period following birth: The preference is that participants not engage in work activity during this time. However, because the program is voluntary and not required training, participation is allowed at the participant’s discretion.

We will be flexible during this period. Participants can decide whether they prefer to join the early sessions in person or virtually, depending on what works best for their leave and transition plan.

For brief interruptions—such as stepping away to answer a quick question or assist colleagues – the expectation is that participants block the training time and remain fully present. The Learning Labs are highly interactive and rely on consistent engagement, so stepping in and out for routine needs isn’t compatible with the structure of the session.

For rare emergency situations where a participant may need to disconnect entirely, we can be flexible. If an urgent issue arises, participants may step away. Depending on when the emergency occurs within the session, they may either rejoin later in the class or, if a significant portion of the Learning Lab is missed, attend a future offering of that session.

We understand that scheduling conflicts can arise, and we aim to be as supportive and flexible as possible. The Lead Forward program includes the following components:

• 12 Learning Labs
• 12 asynchronous modules (all must be completed)
• 11 panel discussions
• 11 peer coaching sessions

This totals 46 required learning components.

Live Sessions

Participants may miss up to 25% of the live sessions, which equals 9 sessions total across Learning Labs, panel discussions, and peer coaching. Missing more than 9 sessions means you will be invited to shift to a future cohort to complete the program.

Learning Labs

Because Learning Labs are the core of the curriculum, we set additional expectations for those sessions:

• You may miss up to 3 Learning Labs.
• Missing more than 3 Learning Labs—regardless of your total number of missed sessions—requires shifting to a future cohort.
• To Make Up the Learning Lab and receive credit, you may attend the missed Learning Lab with a future cohort, or
• Complete the assigned materials and a written reflection based on the scenarios and prompts from that session.

In addition:

• Session One is foundational and must be completed either live or through the required reflection assignment before attending Session Two or moving your registration to a future program.
• Panel discussions and peer coaching sessions are more flexible, and you may miss up to 3–4 of each, as long as your total number of missed sessions does not exceed 9.
• There are no live make‑up sessions for panel discussions or peer coaching. We’ll plan to record the panel discussions and leadership spotlights whenever possible. However, if the panelists or speaker feel that recording may discourage participants from asking questions or engaging openly, we won’t be able to record that session. 
• All 12 asynchronous modules must be completed, even if you miss live sessions.

These guidelines help ensure participants can fully engage with the cohort experience while still offering flexibility when conflicts arise.

1. Register for your Learning Labs. Learning Labs are offered in two formats — in person and virtual.

• If you work in Ithaca or within a commutable distance, please register for the in‑person Learning Labs.
• If you are fully remote and living outside a commutable distance, please register for the virtual Learning Labs.

2. Access the Asynchronous content. Once you've registered, you'll have access to the asynchronous content included in the first month's curriculum, HRLEAD101 - Foundations of Human Centered Management, and HRLEAD 103 SPARK Coaching Framework for Leadership Growth - which you can begin at your convenience.

3. Take HRLEAD 103 before attending your first peer coaching session (HRLEAD 104). This module will take approximately 2.5-3 hours to complete, so please plan accordingly.

Yes, at this time participants must sign up for each module individually. 

We're exploring enrollment improvements for future cohorts.

To launch the asynchronous content, login to Workday and go to HRLEAD 101 in Workday Learning. You should see a screen similar to the screenshot below. If you haven’t launched the content yet, open the media file and select Launch (or Resume if you’ve already started).