November 14, 2026 · Ottawa · Limited to 42 participants

Your competence got you here. Turn it into influence.

See the pattern holding you back, work it through with experienced faculty and leave with a practical next move.

Already registered? Access My CI3

Faculty and participants in facilitated dialogue at a CI3 curated leadership experience
A CI3 room: faculty and participants in real dialogue.

Leadership work already trusted in real rooms

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories Algonquin College Tekedia Institute St. Lawrence College School of Business Global Alliance for Artificial Intelligence Kinedrik

Registration open

Beyond the Competence Trap

Saturday, November 14, 2026 · Ottawa, Ontario

A one-day, in-person curated leadership experience for capable professionals who want to turn competence into influence without losing ethics, health or direction.

What registration includes

  • The full one-day curated experience: founder framing, faculty dialogue and guided reflection
  • Placement in one focused Leadership Circle of your choice
  • Participant preparation and onboarding before the day
  • Post-event follow-up and access to the CI3 Archives
Contribution
Pay what you can, from a $49.99 minimum
Capacity
Limited to 42 participant seats across six Leadership Circles
Venue
Carleton University, Ottawa

All contributions are non-refundable, but your seat is transferable, pass it to someone else or move it to the next edition. See what happens after you reserve, or read the terms of participation.

Approximately two minutes. The diagnostic and full participant profile can be completed later.

Six focused rooms

What would be most useful to work through right now?

Every participant joins one Leadership Circle: a small, faculty-guided room built around one question. Choose the focus that sounds like your year.

Leadership Identity

“Who am I as a leader when the title is not doing the work?”

3 faculty announced

Choose This Focus

Strategic Visibility

“How do I move from capable to visible without performing?”

3 faculty announced

Choose This Focus

Career Influence

“Everyone relies on me, why hasn’t my influence grown?”

3 faculty announced

Choose This Focus

Business & Entrepreneurship

“How do I lead a venture without losing myself in it?”

3 faculty announced

Choose This Focus

Finance & Career Capital

“Is my career building capital, or just collecting credentials?”

2 faculty announced · 1 seat open

Choose This Focus

Leadership Health Check

“I am leading under pressure, is this pace sustainable?”

3 faculty announced

Choose This Focus

Not sure which fits? Choose “Help me choose” at reservation and CI3 will guide your placement.

Meet the faculty for every circle

What happens during the experience?

  1. Arrival
  2. Founder framing
  3. Ideas and faculty dialogue
  4. Leadership Circle
  5. Reflection
  6. Next move
View the Full Agenda

How CI3 works

A guided experience, not another course.

  1. 01

    Notice

    Identify the pressure or pattern holding your influence back.

  2. 02

    Choose

    Enter the experience and focused conversation that fit the pattern.

  3. 03

    Practise

    Work it through in a focused Leadership Circle, with experienced faculty in the room.

  4. 04

    Continue

    Leave with an action, and ways to sustain the work after the room closes.

See how CI3 works, step by step

Not sure where to begin?

The short diagnostic helps you identify the pattern you may be experiencing and points you toward a useful next step. It is a leadership signal, not a clinical verdict, and it is never required before registering.

After the room closes

The experience does not end when the room closes.

Beyond the Competence Trap, by Dr. Charles Igwe: paperback, ebook and audiobook covers

From the author

The book behind the framework: Beyond the Competence Trap.

The ideas this room is built on, in full, for anyone who wants to go deeper before or after November.

About the book

For organisations

Bring the experience to your organisation.

Partner on an experience

Stand behind an edition, a circle or the archive, and be seen in the room.

Explore partnering

Bring a curated experience to your team

Keynotes, workshops and guest lectures, chosen by the problem your team carries.

Explore team sessions

Questions you may have

Before you decide.

Is this a conference?

No. It is a curated one-day experience built around small, faculty-guided Leadership Circles and honest dialogue, not rows of seats facing a stage.

Is the diagnostic required?

No. The diagnostic is recommended but never required. You can register first and complete it later through My CI3.

What does the contribution include?

Your seat at the full one-day experience, your Leadership Circle placement, participant preparation and onboarding, and post-event follow-up with archive access. The minimum is $49.99; anything above it is optional.

Can my organisation pay?

Yes. Organisations can sponsor participant access, their own people or open seats. Start with the sponsor pathway.

More questions about the November day

Your work has already proven your competence. Decide what it should make possible.

Explore Organisational Partnerships