As conversations surrounding psychological safety continue to grow, a leader’s role takes on even greater significance in fostering that culture of trust. Research indicates that the most impactful style of trust is socio-emotional trust, or relational trust – I trust you because of the relationship we have, and the emotional intelligence that’s brought to the conversation. In this session, leaders review the psychological safety communication strategies of high-performing teams to allow for new ideas to succeed, diversity + inclusion initiatives to prosper, and the important, vulnerable conversations to happen effectively.
Development Training
Leaders Aren’t Born – They’re Made.
We construct transformative team + leadership development experiences that move beyond conventional training frameworks. We engage with government teams to enhance cross-agency coordination, cultivate meaningful trust, and develop adaptive leaders who thrive through policy evolution, civic innovation, and public service growth. From teams of project coordinators and operations directors to city planners, compliance officers, and emerging government professionals, our outcome-driven, precisely-crafted methodology guarantees actionable value and lasting organizational change.
Suggested Leadership Workshops: Government
The Art + Science of Psychological Safety
Designing A Culture of High Trust & Emotional Agility
Learning Objectives:
- Define the concepts of EMOTIONAL AGILITY and PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY, and explore the building blocks that allow this to prosper in an individual level and within a team environment
- Explore the five common “THINKING TRAPS” that get people stuck, and practice five communication and trust-based “ESCAPE ROUTE” strategies to help yourself and others break free
- Empower team members to speak their minds, and encourage emotional openness from others
Key Themes & Leadership Behaviors:
- Psychological Safety
- Building Trust
- Effective Communication
Learning Objectives:
- Differentiate between the concepts of COACHING and MENTORING in our leadership style
- Experiment with coaching methodologies to enhance our skill set, and determine the strategic questions that inspire others to feel empowered to act
- Develop an action + implementation plan for positive, long-term behavior change
Key Themes & Leadership Behaviors:
- Coaching for Empowerment
- Asking Strategic Questions + Active Listening
- Talent Development
Coaching to Full Potential
Empowering Others through Coaching Conversations
In making the transition from individual contributor to leader, we rely on a new skill set that focuses on inspiring and motivating the people we work with. In this series, participants will focus on people and project leadership skills, specifically as it relates to the topics of coaching and motivating to inspire those we work with to take action. Through knowledge-sharing and discussion based learning, and an opportunity to directly experiment with coaching methodologies, participants will have the opportunity to learn from and alongside each other, and connect these practices to specific action plans to retain and grow their top talent.
We Can Work It Out
An Experiment with Conflict & Consensus Building
While frequent conflict can certainly be taxing or uncomfortable, disagreements can often lead to enhanced respect, open-mindedness, and innovation. In this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to understand various reactions to conflict, and discover which response is most appropriate for a given situation. Participants leave this session with a deeper understanding of their natural communication style during times of conflict, and a refreshed outlook on how to approach these conversations in the future.
Learning Objectives:
- Determine personal approach to conflict conversations, and discover the five differing conflict styles
- Identify benefits and potential obstacles for each style to clarify effective conflict communication strategies
- Develop an action + implementation plan for positive, long-term behavior change
Key Themes & Leadership Behaviors:
- Effective Communication
- Adaptability + Assertiveness
- Consensus Building + Alignment
Learning Objectives:
- Differentiate between the topics of CHANGE and TRANSITION, exploring “the people side” of change
- Identify key actions to successfully navigate each phase of transition
- Develop an action + implementation plan, fit with details of specific steps to support others during times of ambiguity
Key Themes & Leadership Behaviors:
- Change Agility + Adaptability
- Increased Empathy + Awareness
- Team-Focused Strategy + Mindset
Taking Charge of Change
Navigating Ambiguity During Change + Transition
Until we can predict the future, we all must rely on an increased change agility to handle the surprises we’re thrown each day. Whether preparing for an upcoming transition, or reflecting on change scenarios we’re currently navigating, this session helps to delineate between the concepts of change and transition, showcasing key frameworks and tools that help individuals identify their own responses to change, and support one another to successfully navigate times of ambiguity.
Why Choose Us for Government Leadership Training?
Aiming to boost inter-departmental cooperation, dialogue, and public service quality across your government organization? The Leadership Laboratory provides team + leadership development workshops that are fun, grounded in research, and built to reflect your organization's unique culture. Our data-driven workshops are strategically structured and participatory – elevating your team and leaders to the next level.
Government professionals demonstrate essential civic leadership abilities, and we're dedicated to advancing those talents to outstanding achievement levels. Whether your team consists of bureau chiefs, community liaisons, legislative staff, or public sector executives, The Leadership Laboratory designs focused, research-grounded workshops that maximize current assets, boost leadership self-assurance, and produce improved teamwork, constituent relations, and mission fulfillment. Grounded in positive psychology research, our methodology prioritizes growth, not gaps, to create substantial, enduring progress throughout your department. Our data-driven government leadership workshops implement field-tested approaches crafted exclusively for public service teams to inspire long-term, positive behavior change.
The Leadership Laboratory operates nationwide with both in-person and virtual healthcare leadership development workshops. We proudly serve healthcare organizations around the world and throughout the United States across the country, including Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and Washington DC.
Building tomorrow's leaders today.
The Leadership Laboratory works across multiple industries - including start-up and established technology firms, non-profit and government agencies, finance companies, healthcare organizations and more. We are proud to collaborate with individuals and teams of all sizes.
Contact us and say hello! We're excited to get to know you and share our ideas on learning + leadership development.
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Collaborating Partners
“I laughed harder than I have in a while!”
Our workshop was engaging, informative, rejuvenating and pure fun. I laughed harder than I have in a while! This was a phenomenal way to get more comfortable as a team.
— Director of People, SpotHero
“You made this easy to apply and implement”
You listened to our needs and adapted on the spot to incorporate leadership lessons. Every element was backed up by research, and you made this easy to apply and implement.
— VP / HEAD OF PEOPLE, WARBY PARKER
Meet Jacob Goldstein
Jacob Goldstein is the founder of The Leadership Laboratory, and leverages his experiences in education, the performing arts, and corporate learning & leadership development to his work. As a performer, Jacob has sung as a backup vocalist for musical artists such as Josh Groban, Idina Menzel, and Patti LuPone, as a recording artist for Netflix series Sense8, and at venues including The United Center, The Chicago Theater, and Chicago Symphony Center. In the education space, Jacob has served as an educator for high school, undergraduate and graduate students, and has been a Guest Lecturer at Northwestern University since 2016. As a Learning & Leadership Development Consultant, Jacob has worked as a one-on-one coach and group workshop facilitator to organizations ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies in diverse industries, including technology, healthcare, non-profit, and fashion/apparel. Jacob holds a Bachelor’s degree from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Master’s of Science in Communication from Northwestern University.