Leadership Works

What Leadership Works does

Leadership Works, LLC is a private leadership development and training company headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, founded in 1982 by Glenn Furuya. The firm designs and delivers experiential leadership courses for working professionals and organizations, anchored by three core programs: The Five Seeds and Leadership Island Style (proprietary branded curricula) and SOCIAL STYLE, delivered under license from TRACOM Corporation. Its client base spans at least seven verticals including financial services, food & beverage, hospitality, nonprofit, retail, government, and healthcare, served through in-person workshops and, since 2020, Zoom-based live online cohorts.

The firm's intellectual property is extended through a branded book, "The Little Book with 50 Big Ideas on Leadership," retailed at $15.95 as a self-serve entry product, and through registered trademarks on its proprietary program names. "Our Leadership Works," an online community platform, sustains engagement with graduates and prospective learners beyond discrete course cohorts; the firm reports a cumulative base of more than 10,000 graduates across 40+ years of operation.

Leadership Works operates as a small private services business (1-10 employees) generating revenue primarily through course tuition, corporate training engagements, and book sales, with no disclosed pricing for cohort programs. The firm has also built community positioning through a partnership with Make-A-Wish Hawaii, initiated in 2014 and deepened in 2022 with the creation of The Wishes Forever Endowment Fund alongside the Furuya family. No AI/ML capabilities, no funding history, and no revenue figures are disclosed in the available material.

Name

Leadership Works

Legal name

Leadership Works, LLC

Website

https://leadershipworks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Leadership Works is a private Honolulu-based leadership development firm founded in 1982 that delivers experiential courses (Five Seeds, Leadership Island Style, and licensed SOCIAL STYLE) to professionals and organizations across multiple industries, supported by a branded book and an online alumni community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Leadership Development Training Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive Leadership & C-Suite Development (EDABAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organizational Culture & Values-Based Leadership (EDABAAAE), Talent Management & Leadership Advisory (Succession, Performance, Culture) (BPACAJAH)

Keywords

• Leadership development training
• Executive coaching services
• Professional development courses
• Team building workshops
• Behavioral style training

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Leadership Development Courses: Six-week cohort-based programs (The Five Seeds) and one-day workshops (Leadership Island Style, Social Style) offered live via Zoom. Course fees charged per participant with registration through online forms.
2. Books and Publications: Sale of 'The Little Book with 50 Big Ideas on Leadership' by Glenn Furuya - a 116-page hardcover book priced at $15.95 plus shipping.
3. Community Membership: Ongoing membership in 'Our Leadership Works' community offered as complimentary benefit to course graduates, with premium features and exclusive resources for community members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Leadership Works delivers instructor-led leadership development courses and workshops live via Zoom, most notably The Five Seeds of Effective Leadership (six-week cohort program), Leadership Island Style for Newcomers (four-hour workshop), and SOCIAL STYLE (behavioral communication training). The methodology integrates Eastern, Western, and Polynesian cultural frameworks, and course graduates receive access to the Our Leadership Works online community for ongoing mentorship and resources.

Product overview

Leadership Works is a leadership development company offering instructor-led courses and an online community. Its core portfolio consists of three primary courses — The Five Seeds of Effective Leadership (a six-week cohort program), Leadership Island Style for Newcomers (a four-hour cultural navigation workshop), and SOCIAL STYLE (a behavioral communication workshop licensed from TRACOM Corporation) — all delivered live via Zoom. The company also publishes a book, The Little Book with 50 Big Ideas on Leadership, and provides graduates with complimentary access to its online community, Our Leadership Works, which extends the learning through monthly resources and peer networking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Way to Grow®: Brand tagline for Leadership Works' growth and development methodology
• The Five Seeds®
• Leadership Island Style®
• Our Leadership Works

Products and services

• The Five Seeds of Effective Leadership A six-week cohort-based leadership development course delivered live via Zoom, structured around five core facets: Perspective, Principles, Purpose, Process, and People. Designed for executives, mid-level managers, and emerging leaders seeking to develop leadership skills, team capabilities, and strategic thinking. Participants receive a SOCIAL STYLE Profile, access to the Our Leadership Works community, and a 20% discount on the SOCIAL STYLE course. Claimed to have empowered over 10,000 graduates.
• Leadership Island Style for Newcomers A four-hour live online workshop delivered via Zoom that helps newcomers navigate Hawaii's unique blend of East, West, and Polynesian business cultures. Targets newly relocated executives, returning residents, and non/part-time residents working with Hawaii organizations to develop cultural intelligence and avoid common missteps in the islands' relationship-centered environment.
• SOCIAL STYLE A behavioral-model workshop licensed from The TRACOM Corporation, backed by over 60 years of research, designed to enhance communication and collaboration. Participants identify their personal SOCIAL STYLE and learn to engage effectively with other styles to improve workplace relationships, teamwork, and performance. Delivered via Zoom in two 4.5-hour sessions with pre-work required approximately one month prior.
• The Little Book with 50 Big Ideas on Leadership A 116-page hardcover third edition book authored by Glenn Furuya, distilling 50 leadership lessons into memorable metaphors and actionable insights for leaders at any stage. Priced at $15.95 plus shipping and handling, ordered through the website via Wufoo form.
• Our Leadership Works Community A members-only online community offering ongoing mentorship, expert guidance, curated readings, monthly Leadership Lifts, Mini Lessons, Leadership Tools, and networking opportunities for course graduates and community members to sustain their leadership growth. Offered as a complimentary benefit to course participants.

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% of SOCIAL STYLE participants developed more positive relationships
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The TRACOM CorporationcoreTechnology or IntegrationLeadership Works is an authorized reseller of The TRACOM Corporation's SOCIAL STYLE program. SOCIAL STYLE is a proven behavioral model backed by over 60 years of research, used as a core component of the company's communication and collaboration training offerings.
• Make-A-Wish Hawai'iminorOthersPartnership began in 2014 when the company sponsored the wish of a young man named Taiyo. Following his passing in 2022, the company partnered with his family to create The Wishes Forever Endowment Fund to grant future wishes to local children and families.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm offering executive search, leadership development, and coaching. Comparable at the level of senior-executive leadership development content and assessment-driven methodology, though delivered as part of a much broader talent consulting portfolio.
• Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): Large, established executive leadership development provider offering cohorts, assessments, and custom programs to organizations worldwide. Comparable as a broader incumbent serving similar executives with longer-format leadership development, but at much greater scale and geographic reach.
• DDI (Development Dimensions International): Global leadership and talent management company providing assessment-based leadership programs, coaching, and training to large enterprises. Comparable as a broader incumbent operating in the same leadership development category with deeper assessment methodology and global footprint.

Direct peers

• Dale Carnegie Training: Global leadership and management training franchise that delivers cohort-based in-person and online courses to executives and managers. Highly comparable to Leadership Works in delivery format, target persona (mid-level managers and executives), and instructor-led methodology.
• Ken Blanchard Companies: Leadership development and management training company built around The One Minute Manager and Situational Leadership IP, with a global licensee network. Directly comparable in training-franchise model, named methodology, and executive audience.
• FranklinCovey: Provider of leadership, productivity, and execution training programs (e.g., The 7 Habits) sold to enterprises and individuals via workshops and cohorts. Comparable as a direct competitor offering flagship leadership curricula with strong brand IP, similar to Five Seeds.

Others

• The TRACOM Corporation: Creator and licensor of the SOCIAL STYLE behavioral model that Leadership Works resells. Comparable as a content supplier and ecosystem partner rather than a direct competitor; both firms operate in the leadership/communication training space but TRACOM primarily licenses while Leadership Works delivers end-customer programs.

Emerging players

• BetterUp: Digital leadership coaching and development platform serving enterprises and individuals. Comparable as a leadership development provider to similar executive/manager personas, but differentiated by an on-demand, technology-mediated delivery model rather than instructor-led cohorts.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LeadershipWorksHawaii
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leadershipworks
• Instagraminstagram.com/leadershipworksllc
• Xx.com/glennfuruya

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Leadership Works