LeadForward Strategic Growth Leadership Cohort
Lead with clarity, confidence, and community.
Step into your next growth challenge with a peer group designed to help you thrive — not just survive — as a strategic leader.
The LeadForward 2026 Strategic Growth Leadership Cohort is a six-month, virtual experience created for A/E/C professionals ready to move from reacting to leading with purpose. You’ll gain clarity, build tools, and develop the confidence to lead your teams into what’s next.
Why join?
- You’re stepping into a new role, or a familiar role that suddenly feels different.
- The expectations are high. The plans are ambitious. And somewhere between “set the vision” and “get it done,” you realize you need more than another spreadsheet or retreat.
- You need clarity. You need focus.
- And you need a group of people who get it — leaders who are also navigating what it means to grow strategically, with intention.
That’s exactly what LeadForward offers: a place to slow down, reflect, and realign before charging ahead.
REGISTER TODAY!
The next Cohort session begins the week of January 19, 2026.
$2,500 for the full six-month program (limited to 12 participants).
What You'll Gain
Every part of the LeadForward experience is built to help you lead with confidence—and without burnout.
- Peer Support: Join a small, curated group of like-minded professionals, from across the country, tackling similar growth challenges. You’ll gain not just insights, but genuine accountability and encouragement.
- Tools & Strategies: Access a robust toolkit to help you define success, lead teams effectively, and align operations to your goals.
- Clarity for Leadership: Walk away with a sharper understanding of how to grow your firm — and yourself — in a way that’s sustainable and strategic.
- Accountability for Action: Because growth doesn’t happen in isolation, this is where ideas become next steps, and goals become momentum.
Your guide
The LeadForward experience is guided by our Head Bird, Sarah Kinard, known for her ability to help leaders cut through the noise and build growth strategies that actually work.
Sarah believes strategic growth isn’t about more goals — it’s about better systems, smarter priorities, and shared accountability.
What the six months look like
Each month focuses on a different aspect of strategic growth — blending leadership clarity, operational tools, and actionable next steps.
Month 1: Planning with Purpose: How to set yourself up for success and architect a process that builds buy-in.
Month 2: Defining Growth: Use the Growth Matrix to understand where your firm is now — and what “growth” really means for you.
Month 3: From Ideas to Strategy: Move insights into themes that connect communication, operations, and action.
Month 4: Communication for Alignment: Create clarity across teams, clients, and leadership so everyone rows in the same direction.
Month 5: Operationalizing Growth: Turn strategy into systems and momentum into measurable results.
Month 6: Action & Accountability: Track progress, celebrate wins, and set up the rhythm for what’s next.
Each month combines guided sessions, peer discussions, and templates designed to help you apply what you’re learning in real time.
READY TO MAKE 2026 YOUR MOST FOCUSED YEAR YET?
- When: January-June 2026
- Investment: $2,500
- Limited to 12 participants. We’re keeping this cohort small, limited to 12 participants, to create space for meaningful dialogue and growth.
Accepting for the January 2026 Cohort. REGISTER TODAY!
Who joins LeadForward?
This cohort was designed for growth-minded leaders across the A/E/C industry, people who WANT to refine how they think, plan, and lead.
- A principal or director of strategy who’s ready to align vision with execution.
- A marketing or BD leader tired of reactive planning and ready for systems that work.
- An operations or finance exec craving clarity and focus for the next growth cycle.
Let’s lead forward — together.
you don't have to navigate alone!
The next Cohort session begins in January 2026!
$2,500 for the full six-month program (limited to 12 participants).
Resources
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 & 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...
Start with vision. Stay with people. Grow with intention.
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...
Growth Strategy in a Time of “What Now?”
Let’s face it: growth isn’t a straight line. It’s more like a tangle of spaghetti—especially in the AEC industry right now. Markets are jittery. Federal funding is murky. Your principals are pulling in different directions, and “just go after everything” is starting...
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...
Fall Planning Resources
Here at The Flamingo Project, we LOVE to share generously, which is why we want to give you everything you need to finish out your planning season well! Ready to jump into business planning? If you know you're ready to get to it, check out our Business Planning...
Plans: Simplified and Defined
Every business relies on plans, but not all plans are created equal. From strategic and business plans to marketing, BD, or financial roadmaps, it’s easy to get lost in the jargon or try to do it all at once. Instead, we believe the key is to simplify, starting with...
New Year, New Technology
Unless your head’s been buried in the sand, you know that artificial intelligence (AI) has been in the limelight for good and bad reasons. One of the things that sets businesses apart is their ability to innovate which often means embracing new technology; In this case, AI. At The Flamingo Project, one of our core values is being curious. We also believe in sharing generously, which is why we want to help you understand how to harness the power of artificial intelligence to help you win work differently.