Public Sector EL2-SES Women in Leadership
Upgrade your leadership skills for the Senior Executive Service
Leadership in the upper echelons of the APS involves much more responsibility, higher cognitive capacity, and a deeper alignment between your characteristics and the requirements of the role.
You have made it this far because you have a high potential to fulfill these requirements. As you step up to SES it’s time to recognise that “what got you here won’t get you there.” What are the skills, capabilities, and even habits that might be standing between you and your career progression to the next level?
Compelling, engaging, and hands-on, this unique learning experience will cultivate your professional and personal development to optimise your performance and prepare your leadership at higher levels of the public sector.
You will craft your leadership identity, strengthen your emotional intelligence, confidently communicate with greater influence, and develop key skills for leaders who are setting themselves up to join the upper ranks of the APS.
Your event experience
The support and guidance of an acclaimed expert
Walk away with a toolkit of practical resources, frameworks and tips that you will be able to implement immediately in your role and organisation
Build new connections and a support network of like-minded peers, forging lasting relationships
Kathryn Thomas
Director, KT & Associates
With a global career of more than 20 years as a Management Consultant and Global Learning Leader, Kathryn specialises in unlocking performance for people and their organisations. She has previously worked as an HR Senior Consultant for PriceWaterhouseCoopers and held global and Asia Pacific Leadership roles with IBM Global Business Services. She brings deep expertise in adult learning, facilitation, leading change, and leading with impact.
Kathryn is Director of her own business that focuses on people and performance both within Government and Private Sector. She is an accredited Executive Coach who has a passion for supporting women in leadership to thrive.
Kathryn Thomas
With a global career of more than 20 years as a Management Consultant and Global learning Leader, Kathryn specialises in unlocking performance for people and their organisations. She has previously worked as an HR Senior Consultant for PriceWaterhouseCoopers and held global and Asia Pacific Leadership roles with IBM Global Business Services. She brings deep expertise in adult learning, facilitation, leading change and leading with impact.
Kathryn now is a Director in her own business focussing on people and performance both within Government and Private Sector. She is an accredited Executive Coach who has a passion for supporting women in leadership to thrive.
Benefits of attending
Learn and fine-tune the core skills of an SES leader and exceed your work level
Build an executive presence and communicate with influence
Deepen your authentic leadership style to lead with greater impact
Confidently lead through uncertainty and change
Leverage your networks to influence outside of your authority
Learning with and from, other senior women, sharing challenges and solutions
Who will attend?
Women in leadership from across the Australian Public Sector in EL2 – SES roles.
Agenda
All times are shown in AEDT
Set the scene
Module 1 – TRANSFORMING YOURSELF: Self-leadership: Highly self-aware leaders see themselves from the inside out and deeply know the impact that they have on others
Masterclass overview: set the context, build relationships & trust
- Who’s in the room?
- Sharing leadership challenges
- Why do you lead, and how do you lead?
- How to cultivate the art of followership
- Defining your leadership identity
Morning tea
Unpacking the qualities of self-leadership
- How to develop deeper emotional intelligence
- How do you intentionally develop your leadership competence?
- What impact do you have on others as a leader, and how do you know?
- Are you playing to your strengths?
Group coaching – sharing a leadership challenge
Lunch
Module 2 – TRANSFORMING TEAMS: Leading others: Creating high-performing teams
Setting your team up for high-performance
- Exploring the behaviours of high-performing teams
- How do you intentionally create a culture that will inspire excellence?
Creating inclusive, diverse & psychologically safe workplaces
- Understanding the human element – how do you deliberately build psychological safety on your team and why does it matter
- Collaborative teams solve complex issues – how can you create one?
Afternoon tea
Build your executive presence: How to step up, step in & have the impact you are seeking
- Moving from performance management to performance development
- Are you a strength-based leader?
- How do you create a learning culture and growth mindset?
- Are you leading with a learning orientation?
Group coaching – sharing a leadership challenge
Learning reflection and preparing for the next day
Close of Day One
Set the scene
Module 3 – LEADING FOR THE FUTURE: Leading & transforming: Managing ambiguity & complexity as you influence across your agency
Making the transition from managing to leading across your agency
- When do you manage and when do you lead?
- How can you build your Influence to be persuasive across your agency with your peers and levels above?
- How do you see the whole system and foster collective leadership across your agency?
- Build your influence to be persuasive across your agency
- It’s time to have a point of view and share it with conviction and confidence
Morning tea
Leading through ambiguity & uncertainty
- How do you lead in a dynamic environment?
- What are the critical factors that will drive change and transformation?
- Knowing yourself as an influencer – how to be an astute leader who focuses on what matters most
- How to be your most productive self – ensuring you apply your energy and focus on what matters most every day
Influencing through creating relationships that matter built on deep trust
- Assess the quality of the relationships that matter most and impact your ability to influence across your agency
- How will you deliberately and intentionally build relationships?
Group coaching – sharing a leadership challenge
Lunch
Module 4 – DESIGNING YOUR LEADERSHIP FUTURE: Own and reach your leadership potential
Leading into the future
- Assess the changing role of leadership
- How to be a visionary leader
- How do you build a strategic mindset that allows you to anticipate the future?
- Stepping up to SES – building capability and confidence
Know your career aspirations & strategically plan to achieve them
- How to overcome habits and limiting beliefs as you progress your career
- What are the barriers and enablers you need to manage to progress your career?
Afternoon tea
Create robust habits to build personal resilience
- Why you need routines that support your self-care so you are at your best
- How can you build and maintain resilience?
Group coaching – sharing a leadership challenge
Review, reflect, and plan
Reflect on your key takeaways from the masterclass, ask any final questions and discuss how you will implement your learnings
Close of Masterclass
Canberra CBD
Exact location to be confirmed closer to date
Pricing
Early bird pricing until 10 October
+GST
Early bird pricing
Save $700
Early bird pricing until 31 October
+GST
Early bird pricing
Save $400
Early bird pricing until 21 November
+GST
Early bird pricing
Save $200
+GST
Standard pricing
Bring your colleagues and save!
Groups of 5+ save 10%
Groups of 10+ save 20%
Kathryn Thomas was an excellent presenter and coach. The course was interesting and presented logically, leading to considerable self-reflection and sharing. I could see everyone was engaged in the discussions and group activities.”
Josy Meyer
Director, CWC Implementation Section, Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office, July 2025
Practical, efficient and implementable advice. Made me think about what I could do differently tomorrow.”
Cynthia Yuan
Assistant Director, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, July 2025
Kathryn was an excellent facilitator and shared her knowledge, experiences and humour with us all. A wonderful course!”
Jennifer Clancey
Assistant Director, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, July 2025
Kathryn effortlessly creates a safe learning environment for peers to learn together and encourage one another.”
Jessica Cram
Acting Director - Visitor Engagement, Parliament of Australia, July 2025
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