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Coaching for leadership
From Autopilot to Awareness: Leading with Purpose under pressure
Over three days, delegates develop the self-awareness to catch their automatic patterns, the emotional intelligence to stay steady when it matters, and the communication skills to lead with purpose rather than habbit.
Course Description
Most leaders in high-risk environments are good at their jobs. They know the rules, they know the risks, and they care about the people on their team. But under pressure — real pressure — most of them are running on autopilot. Reacting before they've thought. Shutting down the conversation they should be having. Setting a tone they didn't intend and can't see.
This 3-day Coaching Leadership Workshop is built to change that.
Designed for leaders in operational and high-risk settings, this is a behaviour-change programme — not a theory course. Delegates don't sit and listen. They practise, reflect and repeat — in realistic, high-pressure scenarios delivered by senior Ethos coaches and professional actors — until new behaviours become the default.
At the heart of the programme is a single, trainable idea: the Half-Second Pause. The gap between trigger and response. Between autopilot and purpose. Half a second is all it takes to interrupt a default reaction and choose how to lead. This programme builds that reflex — and the self-awareness, emotional intelligence and communication habits that make it stick.
Three days. Lasting change.
Key Facts
Innovation Wy, North Wollongong NSW 2500
5 - 12 Participants per course
Eligible for 10 CPD Points.
$2695 inc. GST
Suitable for Operational Leaders from Forement to Senior Leaders
What's Included
Every participant receives a professionally developed workbook and course notes containing practical tools, exercises, templates, and reference materials to support learning during the course and application back in the workplace.
What to expect
Self-Awareness
Participants explore the patterns, stories and identity they bring to leadership — often without realising it.
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Recognise autopilot responses under pressure and what triggers them.
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Separate leadership identity from job title — leading from who you are, not the role you hold.
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Surface and test the internal stories that shape tone, decisions and relationships.
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Understand the ripple effect — how your emotional state sets the tone for your team.
Emotional Intelligence
Participants build the skills to stay steady, listen deeply and lead with both empathy and authority.
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Regulate emotion using reappraisal, not suppression.
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Practise listening with full presence — without interrupting, fixing or mentally rehearsing.
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Replace judgement with curiosity when people don’t meet expectations.
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Combine empathy with authority — acknowledging experience without losing direction.
Self-Leadership + Purpose
Participants move from understanding to action — building the habits and communication skills that sustain leadership under pressure.
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Practise the Half-Second Pause — the trainable gap between trigger and deliberate response.
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Deliver courageous, difficult messages with clarity and respect.
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Design one sustainable leadership habit anchored to identity.
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Begin drafting a personal Leadership Compass — a commitment to how they choose to lead.
Beyond the workshop
1:1 Coaching Sessions
For those who want to accelerate their development beyond the workshop, optional one-to-one coaching provides personalised support to help embed new communication behaviours, overcome specific workplace challenges, and build confidence in applying the techniques in real-world situations.
Coaching sessions focus on the delegate's individual context, ensuring learning translates into measurable improvements in leadership impact, safety conversations, and workforce engagement.
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Sessions can be bought in blocks of 3 or 6.
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Each session lasts one hour with a dedicated Coach
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Sessions take place via Teams
why ethos?
Why it works
Realistic Practice Under Pressure (Professional Actor)
Delegates don’t practise on each other — they practise on a trained business actor who responds in real time with resistance, emotion and unpredictability.
This creates:
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Safe exposure to difficult, high-stakes leadership moments.
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Honest reflection on default behaviours under pressure.
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Rapid development of composure, listening and communication skills.
It’s the closest thing to the real world — without the real-world consequences.
Behaviour Change, Not Knowledge Transfer
This programme focuses on what leaders do, not just what they know.
Delegates will:
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Practise coaching-style leadership conversations.
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Learn to pause, regulate and respond — rather than react.
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Shift from directive leadership → influential, awareness-led leadership.
Immediate Application On-Site
Everything taught is designed to be used straight away.
Delegates leave with:
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A clear personal leadership habit designed for their context.
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Practical frameworks for listening, empathy, and courageous communication.
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Increased awareness of how their behaviour shapes team culture and safety.
what makes our approach different?
more than just knowledge
We focus on how people think, communicate, and influence — not just what they know.
local insight, Global experience
Combining deep local understanding with global experience, we apply proven practices in ways that fit how work actually happens on your sites.
emotional engagement
People change when learning connects to what matters. We engage both head and heart to create lasting impact.
Experiential and immersive learning
Participants don’t sit and listen. They practise, reflect, receive feedback, and apply skills in realistic situations.
On-site
Coaching
Development doesn ’t stop at the workshop. We support personnel in real operational environments, helping them apply skills immediately.
Support that
lasts
Flexible follow-ups and e-learning maintain momentum and lock in real change.
300+
Operational Leaders
have graduated
>93%
Gave the facilitator the highest ranking for effectiveness.
>87%
Rated the workshop full marks for meeting expectations