My coaching supports leaders ready to invest in themselves, their teams, and their organizations.
“I have been successfully cultivating a culture of learning and development at Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op for over 18 years. Combining my skills and experience as Human Resources Manager with my professional training in mediation and coaching and my MA in Comparative Education, I have been able to bring experiential leadership training to all levels of leaders: senior leaders, leadership teams, shift leaders, and first-time leaders. I draw upon the wisdom of Brené Brown, Resmaa Menakem, Peter Senge, and David Whyte among others to bring you the latest leadership practices and give you the tools to transform your organization.
Having spent my lifetime exploring adult development I have discovered learning is as essential as unlearning. Noticed the impact of thinking that is expansive versus limiting. Experienced the strain when communication goes sideways. Witnessed first-hand what transpires when people feel seen and heard. Felt the ripple effect of an intentional leader on a team, a workplace, and community.
Culture isn’t a backdrop painted on a workplace wall. It is active and relational. Individuals create it and shape it daily. It includes what is openly talked about as well as what is whispered, what is noticed and what is ignored. What is the impact on those around you? What is the impact on you?
My coaching supports leaders ready to invest in themselves, their teams, and organizations and lead with intention.”
Imagine an organization where people work enthusiastically while ideas and opinions are shared. Feedback is sought. People listen and feel connected. Adaptable leaders relate to all they encounter.
- Are you cultivating a culture of trust?
- How would you describe your current culture?
- Is it aligned where you want it to be?
Change culture and you change lives. You can also change the course of history.
—Resmaa Menakem, My Grandmother’s Hands
Leadership Learning Circles help leaders and teams seeking alignment or needing a reset. Discover ways to support your teams and leaders to be more responsive, authentic, and vulnerable. Together we will explore what matters most and elevate leadership skills in a trusting environment.
Given the complexities in leading today’s organizations it is more important than ever to be a part of a small learning community. With so much responsibility and information you can’t share with others it is essential to have a space to ask questions, experiment, venture outside of your comfort zone and need not be the expert.
Bringing these practices to your organization will give you tools to support the learning and growth of all your leaders and help cultivate a more engaged workplace culture.
Working together you’ll learn to:
Invest in Yourself. Transform Teams. Strengthen Communities.
Laura King is a leadership coach, group facilitator, and trainer. She speaks nationally on creating human-centered organizations, intentional communication, relational leadership and empowered culture. Her thoughtful presence creates a safe space for learning and growth.
NEW for 2024
Training and development for teams seeking to increase trust, connection, and capacity for change.
Through monthly learning sessions, leadership teams practice skills for relational leadership and improving communication. Areas of focus include receiving and sharing feedback, cultivating a learning mindset, having difficult conversations, and being intentional when resolving conflict. Leaders will practice strategies to build a positive leadership culture while increasing self-awareness and confidence.
Strengthening leadership teams for greater alignment creates a cohesive workplace culture where employees can thrive. It also helps leaders feel less alone, overwhelmed, or burned out. Together we co-create leadership intentions and agreements to provide a framework for self and team responsibility. This clarity enables leaders to have firm footing and together stand on common ground.
This offering elevates and aligns teams over 6-9 months to develop a common language have a shared learning experience and practice new skills together. It can be tailored to meet the specific needs of your team. Reach out to Laura to learn more.
Upcoming Events
Women's Leadership Learning Circle Are you ready to become a part of a network of women seeking to grow their impact? Join this session to get started Presented by: Laura King - Leadership Development Coach “Laura’s supportive and thoughtful approach...
Leadership Learning Circle - Let's Focus on Difficult Given the complexities in leading today’s organizations it is more important than ever to be a part of a small learning community. With so much responsibility and information you can’t share with...
Leadership Learning Circles – online offerings
If you are an organization sending 3 or more, let’s talk!
There is an incredible benefit for team members bringing these tools back to their organization. Email me!
Creating a Culture of Accountability
An introspective workshop to explore the many facets of accountability. Ways to cultivate a positive culture of accountability starting with yourself, then aligning with your team and organization. You will be better informed on how to
Future offerings coming soon – check back again
Cost: $189 per person for 3 hours of experiential learning
The Art of Giving and Receiving Feedback
Learn strategies for sharing and receiving feedback that strengthen human relationships. Through scenarios you will better understand stress responses and ways to stay centered as well as ways to build trust and cultivate generosity. You will
Future offerings coming soon – check back again
Cost: $189 per person for 3 hours of experiential learning
Strategies for Difficult Conversations
Engaging in difficult conversations has tremendous potential for laying the foundation for employee engagement. It is a way to come together despite our differences. Come ready to try some coaching and mediation techniques to help make things less difficult. You will be better informed on how to
Future offerings coming soon – check back again
Cost: $189 per person for 3 hours of experiential learning
Women’s Leadership Learning Circle
“I heard a woman becomes herself the first time she speaks without permission” – Denice Frohman
This group is for you if you are a woman or identify as a woman. Please join if you:
Are you ready to become a part of a network of women seeking to connect and grow their impact?
Join this session to get started!
“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”- Alice Walker
Coming later in the spring – Regular Ongoing Women’s Leadership Learning Circle for those ready to make a long-term commitment to learning, growth and empowerment.
Email Laura King if you’d like to learn more.
Future offerings coming soon – check back again
Cost: $50 per person for 2 hours of experiential learning
Scholarships are available! Email Laura King
Intentional Communication
Forward thinking leaders recognize that effective communication, a learning mindset, and emotional intelligence are the best indicators of leadership success.
Whole leader development is grounded in human connection and can reduce individual and team stress. In this experiential session, you will be better informed how to
Future offerings coming soon – check back again
Cost: $189 per person for 3 hours of experiential learning
Change and Resistance – Am I Immune to Change?
What gets in the way of reaching my goals?
Do I hold myself back from important changes I want to make?
What are my hidden competing commitments?
Am I ready to let go of what is no longer serving me?
For leaders ready to explore an empowering relationship with change. If there is a change you strongly desire and it isn’t happening, it is rarely about willpower or wanting it enough. If your thoughtful plans and intentions are resistant to change it is beneficial to explore unseen motivations, perceptions, and/or beliefs. From this experiential session you will
Future offerings coming soon – check back again
Cost: $249 per person for 10 hours of experiential learning
Women’s Leadership Learning Circle
This group is for you if you are a woman or identify as a woman. An invitation to connect with women leaders in a supportive space to explore authenticity and
trusting leadership. Together we will fine-tune skills for:
… while discovering if there are areas where we are ready to re-engage with healthy power.
Come be a part of this interactive monthly learning circle if you are ready to be a part of a community of women reframing their relationship with healthy and balanced leadership and power.
Monthly on Wednesdays at 12:00pm EST
- May 8th, 2024
- June 5th
- July 10th
Meetings are for an hour each month on zoom with optional homework between sessions to deepen the learning.
Cost: $89 per person
Scholarships are available! Email Laura King
Get registered now as space is limited!
Let’s Focus on Difficult!
Difficult Conversations, Difficult Leaders and Difficult Employees refine skills, increase confidence and learn in community.
Given the complexities in leading today’s organizations it is more important than ever to be a part of a small learning community. With so much responsibility and information you can’t share with others it is essential to have a space to ask questions, practice, and not need to be the expert.
Together we will practice communication skills and leadership practices in a trusting environment. Bringing these practices back to your organization will give
you tools to support the learning and growth of your leaders and help cultivate a more engaged workplace.
Topics include:
Ideal for leaders seeking more ease, greater confidence and less drama at work.
Thursday, July 18th and 25th from 12:00pm – 1:30pm EST
Cost: $189 per person
Scholarships are available! Email Laura King
Get registered now as space is limited!
Testimonials
Bringing together a group of like-minded leaders is a powerful way to shine the light on our roles in our organizations and recenter how we approach our responsibilities.
I appreciate the facilitation and thoughtful approach. The framing helped me with some things I am working with. I appreciate your time, effort, and sharing of expertise.
Do it to enhance self-awareness about your own leadership strengths and opportunities for growth and there is so much to learn from Laura and the other leaders.
Excellent presenter. Really engaging, responsive, and inviting.
During our 18 years working together, Laura coached our department managers and she also coached me (as GM) to grow and become a much better leader of my management team and the staff as a whole. I never would have achieved the same level of success nor had the same amount of enjoyment without her help.
Laura creates an incredibly effective learning environment where she’s invited me to candidly and safely explore the areas that have tripped me up as a leader. Laura asks you to go deep, to challenge your assumptions, and to engage in your self-learning with vulnerability, honesty, and humility. Her supportive and thoughtful approach to encouraging reflection and awareness has given me a much deeper understanding and more grounded approach to learning and leading. The tools I’ve learned from Laura’s coaching and her keen insights have helped me to have deeper and more honest awareness, to harness true active listening skills, to create and hold space for deeper learning with staff, and to build and lead teams who are highly motivated and productive.
Leadership Development Resources in the Columinate Library
Managers Utilize the Compensation Database
The concept of pay equity affects all co-ops, no matter who their general manager (GM) is. The ability of our stores to attract, train, and retain quality candidates creates a rising tide for all co-ops, especially as Principle 6 mandates our collective cooperation. Columinate’s Compensation Database is a remarkably helpful tool that enables general managers and boards to understand how their compensation package compares to similar stores throughout the country.
Deli management, Part 3: Systems To Stay On Track In All Seasons
Timing is key to any recipe. Cook things too long and they burn. Wait too long to add an ingredient, and it may not cook all the way. Before you prepare to cook a new recipe, you give yourself ample time for the work of reading the recipe directions, cutting, chopping, and measuring ingredients. That way, when the beautiful chaos of cooking begins, you’re prepared for each step in the process.
Meet Molly Phipps: Putting Her Passions to Work
Molly Phipps, welcomed to the Columinate consultant team in 2023, has centered her career around three key passions: food, people, and the natural environment. As a result, this warm and analytical cooperator’s resume exhibits an eye-catching variety of job titles, including evaluation and research associate, farmer’s market manager, board member, and lab manager. The breadth of Phipps’ experience and her leadership in planning/evaluating strategy are sure to generate a positive impact for co-ops in the grocery industry as well as for resident-owned communities in manufactured home parks.
General Manager Support for Deli Departments
Columinate consultant Dana Tomlin specializes in supporting deli departments and making sure general managers have the knowledge and confidence to oversee successful programs and systems long-term. Learning the complexities, language, rhythms, and pitfalls within your deli can make a huge difference in performance and consistency. Deli departments need to put out product in abundance and quality that meets customer expectations across staffing changes, daily chaos, and product availability.
Columinate Learn: Applying Principle 5 in the Digital Divide
Ready for digital literacy Co-ops have a lot of teaching to do. To build a cooperative ecosystem with knowledgeable and invested stakeholders aware of what it is they have become a part of, it takes a lot of orienting, sharing, demonstrating, and educating. A cooperative can fail if it does not consistently apply Co-op Principle 5: Education, Training, and Information. Lack of strong education systems within a co-op culture can slowly erode its core.
Board Training Evolves: Enter CBLD Academy
This fall, consultants at Columinate will launch CBLD Academy, an on-demand learning loaded with revitalized and accessible content. Cooperators can expect three courses within the “Foundation Series” at the outset, with more courses planned to round out this base of co-op training. “It's a natural and a march towards progress in how we provide a framework for learning about the co-op business model,” said Leslie Watson, governance at Columinate.