Expressions of Interest – Adaptive Leadership Challenge – Stretch, evolve, thrive

Expressions of Interest – Adaptive Leadership Challenge – Stretch, evolve, thrive

image of scrunched up paper evolving into a origami crane to symbolise 'adapting'

Challenge series overview

We are currently accepting expressions of interest for the Adaptive Leadership Challenge outlined below. Please note that the challenge is capped at 16 participants. Express interest now to secure eligibility for the early bird discounted ticket rate when registrations open.

Are you an adaptive leader? Join our complimentary webinar to find out and gain an advanced preview of the Adaptive Leadership Challenge (find out more here or continue to the bottom of the page to register).

In a workplace transformed by accelerating complexity, technology-augmented approaches, and non-linear career paths, traditional leadership approaches fall short. To lead effectively today, you need to adapt continuously, foster agile learning, and guide your teams with empathy and resilience.

The pace of change isn’t slowing down — and neither can we.

If you’re a leader who wants to thrive, navigate uncertainty with confidence, and empower your team through constant change, the Ageing Australia Adaptive Leadership Challenge is for you.

The challenge combines self-assessment, reflection, skill-building labs, and real-world problem-solving with clear take-home practices to integrate new behaviours into your leadership style. Each session is one hour of intensive purposeful activity, designed to respect the time constraints faced by leaders.  By the end of the series, you will be ready to lead from a place of adaptability, humanity, and impact, navigating complexity with confidence.

Who should attend?

This challenge series is ideal for experienced mid-level and senior managers and Leadership Accelerator Program alumni.

The outcomes are:

  • Learning agility & continuous adaptation
    You’ll learn to embrace unfamiliar challenges, shift your assumptions, and apply rapid learning cycles to stay effective in a fast-changing environment.
  • Identity shift & mindset
    You’ll redefine your professional identity around purpose and strengths rather than fixed expertise, fostering a growth mindset that equips you to reinvent yourself and your leadership every day.
  • Cultivating uniquely human skills
    You’ll build trust, practice vulnerability, and use empathy to create a safe space where your team can experiment, take smart risks, and innovate.
  • Leading teams through change
    You’ll master the skills to orchestrate diverse talents, coach continuous learning, and frame change initiatives around shared purpose and growth opportunities.

Session 1: Wednesday 11 March 2026 - Learning Agility & Continuous Adaptation

Objective: Shift mindset from fixed skill sets to continuous learning and adaptation.

Key topics: Learning sprints, unlearning/relearning, responding flexibly to disruption.

Activities: Self-assessment; case study on recent disruptions; practice rapid experiment-reflection cycles.

Take-home: Plan and execute a 2-3 week learning sprint on current challenge.

Session 2: Wednesday 18 March 2026 - Identity Shift & Adaptive Mindset

Objective: Develop an adaptive professional identity defined by purpose and learning capacity rather than title or past expertise.

Key Topics: Adaptive identity, letting go of ego hooks, “lead learner” mindset.

Activities: Reflective career mapping; identify ego hooks; reframe scenarios from expert to learner.

Take-home: Develop and share an adaptive identity statement with a colleague.

Session 3: Wednesday 25 March 2026 - Cultivating Uniquely Human Skills

Objective: Build empathy, vulnerability, and trust to enable adaptive teamwork and innovation.

Key Topics: Psychological safety, vulnerability, leadership strength, empathic inquiry.

Activities: Safety mapping of current team; vulnerability and empathy skill labs; design safety rituals.

Take-home: Commit to practicing one new vulnerability behaviour and safety ritual.

Session 4: Wednesday 1 April 2026 - Leading Teams Through Change

Objective: Orchestrate cognitive diversity, build team learning capacity, frame change as growth.

Key Topics: Collaborative problem solving, coaching for learning, purpose-driven change communication.

Activities: Change leadership role plays; develop 90-day adaptive leadership plan.

Take-home: Implement plan and reassess adaptive leadership behaviours after 90 days.

Date: 11, 18, 25 March and 1 April 2026

Time: TBC (1hr per session)

Cost details:

Early Bird Price – secure this discounted ticket rate when you express your interest by 17 December 2025 

Ageing Australia member: $449 incl. GST each

Non-member: $513 incl. GST each

Ageing Australia member price (standard rate)
$499 incl. GST each

Non-member price (standard rate)
$570 incl. GST each

 

Please note, this is an expression of interest. No payment is required until registration goes live. Express your interest via the register here button below, which will also give you the option of also registering for our complimentary webinar, Are you an Adaptive Leader?


Who is facilitating?

Bruce Williams

Bruce Williams

Bruce Williams loves to help people understand how other people tick so they can work together with less stress and more “yes!” with a focus on leadership, communication and team dynamics,

Bruce has been delivering adult education, coaching and professional development programs for over four decades. He is an accomplished speaker and facilitator with an engaging and humorous presentation style.

In addition to managing his own business, Bruce is Judging Chair for the Sunshine Coast Business Awards and a part-time academic with the University of the Sunshine Coast.

He is founder and spokesperson for the USC Starfish Program raising funds to support low SES students in higher education. Bruce also mentors young entrepreneurs in The DeLorean Project and Generation Innovation.

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Cancellations, refunds, substitutions and transfers

Ageing Australia’s learning and professional development (L&PD) products are delivered subject to sufficient registrations, as stipulated by available tickets against each event, and tickets can be purchased directly from the what’s on page.

Training session viability of each advertised session is assessed one week prior to the scheduled date of delivery, when a decision is made regarding continuation or cancellation. When a training session is cancelled due to insufficient numbers or circumstances outside of the control of Ageing Australia, a full refund will be paid, directly to the customer who has made the initial purchase.

A full refund is also available if a participant withdraws from a training session, five or more days prior to the session being delivered, on the condition, that the customer has contacted , to inform regarding their intention to withdraw. No refunds or transfers will be considered without notification prior to the commencement of a training session. Late notifications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

An organisation may choose to substitute a participant of a previously paid session, by emailing , 24 hours prior to the commencement of the training session. Full details of the substituted participant must be provided.

Payment terms

It is a condition of registration that participants pay full payment at the time of booking via credit card or by invoicing by prior arrangement.  All payments must be finalised prior to commencement. Registrants who have outstanding payments will not be able to participate. Upon registration, a tax invoice will be emailed to the person making the booking.