Where will your organization be this time next year?
Most leadership intensives are built for corporate, generalist leaders. This one is built for nonprofit executives, from the ground up. The Leadership Reset Intensive is two and a half days in San Diego, designed to find the one thing your organization needs to move forward. Then a year of support to make it stick.
- Dates
- March 3–5, 2027
- Where
- San Diego, California
- Format
- 2.5 days, then a year of coaching
- Group
- 25 nonprofit executives
- Investment
- $4,500, or $3,950 by Dec 18
"The Leadership Reset is a rare combination of practical wisdom, real-life experience and soulful reflection. Lyn Corbett invites us into a deeper, more humane approach to leadership, one grounded in clarity, courage, and compassion."
Chet P. HewittPresident and CEO, Sierra Health Foundation
Dr. Lyn Corbett
Author of The Leadership Reset and nonprofit executive coach
Dr. Corbett is president of The Pivotal Group Consultants. Over more than 25 years and 850 engagements, he has helped nonprofit leaders secure more than $100 million in funding and build organizations that outlast them. He holds a PhD in Leadership Studies, teaches graduate leadership and strategy at the University of San Diego, and is also the author of Hope Is Not a Strategy. Ira Chaleff, author of The Courageous Follower, wrote that Lyn's path "led him away from the shallow, from the cliché, from what we think we know … to what we need to know."
Your data and audits may have already described your leadership problem
The Leadership Reset uses a specialized approach designed only for nonprofit executives. It pairs research-based leadership assessments with a structured review of your organization, drawn from Dr. Corbett's 25 years of experience and more than 850 engagements with nonprofit leaders and boards. It is the approach behind The Leadership Reset, as seen in Forbes and USA Today.
Most programs stop at your leadership style. This one also reads what your organization has already put on paper, because that is usually where the leadership problem is already written down, in language nobody has translated yet.
The Leadership Reset BriefA report you cannot get anywhere else
Most leadership reports score you on one instrument and hand you a profile. The Brief is different. It is a proprietary report developed by Dr. Lyn Corbett and The Pivotal Group, and it exists only inside The Leadership Reset.
Before San Diego, a curated team of nonprofit leadership, finance, and governance experts reads everything together: how you see your work, how your board, your staff and leaders in your community experience you, research-validated leadership assessments, and what your own budget, audit and board materials already say. Then they write one report, by hand, that names the pattern underneath it all, what it is costing you, and the one thing to change first.
- Four voices, one page. Your view, your board's, your staff's and your community's, side by side, including where they disagree.
- Your leadership and your organization together. Built for nonprofit executives, so it reads your finances and governance, not only your style.
- Written by people, not a scoring engine. Every Brief is prepared and reviewed by Dr. Corbett's team, then walked through with you in person.
- Measured again at eight months. So you can see what actually changed.
The Leadership Reset Brief
If you were unreachable for two weeks, several important things would stop.
You involve them in decisions far less than you think you do.
Board meetings are mostly operations. We rarely get to strategy.
Segregation of duties. Flagged two years running.
How you see yourself, and how others see you
Involves others in decisions
Keeps the board on strategy
Average ratings on a scale of 1 to 5
The one thing
Decisions wait for you.
Your staff and your board both rate you lower on involving others in decisions than you rate yourself, and your audit has flagged segregation of duties two years running. It reads like a bookkeeping problem. It is a leadership one: the only person who could fix it is doing everything else.
Your first move
Name one decision a week that your senior team makes without you, and tell your board chair you are doing it.
A sample page. The organization, ratings and findings are illustrative. The Leadership Reset Brief is a proprietary report of The Pivotal Group.
What You Leave With
The One Thing Your Organization Needs
Not ten priorities. The one thing that would move your organization forward, found through a review of your leadership and your organization.
Where the Current Path Leads
Things cannot continue the way they are, and you probably know it. You see what is already true about the next twelve months, worked out from your own documents.
The Thing You Have Not Said
Every executive is holding onto something they suspect is part of the problem. You name yours, see it in writing, and get the support you need to make it a priority.
One Thing That Changes Monday
Not a plan for a binder. A first move, specific enough that within the first week, you'll know you made the right decision. Then a year of coaching to keep it going.
How It Works
It starts with an application. Much of the work happens before you arrive: your assessments, your 360, and your documents come in ahead of time, so by the time you walk into the room, the two and a half days are already built around your situation.
Before you arrive
Pre-workAn assessment built for this, a 360 that includes your board, and a leadership style profile. You also submit documents that tell part of your story. Together, we will fill in the rest, and you see it all for the first time in the room.
While in San Diego
Two and a half daysThe first evening opens with a question and a dinner. Day one is your style, your people, and the work you are carrying that is no longer yours. Day two is your 360, your financial outlook, and the first thing that changes when you get home.
The year after
Twelve monthsMonthly coaching in a small group and a re-measure at eight months that puts your own words back in front of you, so you find out whether the people around you noticed.
What Makes This Different
We Read Your Financials
Your audit, your management letter, your current statements. Nobody else in leadership development opens them.
Your Board Is in the Data
Most 360s leave that column empty. Here, board members are required raters, because that relationship decides everything.
We Measure Again
At eight months, to see what changed. We would rather know than assume.
Limited to 25 Executives
Every person in the room is chosen deliberately. They lead organizations like yours and are facing the same kind of challenges.
Built for Experienced Leaders
Executive directors, CEOs, and senior leaders of organizations with budgets from about $4 million to $100 million, roughly five to twelve years in the role.
San Diego, California
Quiet, walkable, and close to the water. We are arranging group room rates within walking distance of the sessions. Booking details come with your acceptance.
Step away to see clearly
We meet in San Diego, on Coronado Island across the bay from downtown: quiet, walkable, and close to the beach. Far enough from the office to think, close enough that getting here is easy.
- Getting here. San Diego International Airport is about 15 to 20 minutes away by car.
- Early March. Typically mild, in the 60s by day, ideal for a walk on the beach between sessions.
- Stay longer. Many people arrive early or stay the weekend; ask about extra nights at the group rate when you book.
- Around you. The ferry to downtown and Seaport Village, the Hotel del Coronado and Coronado Beach, Balboa Park, the USS Midway Museum, and La Jolla.
Get the program outline
Two pages: what happens before you arrive, how the two and a half days run, what the year after looks like, and what it costs. Useful for sharing with your board chair.
Your Investment and What It Covers
Early rate through December 18, 2026
$3,950
per executive, then $4,500
- Executive-level assessments that show how your staff and board actually experience your leadership
- An organizational review that brings together the financial, governance, and environmental factors that may be working against your efforts
- Two and a half days in San Diego, with hosted meals (rooms booked on your own at the group rate)
- Both books: The Leadership Reset and Hope Is Not a Strategy
- A year of support: monthly calls with your triad and group coaching with your cohort and faculty
- A re-measure at eight months
- Membership in The Nonprofit Edge
A $500 deposit holds your seat once your application is accepted, and it is fully refundable until January 15, 2027. The early rate applies when your deposit is in by December 18. Travel is booked on your own. We are arranging group room rates in San Diego, and you receive the booking details with your acceptance.
Making the case
Most leaders use their professional development budget, and many need a yes from someone first. Here is wording you can copy, adjust, and send.
For your board chair or board
For an executive director asking the board to approve the Intensive.
Subject: Request for board approval: The Leadership Reset Intensive, March 3–5, 2027 Dear [Board chair], I am requesting the board's approval to attend The Leadership Reset Intensive, March 3–5, 2027, in San Diego. It is a selective program for 25 nonprofit executives, and I see it as an investment in our organization, not only in me. Why now: [one or two sentences on the decision or pressure in front of us, such as a funding change, a growth decision, or a gap on the senior team]. Why it is worth the board's investment: - It starts with evidence. Before the program, I complete research-based leadership assessments, and our latest audit, financial statements and governance practices are reviewed alongside them, so the work is built around our actual situation. - The board's voice is part of it. Board members take part in a confidential 360 review of my leadership, so what I work on reflects what you see. - It ends in a plan, not a list of ideas. I come back with the one priority our organization most needs to move forward, and a first step I take in my first week back. - It is accountable. A year of monthly coaching follows, and my progress is measured again at eight months. I will share the results with the board. - It is led by Dr. Lyn Corbett, who brings 25 years of experience and more than 850 engagements with nonprofit leaders and boards. The cost: the program fee is $4,500, or $3,950 when the deposit is in by December 18, 2026. It covers the assessments, the program and hosted meals, and the year of coaching. A $500 deposit holds the seat and is fully refundable until January 15, 2027. Travel and lodging are separate, about [amount], with a group rate at the program hotel. I propose we fund this from our professional development budget. I would welcome ten minutes at our next meeting to answer questions. If the board approves, I will report back on what I bring home and how we will put it to work. Thank you for considering this. [Your name] [Title]
For your executive director
For a senior leader asking their executive director to approve it.
Subject: Request to attend The Leadership Reset Intensive, March 3–5, 2027 Hi [Name], I would like your support to attend The Leadership Reset Intensive, March 3–5, 2027, in San Diego. It is a selective program for 25 nonprofit leaders, built around our organization's real situation rather than general leadership advice. Before it starts, I would complete research-based assessments and a confidential 360 with feedback from staff and board, alongside a review of our audit, financial statements and governance. Over two and a half days I would use that to name the one thing our organization most needs to move forward, and a year of monthly coaching keeps me on it. What I would bring back: - A clear plan for my area, tied to that one priority - One change I make in my first week back - A small group of peers who hold me to it, and a re-measure at eight months that shows what changed The cost: the program fee is $4,500, or $3,950 when the deposit is in by December 18, 2026. It covers the assessments, the program and hosted meals, and the year of coaching. Travel and lodging are separate, about [amount], with a group rate at the program hotel. Could we find twenty minutes this week to talk it through? Thank you, [Your name] [Title]
Questions, Answered
Who is this for?
Executive directors, CEOs, and senior leaders of nonprofits with annual budgets from about $4 million to $100 million, usually five to twelve years in the role, with an annual audit and a senior team. If you have become the person everything runs through, it was built for you.
How is this different from CCL or other leadership programs?
The big programs, like the Center for Creative Leadership, are built for corporate and generalist leaders, people leading any kind of team in any kind of company. This one is built only for nonprofit executives. We work on what you actually face: thin margins, restricted funding, a board you answer to, and an audit that says more about your leadership than you might think. It also costs a fraction of their flagship programs, and the year of coaching that follows is included.
Is there an application?
Yes. You apply rather than just buy a ticket. The group is limited to 25 executives, and the application helps us make sure the room is the right fit for everyone in it, with leaders at a similar level and leading organizations of a similar scale. That is a big part of why the conversations go as deep as they do.
Can we send two people from the same organization?
Yes. Many organizations send the executive director with a deputy, a COO or CFO, or another senior team member, so the work does not stop with one person when you get home. Each person applies on their own.
When is it?
Wednesday, March 3 through Friday, March 5, 2027, in San Diego, California. It opens Wednesday evening with dinner. Accepted applicants receive the full schedule.
What does it cost, and what is included?
The program fee is $4,500 per executive, or $3,950 when your deposit is in by December 18, 2026. It covers the pre-work assessments (including your 360 and leadership style profile), the two and a half days in San Diego, hosted meals during the program, a year of monthly group coaching, and your re-measure at eight months.
Is lodging included?
Lodging is not part of the program fee. We are arranging group room rates in San Diego, within walking distance of the sessions, and you receive the booking details with your acceptance. Some people bring family and stay the weekend.
How do I hold a seat?
Apply on this page. Dr. Corbett reviews every application, and accepted applicants hold their seat with a $500 deposit, fully refundable until January 15, 2027. The group is limited to 25 executives, so seats go in the order deposits come in.
Who usually pays for this?
Most leaders use their organization's professional development or leadership budget. We can send you a short guide for making the case to your board, plus a one-page summary to share with your board chair or finance committee.
What do I need to do before I arrive?
About two weeks ahead, you complete a short assessment, your 360 (your board members are required raters), and a leadership style profile. You also submit documents that tell part of your story, such as your latest audit and financial statements. Together, we will fill in the rest. Everything is kept confidential.
How much time does the year of coaching take?
One group coaching call a month, about an hour, with the same small group you met in San Diego.
I have a question that is not here.
Email lyn@thepivotalgroup.com and we will get back to you.
Where will you be if things stay the same?
Join a group of 25 carefully selected nonprofit executives who can tackle this question together in San Diego. Applications are open now, and seats go in the order deposits come in.