Leadership Compass is organized around five pillars. Each pillar focuses on a different part of leadership clarity, consistency, and growth.
When creating or editing a cohort, the Champion or Admin may choose which pillars are enabled for that cohort.
Why pillar selection matters
Pillar selection determines the participant experience.
The enabled pillars control:
- which questions participants answer
- which reflection cards are generated
- what content is available for the Leadership Compass Guide
- how completion percentage is calculated
- what participants see as their next step
- whether additional pillar unlocks or pricing may apply
Participants only complete the pillars enabled for their cohort.
The five Leadership Compass pillars
Leadership Compass includes five pillars:
- Know Your Core
- Set Your Standard
- Live Your Promise
- Lead Your Team
- Refine Your Compass
Each pillar builds on the one before it.
Pillar 1: Know Your Core
Know Your Core helps participants identify who they are before defining how they lead.
This pillar focuses on:
- values
- purpose
- strengths
- emotional intelligence
- defining moments
- leadership identity
Pillar 1 is the foundation for the rest of the Leadership Compass process.
This is usually the best starting point for every cohort.
Pillar 2: Set Your Standard
Set Your Standard helps participants define the expectations they want to model and reinforce.
This pillar focuses on:
- leadership philosophy
- standards
- non-negotiables
- team expectations
- behavior under pressure
- commitment to model the standard
Pillar 2 helps participants move from self-awareness into visible leadership behavior.
Pillar 3: Live Your Promise
Live Your Promise helps participants connect their values and standards to daily practice.
This pillar focuses on:
- alignment
- rituals
- integrity
- accountability partners
- feedback loops
- mirror questions
- leadership consistency
Pillar 3 helps participants turn reflection into repeatable leadership habits.
Pillar 4: Lead Your Team
Lead Your Team helps participants define how they communicate, decide, and create a healthy team environment.
This pillar focuses on:
- communication
- conflict
- team agreements
- psychological safety
- inclusion
- decision-making
- operating model
Pillar 4 is especially useful for people who manage, influence, or lead teams.
Pillar 5: Refine Your Compass
Refine Your Compass helps participants review what they have built and adapt it for the future.
This pillar focuses on:
- reflection
- adaptive leadership
- feedback integration
- development roadmap
- recommitment
- ongoing growth
Pillar 5 helps participants keep their Compass alive after the program ends.
Do all cohorts need all five pillars?
Not always.
Some cohorts may complete all five pillars. Others may begin with only Pillar 1 or use a smaller set of pillars based on the program design.
For example:
- an introductory program may use only Pillar 1
- a manager development program may use Pillars 1, 2, and 4
- a full leadership development cohort may use all five pillars
- a follow-up cohort may focus on Pillar 5 and post-program reflection
The right selection depends on your goals.
Recommended pillar combinations
Introductory Compass
Use:
- Pillar 1: Know Your Core
Best for organizations introducing Leadership Compass for the first time.
Leadership Standards Cohort
Use:
- Pillar 1: Know Your Core
- Pillar 2: Set Your Standard
Best for leaders who need to clarify personal standards and expectations.
Accountability and Culture Cohort
Use:
- Pillar 1: Know Your Core
- Pillar 2: Set Your Standard
- Pillar 3: Live Your Promise
Best for teams working on alignment, consistency, and accountability.
Manager or Team Leader Cohort
Use:
- Pillar 1: Know Your Core
- Pillar 2: Set Your Standard
- Pillar 3: Live Your Promise
- Pillar 4: Lead Your Team
Best for managers, team leads, department heads, and people leaders.
Full Leadership Compass
Use:
- Pillar 1: Know Your Core
- Pillar 2: Set Your Standard
- Pillar 3: Live Your Promise
- Pillar 4: Lead Your Team
- Pillar 5: Refine Your Compass
Best for full leadership development programs.
How pillar selection affects participant progress
Participants are measured against the pillars enabled for their cohort.
If a cohort has two enabled pillars, completing those two pillars should complete the active program phase.
If a cohort has five enabled pillars, participants complete the active program phase after completing all five.
Progress should be based on selected pillars, not a fixed assumption that every cohort uses all five.
How pillar selection affects the final guide
The Leadership Compass Guide is assembled from the participant’s accepted reflections.
If fewer pillars are enabled, the guide will include content from the pillars the participant completed.
If all five pillars are enabled, the guide can include a fuller leadership profile, including values, standards, rituals, team agreements, roadmap, and recommitment.
How pillar selection affects pricing or unlocks
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 or paid access.
Before enabling Pillars 2–5, confirm that the cohort setup matches the organization’s agreement and expectations.
Should pillars be completed in order?
Usually, yes.
The pillars are designed to build on each other:
- know yourself
- define your standard
- practice your promise
- lead your team
- refine over time
Completing them in order creates the clearest experience and strongest final guide.
Can enabled pillars be changed later?
Possibly, but be careful.
Changing enabled pillars after participants have started may affect:
- completion percentage
- next-step logic
- reflection cards
- facilitator review
- guide generation
- pricing or unlocks
If participants have already started, it may be better to create a new cohort instead of changing the active one.
What happens if a pillar is disabled?
If a pillar is not enabled for the cohort, participants should not be required to complete it.
Disabled pillars should not count against completion percentage.
They also may not appear in the participant’s workflow or final guide.
What should Champions consider before selecting pillars?
Before selecting pillars, ask:
- What is the goal of this cohort?
- How much time do participants have?
- Will this cohort include managers, executives, emerging leaders, or mixed roles?
- Does the organization want a full guide or a lighter starting experience?
- Are facilitators available to support deeper reflection?
- Are additional pillars unlocked or approved?
- Should this be a full cohort or a shorter introductory program?
Common questions
Can we start with Pillar 1 and add more later?
Yes, but it should be done carefully. If participants have already completed the cohort, adding more pillars may change expectations and progress.
Can we skip Pillar 1?
Pillar 1 is usually the foundation of the process. Skipping it is not recommended unless the program has a specific reason.
Can a cohort use only Pillars 2–5?
This is usually not recommended because later pillars rely on the participant’s values, strengths, and leadership identity from Pillar 1.
Do disabled pillars appear in the guide?
Generally, no. The guide is built from accepted reflections from enabled and completed pillars.
Does completing all enabled pillars complete the program?
Yes. The active program phase should be complete when the participant finishes all pillars enabled for that cohort.
Can different participants in the same cohort have different pillars?
Typically, pillar selection is cohort-level. If different participants need a different experience, consider creating separate cohorts.
Troubleshooting
Participants are seeing the wrong pillars.
Review the cohort’s enabled pillar settings.
Completion percentage seems wrong.
Confirm that progress is being calculated from enabled pillars only.
Participants completed their selected pillars but do not see the guide.
Confirm that the participant accepted their reflection cards and that all enabled pillars are complete.
A paid pillar is not available.
The pillar may not be unlocked for the cohort or organization. Contact your Champion, Admin, or Performance Scoring support.
We selected too many pillars.
If participants have not started, edit the cohort before launch. If participants have already started, review the impact before changing the setup.
Best practices
- Start with Pillar 1 unless there is a specific reason not to.
- Match pillar selection to the program goal.
- Avoid changing pillars after launch.
- Use all five pillars for full leadership development programs.
- Use fewer pillars for shorter or introductory programs.
- Confirm unlocks and pricing before launch.
- Communicate the selected scope to participants before they begin.
Good pillar selection keeps the cohort focused and helps participants understand exactly what they are building.
