For the past 70 years, our organization has built its reputation upon the belief that authentic curiosity and strong, open-ended questions lead to effective and responsive leadership that is inclusive of all stakeholder voices. The result is stronger, more innovative working and thinking communities.

Our approach, known as Inquiry Leadership, is rooted in our Shared Inquiry™ methodology, where a distinct role is given to those with various leadership responsibilities. Within our framework, leaders are considered to be first among other colleagues and stakeholders, where leaders ask questions and explore issues with an open mind. Topics may include: negotiating organizational or personnel changes, mission creation, building internal capacity and advocacy, entrepreneurship and growth, and creating empathy and perspective across departments.

Because no organization is exactly alike, Inquiry Leadership uses an approach that is tailored to support the needs of your organization, where deep, critical analysis is required. Those who work with us have the opportunity to be supported as they develop powerful questions. This process can be done in training or within the context of consulting. Leaders are walked through exercises that provide tools to better enable them to carefully listen to and navigate responses of participants. The approach is underpinned by a collective commitment to exploring each person’s perspective and ideas. Process and ideas from all are considered thoroughly, thereby shifting dynamics toward a more equitable working environment.

Groups that have used our trainings cite stronger listening skills from all participants and an ability to better understand the perspectives of multiple stakeholders. Through Inquiry Leadership, decisions are no longer unilateral but rather a group decision, where process and outcome are intertwined.

We provide a variety of trainings and consulting services tailored to meet the leadership needs of nonprofits and businesses from all sectors, universities, and, of course, K–12 educators. Our organization works in tandem with yours to create customized training or consulting, so our offerings vary, depending on your organization’s goals.

We happily work within any size organization’s budget, which is why we do not have fixed pricing. Our pricing models are based on your wants and needs, and are dependent on the size, timing, and personalization of the training and consulting.

To get a sense of the scope of what we provide, please see our current partnerships below. Please contact us with any inquiries.

Chicago Sister Cities International

Talking Service

Studs Terkel Radio Archive

PBS MASTERPIECE