Leadership Transitions

Navigating leadership complexity through realistic, hands-on, immersive simulations

Forging Leaders in Hyper-Realistic Simulations

Starfish vILT moves beyond traditional leadership training by creating highly realistic, immersive simulations that serve as dynamic learning laboratories. These simulations are not simple case studies; they are living, breathing ecosystems designed to challenge participants, cultivate critical leadership competencies, and bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world application. The core of the experience is built around a deeply developed simulated company, which acts as the sandbox for complex leadership challenges.

Starfish vILT simulations are powerful developmental experiences that use narrative, realism, and collaborative challenges to accelerate leadership readiness in a psychologically safe yet demanding environment.

The Foundation: A Deeply Realized Simulated Company

At the heart of every Starfish vILT simulation is a meticulously crafted fictional company. This is the cornerstone of participant immersion. Before the simulation even begins, participants are introduced to a rich and detailed corporate world, complete with:

A Comprehensive History: The company's origin story, key milestones, past successes, and previous failures.
Organizational Structure: Detailed organizational charts, key personnel bios, and departmental mandates.
Financial Health: Fictional but plausible balance sheets, P&L statements, and market performance data.
Market Position: A defined industry, key competitors, market challenges, and strategic opportunities.
Corporate Culture: An established culture, complete with stated values, unwritten rules, internal politics, and communication norms.

This depth ensures that participants are not just observers but are immediately embedded within a context that feels authentic, compelling them to invest in the company's fate and their role within it.

Click on the logos above to see examples of the simulated organizations

The Narrative Engine: Multi-Modal Information Inputs

The simulation's story unfolds dynamically through a series of carefully timed and purposefully designed information "inputs." This multi-modal approach mirrors the complex and often chaotic flow of information that modern leaders must navigate. Instead of a static document, participants receive a steady stream of content that builds the narrative and introduces complexity. These inputs include:

Targeted "Emails": Messages from senior leaders, direct reports, peers in other departments, or even external stakeholders that present problems, request action, or reveal crucial information.
Podcasts: Simulated podcast recordings that set the strategic tone or announce significant issues.
Breaking News Videos & Articles: News reports from industry journalists that introduce external pressures, such as a competitor's breakthrough, a regulatory change, or a shift in consumer sentiment.
Internal Reports: Data-rich documents, such as market analysis, employee engagement surveys, or R&D updates, that require careful interpretation.
Social Media Feeds: Simulated social media chatter that can affect brand reputation and public perception.

This "drip-feed" of information ensures the simulation feels live and unpredictable, preventing participants from solving the entire problem at once and forcing them to continuously adapt their strategy.

Click on The Deep Dive above to hear an example of a simulation podcast

The Challenge: Inflection Points and Decision Prioritization

The narrative is architected around a series of critical inflection points. These are moments of significant challenge or opportunity where the path forward is ambiguous and the stakes are high. At these junctures, participants are required to:

Make Critical Decisions: Analyze the available, often incomplete, information to make high-impact choices regarding resource allocation, strategic direction, talent management, or crisis response.
Work Collaboratively: The challenges are intentionally designed to be too complex for any single individual or department to solve alone. This necessitates cross-boundary collaboration. Participants must break down silos, negotiate with peers who have competing priorities, build consensus, and leverage diverse perspectives to formulate a cohesive plan.

This process hones skills in influence, negotiation, systems thinking, and strategic alignment—core competencies for effective senior leadership.

The Culmination: The Executive-Level Presentation *

In most cases (and depending on the number of participants), the primary deliverable of each Starfish vILT simulation is a high-stakes formal presentation. Participants must synthesize their analysis, justify their decisions, and present their strategic recommendations to a panel role-playing as the company's fictitious Board of Directors or Executive Leadership Team (ELT). This capstone event is designed to develop:

Executive Presence: The ability to communicate with confidence, clarity, and conviction under pressure.
Strategic Communication: The skill of distilling complex information into a compelling and coherent narrative that aligns with broader business objectives.
Stakeholder Management: The capacity to anticipate and address the tough questions and concerns of a senior executive audience.

This presentation is not merely an academic exercise; it is the ultimate test of the participants' journey through the simulation.

* Where the number of participants does not easily facilitate a series of group presentations, participants are provided with an alternate form of deliverable to provide them with an objective to work towards.

The Integration: Debrief and Mindset Shift

The learning does not end with the presentation. The final, and arguably most crucial, phase of the simulation is the post-experience integration. This is a two-part process:

Comprehensive Debrief: A professionally facilitated session where participants reflect on their experience. The debrief connects the "what" (what happened in the simulation) to the "so what" (what leadership lessons were learned) and the "now what" (how to apply these lessons back in their actual roles). Participants analyze their decision-making processes, collaborative dynamics, and individual leadership styles.
Mindset Shift Breakout Exercise: Following the debrief, participants engage in a targeted breakout session designed to challenge underlying assumptions and catalyze a fundamental mindset shift. This exercise helps internalize the key learnings from the simulation, moving participants from a tactical, functional perspective to a more strategic, enterprise-level view of leadership.

The Process: How we Work with You

A deep, collaborative partnership to define success. Through stakeholder interviews and needs analysis, we uncover the core business challenges and leadership competencies the simulation must address. We gather essential context on your organization’s culture, strategy, and participants to establish clear, targeted learning objectives. This foundational work ensures the final simulation is a relevant and impactful development activity, perfectly aligned with your unique goals, guaranteeing a resonant experience for all participants.

The simulation development process begins with a Concept Document that establishes a shared vision and learning objectives. Collaborative design meetings follow to build the simulation’s core mechanics and decision points. A functional first draft is then built for stakeholder review. Based on detailed feedback from a final review meeting, the simulation is polished and finalized. Finally, all supporting collateral, such as facilitator guides and participant materials, is developed to complete the project for delivery.

Once the simulation is finalized, we develop a comprehensive package of supporting collateral. This includes detailed Facilitator Guides with step-by-step instructions, all participant materials, and instructions for zone coaches (if applicable). We also create materials for pre-simulation activities to prepare participants and post-simulation exercises to reinforce learning and drive application back on the job, ensuring a complete and impactful developmental journey.

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