NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS · COHORT I · 2027
Your year to lead California.
The California Leaders Statewide Leadership Program
One cohort of rising leaders, traveling the state with California Leaders magazine, from the first issue of the year to the Summit stage.
THE THREE PILLARS
Self Mastery
Shedding the false self
Adaptive Intelligence
Leading through transition
Integrated Leadership
Systems thinking and shared vision
This program reshapes the way rising professionals see themselves and others, so they move forward with purpose and direction.
The road to the Summit
Four cities, one cohort, one graduation. Each session happens during that issue’s launch week and ends at the launch reception.
The program, in three parts
Each pillar builds on the one before it — from knowing yourself, to navigating change, to leading whole systems. Self Mastery opens the year in San Diego, Adaptive Intelligence leads in Sacramento, Integrated Leadership in Los Angeles, and the San Jose retreat brings all three together in a capstone.
PILLAR ONE
Self Mastery
Deepening self-knowledge to foster understanding and integrated thinking — a journey of shedding the false self and letting the true self emerge.
Assessment: The Six Types of Working Genius, as a baseline for self-awareness
Framework: Peter M. Senge on personal mastery — clarifying vision, focusing energy, aligning goals with actions
PILLAR TWO
Adaptive Intelligence
Moving from disorientation and discouragement toward self-discovery and transformation — understanding the emotional and psychological responses to change, and guiding people through them with awareness.
Models: Kurt Lewin, John Kotter and William Bridges on the challenges and opportunities of change
PILLAR THREE
Integrated Leadership
Blending systems thinking, vision and collaborative problem-solving. Leaders at higher stages of consciousness hold multiple perspectives, adapt to changing environments, and design solutions that account for interconnected systems.
Emphasis: collaboration, adaptive decision-making and long-term vision
What you will work through
Eleven topics across the three pillars, closing with the network you build along the way.
01
Discovering your Working Genius
04
Resilience and inner
strength
07
Systems thinking and learning teams
10
Building your professional network
02
Developing personal mastery practices
05
The art of
strategy
08
Fostering a shared
vision
11
Engaging business leaders and subject-matter experts
03
Embracing change as a mechanism for growth
06
From order-based thinking to integrated thinking
09
Developing integrated strategies
BENEFITS
What participants leave with
The foundational tools and confidence needed to take the next step in building a successful, fulfilling career.
Self-awareness
Identify and challenge your own assumptions and biases, leading to more thoughtful and reflective leadership.
Integrated thinking
Process ideas in a non-dualistic way, approaching challenges and opportunities with clarity and creativity.
Systems thinking
Navigate and leverage complex systems rather than being moved by them.
Adaptability
Recalibrate your approach to work and leadership when the environment shifts — which it will.
Embracing change
Recognize change as a natural part of a career, and learn to treat transformation as the thing that fosters growth.
Who it is for
Rising leaders in every sector and every region of California, ready for the role ahead of them. Open to all.
Who leads it
An executive coach and a publisher who has spent his career connecting California's business community. Every fellow is coached one-on-one by one of them for the full year.
Rick Gibson
Editor-in-Chief, California Leaders
A senior executive with over 20 years at a nationally ranked university, holding a Presidential Key Executive MBA from Pepperdine and certification through the Center for Executive Coaching.
His coaching centers on mission and strategic clarity, purposeful living and professional success — helping executives become integrated leaders through self-mastery, adaptive intelligence and systems thinking.
Christopher Luna
Publisher & CEO, California Leaders · MBA
Raised in a family business that pioneered the import and distribution of Hispanic products across the U.S. since 1982 — roots that shaped his work in business development, marketing, HR and strategic partnerships.
He built a career in banking and insurance at State Farm, Wells Fargo, Farmers, JPMorgan Chase and the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, fostering relationships between corporations, nonprofits and community leaders.
COHORT I · 2027
One of the best ways in California to accelerate your career.
Applications for Cohort I are open. The class is selected by early January and introduced on stage at the Winter Issue launch in San Diego on January 15. Questions first? Email ea@californialeaders.com.
Shape the future with us
One email a month with the leaders we are featuring, the events coming up, and the deadlines that matter.