Simply fill in our application form! 

• Applications are accepted until 30 Nov and will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
  
• Please be aware that payment is required by 15 Dec at the latest.
• Scholarships are available based on the pay it forward principle: if you are able to pay the full price – or even more – for the program, you will be sponsoring other women who are less fortunate than you! 
• Simply indicate in the application form, whether you are able to pay it forward, pay the regular price, or what you are able to contribute to your participation. 
• You will be notified about the result of the selection process no later than 5 Dec.
• We reserve the right to make changes to the timeline. In this case, we will notify you accordingly.

The ACE program is ideal for you if you are looking for an advanced leadership program, one where you can express the unique challenges you may be facing as a woman who wants to expand her leadership influence and impact.

Prerequisites for participating

• You identify as a woman
• You currently work in the non-profit sector, the public service, academia or you are active in your community
• You have at least 7 years of overall professional experience
• You have at least 3 years of managerial experience with responsibility for staff
• You are able to articulate your thoughts and ideas easily in English
• You are committed to participating in all sessions of the program 

Your peers

Your peers are carefully selected so that you can benefit from the exchange and connections with a diverse group of women leaders and change-makers.

We keep the groups small so we can individually support each participant and form closer relations within the cohort.

At the same time, we embed the program in the global Women Lead Community with regular learning, peer-coaching and networking offers across cohorts and beyond.

Prerequisites for participating

• You identify as a woman
• You currently work in the non-profit sector, the public service, academia or you are active in your community (and if not, join the waitlist for the next ACE program here)
• You have at least 7 years of overall professional experience
• You have at least 3 years of managerial experience with responsibility for staff
• You are able to articulate your thoughts and ideas easily in English
• You are committed to participating in all sessions of the program

The ACE program provides a safe and supportive environment exclusively for women to reflect on their leadership journey and gain the practical tools they need to move forward in their careers and life without compromising their wellbeing.

Explore your personal leadership context

Explore your leadership context and strategies. Notice how you make choices, what distracts you and where you “excuse” yourself from living fully. 

Expand your influence and impact

Develop your authentic leadership style. Get practical tools and strategies to bolster your assertiveness and leadership finesse, visibility and gravitas.

Boost your confidence

Grow your self-awareness & confidence. Learn to play to win and take on your challenges or next-level position with self-assurance and poise. 

Become the Jedi of adaptive leadership

Learn to navigate complex situations with mastery. Overcome barriers and biases that are holding you back. 

Benefit from the Women Lead Community

Your peers will become a trusted resource, encourage your leadership journey, and enrich you in many beneficial ways during the program and beyond it.

• 
  A toolbox with leadership hacks and strategies for clarity, impact and wellbeing.
• Personalized feedback on your leadership challenges
• ACE workbook with leadership concepts, techniques and strategies
• Your personal playbook with your action plan, and insights on how to continue your leadership journey
• Onsite (40 hours) and online (6 hours) workshops with faculty and an inspiring group of peer women leaders, who are  facing similar challenges
• A certificate
• Three individual coaching sessions supporting you in preparing for the program and making what you learned part of your daily routines
• Ongoing support, including learning, peer-coaching and networking opportunities in the global Women Lead Community

Yes – absolutely

Welcome Session (online: 9 Jan, 17:00-19:00 CET) 

The online Welcome Session with the facilitators and your peers will set the tone for your transformative experience. You will find out how to best prepare for the program. 

Take Stock & Reflect (self-paced preparation)

You will go through self-paced assignments that are carefully designed to help you reflect on your unique professional and personal journey. This will help you further refine the key leadership challenge you wish to work on in the ACE program.  

Review & Upgrade your leadership game (on-site: 21-25 Jan)

4 packed days full of face-to-face exchanges, workshops and reflection with faculty, coaches, and peers in the beautiful city of Vienna.

You’ll be inspired by an immersive experience designed to explore how you lead, provide you with a toolbox to navigate complexity and build lasting connections with other women leaders.

Day 1: Welcome and more (afternoon and evening)

• Afternoon: Welcome, Shared Agreements and Program Overview
• Evening: A game that is not just a game: Join us for an eye-opening leadership development opportunity disguised as a fun game  

Day 2: I / Me – Lead Yourself with Grace and Style

• My leadership context
• Inner and Outer Game of Leadership
• Essential competencies for self-leadership
• Breaking through your limiting beliefs

Day 3: We / Team – Ace the Workplace 

• Be the Queen of Communication
• Step Out of Your Drama Triangle 
• Strategies to Ace the Workplace’s Politics  

Day 4: The System: Seeing the Bigger Picture

• Seeing the Systems
• Polarities Management 
• Navigating Complexity

Day 5: Step into your power

• Prepare Your Playbook
• Integration
  
• Next Steps
• Consultations with Faculty and Peers
• Final joint lunch

Follow-up Workshop 1: Apply & Fly (online: 11 Feb, 17:00-19:00 CET)

• Master Your Tools – Review of Your Progress 
• Expert and Community Feedback and Support 
• Leverage your Network, Amplify Your Impact 

Follow-up Workshop 2: Soar to the Sky (online: 25 Feb, 17:00-19:00 CET)

• Master your tools – Review of Your Progress
• Fly with the Women Lead Community  

Supporting you along the way: our individual coaching sessions

Your personal coach will help you prepare for the program and consolidate your learning within the context of your own leadership challenges. This will help you find clarity on how to move confidently onwards and upwards. We want to make sure you have everything you need to reach new heights.

3 coaching sessions are included:
1. Prior to program start
2. Within 2 months following program closure
3. Within 6 months following program closure

If you would like to book further sessions, as a participant you receive a discount on our regular coaching prices.

Please note: the timing of the online sessions may still be adapted based on availability. The final schedule will be communicated to applicants in a timely manner.

In order to fully benefit from the program, it is recommended that you allow approximately 5 hours a week over the course of six weeks in addition to the four full days of the onsite workshop.

Are you ready to invest in yourself like pros do and take your leadership skills to the next level? 

Program Fee 

The program costs EUR 2790,-  for 5 days of engagement with our experienced facilitators and a cohort of at least 10 excellent women leaders like yourself. In addition, you will be granted free premium access to the Women Lead Community where you are able to connect to inspiring women from around the globe.

We purposefully keep the program fee low compared to other programs of similar level and scope. You may choose to support the participation of a woman in a disadvantaged situation. Or you might need financial support yourself. Please let us know in the application form.

Travel, Board & Lodging

Participants are responsible for the cost of and for organizing their own travel, board and lodging for the duration of the course. Refreshments will be provided during breaks.

Yes, we strive to offer financial support to individuals who cannot afford the full cost of the program. This assistance is made possible through the generosity of participants who can pay it forward, helping other women in need. Please note that financial assistance is not guaranteed, and we ask each recipient to contribute a nominal amount based on their financial ability. This contribution ensures that all participants are committed to actively engaging in and completing the program. If you require a scholarship, please indicate your need and reasons in the application form.

Where was ACE born? 

In the muddy trenches of real life leadership. In those moments when we’ve been talked over in meetings, when our ideas were dismissed or simply ignored. When we have been expected to take minutes, serve coffee in professional meetings and laugh when our male colleagues were telling sexist jokes. In moments, when we felt: Oh dear, this would not have happened to a man. 

And then, one day we had enough of taking minutes and serving coffee in work meetings, and looking perplexed when our male colleagues were again laughing at sexist jokes. You name it. 

But what to do next? 

It is one thing to have had enough of feeling undervalued, disrespected and overlooked or simply taken for granted. But it is quite another thing to be able to do something really smart and effective about it.

Through decades of research, analysis, deep learning, self-discovery work, and countless certifications and credentials, we honed our understanding of this field. We developed a set of strategies and techniques that have helped us become better leaders and better humans. 

And now we want to share the most powerful of tools, strategies and practical hacks with other women leaders like you. That’s why we have created the ACE program. It is the culmination of years of learning, growth, and experience, and it’s our way of giving back to a community of women who deserve better.

We believe that every woman has the potential to be a powerful, effective leader, and we are ready to support you to unlock that potential. Are you ready to join us on this journey toward your professional and personal growth and success?

Angelika, Bettina, Blanka and Elke

We do offer the Excellerator Program also as an in-house version for any type of organization or community. Write to office.europe@leadership.associates to get more information and a quote.