The success of your company depends on your ability to lead it.

The question is: How can you become a better leader?

Here's where leadership training comes into play. The right program can hone your skills and boost your confidence.

But not all leadership programs are created equal. Depending on your experience, your company's stage of growth, and your personal goals, you might want to enroll in one kind of leadership program over another.

So, how do you know which type of program is right for you and your company?

Today, we'll discuss the different types of leadership training programs for Series A CEOs.

But first…

What Is a Leadership Training Program?

A leadership training program is a structured learning experience designed to help you grow as a leader.

That can mean sharpening your strategic and tactical skills, building a strong team, or learning how to manage a complex sales process.

Training programs can be tailored to your specific company's needs. They're usually held onsite at your office, but some can be taken remotely on a part-time basis.

Why Should Series A CEOs Consider Leadership Training?

Leadership development is crucial for early-stage companies.  For most entrepreneurs, it can be difficult to find the time and resources to invest in formal leadership training.

But with growing companies comes new challenges, such as:

• Managing a high-performing executive team: As your company grows, you'll need to hire other executives to help scale your business. Your executive team should be working closely together to run the business, so it's critical to ensure everyone has an opportunity to share their ideas and expertise.
• Leading employees at all levels: Growth brings with it a lot of change. Employees are being pulled in different directions to embrace the new opportunities opening up for the company. That means you'll need to become a leader that inspires trust, builds strong teams, and delivers results.
• Managing internal and external stakeholders: On the outside, you'll have customers who are demanding more. On the inside, you'll need to maintain a productive and innovative culture for your employees.
• A hostile business environment: There's no denying the current business climate is challenging for many entrepreneurs.  Growth can be especially hard when you're facing new competitors, reduced consumer spending, and an evolving consumer base.

The right leadership training program can help you navigate these challenges successfully while inspiring your employees, customers, and stakeholders.

Types of Leadership Programs for Early-Stage Companies

Now that we've defined what a leadership program is and why it's beneficial, we'll dive into the different types of programs you can take.

Series A CEOs face a lot of challenges as their companies grow.

Depending on your company's priorities and resources, you may want to take a leadership program focused on one (or more) of the following:

1. Leadership Development

Leadership development focuses on your personal and professional self-development. This is the foundation that great leaders are built on. It can also help you become a more effective manager for your employees.

For example, a leadership development program might help you improve:

• Communication skills: You'll learn to speak with confidence and clarity, which will help you inspire those around you.
• Decision-making skills: Understanding how to make the best decisions possible will help you make the right choices for your company.
• General management skills: You'll gain both soft and hard skills, like time management and delegation.  

In a leadership development program, your company will work with you to determine what areas need the most improvement. Then you'll work with a coach to plan your development goals and create an action plan.

Leadership development is also about strengthening your company's culture.  It helps you understand what is expected of a CEO and ensures you're living those expectations on a day-to-day basis.

Many CEOs focus so much on the business that they forget to develop themselves. Leadership development will help keep you sharp and focused, so you can lead your company in the right direction.

2. Executive Coaching

Executive coaching focuses on improving your management skills. A good coach will help you build the right relationships with your employees, peers, and customers.

The first step in an executive coaching program is identifying your needs and goals. Then, you'll work with a coach to develop a plan to address those needs.

Both leadership development and executive coaching are great ways for CEOs to learn how to be more effective. The key difference between the two is their approach.  

In leadership development, you learn about yourself and how to improve your skills.  In executive coaching, you work with your coach to handle specific challenges you're facing in the business.

As an early-stage founder, you're probably juggling a variety of responsibilities. Whether you need help delegating tasks or identifying how to focus on the right goals, executive coaching can help.

3. Company Retreats

Company retreats are a great way to take a step back and look at your company's purpose. Spending time with your employees away from the hustle of daily operations can help strengthen both personal and professional relationships.

Retreats can also help you set goals for the future, define company values, and establish best practices.  

This is an excellent way to get your employees on the same page and create alignment across the entire company.

Retreats are more focused on teamwork than individual development, but they're a great way to strengthen your company culture.

For example, you might hold a retreat at the beginning of every year to set company goals and plan for future development. Or, you could schedule one after a round of funding to celebrate your success and lay out a roadmap for the next year.

At the end of the day, company retreats are about increasing communication between everyone in the company.

At CLG, for example, we offer business adventure excursions where our clients get to spend time with each other.  Some teams go hiking, while others try paddleboarding or kayaking.  Many teams do an escape room together.

All of these activities provide a chance for our clients to build on their existing relationships while creating new ones.

This is a great way to bring your team closer together and create a sense of community.

4. Performance Reviews

Performance reviews are great for improving the way you think about your employees.

They also help ensure that your team is set up for success in the future by making sure they have the right roles and responsibilities.

The SaaS industry is constantly changing, so it's important to keep your company on track.  Regular salary and performance reviews can help ensure that your company is evolving at the same rate as the market.

This will help you avoid falling behind and losing sight of your goals.

For example, you might find that your marketing team has become bogged down with administrative tasks.  Once you identify this issue, you can work with your employees to build a plan for how they can transition into more strategic roles.

Regular reviews help you address challenges as they come up and keep your company moving in the right direction.

5. High-Level Masterminds

Some companies offer high-level masterminds for CEOs and founders.

This is a small group of like-minded industry leaders who meet to share insights and knowledge.

Meetings generally last a few hours and often revolve around a specific topic or theme.  

For example, the first meeting might revolve around setting goals and creating a framework to build your team.

The second could focus on fundraising and how to structure the equity split between founders and investors.

Masterminds are a great way to get personalized guidance on the industry's most pressing issues and bounce ideas off like-minded leaders.

At CLG, for example, we have Boardroom — a mastermind group made up of 8 successful SaaS owners. Each group is designed to be diverse regarding experience, industry, and seniority.

This way, our clients can get personalized advice from CEOs who are in their corner of the industry.

Masterminds are a great way to learn best practices from similar companies in an intimate setting and get advice from a small group of trustworthy industry leaders.

6. Growth-Focused Leadership Programs

Growth-focused programs help you refine your vision and develop strategies to execute your long-term goals.

To create an effective growth-focused program, you'll need to spend time thinking about the future and defining what success looks like to your company.

This is often different for each organization, so you'll need to spend time defining what makes sense for your business.

At CLG, for example, Executive Navigation™ is designed to help you create a growth plan that's right for your business.

This program includes a customized assessment to identify the key strengths and growth opportunities for your company.

Once we've identified these things, we'll work with you to build a personal growth plan that will help you reach the next level.

This type of program is great for companies that are looking to scale quickly.  It will help you set goals, create a plan of action, and develop strategies to achieve success.

How Can You Choose the Right Program?

Choosing the right program will depend on your specific needs.

To help you figure out which one is best for you, it's important to ask yourself a few questions:

• What do you need help with?
• What are your goals for the next year?
• Are there any pressing challenges you're facing?
• What kind of support and guidance do you need to overcome these challenges?

Once you've answered these questions, it will be easier to figure out which program makes the most sense for your company.

Hopefully, the information provided today helps you make a more informed decision and find the right program for you.