Base Layer
Master the Fundamentals. Lead with Confidence.
Course Description
Finally – a course for managers fixing the issues that make smart, reasonable people question their sanity. Own 23 self-paced courses and watch as many times as you need to survive at a high level and quit talking yourself off ledges. The most relevant managerial teaching you’ll ever experience, BL relieves your pain points and provides skills for the really hard stuff. Less theory – more trail. Base Layer – hope is here.
Ted Talks don’t tell you HOW to do stuff and professional courses talk about the WRONG stuff. That’s why you’re frustrated.
What is Base Layer?
On Demand
Learn at your own pace, when and where you want.
Lesson Guide
Discussion guides for team collaboration.
Online Portal
On-demand access with custom logins.
Digest Rate
2-3 Skill Builders per month for 10 months. 20+ hours total.
Tiered Pricing
| Licenses | Cost/License | Total Cost | Total Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $510 | $510 | — |
| 2 | $434 | $868 | $152 |
| 3 | $408 | $1,224 | $306 |
| 4 | $383 | $1,532 | $508 |
| 5 | $357 | $1,785 | $765 |
| 6 | $337 | $2,022 | $1,038 |
| 7 | $321 | $2,247 | $1,323 |
| 8 | $306 | $2,448 | $1,632 |
| 9 | $291 | $2,619 | $1,971 |
| 10+ | $281 | $2,810+ | $2,290+ |
Uplevel
Personal Dashboard
Choose your pace
Low point of entry
Watch the First Skill Builder for Free
The Introduction (free skill builder up above)
The Skill Builder where we set the stage and you catch the vibe of Base Layer.
The Iceberg - Learn how to develop people.
The Skill Builder where you learn to differentiate between skills and attributes. Turn your “gut feelings” about people into words and plans.
The Boxes - Learn the importance of job descriptions.
The Skill Builder where job descriptions become more than a lost file in the share drive. Imagine…actually using JDs!
The Accountability Meeting – Learn how to run a good one.
The Skill Builder where we connect job descriptions, assigned duties, company goals, and calendars all together. You have never looked at your one-on-ones like this before.
The Feedback Meeting – Learn how to be good and not fear it.
The Skill Builder where we move beyond “feel, felt, found” and the “compliment sandwich.” Let’s actually learn how to give bad news. And let’s call it bad news and not some PC BS.
The Culture – Learn how to define it and create it.
Clarify your belief systems around culture and how to get the one you want. Then…name it. Build it. Fix it. Find your own culture path during this Skill Builder. Yet XSpearience will make an argument for the one preferred, superseding culture everyone should strive for.
The Extractor – Learn how to get the best from people.
The Skill Builder where we identify the leader’s greatest paradox and how the best leaders in your life have overcome it. Learn one key habit to multiply your influence.
The Trust Paradox - Learn to trust at the right pace.
The Skill Builder where we discuss letting go and a four-step process to trusting people so they are empowered and we don’t get burned.
The Decision Matrix – Learn how to make decisions.
The Skill Builder where we learn which decisions can be made quickly, how to buy time for the others, and how to make fewer stupid ones.
A Paid Education – Learn how to view your career.
The Skill Builder that dares not deliver something tangible. The one that is satisfied remaining a philosophy. A theory. A lens through which to see life. But it may lead to more changes than any other Skill Builder.
Bringing Change – Learn to announce change without everyone quitting.
The Skill Builder where we discuss how to diffuse common landmines that blow leaders up when bringing change. This is a very detailed lesson in strategic, proactive communication.
Finding Followership – Learn how to help others find followership.
The skill builder where we discuss the missing ingredients for great technicians who are bad leaders…and how to fix this. The fixes are not the obvious ones we may be thinking of.
The Rising Tide – Learn how to raise the tide of production and culture.
The Skill Builder where we discuss where to spend our time and where NOT to spend our time as we try to raise the tide of production and culture within our realms. This one gets personal. And academic. Ivey Leagues like to study this one. You decide if they’re getting it right.
The Leading and Lagging Indicator – Learn what to measure to get results.
The Skill Builder where we discuss activities, results, and reports and how the best managers put these all together. And we discuss the problem with scoreboards.
The Lifecycle of an Idea – Learn how to take an idea from concept to life (or death).
The Skill Builder where we discuss when to be a driver vs. collaborator. Brainstorm how to get ideas from your team and how to keep good ideas and kill bad ones.
The Reward - Learn how to reward people besides the obvious stuff.
The Skill Builder where we discuss the best ways to validate great performance. What should we reward and how should we reward it? Let’s brainstorm some ideas.
The Quest for Trust – Learn how to earn it.
The Skill Builder that will test our soul more than any other. Wanting to be trusted is one thing. Getting it is quite another. This one gets deep. Bring a mirror.
What Every Human Wants – Learn how to appropriately care for people. Perhaps Maslow was right.
The Skill Builder where business becomes personal. A look at emotional intelligence and a discussion on the appropriateness of “caring” within the workplace.
The Firing - Learn how to fire someone.
The Skill Builder that teaches us how to fire fewer people. But when we do, here’s how to get it done.
The Communicator – Learn how to build your communication brand.
The Skill Builder where you learn there is no such thing as a gap in communication and how knowing this can save your bacon. Learn not to become bitter or hurt when communication goes south.
The Leapfrog – Learn how to NOT kill morale and demotivate your people.
The Skill Builder where we discuss one of the most common and maddening leadership mistakes. Avoiding this mistake can be SO hard and painful. It’s simple to avoid…but how it can test our limits!
The Bad Manager - Learn to NOT do things bad managers do.
The Skill Builder where we don’t waste time discussing the obvious bad-manager moves. Rather, we discuss the subtle ones; the quiet cancers that kill. Simply avoiding these will make you better.
The Trailhead – Set your course.
The Skill Builder where we get ready to pick and hit our route with assertiveness and confidence. We learn a life changing process to recalibrate and focus our efforts in our careers and beyond. This is not a normal wrap-up.
It’s said middle managers have the highest levels of frustration and hopelessness within organizations – that could make sense. Most feel underappreciated and under equipped.
Enter Base Layer.
Base Layer is a Masterclass of skills every manager/leader should master. Success as a manager is not just skills mastery, it requires a mindset. Base Layer teaches both.
For the middle managers out there – find hope and a way up through mastering your craft. Master it, then you can relax, enjoy the journey, and make big impacts…but first you’ve got to get good.
To begin, a quick story.
Not long ago I got into horses. I love them, been around them, but never owned them. So I bought one. And I found a trainer. He got on his horse. I got on my horse. He was relaxed. I was stressed. He made it look easy. I made it look hard. The difference? Competence. Competence leads to mastery. Mastery leads to comfort. Comfort allows relaxation. Relaxation leads to being your best. Everything else leads to pissing off the horse.
Base Layer brings hope through teaching how to master the difficult things so managers can relax and begin having fun again.
If you’re a millennial, Z, or Alpha, you need absolutes. Not everything is relative – truth exists. Ted talks don’t tell you HOW to do stuff and professional courses talk about the wrong stuff. That’s why you’re frustrated.
If you’re a Gen X’er, you need an open mind toward today’s environment. The game has changed since the 90s.
WE WILL BE LEARNING SIMPLE THINGS THAT ARE HARD TO DO.
Base Layer is not here to impress you with fancy things. It’s here to teach what actually matters.
To find hope through competence, invest in the on-demand Base Layer and learn at your own pace. Flip back and forth through the topics when you need them. Let XSpearience equip you to throttle up your career.
Managers…after that, if you’re ready for continual development and encouragement, consider Singletrack. Head over there and check it out.
Time to send it (but get skills first).
"Why Base Layer may not be for me" and other FAQs:
Who is Base Layer designed for?
Middle managers feeling stuck or under equipped.
Why would Base Layer not be for me?
If you want formality, powerpoints, hand-outs, or a certificate – BL is not for you. Experience is the curriculum – things that work delivered plainly. Base Layer is very casual and organic; vintage even. No scripts – just things every manager must know how to do taught from the heart and from experience.
How long will Base Layer take to complete?
If you watched Base Layer all the way through, you’d be pushing 30 hours. But that would be insane. And torturous. The digestion rate is designed for two Skill Builders a month for 10 months. Pace yourself. Too much Marc is bad for anyone.
What will I get out of Base Layer?
Topics and tools that matter to managers. Marc created this, in part, as a response to people complaining about how most manager training is a waste and force fed by upper management. And, truthfully, many of his clients have asked if he could put some of his stuff into a program. He did, so now you will finally learn how to make hard things simple…like how to fire someone.
What else do I get?
Discussion guides for every lesson. If you’re a facilitator, it will make your life easier.
How do I access Base Layer once I enroll?
Each person receives their own log-in and dashboard. Go to www.xspearience.com and click on “dashboard” in the upper right corner. You will likely be auto-logged after your first time. If not, click “dashboard” and log in.
Why didn’t you accredit the course?
Base Layer would have to serve a governance that determines what matters and what should be taught. Through 25 years of experience, BL brings the managerial teaching that has proven to make a difference. And that’s all Base Layer cares about – impact. Accreditation would make us modify what’s taught. And it would be more of a benefit to us, not you (opening sales channels, money, recognition, etc). Not interested.
Is Base Layer mine forever?
Yep. Or until XSU goes bankrupt and shuts everything down. That scenario, however, is not part of the XSU Strategic Plan.
Why didn’t you make more, shorter videos instead of fewer longer ones?
First, 50 minutes is not long; it’s less than most lunch breaks. Second, people wanting to master a craft understand time is an investment. They seem to appreciate Marc taking the time to focus on implementation of tools, not just explanation.
When I enroll multiple people, how does that work?
One person buys with a credit card. During purchase, they enter the e-mails of everyone participating. Everyone receives an e-mail with log-in instructions and they all receive their own dashboard.
Where did all the curriculum come from?
Let Marc tell you himself. Check out About.
Marc (course facilitator) is an Exit Planner. What is that?
Most normal people aren’t that impressed, but it is definitely a thing in the business consulting world. It’s a certification Marc earned from the Exit Planning Institute. It simply means he has training in building business value and de-risking that compliment his real-world experience.
Is Base Layer ever taught to groups?
Yes. Base Layer is actually super conducive for groups. It tends to generate a lot of buzz and discussion during the workshop. But, we have to be choosey – there’s no way to teach the whole thing in a day.
You ready to master it, then send it?