About us

Our Purpose

Wake up those who will
wake up the many

In collaboration with you, we bring purpose to your organization. When everyone is awake to their purpose – and especially when they can see how it contributes to the company’s purpose – true magic is possible.

Our Promise

We make purpose work
in your world

Over our 20+ years of experience, we’ve learned what works and what doesn’t – we’ve harnessed the ability to make purpose work for you in your world, as demonstrated by our diverse range of clients, large and small, across varied industries, geographies, and cultures.

Our Purpose

Wake up those who will
wake up the many

In collaboration with you, we bring purpose to your organization. When everyone is awake to their purpose – and especially when they can see how it contributes to the company’s purpose – true magic is possible.

Our Promise

We make purpose work
in your world

Over our 20+ years of experience, we’ve learned what works and what doesn’t – we’ve harnessed the ability to make purpose work for you in your world, as demonstrated by our diverse range of clients, large and small, across varied industries, geographies, and cultures.

Our Global Team

We are made up of a core leadership team supported by a global network of affiliates to deliver Purpose to Impact^TM journeys throughout the world.

The CLI Team

Nick Craig

Don Andrade

David Hopley

Celine McElvery

Ben Olendzki

Liliya Robbins

Our Affiliates

We work extensively with a network of experienced facilitators and coaches certified to deliver our programs across every geographical location.

Americas

Lisa DeAngelis

Coryne Forest

Brandon Gould

Bob Halperin

Harry Hutson

Anita Kelley

Itir Keskiner

Jack MacPhail

Juan Mobili

Malcom Riley

Debra Schuler

Europe / Middle East / Africa

Jessica Austin

Simone Bassoli

Patrick Boland

Didier Dallemagne

David Hopley

Kasia Królak

Matthias Malessa

Joanna (Jo) Moss

Kate Pohl

Haydn Rees

Wolfgang Schneider

Peter Soer

Ann Van de Perre

Asia Pacific

Steve Asimoudis

Dina Pozzo

Dani Traum

Brian Truman

Luke Wardle

Our Story

Of waking up those who wake up the many:
helping leaders access their unique gift and have real impact.

By Nick Craig Founder Core Leadership Institute

The Importance Of Wisdom And Courage In Leadership

At the turn of the 21st Century, I realized there was a fundamental problem that had no solution. After spending 10 years running large scale change efforts with some of the world experts (Bob Schaffer, Mike Beer, Marv Weisbord,..), I realized that 70% of the time the methodology/process failed.

From the 30% of the time it did work, we generated fabulous HBR articles that focused on the process which in actuality failed 70% of the time.

My key insight from being the guy on the ground who had to make it work: When the leaders at the top had a deep level of wisdom and courage, the change effort was wildly successful. Whenever the leaders at the top were not able to access these critical attributes, the program would fail in the end.

The challenge was that no one knew how to create wisdom at the top. I watched colleagues prop up leaders for years, and then one small slip and the leader would undo years of work.

Nick’s Vision Of Condensing A 1-Year MIT Sloan
Executive Education Journey Into 2-3 Days

I was asked to help MIT Sloan School create its new Center for Leadership. This gave me an opportunity to examine insights and outcomes of their 1-year program created by the best leadership minds (Scharmer, Ancona, Senge, etc.).

The outcomes were impressive, but at the same time the investment of time and resources required was enormous.

I realized that the world couldn’t afford the time or money to send everyone to a 1-year program. What was greatly needed was a means of helping people access wisdom and courage in only 2 to 3 days.

The opportunity was clear: how do we scale to help hundreds of thousands of leaders access their deeper wisdom and courage, and not just mere hundreds?

Piloting Leadership At The Core

I decided to create a 2 to 3 day experience that would help leaders access their deeper wisdom.

I leveraged the best learnings from all the gifted experts I had worked with, the latest insights on neuroscience, and the deeply powerful insights of Robert Quinn and his work on the fundamental state of leadership.

The resulting 3-day program, “Leadership at the Core,” was a balance of collaborative work with other leaders and an intensive one-on-one coaching journey.

Meeting Bill George And The Journey Of Purpose

I met Bill George at a conference on Positive Psychology and Authentic Leadership. We quickly realized we had both figured out many of the key elements to help leaders access their wisdom. Each of us could finish the other’s sentences.

Bill was teaching his 14-week Harvard Business School class on Authentic leadership. It turned out that I had solved many of the challenges he was facing with key modules of the class.

Bill asked me to help him dramatically redesign a number of modules, with Purpose being the most challenging. I took on the challenge along with many others, which resulted in the purpose module going from being the worst to one of the top 2 sessions in the program.

Bill then suggested we collaborate to write the Fieldbook on Authentic Leadership titled “Personal Guide to True North” which was published in 2007. Today the subsequent editions (3rd) are used in many MBA programs.

This collaboration on Authentic Leadership concepts led me to realize that we really could create a program lasting 2 to 3 days to help leaders powerfully access their deeper wisdom.

While Bill George focused on being a professor and his MBA students, I now refocused on taking our work into the corporate world.

The Formation Of Core Leadership Institute

I founded the Core Leadership Institute (CLI) to help executives and their organizations lead from the core of who they are through the work of authentic leadership and purpose (Purpose to Impact).

Our first corporate client was GE where we worked with 30 of the top 300 executives. These leaders were among the toughest, best educated executives I have ever experienced, and we were honored to bring them the journey of authentic leadership and purpose.

The “Aha” for me was discovering that, of all the modules we taught them, the purpose module had the greatest impact for each leader. Their ability to thrive through the 2008 recession, versus merely survive, was due to the clarity about their purpose. Here I learned that purpose is the antidote to uncertainty, as it’s the only thing you can stand on when bonuses, stock options, and raises are no longer the options to motivate others to lead.

In early 2008, we were asked to kick-off Wharton’s AMP program. The Purpose to Impact™ program resulted in a dramatic increase in the overall perceived value of the 5-week program. Our program became a core element for many years.

In 2009, we were asked by Unilever’s CEO, Paul Polman, to create a 4-day program for the top 300. His vision was to double revenue and halve their environmental impact within 10 years. This compelling vision required a powerful shift in all of Unilever’s leaders.

We ran our program for over 7 years at Unilever working with over 1,200 leaders. Apart from the dramatic impact on individual leaders, our work was core to creating the purpose-driven brand movement.

Purpose To Impact™ On A Global Scale

During these past years, we have reached over 25,000 leaders from across the globe. The scope of our clients/industries is vast, ranging from global investment bankers, oil and gas executives, US Army officers with multiple tours of duty, to those magical people who make toys for kids and all the ice-cream we love to eat!

Many of our adventures are captured in our articles and books (Link)

We have gone from being a team of myself and a couple of courageous educators/coaches/consultants to a global team of 30+ world class professionals delivering our work from Sydney and Singapore, Amsterdam, London, and Reykjavík, to New York and Jackson Hole, Wyoming!

The Importance Of Wisdom And Courage In Leadership

2000 – 2002

At the turn of the 21st Century, I realized there was a fundamental problem that had no solution. After spending 10 years running large scale change efforts with some of the world experts (Bob Schaffer, Mike Beer, Marv Weisbord,..), I realized that 70% of the time the methodology/process failed.

From the 30% of the time it did work, we generated fabulous HBR articles that focused on the process which in actuality failed 70% of the time.

My key insight from being the guy on the ground who had to make it work: When the leaders at the top had a deep level of wisdom and courage, the change effort was wildly successful. Whenever the leaders at the top were not able to access these critical attributes, the program would fail in the end.

The challenge was that no one knew how to create wisdom at the top. I watched colleagues prop up leaders for years, and then one small slip and the leader would undo years of work.

Nick’s Vision Of Condensing A 1-Year MIT Sloan Executive Education Journey Into 2-3 Days

2003 – 2006
I was asked to help MIT Sloan School create its new Center for Leadership. This gave me an opportunity to examine insights and outcomes of their 1-year program created by the best leadership minds (Scharmer, Ancona, Senge, etc.).

The outcomes were impressive, but at the same time the investment of time and resources required was enormous.

I realized that the world couldn’t afford the time or money to send everyone to a 1-year program. What was greatly needed was a means of helping people access wisdom and courage in only 2 to 3 days.

The opportunity was clear: how do we scale to help hundreds of thousands of leaders access their deeper wisdom and courage, and not just mere hundreds?

Piloting Leadership At The Core

2005 – 2007
I decided to create a 2 to 3 day experience that would help leaders access their deeper wisdom.

I leveraged the best learnings from all the gifted experts I had worked with, the latest insights on neuroscience, and the deeply powerful insights of Robert Quinn and his work on the fundamental state of leadership.

The resulting 3-day program, “Leadership at the Core,” was a balance of collaborative work with other leaders and an intensive one-on-one coaching journey.

Meeting Bill George And The Journey Of Purpose

2006
I met Bill George at a conference on Positive Psychology and Authentic Leadership. We quickly realized we had both figured out many of the key elements to help leaders access their wisdom. Each of us could finish the other’s sentences.

Bill was teaching his 14-week Harvard Business School class on Authentic leadership. It turned out that I had solved many of the challenges he was facing with key modules of the class.

Bill asked me to help him dramatically redesign a number of modules, with Purpose being the most challenging. I took on the challenge along with many others, which resulted in the purpose module going from being the worst to one of the top 2 sessions in the program.

Bill then suggested we collaborate to write the Fieldbook on Authentic Leadership titled “Personal Guide to True North” which was published in 2007. Today the subsequent editions (3rd) are used in many MBA programs.

This collaboration on Authentic Leadership concepts led me to realize that we really could create a program lasting 2 to 3 days to help leaders powerfully access their deeper wisdom.

While Bill George focused on being a professor and his MBA students, I now refocused on taking our work into the corporate world.

The Formation Of Core Leadership Institute

2007 – 2009
I founded the Core Leadership Institute (CLI) to help executives and their organizations lead from the core of who they are through the work of authentic leadership and purpose (Purpose to Impact).

Our first corporate client was GE where we worked with 30 of the top 300 executives. These leaders were among the toughest, best educated executives I have ever experienced, and we were honored to bring them the journey of authentic leadership and purpose.

The “Aha” for me was discovering that, of all the modules we taught them, the purpose module had the greatest impact for each leader. Their ability to thrive through the 2008 recession, versus merely survive, was due to the clarity about their purpose. Here I learned that purpose is the antidote to uncertainty, as it’s the only thing you can stand on when bonuses, stock options, and raises are no longer the options to motivate others to lead.

In early 2008, we were asked to kick-off Wharton’s AMP program. The Purpose to Impact™ program resulted in a dramatic increase in the overall perceived value of the 5-week program. Our program became a core element for many years.

In 2009, we were asked by Unilever’s CEO, Paul Polman, to create a 4-day program for the top 300. His vision was to double revenue and halve their environmental impact within 10 years. This compelling vision required a powerful shift in all of Unilever’s leaders.

We ran our program for over 7 years at Unilever working with over 1,200 leaders. Apart from the dramatic impact on individual leaders, our work was core to creating the purpose-driven brand movement.

Purpose To Impact™ On A Global Scale

2010 – PRESENT
During these past years, we have reached over 25,000 leaders from across the globe. The scope of our clients/industries is vast, ranging from global investment bankers, oil and gas executives, US Army officers with multiple tours of duty, to those magical people who make toys for kids and all the ice-cream we love to eat!

Many of our adventures are captured in our articles and books (Link)

We have gone from being a team of myself and a couple of courageous educators/coaches/consultants to a global team of 30+ world class professionals delivering our work from Sydney and Singapore, Amsterdam, London, and Reykjavík, to New York and Jackson Hole, Wyoming!

The CLI Difference

Global Award-winning Purpose to Impact Program

Reach 50+ Companies Globally

Impact 25,000+ Leaders & Changemakers

20+ Years of Authentic Leadership Development

Landmark Harvard Business Review Publication

Proven, Time-Tested Tools & Approach

Disciplined Process & Purpose Activation

Deep Level Of Psychological Consideration & Safety

Network With A Global Community Of Alumni

The CLI Difference

Global Award-winning Purpose to Impact Program

Reach 50+ Companies Globally

Impact 25,000+ Leaders & Changemakers

20+ Years of Authentic Leadership Development

Landmark Harvard Business Review Publication

Proven, Time-Tested Tools & Approach

Disciplined Process & Purpose Activation

Deep Level Of Psychological Consideration & Safety

Network With A Global Community Of Alumni

Have a leadership challenge
or business need?

Have a leadership challenge or business need?

Contact Us

Wake up those who will wake up the many

We make purpose work in your world

Wake up those who will wake up the many

Wake up those who will wake up the many

We make purpose work in your world

We make purpose work in your world

Our Global Team

Our Global Team

The CLI Team

The CLI Team

Nick Craig

Don Andrade

David Hopley

Celine McElvery

Ben Olendzki

Liliya Robbins

Our Affiliates

Our Affiliates

Americas

Lisa DeAngelis

Coryne Forest

Brandon Gould

Bob Halperin

Harry Hutson

Anita Kelley

Itir Keskiner

Jack MacPhail

Juan Mobili

Malcom Riley

Debra Schuler

Europe / Middle East / Africa

Jessica Austin

Simone Bassoli

Patrick Boland

Didier Dallemagne

David Hopley

Kasia Królak

Matthias Malessa

Joanna (Jo) Moss

Kate Pohl

Haydn Rees

Wolfgang Schneider

Peter Soer

Ann Van de Perre

Asia Pacific

Steve Asimoudis

Dina Pozzo

Dani Traum

Brian Truman

Luke Wardle

Our Story

Our Story

The CLI Difference

The CLI Difference

The CLI Difference

Have a leadership challenge or business need?

Have a leadership challenge or business need?

Are you leading from your core purpose?

Are you leading from your core purpose?

Are you leading from your core purpose?

Nick Craig

Don Andrade

David Hopley

Celine McElvery

Ben Olendzki

Liliya Robbins

Lisa DeAngelis

Coryne Forest

Malcom Riley

Brandon Gould

Bob Halperin

Harry Hutson

Anita Kelley

Itir Keskiner

Jack MacPhail

Juan Mobili

Debra Schuler

Jessica Austin

Simone Bassoli

Wake up those who will
wake up the many

We make purpose work
in your world

Wake up those who will
wake up the many

Wake up those who will
wake up the many

We make purpose work
in your world

We make purpose work
in your world

Have a leadership challenge
or business need?