Leading change has never been easy, but most of us have never experienced anything like this — trying to steer others through complex change and continued uncertainty while teams (and many leaders) are burnt out. The leadership mindsets and practices that got us here don’t necessarily feel wrong, but they don’t feel right either for a wholly new set of challenges. Many leaders today feel fatigued by a world that won’t stand still. How do we provide transparency about uncertainty without fueling anxiety? How do we ensure silos are aligned when there are so many moving parts? What new muscles do leaders need to build for greater organizational agility? We’ll answer these questions and more, providing participants with a toolkit for managing ambiguity and rallying stakeholders around complex change.

Did you know that Jeff Bezos was inspired to create the Kindle after reading Neal Stephenson’s science-fiction-classic The Diamond Age? A growing number of universities, businesses, and other organizations are finding that the tools of the imaginative arts — fiction, drawing, theater — can provide a powerful way to design new futures, shift mindsets, and align stakeholders around a common vision. In this unique interactive session, participants will use the tools of “design fiction” to create aspirational future visions for how to better meet the shifting needs of their audience (whether students, alumni, employees, or other stakeholders).

Learning objectives:

1. Gain hands-on practice with tools from fiction, art, and theater to develop creative solutions.

2. Engage in “blue sky visioning” to develop new solutions for current strategic needs

3. Bring disparate stakeholders together to co-create bold visions for the future

Leading during times of complexity and rapid change presents unique challenges. Situations can quickly escalate into high conflict, making it crucial for leaders to master the art of facilitating difficult conversations. Leaders seek ways to support their staff at all levels, who must master new competencies when all organizations are already feeling change fatigue and the strain of systemic burnout. In this transformative workshop, we’ll explore the evolving role of leaders and equip participants with the tools for the conflict, complexity, and uncertainty that are necessary parts of true transformation.

Learning objectives:

1. Learn how to provide transparency about uncertainty without fueling anxiety

2. Develop strategies for aligning silos when dealing with numerous moving parts

3. Identify personal blindspots in complexity management, change adoption, and stakeholder mapping

Talking about issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) can be complex and difficult to discuss, making it hard to have real, honest, and candid conversations. In this interactive workshop, award-winning author and artist Melanie Ho will guide participants through a unique and powerful approach to confronting difficult DEI topics using comics. Participants will learn how drawing can serve as a tool for exploring the concept of intent vs. impact, the business or organizational impact of bias, and how “default culture” affects underrepresented and underestimated groups. We’ll explore the critical role of allyship and actions that all of us can take every day. By the end of the workshop, participants will have gained a set of tools for difficult DEI conversations and will commit to concrete action steps to continue the work.

Learning objectives:

1. Understand the many ways that bias negatively impacts institutional objectives

2. Develop a shared vocabulary that allows team members to feel more comfortable having candid DEI discussions

3. Develop an action plan for your team that balances short-term wins and long-term transformations.

Advanced supplement

As a Part II to “Drawing Out DEI,” a follow-on advanced workshop — “Understanding the Water We Swim In” — allows for a deeper analysis and discussion of team, organizational, or institutional culture and the development of a roadmap for change.

This isn’t your typical bias training—it’s an immersive experience designed to shift how we see and communicate with others. Led by award-winning author and speaker Dr. Melanie Ho, this workshop goes beyond traditional unconscious bias frameworks, exploring how our minds create "mental auto-completes"—the rapid, often unnoticed ways we fill in gaps and make assumptions.

Inspired by David Foster Wallace’s famous "This is Water" speech, where the fish don’t even realize they’re swimming in water, participants will dive into interactive exercises to uncover the "invisible currents" shaping our perceptions and how they ripple through individual behaviors, cultural practices, and systemic structures.

Whether it’s gender, race, generation, formal education attainment, political affiliation, or other dimensions, this session will help participants recognize how biases form even among the most aware and well-intended—and, more importantly, how to shift their way of seeing. Through hands-on exercises that make abstract concepts tangible, participants will leave with a new framework for navigating biases, fostering meaningful conversations with those unlike us, and approaching work with a fresh, transformative perspective.

Key takeaways include:

1. Discovering and addressing hidden blind spots we may overlook, even when we think we’re aware

2. Understanding the distinction between intent and impact in daily interactions

3. Developing practical tools to improve communication and collaboration across divides

In today's fast-paced and ever-changing landscape, it's easy for leaders to get caught up in the day-to-day demands and distractions that pull us in multiple directions. Urgent emails, back-to-back meetings, constant fires, and competing priorities can make it challenging to stay focused on what matters most.

In this transformative workshop, you'll learn proven strategies for aligning your time, energy, and priorities with your most important goals and values, even in the face of constant demands and distractions.

You’ll gain practical tools for:

1. Identifying the highest value uses for your time, whether individually, in 1:1 meetings, or in team discussions

2. Setting clear boundaries and saying no to low-value requests and distractions

3. Communicating your priorities and expectations effectively to stakeholders at all levels

4. Creating the space and structure for deep work, reflection, and strategic thinking

5. Cultivating a sense of purpose and meaning in your work, even in the face of challenges and setbacks

Through a combination of interactive exercises, self-reflection, and action planning, you'll develop a personalized roadmap for leading with greater intention and impact. Whether you're a senior executive or an emerging leader, you'll come away with a renewed sense of clarity, purpose, and control over your time and energy, and the tools to inspire and empower your team to do the same.

Are you struggling to set and maintain boundaries? Do you find yourself saying "yes" when you really want to say "no"? In this engaging and interactive workshop, award-winning author and speaker Dr. Melanie Ho will guide participants through a unique journey of self-discovery and empowerment regarding setting boundaries.

Learning outcomes:

1. Identify your personal "Boundary Saboteurs" using a specially developed assessment

2. Explore innovative techniques to tackle these saboteurs through art and storytelling

3. Understand how diverse identities and experiences (particularly for women, people of color, and neurodiverse individuals) influence boundary-setting challenges

4. Develop practical strategies to set and maintain healthier boundaries in various professional contexts

Participants will engage in hands-on activities, including drawing and reflective exercises, to gain deeper insights into boundary-setting behaviors. You'll leave with a toolkit of creative approaches to overcome internal barriers and a renewed sense of empowerment to protect your time, energy, and well-being.