--- title: "How I Built Leadership Courses That Work | 1:1 mentoring" description: "Most leadership courses overpromise and underdeliver. Here’s how I built a practical, results-driven program that truly transforms leaders at scale." url: "https://www.marian.coach/blog/leadership_courses_that_actually_work/" lang: "en" image: "https://www.marian.coach/images/blog-covers/leadership_courses_that_actually_work.jpg" --- ![How I Built Leadership Courses That Actually Works](https://www.marian.coach/images/blog-covers/leadership_courses_that_actually_work.jpg) ### Forget certificates. Forget slick slides. Forget playing teacher. After **[4+ years mentoring engineering leaders](https://www.marian.coach/engineering-leadership-statistics/)**, I built a leadership education business that _delivers real results_. It turns out, building great content is easy. What’s hard? 👉 Filling your leadership courses. 👉 Keeping them full. 👉 And making sure they don’t suck. This is the story of how I cracked the code. --- ### Mentoring doesn’t scale. This does. After three years of [1:1 mentoring](https://www.marian.coach/), I hit a wall. It was powerful. But slow. It didn’t scale. Companies weren’t asking for more mentoring , they were asking for transformation. For someone who could walk into a room, change 12 minds, and walk out with measurable impact. That’s why I created a system that supports engineering leaders at scale, based on where they are now and what potential they can grow into. ![Screenshot from Marian's website showing a sample career ladder based on the Radford Global Scale, outlining Manager, Professional, and Support tracks.](https://www.marian.coach/images/blog-archive/2025/07/1i6mD6oVhpZvYSxTaOZhpUQ.png)_A sample career ladder using the Radford Global Scale: defining a Manager, Professional and Support track._ And yes, part of me also wanted to destroy the sea of bullshit out there: fake leadership courses built on buzzwords and certificates of attendance. No thanks. --- ### Here’s what makes my courses different I don’t sell theory. I don’t play school. I build actual results and I stake my reputation on it: - **50% money-back if the score is below 7.5/10** Motivation for me. Risk-free for you. We’re in this together. That’s the deal. - **No certificate of attendance** If you ask for one, we’re not a match. You don’t need paper. You need wisdom. - **No slides, no PDFs, no spammy extras** I make you take notes because that’s when real learning happens. Most people leave with _pages_ of handwritten notes. That’s the KPI I care about. - **Modular, level-based growth** Every course ties into [personal development plans](https://www.marian.coach/blog/11-keys-to-mastering-performance-reviews/), from junior to mid to senior. Real structure and progression. Companies love it because it plugs right into their existing system. - **Free mentoring between sessions** People love it. It solves real issues on the spot. No ticketing system or delays. Support when you need it. - **No Zoom calls. On-site only.** You can’t change someone’s mindset over a Google Meet. This is a full-immersion, real-world experience. ![Marian Kamenistak leading an on-site workshop, slide reads Top 3 dangers: why we haven't delivered the roadmap](https://www.marian.coach/images/blog-archive/2025/07/1OzCFLvcfM6_yj1vHAbRKfw.jpg)![Five course participants standing arm in arm in a sunlit brick courtyard during a break](https://www.marian.coach/images/blog-archive/2025/07/1b7iFaI9HBaFAnL9vz7FcGg.jpg) Loving these moments when I get to mentor such motivated students.![A trainer sketching a chart on a flipchart while course participants follow from around a boardroom table](https://www.marian.coach/images/blog-archive/2025/07/1WzB_XA3M586Qpg9mInqu4A.jpg) If you want to go from “just another manager” to a strategic asset, [this 8-step playbook breaks down how I help my clients do it](https://www.marian.coach/blog/10x-your-market-value-tech-leader-8-steps/). And if you want to see what real, in-person leadership transformation looks like, [here’s a recap of our first ELC conference where 330+ engineering leaders connected, learned, and grew together](https://www.marian.coach/blog/engineering-leaders-conference-elc-2025-recap/). --- ### Fully booked without a fancy funnel Most people rely on ads. I don’t. If your marketing campaign is your main growth lever, you’re already screwed. Here’s what actually works: - **Community pull** Through [ELC](https://www.engineeringleaders.io/), our meetups and events bring in the right people who care about quality. That’s my inbound engine. ![Marian Kamenistak at the Engineering Leaders Community conference 2026.](https://www.marian.coach/_astro/talk-39.BYJG29M6_2otdsF.webp) The Engineering Leaders Community conference, 2026: the room the courses get filled from. - **Deep client understanding** I mentor 16+ [engineering leaders, directors, and CTOs](https://www.marian.coach/cto-mentor/) in parallel. I know exactly what they’re dealing with and can offer precise, battle-tested solutions. - **[Fractional advisory work](https://www.marian.coach/fractional-cto/)** I spend two days a week inside real companies. I don’t theorize. I live their challenges, so I know what training they _actually_ need. - **Word of mouth > performance ads** People talk. Great experiences spread. That’s how we hit full capacity without discounts or manipulative scarcity tactics. --- ### Slides are a crutch. I burned mine. I used to try making the slides look “professional.” Big mistake. I realized the better the slides looked, the more passive the room became. It turned me into a machine following a script. Now? I show up with rough templates. The content is sharp, the delivery is alive, and the slides? They’re just a sidekick. The real value comes from **interaction**, **group work**, and **shared insight**. People don’t leave with a PDF. They leave with perspective. --- ### This isn’t a side hustle. It’s a full stack business. I run **3 levels of leadership courses**, 3x per year. That’s the open-access part. But that’s just 30% of the pie. ![Pie chart showing leadership business model: 30% open-access courses (3 levels, 3x per year), 70% custom company workshops. Flow chart shows custom workshops use 30 modular topics like ‘LEGO for Leadership’ to create tailored experiences that change how people think, talk, and act.](https://www.marian.coach/images/blog-archive/2025/07/1sRufNe6x8yCSjKB3J4jmcA-1536x1122.png)A breakdown of my leadership education business. The rest? **Custom company workshops** built for their specific needs and culture. We co-create using a library of **30 modular topics.** Think of it like LEGO for leadership. Every workshop becomes a tailored, high-impact experience that changes how people think, talk, and act. No filler or generic content. Just sharp transformation. [Check it out here.](https://www.engineeringleaders.io/academy/) If you’re curious how this business evolved (the wins, the hard lessons, and the $300K rollercoaster), I break it all down [in this behind-the-scenes piece](https://www.marian.coach/blog/2025-entrepreneur-strategy/). --- ### Real results > fancy brochures Let’s be clear: this only works because I’ve _been there_. From writing code to tech lead to Silicon Valley, I’ve lived the chaos. I don’t offer abstract theory. I offer stories, solutions, and scars that actually help. Lessons from the battlefield: - **12 people per room, max.** Any more and the quality drops. I stay strict. - **Offsite > office** Get people out of their daily context if you want breakthroughs. - **Talk like a human. Not a professor.** I swear sometimes. I joke. I speak their language. It works. --- ### The only two KPIs that matter There are only two numbers I care about: 1. **Feedback score > 7.5/10** My current average? **8.95**. 2. **Paper full of notes** If they’re scribbling like mad, I know I’m hitting a nerve. No fancy dashboards. Just signals of real impact. --- ### Want to build leaders, not passengers? If you’re tired of overpriced certificates and generic “leadership” content, let’s talk. I’m here to build actual software leaders, not checkbox managers. 🎓 [Explore the Leadership Academy](https://www.engineeringleaders.io/academy/) 🏗️ [Modular workshops & custom courses](https://www.engineeringleaders.io/academy/) Zero theory. All real-world transformation. And yes: if it doesn’t hit, you don’t pay full price. Want to collaborate, host a workshop, or bring this model to your team? [Reach out here.](mailto:weare@engineeringleaders.cz) ![Wide shot of Marian Kamenistak speaking to a seated audience in a light-strung venue.](https://www.marian.coach/_astro/speaker-06.Bv_Rt4pY_RlHIi.webp) A full room, no slides to hide behind — the format that actually sticks. --- 1:1 mentoring ## Ready to move this from advice to action? 1:1 mentoring for engineering leaders. 300+ mentees since 2019. Pay-as-you-go or a 6-session pack. First intro is free. [Book a free 30-min intro →](https://www.marian.coach/mentoring/) ## Read next - [ ### Should I Become a Team Lead? A 6-Dimension Answer Six dimensions predict whether the team lead role will fit you, drawn from 3,400+ mentoring sessions. Take the 3-minute test, get a straight verdict. 22 July 2026 · By Marian Read → ](https://www.marian.coach/blog/should-i-become-a-team-lead/) - [ ### AI Agents Don't Shrink Engineering Teams. They Expose Weak Managers. What AI coding agents change about the first-line engineering manager job: not headcount first, but feedback loops, spans, and what the role is for. 21 July 2026 · By Marian Read → ](https://www.marian.coach/blog/ai-agents-first-line-engineering-manager/) - [ ### How to Become a VP of Engineering: The Three Gaps A VP of Engineering wrote me about his stuck senior EM. The email defines the EM-to-VPE gap better than any career guide. Three gaps, with fixes. 21 July 2026 · By Marian Read → ](https://www.marian.coach/blog/engineering-manager-to-vp-of-engineering/) ### New posts, straight to your inbox. Your emailSubscribe You're on it. Nothing hits your inbox today. First send goes out once the list is live, and you're already on it. 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