Testimonials

Jeffrey Eysaman

As a leader who has been through many trainings, attended conferences, and had many on-the-job experiences, I can truly say the past 10 months have been career-changing for me. From the people I’ve connected with throughout the program to the many strategies we have been taught, I feel beyond fortunate to be able to return to my work team and lead with confidence and competence. Cathy, Ralph, Bill, and the Emergent team have helped raise my ceiling as a leader, showing us all how to lead with empathy and love. Their unique program does not focus on the tasks that so many of us are hyper-focused in our respective workspaces, nor does it prioritize profits, working long weeks, or climbing the corporate ladder. Instead, they challenged all of us to become transformational leaders, done only by making a great commitment to ourselves and our mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.

Professionally, I feel more ready than ever to be a leader for my organization. I have learned so much about managing my energy, polarities amongst my team, and building sustainable habits that allow me to maximize my impact as a change agent. I don’t think I have ever been through an experience that challenged me in such a positive way. Since January, I have been in a constant state of reflection and reinvention. Learning how others perceived me and my leadership through the Leadership Circle Profile, to rethinking the strategies I was using after discussing the many readings we completed, I feel our cohort was armed with all the tools necessary to make informed adjustments as leaders. The distinct advantage in implementing these changes was the coaching sessions, which allowed us to talk through any issues we were having and continue to get the positive motivation to keep pushing forward, even when something didn’t work right away. The most rewarding piece was being able to regroup with the cohort and share our successes, together. I feel so grateful to leave this experience with some great mentors and friends that I know will continue to be a part of my journey with me.

Beyond the strategies shared as working professionals, LeadForward’s greatest impact has undoubtedly been in my personal life. The efficiency I have learned as a leader has allowed me to return home after a workday with renewed energy and motivation to be present with my family. I aspire to impact those I love even more than those I work with, and because of all I have learned in this program, I feel better equipped to do so. Because much of the focus has been on becoming more intentional with my habits as a healthy and happy individual, I feel like I have evolved into the best version of myself, allowing me to fulfill my most important responsibilities: being the best father and partner I can be. Regardless of what life experiences I gain moving forward, I know I will be successful in all of them because of my time in LeadForward.

Karinda Shanes

I appreciate being nominated by community organizations and having the opportunity to participate in the Emergent LeadFORWARD Executive Leadership Experience! Ralph, Bill, Cathy and Jay are all phenomenal coaches. The awareness and concepts they bring to your attention while helping you process them is really rewarding personally, as well as professionally. We had a great team on this journey, having others in different professions but dealing with similar matters really helped to think outside the box. My teammates taught me valuable advice that I was able to implement in my daily work style and habits, that allowed me to improve and continue to become a better leader! It was a very humbling experience; and I realized that leadership is a marathon, not a sprint. 

“If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together”. African Proverb – Martha Goedert

Mike Hopkins

Through my sessions with Ralph, my leadership has grown and evolved; I’ve already begun to reap the rewards of these sessions, seeing the impact on my players and staff – as I grow, I also allow them a space to develop and lead. Ralph has been a steady source of knowledge and wisdom, expanding my skill-set and allowing me to effectively support each of my players and staff members so that we all succeed.

Ralph has been easy to work with, flexible to my schedule, and has really worked to tailor sessions to challenges I face that are unique to my profession and my leadership. Not only has Ralph helped take my coaching and leadership skills to the next level, but he’s given me the tools to continue to better myself, daily.

Steve Lowe

I had used all the tools I had, exhausted my skill set, and still didn’t feel good about my leadership and how I was running my business. I was tired and stressed. Through my work with Bill and Emergent, I have developed a new set of tools. These tools have helped me become more focused, empower the team around me, and create successes in places I didn’t think were possible. I have become a better leader for my business, my team, and to be honest, a better person overall.

Joyce Dennington

I highly recommend the LeadFORWARD program for leaders at all levels of an organization.  The investment requires a personal commitment to look in the mirror, assess your leadership skills, and tap into your full potential.  The work in the group setting and individually with my personal coach was invaluable – not only for myself but for the organization.  An added bonus…a new circle of friends whose support allows me continued growth.

Josh Forward

I am thankful for the opportunity to have been a part of the LeadFORWARD program and for the relationships that I created in the community because of it. The program helped me focus on my whole self by defining what matters most. It helped me create a vision for the leader and person I wanted to be and provided the tools necessary to become that person.

Ryan Doyle

Every so often, if you’re lucky, you’ll get to meet someone who is both kind, thoughtful, and understanding – and also pushes, drives, and expects you to become the best version of yourself that you can be.

Bill and the whole team at Emergent have that rare ability to simultaneously listen with compassion and ask the right tough questions to move us past our perceived obstacles and limiting beliefs.

The LeadFORWARD program is an incredible opportunity to develop and expand your own leadership capacity while connecting with other top performers. If you are intent on achieving your goals and making a difference – don’t leave it up to chance – make the commitment, and you’ll be amazed at the person you become.

Nitin Agarwal

LeadForward is a transformation and realistically impactful program that scaled up my leadership style to a whole new level. The recipe of success lies in its curriculum that starts with personal excellence, provides tools to create new leaders which are big potential, and individual 1-1 sessions to keep you on track for achieving the milestones. I recommend this program to anyone who is willing to be vulnerable and ready to take a leap into becoming a high-impact leader.

Ross Maniaci

We are an IT Hardware sales company of about 75 employees – based in East Syracuse, NY. We started talking to Ralph Simone & Emergent as sales numbers were growing and so was the sales management team. We wanted to learn how to communicate better & more openly as a team. The future growth of the company and the sales organization depends on us getting better as leaders.

We’ve now been working with Ralph Simone & Emergent for over two and a half years. We meet with Ralph every two weeks as a sales leadership team. When we started – Ralph & his team at Emergent took the time to come in and understand our company, our team, and our needs as a group.

For our needs, Emergent has new content for us to discuss every two weeks based on an agenda we’d like to talk about or one that Ralph believes we need to explore. Many times we’ll have prep work such as a short leadership article to read, a TED Talk to listen to, or a YouTube video to watch. They always fit perfectly for the upcoming discussion topic. We really look forward to our bi-weekly meetings.  Ralph’s honest & open personality has allowed us to feel comfortable opening up to him. Due to Ralph’s business experience and the fact that he is well-read within many of the topics of our discussion – Ralph has been able to draw out conversations that we didn’t realize we needed to discuss. Our meetings have become very spirited and emotional. Ralph has no problem giving us a little kick in the ass and telling us what we need to hear to improve, but he will also be the first person to congratulate us on a job well done and celebrate with us too!

Emergent is teaching us to become better people, leaders, and decision-makers. We’re looking at the strengths of the individuals in the group and drawing on the positives of each person to accomplish goals as a team. Our trust for each other is positively off the charts and so is our business.

Thanks, Ralph Simone & Emergent for everything you do! We look forward to continued work together as we keep growing.

Brian Reid

Thanks for an amazing year, I appreciate it more than words can convey. For the first time in my career a leadership class provided me real tools that are already helping me be more effective, a better person and leader.