Connect & Collaborate
An invitation-only cohort experience for senior leaders on the journey to organizational excellence.
Introducing LEAP | Cohort 6
The Wisconsin Center for Performance Excellence and the Minnesota-based Performance Excellence Network invite you to participate in the sixth cohort of the Leading Excellence & Achievement Program (LEAP). Our first cohort launched in 2021, and we have added a cohort each year thereafter. This is a unique cohort-based offering that takes learning and benchmarking to a new level with access to — and interaction with — other successful senior leaders, each sharing insights on how to design and lead a journey to excellence using the Baldrige Framework.
The LEAP cohort experience was certainly of significant value in helping me better understand Baldrige best practice and allowing me to bounce questions/ideas off the cohort. The discussions were especially useful, and the Baldrige recipient sessions were of terrific value.
The Leading Excellence & Achievement Program is an invitation-only, ten-month leadership development program, centered on learning, benchmarking, and networking with other leaders on the journey to excellence. The foundation of the experience is based on the Baldrige Framework, though some participants may come from organizations just wanting to learn more about its use and value.
Experience accelerated and applied leadership development, exploring how the principles of excellence have been implemented in a diverse set of organizations — businesses, healthcare, education, nonprofits, and public sector agencies.
Learn insights and best practices from high performing local and national organizations, many of which have received top Awards from PEN, WCPE, and the Baldrige Program.
Explore how best practices in leadership, planning, customer focus, measurement, workforce engagement, and operational effectiveness can translate to your organization.
LEAP has been a great experience to deepen my understanding of the Baldrige Criteria. We've had great opportunities to learn from national Baldrige winners, our fellow cohort members, and our LEAP coaches. I highly recommend LEAP to anyone considering the program.
Participation in LEAP is an intense eight-month commitment which includes the following features:
Hosted by organizations in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Each session includes a half-day module focused on insights and best practices from a Baldrige Category, roundtable discussions, and a national Baldrige Award winner sharing insights by livestream.
Participants explore how the concepts learned throughout the experience can be applied to addressing a challenge or advancing a goal of their home organization. Capstone projects are shared within the cohort at the end of the experience.
A dedicated coach offers monthly office hours to answer questions, support work on the capstone project, and prepare for the next module.
New virtual sessions between in-person meetings to clarify and reinforce learning and connections.
A new spring activity with other LEAP alumni to strengthen and nurture your professional network.
LEAP's deep dive into each category with experts in the field, Baldrige winners, and colleagues across every industry is a powerful way to experience a true immersive learning experience that I can take back to my organization.
Each cohort is informal and small (target of 12–15 participants), allowing for more intimate sharing and relationship building. Several organizations have sent two leaders to participate in the same cohort.
September 17–18, 2026
Wisconsin
October 29–30, 2026
Minnesota
November 19, 2026, Noon – 1:30 PM
Virtual Call
December 3–4, 2026
Wisconsin
February 11–12, 2027
Minnesota
March 11, 2027, Noon – 1:30 PM
Virtual Call
April 15–16, 2027
Wisconsin
I appreciate the learning and sharing that has occurred through the LEAP program. The ability to network with others and understand through the instructor's experiences has been very valuable. Additionally, I have appreciated how this program is able to break down the Baldrige Performance Framework into digestible content.
Investment for WCPE members is $3,500, which includes participation in benchmarking sessions, the capstone project, and coach support. Host sites will be in Minnesota or Wisconsin (all within a half-day or less drive). Our goal is to fill the cohort by August 30th. Attendance and participation are expected at each session.
$3,500
for WCPE members
The LEAP cohort provides focused time to network, learn, and share. I gained insights in our very first session that more than returned my time investment for the whole cohort series.
Complete a short form to reserve your place in Cohort 6. We are happy to explore the concept further, invoice in installments, or answer any of your questions.