Serving the Mid Atlantic Region
rbourn@downsetlead.com
We believe that

Leadership is The Ultimate Team Sport

We equip leaders and organizations with the tools to play — and win — at the highest level.

How We help
FAQ

You’ve led your team through wins and challenges, but now you’re looking for that next step to elevate your game—and theirs.

Leadership is about more than managing challenges—it’s about embracing opportunities to grow and inspire. Together, we work to help you navigate complexity, elevate your leadership, and make time for what matters most.

"Rod Bourn is a dynamic and creative thinker in his approach to working with businesses and organizations. As a community leader, he consistently seeks opportunities to engage in workforce issues and has a unique skill-set in focusing on communication and soft skills training. He is well known in Harford County and the northeastern Maryland region for his ability to lead efforts that have real impact for employers."

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Denise Carnaggio
Client
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We are known for

Experiential Learning That Transforms Leadership.

At Down Set Lead, we specialize in hands-on, impactful programs that redefine how leadership and team-building are taught. By tying historical insights, team challenges, and personalized coaching to real-world business scenarios, we help leaders and teams grow in ways they never thought possible. Each program is designed to meet your unique goals, blending fun, education, and actionable takeaways.

OUR PROGRAMS
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"Rod did an incredible job of pulling together a training program to help our management staff as we implement a telecommuting program. Rod did a great job of engaging the team throughout the training and really had them thinking about their role in the success of this effort. Thanks Rod…"

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Patrick Gagen
SPHR, SHRM-SCP, HR Director at Harford Mutual Insurance Company

Signature Programs Include:

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Leadership in the Battlefield
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The Amazing
Challenge
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In-House
Mentoring
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Popcorn
Mastermind
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Discover how our networking insights create impactful connections and opportunities for growth

"Rod is a wonderful trainer! He thoroughly researches his presentation topic and delivers a valuable message with enthusiasm. I always enjoy working on projects with Rod as he is a true professional."

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Angela Rose
President & CEO at Harford County Chamber of Commerce
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Meet Our Founder

Rod Bourn

Speaker, entrepreneur, and Lead Ninja of Down Set Lead, Rod Bourn works with top organizations to bring out their best. With his background in HR and organizational Development, Rod excels at identifying root cause issues plaguing the workplace. With his strategic training, leadership experience and sense of humor, he’ll guide your team out of the woods while teaching precise tactics to make a change for the better.
more About us

"Rod possesses strong leadership and business acumen. He demonstrates and applies critical thinking for business issues and challenges. He also understands the economic, global and workforce dynamics impacting today’s businesses. He can identify trends before they become evident. He is aware of the importance of emotional intelligence and the art of effective communications. His networking skills differentiate himself from most business professionals. Rod is a strong communicator who can think on his feet and respond to a wide variety of situations."

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David Litterello
Business Intelligence at Siemens Healthcare
Let’s build your winning strategy together.

Elevate Your Leadership

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Our Partners in Success

Trusted by Top Organizations

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"Rod is a dynamic presenter who keeps his audience engaged; deep in reflective thought or with bursts of laughter.

In advance of his presentation, “Thriving Through Change,” Rod visited our organization, reviewed our strategic plan, our vision and mission and met with several key employees. As a result, the information he presented was relevant, timely and left attendees with action items that complement where we are as a unit and provided guidance for future endeavors."

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‍Paula Langley
Circulation Department Manager, University of Maryland Baltimore County

"Rod was instrumental in helping to plan and facilitate a Training/Strategy Workshop for a diverse group of Harford County’s water & sewer utility leaders.

We held the workshop with leaders at all levels from our Operations, Maintenance, and Engineering and Planning groups. Rod tailored a day-long program to both train and workshop (SWOT assessment; 9-Box exercise) important concepts to help grow our leaders, and to equip them with tools to support our strategic direction. I am grateful for Rod’s value-adding participation in this successful event!"

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William (Bill) Bettin
P.E., Deputy Director, Harford County Government | Water Infrastructure & Technology | Water Engineering | Environmental

"Are you looking for a terrific workshop facilitator or a conference speaker? I can heartily recommend Rod Bourn for both roles.

Rod served as the facilitator for Library Planning Day for Harford Community College Library for four of the past nine years and did an outstanding job. He worked closely with me to understand my goals for the day and to structure our agenda in a way that helped us achieve the goals. He has been especially helpful in pointing out how group dynamics work and in developing approaches that maximized the engagement of the team. He always received great ratings from the staff on our post-event feedback forms. He also facilitated an excellent team development workshop for the combined staff of the HCC Library and the HCC eLearning department.

Recently, Rod delivered a top-notch keynote address at the daylong annual meeting of the Congress of Academic Library Directors – a consortium of the library directors at all the two-year and four-year colleges and universities in Maryland. The theme was on ways for leaders to maximize their leadership potential through the more human-focused aspects of leadership. In his usual upbeat manner, Rod managed to convey a lot of wisdom and food for thought.

I also have had the pleasure of working with Rod in the Harford Leadership Academy, where he has consistently helped each year’s class connect and develop their network connections and their leadership potential."

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Carol Allen
Library director at Harford Community College
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