The THRIVE Talent and Leadership Series helps empower employees, strengthen leaders and fosters a culture that drives organizational success. Grounded in the Chamber’s commitment to talent development and leadership growth, this series helps businesses invest in their people while building a stronger, more connected regional workforce.
Leadership Foundations
Part of the THRIVE Talent and Leadership Series by the
Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce
Most new supervisors earn the role because they were great at their job. Then, often without preparation, they are expected to lead the people they used to work beside. Leadership Foundations, part of the Chamber's THRIVE Talent and Leadership Series, gives emerging leaders the tools, language, and confidence to lead people well in the moments that matter.
- Newly promoted supervisors and managers
- Individual contributors preparing to step into a people-leadership role
- Team and project leads who guide others' work, with or without a formal title
- Emerging leaders from any industry across Greater Lansing
Join the inaugural cohort
- Confidence in the shift from doer to leader
- Proven frameworks for one-on-ones, delegation, feedback, and performance conversations
- Clear language for hard moments, including phrase banks for expectations, boundaries, accountability, and conflict
- A ready-to-use leadership toolkit: First Team Conversation Script, Team Agreements Template, One-on-One Agenda, Delegation Map, Feedback Script, and a Thirty-Day Leadership Plan
- A trusted peer network through small Peer Pods and a Leadership Lab Partner
- A clear picture of your growth, with pre- and post-program skills assessments
Six in-person half-day sessions delivered monthly
Program Timeline: October 2026 - April 2027
Location: Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce
- The Shift: From Doer to Leader
- Culture Starts Behind the Scenes
- Communication That Holds
- Delegation and Decision Making
- Feedback and Performance Conversations
- Leadership Under Pressure
Real-world perspective at every session  Each session features a guest speaker or panel of Greater Lansing leaders, HR experts, and cross-industry professionals who share how these skills show up in real workplaces. Speakers will be announced throughout the program.
How it works  Six half-day, in-person sessions at the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce, beginning Tuesday, Oct. 27, 9 AM to 1 PM. This is not a lecture series. Participants practice real conversations, work through realistic scenarios, and leave every session with one tool and one action step they can use at work the next day.
Join the inaugural cohort
About Bobby Hoffman
Leadership Foundations is led by Bobby Hoffman, co-founder of Thought Partner Services, a mid-Michigan consultancy focused on leadership development, workplace culture, and communication under pressure. Bobby brings more than two decades of leadership and high-stakes communication experience, including his former role as Public Relations Manager at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts, and currently teaches at Michigan State University
For employers  Investing in new leaders early builds a stronger team and a stronger talent pipeline. Leadership Foundations helps your emerging leaders communicate clearly, hold teams accountable, and handle tough conversations with confidence, so they grow into the leaders your organization needs.
Tuition for the Leadership Foundation program is $2,000 per participant
Join the inaugural cohort