Cohorts for AEC Leaders
Discover how The Flamingo Project helps AEC leaders grow together.
The Flamingo Project’s AEC Leadership Cohorts bring firm leaders together through live, virtual programs that blend strategy, accountability, and community. Learn, lead, and grow, all from your own workspace, with expert guidance and peer connection built in.
our approach
Strategic. Human. Remote by Design.
At The Flamingo Project, we believe growth happens best when learning meets real leadership challenges. Our live, virtual AEC Leadership Cohorts combine research-backed strategy with peer connection—helping you plan smarter, lead stronger, and grow with clarity and confidence.
Explore our current and upcoming cohorts below.
LEADFORWARD STRATEGIC GROWTH LEADERSHIP COHORT
Who it’s for and what you’ll gain
Leaders navigating newly created or evolving roles who want to grow with clarity, confidence, and accountability.
- A trusted peer network of other growth-minded AEC professionals
- Monthly facilitated sessions with Sarah Kinard and Marion Thatch, FSMPS, CPCC
- Tools and frameworks to define growth, build alignment, and lead with purpose
- A research-backed approach to strategic leadership development
APPLY TO LEADFORWARD 2026!
Registration is now open for the Cohort beginning in January 2026.
OPEN FOR REGISTRATION IN JULY 2026
Business Planning Accelerator
An 8-week remote accelerator that helps AEC firm leaders create a focused, actionable, and vision-aligned business plan for 2027.
Who joins and what you’ll gain
COOs, CMOs, BD Directors, and Firm Leaders ready to turn ideas into an executable business plan.
- Define your 2027 vision and measurable goals
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Identify opportunities using Flamingo’s Growth Matrix
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Build integrated BD and marketing campaigns
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Align your team and resources around your plan
“These cohorts are where leadership clarity meets community support—and where your next season of growth begins.”
Program Snapshot
- Duration: 8 weeks (live virtual sessions)
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Registration opens: July for September sessions
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Weekly 60–90-minute sessions
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Worksheets, templates, and optional 1:1 coaching
LeadForward Fall Planning Cohort
A 3-month virtual cohort for senior AEC marketing and BD leaders planning for the year ahead.
Every fall, AEC marketing and BD teams face the same challenge: building plans that connect market insight, firm goals, and internal momentum. This small-group program helps you plan smarter, faster, and with the confidence that comes from peer support.
Who it’s for and what you’ll gain
Marketing Directors, CMOs, and BD leaders juggling market assessments, proposal planning, and internal communication strategies.
- Sharpen your market view with guided forecasting tools
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Strengthen BD and marketing plans for the next year
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Align internal teams around shared goals and messaging
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Gain peer insights from other senior AEC marketing leaders
Program Snapshot
- Duration: 3 months (live virtual sessions)
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Limited to 12 participants
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Registration opens: July for September sessions
DON'T MISS YOUR SPOT
Our AEC leadership cohorts fill quickly—and we’d love to help you find the one that fits you best.
We’ll only reach out when new cohorts open—no fluff, just the good stuff.
RESOURCES
THE EVOLUTION OF AEC MARKETING STRATEGY: AND THE QUIET SHIFTS THAT CHANGED GROWTH
Over the past 25 years, the AEC industry hasn’t changed overnight. It has shifted gradually—through signals many of us didn’t recognize until they became impossible to ignore. As a strategic growth consultant working with architecture, engineering, and construction...
BEFORE YOU KICK OFF YOUR NEXT INITIATIVE, ASK THIS ONE QUESTION
It’s the question we ask first when a firm brings us in to lead a growth initiative, a rebrand, a new market entry, or a post-merger alignment. And it’s the question that, honestly, most executive teams can’t answer cleanly. Initiatives in AEC tend to get set up the...
Q1 IS OVER. IS YOUR AEC GROWTH PLAN STILL WORKING?
A lot has changed since October. Here’s how to tell if your AEC Growth Plan is still pointing at the right target —and what to do when it isn’t.April is the moment of truth for most AEC growth plans. Q1 is behind you, Q2 is just getting started, and somewhere between...
GROUNDHOG DAY AND YOUR BUSINESS PLAN: WHAT TO ADJUST NOW
January has a funny way of sobering us up. In the fall, you planned. You workshopped. You debated priorities. You built the business plan, nodded confidently, and kicked things off on January 1 with fresh notebooks and big energy. And now it is late January. The...
HOW TO USE THE GROWTH STRATEGY MATRIX
Growth in the A/E/C industry is not for the faint of heart. Markets shift, clients evolve, and even the most seasoned leaders can feel caught between chasing opportunities and sticking to what’s safe. The truth is, growth can feel messy, especially when it’s reactive...
NAVIGATING MARKET SHIFTS IN THE A/E/C INDUSTRY
Navigating market shifts in AEC has never been more critical. Some shifts come quietly, others make a lot of noise, but all of them create ripples that affect how firms do business. The key is not to avoid shifts, it’s to understand where they hit your business and...
GO TO INDUSTRY RESEARCH AND PULSE RESOURCES FOR AEC MARKETING AND STRATEGY
Market research can feel like a big, abstract concept, but at the end of the day, it’s about knowing where to look for the right insights. Over the years, I’ve built a go-to list of resources that I check regularly to understand market shifts, track competitor trends,...
FROM PLAN TO PRACTICE: MAKING STRATEGY STICK INSIDE YOUR FIRM
Every January, firms roll out fresh strategies with fanfare. The PowerPoint decks are polished, the goals are inspiring, and leadership beams with optimism. By mid-year, reality sets in. Competing priorities creep in, teams lose focus, and the strategy becomes...
GROWTH STRATEGIZED: A PRACTICAL FRAMEWORK TO TURN VISION INTO ACTION
At The Flamingo Project, we’ve seen this moment happen over and over: a firm sets a bold vision, full of clarity and inspiration, and then stalls when it’s time to bring it to life. The culprit? It’s not the market. It’s not your team. It’s usually the missing link...
KEEP IT SIMPLE: VISIONING FOR 2025
February is a time for reflection at The Flamingo Project. We look back on the past year and cast a vision for what’s ahead. January often feels like a whirlwind of “new year, new you” energy, so we let the dust settle, find our footing, and then go. If you’re...