Leadership Compass can include both free and paid portions depending on your organization’s setup.
The goal is to let organizations begin with a simple starting point, then unlock deeper leadership development work when they are ready.
What is included at no cost?
The free portion of Leadership Compass generally includes:
- Leadership Compass access
- CliftonStrengths entry
- Pillar 1: Know Your Core
- the initial Leadership Philosophy informed by Pillar 1
This gives participants a meaningful starting experience without requiring the full five-pillar program.
What may require an unlock?
Additional pillars may require an unlock depending on your organization’s agreement and cohort setup.
The pillars that may require unlocks are usually:
- Pillar 2: Set Your Standard
- Pillar 3: Live Your Promise
- Pillar 4: Lead Your Team
- Pillar 5: Refine Your Compass
If these pillars are not unlocked, they may not be available for the cohort or participant workflow.
Why are some pillars unlocked separately?
The later pillars go deeper into leadership development.
They may include:
- more guided reflection
- more detailed leadership standards
- accountability systems
- team leadership practices
- facilitator review
- guide generation
- post-program tools
- long-term leadership tracking
Unlocks help match the scope of the program to the organization’s needs.
Who is counted for pricing?
Pricing is generally based on participants.
A Participant is someone completing the Leadership Compass pillar workflow and building a personal Leadership Compass Guide.
Support roles such as Leaders and Facilitators are not usually counted as paid participants just because they are helping support the cohort.
Participants vs support roles
Participants
Participants complete the pillar workflow.
They may:
- enter CliftonStrengths
- answer pillar questions
- review reflection cards
- accept or edit their reflections
- generate a Leadership Compass Guide
- use the post-program dashboard
Participants are generally the users counted for program pricing.
Leaders
Leaders support participants.
They may:
- view assigned participant progress
- encourage completion
- support accountability
- monitor cohort movement
Leaders are support roles. They are not paid participants unless they are also completing their own Leadership Compass workflow.
Facilitators
Facilitators guide participants through the process.
They may:
- review participant progress
- provide feedback
- message participants
- respond to check-in requests
- support guide completion
Facilitators are support roles. They are not paid participants unless they are also completing their own Leadership Compass workflow.
Can someone be both a participant and a support role?
Yes.
A person can have more than one role.
For example:
- a Leader may also complete Leadership Compass as a Participant
- a Champion may also be a Participant
- a Facilitator may support one cohort while participating in another
If someone is completing the pillar workflow as a Participant, they may count as a participant for pricing.
How unlocks affect cohort setup
When creating or editing a cohort, the selected pillars determine the scope of the participant experience.
If only Pillar 1 is enabled, participants complete the introductory Leadership Compass experience.
If Pillars 2–5 are enabled, the cohort may require additional unlocks.
Before launching a cohort, Champions should confirm:
- which pillars are enabled
- how many participants are included
- whether additional pillars are unlocked
- whether pricing has been approved
- whether support roles are set correctly
- whether the cohort setup matches the intended program
How unlocks affect participants
Participants only see and complete the pillars enabled for their cohort.
If a pillar is not unlocked or not enabled, the participant should not be required to complete it.
The participant’s completion percentage should be based on enabled pillars only.
For example:
- if a cohort enables only Pillar 1, completing Pillar 1 completes the active program phase
- if a cohort enables Pillars 1–3, completing those three pillars completes the active program phase
- if a cohort enables all five pillars, completing all five pillars completes the active program phase
How unlocks affect the final guide
The Leadership Compass Guide is assembled from the participant’s accepted reflections.
If only Pillar 1 is completed, the guide may focus on core values, strengths, purpose, and leadership identity.
If all five pillars are completed, the guide may include a fuller leadership philosophy, standards, commitments, team practices, roadmap, and recommitment.
The more pillars a participant completes, the richer the final guide can be.
How unlocks affect facilitators
Facilitators may support both free and paid Leadership Compass experiences.
A facilitator may help with:
- reflection card review
- participant questions
- check-in requests
- guide preparation
- accountability follow-up
Facilitator access does not automatically mean the facilitator is counted as a paid participant.
What should Champions review before unlocking additional pillars?
Before enabling paid or unlocked pillars, ask:
- What outcome do we want from this cohort?
- Do participants need the full five-pillar guide?
- How many participants are in the cohort?
- Are leaders or facilitators assigned?
- Do we have enough time for the deeper reflection work?
- Has pricing been reviewed and approved?
- Are participants aware of the expected commitment?
Recommended approaches
Start with Pillar 1
Use Pillar 1 when the organization wants to introduce Leadership Compass and help participants clarify their core leadership identity.
Unlock Pillars 2–3
Use Pillars 2 and 3 when the organization wants participants to turn values into standards, commitments, rituals, and accountability.
Unlock Pillars 4–5
Use Pillars 4 and 5 when the organization wants deeper team leadership work, adaptive leadership practices, and a more complete guide.
Use all five pillars
Use the full five-pillar experience for a comprehensive leadership development program.
Common questions
Is Leadership Compass free to enable?
Yes. Enabling Leadership Compass is generally free.
Is Pillar 1 free?
Pillar 1 is generally included as the starting experience.
Are Pillars 2–5 free?
Pillars 2–5 may require an unlock depending on your organization’s setup.
Are Leaders charged?
Not usually. Leaders are support roles unless they are also completing Leadership Compass as Participants.
Are Facilitators charged?
Not usually. Facilitators are support roles unless they are also completing Leadership Compass as Participants.
Can we add paid pillars later?
Possibly. Be careful if participants have already completed the original selected pillars, because adding new pillars may change expectations and completion status.
Can different participants have different unlocked pillars?
Usually pillar selection is cohort-level. If participants need different scopes, consider separate cohorts.
Troubleshooting
A pillar is not available.
The pillar may not be enabled for the cohort or may not be unlocked for your organization.
Participants completed the free portion but cannot continue.
The next pillars may need to be unlocked before participants can proceed.
Pricing looks different than expected.
Check the number of participants, selected pillars, and whether support roles were accidentally included as participants.
A facilitator appears in the cohort but should not be charged.
Confirm that the facilitator has the Facilitator role and is not also assigned as a Participant unless they are completing the program.
A leader is also completing Leadership Compass.
If the leader is completing the pillar workflow, they may also count as a Participant.
Best practices
- Confirm selected pillars before launch.
- Review pricing before enabling Pillars 2–5.
- Keep support roles separate from participant roles unless someone is doing both.
- Use separate cohorts when groups need different pillar scopes.
- Avoid changing unlocks after participants have started.
- Communicate clearly with participants about the expected scope.
- Start with Pillar 1 when introducing Leadership Compass for the first time.
Pricing and unlocks help match the Leadership Compass experience to the organization’s goals, budget, and desired level of leadership development.
