Just Lead Academy

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Academy overview

Just Lead Academy is a premium leadership academy designed to transform high-potential young professionals into confident, capable leaders ready to take on their first management role with clarity, courage, and competence.

High-potential professionals are eager to grow, but without the right development, they hesitate to step up or, worse, they step out. Just Lead Academy address this problem by educating these talents. Investing in your emerging leaders today, strengthens your leadership pipeline, fosters loyalty, and secures a long-term competitive edge.

Over five transformative sessions, your talents will gain value-added leadership skills across emotional intelligence, communication, conflict resolution, and team management taught by top experts, bestselling authors, and executive mentors. Just Lead Academy isn’t just training, it’s a career-defining experience that builds stronger teams, boosts retention, and fast-tracks leadership growth.

Let’s accelerate leadership & elevate potential.

Time & place

Workshops

Oct 2025 - Dec 2026

Copenhagen

Store Kannikestræde 10 A 1169 Copenhagen

Why Just Lead Academy?

By choosing Just Lead Academy, you’re investing in a more diverse and future-ready leadership pipeline.

Just Lead prepares your emerging leaders for success through a diverse talent network, a hands-on leadership toolbox, and inspiring speakers. We ensure your future first-line managers are ready to build high-performing teams by leveraging cognitive diversity.

Setting the leaders of tomorrow up for success

Just Lead is tailored specifically for ambitious professionals on the brink of leadership, providing them with the mindset, confidence, and practical tools to succeed in their first leadership role from day one.

Building the foundation of leadership through hands-on experience

Participants gain hands-on experience in critical areas such as leadership styles, impactful communication, conflict resolution, and decision making, building a solid foundation for effective leadership.

From self-awareness to leaders who inspire

Just Lead places a strong focus on emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and team dynamics, shaping leaders who don’t just manage, they inspire, engage, and drive performance. Through harnessing the power of cognitive diversity, our program supports lasting change across your organisation.

Turn potential into your best investment

Companies that invest in emerging leaders see higher engagement, stronger teams, and increased loyalty. Just Lead turns potential into performance and ensures your best people stay and grow with you.

Setting the leaders of tomorrow up for success

Just Lead is tailored specifically for ambitious professionals on the brink of leadership, providing them with the mindset, confidence, and practical tools to succeed in their first leadership role from day one.

Building the foundation of leadership through hands-on experience

Participants gain hands-on experience in critical areas such as leadership styles, impactful communication, conflict resolution, and decision making, building a solid foundation for effective leadership.

From self-awareness to leaders who inspire

Just Lead places a strong focus on emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and team dynamics, shaping leaders who don’t just manage, they inspire, engage, and drive performance. Through harnessing the power of cognitive diversity, our program supports lasting change across your organisation.

Turn potential into your best investment

Companies that invest in emerging leaders see higher engagement, stronger teams, and increased loyalty. Just Lead turns potential into performance and ensures your best people stay and grow with you.

Challenges with leadership that companies are facing...

A 2023 Gallup workplace report highlights that companies with highly rated management experience, better retention rates, and inspiring and motivating managers enhance employee engagement and satisfaction

“Many young professionals feel unprepared for leadership roles and actively seek development in leadership skills to feel ready and confident in taking on leadership roles”.

“Companies struggle to retain top performers. According to a 2023 LinkedIn Talent Trends report, companies that invest in employee development see a 32% higher retention rate among their top performers. This includes offering leadership training, mentorship programs, and clear career progression paths”.

LinkedIn “Talent Trends Report 2023”

Challenges with leadership that companies are facing...

A 2023 Gallup workplace report highlights that companies with highly rated management experience, better retention rates, and inspiring and motivating managers enhance employee engagement and satisfaction

“Many young professionals feel unprepared for leadership roles and actively seek development in leadership skills to feel ready and confident in taking on leadership roles”.

“Companies struggle to retain top performers. According to a 2023 LinkedIn Talent Trends report, companies that invest in employee development see a 32% higher retention rate among their top performers. This includes offering leadership training, mentorship programs, and clear career progression paths”.

LinkedIn “Talent Trends Report 2023”

Workshops Fall 2025

5 full-day educational workshops & 1 exclusive alumni event

Mette Nørgaard

Ph.D., Leadership advisor & author

Eric Guthey

Associate Professor, CBS

Nicole Ferry

Assistant Professor, CBS

Mette Nørgaard

Ph.D., Leadership advisor & author

Josefine Volqvartz

Founder of DiverseEksperter.dk, Chair KvindeKompagniet, Broadcaster

Anne-Mette Bro Jöhncke

Communication advisor and founder CommAgain

Workshop 1

Lead from within: The power of pause, perspective & practice

Week 43: October 20. or 21., 2025

Learning objectives

Unlock deeper presence, clarity, and confidence by reconnecting with inner balance. Through powerful tools rooted in self-awareness, attention, and embodiment, participants learn to lead with greater impact, perspective, and trust.

Key topics

  • Learn how a calm and inner alignment fuels leadership presence and trust through clarity, focus, and embodied self-leadership
  • Owning the space and leading with quiet strength and strategic positioning
  • Identify a unique set of leadership principles
Workshop 2

Enhancing emotional intelligence

Week 45: November 3. or 4., 2025

Learning objectives

Strengthen emotional intelligence by recognizing and managing emotions effectively, develop resilience under pressure, and build trust-based relationships.

Key topics

  • Building trust, engagement and better relations
  • Identify personal stress triggers and develop effective coping strategies to build resilience
  • Gain the ability to understand other people
Workshop 3

Proactive leadership: Taking initiative and drive change

Week 47: November 17. or 18., 2025

Learning objectives

Develop authoritative leadership skills by enhancing credibility, establishing a strong presence, making impactful decisions, and asserting authority respectfully.

Key topics

  • Characteristics and role of authoritative leadership.
  • Establishing personal credibility and influence.
  • Techniques for developing leadership presence.
  • Balancing assertiveness with empathy and respect, leaving strong touchpoints.
Workshop 4

Reflexive leadership: Navigating diversity and power

Week 49: December 1. or 2., 2025

Learning objectives

Leading in the face of complex organizational and global challenges requires a set of critical tools for engaging with diversity, difference, and power. In this workshop you will learn how reflexive leadership can help create more equitable and inclusive workplaces.

Key topics

  • A working vocabulary for talking about the relational nature of diversity, gender, privilege, and intersectionality, and how these dynamics influence leadership, identity, and workplace interactions.
  • Practice with difficult conversations using reflective and dialogic strategies that foster inclusion, accountability, and trust within teams and organizations.
  • An ability to apply the principles of bridging and intergroup leadership to lead effectively across social, cultural, and identity-based differences.
Workshop 5

Communication techniques

Week 51: December 15. or 16., 2025

Learning objectives

Communicate with impact as a leader by developing a personal and authentic communication style, mastering storytelling and top-down messaging, navigating stakeholder relationships strategically, and using nonverbal cues and presentation techniques to build trust, engage audiences, and deliver messages with confidence and clarity.

Key topics

  • Authentic and impactful leadership communication
  • Top-down storytelling and tone of voice
  • Strategic stakeholder engagement
  • Confident presentations and nonverbal presence
Leaders lounge & insights

Exclusive event & certificate

Week 45: November 3. or 4., 2025

Learning objectives

The program concludes with a joint event bringing together ambitious professionals from all Just Lead Academies – a celebration of completing the academy, an opportunity to strengthen connections, gain practical insights from a top senior leader, expand your network across companies and industries, and receive your official Just Lead Academy certificate.

Key topics

  • Get practical advice on how to shift from being a high-performing individual contributor to a cross-functional, strategic leader.
  • Explore how to make bold career move – even before you feel 100% ready.
  • Discover the mindset required to operate at manager level.
  • Recognize how self-awareness, reflection, and vulnerability can drive leadership impact.
  • Understand how senior leaders use their position to drive change, inclusion, and innovation

Workshops Fall 2025

5 full-day educational workshops & 1 exclusive alumni event

Mette Nørgaard

Ph.D., Leadership advisor & author
Mette Nørgaard is a leadership advisor and author. With a Ph.D. and 30 years of leadership advisor experience, she brings a research-based yet practical approach to leadership development. Mette is the author of TouchPoints, co-authored with Doug Conant, and The Ugly Duckling Goes to Work, which explores the impact of daily interactions and provides wisdom for the workplace. She believes leadership is less about elite credentials and cognitive agility and more about deep experience—its finding one’s natural leadership voice and using it for good.

Eric Guthey

Associate Professor, CBS
Eric Guthey is an Associate Professor in the Department of Management, Society, and Communication at Copenhagen Business School. His research and teaching address key issues in leadership, leadership development, and the cultural, ethical, and political dynamics of organizational life.

Nicole Ferry

Assistant Professor, CBS
Nicole Ferry is a tenure-track assistant professor at Copenhagen Business School. With a background in cultural studies and critical theory, her research examines the cultural and competitive dynamics of the leadership industries, as well as contemporary approaches to gender and leadership development. Her work has been published in leading journals, including Journal of Business Ethics, Management Learning, and Gender, Work & Organization. Her most recent article, published in the Academy of Management Learning & Education, explores the concept of men’s leadership development.

Mette Nørgaard

Ph.D., Leadership advisor & author
Mette Nørgaard is a leadership advisor and author. With a Ph.D. and 30 years of leadership advisor experience, she brings a research-based yet practical approach to leadership development. Mette is the author of TouchPoints, co-authored with Doug Conant, and The Ugly Duckling Goes to Work, which explores the impact of daily interactions and provides wisdom for the workplace. She believes leadership is less about elite credentials and cognitive agility and more about deep experience—its finding one’s natural leadership voice and using it for good.

Josefine Volqvartz

Founder of DiverseEksperter.dk, Chair KvindeKompagniet, Broadcaster
Josefine Volqvartz is a broadcaster, media innovator, and founder of DiverseEksperter.dk – Denmark’s leading platform for female experts and leaders. With a background in journalism and more than 20 years of experience in international media outlets including the Guardian, CNN, Al Jazeera English and the BBC, she empowers professionals to communicate with authenticity and authority – whether in the media, in meetings, or on stage. Josefine is passionate about representation and visibility, helping leaders strengthen their voice and presence where it matters most.

Anne-Mette Bro Jöhncke

Communication advisor and founder CommAgain
Anne-Mette Bro Jöhncke is an experienced communications advisor with over 20 years of experience in strategic communication, executive training, and keynote speaking. As former Head of Communication at TV 2, Denmark’s largest national television broadcaster, she has led high-impact communication initiatives. Anne-Mette is passionate about making communication a professional discipline and a skill that deserves strategic focus. Today, she supports organizations and leaders in strengthening their communication impact through tailored strategies, workshops, and advisory engagements.

Workshop 1

Lead from within: The power of pause, perspective & practice

Week 43: October 20. or 21., 2025

Learning objectives

Unlock deeper presence, clarity, and confidence by reconnecting with inner balance. Through powerful tools rooted in self-awareness, attention, and embodiment, participants learn to lead with greater impact, perspective, and trust.

Key topics

  • Learn how a calm and inner alignment fuels leadership presence and trust through clarity, focus, and embodied self-leadership
  • Owning the space and leading with quiet strength and strategic positioning
  • Identify a unique set of leadership principles
Workshop 2

Enhancing emotional intelligence

Week 45: November 3. or 4., 2025

Learning objectives

Strengthen emotional intelligence by recognizing and managing emotions effectively, develop resilience under pressure, and build trust-based relationships.

Key topics

  • Building trust, engagement and better relations
  • Identify personal stress triggers and develop effective coping strategies to build resilience
  • Gain the ability to understand other people
Workshop 3

Proactive leadership: Taking initiative and drive change

Week 47: November 17. or 18., 2025

Learning objectives

Develop authoritative leadership skills by enhancing credibility, establishing a strong presence, making impactful decisions, and asserting authority respectfully.

Key topics

  • Characteristics and role of authoritative leadership.
  • Establishing personal credibility and influence.
  • Techniques for developing leadership presence.
  • Balancing assertiveness with empathy and respect, leaving strong touchpoints.
Workshop 4

Reflexive leadership: Navigating diversity and power

Week 49: December 1. or 2., 2025

Learning objectives

Leading in the face of complex organizational and global challenges requires a set of critical tools for engaging with diversity, difference, and power. In this workshop you will learn how reflexive leadership can help create more equitable and inclusive workplaces.

Key topics

  • A working vocabulary for talking about the relational nature of diversity, gender, privilege, and intersectionality, and how these dynamics influence leadership, identity, and workplace interactions.
  • Practice with difficult conversations using reflective and dialogic strategies that foster inclusion, accountability, and trust within teams and organizations.
  • An ability to apply the principles of bridging and intergroup leadership to lead effectively across social, cultural, and identity-based differences.
Workshop 5

Communication techniques

Week 51: December 15. or 16., 2025

Learning objectives

Communicate with impact as a leader by developing a personal and authentic communication style, mastering storytelling and top-down messaging, navigating stakeholder relationships strategically, and using nonverbal cues and presentation techniques to build trust, engage audiences, and deliver messages with confidence and clarity.

Key topics

  • Authentic and impactful leadership communication
  • Top-down storytelling and tone of voice
  • Strategic stakeholder engagement
  • Confident presentations and nonverbal presence
Leaders lounge & insights

Exclusive event & certificate

Week 45: November 3. or 4., 2025

Learning objectives

The program concludes with a joint event bringing together ambitious professionals from all Just Lead Academies – a celebration of completing the academy, an opportunity to strengthen connections, gain practical insights from a top senior leader, expand your network across companies and industries, and receive your official Just Lead Academy certificate.

Key topics

  • Get practical advice on how to shift from being a high-performing individual contributor to a cross-functional, strategic leader.
  • Explore how to make bold career move – even before you feel 100% ready.
  • Discover the mindset required to operate at manager level.
  • Recognize how self-awareness, reflection, and vulnerability can drive leadership impact.
  • Understand how senior leaders use their position to drive change, inclusion, and innovation

FAQ

All ambitious professionals who want to succeed in their first leadership role.
Just Lead Academy welcomes all ambitious professionals – regardless of gender – who are ready to fast-track their journey into leadership. Participants typically have 2–10 years of full-time work experience. The Just Lead attendee will join a diverse cohort of driven career go-getters and/or future leaders from across industries and be matched with peers at a similar career stage.

Exclusively 12 seats per company regardless of size (tailored for maximum impact).
Up to 12 participants from your company can join. The Just Lead Academy attendees will be distributed across multiple cohorts to ensure a broad and inspiring network that spans industries and companies.

Yes – we welcome all career and leadership driven individuals!
Just Lead Academy is designed for individuals who are ready to take their first steps into leadership. We support your growth through inspiration, education, mentoring, and by connecting you with a powerful network – staying by your side until you land your first leadership role. Secure your spot here.

Please contact us here if you have unanswered questions. We are here to help!

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Just Lead Academy

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