Professional Development
Leadership Skills & Development

"Everything rises and falls on LEADERSHIP."

Leadership Development

Equipping individuals and teams to lead with purpose, clarity, and confidence

Effective leadership doesn’t happen by accident — it is developed intentionally. Whether you are a individual leader seeking personal growth or a school district building leadership capacity across your team, JFord Equips provides customized leadership training, coaching, and mentoring grounded in John Maxwell’s proven principles.

How It Works

Before any training begins, each participant completes the Maxwell Leadership DISC Inventory — a powerful tool that identifies individual communication styles, strengths, and areas for growth. Following the assessment, each person receives a one-hour individual Zoom debrief to discuss their unique DISC leadership style and what it means for how they lead and relate to others.

From there, all training is customized to meet the specific needs of the individual or team — ensuring every session is relevant, practical, and immediately applicable.

Team Leadership Training

Team training sessions are six hours daily and are designed to be ongoing for optimal results. Yearly contracts are available on a monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly basis depending on the needs of your school or district. Training content is adjusted throughout the contract period to ensure continued growth and lasting success.

Individual Leadership Training

Individual coaching and mentoring sessions are personalized to your specific leadership goals, challenges, and DISC profile. Together we will identify your strengths, address your gaps, and build the skills that move you forward.

Resources

All training incorporates Maxwell Leadership principles and resources, including Maxwell’s leadership books and training materials, alongside Dr. Ford’s own book, The Principal’s Leadership Journey.

One-Day Trainings

Not ready for a full contract? One-day trainings are available in specific leadership areas — a focused, high-impact experience you can bring to your school or district.


Ready to equip your team? 

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Lunch & Learn

The Lunch & Learn is an opportunity to come around the table with a group of leaders and potential leaders to study leadership and growth principles. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Lunch & Learn will focus on three of the twenty-one leadership lessons from the corresponding book:

  • The Law of the Lid
  • The Law of Influence
  • The Law of Big Mo

Lunch & Learn sessions typically run 45-60 minutes. 

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Mastermind

Leaders embrace change as the key to growth. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership is your handbook for growing and developing yourself and others. Through this study, you will learn to apply practical leadership lessons based on John Maxwell’s nearly 50 years of leadership experience. We will cover timeless laws of leadership such as:

  • Law of Solid Ground: Trust is the foundation of leadership.
  • The Law of Addition: Leaders add value by serving others.
  • The Law of the Picture: People do what people see.
  • And 18 Other Relevant Principles to Improve Your Impact and Influence!

     

Learn what it really means to be a leader. The true measure of leadership is influence. Through this mastermind experience, you will learn how to improve your influence with others and lead them with confidence. You will also understand how to use your influence with others to help them accomplish their goals which in turn will help you achieve yours.

Upon completion of this training, participants will receive a certificate.

Additional Leadership Development Workshops, Small Group Studies and Seminars for…

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership is the result of lessons and observations from John Maxwell’s nearly 50 years of leadership experience. In this revealing study of leadership, Maxwell explores the time-tested laws that govern personal and organizational effectiveness. 

Available as a Lunch & Learn, Mastermind, Keynote or Two-Day Workshop.

To reach your potential you must grow. And to grow, you must be highly intentional about it. These 15 Laws are your guide to understanding personal growth and becoming a more effective and fulfilled individual. If you have the desire to grow and become better than you are today, this is for you.

Available as a Lunch & Learn, Mastermind or Keynote.

Inside Everyone Communicates, Few Connect are five principles and five practices to connect one-on-one, in a group, or with an audience. You’ll see all of your relationships, from your boss to your kids, from your teammates to your neighbors, take a quantum leap. 

Available as a Lunch & Learn, Mastermind or Keynote.

It’s not enough for a leader to have vision, energy, drive, and conviction. If you want to see your dream come to fruition, your business grow, or the performance of your team improve, you must learn how to Develop the Leaders Around You.

Available as a Lunch & Learn, Mastermind or Keynote.

In Good Leaders Ask Great Questions, you will learn to become a successful leader by asking the right questions. We will explore questions you should ask yourself as well as members of your team with the goal of connecting with people, challenging yourself and those you lead, and developing better ideas. 

Available as a Lunch & Learn, Mastermind or Keynote.

Today Matters shows you how to seize the day. This hands-on and inspiring guide offers twelve daily practices to help you take control of your daily agenda, make time for people you love, and find success in your career or business – every day. 

Available as a Lunch & Learn, Mastermind or Keynote.

Leadership Gold brims with nuggets of wisdom from John Maxwell’s 30+ years of studying, practicing, and teaching leadership. As we explore these lessons, you’ll encounter John’s passionate belief in the value of leadership, and you’ll benefit from his unique talent for articulating principles of influence. 

Available as a Lunch & Learn, Mastermind or Keynote.

In How to be a REAL Success, John Maxwell will help you understand the keys you need to succeed in life. Whether you are a civil servant or a corporate executive, you will achieve great things by understanding four very important success building areas: Relationships, Equipping, Attitude, and Leadership. 

Available as a Lunch & Learn, Mastermind or Keynote.

With influence, you can achieve success at home, at work, and in every other area of life. Through humor, heart, and unique insight, John Maxwell shares what he has gleaned from decades of experience in both business and nonprofit arenas. Best of all, its insights are practical and easy to apply to everyday life. 

Available as a Lunch & Learn, Mastermind or Keynote.

Are you willing to Put Your Dream to the Test? Your dream has power. It can inspire you. It can empower you. But will it reward you? In this course to reaching your dreams, John Maxwell shows you how to do the things needed to realize your potential, map out your goals, and make your dream come true. 

Available as a Lunch & Learn, Mastermind or Keynote.

Every negative event or loss that occurs can become a great opportunity for you to grow. That is, if you are willing to learn from it. In Sometimes You Win Sometimes You Learn, you will develop a healthy perspective of failure and learn how to bounce back from life’s disappointments.

Available as a Lunch & Learn, Mastermind or Keynote.

Deep down, what does every person want most? To live a life that matters. We all want to make a difference. How do we achieve that? By choosing to live each day so that we intentionally add value to others. Through Intentional Living, you will learn how to write your own life’s story – one of significance.

Available as a Lunch & Learn, Mastermind or Keynote.

Leadership for Youth & Teens

Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn for Teens: Maxwell’s lessons on learning from failure extends to all generations. Available as a group study or seminar, this resource is designed to give youth a healthy perspective of failure and empower them to learn from their experiences.

YouthMax and YouthMax Plus: We are equipping tomorrow’s leaders, today. Using relevant lessons from life experience, we empower and inspire young people to be the best they can be. 

Available as a seminar, assembly, youth group study or presentation.

The John Maxwell Team Leadership Game for Teens: The Leadership Game is a great way to bring teenagers around the table to discover their potential for leadership as well as their ability to have trust and accountability with others. Everyone has the potential to be a great leader. This game will help youth tap into their desire and potential to lead. The Leadership Game is designed to be played with 6-12 youth.

Contact me for further information on Leadership Skills & Development

School & District Support
School & District Support
School & District Support

Does your entire leadership team know, understand, and support the district vision? Are you united with all arrows going in the same direction? JFord Equips provides support with proven methods for equipping and empowering educational leaders in their efforts to build leadership capacity that embraces positive change. Leaders will gain the skills and strategies they need for leadership growth to create system-wide improvement. Let your students be the ultimate winners!
Support includes regularly scheduled on-site training, coaching, and support for school leaders, leadership teams, staff, and/or students. Plus…unlimited support through email, text messages, and phone calls.

Contact me for further information on School & District Support

Coming Soon!

"Good leadership isn’t about advancing yourself. It is about advancing your team."

 
 
Masterminds & Group Training

The Maxwell Method of Masterminds
Learn and grow through the power of connecting with like-minded leaders and achievers

Maxwell Method Mastermind

There is synergy of energy, commitment and excitement that participants bring to a mastermind group. My facilitated groups offer a combination of masterminding, peer brainstorming, education, accountability and support in a group setting to sharpen your business and personal skills. By bringing fresh ideas and a different perspective, my masterminds can help you achieve success.

Key Benefits of a Mastermind Group:

  • Increase your own experience and confidence
  • Sharpen your business and personal skills
  • Add an instant and valuable support network
  • Get honest feedback, advice and brainstorming
  • Borrow on the experience and skills of the other members
  • Study Leadership, Communications and Growth principles/practices in a group setting, create an action plan and have the group hold you accountable for fulfilling your plan and goals.
  • Receive critical insights into yourself
  • Optimistic peer support in maintaining a positive mental attitude
  • A sense of shared endeavor – there are others out there!

Contact me for further information on Masterminds & Group Training

The Maxwell DISC Method
Maxwell DISC

“Our Maxwell DISC Personality Indicator Report raises the awareness of individuals by helping them understand:

  • Their DISC communication style
  • The communication style of others and how to connect to them
  • Their strengths in 7 key areas of influence (leadership)
  • And how they can grow into their potential.”
Selling

The John Maxwell Team Leadership Game is a comprehensive game based on the teachings of John C. Maxwell. The game helps organizations improve their leadership intelligence and increase their effectiveness. Why? “Because everything rises and falls on leadership,” says Maxwell. These leadership principles carry consequences with them. Apply the laws in your organization and people will follow you. Violate and ignore them, and you will not be able to lead others. But there’s news: every one of the laws can be learned.” How? Play the game with 6-12 of your most influential leaders and find out! The game is also available for Teenagers, ages 12-19.

DISC

DISC – D Personality

DISC – I Personality

DISC – S Personality

DISC – C Personality

Contact me for further information on Leadership Assessments

School Success Data

Reduce your office referrals; increase your scores

The success of Time To Teach has been published in Leadership magazine. Read Order in the Classroom, a published article written by Kelly Graham, National Director at the Center for Teacher Effectiveness and Elsbeth Prigmore, high school principal. Time To Teach is a consistent classroom management system that saves instructional time and improves school climate.
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“During my first two years as principal of Clark Street Elementary School, we experienced over 300 office referrals and over 150 out-of-school suspensions! This year we implemented Rick’s strategies and so far we have only had two office referrals in six weeks!”

John Hargrove, Principal, Clark Street Elementary, North Carolina

“Lawton Public Schools is a lower socioeconomic school district in Oklahoma that services 17,000 Pre-K through 12th grade students, over half of which are minority. Twenty-nine of our thirty-five schools were trained using the Time To Teach strategies, affecting more than 11,000 children. Following training, we experienced a 16% decrease in suspensions and office referrals and a dramatic decrease in pupil enrollment for Behavior Intervention and Behavior Disorder classes. We have also seen a 9% increase in test scores and none of our schools are on the school improvement list for No Child Left Behind.”

Billy Davis, Executive Director Elementary Education, Lawton Public Schools, Oklahoma

“We have used the Time To Teach strategies for eighteen years! These strategies allowed me to get into the classrooms and help teachers instead of having to deal with a line of students awaiting discipline intervention. Time To Teach truly delivers on its promise to gain back valuable teaching time that is so often lost to matters of discipline.”

Lynette Hedden, Retired Principal, Richland, Washington

“The number of student referrals in our middle school has dropped 30% on average, every year over the past three years. It is because of Time to Teach that I can say with pride, “Every day I teach!”

Keith Johnson, Teacher/Technology Director, Reading Community Schools, Michigan

“I have seen some of my students move up from Special Education and Title Programs to achieve at grade level performance. My referrals have been eliminated. Students that were never able to do so before are now meeting benchmark standards and making dramatic gains in reading and writing fluency. After 19 years as an educator, I finally have Time To Teach with care and compassion.”

Libba Sager, Elementary Teacher, Toledo Elementary, Oregon

“I have seen a 15 point gain in math and science scores on the state standardized test, which helped our school meet its AYP/API, and I have not sent a single student to the office all year. Time To Teach has helped me successfully teach second language learners, children with ADD, ADHD, Tourettes, learning disabilities, disenfranchised youth, and impoverished students.”

James Turner, Middle School Teacher, Lompoc, California

“At Lompoc Valley Middle School, the referral numbers for class disruption were reduced by 62% using Time to Teach strategies, and Lompoc High School’s referral numbers were lower than those of the rival high school for the first time ever.”

Carrie Chase, High School Counselor, Lahainaluna High School, Hawaii

“Pioneer Continuation High School has our district’s highest number of at-risk 11th and 12th grade students. Using the Time to Teach blueprint, we saw school suspensions drop from 39% to 18% over a three-year period, in-house suspensions cut in half, and significant increases in passing rates on the California High School Exit Exam and other student achievement measures. Overall, the school has experienced a positive, systemic cultural change.”

Elsbeth Prigmore, Principal, Pioneer Continuation High School, California