FAQ

What is The EQ Leader Program 2.0? 

The EQ Leader Program 2.0, by Dana C. Ackley, Ph.D., is a turnkey, field tested  coaching program, presented in a 483 page manual, accompanied by a flash drive.

Originally published in 2006 by MHS – (Multi Health Systems, Toronto), the program has been used successfully by coaches around the world to help clients learn EQ skills. The updated (2.0) version, which became available in October 2020, contains a wealth of new information and ideas gained by Dr. Ackley through his use of the program over the intervening 14 years working with Fortune 500 companies, major healthcare systems, consulting firms, law enforcement, law firms, family businesses, and various professional practices. In addition, it now aligns with MHS’s EQ-i  2.0, the best scientifically validated measure of EQ available.

The program takes clients through

  • An introductory workshop to win the hearts and minds of participants
  • A comprehensive, science-based assessment of clients’ current EQ skills, which helps them discover strengths and areas for improvement, aligned with the client’s critical areas for success
  • A development planning workshop plus interview questions for customizing the program to each individual, and
  • An individually customizable coaching process, including discussions of critical coaching issues, twenty-five executive coaching tools to guide learning, and 186 EQ exercises for skill development

This sequence creates high engagement and lasting growth, and thus, real value that decision makers recognize.

In addition, the program includes

  • Guidance on marketing and selling your services, because no one gets coaching until a coach wins a contract, and
  • Guidance on delivering the program virtually when necessary, and
  • A flash drive containing PowerPoint presentations (including speaker’s notes, emails, workshop exercises, and handouts), background questionnaires, interview templates, templates for report writing, 186 exercises for clients to use to build EQ skills, and even marketing worksheets.

The program is entirely customizable to fit different coaches’ styles, needs, and preferences, as well as the needs of each client company and individual client. All customizable files are included on the flash drive which accompanies the program manual.

Who was The EQ Leader Program 2.0 written for?

The program was originally written for external and internal executive coaches, but it has also been used successfully by consultants, chief learning officers and HR professionals who make decisions about leader development, coaching programs, and faculty in graduate level programs, among others. In conjunction with a coach or consultant, it can be used by managers, supervisors, leaders of professional practices, and anybody who develops leaders. Its science-based methods create sustainable behavior change.

I run a coach training program. Is The EQ Leader Program 2.0 something I could use?

Yes, please click on the Coach Training Program tab to learn more.

I am a clinician who would like to broaden my services to include executive coaching. Is The EQ Leader Program 2.0 something that would help me get started?

Yes, definitely. Dr. Ackley was a clinician for twenty-five years before making the transition to executive coaching and organizational consultation. He understands and has experienced the journey you want to take. In The EQ Leader Program 2.0, in addition to all the elements needed for an effective and comprehensive program, you will find guidance about key differences between the work you do now and the work you want to do. Clinical skills have an important place in coaching and consultation. But there are differences that are important to understand. The EQ Leader Program will help you recognize them for a smoother transition.

I already own the original program. What’s new or updated in 2.0?

New in The EQ Leader Program 2.0:

  • A second sample workshop, this one for specialized audiences
  • A sample individualized report for the EQ-i 2.0
  • A sample individualized report for the EQ 360
  • An individualized EQ-i 2.0 interpretive protocol
  • Guidance on coaching issues, including the nature of an effective coaching relationship, boundaries, confidentiality, flexibility, structure, ROI, and many more
  • Twenty-five coaching tools
  • Exercises for the newly broken out skill of Emotional Expression
  • Instructions for virtual program delivery
  • How to overcome sales anxiety

Updated in The EQ Leader Program 2.0:

  • Original Keynote workshop
  • Ways to structure an EQ assessment
  • Instructions for the debrief process to engage clients in coaching
  • Ten step developmental planning process for teams and large groups
  • 186 exercises designed to guide clients’ efforts in building EQ skills – one set for each EQ skill – printable on your letterhead to give to your clients.

Expanded in The EQ Leader Program 2.0:

  • The Six Steps of Marketing
  • How to negotiate win/win contracts with organizations

How can I purchase the EQ Leader Program 2.0?

There are two ways to purchase the program:

  1. Online: The easiest way is to go here and select the product you wish to purchase. That will take you to our Etsy shop, which provides several payment options.

Please note: Buying the EQ Leader Program2.0 is similar to buying software – Microsoft Word, for example. For Word, each computer needs its own copy. For The EQ Leader Program 2.0, each coach or consultant who will be working with it will need his or her own copy. Thus, if your organization has three coaches who will be using The EQ Leader Program 2.0, please buy three copies, one for each coach. We can’t enforce this request as Microsoft can, but we hope you will understand.

  1. By Check (US residents only): If you wish to pay by check, click here instead for instructions and the order form. (For faster delivery, drop us an email to let us know that your order and check are on the way, and we will get your manual and flash drive packaged and ready to go, allowing it to get to you more quickly.)

Special Circumstances

Discounts:

  • If you are buying ten or more copies, you are entitled to a 10% discount. You will need to contact us for this option; it is not available via Etsy.
  • If you have attended the Division 13 Webinar, or if you have purchased the original (2006) version of the manual, you are entitled to a $200 discount.

Please click on the Contact tab, let us know your situation, and we’ll send you a code to enter to get your discount. If you have other questions, or if you simply wish to discuss your options before ordering, you can click on the Contact tab as well. There you will find a form you can use to submit your questions, or, if you prefer, several ways to contact Dr. Ackley directly.

Distributor:

If you would like to be a distributor for The EQ Leader Program 2.0, please call Dana at 540-774-1927. We’ll work out a mutually satisfying arrangement.

I am a coach, and business is slow right now because of the pandemic. Does it make sense to be getting something like this in the middle of COVID?

Demand may indeed be slow right now. Yet the need for leader and executive development isn’t going away. It’s growing. Crises expose leadership gaps you can help fill.

The consultants and coaches who will be in business a year from now are those who spend down time preparing for the torrent of demand that will arise.

Organizations will find ways to invest as if their survival depends on it. It does.

There are many ways you can prepare for the coming demand:

  1. Upgrade your marketing plan,
  2. Sharpen your skills,
  3. Master a new approach.

The EQ Leader Program 2.0 is one way to do all three.

And should you land a contract during the pandemic, there is no need to postpone getting started, because the program can be delivered virtually. Guidance for doing so is included in the manual.

The cost of The EQ Leader Program 2.0, $795, is a lot. Is it really worth it?

If you are looking for an unbiased answer here, you might not find it. We think it is worth this amount and more. Here’s why: While many purchasers may have the skills to put together a program like The EQ Leader Program 2.0 themselves, it would take many, many hours to create all the elements covered in the nearly 500 pages of this manual. (Dr. Ackley knows because he did it.)

Let’s suppose you charge $400/hour, which is probably somewhere in the mid-range for executive coaches. In this case, buying the manual accounts for two hours of income, but do the math yourself with your own rate. Compare that to the amount of time you estimate it would take to put together an introductory workshop, create the PowerPoint slides, think through how you want to do the assessment, develop an assessment interview, plan a development planning process, sort out the many challenging issues that coaching involves, create menus of exercises for each of the sixteen skills measured by the EQ-i 2.0, and develop the structure for a marketing and sales program. The EQ Leader Program 2.0 does all of that for you, giving you free time that can turn into billable hours. If you were to convert just twenty hours of development time into twenty hours of compensated time, at $400/hour, that’s $8,000. Based on our experience in creating The EQ Leader Program 2.0, twenty hours seems like a major under-estimate.

Plus, there’s the field testing . . .