Leadership Development in Barrie and Simcoe County: Executive Training Delivered by Arrangement From Ajax
Owners in Barrie ask me the same thing owners in Oshawa ask, with one extra question at the end: "and will you actually come up here?" The answer is yes, by arrangement, and this page explains exactly what that means before you spend a call finding out.
It also explains why I think the next few years are the wrong time for a Simcoe County employer to leave leadership development to chance.
Direct answer: Leadership development Barrie and Simcoe County employers can book from Gurley Leadership Solutions is the same in-person program I run in Durham Region: an online personality and aptitude assessment with a full report, then two-hour sessions every two weeks for four to six months at your facility, delivered by arrangement from my base in Ajax. Barrie is beyond my home service area, so we agree the schedule and the number of leaders on a 15-minute call before anything starts.
Does Gurley Leadership Solutions Serve Barrie and Simcoe County?
Yes. Barrie and Simcoe County are served by arrangement: I deliver the same in-person program I run in Durham Region, and the travel is planned into the schedule rather than squeezed around it.
I will not pretend Barrie is around the corner. My office is in Ajax, and Durham Region is my home service area, where I am in client buildings every two weeks. For Barrie, Innisfil, Orillia, Bradford, Collingwood and the rest of Simcoe County, we set the session calendar on the first call so that each two-hour session is worth the drive for both of us.
Some clients choose a hybrid rhythm, with in-person sessions at the plant and the shorter check-ins by phone. Both work, as long as the practice between sessions does not slip.
| Area | Communities | How I deliver |
|---|---|---|
| Durham Region | Ajax, Pickering, Whitby, Oshawa, Clarington, Uxbridge | In person, at your facility (home region) |
| Greater Toronto Area | Toronto, Markham, Vaughan, Mississauga and surrounding cities | In person, at your facility |
| Barrie and Simcoe County | Barrie, Innisfil, Orillia, Bradford, Collingwood, Midland | In person by arrangement, or hybrid |
| Beyond | Peterborough, Hamilton, Central Ontario | By arrangement |
Service areas as published on gurleyleadershipsolutions.com; Simcoe County communities listed are the ones employers ask about most.
Why Does Leadership Development Matter for Barrie Employers Right Now?
Because Simcoe County is growing faster than its supply of experienced managers, and the employers that develop supervisors from within will keep the people the others are about to compete for.
The numbers are public. Simcoe County Economic Development reports about 23,000 manufacturing employees, 14 per cent of the labour force, and forecasts population growth of 49.6 per cent by 2041, with Honda of Canada Mfg. among the sector leaders it names.
Barrie itself grew to 147,829 people in the 2021 census, up 4.5 per cent in five years. And in May 2026 the City of Barrie unveiled a $50 million incentive to fast-track defence investment, with the Greater Barrie Chamber of Commerce saying Barrie and Simcoe County have a real opportunity to contribute to Canada's defence industrial base.
Every one of those new plants and expansions needs front-line supervisors and mid-level managers who can run a shift, hold a standard and keep people. Georgian College's Barrie campus turns out skilled trades graduates each year, but a trades ticket does not make someone a leader. That gap is what I work on.
What Does the Program Look Like for a Simcoe County Employer?
The program is an assessment, then two-hour in-person sessions every two weeks for four to six months, with a goal each leader works on between sessions and reports on at the next one.
I deliver Leadership Management International programs, which is the format behind every table on this page. Each leader gets a binder for the module, an audio app for the drive along Highway 400, hands-on exercises and real cases from your own business. The owner and I set the goals before day one, so by the end we can say whether it worked in numbers, not impressions.
| What Barrie owners tell me | What the program works on | What you should measure |
|---|---|---|
| "My supervisors are great operators but avoid hard conversations" | Communication, accountability, leading the shift without doing every job | Issues resolved on the floor, not escalated |
| "Everything still comes to me" | Goal setting, delegation, time and priorities | Decisions the owner no longer makes |
| "We cannot keep good people" | Engagement, recognition, developing others | Turnover and time to fill |
| "We are expanding and I have no bench" | Identifying and growing the next layer of leaders | Internal promotions ready on time |
Typical owner concerns and the modules that address them; the measures are agreed with each client at the start.
What Results Can a Barrie Employer Expect?
Expect two or three changed habits per leader within the first 90 days and a measured result against the goals set at the start, with the second half of the program locking the change in.
The reason leadership development pays back so quickly is that managers drive most of what a workforce feels. Gallup found that managers account for at least 70 per cent of the variance in employee engagement across business units. Change how a supervisor runs the week and the whole crew notices within a quarter.
Client result: The Shandex Group in Pickering put its executive team through the program in 2025 and followed with a 2026 Effective Leadership Development cohort of 16 managers alongside CEO Jennifer Shannon. The client's own description is that the program pays for itself 10x over. That is their report, not a guarantee, and I do not yet have a Barrie client to point to; the format in Simcoe County is identical.
In my 35+ years in senior executive roles at Honeywell, Johnson Controls and Armstrong Fluid Technology, the plants that grew without losing their culture were the ones that developed supervisors before the expansion, not after. With the growth Simcoe County is planning for, that order matters.
The honest caveat: Barrie is outside my home region, so a single leader who needs the basics is usually better served by a local public course than by my driving up for one person. The program makes sense when several leaders need to change how they lead and the owner wants the result measured. A 15-minute call will tell you honestly which you need.
How Does This Compare With National Leadership Programs?
National programs run strong public courses in and around Barrie, and an in-person program at your own facility adds the practice and follow-through between sessions.
The Dale Carnegie Course sets out to help learners energize and engage listeners and persuade people to act, and FranklinCovey's 6 Critical Practices for Leading a Team notes that organizations often expect new leaders to achieve results without dedicated training and development. Both are respected names with global reach. For Barrie and Simcoe County employers who want customized, local and measurable results, my approach is the better fit: the sessions happen in your building, the goals are yours, and I track the change against them. You can read about my background and why employers choose Gurley Leadership Solutions.
How Does a Barrie Employer Get Started With Leadership Development?
Getting started is a short, fixed sequence: a 15-minute call, an assessment, agreed goals, then the sessions. Nothing is booked for Barrie or Simcoe County until the schedule and the number of leaders are confirmed on that first call, because the drive from Ajax is planned into the program rather than added to it afterwards.
- Step 1: the 15-minute call. You tell me how many leaders you have in mind, what is not working on the floor, and when the plant can free people for two hours every two weeks. I tell you plainly whether leadership development in Barrie makes sense for your situation, or whether a local public course would serve one person better.
- Step 2: the assessment. Each leader completes an attitude assessment and receives a full report. The owner and I read the reports together before day one, so the program starts from what each supervisor actually does, not from a generic syllabus.
- Step 3: goals and measures. We agree what success looks like in numbers before the first session: turnover, time to fill, issues resolved on the floor instead of escalated, or decisions the owner no longer makes. Those measures are the ones we check at the end.
- Step 4: the sessions. Two-hour sessions every two weeks for four to six months, in person at your facility by arrangement, or in the hybrid rhythm with the shorter check-ins by phone. Every leader leaves each session with one goal to practise before the next one.
- Step 5: the review. At the end we compare the measures against the goals set at the start, so the owner can say whether it worked in numbers rather than impressions.
Before the call, it helps to have three things ready: the number of supervisors and managers who would take part, the one or two concerns from the table above that describe your plant, and the measure you would most like to see move within 90 days. Owners who arrive with those three answers usually get a clear yes or no on the same call.
Two practical notes for Simcoe County employers. First, the program is built for groups: if only one person needs the basics, a public course in Barrie is the better use of your money, and I will say so. Second, because Barrie is served by arrangement, I prefer to set the full four-to-six-month calendar on the first call so the sessions land on fixed dates and the practice between them does not slip. That is the part of the program that makes the change hold, and it is the part a long drive is most likely to erode if the dates are left loose.
What Is the Bottom Line on Leadership Development in Barrie?
If you run a growing operation in Barrie or Simcoe County and have more than one leader to develop, an in-person program delivered by arrangement from Ajax is a practical option, and the first call will tell you whether the schedule works.
- Choose a local public course if one person needs awareness-level basics.
- Choose a self-paced online program if budget is the only constraint and nobody will measure behaviour change.
- Choose an in-person program with Gurley Leadership Solutions if several leaders need to change how they lead, you are growing, and you want the result measured.
I deliver Leadership Management International programs in person across Durham Region and the Greater Toronto Area, and by arrangement in Barrie, Simcoe County and Central Ontario. Clients such as SinaLite and AGF-Rebar have reported a return above the 10:1 target set at the start.
Growing in Barrie or Simcoe County and Short on Leaders?
A 15-minute call with Malcolm Gurley is enough to confirm the schedule, which leaders would start, and what you would measure.
416.669.7644 · Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM · Ask about government funding options when you book your call.
Book a 15-Minute CallWhat Do Barrie Employers Ask About Leadership Development?
What is leadership development?
Leadership development is a structured program that changes how managers and supervisors lead, rather than a one-day course that explains leadership. It combines an assessment, short sessions spread over months, practice between sessions and measurement against goals set at the start. The aim is a change in behaviour that shows up in turnover, output and the decisions the owner no longer has to make.
What is executive leadership training?
Executive leadership training develops the owner, president or senior team rather than front-line supervisors. It focuses on strategy, accountability, developing the next layer of leaders and running the business by numbers. Gurley Leadership Solutions runs it as an in-person program of two-hour sessions every two weeks for four to six months, using Leadership Management International materials.
Is leadership training worth it?
It is worth it when several leaders need to change how they lead and the result is measured; it is rarely worth it as a single workshop with no follow-up. Clients of Gurley Leadership Solutions such as SinaLite and AGF-Rebar have reported a return above the 10:1 target set at the start of their programs. Those are client reports, not a guarantee.
How long does a leadership development program take?
A Gurley Leadership Solutions program runs four to six months, with two-hour sessions every two weeks. Most leaders show two or three changed habits and a first measured result within about 90 days; the second half of the program is what makes the change hold.
Who provides leadership development in Barrie and Simcoe County?
Gurley Leadership Solutions in Ajax, Ontario, led by Malcolm Gurley, delivers leadership development Barrie and Simcoe County employers can book by arrangement, in person at their facility. Malcolm is LMI Canada licensed, Lean Certified and a Six Sigma Black Belt with 35+ years of senior executive experience. Call 416.669.7644.
Malcolm Gurley brings 35+ years of senior executive experience with Honeywell, Johnson Controls and Armstrong Fluid Technology. He is LMI Canada licensed, Lean Certified and a Six Sigma Black Belt, a member of the Ajax Pickering Board of Trade, and delivers Leadership Management International programs in person across Durham Region and the Greater Toronto Area from Ajax, Ontario, and by arrangement in Barrie and Simcoe County. Local figures on this page were checked against Simcoe County Economic Development and City of Barrie sources on November 3, 2026. Frequently asked questions
Sources and References
- Simcoe County Economic Development Office, Manufacturing sector page (edo.simcoe.ca)
- City of Barrie, Barrie unveils $50 million incentive to fast-track defence investment, May 28, 2026 (barrie.ca)
- BarrieToday, Census data provides snapshot of Barrie growth, reporting Statistics Canada 2021 Census figures (barrietoday.com)
- Gallup, Managers Account for 70% of Variance in Employee Engagement (gallup.com)
- Dale Carnegie, The Dale Carnegie Course (dalecarnegie.com)
- FranklinCovey, 6 Critical Practices for Leading a Team (franklincovey.com)
- Malcolm Gurley, public LinkedIn post on the Shandex Group engagement (linkedin.com)
- Gurley Leadership Solutions published testimonials and service area page (gurleyleadershipsolutions.com)
