Leslie Grossman
Leslie Grossman – Founder, Her Circle Leadership
When the World Economic Forum released data showing it would take 135 years to close the global gender gap, Leslie Grossman knew her work individually coaching and leading women’s leadership courses at GWU was not enough. It was time to create a new strategy and a new business. “With gender equity more than a century away, I was determined to find a way to speed up this process. I needed to multiply myself.” That’s how Her Circle Leadership, Grossman’s newest enterprise came into being.
Her Circle Leadership will train hundreds of executives coaches who are committed to moving more women up the proverbial ladder and growing bigger businesses. The program is based on Grossman’s tried and true curriculum, the latest research, coaching and expert facilitation.Her Circle Leadership trains executive coaches and consultants, HR and DE&I executives, amplifying their knowledge and techniques, to bring about shifts in the mindset and confidence of women executives and entrepreneurs. These shifts enable women to manage challenges, remove self-limiting beliefs, many the result of traditional gender norms in the workplace, and learn the latest leadership skills. Offered directly to women leaders are foundation and advanced courses, executive coaching, and confidential circles of support from a group of women leaders.
What led Grossman down this path after a successful 30-year corporate and entrepreneurial career? Her first jobs were corporate until frustration led her to start a small public relations agency. Twice she was enticed back to the big agency world, always leaving again to create her own businesses. With more experience under her belt, she learned that growing an agency required more than business skill. It required building a powerful relationship network. Joining high-profile organizations and taking on board positions opening the door to a network of influential women, who inspired and supported her. After the devastating 9/11 attack she realized her true vision was to support women to become leaders at the highest levels. Her concept: a national leadership conference program for women. Launched in 2002, it was the first of its kind for both executives and entrepreneurs. During that 10 year period of conferences, Grossman became a sought-after speaker, speaking worldwide, including 3 trips to Japan. She wrote two books: Sellsation! How Companies Can Capture Today’s Hottest Market: Women Business Owners and Executives and Link Out: How to Turn Your Network into a Chain of Lasting Connections.Leslie and presented a TEDx talk on why we each need our own entourage – which she now calls one’s inner circle. Grossman was certified as an executive coach by Vistage International and coached and facilitated groups of CEOs, while she independently coached women executives and entrepreneurs and became a rearcher for such programs as the acclaimed Everest Report.
In 2016, The George Washington University invited her to present 3-day program for women executives, a program she had been presenting to corporations. The success of that program, now in its’ 8th cohort, lead to Grossman being named a Senior Fellow and Faculty Director of the Executive Women’s Leadership program at The George Washington University Center for Excellence in Public Leadership. Today, Leslie presents two programs: Executive Women’s Leadership and Women Leaders on the Rise at GWU-CEPL. Grossman says that Her Circle Leadership is the culmination of all that she has learned and trained for throughout her life. Her goal is to achieve gender equity for women in 20 years instead of the predicted 135.