Small Giants Community

Leading by example is just the beginning

Welcome to the Small Giants Community, a collective of like-hearted leaders and a center for high-quality programming. Small Giants aim towards purpose-driven cultures and business practices with the knowledge that soft skills can lead to hard numbers, and that work/life balance is all about an emphasis on life.

Join us at the Small Giants Community today (and unlike your laundry list of streaming services, there are no monthly fees).

Get Involved

We’re all about connections, culture, and caring

The Small Giants Community is a group of business leaders who want to learn and grow through relationships with practitioners who share in their vision of purpose-driven work. These leaders could be CEOs with decades of growth and knowledge gained (and are lifelong learners!), or young leaders just beginning to rise in the ranks, or anyone in between. What we all share is a passion to grow – not for the sake of numbers, necessarily, but rather to improve ourselves, our teams, and our communities along the way.

Members of the Small Giants Community come from all different businesses that exist in different industries, sizes, and locations. But they all have certain things in common that make them Small Giants. Namely, they have a keen understanding of and an emphasis on their culture, are great communicators, and genuinely care.

So maybe you’re into the idea of purpose-driven leadership, but don’t know how to truly define it, or how to live it every day. That’s where we come in. As a Community, our goal is to help make connections, foster learning, and encourage vulnerability. And we have a range of ways for you to engage with us – keep reading to learn about some of our resources and key offerings.

Ready to learn? Check out our events

Small Giants
Summit

May 7-9, 2024

Meet Us In Detroit

Virtual
Events

See What’s Up Next

Level up your leadership with our key offerings

Search through our programs to see what will best enrich your leadership journey

The Sounding Board mentorship program pairs Small Giants tenured leaders with like-hearted emerging leaders looking for guidance and a fresh perspective on their company’s challenges and goals.

Good Vibrations

The Small Giants Leadership Academy develops confident, emotionally intelligent leaders who know how to inspire others, drive performance, and influence company culture.

Learn to Lead

The LIFT Scholarship (Leaders for Inclusion, Fairness and Transparency) is an initiative for the Small Giants Leadership Academy geared towards BIPOC business leaders in underserved communities.

Claim Your Seat

Small Giants
Summit

Still not sure what we’re all about?

Look through some questions we get often. And if you’re still curious (and we love curiosity! It’s another good c word), sign up for a coffee chat with one of our team members.

Let’s Chat!

What does the name Small Giants mean?

Born out of the book Small Giants by Bo Burlingham, the Small Giants Community looks to embrace the book’s tagline: companies that choose to be great instead of big. Leaders from a diverse range of industries and walks of life are drawn to the Small Giants Community to form deep, lasting relationships with like-minded peers, invest in the training and development of their emerging leaders with curriculum they can trust, and to stay plugged into the latest ideas and best practices that will help them grow and scale impactful, purpose-driven organizations.

What is purpose-driven leadership?

When we talk about purpose or values-driven leadership, we mean the practice of prioritizing purpose. In other words, prioritizing people over profit and greatness over growth. This way of running a business, famously written about in the Small Giants book, has been adopted by small and medium-sized organizations spanning all industries and hailing from around the world.

These businesses are interested in growth and profit, but are committed to not sacrificing their culture or purpose to achieve either. You can recognize a purpose-driven company by its intentional approach to growth and its positive company culture. Join the Small Giants email list to receive purpose-driven leadership resources to your inbox.

What does it mean to be "certified"?

Certified Small Giants leaders are graduates of the Small Giants Leadership Academy. Each certified leader earns that title through a 12-month structured training program that builds their emotional intelligence, helps them become more self-aware, connects them to a group of like-hearted peers, and equips them to lead purpose-driven organizations with confidence. Learn how you can certify your team or get certified as a Small Giants leader.

How do I join the Community

There are no member dues. You can join the community by getting involved in whatever way supports you the most.

Resources
Most leaders start by subscribing to receive purpose-driven leadership resources to their inbox or by registering for an upcoming virtual workshop. All of the articles, ebooks, podcasts, and videos we share are free and accessible to all.

Events
Attending the annual Small Giants Community Summit is the perfect way to get introduced to the Community, its leadership practices, and meet a bunch of like-hearted leaders. Learn more about the Summit and register.

Mentorship
All leaders benefit from guidance from experienced mentors, but it can be difficult to find someone who shares your philosophies about how to lead in a purpose-driven business. The Sounding Board is a mentorship program that pairs you with a tenured Small Giant leader to help you through challenges, navigate workplace relationships, offer guidance, share wisdom, and simply listen.

Leader Certification
Enroll members of your leadership team or emerging leaders in the Small Giants Leadership Academy and watch them transform into certified Small Giant leaders. This robust one-year certification program consists of virtual learning sessions facilitated by experienced practitioners from top Small Giant organizations, an extensive resource library, access to a cohort of like-minded peers, and your event ticket to two Small Giants gatherings.

Who do I contact about contributing content or speaking at Small Giants Events

We love meeting new leaders and sharing their purpose-driven practices with the world. If you’re a practitioner and can agree to our no selling rule, we’d love to learn from you! Tell us more about what you’d like to share with the Community. We review submissions monthly, you’ll hear from us whether we see a fit or not. If there’s a fit for your content, we’ll schedule a video call to meet you and talk more about how we can work together.

How can I support the Community?

Thank you for asking!

Donate
The Small Giants Community is a purpose-first organization. We are a designated L3C, a hybrid between a for-profit and a nonprofit entity that prioritizes social mission. With more than 30 percent of our operating budget coming from donor funds, supporters like you help us create a better world, one purpose-driven leader at a time. Learn more about how your donation impacts the future of purpose-driven leadership.

Sponsor
There’s something special about the experiences that unfold within the Small Giants Community. Whether it’s a genuine friendship formed at the Summit or hearing a story on the podcast that moves you, supporters like you make the magic happen. You believe in good business, and you’re doing your part to help bring it to life. Learn more about sponsorship opportunities.

What kinds of leaders and companies make up the Small Giants Community?

Leaders in the Small Giants Community come from privately held, small to medium-sized companies with 10 – 1000 employees. These organizations span industries and range in revenue from $2 million – $500 million.

Get in Touch

313.444.0348

hello@smallgiants.org