About GNTC’s ELITE Program

The Emerging Leaders in Tech (ELITE) program is an investment in developing technology professionals and equipping them with the knowledge and connections to be successful in a leadership role. The program provides training for 30 experienced and aspiring leaders, selected from a competitive application process. Over the course of three months, the participants gain new skills, share knowledge, and build Middle Tennessee’s leadership pool in the tech industry. ELITE provides formal instruction, community projects, dialogue, mentoring, and training on the core skills required for leadership.

10+ Years

Successfully training tech leaders

Participation Criteria and Application 

The program content is specifically tailored for individuals in technology who are either currently in an individual contributor position and desire a career path into a leadership role or who are new to a people leadership role, preferably less than 3 years in role. The ideal participant will meet the following criteria:

  • Must be a GNTC member.

  • Must be located in the Middle Tennessee area.

  • Must be a technology professional.

  • Must be in one of the following categories:

    • A manager of individual contributors (i.e. not a manager of managers).
    • A project manager/team lead or individual contributor with no direct authority over team members.

  • Must be interested in developing into a leadership role or more advanced leadership role.

  • Must have a burning desire to focus on personal development.

  • Must have the necessary personal and professional support to commit to actively participating in the sessions and activities throughout the full duration of the program.

  • If accepted into the program, there is a $1,500 fee for participation.

If you are not a GNTC member and you would like to learn more, then please contact us at membership@technologycouncil.com

Developing Tech Talent in Middle TN

The Middle Tennessee area attracts globally recognized employers while cultivating a vibrant entrepreneurial community. In this highly competitive market, great leadership is critical to retain and strengthen the creative talent in our tech community. ELITE focuses on an area which has been traditionally underserved: developing the tech talent already in Middle Tennessee to become the leaders needed to support this thriving industry. ELITE helps aspiring leaders and those new to a leadership role to gain new skills, share knowledge, network, and build Middle Tennessee’s tech leadership talent pool.

2025 Program Schedule

Session

Topic / Description*

ELITE Program Kickoff


September 11-12, 2025


Sep. 11th Training 1 – 8:00-4:30pm Mixer – 4:30-6:00pm (optional)


Sep. 12th Practicum 1 – 7:30am-2:00pm

Program Kickoff and How to Communicate with Absolutely Anyone


Get to know your fellow cohort members, review program expectations, learn the four languages that you and others use to communicate, gain insight into psychological needs and unlock the secrets of motivation. Use the skills gained in the first training session to network with ELITE participants, ELITE program mentors, and the ELITE Leadership Committee. (Sep. 12) Team Activity + session on Leadership in Distress.

Training/Practicum 2


Sept. 26, 2025 7:30am-12:30pm

How to Build High Performing Teams


Training: Learn how to recognize and build the right ingredients into your team so you can supercharge your team performance. It’s simple, but it’s not easy. Master this, and you can build high-performing teams over and over. Practicum: Share with mentors and your peers your challenges building and leading a team, gaining insights on approaches that might help improve your team cohesion and effectiveness

Training/Practicum 3


Oct. 3, 2025

How to Get Out of the Weeds so You Can Lead


Training: How to effectively coach, to develop and delegate to those around you so you can lead. How to be the leader that will make be highly successful and known for getting the job done. Practicum: Reflect on the level of control, monitoring, and delegation to use in different situations, including how to course correct mid-stream and learn from mistakes

Training/Practicum 4


Oct. 24, 2025 7:30am-12:30pm

How to Lead Change that Doesn’t Fail


Training: We rarely consider the human element of change yet that is what messes up our change plans. It turns out the brain processes change the same way every time. When you master the stages of change, it impacts how you lead yourself and others through change. Practicum: Examine the changes affecting you and those around you and engage with peers and mentors to brainstorm specific ideas on how to work through and possibly ease the transition

Training/Practicum 5


Nov. 7, 2025 7:30am-12:30pm

Putting It All Together


Training: Review sessions and work through a case study that gives the cohort a chance to apply their learning to a real-life scenario. Wrap up the learning and provide the next steps for staying engaged in giving back to the program. Practicum: Discuss with peers and mentors some of the toughest challenges of leadership and design your plan to make sure that the most important things are getting the attention they deserve

ELITE Graduation


Nov. 13, 2025 5:30-8:30pm

Program conclusion and celebration.

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