What is the CEO Masterclass?
Facilitated by an expert coach and strategist, the CEO Masterclass is a carefully structured learning program for committed CEOs and senior leaders who are seeking to develop deep capability in a peer-to-peer, subject matter expert-led, structured learning environment.
Who is this for?
CEOs and senior leaders of organisations with over $1.5m in turnover. We recommend you have a growth mindset and want to develop yourself, your business and your business network.
You must be able to commit to the following:
- Ten x half-day, face-to-face* workshops over ten months
- 30-90 minutes of online guided preparation for each session (+optional online Q&A session)
- Take the strategic planning process back into your businesses for development and implementation
- Maintain the confidentiality and the safety of the masterclass network.
Course Structure
An experiential course in four segments that will: Build your network as a Peer Advisory Board, Develop your Strategy, Kick-off your implementation, Enhance your personal and professional skills as a leader and develop your CEO plan for the future.
- 1.0 Acknowledgement of Country and First Nations Peoples
- 1.1 Welcome. from your Chairperson: John Downes (JD) (3:49)
- 1.2 What you'll learn (3:41)
- 1.2a What some of our previous CEOs found (1:50)
- 1.3 Tell us about yourself
- 1.4 How the Masterclass process works (4:41)
- 1.5 Create your Strategic Plan e-folder
- 1.6 How to get the most out of this course (3:35)
- 1.7 How to get help
- 1.8 Community Discussion. Your comments, questions, requests
- Looking good on Zoom (if we need to)
- 3.1 Understanding your customers view . . .
- 3.2 CEOs Perspectives (0:25)
- 3.3 Download your Customer View Workbook
- 3.4 Begin your Customer Centric View Analysis: Who are your key Customer Segments? (4:26)
- 3.5 Customers: What type of relationship do they want? (1:20)
- 3.6 Channels: Which channels do customers want to use to interact with us? (1:01)
- 3.7 Value Propositions: What problems are we solving and what value do we create for our customers? (0:48)
- 3.8 Key Activities: What key activities do we need to perform to deliver the value? (0:46)
- 3.9 Key Resources: What key resources do we require to deliver these activities? (0:50)
- 3.10 Key Resources - Team: Can our team execute on our vision for the future? What are the issues? (2:00)
- 3.11 Key Partners: Who do we need to partner with to deliver the value? (1:10)
- 3.12 Revenue: What are our key sources of revenue? (0:28)
- 3.13 Key Expenses: What are our key areas of expenditure? (0:24)
- 3.14 Profitability: Is your business model viable? (2:57)
- 3.15 Annual Calendar: What is expected to happen throughout the year? How does this effect our operations? (1:30)
- 3.16 Eg. Summarising your Customer View (Business Model Canvas) for both a Services and a Product business. (12:56)
- 3.17 Key Implications for our Strategy (0:33)
- 4.1 Overview: Understanding Step 2. Where we are now (2:27)
- 4.2 Downloading your Where We Are workbooks
- 4.3 Assess how your organisation is performing (OPV) (11:36)
- 4.4 Reflections on the last 12-18 months
- 4.5 Historical Financial Performance
- 4.6 Know your SWOT-T
- 4.7 What is happening in your industry?
- 6.1 Understanding: How we get there
- 6.2 CEOs Perspectives (0:42)
- 6.3 Download your How We Get There workbook
- 6.4 Alignment, commitment and the five year view (5:22)
- 6.5 The one year view (0:37)
- 6.6 Take Action (1:48)
- 6.7 Report: Quarterly Review and Celebrate (1:56)
- 6.8 Embed the learnings (0:49)
- 6.9 Repeat: Reflect and Replan (1:56)
- 6.10 Strategic Umbrella and a powerful summary (2:06)
- 6.11 The key to successful implementation? The 20 mile march: Execution is all about Fanatic Discipline (4:22)
What you receive and achieve
- Ten x monthly face to face, hands-on, three-hour workshops to develop your strategic plan and then implement it!
- Get clear on:
- where you are
- your business model from a customer’s perspective
- your WHY
- your Vision of where you are going
- how you will get there
- what are the #criticalfewactions™ to focus on now.
- Assess your business against the six levers that grow Organisation Performance and Value.
- Led by an expert in strategic planning and business coaching.
- Use a rich, structured learning portal of bite-sized videos, tools and templates.
- Create a confidential network and Advisory Board of your masterclass peers: supportive, sharing, group problem solving and accountability.
- Certification of your professional development.
- Delivered to nearly 200 CEOs and senior leaders since 2019.
- Prepare in advance at your own pace, working on your strategy with the online portal of videos, tools, templates and specialist speakers.
Course Subscription
payable over 10 equal monthly deductions
Only payable if you are offered a seat following a review of your application and interview.
No payment required to apply or join the Wait List.
What They Said
Recent CEOs and senior leaders, said:
The group I’m with, we bonded very quickly. Everyone is very open. I found the honesty and trust was built very early on. It’s comforting knowing you’re not alone.
Belinda, CEO
BWS Recruitment
It‘s like having an Advisory Board, but not just about the numbers. Nurturing, giving advice, but also the structure and the tools to help you get there. I‘m surrounding myself with people with not only the experience but also the heart to support you. Helps you maintain that focus with accountability.
Judy Cheung-Wood, Founder & Managing Director,
Skin B5
The biggest challenge with being an entrepreneur is, that it doesn’t come with a roadmap. The masterclass provides that safety net of having other people around you to have those conversations.
Dominic Russo, CEO
Diadem DDM
The CEO Masterclass future-proofs your organisation to not only develop a sound strategic plan but also provides a rigorous way to implement it. The cost of the program is likely to only be a fraction of the cost of failure.
“Do it! You can’t lose”
I would absolutely 100% endorse any CEO, owner, or high level manager responsible for a trading result to jump on board the CEO masterclass. You cant lose. The prework is really straight forward. And, because it based on your business, all the prework that you do is stuff that you put in place for your business. It‘s your strategic plan. It‘s your vision. It‘s your #criticafewactions™. Its not wasted time that you’re working on a scenario which is fictitious. You are actually working on your business.
Tim, General Manager 50 stores
“Like a mini MBA, only practical”
Its like having an Advisory Board, but not just about the numbers. Nurturing, giving advice, but also the structure and the tools to help you get there. I'm surrounding myself with people with not only the experience, but also the heart to support you. Helps you maintain that focus with accountability.
Judy, Founder and CEO, Nutraceuticals
"Roadmap for success"
The biggest challenge with being an entrepreneur is, that it doesn’t come with a roadmap. The masterclass provides that safety net of having other people around you to have those conversations.
Dominic, Founder and CEO, Marketing and Advertising (3 countries)
"Delivered the plan!"
Many small to medium enterprises find it difficult to prioritise time for strategic planning. There are always many more pressing matters and most business owners don’t know where to start.
With John’s CEO Masterclass, we put together a 5-year plan to double the size of our business. John took the journey with us, keeping us to task, and challenging us on decisions along the way. We achieved almost all the desired outcomes over our first five years with John, and feel that this process has given the business a better sense of itself and set us up for future success.
John is passionate about his work, he is clear-minded, diligent and outcome focussed, which is why we have engaged him again for our next five-year plan!
James, Sales and Technical Director, Engineering Services
"Safe and supportive"
The group I’m with, we bonded very quickly. Everyone is very open. I found the honesty and trust was built very early on. It’s comforting knowing you’re not alone.
Belinda, Founder and CEO, Recruitment Services
Your Masterclass Chair
All our Masterclass Chairs are Certified Management Consultants and have successfully led these Masterclasses across Australia to rave reviews. Over 97% of participants would recommend the masterclass to a peer, friend or family member. As Certified Chairs, they have deep strategy, leadership development and coaching skills and experience.
CEO Masterclass Founder
John Downes
CMC, FCEO, FCA, Lead Chair CEO Masterclass
John developed the CEO Masterclass series and delivered it with the AusIndustry Entrepreneurs’ Programme from 2019 to 2021. Each series has been highly applauded and continuously improved based on CEO feedback.
With over 30 years as a professional management consultant with Deloitte and in his own practice internationally, John has extensive facilitation and mentoring experience. The CEO Masterclass is based around his strategy development approach used by 100s of clients in his Strategic Mentoring practice.
Previous to this he also provided AusIndustry Enterprise Connect with a highly successful series of Succession Planning Masterclasses for 150 Founders and CEOs around Victoria.
He is a past National Vice-President, Institute of Management Consultants & the Vic/Tas Chapter President.
