Leadership Training & Professional Development
The CircleSage™ Collection: Wisdom-Fueled Leadership Learning for Modern Leaders
The CircleSage™ Collection is CircleUp’s premier leadership development series—where the practical meets the powerful. These hands-on trainings and consulting services are built to unlock the kind of management magic that comes from experience, strategy, and deep emotional intelligence. Whether you’re stepping into a supervisory role or sharpening executive-level leadership skills, CircleSage™ equips you with the real-world tools and timeless wisdom you need to lead with clarity, courage, and confidence. Discover what it means to lead with intention—and build the skills that set truly transformational leaders apart.
Meanwell™
Practical conflict communication skills for navigating tension and repair.
MeanWell™ gives staff a clear process for addressing tension while it is still fresh, so misunderstandings do not quietly build into bigger issues. The goal is not to replace HR, it is to reduce avoidable escalations by giving employees a shared, structured way to talk things through early.
BackTalk™
Practical tools for delivering clear, constructive feedback—without defensiveness or breakdown in trust.
BackTalk™ helps supervisors and teams give feedback clearly, respond to defensiveness without escalating, and set next steps that actually stick. If your workplace is dealing with pushback, attitude, blame-shifting, or shutdown during coaching conversations, this training gives your staff a repeatable protocol and scripts they can use immediately.
NormALL Values™
Setting Expectations, Establishing Norms, and Navigating Difficult Conversations with Clarity and Care
Clear expectations build strong teams—and courageous conversations sustain them. NormALL Values™ teaches leaders how to set inclusive norms, build shared understanding, and navigate difficult discussions without fear or confusion. Whether you’re guiding a new team, addressing tension, or reinforcing values, this training gives you the practical tools to create a culture of clarity, respect, and accountability. Click to learn how this session can help your leaders foster norms that actually stick—and conversations that move teams forward.
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Great teams don’t happen by accident—they’re built on clear expectations, shared norms, and the courage to face hard conversations with empathy and structure. NormALL Values™ equips leaders, managers, and supervisors with the essential tools to create work environments grounded in clarity, accountability, and mutual respect.
In this hands-on, skill-based session, participants will learn how to co-create team expectations, establish shared values, and respond to tension or confusion with communication strategies that are inclusive, respectful, and grounded in emotional intelligence. The training provides tools not only for setting standards, but also for navigating the moments when those standards are tested—whether in high-stakes meetings, performance conversations, or culture-defining interactions.
At its core, NormALL Values™ is about creating workspaces where everyone knows what to expect, how to engage, and what to do when challenges arise—ensuring both structure and support are in place to handle the real-life dynamics of team relationships.
Core Concepts Covered
Setting Team Norms and Values
How to create shared expectations that are values-driven, not top-down
The difference between agreements, norms, and rules—and how to use each effectively
Building inclusion into norm-setting: addressing power, voice, and accessibility
Difficult Conversations Made Doable
A step-by-step protocol for initiating and navigating challenging topics
Tools for emotionally intelligent communication and conflict prevention
What to do when conversations go off-track—or get personal
Embracing Diversity in Dialogue
Strategies for managing conversations across identity-based differences
How implicit bias and cultural norms affect perception and emotional response
Building a respectful dialogue culture in diverse, dynamic teams
Proactive Communication Tools
Conversation regulators and de-escalation tools for tension-heavy discussions
How to facilitate reflective, values-based dialogue before issues arise
Using stories, statements, and questions to build shared understanding
Learning Outcomes
Participants will leave this training able to:
Facilitate norm-setting conversations that promote inclusion and accountability
Use communication frameworks to guide and manage difficult conversations
Recognize the difference between expectation-setting, micromanagement, and support
Prepare for and respond to emotionally charged moments with skill and clarity
Foster a workplace culture where honesty, curiosity, and accountability can coexist
Customization Options
NormALL Values™ can be adapted for:
Leadership teams launching or re-establishing values-based expectations
Departments navigating rapid growth, conflict, or policy shifts
Cross-functional teams or coalitions working across silos or sectors
Supervisors and managers engaging new team members or direct reports
ChatterMatter™
Leaders Edition: Creating Teams That Talk, Trust, and Thrive
Unlock the power of intentional connection. This engaging leadership training gives managers and team leads the tools to cultivate authentic relationships, foster belonging, and embed inclusive communication practices into the rhythm of team life.
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When teams communicate with intention, they don’t just function—they flourish. ChatterMatter™ is a skill-based leadership training designed to help managers and supervisors foster stronger connections, deeper inclusion, and a culture of everyday belonging through intentional relationship-building.
In this interactive session, participants explore the vital role that consistent communication, inclusive habits, and culturally responsive practices play in creating psychologically safe, values-aligned teams. This isn’t just about being nice—it’s about learning how structured connection rituals, recognition, and authentic engagement foster high-trust environments where people feel seen, respected, and motivated to show up fully.
Leaders will walk away with simple, powerful strategies they can embed into team meetings, one-on-one check-ins, onboarding, recognition moments, and organizational rituals to strengthen team cohesion and inclusion.
Core Concepts Covered
Why Connection is a Leadership Strategy
The neuroscience of belonging and psychological safety
How inclusive communication fuels retention, innovation, and morale
Tools for Building Everyday Belonging
Culturally responsive team rituals
Relationship-building tools from CircleUp’s Cue Cards and other frameworks
The three dimensions of inclusive engagement: Voice, Visibility, and Validation
Inclusion in Action
How to dispel assumptions about identity and feelings
Recognizing and interrupting everyday exclusion patterns
Encouraging reciprocal listening and cultural humility on teams
Learning Outcomes
Participants will learn how to:
Create consistent connection rituals that strengthen inclusion
Use culturally responsive team practices to promote belonging
Embed relationship-building into standard team operations
Model inclusive leadership through language, tone, and presence
Recognize when connection is missing—and know how to repair it
Customization Options
This training can be adapted to:
New manager cohorts or team leads
Cross-functional or interdepartmental teams
Staff working in high-stress or remote/hybrid environments
Organizations launching DEI, wellness, or engagement initiatives
Recommended Add-Ons
Relationship Building Cue Cards™ integration
Guided practice building custom team rituals
Inclusion mapping: assessing gaps in engagement practices