Conner Academy

Conner Academy is a professional development center providing advanced learning opportunities for seasoned change practitioners.

The majority of change professionals are viewed by those they serve as providing satisfactory value and adequately supplying what they are expected to deliver. A much smaller subset of practitioners are seen as “High Impact” trusted advisors who foster exceptional credibility and influence with the senior leaders they support. Conner Academy was established to furnish a supportive but challenging learning environment for High Impact practitioners and those who aspire to advance to this status.

Walking the Mastery Path

Our learning programs are designed for change professionals who are ready to go beyond basic competencies. High Impact practitioners are often thought of as having “mastered” the profession, but we prefer to think of them as walking the mastery path. The distinction is an important one. The former label implies an achievement that has been completed, while the latter designation conveys an unending quest.

The field of change execution is not a profession that you can ever master; however, it is a profession in which you can continue to become increasingly effective through seeking mastery. Walking the mastery path requires deep commitment and involves unending refinement of both what you do (the use of change execution concepts, tools, and techniques), as well as who you are (bringing forward the uniqueness of your character and presence as part of the value you create). Conner Academy offers a learning environment where seasoned change practitioners from all over the world can advance their capabilities in both of these areas. The result? A greater likelihood of being able to function in the High Impact zone within a C-suite and senior leadership environment.

Is Conner Academy for You?

Not everyone has the interest or potential for engaging in the kind of advanced professional development we provide. Conner Academy is not for the inexperienced or the faint of heart.

Various areas of specialty are charged with helping top executives execute critical change, including change management, project management, organizational design, IT, HR, leadership development, business relationship management, and strategic planning. Regardless of your field of expertise, whether you function as an internal or external resource, or operate as a solo practitioner or as part of a team, if you are tasked with facilitating important transitions, we consider you a change practitioner.

Simply being a competent change practitioner, however, is not enough. All offerings in the Conner Academy curriculum are constructed for advancement beyond technical proficiency. To be accepted into any of our programs, participants must already have several years’ experience facilitating significant transitions. You must also be well-versed in one or more change approaches, although it doesn’t matter which ones, because the Academy is methodology agnostic. Instead of whose proprietary material you are trained in or what frameworks you have created for yourself, what we care about are things like:

• Have you completed enough training, earned enough certifications, and had enough application experience to feel confident in your ability to provide basic value to senior leaders?

• Do you demonstrate an eagerness to evolve beyond conceptual/technical proficiency—are you ready to pursue mastery of your craft?

• Do you find yourself frustrated that top executives relate to you as helpful but not critically essential to the success of their change endeavors?

• Are you ready to step up to High Impact work where you are considered a “rare resource”: deeply listened to, respected, and hard to replace?

• Are you prepared to dive into the introspective aspects of walking the mastery path, exploring aspects of yourself and how you relate to the leaders you serve that you’ve not previously examined?

If it sounds like Conner Academy may offer you the professional development you are seeking, learn more about the two entryways to the mastery path.