Accelerate your leadership with ANZSOG’s new Foundations of Public Leadership program

Public sector leadership positions are becoming increasingly demanding, and with middle and operational managers having greater responsibility early in their careers, a greater need exists to fast-track their leadership capabilities. 

ANZSOG’s Foundations of Public Leadership (FPL) is an immersive program tailored for senior officers and early-stage executives and managers, led by organisational psychologist Dr Paul Atkins, which will deliver leadership strategies and practical toolkits to accelerate leaders’ growth and impact.  

The program is designed for a those new to leadership, or who are preparing to step up to more senior leadership roles. It will give learners the skills and frameworks they need to lead teams and drive change in their complex, evolving public sector environments.   

The FPL program is a new program that builds on and extends the Emerging Leaders Program, which was also led by Dr Atkins, and the 2026 delivery will combine a three-day Melbourne residential intensive from 30 March – 1 April with high-quality online learning. 

Dr Atkins will be joined by guest presenters Dr Jill Charker, Deputy Coordinator General for Resilience and Recovery at the National Emergency Management Agency, and Jason Ardler PSM a Yuin man and co-founder of Aboriginal-owned consultancy Thirriwirri and former leader of Aboriginal Affairs NSW. Learners will also benefit from engaging with a range of guest presenters who are experts in their respective fields. 

Dr Atkins says that ‘leadership ‘is not a position, it’s a behaviour’ and that good leaders are able to create a sense of shared purpose that inspires people to tackle tough challenges together. 

Kate Baker, manager of the office of the Queensland Mine Rehabilitation Commissioner,  was part of the 2025 cohort of ANZSOG’s Emerging Leaders Program, and says that she undertook the program to challenge her leadership skills and develop new capabilities she could take back to the team of seven people that she leads. 

“I really loved the program, and I found all the sections and guest speakers incredibly informative,” she said. 

“Paul has got a wealth of knowledge and experience that he can apply. His facilitation style is different to other courses that I’ve been on, it’s a lot more adaptable and about sharing experiences, which meant everybody got so much more out of the program.” 

“I found the value of the program was that it looked at leadership from a soft skills and people-focused perspective rather than just a checklist of what you do,” she said. 

“Having good leaders that are upskilled in that soft skill approach is such an important thing. Some people do have it but it it’s rare and it’s something that I think absolutely should be highlighted as a missing piece across government. 

Leading with purpose, and creating a high-performance culture

Dr Atkins is an organisational psychologist and co-founder of not-for-profit ProSocial World, who helps leaders apply ethical influence, build trust, and lead with purpose in high-stakes environments.  

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.  

 He will take participants through ProSocial’s eight core design principles which are based on research about what drives successful collaboration.  

Further modules cover issues facing emerging leaders including: how to have purposeful conversations, psychological adaptability, and creating shared purpose and identity in teams.  

Ms Baker said the program had made her more aware of her own leadership, and more effective at managing people. 

“One of the things that really stuck out for me was about having challenging conversations – which is something I’ve always prepped for, because it can be difficult. Paul gave us a fantastic framework for giving the person we’re talking to a little bit more control, and looking at it from their perspective, in a way that I’d never even considered before. It was like ‘Wow I can just pick this up and use it tomorrow!’”. 

“I’m using other frameworks from the program too. Things like being able to take that ‘balcony view’ or thinking about why I’m putting off x, y or z. It feels like I have a greater understanding of myself, my drivers and my blockers, which makes me more aware of when I should choose a different path.” 

Ms Baker said that the experience of doing a face-to-face intensive with a varied cohort was a big part of the value of the program. 

“I also learned an equal amount from the conversations I had with other participants around what challenges they were going through, how they were approaching them and using that peer network to bounce things off each other.” 

“You get to see all their different perspectives and experiences but, in the end, it all comes down to the person and the people that you’re dealing with, and getting to know those people as unique individuals to have the best rapport with them.” 

As with all ANZSOG programs, the content is designed to be applied to real workplace challenges, and provide insights into participants’ daily work. In addition, the cohort from across Australia and Aotearoa will provide a valuable source of support during and after the program. 

FPL will provide participants with the capability to lead more effectively by exploring:

Personal Power: Critically evaluate and apply strategies for exercising influence ethically and effectively within a public sector leadership context.  

Effective Communication: Apply advanced communication skills for building trust, managing conflict constructively, and enhancing individual and team performance.  

Ethical and Critical Use of AI: Develop the capability to use emerging AI tools ethically and critically, applying systems and critical thinking to evaluate outputs and enhance leadership decision-making in complex public sector contexts. 

First Nations and Māori’ Perspectives: Analyse leadership principles through First Nations and Māori perspectives to develop inclusive, system-aware approaches to leadership and decision-making.  

Confident and Resilient Leadership: Develop and apply self-leadership practices that enhance resilience, emotional regulation, and sustained performance under pressure.  

Team Alignment: Design and implement strategies to align teams with organisational purpose, foster high performance, and lead through complexity and change. 

The 2026 Foundations of Public Leadership program is now open for registrations. It will be delivered in a blended format over three weeks, combining a three-day in-person residential workshop with two online synchronous sessions. 

Program schedule: 

• Orientation: 23 March 2026 (Online)
• Module 1: 30 March – 1 April 2026 (In-person)
• Module 2: 20 April 2026 (Online)
• Module 3: 27 April 2026 (Online)

For more information visit the program webpage or Book a 1:1 Consultation to speak directly with a member of our team.