CircleSage™ Collection
Leadership Training, Consulting & 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.
CIVIL-ity At Best™
Cultivating Workplace Civility, Accountability, and Equity-Rooted Leadership
Establish a workplace culture where respect isn’t just expected—it’s practiced. Learn how to align leadership behavior, policies, and accountability with the principles of equity and civility.
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Course Overview
Civility isn’t just about being polite—it’s the foundation of legal compliance, psychological safety, and team effectiveness. CIVIL-ity At Best™ is CircleUp’s foundational training on workplace civility, designed specifically for managers, supervisors, and HR professionals. It blends core legal concepts around discrimination and equal employment opportunity (EEO) with real-world communication strategies to foster respectful, inclusive environments where every employee can thrive.
More than a policy overview, this training equips leaders to understand their dual role as both culture shapers and accountability enforcers. Participants will explore how to assess their own leadership behavior, model civil conduct, respond to misconduct, and reinforce inclusive norms through day-to-day interactions.
Core Concepts Covered
The relationship between civility, compliance, and inclusion
How implicit and explicit bias can erode workplace respect
The supervisor’s role in upholding civil standards and addressing misconduct
Designing supportive, trust-based reporting systems
Aligning organizational norms, HR policy, and leadership practice
Learning Outcomes
Participants will leave with the skills to:
Define and model workplace civility in diverse teams
Recognize behavior that violates EEO principles—even when subtle
Respond to incidents of incivility or misconduct with clarity and confidence
Partner with HR to uphold equitable, legally sound practices
Lead inclusive conversations about accountability and culture
Customization Options
This training can be customized to reflect:
Local, state, or federal workplace laws and policies
Organizational DEI goals or leadership standards
Recent incidents or initiatives related to workplace behavior
Specific norms, values, and goals of your city, district, or agency
Recommended Add-Ons
Policy + Practice Integration Session
HR Collaboration & Case Studies Lab
Cultural Humility + Civility Strategy Session
BackTalk™
Refining Feedback Skills and Strengthening Boundaries in Leadership Communication
Give and receive feedback with clarity and confidence. BackTalk™ equips leaders with essential tools to navigate difficult conversations, set boundaries, and build trust across teams.
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Feedback is the language of leadership—but without the right approach, it can become a source of confusion, conflict, or shutdown. BackTalk™ is a dynamic, skill-based training designed to equip leaders, managers, and supervisors with the practical tools needed to engage in feedback conversations that are clear, constructive, and empowering.
In this highly interactive session, participants will explore the psychology of giving and receiving feedback, learn how to frame messages for clarity and impact, and develop the ability to set and hold boundaries with confidence and professionalism. Whether navigating performance reviews, team conflict, client concerns, or peer-to-peer communication, this training will help leaders fine-tune their verbal, nonverbal, and emotional communication skills.
Rooted in principles of equity, psychological safety, and emotional intelligence, BackTalk™ helps leaders foster environments where feedback isn’t feared—it’s welcomed.
Core Concepts Covered
Feedback as a Relationship Tool
The neuroscience of feedback and how people process critique
When feedback works—and when it backfires
Distinguishing between constructive feedback, criticism, and correction
Feedback Models & Messaging Skills
Tried-and-tested frameworks for delivering feedback (e.g., SBI, CURE, STOP/START)
Using intention-setting to clarify purpose and reduce defensiveness
How to communicate clearly while remaining empathetic and professional
Boundary-Setting for Healthy Leadership
Understanding the link between feedback and workplace boundaries
How to say no, re-center conversations, and redirect when lines are crossed
Tools for addressing feedback resistance, defensiveness, or conflict escalation
Feedback Across Difference
How implicit bias can shape how feedback is given—and how it’s received
Strategies for giving culturally responsive feedback
Power dynamics and identity-based considerations when leading tough conversations
Learning Outcomes
Participants will leave this training able to:
Deliver feedback in a clear, constructive, and actionable manner
Recognize and navigate emotional responses to feedback
Set healthy, professional boundaries while maintaining team trust
Adapt feedback approaches across cultural, generational, and hierarchical differences
Build a feedback culture that values growth, accountability, and respect
Customization Options
This training can be tailored for:
Managers and supervisors seeking to improve staff communication
Executive teams navigating leadership alignment and performance feedback
HR professionals managing coaching, mediation, and workplace resolution
Customer-facing teams navigating external feedback with empathy and confidence
Includes options for sector-specific examples in education, healthcare, nonprofits, city government, and corporate settings.
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
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Our Services
Workplace Civility:
Addressing Discrimination through Awareness, Roles, and Procedures
Intended for managers, supervisors, and human resources personnel and designed to promote a workplace environment that upholds the principles of equal employment opportunity and prevents unlawful discrimination. The training covers a range of topics, including workplace civility, recognizing and addressing unlawful discrimination, understanding the responsibilities of supervisors, and creating a supportive reporting and complaint process.
Leadership Excellence in Action:
Refining Feedback Skills and Strengthening Boundaries
A dynamic, skill-based learning experience specifically tailored for leadership and managerial professionals. This interactive session is designed to equip leaders and managers with essential tools to successfully navigate feedback exchanges between employees, clients, and community members, and establish healthy boundaries in the workplace.
Leadership Excellence in Action:
Relationship & Inclusion Strategies Fostering Connection, Inclusivity, and Belonging in the Workplace
Designed to equip managers and leaders with essential tools, strategies, and approaches to facilitate relationship-building, inclusion, and belonging activities in their teams. This interactive session enables leaders to create an inclusive environment that dispels assumptions about individuals' identities and feelings, deepens connections, and fosters a strong sense of belonging among team members.
The Leadership Interactions
Setting Expectations & Engaging in Difficult Conversations using a Cultural Competency Lens
An interactive skill-based training that provides leaders and managers with: practical skills to assess the climate of their staff and community, helpful tools and steps to help set expectations and discuss values with your team, and simple conversation protocol to learn more about how to process difficult topics with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences.