Course Content (6 hours live class, combining lecture and real-work case studies in small groups)

Topics. You are already someone who has a track record of great results. Many of your peers also do. So how do you shine so your boss and your boss’s peer notice? And further, how do you make the most impact for your company. Four ways:

(1) STRATEGIC INFLUENCE

The mindset of being a steward of your company. Moving up to the C-suite means going beyond strategic planning. Strategy and influence go hand in hand. You must develop strategies, vision, and thought leadership that make the business better. Explore/know the market, outside forces, and ecosystem like no other, translate this information so it aligns with your company’s needs, and effectively sell your message to your peers, boss, and team.

(2) SCALE CULTURE

Scaling to large numbers - how do you lead when your team is too big to even know names, let alone what people are doing? Use the skills of principles, processes, and people engagement to demonstrate the mindset of a conductor for your company.

(3) DEVELOP TALENT

An emphasis on guiding/coaching a high-performance team. How do you select high-level leaders and make them great in only the small bits of time you have? How do you teach your directs how to coach their team?

(4) EXECUTIVE PRESENCE

A particular focus on navigating through the highly political world of the top. Leaders who make it to the C-suite are excellent communicators. They are clear and inspiring, and they have a particular kind of confidence and gravitas that sets them a part. What are the best ways for you to upskill both your formal and informal speaking? How do you best cultivate your network and inspire your followers with impact?

High emphasis on case studies:

Ethan and Sue built cases based on real-work examples. Example: “How do you shift your knowledge-base toward what your CEO values most?” 

Dive deep group discussions:

- Illuminate your executive presence with “Pick your moments, NOT your battles.”

- Optimize your coaching with your directs with “Stop solving all your leaders’ problems.” 

Learn what it takes to break through and succeed in VP, SVP, & CXO roles: 

- How to think strategically and be seen as an influential leader who enhances the whole company in 3 ways: Explore/Know, Translate, Message

- How to influence and optimally lead large teams in 3 ways: Principles, Processes, People Engagement

- How to teach your directs how to coach in 3 easy steps: Rapport, Assess, Re-frame

- How to develop and demonstrate executive presence and confidence in 3 ways: Gravitas and Grace, Humor + Stories, Superpower

- How to see around corners (e.g. think long-term and have a multi-year approach)

- How to become a scaled deep leader, change agent, and trusted decision maker

- How to manage your organization to execute with little oversight, take calculated risks, and deliver results

- How to cultivate peer relationships and inspire your followers

Scope, organization size, and consistent high-impact results are important...But are not enough. We will teach you specific actionable steps on how to prioritize the things that matter most to top-level executives.

Bonus material:

- Video recording of all live sessions available via Maven platform

- 120 minutes of prework content, specifically, a 60 minute prework video recording from Ethan & Sue plus another 60 minutes of prework articles and actions.

- 100+ page electronic “Living” Resource Guide from Mariposa Leadership

- Class slides as a PDF

- 20% off all career development on-demand courses

- 20% off 1-1 executive coaching from Mariposa Leadership

Proven ROI for leaders getting to and succeeding in top executive roles: Together Ethan and Sue have worked with over 500 executives in operational and coaching contexts. Many of Ethan's executive team members at Amazon have now moved on to either their own VP roles at the company or to SVP/EVP roles across the tech industry, including as VCs, startup founders, and executives at Oracle, Google, Toyota, and more. Sue has worked with over 400 VPs+ who have boosted their effectiveness and results for their companies, including presidents at two $10 Billion+ companies, CEOs at 8 start-ups, and SVPs/VPs at numerous tech companies like: Amazon, Apple, Cisco, Credit Karma, eBay, GoFundMe, Guru, HPE, Intel, LinkedIn, Microsoft, MongoDB, Monite, Paypal, Pinterest, Roku, Twitch, Yahoo!, Zuora, and Zynga.

Student testimonials from the first cohort of Cracking the C-suite:

- "This course was fantastic! Actionable frameworks, tools, and sage advice from both Ethan and Sue. Highly recommended!" — Executive Director of Product Management, Disney

- "Uplevel yourself with the skillsets and framework to make the jump into the C-Suite. This course gets straight to the point while providing ample time for coaching, questions and networking among a group of highly successful leaders across the industry. Walk away with actionable next steps to get you from here… to there." — Head of Sales, AWS

- "Wealth of knowledge gained from real-world experiences, unexpected curveballs, and people issues shared in 2 days! Super productive course with a ton of learnings and actionable tips. Highly recommended!" — Group Engineering Manager, Microsoft

- "This two-day course distilled over 50 years of collective leadership experience from Ethan and Sue into a concise 6 hours of content. Packed with practical frameworks condensed into easily digestible segments, it provides immediately applicable tools for daily leadership growth. I emerged with fresh perspectives on conveying executive presence through intentional awareness of how my actions shape others’ sense of value and belonging." — Senior Director of Product Management, Workday

- "Excellent class. I liked to have all the content I've been reading or listened in one place." — VP Engineering and Research, LILT