Leadership Institute 2027-LEAD, COACH, GROW: Practical Strategies for Developing Your Team

with Naeemah Elias 
FREE & Virtual on Tuesday, February 2, 2027

Great leaders do more than manage the work. They develop the people doing it. In this interactive session, participants will explore practical strategies for coaching, mentoring, and supporting staff at different stages of their professional growth. We’ll examine how leaders can delegate with intention, navigate difficult conversations, set clear expectations, and address challenging behavior while maintaining trust and respect. Participants will also consider how differences in generation, culture, communication style, and experience can shape the way people give and receive feedback, respond to leadership, and define professionalism. Through discussion, reflection, and real-world scenarios, participants will practice approaches they can use with their own teams. The goal is to help leaders create environments where people are supported, accountable, and continually growing.

OBJECTIVES

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify opportunities to coach, mentor, and develop staff through everyday leadership interactions.
• Use coaching and mentoring strategies to build staff confidence, capability, and readiness for greater responsibility.
• Navigate difficult conversations, feedback, and behavioral challenges with clarity, professionalism, and respect.
• Adapt their leadership approach across differences in generation, culture, communication style, experience, and individual needs.
• Create more inclusive and supportive team environments that balance accountability, fairness, belonging, and growth.

Naeemah Elias is a leadership strategist, speaker, executive coach, and award-winning performer who helps people build the confidence and communication skills to lead, connect, and grow. Before launching Elias Presence Ventures, she spent 13 years at State Street, where she led teams, developed talent, and created programs designed to help people grow their careers and capabilities. Her earlier career as a professional actress and puppeteer continues to shape her highly interactive approach to learning, creativity, and human connection. Today, Naeemah works with organizations, educators, and leaders to create environments where people feel confident experimenting, contributing, and developing their potential. Her work explores how curiosity, communication, creativity, and intentional leadership can help both individuals and teams thrive. She is a TEDx speaker and brings a combination of corporate leadership, coaching, performance, and lived experience to every room she enters.