At the Chapman Foundation for Caring Communities, we believe that leadership is not just learned—it is experienced. Our foundational classes are designed to immerse participants in an engaging, hands-on learning journey that goes beyond theory to real-world application. Grounded in evidence-based practices, our classes equip individuals with practical skills that improve families, workplaces, and communities.
Led by highly skilled facilitators, each class is an interactive experience that challenges participants to reflect, practice, and grow in ways that have an immediate and lasting impact. Through experiential learning, we empower individuals to become more effective leaders, creating positive change in their families, workplaces, and communities.
Our approach centers on three foundational classes:
- Our Community Listens teaches communication skills that build trust and deepen relationships.
- Our Community Serves cultivates emotional intelligence and a culture of service.
- Our Community Transforms equips leaders with strategies to transform their workplace culture.
Each class builds on the last, guiding participants from personal growth to organizational impact. Leaders emerge with tools to make people feel seen, valued, and heard—at home, at work, and in their communities.
Watch this video for an overview of our three foundational classes.
Our Community Listens is the first foundational class, designed to help participants learn to listen effectively, express themselves clearly, and build better relationships. These skills are essential for success in both personal and professional contexts. Our Community Listens provides opportunities for self-reflection, personal practice, and tangible takeaways to bring back to your organization to better team member interpersonal communication.
Learning Outcomes
- Understand your unique communication profile
- Learn about core behavioral tendencies
- Discover how to flex your communication for the comfort of others
- Appreciate the diverse contributions others bring to our lives and leadership
- Express yourself more clearly and effectively
- Skills to resolve conflict
- Improve self-awareness
- Comprehend what motivates your team members
- Experience how listening empowers people to help themselves, improve relationships, and increase the opportunity for personal and team achievement
- Learn the common misgivings about confrontation and power and receive a practical method to positively and respectfully confront others to create change
- Connect the principles and practices learned in class to your life and leadership to reset relational defaults, and learn how to leverage the most value out of the Continuous Learning process after the classroom experience ends
What You Can Expect
Participants will receive a customized eight-part DISC profile and valuable insight from trained facilitators in a small class environment. Learn, reflect, and practice new techniques over three days in-person or seven weeks virtually.
Our Community Serves is the second foundational class, focused on shifting mindsets from me-centric to we-centric. By emphasizing emotional intelligence and fostering a culture of service, this class helps participants develop self-awareness and the skills to create an environment where collaboration, trust, and shared purpose thrive. It lays the foundation for building a culture of accountability and inspires collective success, encouraging people to work together—not just for results but for each other.
Learning Outcomes
- Distinguish between Me-Centric and We-Centric mindsets and their impact on leadership and relationships
- Explore mindsets that enhance emotional intelligence, broaden perception, and strengthen personal accountability
- Identify your emotional triggers and develop strategies to maintain balance under pressure
- Understand how perception shapes your worldview and influences interactions
- Compare the Five Destructive Behaviors with the Five Accountability Behaviors to foster trust and collaboration
- Apply the Service Cycle model to recognize and act on opportunities to serve effectively
- Cultivate a culture of service that fosters connection, engagement, and long-term success
Prerequisite: Must be an Our Community Listens alumni.
What You Can Expect
Our Community Serves is a two-day in-person class led by two highly skilled facilitators. In a small class setting, you will learn We-Centric leadership behaviors through cultivating emotional intelligence and a culture of service.
Our Community Transforms is the third foundational class, designed to help organizational leaders develop strategies for transforming their workplace culture. This class provides leaders with the tools and insights needed to drive meaningful change within their organizations. Effective transformation requires deliberate action, a deep understanding of one’s impact and influence, and a strategic approach to cultivating a caring workplace environment. Through the Transforms course, participants will explore the Five Pillars of Caring Workplaces and walk away with a strategy to create an organization where team members and the workplace flourish.
Learning Outcomes
- Recognize how individuals adapt to change and leverage their strengths to lead transformational efforts effectively
- Identify common barriers to change and approaches to overcome resistance
- Apply coaching techniques to support development
- Evaluate leadership practices that enhance meaning and purpose in the workplace
- Develop and implement eight key leadership behaviors that foster trust and engagement
- Explore strategies to increase psychological safety
- Identify challenges that prevent providing developmental feedback and learn how to overcome them
- Analyze the impact of feedback in shaping behavior and improving performance
- Examine personal triggers when receiving feedback and develop strategies to respond constructively
- Understand the role of a Culture of Learning in driving organizational transformation
- Identify actionable strategies to cultivate a Culture of Learning that promotes growth and innovation
- Recognize the importance of continuous improvement cycles in sustaining long-term success
Prerequisite: Must be an Our Community Listens alumni and leader with direct reports or influence over workplace policies.
What You Can Expect
Experience a virtual leadership class over 3-6 months with six sessions. Learn from two expert facilitators in a small, close-knit group of participants from across the US. In-class time consists of 2-3 hours for each primary session or coaching call and up to 30 minutes of pre-class preparation work and post-class homework. The class is highly interactive, with a camera-on environment, designed to stimulate participation, learning, and connection.
Individual Participation
We offer our trainings to make a difference, not a profit. As such, we do not ever want money to be a barrier to learning. The suggested investment is only $297 per participant, but we invite you to pay what you can towards the cost of this training.
When you register for your class, you will have the opportunity to select the payment that is right for you. Participation in Our Community Listens is generously subsidized through a gift of the Chapman Foundation for Caring Communities (CFCC).
