A Leadership Compass cohort is the group of people who will complete the Leadership Compass process together.
Creating a cohort is where you define who is participating, who is leading, who is facilitating, which pillars are included, and when the cohort is ready to launch.
Who can create a cohort?
Cohorts are usually created by a Champion or Admin.
A Champion may be an HR leader, executive sponsor, internal coach, learning and development owner, or another person responsible for managing the Leadership Compass program.
If you do not see the option to create or edit a cohort, you may not have permission to manage Leadership Compass setup.
Before creating a cohort
Before you create a cohort, it helps to know:
- the cohort name
- who the participants are
- who the Champion is
- whether leaders need to be assigned
- whether facilitators need to be assigned
- which pillars should be included
- whether any additional pillar unlocks are needed
- when participants should begin
A little planning during setup makes the experience much smoother for participants later.
Step 1: Name the cohort
Choose a name that will be clear to participants, leaders, facilitators, and admins.
Good cohort names often include the group and timing.
Examples:
- Spring 2026 Leadership Compass
- Executive Team Compass
- New Manager Cohort
- Operations Leadership Group
- Department Head Compass
- Emerging Leaders Program
Avoid names that are too vague, such as “Test,” “Group 1,” or “Leadership.”
Step 2: Select the enabled pillars
A cohort can include all five pillars or only selected pillars.
The five pillars are:
- Know Your Core
- Set Your Standard
- Live Your Promise
- Lead Your Team
- Refine Your Compass
Participants only complete the pillars enabled for their cohort.
Depending on your organization’s setup, Pillar 1 may be included as the starting point, while additional pillars may require unlocks or pricing confirmation.
Step 3: Add participants
Participants are the people completing the Leadership Compass process.
Participants will work through the enabled pillars, review reflection cards, accept their content, and eventually build a Leadership Compass Guide.
When adding participants, confirm:
- they are in the correct organization
- they are intended to complete the program
- they are not being added only as a leader or facilitator
- their email/user record is correct
Step 4: Assign leaders
Leaders support participants through the program.
A leader may be a manager, department head, executive, or team lead. Leaders may be able to view progress for the participants assigned to them.
Leader access should be scoped carefully. A leader should generally see the participants they are responsible for, not every participant in every cohort.
When assigning leaders, confirm:
- each leader is assigned to the right participants
- leaders understand what they can and cannot see
- leaders know their role is encouragement and accountability, not private reflection review
Step 5: Assign facilitators
Facilitators guide participants through the Leadership Compass process.
A facilitator may be an internal coach, HR partner, consultant, certified facilitator, or leadership development staff member.
Facilitators may help participants interpret reflection cards, respond to check-in requests, leave feedback, and support completion.
When assigning facilitators, confirm:
- facilitators are assigned to the right cohort or participants
- external facilitators have the correct user access
- facilitators understand their visibility boundaries
- participants know who is supporting them
Step 6: Review pricing or pillar unlocks
Leadership Compass may include free and paid portions depending on your organization’s setup.
The free portion generally includes:
- Leadership Compass access
- CliftonStrengths entry
- Pillar 1
- the initial Leadership Philosophy informed by Pillar 1
Additional pillars may require an unlock based on participants and selected pillars.
Before launching, confirm the selected pillars match the intended program and pricing expectations.
Step 7: Save the cohort as draft
A draft cohort lets you configure the program before participants begin.
Use draft status while you are still:
- adding participants
- assigning leaders
- assigning facilitators
- confirming pillar selection
- reviewing pricing
- preparing communication
- testing access
Participants may not be able to begin until the cohort is active or launched.
Step 8: Launch or activate the cohort
When the setup is ready, the cohort can be made active.
Once active, participants may be able to start the Leadership Compass process. Leaders and facilitators may also gain access to their role-specific dashboards.
Before launch, confirm:
- the participant list is correct
- leaders are assigned correctly
- facilitators are assigned correctly
- enabled pillars are correct
- the cohort name is clear
- notifications or launch communication are ready
Editing a cohort
You may need to edit a cohort after it is created.
Common edits include:
- changing the cohort name
- adding participants
- removing participants
- assigning or changing leaders
- assigning or changing facilitators
- changing cohort status
- updating enabled pillars before launch
Be careful when editing a cohort after participants have already started. Changes may affect progress, reporting, guide generation, or pricing.
Editing participants
Participants can usually be added before the cohort launches.
If a participant has already started or completed work, removing them may affect progress history and reporting.
Before removing a participant, confirm whether their Leadership Compass work should be preserved.
Editing leaders
Leader assignments may change if reporting structure changes or if the wrong leader was assigned during setup.
When changing a leader assignment, confirm:
- the new leader should see the participant’s progress
- the previous leader should no longer see that participant if applicable
- the participant understands who is supporting them
Editing facilitators
Facilitator assignments may change when a new coach or consultant takes over the cohort.
When changing a facilitator assignment, confirm:
- the new facilitator should have access
- the prior facilitator should retain or lose access according to your policy
- any private facilitator notes remain appropriately scoped
- participants know who to contact
Editing enabled pillars
Be especially careful when changing enabled pillars.
Changing pillars after launch can affect:
- participant progress
- next-step logic
- completion percentage
- guide generation
- pricing or unlocks
If participants have already started, consider whether it is better to create a new cohort instead of changing the existing one.
Cohort status
A cohort may have different lifecycle states.
Draft
The cohort is being configured. Participants may not have access yet.
Active
The cohort is live. Participants can begin or continue the process.
Completed
The active program phase is finished. Participants may move into guide generation and post-program reflection.
Archived
The cohort is no longer active but may remain available for historical reference.
When should I create a new cohort instead of editing?
Create a new cohort when:
- a new group is starting
- a new program cycle begins
- the group has different enabled pillars
- the facilitator structure is different
- reporting should be separate
- participants should not be mixed with a previous group
Editing is best for small corrections. New cohorts are better for new program cycles.
Common questions
Can I create a cohort without launching it?
Yes. You can create a draft cohort and finish setup later.
Can I add participants after launch?
Possibly, depending on your organization’s rules. Be sure to confirm how late additions affect progress and pricing.
Can I remove a participant?
Possibly. Be careful if the participant has already started, because their responses, reflection cards, and guide content may be tied to the cohort.
Can a leader also be a participant?
Yes. A person can have more than one role if the cohort setup allows it.
Can a facilitator support multiple cohorts?
Yes. Facilitators can support multiple cohorts if they are assigned appropriately.
Can I change pillars after launch?
This may be possible, but it should be done carefully. Changing enabled pillars after launch can affect completion and guide generation.
Troubleshooting
I cannot create a cohort.
You may not have Champion or Admin access, or Leadership Compass may not be enabled for your organization.
Participants cannot see the cohort.
Confirm that:
- the cohort is active
- the participant has been added
- the participant has the Participant role
- the participant is in the correct organization
- notifications or access links were sent correctly
A leader cannot see participants.
Confirm that the leader is assigned to those participants or that their cohort role is correct.
A facilitator cannot access the cohort.
Confirm that the facilitator has been added to the cohort and has the Facilitator role.
The wrong pillars are showing.
Review the cohort’s enabled pillars. If participants have already started, be careful before changing the setup.
Best practices
- Use a clear cohort name.
- Keep each cohort tied to a real group or program cycle.
- Confirm roles before launch.
- Assign leaders and facilitators before participants begin.
- Avoid changing enabled pillars after participants start.
- Create a new cohort for a new cycle.
- Test access before launch when possible.
- Communicate expectations to participants before they begin.
A well-created cohort gives participants a clearer path, gives leaders better visibility, and gives facilitators the right context to support the work.
