LeaderSurf: Leadership Development Done Differently

We are an adventurous development program for business leaders of all backgrounds, industries and corners of the world who want to break old habits and create lasting change.

10 individuals leave their own four walls for 5 days in Costa Rica, Nicaragua or South Carolina where we embrace our distinctiveness, learn to fail to succeed and build servant leadership – and return to work with full perspective, a set of goals and strategies, and a plan for overcoming obstacles.

Yes, all participants learn to surf. Because creating leadership endurance is central to professional growth – similar to physical endurance for surfing.

At LeaderSurf, we help you discover your leadership groove …

LeaderSurf is built on a Balanced Leadership Framework, a set of adult learning principles rooted in science, self and service.

Science: Each participant receives individual leadership assessments to provide data needed for discussions that build self-awareness, vision, emotional intelligence, resilience and self-presentation.

Self: Through the physical challenge of learning to surf, participants celebrate failures, build resilience and apply the principles of this highly technical sport to their leadership styles

Service: Together we create a legacy. Participants deliver a service project that addresses the community needs in Costa Rica while adopting a leadership approach of selflessness.

At the end of the program, every participant successfully reframes the answer to the question: Would I thrive working for me? Each individual returns home having:

• Found their groove / embraced distinctiveness

• Learned to fail in order to succeed (do it the right way, get good at it, build resilience)

• Adopted leadership practices centered on service to others and self-service to oneself

Join us on a LeaderSurf development adventure.

Our Next Open Leadersurf Program

Winter 2024

Nosara, Costa Rica

$10,000* All Inclusive

Corporate Cohort Programs Available

*Discounts available for early registration and multiple participants from the same organization

A Corporate Leadership Retreat Just for Your Organization

LeaderSurf offers custom built programs for companies looking to get away with their teams. We can arrange anything from a three day to a week long team offsite for your team. We will build a custom itinerary to meet your needs with a robust learning agenda, expert facilitation and clearly defined outcomes. Whether you are looking for an executive team planning retreat, a sales meeting, a strategic planning session or an emerging leaders program, we can design a retreat to meet your needs.

Programs start at $65,000 all inclusive for a 5 night retreat for 10 participants to Nosara, Costa Rica. Contact us to learn more.

Featured In:

Participant Testimonials

"The insight into my leadership style and its correlation to my personality traits were eye-opening. Knowing my pitfalls and strengths will only help me be a better leader both at work and in my personal life."

- Information Technology Leader

"LeaderSurf is an exciting concept in an of itself, so I knew I was in for a great experience. But it definitely exceeded my expectations and counts as one of my most memorable journeys. The combination of participants, the location, the leadership skills and the surfing made for such an unusual and rewarding experience. You come out with an awareness, a consciousness and a practical set of tools that are easy to apply. I am thoroughly impressed with this program and think it is something that all aspiring leaders, or current leaders looking to grow their influence and impact, should experience."

-Advertising Agency Executive

I've been through a lot of leadership training -- including two, multi-year programs -- so I was a little skeptical that I would get much more out of this program. But I was very pleasantly surprised. Working with a small group of, well, strangers -- people who I don't work with -- led to very open, constructive conversations that offered new and unbiased perspectives. Taking the training out of the workplace and making it truly experiential made it a more memorable and impactful experience.

-Financial Services Executive

What does surfing have to do with leadership?

Balance is Key

Surfing requires excellent balance and so does effective leadership.

Keep in Balance 

Work -- Family/Life

Short term priorities -- Long term goals

Personal needs -- Needs of others

Growing revenue -- Containing costs

Competing -- Collaborating

Planning and hard work are required for success

Must put yourself in the right position for success

Must be courageous and overcome your fear of failure

Must have the right tools for the task at hand

Both the ocean and the business world are constantly evolving

It is important to recognize your insignificance within the greater world around you

Remember to focus on those things within your own control

There is great importance in being fully present

Success requires scanning the horizon for opportunities and threats

Program Components

• Leadership development assessments including Leading Dimensions Profile and the Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI)

• One on one executive coaching sessions with certified executive coach

• Individual business challenge sharing with peer advisory panel

• Humanitarian community project to provide access to clean drinking water and community support

• Learning to surf: Mapping learning a new skill to learning to be a better leader

• Focused learning modules on topics including:

  • Leadership versus management

  • Building personal resilience- bouncing back from adversity

  • Unlocking the power of teamwork

  • Defining ones personal leadership brand

  • Enhancing self-awareness to build leadership capability

When was the last time you learned a new skill?

Learning new skills is something we thrive on in our youth, but as business and family commitments fill our time, it becomes increasingly difficult to carve out time to learn a new skill.  Surfing is a transformative skill that can be learned at any age.  At LeaderSurf we believe that learning to surf and learning to be a better leader can go hand-in-hand.

Client Organizations