NO MATTER WHAT SOLUTION YOU NEED
Every path at The Aperio leads to the same place – who-based leadership.
Leaders grow into
who they are.
Growing leaders who practice long-term change isn't about adding more skills. It's about helping them become inwardly sound and others focused.
Teams develop shared language and trust.
When leaders grow together, a shared language develops inside the work, and this shifts how a team communicates, operates, and trusts.
Organizations build
lasting culture.
Greater engagement, stronger retention, higher productivity? None of it lasts unless the leaders driving results are genuinely different.
HERE’S WHAT CHANGES
When you partner with The Aperio
OUR SOLUTIONS
We help leaders close the gap between who they say they are and how they actually show up.
Workshops
Customized, highly-interactive workshops to help you and your team understand who-based leadership – what it is, why it matters, and how it shows up in your own leadership.
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Format: 3 to 4 hours, in-person. Facilitated by Tim Spiker or an Aperio Guide. Highly interactive.
Customization: Tailored to your organization's priorities, culture, and the leaders in the room.
Leaders leave with:
A diagnostic lens: Are you leading as a who or a what team?
Shared language for talking about leadership below the surface
Clarity on whether deeper engagement is the right next step
"What's very different about Aperio is the focus on yourself and getting vulnerable. Aperio really strengthens you at the core of yourself." – Dusty D., VP of HR
Keynotes
A keynote that moves your audience to see leadership differently – grounded in research, honest about what most programs miss, and built to stay with the leaders in the room long after they leave.
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Format: 20 to 60 minutes, in-person. Delivered by Tim Spiker.
Best fit: Conferences, leadership retreats, and organizational events where the goal is to open a conversation – not check a box.
Audiences leave with:
A new lens for evaluating leadership (both their own and the people around them)
An introduction to who-based leadership and the research behind it
“I love how he takes these nebulous concepts like humility and breaks them down into practical things you can do." — Huck F., Company President
Experiences
No matter which level of leadership development you choose, every solution is custom designed to lead you, your leadership team, and your entire organization through sustained, identity-level transformation.
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The Tour:
14 weeks | Digital | Self- or Team-led
For organizations building on previous Aperio work. Each Tour focuses deeply on one who-based aspect of leadership.
Currently available only to organizations previously engaged with The Aperio.
Leaders finish with:
A focused, practical understanding of one who-based aspect of leadership, and what it actually looks like in their day-to-day
Introductory best practices for leading with who-based leadership
A foundation to build on in future Aperio work
The Excursion:
10 to 13 weeks | Group-based | Small-group discussions with an Aperio Guide
For organizations ready to put meaningful time and energy into who-based development. A natural entry point for organizations new to The Aperio.
Leaders finish with:
A deep, sustained examination of one who-based aspect of leadership, tested and refined through real community
Shared language and accountability structures that reinforce the work beyond the program
Clarity on whether a longer engagement is the right next step for their organization
A meaningful shift in how they show up as leaders, not just in what they know
The Journey:
12 or 28 months | Cohort-based | 1:1 discussions with an Aperio Guide
For organizations ready to go all in. All 11 who-based aspects of leadership, learned and applied over time with large group sessions, small group discussions, and 11 one-on-one sessions with an Aperio Guide.
Leaders finish with:
11 one-on-one sessions with an Aperio Guide, plus retainer support
Cohort-based – participants grow alongside peers, not in isolation
Optional IP License to embed Aperio content throughout the organization
Greater engagement, stronger profits, lower turnover, higher productivity
"You go through a week-long training, and you remember a little bit of it. But after you go through a Journey, everything sticks with you." – Pam S., Store Director
Leader Stories
From fragmented leadership to a unified leadership culture
A multinational organization partnered with The Aperio for four years to develop leaders across every level of the company.
Through sustained, who-based leadership development, the organization built stronger alignment, healthier leadership behaviors, and a more unified culture.
Before
Low organizational trust, fragmented leadership behaviors, and inconsistent leadership culture across teams.
What Shifted
Leaders invested in the deeper work of self-awareness, accountability, and who-based leadership development over time.
The Impact
Moving from bottom-quartile to top-quartile organizational health in just 4 years, the organization strengthened leadership consistency, trust, and company-wide engagement.
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Video Series
The Only Leaders Worth* Following
An 11-part video series that introduces a simple, overlooked principle behind what makes leadership actually work (and stick).
Book
The Only Leaders Worth* Following
A foundational introduction to the Who Not What Principle — and why who you are matters more than what you do as a leader.
Podcast
be worth* following
Join host Tim Spiker as he talks to leaders, thinkers, and researchers about what actually drives effective leadership.
FAQs
How does leadership development work at The Aperio?
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The Aperio is a who-based leadership development firm. Through workshops, keynotes, and longer-term leadership development engagements, we help leaders close the gap between who they say they are and how they actually show up.
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Most leadership development focuses on skills, tactics, and behaviors – what a leader does. Who-based development goes deeper, addressing the internal character, self-awareness, and identity that drive how a leader actually leads. Research shows this accounts for 77% of what makes a leader effective.
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Most training fades because it only addresses the surface. The Aperio's approach is designed to produce change that lasts – because it works on who a leader is, not just what they know or do.
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The Aperio works with mission-forward organizations of varying sizes – from founder-led companies to large, operationally complex teams. The common thread is leaders who genuinely want to invest in the people they lead.
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The Aperio offers workshops, keynotes, and customized leadership development solutions. Each one is grounded in the same who-based methodology, and each is designed to meet organizations where they are.
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It depends on the offering. A keynote is a single event. A workshop is a focused experience. Leadership development engagements are longer-term partnerships, typically built around sustained growth over months, not a one-time event.
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Organizations that partner with The Aperio typically see stronger leadership alignment, healthier team trust, and more consistent leadership behavior across levels. One multinational organization moved from bottom-quartile to top-quartile organizational health in four years.
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The Aperio's work is informed by values and character – which resonates with faith-forward leaders – but the methodology and outcomes apply broadly to any mission-driven organization. You don't have to share a particular faith background to benefit from the work.
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A good starting point is the Tools & Resources page on the site, which is packed with content that can help you understand what kind of leadership culture you currently have. Or, if you’d like to jump right in, a conversation with the team can help clarify which engagement makes the most sense.
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You can start a conversation directly through the site, or explore the free tools and resources first if you're not ready for that step. Either way, there's no pressure. The right entry point depends on where you are.
THE BEST LEADERS DON'T JUST PERFORM. THEY MULTIPLY.
We help you lead from that calling.
Not sure yet?
Find out what kind of leadership team you have
Ready to go deeper?
Connect with Tim or an Aperio team member