The ACE it! Leadership Essentials Program

Master the Most Important Leadership Skill: Making Others Great

The ACE it! Leadership Essentials (ALE) Program equips you and your people with the methodology, science, and practical tools to make talent development a core leadership competency.

Help others learn, develop, and upskill. In other words: make others great.

What You'll Learn

The ACE it! Method

The ACE it! Method is a three-phase framework for continuous, systematic talent development:

  • Address: Identify core challenges and frame them as powerful, actionable questions

  • Create: Generate solutions through structured, collaborative brainstorming

  • Execute: Take action, measure results, and scale what works

The Science of Development

Understand the key disciplines behind lasting growth and performance:

  • Adult Learning Theory - How adults actually learn and retain knowledge

  • Psychology of Motivation - What drives people to grow and perform

  • Change Management - How change happens and why resistance occurs

  • Principles from Coaching Science - Evidence-based practices that accelerate development


Core Professional Skills

Gain practical insights into the essential skills that make development conversations effective:

  • Feedback - Delivering feedback that drives growth and performance

  • Listening - Active listening techniques that build trust and understanding

  • Asking Questions - Question frameworks that unlock insight and action

"Talent Talks"

Short, structured development conversations following a proven methodology – designed for fast, effective learning.

Practical Tools & Real Practice

Practice every method in small learning teams throughout the program, get feedback, and leave with both confidence and experience.

Two Professional Assessments

  • You at Your Best: Identify and leverage your strengths

  • ACE Preferences: Understand your learning and working style to focus your development priorities

Who This Program Is For & Why It Matters

For Leaders:

  • Gain a practical methodology to develop people systematically

  • Build confidence in having meaningful development conversations

  • Spend less time firefighting and more time building capability

For Teams:

  • Accelerate skill development and problem-solving

  • Boost engagement and retention

  • Strengthen collaboration and innovation

For Organizations:

  • Reduce dependency on external training and consultants

  • Improve employee retention (lowering recruitment and onboarding costs)

  • Scale talent development with measurable ROI through faster time-to-competency and smaller skill gaps

Program Structure

4 Live Sessions (2 hours each, every two weeks via Zoom)
Learn and apply insights and tools in highly interactive sessions designed to maximize engagement and practical learning.

Between Sessions
Work in small learning teams to practice tools and get real-time feedback.

4 Self-Study Modules
Deepen your understanding of the ACE it! method and the science behind it.

2 Professional Assessments
Get data-driven insights into your strengths and learning approaches.

Immediate Application
Apply everything with your team as you learn.

Who Will Facilitate

The program is led by Professor Matthias Ehrhardt and Verena Lauffs, bringing decades of combined expertise in leadership development, organizational psychology, and adult learning.

Who Participates

The ACE it! Leadership Essentials Program attracts diverse participants from around the world. Past cohorts have included leaders from some of the best business schools globally, startups, business families, venture capital firms, private equity firms, board members of global corporations, teachers, headmasters, professional coaches, and leaders from charities and non-profits.

This diversity creates an exceptional networking opportunity. The program is highly interactive and designed to be engaging and fun to work with, creating connections that extend well beyond the eight weeks. You'll build a professional network with people tackling similar leadership challenges across vastly different contexts.

Dates & Fees

Current Program: November – December 2025
(Next programs start in March, June, and September 2026) 
Live Online Sessions: 4x 2-hour sessions
Self-Study Modules: 4 self-paced online learning modules 


Live Online Sessions
Self-Study Modules

Self-Study Module 1 Pre-work 
Live Session 1
Nov. 5, 2025 (4:00–6:00 PM CET)



Self-Study Module 2

Live Session 2
Nov. 19, 2025 (4:00–6:00 PM CET)


Self-Study Module 3

Live Session 3
Dec. 3, 2025
(4:00–6:00 PM CET)


Self-Study Module 4

Live Session 4
Dec. 17, 2025 
(4:00–6:00 PM CET)





Pre-Program: You will receive pre-readings and the Zoom links before the first online session.

Fees:

EUR 1.900 (+ VAT)

USD 2,200

Scholarships available

Special Option: If you have a group of 12 or more participants, you can book your own exclusive Leadership Essentials Program. 

Apply to the ACE it! Leadership Essentials Program!

What You'l Gain

  • A proven framework to develop people systematically
  • The science behind effective learning, motivation, and change
  • Practical insights into feedback, listening, and asking questions
  • "Talent Talks" - a structured conversation format for quick, effective development
  • Practical tools tested through hands-on practice
  • Two assessments to optimize your development approach
  • Capability that multiplies across your organization
  • A new professional network from your ALE cohort


Resources & Ongoing Support

Autoris User Platform

All participants receive access to the Autoris user platform, providing:

  • Quick-access tools and templates for immediate use

  • Comprehensive literature and research materials

  • Insights and best practices from global leadership development

  • Explanatory videos that reinforce key concepts and methods

  • Ongoing resources to support your continued development as a leader who makes others great

Ati - Your Virtual Coach

Access to Ati Assess, our virtual coach designed to help you interpret your assessments and support you and the people you're responsible for in your learning journeys.

Join Our Global Community

As a graduate of the ACE it! Leadership Essentials Program, you become part of the Autoris Alumni community with exclusive benefits:

  • Access to latest research results and findings

  • Invitations to alumni networking events

  • Additional tools and resources

  • Free assessments

  • Priority access to ACE it! Leadership Sprint sessions

Autoris. Leading with the ACE it! Method.