“I discovered the incredible power as a leader of being willing to drop the mask, be vulnerable and say "I don’t know." I went to LaL for better self-understanding, and now I am continually challenging myself. I have to ask "am I doing this to satisfy my personal ego, or to support my team and my company?"

In attending LaL together with my team, we realized that until we were able to have non ego-driven, open, honest and complete communication, we only stayed on the surface of the issues. LaL has helped me to learn how not to avoid conflicts, but to use them to address the real issues and save immeasurable time and energy.”

“We had been working on improving product development cycle time for nearly ten years, with little to no real change. We tried project management techniques, TQM, Statistical Process Control and Theory of Constraints. We had expertise in each of these areas, yet we could not make any significant improvement.

LaL’s workshops and coaching helped us to see how our individual patterns of behavior did not allow us to make use of our collective expertise. After a year of working with LaL, our pilots achieved cycle times of 90 days, compared to our previous average of over 270! LaL has helped us to finally take advantage of our expertise, and make groundbreaking progress.”

"I came to the first workshop on my own, and then with key members of my team. As we clarified and then launched our challenge – the complete overhaul of the lab infrastructure – there were many obstacles to overcome: territorial struggles, stovepipe thinking, etc… As a leader of my peers, I had no direct authority over a team accustomed to running their own organization. Together we learned to collaborate and coordinate as a cohesive unit – not something we were used to doing!

The LaL training, individual and team coaching, and on-site facilitation helped us talk about the difficult issues in a constructive fashion, develop and commit to clear cross-organizational goals and hold each other accountable for them. LaL gave us the tools to build trust and challenge each other on the things we don't follow through on.

Personally, I am reluctant to displease others, and my leadership style has traditionally been through consensus building. Working with my coach, I learned how to set a clear direction and give the stronger leadership that my peers wanted me to provide. I am now able to fully step into my role as a leader with creativity and courage."

“The management team of the Instrumentation and Controls Division has been actively searching for ways to enhance its performance as an organization for several years. We read the literature, such as Peter Senge’s Fifth Discipline, and brought in consultants to develop a more effective organization. Yet any improvements tended to be transitory.

From our first LaL workshop, our experiences both as a team and as individuals were profound. Throughout the year, we discovered how our personal obstacles were contributing to the team's dysfunctions and holding us back. The effectiveness of our team and our working relationships has improved dramatically – and still is. This ongoing, sustainable change stands in sharp contrast with our experiences with other leadership training methods.

Our increased ability to establish and maintain clarity has improved both our internal and external communications. As a result, we have better agreement on our priorities and far more effective team collaboration.

Furthermore, these changes have not been confined to our team, but have enriched our home life as well. We learned how interdependent all the diverse aspects of our lives are; what started out as an effort in team enhancement has given us life enhancement.”

“My experience of LaL's year long 4-Mastery Program has improved my daily experience of life at the most fundamental level. Conflicts that have been a source of agitation and struggle over decades have moved to resolution; I am more comfortable in my life, my relationships and my various public and private roles than I ever imagined possible.

While my wife and I began LaL with a focus on strengthening our marriage, I also find my work relationships fundamentally changed for the better, and my ability to lead large organizations significantly enhanced. At 55, I am doing the best work I have ever done in my life.”

“The LaL training allowed me to make a fundamental shift in my approach to my work as a university professor. As I took a hard look at my behavioral patterns, I realized that I spent a lot of my work life taking on jobs because they validated my standing and value, not because they were aligned with my real aspirations. I soon resented the time they took from what I considered to be my "real" work, and they became obligations rather than opportunities. LaL helped me clarify and recommit to what I want to contribute through my professional and personal goals, and this has renewed my energy and enthusiasm for my research and teaching.

My students have responded to my new attitude and approach with enthusiasm, and we are jointly creating seminars and research projects that we are deeply excited about.

Instead of complaining about problems at work, I am now committed to understanding my role in them and how I can co-create the work environment and meaningful collegial relationships that I want. These transformations have also affected my personal life. My husband and I have begun to clarify our common goals, and the impact on our family relationships has been very positive.

As a social psychologist, I have been fascinated at the overlap between the teachings of LaL and the psychological research literature on people’s essential needs, the self-esteem system, and the circumstances that encourage true mastery and relatedness, rather than the illusion of competence and feelings of superiority. Not only are LaL's teachings well grounded in empirical research, but they translate into concrete and lasting change.”

“LaL’s approach to systemic change through personal development is unique in its depth and potential for transformative learning. By midway through the Personal Mastery seminar I had constructed a mirror that provided an undeniable reflection of the patterns of my life, the motivations that drive these patterns, and – most painfully – the costs of these patterns to myself, my relationships, and others in my life. It took time to construct this mirror and even more time to internalize, and really feel, its implications. Yet this was essential. My reflection became a powerful engine for change – an engine typically absent in other approaches to change.

The next step focused on creating an alternative compass: new motivations, goals and practices that formed a framework for breaking through old ego-driven patterns.

The seminar helped me turn some important corners in my life and change the texture of my daily interactions. It was a gift to myself and to my family. I have since recommended LaL to many of my closest colleagues and friends."

“As an academic administrator, I play a diverse set of roles and interact with a wide variety of constituents. LAL gave me a lens and framework for seeing clearly the ways that I contribute to the frustrations I sometimes experience on the job. More importantly, it gave me a roadmap for creating the kind of life (work and otherwise) that I truly want and some tools for staying on the path.”

"It is astonishing how each seminar goes ever deeper toward the core issues, offering a unique opportunity to step back and examine one's life with the most powerful analytical lens I have ever encountered. This work constantly provides new insights that make my life richer and more satisfying both at work and at home."

“As a result of my LaL training, my commitment to my family, my wife and my work has increased. My life is more balanced, my purpose clearer, my relationships deeper and more honest. I am able to change my own behavior in the moment when it doesn't support my goals. I am more optimistic about the future, more alive on a day-by-day basis and more open to the miracles of life.

Over the past two years I have exposed my entire management team and my wife and three children to LaL seminars and coaching. At work and at home, trust has increased, communication has improved and mutual support has become the common focus. There is no organizational or family unit that could not benefit from the LaL experience.”

“As a practicing obstetrician/ gynecologist with a good job, a very supportive and loving spouse and two small children, defining a path for my life is something that I had never really done consciously, in spite of all my so-called personal and professional success. Somehow, careful scrutiny of my past experiences and behavioral patterns in the challenging, but safe and supportive environment provided by LaL, enabled me to feel transformed. My relationship to and communication with my patients and colleagues has dramatically improved.

My spouse and I have a depth of understanding that simply would not have been possible had we not attended the LaL seminars together. It has resulted in a much deeper level of commitment. I am more clear about what I really want for my children, have gained some measure of control over my finances, and have become more involved with my community. I am better able to support those I care about.

This is the result of a total of two seminars and four months of coaching. I have regained my time & money investment many times over.”

“As an internal business improvement consultant, participating in LaL's 4-Mastery Program was pivotal in helping me drive change initiatives and make them sustainable. I am better equipped to deal with the human and emotional aspects of my work in supporting a team to reach their goals, thanks to the structures and framework I learned at LaL.

I have been able to break through deep-rooted patterns of behavior, like avoiding conflict. Now I am more willing to give feedback and confront issues head-on to move the project forward. As a result, I am better able to support the senior executives and teams I coach to step up to the plate—and they are!

The positive impact of this deeper level of dialogue is evident at work and at home with my three children.”

“No one likes to talk about failure, but the fundamental work that I do is to establish causes of failure in organizations. LaL is about identifying causes of failure within our own selves and beginning to see and embrace failure as a learning experience and an opportunity to understand cause and effect. All of us fail at some point. LaL allows us to communicate about it rather than hide it, to not beat ourselves up or point the finger at others.

As a leader, by becoming conscious of my ego dynamics, I am aware of the implications of my reactions on the organization for which I'm accountable. This is true at all levels of the organization, but the consequences are geometrically larger as you move up the hierarchy. Being more conscious in my choices and decision-making is the leverage for organizational change. LaL's personal mastery path is the most relevant program available for senior managers.”

“As a consultant, in order to coach my clients, I have to make sure my own issues don’t get in the way. I help my clients focus on their purpose when they are caught up in politics, fears, hidden agendas, etc. This often involves conflict and brings out people’s egos. I can work with that now, whereas before I would avoid it.

I’ve been talking for two years about making changes in my work; LaL coaching has helped me stop talking about it and start doing it. I knew more meaningful work was inside of me; now I’m learning to bring it forward.”