Leading Forward
Purpose. Direction. Impact
Leadership isn’t about doing more. It’s about knowing where you’re going.
A one-day leadership development program for established educational leaders ready to move beyond managing the present and lead what comes next.
Educational leadership can quickly become consumed by meetings, competing priorities, immediate problems and the needs directly in front of you.
Leading Forward creates the space to step back and consider the bigger contribution your leadership role requires.
Throughout this practical and reflective program, you will clarify what you want your leadership to be known for, establish a stronger direction for your team and identify the actions that will create meaningful impact within your school.
You will leave with a practical framework and an individual Leadership Action Plan that you can begin applying immediately.
Create Direction. Inspire Action. Make an Impact.
Are You Leading the Work – or Shaping What Comes Next?
Educational leaders are often promoted because they are capable, dependable and highly effective. Yet the habits that helped them succeed in previous roles do not always prepare them for the broader leadership their new position requires.
As responsibilities increase, it is easy to remain focused on operational tasks, immediate concerns and solving problems for others. While this work is necessary, leadership requires something more.
Leaders need to lift their perspective, understand what matters most and provide a clear sense of direction for the people they lead.
Leading Forward helps educational leaders move from reacting to leading. It provides the space, structure and practical tools to examine how they are currently leading and what their team and school need from them next.
What Will You Gain from the Program?
Leading Forward is not about adding more to your workload. It is about becoming clearer about what deserves your leadership attention.
By the end of the program, participants will be able to:
Articulate the leadership identity and contribution their role requires
Establish a clearer educational focus and direction for their team
Align their priorities, conversations and use of time with that direction
Develop a practical plan for creating and demonstrating greater impact
Participants will leave with renewed clarity about who they are as leaders, where they are taking their teams and how they can lead more intentionally.
The Return for Your School
Leading Forward develops the individual leader while strengthening their contribution to their team and the wider school.
Participating schools can expect leaders who are better able to:
Connect team priorities and decisions to the school’s broader direction
Communicate a clearer sense of purpose and direction
Make more intentional use of their leadership time and attention
Move beyond reactive problem-solving and lead more proactively
Strengthen ownership and accountability within their teams
Build team capability rather than becoming the person who carries everything
Identify evidence of progress and communicate their team’s contribution
Return to school with a focused Leadership Action Plan
The result is a leader who is better equipped to translate the school’s priorities into purposeful action within their area of responsibility.
The Learning Journey
Leading Forward is structured around three essential leadership questions.
Together, these three elements help leaders connect who they are, where they are heading and the difference they intend to make.
Develop Your Leadership Action Plan
Leading Forward is designed to turn reflection into action.
Throughout the day, each participant will develop an individual Leadership Action Plan that identifies:
- the leadership experience they want to create
- what they want their leadership to be known for
- the educational focus that will guide their priorities
- the direction their team needs
- the behaviours and conversations required to move forward
- where their leadership attention needs to be invested
- the evidence they will use to assess their impact
This plan provides a practical bridge between the learning experienced during the program and the participant’s everyday leadership practice.
Melbourne – In Person
Tuesday 17 November
Time: 9.00am – 4.30pm AEDT
IBIS, 297 Springvale Rd, Glen Waverley, VIC
Investment: $780 (incl GST) AUD
Registration closes: 10 November
Car parking is included in registration fee.
Online – live and interactive
Wednesday 25 November
Time: 9.00am – 4.30pm AEDT
Participate online from your own space
Cost: $690 (incl GST) AUD
Registration closes: 18 November
Your workbook, book and resource pack will be posted to you before the program.
Who Is Leading Forward For?
Leading Forward is designed for established middle and senior educational leaders who have mastered many of the operational demands of their role and are ready to lead with a broader, more intentional perspective.
The program is particularly relevant for:
- Heads of Department and Heads of Faculty
- Year Level and Pastoral Leaders
- Directors and Deans
- Assistant and Deputy Principals
- Curriculum and Learning Leaders
- Administrative and professional-services leaders
- teaching and non-teaching staff responsible for leading teams or significant areas of school life
Participants should ideally have at least 12 months’ experience in a leadership position.
Leading Forward is equally relevant for experienced leaders who want to refresh their approach, regain their focus or prepare for the next stage of their leadership.
What Is Included?
6.5 hours of facilitated professional learning
A comprehensive participant workbook
An individual Leadership Action Plan
A copy of Leading for Tomorrow, Today
Practical frameworks and reflective tools
Opportunities to learn with educational leaders from other schools
A Professional Learning Certificate
Extend Your Learning with Leading for Tomorrow, Today
Leading Forward draws on the Leadership Blueprint Model introduced in Janine Stratford’s book, Leading for Tomorrow, Today: School Leadership with Purpose, Alignment and Lasting Impact.
Each participant receives an individual copy of the book as part of the program.
The book extends the learning beyond the workshop, providing an ongoing resource to support reflection, discussion and the practical application of the Leadership Blueprint Model.
Together, the program, workbook and book provide participants with resources they can continue using long after the workshop concludes.
Why Learn with Janine Stratford?
Janine Stratford is a highly experienced leadership coach, facilitator, speaker and author who specialises in developing educational leaders.
A former Deputy Principal, Janine understands the complexity, competing priorities and relentless pace of leadership within schools. Her programs combine this firsthand understanding with insights gained through thousands of hours of coaching educational leaders across Australia and New Zealand.
Janine is a Professional Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation and a Certified Professional Behavioural Analyst. She was named one of The Educator’s Most Influential Educators in 2023.
Through Coaching Focus, Janine supports leaders to become clearer about who they are, lead their teams more intentionally and create a contribution that is visible, valuable and aligned with the needs of their schools.
Leading Forward brings together the leadership challenges Janine sees most frequently in her coaching work and the practical framework explored in her book, Leading for Tomorrow, Today.
What Educators Are Saying
“We realised how reactive we had become in our roles and a jolt to getting back on track has been achieved. Thank you.”
Regional Principals, New Zealand
“Clarifying my educational focus has enabled me to set more intentional goals that align closely with the school’s and my team’s priorities.”
Assistant Head of Year, Queensland
“I need to reclaim my own leadership brand and this program has provided me with the tools to do that.”
Deputy Principal, New South Wales
