Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

This Privacy Policy and Terms of Use ("Policy") governs your access to and use of all software products operated by the Connective Leadership Institute ("CLI," "we," "us," or "our"), including:

• CLI Platform — web-based career development and leadership assessment platform
• CLI Mobile App — iOS and Android applications for individual and team use
• CLI Dashboards — organizational analytics and CEO advisory dashboards
• CLI AI Mentor (CLAIM) — AI-powered conversational advisor embedded in the dashboard suite

By accessing or using any CLI product, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by this Policy. If you are accessing the platform on behalf of an organization, you represent that you have the authority to bind that organization to these terms.

This Policy does not apply to third-party websites, services, or applications linked from CLI products, even if accessed through our interface.

2.1 Protected Works

The following materials are protected by United States and international copyright, trademark, and trade secret law:

2.2 License Grant

Subject to your compliance with this Policy and any applicable subscription or enterprise agreement, CLI grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the CLI platform and its instruments solely for your own professional development or, if you are an authorized organizational administrator, for the internal organizational purposes explicitly covered by your enterprise agreement.

2.3 Restrictions

You may not, without CLI's prior written consent:

• Reproduce, copy, distribute, or resell any CLI assessment instrument, scoring rubric, or output report
• Train, fine-tune, or prompt any artificial intelligence model using CLI framework content, assessment items, normative data, or scored output
• Create derivative works based on the Achieving Styles framework, instrument items, or CLI scoring methodology
• Incorporate CLI intellectual property into any competing product, service, platform, or publication
• Reverse-engineer, decompile, or otherwise attempt to extract the CLI scoring algorithms or benchmark databases
• Represent CLI content as your own work or remove CLI copyright notices
• Use CLI assessment data for employment screening, hiring decisions, or performance evaluations without CLI's written certification that the specific use is validated for that purpose

2.4 Academic and Research Use

Researchers, faculty, and doctoral candidates wishing to use CLI instruments for academic purposes must obtain a separate Research License Agreement from CLI. The CLI framework has been the subject of over 180 doctoral dissertations; CLI actively supports legitimate scholarship and will respond to research license inquiries within 10 business days.

3.1 Account & Identity Data

• Name, email address, professional title, and organizational affiliation
• Authentication credentials (stored as irreversible cryptographic hashes; never stored in plaintext)
• Profile preferences, timezone, and language settings

3.2 Assessment & Career Data

• Responses to all CLI instruments (ASI, A-ASI, OASI, A-OASI, ASSET-T, ASSET-P, ASI360, A-ASI360)
• Computed style scores, domain scores, and aspirational gap analysis
• Career history, role descriptions, and career goal data entered in the platform
• 360 rater nominations and rater-submitted perceptions
• Development plan entries, coaching notes, and action item progress

3.3 Organizational & Dashboard Data

• Organizational hierarchy data and team structures uploaded by administrators
• Aggregate OASI and A-OASI scores at team, department, and organizational level
• Financial KPI data manually entered or integrated via API by authorized administrators
• Board packet content, meeting prep materials, and CEO Advisory outputs generated in the dashboard

3.4 Usage & Technical Data

• Browser type, operating system, IP address, and device identifiers
• Pages visited, features used, session duration, and click events
• Error logs and crash reports (anonymized)
• API call logs (metadata only; query content is not retained beyond session processing)

3.5 AI Interaction Data (CLAIM)

• Text queries submitted to the CLI AI Mentor within a session
• AI-generated responses displayed within a session
• Downloaded session transcripts (stored locally on your device only)

See Section 7 for full details on CLAIM data handling.

CLI recognizes that individual Achieving Styles scores, aspirational profiles, and 360-degree feedback data are particularly sensitive. They reveal how a person thinks about their professional identity, their behavioral tendencies under pressure, and how they are perceived by colleagues. We apply heightened protections to this category of data.

5.1 Individual Score Confidentiality

Your individual ASI, A-ASI, ASSET, and ASI360 scores are never disclosed to your employer, manager, or organization without your explicit, separate, informed written consent — even if your employer is the contracting party that purchased the platform license.

Organizational administrators may only access:

• Aggregate team or department-level profiles (minimum group size of five individuals)
• Participation status (completed / not completed) — not individual scores
• Group-level OASI and A-OASI profiles

5.2 Career Data Portability

Your career history, development plan, and assessment history belong to you. Upon request, CLI will provide a complete, machine-readable export of all your individual data within 30 days, at no cost, in a standard format (JSON or PDF).

5.3 Use in Employment Decisions

CLI instruments are validated for professional development and organizational development purposes only. They have not been validated for use as selection tests, hiring filters, performance evaluation tools, or promotion criteria. Any use of CLI assessment data in employment decision-making without CLI's specific written validation certification is a violation of this Policy and may expose the using organization to employment discrimination liability under applicable federal and state law.

5.4 Sensitive Demographic Data

CLI research includes normative data segmented by gender (Robinson & Lipman-Blumen, 2017, n=10,000+). This demographic data is used solely for research benchmarking and to provide contextualized feedback. CLI does not use demographic data to make any automated decisions about individual users.

6.1 Confidential Business Information

The CLI Dashboards are designed to process highly sensitive organizational data, including financial KPIs, merger integration metrics, board presentations, investor relations materials, and executive advisory content. All data entered into or generated within the dashboard environment is treated as confidential business information.

6.2 Data Isolation

Each organizational tenant's data is logically isolated from all other tenants. CLI employees may only access organizational dashboard data with explicit written authorization from the organizational account administrator and only for the purpose of technical support or legal compliance.

6.3 Financial Data

Financial KPI data entered into the dashboards is used solely to generate advisory outputs within your session. CLI does not use customer financial data for any benchmarking, research, or commercial purpose without express written agreement.

6.4 AI-Generated Output

Board packets, CEO Advisory reports, investor relations summaries, and other documents generated by the CLI Dashboard suite or CLAIM are derived from data you provide and CLI's proprietary analytical framework. These outputs are provided as advisory tools only and do not constitute financial, legal, accounting, or investment advice. See Section 14 (Disclaimer of Warranties).

7.1 What CLAIM Knows

CLAIM is provided with a system prompt containing CLI's proprietary framework knowledge, the nine Achieving Styles, all seven CLI assessment instruments, CLI's organizational research base, and contextual data from your current dashboard session (e.g., the active dashboard name and any data you explicitly share in your query). CLAIM does not have access to your individual assessment scores, your personal account information, or your organization's private data unless you explicitly include that information in your typed query.

7.2 Session Data — No Permanent Retention

CLAIM conversation sessions are processed in memory only. CLI does not store CLAIM conversation transcripts on its servers. Anthropic's data retention policies for API calls are governed by Anthropic's own privacy policy and enterprise agreements. When you download a session transcript using the in-app PDF export feature, that transcript is generated and stored locally on your device only.

7.3 AI Limitations

CLAIM is an advisory tool. Its responses reflect the CLI framework and its training data as of the model's knowledge cutoff. CLAIM may make errors, produce outdated information, or misapply the CLI framework in novel situations. CLAIM's output does not constitute professional coaching, therapy, legal advice, financial advice, or medical advice. For certified CLI coaching and certified instrument administration, contact a CLI-certified practitioner at connectiveleadership.com.

7.4 CLAIM and CLI Intellectual Property

The system prompt embedded in CLAIM contains CLI's proprietary framework. You may not attempt to extract, reproduce, or redistribute the CLI system prompt or use CLAIM outputs to reconstruct CLI's proprietary assessment methodology. CLAIM outputs that describe CLI framework concepts remain subject to CLI's intellectual property protections described in Section 2.

7.5 Do Not Submit Sensitive Personal Information to CLAIM

Do not submit to CLAIM: social security numbers, passport or government ID numbers, financial account numbers, health or medical information, or the personal data of third parties who have not consented to its processing. CLI is not responsible for the handling of information you voluntarily include in CLAIM queries beyond CLI's control.

8.1 Service Providers

CLI shares data with carefully selected third-party service providers who process data on our behalf under strict contractual obligations:

• Cloud Hosting: Infrastructure and database hosting (AWS / Google Cloud)
• AI Processing: Anthropic, PBC — query processing for CLAIM only (see Section 7)
• Authentication: Identity and access management provider
• Analytics: Anonymized product usage analytics only

All service providers are prohibited from using your data for their own purposes and must comply with CLI's data protection standards.

8.2 Legal Disclosure

CLI may disclose your data if required by law, court order, regulatory authority, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of CLI, its users, or the public. CLI will notify affected users of any such disclosure to the extent permitted by law.

8.3 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of substantially all of CLI's assets, user data may be transferred to the successor entity. You will be notified by email and/or prominent notice on the CLI platform at least 30 days prior to any such transfer, with the option to request deletion of your data before the transfer takes effect.

8.4 No Sale of Data

CLI does not and will not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to any third party for their independent commercial use, including data brokers, advertisers, or marketing platforms.

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights with respect to your personal data:

10.1 Rights Available to All Users

• Access: Request a copy of all personal data CLI holds about you
• Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data (subject to legal obligations)
• Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Restriction: Request that we restrict processing while a dispute is resolved

10.2 California Residents (CCPA / CPRA)

California residents have additional rights including the right to know the categories and specific pieces of personal information collected, the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information (CLI does not sell or share personal information), and the right to non-discrimination for exercising privacy rights. To exercise California rights, contact us at [email protected] or call our privacy hotline.

10.3 European Residents (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. CLI's legal basis for processing is contract performance (for service delivery) and legitimate interests (for research and security). CLI will respond to data subject requests within 30 days.

10.4 How to Exercise Your Rights

Submit privacy requests to: [email protected]. Include your name, email address, and a description of your request. CLI will verify your identity before processing any request. CLI will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.

CLI implements administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect your data against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These include:

• TLS 1.3 encryption for all data in transit
• AES-256 encryption for data at rest
• Multi-factor authentication for all administrative access
• Regular third-party penetration testing
• Logical tenant isolation for organizational data
• Role-based access controls limiting CLI employee access to user data
• Annual security training for all CLI staff with data access

In the event of a security breach affecting your personal data, CLI will notify affected users within 72 hours of discovery, consistent with applicable law, and will provide a description of the incident, the data affected, and the remediation steps taken.

No security system is impenetrable. CLI cannot guarantee absolute security of your data and encourages users to use strong, unique passwords and to report suspicious activity immediately to [email protected].

The CLI Platform, CLI Mobile App, CLI Dashboards, and CLAIM are professional career and organizational development tools intended exclusively for users aged 18 and older. CLI does not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under 18 years of age.

If CLI becomes aware that it has collected personal information from a user under 18, CLI will promptly delete that information and terminate the associated account. If you believe a minor has created an account or submitted data to CLI, please contact us immediately at [email protected].

You agree to use CLI products solely for lawful purposes and in accordance with this Policy. You may not use CLI products to:

• Violate any applicable local, state, federal, or international law or regulation
• Scrape, harvest, or systematically extract CLI content, assessment items, or database content by automated means
• Circumvent, disable, or interfere with security features of the platform
• Impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation
• Transmit any unsolicited commercial communications
• Introduce any malware, virus, or other harmful code
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any CLI system, account, or database
• Use the platform to discriminate against individuals on the basis of protected characteristics
• Share your account credentials with unauthorized users
• Use CLAIM to generate content that is defamatory, harassing, or violates any third party's rights

Violation of these acceptable use terms may result in immediate suspension or termination of your account, without refund, and may expose you to civil or criminal liability.

THE CLI PLATFORM, CLI MOBILE APP, CLI DASHBOARDS, CLAIM, AND ALL RELATED SERVICES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, CLI DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND ACCURACY.

Specifically and without limitation:

• Assessment Accuracy: CLI assessment results reflect self-reported behavioral preferences at the time of completion. Results may vary with time, context, or life circumstances. CLI does not warrant that any assessment result will accurately predict future performance, career success, leadership effectiveness, or any other outcome.
• AI Output: CLAIM responses are generated by an AI model and may contain errors, omissions, outdated information, or misapplications of the CLI framework. CLAIM output is advisory only and does not constitute professional coaching, therapy, legal, financial, medical, or investment advice.
• Dashboard Analytics: Financial KPI analysis, board packet content, CEO advisory output, and investor relations summaries generated by the CLI Dashboards are analytical tools only. They do not constitute audited financial statements, SEC filings, investment advice, or professional financial opinion.
• Service Availability: CLI does not warrant uninterrupted or error-free access to the platform. Scheduled maintenance, force majeure events, or third-party service failures may result in temporary unavailability.

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL CLI, ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AFFILIATES, LICENSORS, OR SERVICE PROVIDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, GOODWILL, BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO YOUR USE OF, OR INABILITY TO USE, CLI PRODUCTS OR SERVICES.

IN NO EVENT SHALL CLI'S TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS POLICY OR YOUR USE OF CLI PRODUCTS EXCEED THE GREATER OF: (A) THE TOTAL FEES PAID BY YOU TO CLI IN THE TWELVE MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM; OR (B) ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS (USD $100).

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages. In such jurisdictions, CLI's liability shall be limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

This Policy and any dispute arising from your use of CLI products shall be governed by the laws of the State of California, United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to this Policy or CLI products that cannot be resolved informally shall be submitted to binding arbitration administered by JAMS (Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services) under its then-current Streamlined Arbitration Rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in Los Angeles County, California. Judgment on the arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction.

Class Action Waiver: You agree to bring claims against CLI only in your individual capacity and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class action, collective action, or representative proceeding.

Nothing in this section prevents CLI from seeking injunctive or equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to protect its intellectual property rights.

CLI reserves the right to update this Policy at any time. When we make material changes, we will:

• Post the updated Policy at the canonical URL (connectiveleadership.com/privacy)
• Update the "Effective Date" at the top of this document
• Send an email notification to all registered users at least 14 days before the changes take effect
• Display a prominent in-app notice for 30 days following a material change

Your continued use of CLI products after the effective date of any updated Policy constitutes your acceptance of the changes. If you do not agree to any updated Policy, you must discontinue use of CLI products and may request deletion of your account.