Three Fall 2026 cohorts. Registration is open.
Pick the format that fits your calendar — four Friday half-days that don't blow up the week, or two full-day immersions when you'd rather get it done. Both deliver the full IU Tobias Leadership curriculum and the same Certificate in Leadership Development from IU Indianapolis.
Most managers were never taught how to manage.
of managers have never received formal leadership training.
They were promoted because they were great at their jobs. Now they're being asked to do something completely different — coach a team, give honest feedback, set priorities, navigate conflict, and own the outcomes for people they used to peer with.
Most figure it out by trial and error. Their teams feel it. Turnover goes up, engagement goes down, and the new manager carries the cost in 14-hour days. The Manager Development Lab closes the gap with the four conversations every manager has to learn how to have.
Four workshops. Sixteen hours. Skills they use the next day.
Built by Charlotte Westerhaus-Renfrow at IU's Tobias Leadership Center, calibrated against the specific gaps Hamilton County employers told us they're seeing on their teams.
Making the Shift
Emotional intelligence, leadership identity, and the move from individual contributor to team leader. Redefine what success looks like when your job is to develop other people.
Operational Excellence
Budget basics, prioritization frameworks, delegation that actually delegates, and project management fundamentals for frontline and mid-level managers.
Feedback & Accountability
Coaching conversations. The SBI feedback framework. Balancing care with accountability. Practice giving feedback that actually changes behavior — and receiving it without getting defensive.
Conflict & Team Dynamics
The hard conversations. Psychological safety. Multigenerational teams. The mechanics of building a team people actually want to stay on.
Three ways managers end up in this room.
Pick the path that sounds like you. The Lab works for all three — the framing and what to ask your CFO are just different.
If you got promoted six months ago and you're winging it…
You were great at the work. Now you're running a team and learning on the fly — the feedback conversation you've been avoiding, the team member who's struggling, the project that's behind.
- Practical scripts for the four conversations every manager learns the hard way
- An IU Indianapolis credential on your LinkedIn before year-end
- A peer cohort of Hamilton County managers to compare notes with
If you're an HR or People Ops leader…
You see the manager-shaped gap in every exit interview. You don't have a Fortune-500 development budget, but you do have ten high-potential leads who need to step up before next fiscal year.
- $1,500 per person at IU Kelley caliber — about an eighth of typical executive education pricing
- 16-hour total time-away — designed not to break operations
- Built around skills that reduce turnover: feedback, coaching, conflict
If you're sending the manager who runs your most important team…
Your business runs on the quality of one or two key managers. They're carrying it on instinct — and you can feel where the instinct is starting to crack. You'd rather invest now than recruit a replacement.
- One IU-credentialed manager — not an outsourced consultant your team won't trust
- Practical, faculty-led curriculum — not theoretical leadership models
- OneZone, Westfield, and Noblesville Chamber members save 10%
Program details.
IU Kelley School of Business
1 Library Plaza, Noblesville
Pricing.
Faculty facilitation, materials, IU certificate, digital badge
Codes OneZoneChamber · WestfieldChamber · NoblesvilleChamber at Eventbrite checkout
Comparable IU Kelley executive-education programs run about $12,000. Group enrollment for 3+ — contact Kate.
Frequently asked.
Which cohort should I pick?
What if I miss a session?
I've been managing for a while. Is this still relevant?
What does my company / I actually walk away with?
How does the chamber discount work?
I want to send 3-5 managers. Can we get a group rate?
Why is Invest Hamilton County involved?
Pick your cohort. Reserve your seat.
Three Fall cohorts. Twenty-five seats each. Same certificate. Pick the format that fits your calendar.
Questions or group enrollment? Email Kate Walters at kwalters@investhamiltoncounty.com.