SEI Leadership Academy Overview

Forged in Integrity. Proven in Action.

The SEI Leadership Academy was built to close the gap between leadership theory and real-world performance. Our programs are deliberate forges of leadership—immersive experiences where participants confront real friction, engage in honest dialogue, and emerge with the discipline, composure, and credibility required to lead. Rooted in the ICC Framework—Integrity, Credibility, and Commitment—the Academy develops leaders who perform with principle and act with purpose. Whether preparing a new teammate to integrate into a unit, a supervisor to lead through complexity, or an executive to shape institutional culture, SEI delivers development that is authentic, accountable, and academically grounded.

Our Training Philosophy

At SEI, leadership is not awarded by position—it is earned through behavior and reflection. Our methodology blends practical experience with intellectual rigor. Each level of the Academy increases in cognitive demand, aligning with Bloom’s Taxonomy and Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle to ensure leaders advance from knowledge and comprehension to analysis, synthesis, and strategic application. Instructors serve as mentors rather than evaluators, guiding participants through the friction of real challenges. They help leaders examine their own biases, test assumptions, and convert reflection into disciplined action. We believe leadership is both an art and a science—refined through repetition, feedback, and disciplined self-awareness. Each level is designed to strengthen not only leadership behaviors but the mental frameworks that sustain them under pressure.

The ICC Framework

Every tier of the SEI Leadership Academy is built on three enduring principles:

- Integrity – Leading yourself with honesty, discipline, and moral courage.

- Credibility – Earning trust through consistent performance, communication, and composure under pressure.

- Commitment – Investing in others, honoring standards, and advancing the mission through disciplined service.

These principles are applied through increasingly complex academic and operational lenses as participants progress through the Academy.

1. Foundations – Forge Integrity

Focus: Self-awareness, followership, and disciplined credibility.

Academic Rigor: Foundational cognitive development – Knowledge and comprehension.

Diagnostic Assessment: Leadership Foundations Profile and Leadership Energy Profile

The Foundations level introduces the academic backbone of SEI’s model. Participants engage with validated assessments to understand personality structure, motivation, and communication tendencies. Guided discussion and reflection journals build cognitive discipline and application skills.

Outcome: Self-aware professionals who demonstrate disciplined integrity and credibility through consistent performance.

2. Intermediate – Lead the Team

Focus: Leadership by example, communication, and peer influence.

Academic Rigor: Applied analysis – Application and integration.

Diagnostic Assessment: Leadership Foundations Profile and Leadership Energy Profile (If not already accomplished)

This level introduces leadership theory and critical thinking models such as Situational and Transformational Leadership. Participants analyze how theory applies to their team dynamics, reinforcing evidence-based communication and feedback practices.

Outcome: Credible small-team leaders who influence through professionalism, composure, and analytical decision-making.

3. Advanced – Lead Through Complexity

Focus: Systems leadership, subordinate development, and ethical decision-making.

Academic Rigor: Analytical and synthetic reasoning – Evaluation and creation.

Diagnostic Assessment: Leadership Energy Profile (If not already accomplished) and Forge Leadership Index

Advanced leaders study decision science, ethical reasoning, and complete a leadership assessment to examine personality drivers and derailers. They integrate Vroom-Yetton, Negotiation Theory, and Ethical Triangulation models to design scalable, credible leadership systems.

Outcome: Leaders who integrate theory and practice to navigate complexity with integrity and composure.

4. Operational – Synchronize for Impact

Focus: Organizational alignment, change leadership, and culture reinforcement.

Academic Rigor: Strategic synthesis – Organizational systems and transformation theory.

Diagnostic Assessment: Leadership Energy Profile (If not already accomplished) and Forge Leadership Index

Operational leaders master alignment and organizational psychology, applying Kotter’s Change Model, Schein’s Culture Framework, and Balanced Scorecard methods to synchronize people and purpose.

Outcome: Leaders who align strategy and structure through deliberate systems leadership and cultural stewardship.

5. Strategic – Lead the Institution

Focus: Vision, strategic influence, and institutional trust.

Academic Rigor: Strategic evaluation – Integrative leadership and ethical governance.

Diagnostic Assessment: Leadership Energy Profile (If not already accomplished) and Forge Leadership Index

Strategic leaders study institutional design, policy influence, and ethical governance, using frameworks such as Stakeholder Theory and Strategic Communication Models to align culture and strategy.

Outcome: Senior leaders who guide institutions through moral clarity, foresight, and deliberate influence.

6. Executive Coaching – The Phoenix Level

Focus: Personal mastery, organizational transformation, and lasting legacy.

Academic Rigor: Scholarly integration and applied reflection – Executive-level analysis.

Diagnostic Assessment: Leadership Energy Profile (If not already accomplished) and Forge Leadership Index

Executives engage in personalized coaching grounded in personality and leadership assessments, supported by Kolb’s Learning Cycle and Adaptive Leadership theory and personalized for each individual to create a unique development plan.

Outcome: Leaders who achieve mastery of self-awareness, influence, and organizational trust—leadership people follow because it’s earned.

Forged for Every Mission

The SEI Leadership Academy is a continuum of academic and professional transformation. Each level increases in intellectual challenge, reflection, and leadership complexity—developing not just competence, but cognitive endurance and moral resilience.