Learning as Leadership
Learning as Leadership is a privately held leadership development and executive coaching firm that delivers introspective culture-change programs — built on a 35-year proprietary methodology — to enterprise clients and academic institutions across the US and Europe.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersSan Rafael, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Learning as Leadership does
Learning as Leadership (LaL) is a privately held professional services firm founded in 1989 by Claire Nuer and Sami Cohen, headquartered in San Rafael, California with additional facilitator presence in Geneva, Switzerland. The firm delivers introspective leadership development and culture change programs built on its proprietary LaL methodology — a framework grounded in systems thinking, ego-system awareness, and personal mastery, developed over 35 years and refined in collaboration with faculty from Harvard, Stanford, University of Michigan, and Ohio State. Core offerings include the flagship One-Year Ego Free Leadership Program, the Personal Mastery / Advanced Mastery / Team Advanced Mastery seminar sequence, a 360° Feedback service, and enterprise solutions WeLead (12-day onsite program for mid-level managers) and Spark Your Mastery (6-month virtual program). LaL also publishes the 'Ego Free Leadership' book and operates free executive-coach consultations as its sales entry point.
LaL's revenue model is anchored in multi-year, customized professional services engagements delivered onsite or virtually to enterprise clients, supplemented by book sales through retail channels. The company serves a marquee enterprise customer base spanning aerospace, financial services, oil and gas, semiconductor, legal, and education — with named clients including NASA, Boeing, Shell Oil, Capital One, Encore Capital, Fairchild Semiconductor, EnPro Industries, and Lexis-Nexis — alongside academic institutions such as Harvard Business School and Stanford GSB that incorporate the methodology into executive education. GTM motion is enterprise field sales with consultation-led qualification; programs are sold as multi-year subscriptions with pricing not publicly disclosed. The firm remains independently controlled by founders and management (Noah Nuer, son of co-founder Claire Nuer, serves as CEO; Shayne Hughes is President), with no disclosed outside funding.
Learning as Leadership firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Learning as Leadership
- Legal name
- Learning as Leadership, Inc.
- Website
- https://learnaslead.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Learning as Leadership is a privately held leadership development and executive coaching firm that delivers introspective culture-change programs — built on a 35-year proprietary methodology — to enterprise clients and academic institutions across the US and Europe.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Learning as Leadership industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Executive Leadership Development and Coaching
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Corporate & Leadership Development (BPACANAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Executive Leadership & C-Suite Development (EDABAAAA), Leadership Assessment, 360 Feedback & Development Planning (EDABAAAK), Change Management & Transformation Leadership (EDABAAAD), Organizational Culture & Values-Based Leadership (EDABAAAE)
Keywords
Where Learning as Leadership is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Rafael
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Learning as Leadership business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Leadership Development Programs: Year-long and multi-day seminars including Ego Free Leadership Program, Personal Mastery, Advanced Mastery, and Team Advanced Mastery. Programs delivered in-person and virtually.
- Enterprise Solutions: Onsite and virtual culture change programs including WeLead (for mid-level managers) and Spark Your Mastery (for broader organization).
- 360 Feedback and Coaching: Deep self-awareness programs combining qualitative interviews, expert analysis, and tailored coaching sessions.
- Book Sales: Sales of 'Ego Free Leadership' book by Shayne Hughes and Brandon Black, published by Greenleaf Book Group.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | One-Year Ego Free Leadership Program |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | WeLead Enterprise Program |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Spark Your Mastery |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Learning as Leadership product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Learning as Leadership (LaL) designs and delivers leadership development and culture change programs centered on its proprietary Ego-Free Leadership methodology. Its offerings include a flagship One-Year Ego Free Leadership Program, foundational Personal Mastery and Advanced Mastery seminars, team-focused Team Advanced Mastery, a 360° Feedback and coaching service, and enterprise solutions WeLead (onsite mid-level manager program) and Spark Your Mastery (virtual organization-wide program), along with a published book and research-backed white papers.
Product overview
Learning as Leadership (LaL) offers a suite of introspective leadership development programs designed to eliminate ego-driven behaviors that undermine organizational performance. The core offering is the One-Year Ego Free Leadership Program, which integrates Personal Mastery, Advanced Mastery, Team Advanced Mastery seminars, and 360° Feedback into a unified developmental journey. Enterprise solutions include WeLead (onsite 12-day training for mid-level managers delivered over four sessions) and Spark Your Mastery (virtual cross-departmental training over six monthly sessions). The portfolio is anchored by the published book 'Ego Free Leadership' and supported by keynotes on Us vs. Them dynamics.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Ego Free Leadership: One-year leadership program focused on decreasing ego in organizations
- Personal Mastery Seminar
- Advanced Mastery Seminar
- Team Advanced Mastery Seminar
- WeLead
- Spark Your Mastery
- 360 Feedback
Products and services
- One-Year Ego Free Leadership Program Flagship year-long leadership development program combining seminars, coaching, and 360-degree feedback designed to help executives eliminate ego-driven behaviors that undermine collaboration and organizational performance.
- Personal Mastery Seminar Foundational seminar focused on self-awareness and introspection, helping participants identify limiting mental models and reactive behaviors through LaL's reflection methodology.
- Advanced Mastery Seminar Prerequisite seminar building on Personal Mastery that focuses on strategic thinking, goal clarification and advanced application of LaL tools for sustained behavioral change.
- Team Advanced Mastery Seminar Team-based program helping groups apply LaL methodology collectively, improving collaboration, trust and communication across organizational teams.
- 360° Feedback Comprehensive feedback assessment combining open-ended qualitative interviews with expert analysis, delivered alongside tailored coaching sessions to foster self-awareness and motivation.
- WeLead Onsite year-long culture change program for mid-level managers, providing 12 days of in-depth training across four 3-day sessions covering feedback, learning, strategic work and organizational assessment.
- Spark Your Mastery Virtual program introducing key LaL concepts and tools to cross-departmental cohorts across the organization, delivered in six monthly sessions focused on ego awareness, goal-setting, image management and collaboration.
- Ego Free Leadership Book Business book by Brandon Black and Shayne Hughes chronicling Encore Capital's transformation through LaL methodology, detailing how ego-free leadership drove 300% profit growth and 1,200% stock price increase during the 2008-09 financial crisis.
Quantifiable outcome
- Revenue increase of 30% or more by eliminating internal us vs them dynamics
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Learning as Leadership
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Learning as Leadership technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Learning as Leadership partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Stanford Graduate School of BusinesscoreStanford incorporates LaL methodology into executive education programs. Professor Debra Meyerson has been influenced by and endorses the LaL approach.
- Harvard Business SchoolcoreHarvard Business School faculty including Robin Ely and Luis Viceira incorporate LaL methodology. Used in executive education and referenced in academic publications.
- University of MichigancoreUniversity of Michigan's PhD program in Psychology and Ross School of Business incorporate LaL methodology. Professor Jennifer Crocker has collaborated on research.
- Ohio State UniversitycoreOhio State University PhD program in Psychology incorporates LaL methodology. Professor Jennifer Crocker has collaborated on academic research.
- Darden Business SchoolminorDarden Business School incorporates aspects of LaL methodology in their programs.
- World Business AcademyminorCo-founder Sami Cohen is a Board Member of the World Business Academy. LaL methodology published in their Perspectives on Business and Global Change journal.
- Society for Organizational LearningminorSami Cohen is a recognized Member Consultant of the Society for Organizational Learning. Several board members and consultants have ties to the organization.
- Academic Advisory BoardcoreBoard includes Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey (authors of Immunity to Change), Jennifer Crocker, Debra Meyerson, Robin Ely, Martin Davidson, Susan Ashford, and Charles Behling - influencing research and methodology development.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Learning as Leadership competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- BetterUp: Tech-enabled executive and leadership coaching platform serving enterprises with 1:1 and team coaching; emerging player partially overlapping LaL's coaching/advisory offerings through a digital-first delivery model.
- CoachHub: Digital coaching platform delivering enterprise-scale leadership and professional coaching across geographies; relevant emerging adjacent targeting the same enterprise L&D buyer with a scalable, tech-enabled approach.
Direct peers
- FranklinCovey: Large-scale provider of leadership development, culture change and 360-based programs (The 7 Habits, Leading at the Speed of Trust) sold to enterprise; directly analogous business model of codified methodology + onsite/virtual delivery + coaching services.
- Center for Creative Leadership: Research-backed executive leadership development and 360 feedback provider serving Fortune-level enterprises with programs and coaching; close comparable on practice-of-leadership niche, evidence-based methodology, and academic credibility.
- Development Dimensions International (DDI): Global leadership and talent development company offering leadership programs, assessment (including 360s), coaching and culture change for large enterprises; comparable in core offering mix and enterprise GTM.
- Ken Blanchard Companies: Long-standing leadership and management development firm built around Situational Leadership and other proprietary content; similar 'authored methodology + enterprise training + coaching' model and content-IP moat.
- Dale Carnegie Training: Globally scaled leadership, communication and executive development franchise with enterprise programs and coaching; comparable audience (mid-level and senior leaders) and onsite/virtual delivery model.
- Marshall Goldsmith Coaching: Premium executive coaching and leadership development practice built around a named methodology (Stakeholder Centered Coaching) and serving CEOs/senior executives — strong direct analogue for high-end, methodology-anchored executive coaching.
Broad incumbents
- Korn Ferry (Leadership Development): Global organizational consulting firm whose leadership/professional development and coaching practices overlap with LaL's enterprise solutions, though as part of a much broader portfolio including executive search and consulting.
- Heidrick & Struggles (Leadership Consulting): Executive search and leadership advisory firm offering leadership development, coaching and culture change services to enterprise clients; adjacent incumbent operating in the same buyer budget but as part of a wider HR advisory portfolio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Learning as Leadership social profiles
Digital presenceLearning as Leadership financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Learning as Leadership leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Learning as Leadership funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Learning as Leadership M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Learning as Leadership
What does Learning as Leadership do?
Learning as Leadership (LaL) designs and delivers leadership development and culture change programs centered on its proprietary Ego-Free Leadership methodology. Its offerings include a flagship One-Year Ego Free Leadership Program, foundational Personal Mastery and Advanced Mastery seminars, team-focused Team Advanced Mastery, a 360° Feedback and coaching service, and enterprise solutions WeLead (onsite mid-level manager program) and Spark Your Mastery (virtual organization-wide program), along with a published book and research-backed white papers.
Is Learning as Leadership a public or private company?
Learning as Leadership is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Learning as Leadership founded?
Learning as Leadership was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Learning as Leadership based?
Learning as Leadership is headquartered in San Rafael, United States, in the North America region.
How does Learning as Leadership make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Leadership Development Programs are the primary driver. The others are enterprise Solutions, 360 Feedback and Coaching and book Sales.
Who are Learning as Leadership's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are BetterUp and CoachHub. Direct peers are FranklinCovey, Center for Creative Leadership, Development Dimensions International (DDI), Ken Blanchard Companies, Dale Carnegie Training and Marshall Goldsmith Coaching. Broad incumbents are Korn Ferry (Leadership Development) and Heidrick & Struggles (Leadership Consulting).
Does Learning as Leadership have an API?
No public API is recorded for Learning as Leadership.
What industry is Learning as Leadership in?
Learning as Leadership's product category is Executive Leadership Development and Coaching. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACANAA, Corporate & Leadership Development, with a secondary code of EDABAAAA, Executive Leadership & C-Suite Development. Its NAICS code is 611430 and its SIC code is 8742.