Leading Groups Effectively

“LGE is like The Wheel of a ship — The place where we steer the vessel,
direct the crew, and play our part in reaching the destination as a community.”
—Ron Nakata

Leading Groups Effectively is both an opportunity to have a breakthrough in your ability to lead groups such that the intent and purpose of any group you lead is realized, and it is also a transformational piece of work, as “We teach who we are,” as Parker Palmer says. A breakthrough into your own ease and grace in leading, and in being a clearing for others to be engaged and inspired, this program allows you to “observe” The Heart of Leadership, “leading” that program from the back of the room through observing Amba Gale lead. You have the opportunity to occupy the meta conversation of The Heart of Leadership, debriefing each day, and then engaging in multiple dialogues, training inquiries, exercises, and practice mocks during a three-day period following The Heart of Leadership. This pathway provides a powerful opening into the “Beingness” of one who serves through leading.

This is a program which is offered to Heart of Leadership graduates only, and which has four over-arching purposes:

To empower you to have a breakthrough in your ability to lead such that the purpose of any group you lead is realized.
For you have to have greater certainty, ease, and grace in your ability to be in front of groups and unfold the conversation in the room powerfully into an accomplishment or fulfillment.
For you to have a breakthrough in your own Self-expression, authenticity, and sense of Selfhood, unfettered by nerves.
For your leading workshops, team meetings, groups, to be a source of inspiration, joy, meaning, and enlivenment for both you and the participants in your groups.

Within these four purposes are more specific purposes, all of which are accomplished by the end of the seven days:

1)
You have a new opening in your ability to fulfill the purpose or purposes of whatever you are leading
2)
You have a new opening in your ability to have the people you are leading empowered and inspired and are able to produce unprecedented results through and with others
3)
You are released to a call to ongoingly develop yourself as a workshop/group/facilitation/course/retreat leader and to sustain yourself in that development
4)
With respect to being a leader of groups, you are clear what is fundamental to leading effectively and have access to living and being that and developing yourself in that on an ongoing basis
5)
As a group leader, you are clear what you stand for
6)
You have a pathway for finding your voice and capitalizing on your self-expression, your strengths and your gifts, all put in service of empowering others through leading groups
7)
You make a shift from self-absorption, self-concern and fears/worry to Self-expression and Being-of-Service as a pathway for generating greater ease, delight, and certainty in being in front of groups and unfolding the conversation in the room as an accomplishment in fulfilling purpose
8)
You have greater access to the territory of shaping the listening and listening to the listening for creating your power in leading
9)
Your leading is a source of joy, delight, inspiration, and enlivenment for yourself and others

The key distinctions and inquiries that this program opens are:

What is the background clearing for leading effectively? (What is in that background?)

Who are you being (as a leader) currently and what’s a (potent and authentic) new level of “beingness” you would want to author?
What is fundamental to leading groups effectively? (without which you wouldn’t be doing it)

Listening to the listening (or listening for the listening for); being reliable for distinguishing each listening in the room

Sourcing a safe space

Appreciation as a ground of being

Taking the lid off your self expression

— disappearing your fear

— removing the (particular) nails in your feet (like fear, pretense and all behaviors that cover that up = looking good, performing, minimize the risk, etc)

Expectations and ideals as they pertain to leading

Dealing with your own (other agendas) while leading

Leading an Inquiry

Releasing the wisdom and brilliance in the room

Integrity and authenticity as it pertains to this domain

Being responsible for the outcome

Creating the ability to create

Being One who is (who comes from) Being of Service in the World
Levels of creative acknowledgment (and what different levels of acknowledgment produce)

The Communication Relationship (levels of speaking and listening)

What are your most powerful stands you take in leading your work?

Your relationships to Source/Spirit as you lead

The particulars and logistics of this offering are:

Leading Groups Effectively is offered publicly when there is sufficient demand. It is for graduates of The Heart of Leadership only. It is also offered as an in-house program. Participants of Leading Groups Effectively sit in the back of the room of The Heart of Leadership, noting and observing the meta conversations, the ground of being, and the listening Amba is creating, as she is leading.

Program sessions, therefore, entail:

Five hours, the day before Day One of The Heart of Leadership, to prepare your ears and eyes for distinguishing leading through observing Amba leading.
Debriefing with each other during the first three days of The Heart of Leadership, followed by a weekend off, followed by three days of development and training. We start with a debrief of observations from The Heart of Leadership. These three days are days of good, hard, hands-on work – through inquiry, dialogue, exploration, coaching, and many exercises and practice, in the above distinctions.

What Past Participants Have Said

Leading groups is one of the most challenging—and consequential—leadership opportunities there is. When we learn to facilitate with presence, clarity, and deep listening, everything changes: the quality of conversation, the depth of engagement, and the trust that becomes possible.

These participants offer a glimpse of what became possible for them through Leading Groups Effectively.

A True Transformation in Leadership Presence

Thank you so much for your warm message and for the thoughtful invitation to reflect on my journey through Leading Groups Effectively. I’m truly grateful for the time, care, and intention you poured into the course. The experience has stayed with me in ways I didn’t anticipate.

As I’ve looked back on my learning, one of the most meaningful shifts for me has been a deepening self‑awareness, specifically around my capacity to extend grace, both to myself and to others. When I entered the course, I hadn’t fully realized how often my drive to move quickly, decide quickly, and solve quickly eclipsed the softer skills of patience and compassion. I didn’t always leave room for myself, or those around me, to be fully human in the process.

Through the work we did together, I discovered the power of “sacred” pausing. That single, intentional moment before responding or deciding has changed how I show up as a leader. In that pause, I can truly listen. Not just to what is being said, but to the person behind the words, their intentions, their care, their hopes. This practice has allowed me to see the best in people more clearly. Instead of interpreting actions alone, I’m now more attuned to the genuine positive intent that so often sits just beneath the surface.

In my meetings and in my life more broadly, this shift has created a different quality of connection. Conversations feel more open. Decisions feel more grounded. And I feel more aligned with the kind of leader I want to be, one who is “the listening” first, assumes good intent, and creates space for people to bring their full selves forward.

Thank you again for guiding us through such meaningful work. The final days of our gathering were truly special, and the breakthroughs you described were felt deeply on my end as well.

I am grateful for this journey and for the opportunity to continue growing in ways that honor both my leadership and my humanity.

With appreciation,

Dr. Ahmad M. Slim, Chief Medical Officer, Pulse Heart Institute

my meetings have never been the same

“Leading Groups Effectively was an outstanding course. My meetings have never been the same since. I find that my meetings have become far more effective, more focused, and more grounded now than I could’ve anticipated.”

Somik Raha, Senior Product Manager, Apple Computers

Trusting My Selfhood and Leading with Intention

“Leading Groups Effectively was one of the most powerful courses I’ve ever taken. I know and trust my selfhood, and have learned to bring my presence into the room. I now meet before meetings to prepare, and bring intentionality to how I show up.”

Scott Curtis, Community Leader

Authentic Leadership Rooted in Love and Presence

“My participation in LGE opened up my ability to listen and be present with the groups I lead by helping me connect with my source — my unconditional love for the people I lead and the mission of our work together. Taking the lid off who I am opened up a new authenticity in how I lead and how I shape conversations for and with the group.”

Marianne Bastin, Manager, Good Samaritan Hospital

Every Conversation Changed

“Conversations in my daily life have been turned upside-down by my commitment to listen for and speak into the listening. My interactions with family, friends, colleagues, and clients have been transformed.”

Mike Pedersen, Principal, Pedersen Consulting

Creating Safety, Honesty, and Engagement

“Amba taught me how to create a space where people feel safe enough to speak honestly and engage fully. I learned how to work with what is happening in the room, rather than forcing an agenda.”

Marie Walker, Organizational Consultant

A Soul-Level Invitation

“Fortunately, my soul recognized the invitation this course is. What I’ve come away with is a vibrant confidence and humble appreciation for the power and effectiveness of simply being who I am.”

Anna Billings, Therapist

These are the kinds of shifts that become possible when we learn to lead groups from presence, deep listening, intentionality, and clarity of purpose.