Core Skills Every Emerging Leader Needs: The CHORDS Model

• Only about 1 in 10 organizations feel very confident in their ability to build skills for the future, including leadership, critical thinking, and adaptability.
• Nearly 52% of organizations cite front‑line managers as the top group for development investment, with 46% prioritizing emerging leaders, yet only 1 in 5 rate their leadership development as high quality.
• 77% of organizations report a lack of leadership depth in critical roles, signaling a weak pipeline of capable leaders ready for increasingly complex work.
• Less than one-third of employees trust their managers’ leadership effectiveness, a sign that frontline leadership performance and readiness are falling short.

The evidence is clear: efforts to grow and nurture leaders are falling way short while the need for strong leadership has never been more critical.

That’s why so many leaders and organizations are searching for clear answers on how to develop leadership skills that actually work in today’s environment.

Join Dr. Michael Brenner as he shares highlights from his new book, Strike the Right Chord: The Emerging Leader’s Guide to Exceptional Performance. Dr. Brenner will take attendees on a journey through his unique CHORDS Model™, consisting of 6 key “notes” all high-performing leaders “play” for optimal performance: Communication, Harmony, Ownership, Respect, Direction, and Support. When these notes are “in tune,” trust, collaboration, and engagement increase. But if even one note clashes, the results can be disastrous.

Smart, succinct, and refreshingly free of fluff, Strike the Right Chord delivers a clear roadmap for how to develop leadership skills that emerging leaders need – and practical guidance for developing them. From emotional intelligence and accountability to conflict resolution and coaching, these core capabilities form the foundation of effective leadership – and their relevance has never been greater. In this session, you will learn how to: