Overview

For public servants with the ambition to lead – and the drive to be strategic about it.

You got here because you were excellent at the work. Now the job is bigger – and the skills that got you here are not quite the same ones that will get you to what's next.

This program is built for that gap. Not abstract leadership theory. Practical frameworks for the situations you are already navigating: influencing decisions above your pay grade, building a team that performs without you doing everything yourself, making the case for the next level – and knowing, with confidence, that you are ready for it.

Two formats. Same program. Three weeks in Sydney with a residential cohort, or six weeks online from anywhere in Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand. You choose what works for you.

Your Learning

Have the right conversations

Learn practical frameworks for difficult conversations – with your team, your peers and the leaders above you. Influence without authority. Manage conflict before it manages you.

Lead people, not just tasks

Make the shift from technical expert to people leader. Build the self-awareness to understand your impact on others and the tools to guide high-performing teams through complexity and competing priorities.

Work on your leadership experiment, not a hypothetical

Throughout the program you work on a live leadership challenge you're currently facing. You leave with a practical plan – shaped by peer feedback and expert facilitation – that you can act on immediately.

Lead with a broader lens

Draw on First Nations and Māori perspectives to develop a more systemic, inclusive and culturally aware approach to leadership. Understand what it means to lead for the public good – not just for your team.

Stay calm under pressure

Develop the resilience and self-regulation to lead well when the pressure is on. Find the emotional tools to sustain your performance and perspective – through the demands of public sector leadership.

What Alumni Say

Insights from participants across the region.

For many emerging leaders, the program has been a turning point, giving them the perspective and confidence to lead differently.

“

Paul has got a wealth of knowledge and experience that he can apply. His facilitation style is adaptable and about sharing experiences, which meant everybody got so much more out of the program.
Kate BakerManager, Office of the Queensland Mine Rehabilitation Commissioner

Key People

Faculty & Presesnters

Dr Paul Atkins (Program director)

Co-founder of Prosocial World, Paul is an organisational psychologist who helps leaders apply ethical influence, build trust, and lead with purpose in high-stakes environments. His work blends psychological science, mindfulness, and values-based leadership to enhance resilience, communication, and well-being. Using the Prosocial model, he supports teams – from UN agencies to government departments – in fostering alignment and cooperation under pressure. His practical frameworks empower leaders to navigate conflict, hold high-impact conversations, and sustain personal effectiveness while driving positive outcomes for individuals, teams, and organisations.

Dr Jill Charker (Guest presenter)

Deputy Coordinator General for Resilience and Recovery at the National Emergency Management Agency, Jill brings extensive leadership experience from senior roles across the Commonwealth, including Deputy Secretary positions in employment, immigration, and human services. A former CEO of ComSuper and junior partner at McKinsey & Company, Jill is known for her strategic insight and ability to lead complex reform across public institutions.

Who It's For

Who this program is for.

Middle and senior managers in Australian and New Zealand public sector organisations.

Grow the skills needed for effective leadership.

Foundations of Public Leadership is designed for senior officers, team leaders, assistant directors and equivalent roles. If you are at APS5, APS6 or EL1 – or a state, territory or New Zealand equivalent – this program is designed for your career stage.

This program is for you if any of these situations sound familiar:

You are ready for the next level and want a clear path to get there.
You are leading people and you want to do it with more confidence and less guesswork.
You want to influence decisions above your pay grade, not just implement them.
You are already doing the work – you want the frameworks to do it better.
You want to have the hard conversations well, not avoid them.

Program highlights

Frameworks you can use on Monday

Every module is grounded in real public sector situations. You will leave each session with something you can apply immediately.

Peers who understand your world

Your cohort is made up of people at the same career stage, from across Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand jurisdictions, dealing with the same pressures.

Conduct your own leadership experiment

Throughout the program you work on a real leadership challenge and experiment from your own role – not a case study, not a hypothetical. You leave with a practical plan shaped by peer feedback and expert facilitation that you can act on straight away.

A lens that makes you a better public servant

First Nations and Māori perspectives are woven through the program – not a standalone module, but integral to how we think about leadership, purpose and public value.

Program Structure

Two formats. One program.

Foundations of Public Leadership runs in two formats in the second half of 2026. Same curriculum. Same faculty. Same rigour. Choose the format that works for where you are and how you work.

Sydney - Blended with Residential

Overview of program

A blended format combining a three-day in-person residential workshop in Sydney with online sessions before and after. The residential is where the cohort forms – three immersive days with peers and facilitators that create the kind of relationships and shared experience that online alone cannot replicate.

The residential

Three days in Sydney. Facilitated by Dr Paul Atkins. Open discussion, coaching triads, real-work application and guest practitioners who have led at the level you are working toward.

Online sessions

An orientation session before the residential to establish the cohort and frame the experience. Two online sessions after to help you integrate and apply what you have learned back in your role.

Your leadership challenge

From the first session, you work on a real leadership challenge from your own role. In the final session, you bring that work together – with peer feedback to sharpen it – and leave with a practical plan you can act on immediately.

Modules and key dates

Orientation: 1 September 2026 (online)
Module 1 – Residential: 8–10 September 2026 (in-person, Sydney)
Module 2: 24 September 2026 (online)
Module 3: 1 October 2026 (online)

Online

Overview of program

A fully online format across six weeks – no travel, no time away from the office. Six live two-hour sessions with your cohort, supported by around three hours of structured work each week. Designed for public servants across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand who want the same rigorous ANZSOG learning experience without needing to be in a particular city.

Weekly live sessions – not self-paced

Each two-hour session is live, facilitated by Dr Paul Atkins, with real discussion, peer breakouts and guest practitioners. Not pre-recorded. Not self-paced. Live learning with your cohort, every week.

Peer pods that persist

Groups of three to four participants stay together across all six weeks – sharing challenges, giving feedback and building the peer relationships that residential participants build in person. Deliberately designed. Not assumed.

Your leadership challenge

From Module 1, you work on a real leadership challenge from your own role. Each session and peer pod work helps you develop and refine it. In Module 6, you bring it together – with peer feedback – and leave with a practical plan you can act on immediately.

Session dates

Module 1: Wednesday 4 November 2026, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm AEDT
Module 2: Thursday 12 November 2026, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm AEDT
Module 3: Wednesday 18 November 2026, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm AEDT
Module 4: Wednesday 25 November 2026, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm AEDT
Module 5: Wednesday 2 December 2026, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm AEDT
Module 6: Wednesday 9 December 2026, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm AEDT

How the learning works.

Immediately applicable

Every session is built around real situations – not hypothetical scenarios. You will work on challenges you are currently facing, with frameworks you can apply the following week.

Peers who make it real

Your cohort is drawn from across Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand jurisdictions – different agencies, different contexts, same career stage and same pressures. The peer learning that happens between participants is often what people remember most.

Faculty who have done it

Dr Paul Atkins brings organisational psychology and the Prosocial model to the core curriculum. Guest practitioners including Dr Jill Charker bring the practitioner perspective that academic content alone cannot provide.

A lens that changes how you see your role

First Nations and Māori perspectives are woven through the curriculum from the start – shaping how we think about leadership, inclusion, public value and what it means to serve.

How to Apply

Ready to join the program?

Submit a formal application outlining your leadership experience and motivation for joining the program. Applications are reviewed promptly and you will receive a decision within two business days.

Not sure which format is right for you? Book a conversation with our Learner Services team.

Book 1:1 Consultation

Apply for Sydney

Blended with residential | 8 September – 1 October 2026 | $9,800 incl. GST

Apply Now

Apply for Online

Fully online | 4 November – 9 December 2026 | $9,800 incl. GST

Apply Now

ANZSOG

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We acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Traditional Owners, Custodians and First Nations of Australia, and Māori as tangata whenua and Treaty of Waitangi partners in Aotearoa New Zealand. This website may contain names, images and voices of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Foundations of Public Leadership

Overview