FAQ
Leadership development questions, answered plainly
Last updated: November 2026
What do leaders ask before choosing a leadership development program?
Leaders usually ask what a program covers, who it is for, what it costs, and how it compares with alternatives. CRW Diversity answers those questions here, grouped by topic, based on Celeste Warren's published services, experience, and the Equity in Action Model.
43 questions across 7 topics.
What CRW Diversity offers
What is CRW Diversity?
CRW Diversity is the consulting practice of Celeste Warren, a former Fortune 100 Vice President. She helps organizations strengthen leadership, transform workplace culture, and build systems that give people fair and equitable opportunities to contribute, grow, and succeed. Her work spans executive advisory, leadership and organizational development workshops, and speaking and executive briefings.
What are leadership development programs for companies?
Leadership development programs for companies are structured learning experiences that help leaders improve how they make decisions, lead people, and shape culture. At CRW Diversity, these programs combine practical workshops with the Equity in Action Model, so leaders examine both how they lead and how the organization around them operates.
Who is Celeste Warren?
Celeste Warren is a former Fortune 100 Vice President, TEDx speaker, author, and executive advisor. She spent 28 years at a Fortune 100 company, including a decade as Vice President and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, and has nearly four decades of human resources and organizational leadership experience. She founded Celeste Warren Consulting, LLC.
What services does Celeste Warren offer?
Celeste Warren offers three services. Executive Advisory is a confidential thought partnership for executives. Leadership and Organizational Development covers practical workshops and learning experiences. Speaking and Executive Briefings include keynotes, briefings, and facilitated conversations. Each begins by understanding where the organization is and what may be in its way.
Why does CRW Diversity focus on systems as well as people?
Lasting change requires more than changing people. Celeste Warren asks what within the organization is helping people succeed and what may be getting in their way. Policies, practices, access to opportunity, leadership decisions, and unwritten norms shape culture every day, so her work examines how people lead and how organizations operate.
Is CRW Diversity a DEI consulting firm?
CRW Diversity works on leadership, culture, talent, and fairness, drawing on Celeste Warren’s 10 years leading global diversity and inclusion at a Fortune 100 company. Her approach is practical rather than performative: it centers on the everyday leadership decisions and organizational systems that determine whether people and businesses can thrive.
Does CRW Diversity do organizational culture consulting?
Yes. Transforming workplace culture is one of the three goals of Celeste Warren’s work. Through executive advisory and workshops, she helps leaders examine the policies, practices, unwritten norms, and decisions that shape culture every day, then turn good intentions into deliberate leadership decisions that people can see.
For senior executives
What is executive advisory with Celeste Warren?
Executive advisory is a confidential thought partnership for executives navigating complex leadership, culture, talent, and organizational challenges. Celeste Warren brings the perspective of a former C-suite leader who spent nearly three decades inside a Fortune 100 company, working with executives, managers, and teams around the world.
Who is executive advisory designed for?
Executive advisory is designed for senior executives who are responsible for leadership, culture, and talent outcomes and want a confidential sounding board. It suits leaders facing organizational change, culture concerns, or talent questions where they want practical solutions instead of buzzwords. To confirm fit for your situation, contact Celeste directly.
Is executive advisory confidential?
Yes. CRW Diversity describes its executive advisory as a confidential thought partnership. That matters for senior leaders working through sensitive talent, culture, or organizational decisions. Specific confidentiality terms are set when an engagement is agreed, so ask about them during your first conversation.
What is an executive briefing?
An executive briefing is a focused session for a leadership team or board that challenges leaders to think differently about leadership, culture, systems, and the decisions that shape people’s experiences at work. CRW Diversity offers executive briefings alongside keynotes and facilitated conversations, tailored to where the organization is.
Why work with an advisor who was a corporate executive?
An advisor who has led inside a large company understands the pressures executives face. Celeste Warren spent 28 years at a Fortune 100 company, including a decade as Vice President and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. She calls it experience from inside the room, applied to practical solutions for leaders.
Can executive advisory be combined with workshops?
Yes. Many organizations start with senior leaders and then extend learning to managers. Celeste Warren offers executive advisory, leadership and organizational development workshops, and speaking and executive briefings, so a program can begin with the executive team and continue with workshops or the Equity in Action for Managers mini-modules.
Workshops and inclusive leadership training
What is inclusive leadership training?
Inclusive leadership training teaches leaders to make fair, deliberate decisions so talent, ideas, and perspectives are not overlooked. CRW Diversity teaches it through the Equity in Action Model, which asks leaders to examine their awareness, who has access to opportunity, how they advocate, act, stay accountable for outcomes, and empower people.
What do CRW Diversity workshops cover?
CRW Diversity workshops and learning experiences help leaders strengthen their effectiveness, improve workplace culture, and put fair and inclusive leadership practices into action. Content draws on the Equity in Action Model and on how policies, practices, access to opportunity, and unwritten norms shape people’s experiences at work.
Are the workshops a fit for HR and people leaders?
Yes. HR and people leaders shape the systems the workshops examine: policies, practices, and access to opportunity. Celeste Warren spent nearly four decades in human resources and organizational leadership, so she understands the HR perspective and how to bring line leaders into the conversation.
What inclusive leadership training activities are used?
CRW Diversity learning experiences use reflection questions and practical next steps tied to each element of the Equity in Action Model. The free guide on crwdiversity.com, for example, gives key insights, reflection questions, and simple next steps for all six elements. Exact activities for a workshop are shaped to the organization.
Does inclusive leadership training cover leading with effective communication?
Inclusive leadership depends on how leaders share information and listen. The Access element of the Equity in Action Model asks who has access to information, and Empowerment asks leaders to create conditions for people to use their voices. Both are communication habits leaders can practice daily.
Are workshops in person or virtual?
CRW Diversity has not published a fixed format list for its workshops, and Celeste Warren has spoken at virtual summits such as DIAL Global. The Equity in Action for Managers mini-modules are a self-paced option. Ask about in-person, virtual, or blended delivery when you contact her.
Does Celeste Warren work with organizations outside the United States?
Celeste Warren worked with executives, managers, and teams around the world during her Fortune 100 career, and she has spoken at DIAL Global virtual summits. CRW Diversity does not publish a list of countries it serves, so contact her to confirm availability for your location, including the UK.
The Equity in Action Model and mini-modules
What is the Equity in Action Model?
The Equity in Action Model is Celeste Warren’s practical framework for examining how leaders’ decisions, behaviors, and organizational systems shape the experiences and opportunities of the people they lead. It has six elements: Awareness, Access, Advocacy, Action, Accountability, and Empowerment.
What are the six elements of Equity in Action?
Awareness means understanding how assumptions and patterns influence decisions. Access examines who has information, opportunities, relationships, and resources. Advocacy uses influence so talent is not overlooked. Action turns intentions into deliberate decisions. Accountability looks at outcomes. Empowerment creates conditions for people to contribute, grow, and use their voices.
What is Equity in Action for Managers?
Equity in Action for Managers is a practical learning experience that helps managers recognize where equity shows up in their day-to-day leadership and gives them tools they can put into practice immediately. CRW Diversity describes it as short, practical, and designed for busy leaders, delivered as mini-modules.
Is there a free guide to the Equity in Action Model?
Yes. CRW Diversity offers a free guide titled 6 Practical Ways to Lead More Fairly, Intentionally and Effectively. It is a concise introduction to the Equity in Action Model with key insights, reflection questions, and simple next steps for each of the six elements. It is available on crwdiversity.com.
How is Equity in Action different from one-time awareness training?
Equity in Action focuses on everyday decisions rather than awareness alone. Awareness is only the first of six elements; the model continues through Access, Advocacy, Action, Accountability, and Empowerment. Celeste Warren’s view is that equity becomes real through the decisions leaders make every day, not through belief alone.
What books has Celeste Warren written?
Celeste Warren is the author of The Truth About Equity and How to Be a Diversity and Inclusion Ambassador. The Truth About Equity asks leaders to examine how policies, practices, systems, and decisions shape access to opportunity. The second book guides individuals on their role in creating an engaged, inclusive culture.
Pricing and practical details
How much do CRW Diversity leadership programs cost?
CRW Diversity does not publish prices for executive advisory, workshops, or speaking. Each engagement begins by understanding where your organization is and what you want to accomplish, so scope shapes cost. The fastest way to get a figure is to contact Celeste Warren with your goals, audience size, and timing.
What usually affects the cost of a leadership development program?
Across this kind of consulting, cost usually depends on the number of participants, the number and length of sessions, whether senior executives need individual advisory time, customization, and travel. CRW Diversity has not published its own pricing, so confirm details for your organization by contacting Celeste Warren directly.
How do managers access the Equity in Action mini-modules?
The Equity in Action for Managers mini-modules are offered through a link on crwdiversity.com labeled Explore The Mini-Modules. This site links to the same page from its mini-modules section. Purchase and access details appear there, so review that page or contact CRW Diversity for group access questions.
How long does a leadership development program take?
Length depends on the format. A keynote or executive briefing is a single session, the manager mini-modules are short by design, and executive advisory is an ongoing thought partnership. CRW Diversity does not publish fixed timelines, so expect the schedule to be set after a first conversation about your goals.
How do I contact Celeste Warren?
Use the contact form on crwdiversity.com. Every Talk with Celeste and Contact Celeste Warren button on this site goes to that form. Include whether you are interested in executive advisory, workshops, the manager mini-modules, or speaking, plus your organization and timing, so the first conversation is useful.
How do I book Celeste Warren as a speaker?
Send a speaking or press inquiry through the contact form on crwdiversity.com. Celeste Warren offers keynotes, executive briefings, and facilitated conversations, and she is a TEDx speaker whose talk is titled The Cost of Standing Still. An official bio is available from the main website for event planners.
Compared to alternatives
What are the best executive leadership training programs?
The best executive leadership training program is the one that fits your leaders’ real decisions and your organization’s systems. Common formats include university executive education, large training company catalogs, peer advisory groups, and advisor-led programs such as CRW Diversity. This site’s guide compares them on the same criteria and is published by CRW Diversity.
Should we choose a university executive program or a consultant?
University executive education suits leaders who want broad business content and a cohort from other companies. An advisor-led program such as CRW Diversity suits organizations that want work grounded in their own culture, systems, and decisions. Some companies use both: open enrollment for individuals and an advisor for the leadership team.
How is CRW Diversity different from a large training catalog?
Large training companies offer many standardized courses and can serve big populations quickly. CRW Diversity is led personally by Celeste Warren and centers on the Equity in Action Model and organizational systems. If you need hundreds of off-the-shelf courses, a catalog provider may fit better.
Is a peer advisory group a good alternative to executive advisory?
Peer advisory groups give executives perspective from leaders in other companies, and some ranking pages weight peer community heavily. Executive advisory with Celeste Warren is a confidential one-on-one thought partnership focused on your organization’s leadership, culture, and talent challenges. The right choice depends on whether you want peers or a dedicated advisor.
When is CRW Diversity not the right fit?
CRW Diversity may not fit if you want a credentialed academic certificate, a large self-serve course library, or purely technical management skills training unrelated to culture and fairness. It fits best when leaders want practical help examining decisions and systems that shape people’s opportunities at work.
Does leadership training actually improve performance?
Published research suggests it can. Research.com reports that after leadership training, participants showed a 20% improvement in skill acquisition and a 20% to 28% boost in manager performance metrics, citing Exec Learn (2025) and Gallup (2024). Results depend on whether learning is applied in everyday decisions.
Getting started
What is the first step to work with CRW Diversity?
The first step is a conversation. Celeste Warren’s work begins by understanding where you are, what you are trying to accomplish, and what may be standing in the way. Use the contact form on crwdiversity.com to describe your situation and which service interests you.
What should I prepare before contacting Celeste?
Prepare a short description of the challenge, who is involved (senior executives, managers, HR, or the whole organization), what you have already tried, and your timing. It also helps to note whether you want advisory, workshops, mini-modules, or a speaking engagement.
Can we start small before a full program?
Yes. Smaller starting points include an executive briefing for your leadership team, the free Equity in Action guide, the TEDx talk The Cost of Standing Still, or the short Equity in Action for Managers mini-modules. Each gives leaders a shared language before a larger engagement.
Who publishes this website?
This website is published by CRW Diversity, the consulting practice of Celeste Warren. It is one of a small number of websites CRW Diversity publishes, and it focuses on leadership development workshops and learning experiences. The main business website is crwdiversity.com.