Thanks so much for your interest in the Games Leadership® Blueprint. I’d love you to join us!
I’ve put everything you’ll need to know about the programme on this page to guide you through how we might work together.
The Games Leadership® Blueprint is a 3 month personal development programme designed to help support Leadership skills of Game Developers.
I call this programme the Games Leadership® Blueprint because our focus is to provide you with a bespoke personalised Blueprint that you can adapt for your Studio or Role.
The outcome of the programme is simple: to instill the confidence and skills necessary for you to lead with clarity and purpose, fostering your own personal development whilst also steering your studio towards greater success.
Our aim is to clarify your Leadership identity, enhance your self-awareness and establish a solid foundation for Leadership presence.
Taking on Leadership responsibility in the Games Industry is one heck of a journey. It requires a keen insight into numerous moving parts and a comprehensive understanding of various job roles, whilst also managing your own individual wants and needs from your career.
This multifaceted role can sometimes feel overwhelming, but with the right support, you don't have to navigate it alone.
We’re going to solve the 3 big problems that block effective Leadership in the Games Industry.
Problem 1: I feel unsure about my Leadership purpose - I want to make an impact in my Studio but I’m unsure how to do that AND make the Game.
You really want to make an impact with your Leadership and see that value reflected in your projects, but instead you end up feeling unheard, overwhelmed or blocked by organisational politics. Whether you’re feeling isolated, lacking in confidence or like you can’t catch a break, it’s not obvious what your next steps should be to create meaningful change.
The Answer: Establish Your Leadership Foundation and Drive Change
Get to Know Your Leadership Identity: Building a better Game requires a better ‘Inner Game’. We’ll start by helping you gain a clear understanding of your current Leadership style and identify areas for growth so you can better navigate the constant changes of the Development Cycle.
Understand your Strengths & Weaknesses: You’ll reflect on your strengths and weaknesses and develop a pathway to support your personal growth and development in order to better prepare for the dynamic challenges and opportunities that arise during game development.
Navigate and Lead Through Change: We’re in an industry that is constantly changing. You'll learn strategies for communicating change, managing resistance, and maintaining team morale during periods of uncertainty.
The Result: By the end of this stage, you will have a comprehensive understanding of your Leadership style. You’ll feel more supported in your role, confident in your abilities, and capable of driving positive outcomes in your projects and team dynamics.
This stage takes 4 weeks.
Problem 2: I want to please everyone but can often end up feeling disconnected by my team or isolated by my decisions.
You feel like an octopus, responsible for driving all aspects of the game development process while balancing the happiness and expectations of your team. The constant need to make decisions and give direction slows everything down, creating a bottleneck that stifles your team’s progress and potential.
You often find yourself wanting to make everyone happy, but this can leave you feeling disconnected or even isolated when decisions don't sit well with others. This can make it hard at times to assert your Leadership and feel like you’re connecting authentically with your team.
The Answer: Understand your Organisational Structure and the choices available to you
Explore Game Industry Power Dynamics: We all know that power dynamics exist because we FEEL them around us all the time but we rarely get to speak about these within our teams. We’re going to start by looking at the Games Industry in general and how power flows and moves through studios.
Map Your Organisational Structure: Explore the power dynamics and structure within your studio to identify potential barriers and opportunities for better communication.
Build Your Leadership Presence: We want to help you develop an authentic Leadership presence that feels right for you and your team. This involves mastering communication skills, adapting your approach, and establishing trust and better relationship building between your colleagues and external stakeholders.
The Result: You’ll have tools focused on understanding and refining your inner dialogue. You’ll be better equipped to handle stress, make sound decisions, and maintain resilience in the face of challenges.
This stage takes 4 weeks.
Problem 3: I’m not sure how I can develop and grow to be a better Leader - I’m not sure what my next steps should be.
Leadership can often feel like a paradox - on one side you feel pressure to problem solve, mentor and help direct your team members, but when it comes to unblocking yourself or your own personal development you give a big shrug and have no idea where to start!
So many of my clients in Leadership positions have experienced severe burnout because they have neglected learning about their own wants and needs. You tend to hide your worries, career goals and sacrifice learning new skills to save time and cut corners. Wouldn’t it be nice to know your next steps and have a system that would allow you to regularly check in and maintain those?
The Answer: Build your unique Games Leadership® Blueprint
Develop an Action Plan: We’re going to help you create a detailed action plan to achieve your Leadership goals and assess overall life balance integrating all elements of your Leadership identity.
Check-in Strategy: We’re going to teach you how to assess and adapt this plan so that you can continue to regularly check-in with yourself (or maybe invite others to be part of your process!).
Next Steps: Finally, we’ll make sure you have immediate, short-term and long-term plans that will provide you with clear next steps designed specifically for you and your team.
The Result: By the end of this stage, you'll have your own personalised Games Leadership® Blueprint. You'll feel confident with a clear action plan for your goals and life balance and have a check-in strategy to help you stay on track and adapt as needed.
This stage takes 4 weeks.
Here’s how you and I will work together to make this happen:
The System: We’ll partner for 3 brilliant months. You’ll progress through the Games Leadership® Blueprint pathway (all pre-recorded videos that get you to implement as you watch so you can move forward quickly in bitesize chunks). You’ll hit milestones throughout the programme and receive feedback on the important stuff you create.
You’ll create your initial draft Games Leadership® Blueprint within the first 8 weeks of the programme (faster is definitely possible). Our goal by the end of our 3 months together is that you have the tools needed to provide more structure and forward movement, helping you feel more confident and supported in your role.
The Support: You and I will meet every 2 weeks on a Group Zoom Call (apart from holidays as outlined in our calendar) where you can get my help on anything you’re working on. We’ll talk about your progress, review case studies, and share further tools and resources that might help your specific concerns. You’ll get my full 100% attention to work on whatever you need. If we need to go deeper, we’ll hop on a 30 min 1-1 call so you can always move forward.
The Community: During our 3-month partnership, you’ll be a part of the Games Leadership® Blueprint Forums, a safe place for members of our community to share their progress and discuss industry trends.
The Requirements
In regards to your current career we would ask the following:
You are already in an existing Leadership role or about to enter one where you are responsible for other team members. (It’s fine if you are between jobs right now, but you must have held a Senior, Lead, Director, or C-Suite position in the Games Industry).
You are aware and open to the possibility of new structures, practices, or changes that might need to happen in your studio.
You are able to give regular time to join the course and participate in the online materials.
Maybe you are also:
Looking for more support in your Leadership role than you are getting.
Striving for a better balance between managing your team and your creative tasks.
Feeling like a bottleneck for your team and needing solutions to create a healthier studio culture.
Concerned about the risk of burnout due to your role.
Looking for new ideas and ways to lay solid foundations to set your team up for success.
If this sounds like you, Welcome! You are in the right place!
The above criteria are in place to ensure you have the foundations to engage in discussions around Games Leadership at a Senior level. We are keen that the community represents those who already have experience in this area.
If you do not have these foundations in place, then don’t fret - we have a number of alternative Courses, one-off training days and Workshops to keep you busy. Why not try our Quiz to review some of the different opportunities we currently have on offer?
What will all this cost me?
The investment is £1800 (includes VAT) upfront or you can ask about our payment plan options.
OK, so how do I join Games Leadership® Blueprint?
If we’ve already spoken, simply send me a message and I’ll get you set up.
If we’ve not yet spoken, schedule a 15-minute Gameplan Session where we’ll apply the Games Leadership® Blueprint to your business and sense-check if this is the right next step for you.
Much love,
Melissa
Guarantee
Before joining the programme, we will speak 1-1 to ensure that we both feel Games Leadership® Blueprint is the right fit for you.
We also have a ‘Love It or Leave It’ Guarantee. Our plan is for you to love Games Leadership® Blueprint and want to stay for the full 3 months. If, however, you join and it doesn’t feel like the right fit, you can leave after your initial 14-day period and we’ll part as friends.
I have no desire to have anyone on the programme who is not invested, doesn't want to be there, and is not doing the work.
Please see our terms and conditions for further details.