Base Layer
Ideal course enrollee:
Managers within small to mid-size companies.
Uplevel through convincingly relevant, on-demand training that speaks to your pain points and reminds you…you’re not crazy.
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.
Sug. Pace
2-3 Skill Builders per month for 10 months. 30 hours total.
Tiered Pricing
| Licenses | Cost/License | Total Cost | Total Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $680 | $680 | — |
| 2 | $578 | $1,156 | $204 |
| 3 | $544 | $1,632 | $408 |
| 4 | $510 | $2,040 | $680 |
| 5 | $476 | $2,380 | $1,020 |
| 6 | $449 | $2,694 | $1,386 |
| 7 | $428 | $2,996 | $1,764 |
| 8 | $408 | $3,264 | $2,176 |
| 9 | $388 | $3,492 | $2,628 |
| 10+ | $374 | $3,740+ | $3,060+ |
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. You need to learn the rock-solid managerial principles that have stood the test of time. Ted talks don’t address your issues and development classes are too general. You know this.
If you’re a Gen X’er, you need an open mind toward the complexities today’s environment brings. The game has changed since the 90s.
The basics of good management and leadership have not changed for centuries. But it’s hard to find these fundamentals taught in simple, how-to language that fits within today’s workplace culture.
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).
You ready to master it, then send it?