A three-part virtual leadership development program for member organizations who are advancing culture change within their organizations and need the leadership skills and the personal toolkit to keep doing it well.
Each session features an expert on a topic that matters to the leaders doing this work, from business development and conflict intelligence to authenticity, belonging, and resilience.
The Leadership Symposium is open to all professionals at DFA Champion & Leader-level member organizations.
2026 Leadership Symposium
July 15
1:00 – 2:00 PM ET
The Language of Trust
Feat. Minda Harts, Bestselling Author & Trust Catalyst
Trust is the foundation of every successful organization, yet it remains increasingly fragile. Minda will share how broken trust undermines performance and wellbeing at every organizational level and what we can do about it. Drawing on her framework of the seven workplace trust languages, she and Manar will explore practical ways to communicate effectively, navigate conflict, and build stronger relationships.
Registration for this session has closed.
This event is open to DFA Champion and Leader-level members.
Revealing: The Underrated Power of Oversharing
Feat. Dr. Leslie John, Professor, Harvard Business School
What if the instinct to hold back is actually holding us back? In this fireside chat, Harvard Business School professor and behavioral scientist Dr. Leslie John shares insights from her new book, Revealing: The Underrated Power of Oversharing, making the case that strategic vulnerability is one of the most underutilized tools in a leader’s toolkit. Dr. John will explore how the willingness to open up builds trust, deepens relationships, and signals the confident, self-aware leadership that inspires others to follow.
Registration for this session has closed.
This event is open to DFA Champion and Leader-level members.
September 9
1:00 – 2:00 PM ET
December 1
1:00 – 2:00 PM ET
Humanizing Change: Leading People, Not Just Process
Feat. Manar Morales, Founder & CEO, DFA
Change is constant and the way people experience it is personal. Right now your people may be absorbing a lot at once: the arrival of AI in their daily work, a leadership transition, a merger or combination, a new office or a return to office mandate, or a shift in organizational strategy. Too often, organizations focus on the mechanics of these changes and overlook the human side. People moving through change face uncertainty, a sense of loss, and questions about where they now fit. When leaders ignore that, even a sound strategy stalls.
In this session, we will explore how leaders can guide change in ways that honor the people living through it. We will look at what people need to feel steady, how to meet resistance with understanding rather than force, and how connection makes change something people can sustain. Participants will leave with practical ways to lead change that people trust and that lasts.
This program has been approved for 1 SHRM Professional Development Credit. DFA is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities.
This event is open to DFA Champion and Leader-level members.
Archive
2025
Living Your All®: Empowering Individuals to Lead Well, Live Well & Stay Well
Featuring Manar Morales, Founder & CEO, DFA
September 30, 2025 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET
This session will introduce a new way of thinking about success, one where personal well-being and professional excellence work together. You’ll explore how to support your own energy and purpose while creating the conditions for your team and organization to thrive. We’ll also walk through the PRISM™ framework, a practical tool to help you apply these ideas in your daily leadership.
Becoming A More Conflict-Intelligent Leader
Featuring Dr. Jeanine W. Turner, Professor, Georgetown University
October 22, 2025 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET
Successful conflict can be a necessary and integral part of innovative and creative organizations. However, leaders can find it difficult to create a space where constructive disagreement can lead to breakthrough opportunities. The first step towards this environment involves gaining self-awareness about your own conflict style and developing a curiosity about how the rest of your team approaches conflict. This session will explore the five conflict styles that individuals bring to a conversation and provide strategies for addressing these styles and communicating about them in your team.
HumAIn: Empowering Inclusion with Technology
Featuring Noelle Russell, CEO, AI Leadership Institute
December 9, 2025 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET
AI innovator Noelle Russell has dedicated her career to helping organizations understand AI’s capabilities, as well as how it can be implemented to create revenue-generating opportunities while maintaining the human element within their teams. Russell will discuss the real, tangible ways artificial intelligence can be utilized every day to improve businesses and the world. She will also walk participants through what it takes to build solutions that spark growth within organizations and serve more people by creating inclusive teams that are empathetic, courageous, and leverage varying perspectives as the foundation of innovation. She will also address the implications of building AI solutions that augment human ingenuity in business — thus improving the employee and customer experience.
2024
ERG/Affinity Group Leader Training
Featuring Manar Morales, Founder & CEO, DFA
July 11, 2024 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET
As a leader, you understand the need for structure, resources, and training to make sure your employee resource group (ERG)/affinity group succeeds. Join us to learn how to: structure ERGs/affinity groups and delegate responsibilities; best run and manage meetings; share lessons learned with other ERGs/affinity groups; impact leadership and decision-making; and, continuously monitor results.
This training is designed for anyone who leads or participates in an employee resource group or affinity group, or anyone who would like to start an ERG/affinity group at your organization.
Give to Grow: Invest in Relationships to Build Your Business & Your Career
Featuring Mo Bunnell, Founder & CEO, Bunnell Idea Group
September 11, 2024 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET
Everyone knows developing relationships and business is a top priority, but what people aren’t taught is that you can do it in a way that feels great, where everyone wins at every turn. In this session, Mo Bunnell, author of the book Give to Grow, will show you how to invest in relationships and how to win the work you want at the clients you want—so you can make the impact you want.
Diffusing Power Dynamics
Featuring Rudhir Krishtel, Founder, Krishtel
November 13, 2024 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET
Every relationship has power dynamics, often existing across race or gender-based differences. Is the power you exert dominating or empowering others? Hierarchical environments driven by dominant power dynamics are commonly not inclusive. Especially in dynamics where people feel unheard or uncomfortable sharing their experiences. In this session, participants will be guided to understand power dynamics, encouraged to explore how to diffuse them, and ultimately create workplace environments that can evolve past the unhelpful complexities that power dynamics create.
2016-2023
Please contact us for information about DFA’s Leadership Symposium prior to 2024.
The Leadership Symposium is an exclusive Champion and Leader-level member benefit.
Champion and Leader-level membership gives your entire organization access to the Leadership Symposium, with the recording of each session available for the 30 days following the session.