Unlock the Potential of Your Leadership Team Through the CRA-CCIU Partnership
Over the last 30 years, Admired Leadership® has studied more than 12,000 leaders to uncover the foundational routines, and behaviors of leadership excellence. Participants in this program will learn from top leaders who have been transformed by the behaviors they’ve embraced.
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ALEX — The AI Leadership Advisor Built on decades of proprietary research from CRA | Admired Leadership, with over 12,000 leaders studied and more than a million words of research, ALEX coaches the way a trusted human advisor would. It asks the right questions, challenges assumptions, and helps leaders think through hard calls in the moment, not after. Available whenever your leaders need it. |
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Leadership Courses with Act 45 Hours What do the world's most admired leaders actually do? These leadership courses draw on 30 years of research to reveal the observable behaviors and routines that define leadership excellence. Participants learn directly from leaders who have been transformed by the practices they've embraced and leave with concrete behaviors that can be applied right away. The Everday Behaviors of Admired Leadership: The Admired Leader’s Playbook: Decisions, Change, and the Discipline of Getting Better: |
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Customized Leadership Development We partner with districts and school-based teams to design professional learning programs tailored to your goals, your staff, and your community. Whether you're building new capacity or strengthening an existing culture of leadership, we'll meet you where you are. Contact Mary Driscoll, Marydr@cciu.org |
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Leading the Way — Coming Soon A K-12 leadership development program that teaches students one research-based leadership behavior per grade. These are concrete, timeless practices drawn from studying the world's most admired leaders. Aligned to PA Career Education and Work Standards, it gives districts a powerful tool for building authentic leadership capacity while meeting state accountability requirements. |
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Building a Shared Language for Leadership: A CCIU Partnership Story
When Assistant Director of Student Services Tamara Acuna looked at her team, she saw an opportunity. Many of the staff members on the team had not gone beyond the internal leadership training offered by the Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU). Tamara wanted more for her team. Something that would strengthen leadership skills, establish a shared language, align priorities, and do it in a format that was both fast-moving and easy to put into practice.
The answer was a partnership between CCIU's Learning & Leadership Solutions (LLS) team and Admired Leadership (AL), the research-based leadership program now offered through CCIU to school and district administrators across Chester County.
Acuna had gone through AL training personally and had seen firsthand how it sharpened both perspective and confidence. The goal now was to give that same experience to her team.
Easy from the Start
According to Tamara, the process of designing the professional learning was smooth from day one. The LLS team handled the coordination with AL, and every adjustment along the way, from new team members joining mid-program to last-minute rescheduling, was met with flexibility instead of friction.
That flexibility was exemplified by Dr. John Sanville, K-12 managing director of education with AL, who tailored topics and pacing to align with the team's evolving needs and diverse learning styles. One session unfolded almost entirely through movement, conversation, and shared experiences, creating opportunities for leaders to better understand one another's styles and strengths. Drawing on his background in education, Dr. Sanville fostered an environment where participants felt understood and supported rather than lectured to, making the learning both relevant and deeply engaging.
A Thought Partner Built into the Work
One of the most significant shifts came through ALEX, the AI Leadership Coach embedded within the AL program. Rather than helping supervisors reflect on challenges after they occurred, ALEX served as an on-demand thought partner, enabling leaders to anticipate difficult situations, prepare for critical conversations, and consider multiple approaches before taking action. This proactive support helped supervisors lead with greater confidence, clarity, and intentionality.
Tamara shared several examples of ALEX's impact in practice. One supervisor used the AI Leadership Coach to prepare for a difficult and deeply personal conversation with an employee. By helping her frame questions that were both direct and supportive, ALEX enabled a productive discussion that ultimately strengthened, rather than strained, the relationship.
Another supervisor turned to ALEX while navigating resistance from her team. Through guided reflection and strategic planning, she developed a thoughtful approach to rebuilding trust and rapport. The resulting improvement in team dynamics has been noticeable to both team members and colleagues.
A third supervisor leveraged ALEX to work through a tense situation with an external partner agency. The coach helped her examine her assumptions, consider alternative perspectives, and determine the most constructive path forward. What began as a challenging interaction ultimately evolved into a stronger, more collaborative partnership.
A Culture That Carries Outside the Sessions
Beyond individual coaching moments, Acuna has watched something larger take hold across the team: a shared language about leadership skills and goals. Staff now turn to each other as learning partners, regardless of title, to offer feedback, debrief challenges, and provide informal coaching when one person's strength can lift another's.
That cohesion shows up in how programs and people work together day to day. The honesty and trust built in facilitated AL sessions have carried over into daily interactions, strengthening relationships well beyond the training room itself.
Advice for Other Leaders
Asked what she'd tell another director considering the partnership, Tamara didn't hesitate: "Do it. Do it today."
Want to bring Admired Leadership to your team?
CCIU's Learning & Leadership Solutions offers flexible, research-based professional learning for school and district leaders, including:
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ALEX, the AI Leadership Advisor, available on demand whenever leaders need a thought partner
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The Everyday Behaviors of Admired Leadership, an Act 45-approved course built on 30 years of research
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Customized Leadership Development, tailored programs designed around your team's goals and context