Strong leadership plays a vital role in organisations that support vulnerable communities and deliver essential public services. Therefore, the ACT Community Services Directorate (CSD) invested in developing the capability of its current and emerging leaders.

To support this objective, ACT Community Services Directorate (CSD) partnered with Certitude Australia to design and deliver a tailored Advanced Leadership and Management Program. Certitude aligned the program to CSD’s values, strategic priorities and operating environment. As a result, participants received leadership development that directly reflected the challenges they faced in their workplaces.

Furthermore, the program combined workshops, coaching, mentoring and workplace activities. This blended approach helped participants strengthen leadership behaviours and apply new skills immediately.

Understanding the Leadership Challenge

The ACT Community Services Directorate (CSD) delivers services across housing, domestic and family violence support, children and youth services, disability support and community development programs. Consequently, leaders must manage complex operational environments while maintaining a strong focus on people, wellbeing and community outcomes.

CSD recognised an opportunity to further strengthen leadership capability across its management cohort. However, the Directorate wanted more than a traditional management course. It required a program that developed practical leadership skills, emotional intelligence, coaching capability and the ability to lead through change.

In addition, CSD wanted the learning experience aligned with its organisational values, behaviours and capability framework. This alignment would help participants translate learning into meaningful behavioural change within their teams.

Designing a Bespoke Leadership Development Program

Certitude worked closely with CSD stakeholders to co-design a customised leadership development program. Rather than adopting an off-the-shelf solution, Certitude tailored the program to the Directorate’s unique culture, strategic priorities and leadership expectations.

The program incorporated the internationally recognised 70:20:10 learning model. Consequently, participants learned through a combination of formal development activities, peer collaboration and workplace application.

Leadership Topics

The Advanced Leadership and Management Program explored a range of contemporary leadership topics, including:

• Leadership principles and characteristics.
• Emotional intelligence and self-awareness.
• Leading versus managing.
• Strategic thinking and leadership.
• Leading change and communicating with influence.
• Building high-performing teams.
• Coaching and mentoring.
• Accountability and performance leadership.
• Diversity and inclusive leadership.
• Personal leadership development planning.

Leadership Outcomes

The program established a structured pathway for leadership development across the Directorate. More importantly, it helped participants strengthen practical leadership skills that could be applied immediately in a government workplace environment.

Key outcomes included:

• Increased leadership capability amongst current and emerging leaders.
• Greater understanding of emotional intelligence and leadership behaviours.
• Improved confidence when leading teams and managing change.
• Strong alignment between leadership development and organisational values.
• Enhanced collaboration through peer learning networks and leadership syndicates.
• Practical workplace application supported by coaching and mentoring.

Furthermore, participants left the program with leadership development plans, expanded professional networks and practical tools that supported continued growth beyond the formal learning experience.

Building Leadership Capability Across Government

Certitude Australia specialises in leadership development, management training, coaching programs and workforce capability uplift across government, Defence and industry. We work closely with clients to create customised leadership programs that reflect their values, strategic objectives and workplace realities.

By combining evidence-based leadership practices with practical workplace application, Certitude helps organisations build capable, confident and adaptable leaders. Consequently, organisations gain stronger leadership capability, improved team performance and greater organisational resilience.