MANAGER ESSENTIALS: From Buddy to Boss - 5 Skills for Success (plus AI Toolbox)
KEVIN KRUSE
NY Times Bestselling Author & CEO, LEADx
Crush Your Goals, Cut the Chaos, and Be Everyone’s Favorite Boss.
This program, grounded in science and real-world success, will give you the system and confidence to lead a high performing team, without stress, drama, or endless follow-ups.
It draws on the world's largest study of employee engagement — over 10 million workers across 150 countries — and from my own experience as a 4x CEO leading high-growth companies that earned “Best Place to Work” awards.
WHAT YOU'LL GET
✅ DISC Assessment: Unlock your behavioral styles to understand your strengths, limitations, and how to adjust to others.
✅ 5 Live Sessions — Engage with NY Times bestselling author Kevin Kruse as he personally teaches: DISC, Delegation, Feedback, One-on-Ones, Coaching.
✅ Personalized Feedback and Coaching — Bring your real-world team challenges and get expert advice.
✅ Job Aids Toolkit — Get a ready-to-use library of checklists, conversation guides, and reference sheets for every skill you’ll learn in the course.
✅ Lifetime Access — Revisit every lesson, tool, and recording anytime you need a refresher or inspiration.
✅ BONUS 1: AI-PROMPT RECIPES — complete prompt templates for managers (ChatGPT, Claude, or Copilot)
What you’ll learn
Build a high-performing team without micromanaging, burnout, or endless follow-ups. (4-week sprint | Certification | 1-year of support.) COR
Decode what drives and drains each behavioral style so you can read people like a book.
Adapt your communication to connect, not clash, with every personality.
Deliver stronger results by speaking each team member’s motivational language.
Apply the P.A.C.E. Formula to assign work that empowers, not overwhelms.
Match responsibility to readiness so your team grows with every task.
Use check-points to maintain deadlines and quality.
Use the B.I.G. Method — Behavior, Impact, Get Agreement.
Shift from “gotcha” moments to growth conversations.
Build a culture where candor and care coexist.
Make it their meeting--guide through questions
Consistency is key--when to do weekly vs bi-weekly meetings
Follow through and tracking for accountability.
Master the G.R.O.W. Model
Use powerful questions to spark ownership and insight.
Build confidence and autonomy through guided discovery.
Learn directly from KEVIN
KEVIN KRUSE
KEVIN KRUSE
Widely viewed as a global expert on leadership and culture.
Who this course is for
FIRST-TIME MANAGERS
Are you moving from "buddy to boss"? Want to master leadership habits that will serve you for your entire career?
EXPERIENCED LEADERS
Never had training in fundamentals of management? Looking to raise your employee engagement scores?
STARTUP FOUNDERS
Do you realize you can't do it all yourself? Time to move from chaos to effective systems? This is for you.
What's included
Live sessions
Learn directly from KEVIN KRUSE in a real-time, interactive format.
AI Prompt Library for Managers
Library of AI templates specifically designed for people-managers.
Executive Coaching
One full year of online access to a certified coach (human not AI)!
Certificate of completion
Share your new skills with your employer or on LinkedIn.
Lifetime access
Go back to course content and recordings whenever you need to.
Community of peers
Stay accountable and share insights with like-minded professionals.
Maven Guarantee
This course is backed by the Maven Guarantee. Students are eligible for a full refund up until the halfway point of the course.
Syllabus
Week 1
Jan
6
Welcome & DISC Assessment: Self-Awareness & Adapting to Others
Jan
6
Optional: Q&A and Leadership Clinic: Solve YOUR Team Challenge in Class!
Jan
8
Effective Delegation: Use P.A.C.E. to Empower Others & Free Up Time
Jan
8
Optional: Q&A and Leadership Clinic: Solve YOUR Real-World Challenges
Week 2
Jan
13
Effective Feedback: Use B.I.G. to Change Behaviors and Improve Performance
Jan
13
Optional: Q&A and Leadership Clinic: Solve YOUR Real-World Challenges
Schedule
Live sessions
2 hrs / week
Tue, Jan 6
4:00 PM—5:00 PM (UTC)
Tue, Jan 6
5:00 PM—5:30 PM (UTC)
Thu, Jan 8
4:00 PM—5:00 PM (UTC)
Success stories
- Kevin gives practical advice for leading in a world that will never be the same.
John Maxwell
Author, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership - Kevin will keep you amused, interested, and motivated to try new techniques to improve both relationships and results.
Ken Blanchard
#1 NY Times bestselling author - In my 30 plus years of leading Marines I can say with confidence that you are clearly a thought leader on the subject of leadership. Moreover, your presentation was engaging, provocative, and held the attention of a very tough audience. Bravo Zulu!
John T. Boggs
Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps (ret.) - Kruse show the power of engaged employees for business success and provides practical guidance for how to achieve it.
Peter Capelli, PhD
George W. Taylor Professor of Management at The Wharton School
Frequently asked questions
$970
USD