Leaders Lab
Now in its second year, Leaders Lab—a program of the Hawai‘i Leadership Forum—has evolved into a dynamic platform for leaders to strengthen their leadership capacity in response to today’s complex challenges. Designed as annual, one-day immersive experiences for three years, each lab convenes approximately 20 participants to engage in collective learning, peer exchange, and personal growth to deepen their leadership practice in the values of kuleana, kūlana, ʻāina, and community.
In Fall 2025, Leaders Lab will expand to the neighbor islands with new county-specific labs on Kaua‘i, Maui, and Hawai‘i Island. This next step honors the diverse strengths and needs of leaders throughout the islands and reflects the program’s commitment to cultivating place-based leadership. Applications for Neighbor Island Leaders Labs will be accepted from Monday, July 7 through 12:00 Noon HST on Friday, August 1, 2025, with additional details to be shared on this website in mid-June.
In alignment with the program’s long-term vision, Leaders Lab will also launch the next component of its three-part leadership development journey. The 99 participants from the 2024 Leaders Labs will be invited to participate in the first of two annual follow-on labs within their original thematic groups. These continuation labs are designed to foster sustained connection, collective growth, and deeper alignment with community priorities over time. No additional applications will be accepted for these follow-on labs.
First Lab – Context: Stepping Back to See the Whole
Leaders Lab invites participants to step outside of their day-to-day roles and organizational structures in order to reflect on the broader systems they are part of and to explore leadership questions within this context. This space away from their organizational roles allows them to cultivate new insights, explore different approaches, and return with clarity, ready to apply what they’ve learned in their own communities and organizations, which then become living laboratories for continued growth.
Second Lab – Peer-to-Peer Learning: Pilina as Foundation
At the heart of Leaders Lab is pilina (authentic relationship) and the belief that leadership is not learned alone. Participants come together from diverse backgrounds to share experiences, challenge assumptions, and learn from one another in ways that deepen insight and build mutual respect. These peer relationships strengthen leadership practice by fostering humility, reciprocity, and collective wisdom—hallmarks of effective leadership in Hawai‘i.
Third Lab – Connection through Curriculum: Rooted and Relevant
The Leaders Lab curriculum is intentionally designed to meet participants where they are while encouraging growth in areas tied to adaptive leadership and leading change. Topics build progressively and are delivered in ways that resonate within Hawai‘i’s cultural context. The learning journey integrates personal reflection, shared dialogue, and practical application to reinforce connection to self, community, and this place we call home.
Learning Goals
The learning goals include:
Build Authentic Confidence and
Leadership Capability
Develop increased self-awareness, resilience, and leadership competence, to take initiative, influence others, and lead effectively in diverse contexts.
Enhance Systems Thinking and
Adaptive Problem-Solving
Strengthen the capacity to identify root causes, navigate complexity, and make measurable progress on adaptive and systemic challenges.
Foster Strategic Collaboration
Across Boundaries
Deepen the ability to collaborate authentically and strategically across sectors, cultures, and communities to co-create shared solutions.
Redefine and Embody
Transformational Leadership
Explore and reshape traditional assumptions about leadership, embracing a values-driven, inclusive, and service-oriented model that centers collective well-being.
Inspire Commitment to Purpose-Driven
Action in Hawai‘i
Cultivate a sustained desire and sense of responsibility to catalyze meaningful, place-based change that honors Hawai‘i’s people, culture, and ʻāina.
2025 Leaders Labs
Thematic & Neighbor Island Groups
Leaders Labs are organized into eight groups: five thematic groups and three neighbor island groups.
The thematic groups initially convened in 2024, with annual follow-on labs scheduled for 2025 and 2026. The Neighbor Island Leaders Labs will each convene for the first time in 2025. A group of about 20 individuals with diverse professional experiences, backgrounds, and who reside on that island or within that county will be selected to participate.
Thematic Groups – Second Convening
- Educators and Academic Leaders: July 2025
- Community Organizers and Nonprofit Leaders: August 2025
- Health, Science, and Technology Leaders: September 2025
- Entrepreneurs, Business, and Labor Leaders: October 2025
- Public Officials and Government Leaders: November 2025
Neighbor Island Groups
(Exact dates to be determined and subject to change)
- Kaua‘i Leaders: October 2025
- Maui County Leaders: November 2025
- Hawai‘i Island Leaders: December 2025
Last updated: June 4, 2025
Contact
Get in touch
Hawai‘i Leadership Forum
700 Bishop Street, Suite 1701
Honolulu, HI 96813
808.380.3570