Our courses
Course pillars
Our courses are built around three pillars of learning, each drawn from the foundations of our Core Leadership Program. Whether you’re developing yourself, strengthening your organisation, or building a thriving community, every course connects back to the same leadership principles that shape the Northern Mallee Leaders experience.
Outcomes
Our courses don’t just fill knowledge gaps – they unlock leadership potential.
Whether you’re just starting out or ready to level up, you’ll walk away with:
• Stronger self-awareness and a deeper understanding of how you lead
• Clarity of purpose, knowing what drives you and how to bring others along
• Practical skills in governance, grant writing, advocacy, and communication
• Peer networks across industries and towns for support and shared learning
• Confidence to influence, lead change, and contribute where it matters most
• Insight into regional priorities, helping you shape a stronger Northern Mallee
• A reflective practice, linking learning to real action at work and in community
This is where your next chapter begins
Coming soon: new sessions in personal growth, community development, governance, facilitation, and more.
Personal Development/Leadership Courses
Personal leadership begins with knowing yourself – and challenging yourself to grow. Whether you're a CEO, team leader, or just quietly carrying a powerful idea, our personal development courses help you go deeper.
Through reflection, strengths discovery, and guided self-exploration, you'll uncover your values, stretch your comfort zone, and walk away with sharper focus and renewed purpose.
These sessions aren't just about improvement – they’re about transformation. You’ll be encouraged to lead into discomfort, embrace learning, and open new doors. Because when you grow, everything around you does too.
A self-paced online course focusing on self-leadership skills including development & identity, gratitude, self-care, and shadow work.
Leadership starts from within. Leading Self helps you explore who you are as a leader – your strengths, values, and patterns of behaviour – while building habits of reflection, gratitude, and self-care. Through practical tools and stories from real leaders, you’ll gain clarity, confidence, and the capacity to respond rather than react. This module gives you space to pause, breathe, and rediscover your “why,” so you can show up with purpose and resilience in work, life, and community.
Includes worksheets and reflection resources.
Delivery: Online Videos and Exercises (Self-paced)
Modules and Learning: Development & Identity, Gratitude, Self-Care, Shadow
Duration: Self Paced, 6 month access, 6-12 hours
Facilitator: Professor Stephen Duns
Cost: TBC
A self-paced online course to strengthen leadership with others. Modules include psychological safety, coaching others, courageous conversations, and storytelling. Includes worksheets and group activities.
Leadership is a relationship – one that sometimes means leaning into tension. Leading Others explores how to build trust, foster collaboration, and manage conflict with confidence and empathy. Learn how to have courageous conversations, listen to understand, and transform disagreements into opportunities for growth. This course helps you strengthen communication, create psychologically safe teams, and lead through challenge with composure and purpose. Whether at work or in community, you’ll learn to lead people – not problems.
Develop interpersonal leadership skills, improve coaching, build psychological safety, enhance communication.
Delivery: Online (Self-paced)
Modules and Learning: Psychological Safety Sanctuary, Perspectives, Speaking form the Heart and Story Telling, Coaching Others, Courageous Conversations, Managing Change, The Power of Difference
Duration: Self Paced, 6 month access, 6-12 hours
Facilitator: Professor Stephen Duns
Cost: TBC
A self-paced online course exploring systems thinking, strategy, purpose-to-action, and ethics. Includes worksheets, problem-mapping templates, and practical tools.
Every community, team, and workplace is a living system – full of people, perspectives, and sometimes, tension. Leading Systems helps you step back to see how these forces connect and influence one another. You’ll learn to navigate conflict between priorities, people, and ideas with greater awareness and empathy. Through systems thinking, you’ll discover how small changes in approach can shift entire patterns of behaviour, collaboration, and outcomes. This course gives you the tools to lead through uncertainty, influence progress, and stay grounded when things get complex.
Understand systems leadership, diagnose problems, build strategy, and apply ethical decision-making.
Delivery: Online (Self-paced)
Modules and Learning: Systems Thinking, World Views, Diagnosing the Problem
Duration: Self Paced, 6 month access, 6-12 hours
Facilitator: Professor Stephen Duns
Cost: TBC
Effective Intervention helps you lead during moments that matter – when stakes are high and perspectives collide.
Real leadership is tested when tension arises. Effective Intervention explores how to understand, respond, and lead when conflict, pressure, or change demand action. You’ll learn to analyse problems, identify leverage points, and intervene effectively – without creating resistance or burnout. This course gives you the confidence to approach difficult situations with insight and empathy, turning potential conflict into a path for learning, trust, and sustainable progress.
You’ll explore how to assess challenges, communicate with purpose, and act decisively without losing connection.
Delivery: Online (Self-paced)
Modules and Learning: Strategy, Active Experimentation, Purpose to Action, Navigating Complexity via the Stepping Stones, Influential Savvy Leadership
Duration: 2-4 hours
Facilitator: Professor Stephen Duns
Cost: TBC
The Journey of Transition is about embracing change – not just managing it. It’s an invitation to look inward, honour what’s shifting, and open yourself to what’s emerging. Grounded in the Bridges Transition Model, this module blends reflection, dialogue, and discovery to help you navigate the emotional landscape of change with grace and self-compassion.
Every ending opens a door to something new. The Journey of Transition (Part 1), based on William Bridges’ Transition Model, invites you to explore the space between what was and what’s becoming. You’ll learn to recognise endings, navigate uncertainty, and welcome beginnings with purpose and self-awareness. This course helps you pause, reflect, and ask, “What’s next for me?” Whether you’re changing roles, perspectives, or priorities, you’ll leave with renewed confidence and curiosity for the possibilities ahead – and the understanding that leadership is a lifelong learning journey.
You will gain clarity and optimism for your next steps – personally and professionally.
Delivery: Online (Self-paced)
Modules and Learning: The Bridges Transition
Duration: 2-3 hours
Facilitator: Professor Stephen Duns
Cost: TBC
Community Courses
Great communities don’t just happen – they’re built by people who care. Our community-focused courses support anyone who wants to better understand, support, and strengthen the place they call home.
Whether you're helping a sporting club, school council, committee, or local cause, we’ll equip you with the tools to enable change. Learn how to write grants, build stronger networks, align ideas, and create lasting partnerships that drive impact.
In a world where leadership can feel isolating, these sessions bring people together – so you’re not leading alone. You’re leading as part of something bigger.
Our Community Connections program is currently in development. Building strong, resilient, and connected communities takes time, collaboration, and the right resources – and we’re actively working to secure the funding and partnerships needed to bring this pillar to life.
While this course is in progress, stay tuned!
We’ll be hosting community events, conversations, and connection opportunities throughout the year to keep our region learning, growing, and united.
Follow our Events page
Stay connected with us on social media
for updates, announcements, and ways to get involved as we continue developing this exciting new program.
Together, we’re building strong leaders, thriving businesses, and vibrant communities.
Business/Corporate & Governance Courses
Every strong business – big or small – needs confident leaders, clear systems, and strong foundations. Our business and corporate workshops bring together practical training in governance, communication, public speaking, and stakeholder engagement to support leadership at every level.
Whether you’re a charity, sole trader, team manager or board member, these courses will help you make sharper decisions, lead better conversations, and understand the systems that shape a team, your region and your work.
These aren't “off the shelf” courses – they’re regional, relational, and real. Designed to help you lead with influence, no matter where you’re starting from.
The Company Directors Course is the AICD’s leading governance course. Since its inception 50 years ago it has become the preferred course for current directors and for those seeking a gateway to both their director career and their affiliation with AICD through membership.
The Company Directors Course is designed to ensure that participants not only understand their roles and responsibilities, but also improve their contributions to board performance.
Updated bi-annually, the course provides current and relevant information and case references. It is informative, thought-provoking, and practical.
Graduates will have the confidence to meet contemporary governance challenges and opportunities.
Course delivery
This course has a length of approximately 4.5months, including pre-reading, face-to-face and (optional) assessment time (available to complete over 3 months). The face-to-face element is five days. Run bi-annually.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:
• Outline the duties and practices of directorship and the boards functions and responsibilities.
• Analyse the responsibilities and functions of directors and officers considering the key questions directors should ask about their legal environment and its impact on board decision-making.
• Examine the board’s roles in developing a culture that is appropriate for the risk appetite/ tolerance of the organisation and the board’s role in developing and executing strategy.
• Develop financial literacy and examine the board’s role in driving organisational performance.
• Examine effective decision-making, board dynamics, the impact of individual and collective performance and how a constructive board culture can create value for an organisation.
• Apply the course learning, through experiential learning activities.
Duration: 4.5 months total as detailed above
Format: 5 days of face-to-face instruction in Mildura, delivered in two blocks over a two-week period (2 days and 3 days).
Dates:
Week 1 – November 2026 Tuesday 10th and Wednesday 11th
Week 2 – November2026 Tuesday 17th, Wednesday 18th, and Thursday 19th
Delivery: Class
Location: La Trobe Campus
Includes: All materials and amazing local catering
Cost: $10,000 (ex GST) including complimentary 12 month AICD membership
A practical grounding in the duties and responsibilities of directors and boards. Topics include governance principles, board functions, strategy, managing vs directing, conflict of interest, and current governance issues.
This 3-hour introductory workshop gives you a practical foundation in governance. Learn the duties and responsibilities of directors, the role of the board, and the principles that underpin effective governance.
Who it’s for: Anyone new to governance or serving on a committee or board.
Topics include:
• Directors Duties and Responsibilities
• Role of the Board
• Governance Principles
• The Boards function
• Managing V’s Directing
• Improving strategy
• Conflict of interest
• Current governance issues
Delivery: Face-to-Face workshop
Duration: 3 hours
Cost: $550
Facilitator: Paul Geyer
Includes: All materials and amazing local catering
Location: TBC
Tailored to local sporting clubs, this session covers committee roles, sports governance principles, stakeholder management, risk and compliance, athlete safety, and avoiding common pitfalls.
Joining a sports club committee can be rewarding — but it comes with responsibilities. This 3-hour workshop helps committee members avoid common pitfalls and lead with confidence.
Who it’s for: Committee members of sporting clubs, volunteers, and local sport leaders.
Topics include:
• Role of committees and boards in sport
• Principles of Australian sports governance
• Risk and compliance essentials
• Managing stakeholders: volunteers, sponsors, councils
• Athlete safety and wellbeing
• Common pitfalls and ethical challenges
Delivery: Face-to-Face workshop
Duration: 3 hours
Cost: $550
Facilitator: Paul Geyer
Includes: All materials and amazing local catering
Location: TBC
Designed for family business owners and next-generation leaders, this workshop explores governance structures, strategy, family values, family dynamics, and succession planning.
Build a Legacy That Lasts
Family businesses are the backbone of our economy. This workshop helps families develop governance structures and strategies to succeed across generations.
Who it’s for: Family business owners, family members, and next-generation leaders.
Topics include:
• Governance and structures for long-term growth
• Strategy and performance
• Family dynamics and values
• Succession planning and leadership development
Delivery: Face-to-Face workshop
Duration: 3 hours
Cost: $550
Facilitator: Paul Geyer
Includes: All materials and amazing local catering
Location: TBC
Focused on the essential duties of secretaries, including director liabilities, managing board meetings, annual cycles, risk management, minute taking, and effective communication with boards.
This half-day workshop is designed for new or aspiring secretaries, providing a strong foundation in governance responsibilities and practical skills to manage board operations.
Who it’s for: New secretaries, company secretaries, committee secretaries.
Topics include:
• Duties and liabilities of secretaries
• Risk management and internal controls
• Managing board meetings and minutes
• The annual cycle and building a board work plan
• Effective communication with directors and executives
• Handling conflicts of interest and common challenges
Delivery: Face-to-Face workshop
Duration: Half-day (approx. 4 hours)
Cost: $600
Facilitator: Paul Geyer
Includes: All materials and amazing local catering
Location: TBC