What does this course cover?
Leading people through Head Start, resource management reform and sector change
Supported by AskYourTeam
Head Start and RM reform are creating uncertainty now. Leaders cannot wait for the future structure to be settled before leading their people through it.
Local government reform is no longer something sitting on the horizon.
For council leaders, that means people are already asking questions about what reform could mean for their roles, teams, workloads and organisations, often before leaders themselves have all the answers.
Leading Through Uncertainty is a practical three-part workshop series for leaders navigating this environment now.
The workshops will help you understand how sustained uncertainty is affecting your people and give you practical approaches for keeping teams connected, capable and focused while the future continues to take shape.
Registration covers the full three-part series.
Audience
This series is for local government leaders helping people stay focused, engaged and delivering as Head Start, resource management reform and wider sector changes create uncertainty about what comes next.
It is particularly relevant for:
- team leaders and managers
- functional and operational leaders
- leaders of leaders
- technical and specialist leaders who lead through influence, even if they do not directly manage staff
- HR, OD and workforce practitioners who support managers through organisational change
- leaders whose teams or functions may be affected by structural reform, amalgamation or changing organisational arrangements.
*No prior change-management training is required.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the series, participants will be better able to:
- recognise how uncertainty and cumulative change affect people differently
- lead when they do not have all the answers
- communicate change honestly and respond constructively to concerns
- recognise impacts on workload, motivation, engagement and performance.
- confidently plan and lead a conversation during periods of uncertainty
- learn alongside and connect with peers facing similar challenges, exchanging practical approaches and building relationships for ongoing support.
Format and participant experience
This is not three webinars.
It is a connected workshop series delivered to the same participant cohort, with participants applying ideas between sessions and bringing their experiences back into the next workshop.
Session 1
Leading when the answers aren’t clear
Thursday 29 October 2026 | 10:00 AM
Focus
The people side of uncertainty and the practical role of the leader.
Participants explore:
- how people commonly respond to uncertainty and change
- how cumulative change can affect individuals and teams
- how their own reactions and behaviour influence others
- what people need from leaders when the future is unclear
- how to provide direction without pretending to have certainty.
Session 2
Local Government – change in practice
Thursday 12 November 2026 | 10:00 AM
What good leadership looks like when change is real, messy and unresolved.
Participants will take a deeper look at:
- Practise adapting your leadership response as people, circumstances and information change.
- Explore the challenges of leading people through change when the way forward is uncertain.
- Use the Change Curve and SCARF as practical lenses for noticing and making sense of people’s responses.
Session 3
Applying the learning
Thursday 26 November 2026 | 10am
Applying the learning to real leadership conversations.
Participants will use a simple practical conversation structure to plan and practise a conversation involving uncertainty or change.
The emphasis is on:
- being honest about what is and is not known
- listening without over-reassuring
- helping people identify what they can influence
- creating clear next steps
- maintaining expectations around delivery
- agreeing when and how the conversation will be revisited.
What makes this offer different?
Built for the reform environment councils are in now
Head Start, resource management reform and other sector changes are landing at the same time – on the same people, teams and leaders. This series connects directly to that reality rather than treating change as a generic organisational process.
Relevant before the future state is known
Often, change-management training starts once a change has been decided. This series is about the period councils are in now: leading while significant questions about future arrangements are still unresolved.
Focused on the people leaders need to keep with them
Uncertainty about structures, roles and future opportunities can affect motivation, confidence and retention. Leaders need to be able to respond without making promises they cannot keep.
Peer connection
Participants learn alongside other local government leaders facing the same reform environment, with opportunities to compare experiences and practical approaches.
With support from
Your facilitators
Mike Jones
Mike Jones
Mike Jones is the owner of Gathered Minds, a Learning & Development company focused on providing everyday skills that feel real and usable.
With over 10 years’ experience in L&D, training, and organisational development, Mike has worked with leaders and teams across a wide range of industries to build capability, tackle workplace challenges, and navigate change.
Mike believes the best learning happens when people have the opportunity to share experiences, learn from each other, and work through real challenges together. For the Leading Through Uncertainty series, his focus is on helping leaders recognise how their people are responding to change, understand what they need from them as leaders, and find practical ways to provide that support.
His sessions are engaging and interactive, and you’ll end every workshop with a clear idea of simple things you can do straight away to put what you’ve learned into practice.
Jessica Martinson
Jessica Martinson
Jessica Martinson is fascinated by the messy middle of organisational life: where strategy, people, systems and real-world conditions collide, and where some of the most interesting work happens.
She is Principal Advisor Change Management at Palmerston North City Council, where she works with leaders and teams to make sense of change, build practical capability and turn organisational priorities into practice. Before moving to Aotearoa New Zealand, Jessica spent two decades in the US healthcare sector, working across professional development, strategic initiatives and system-wide change.
Jessica holds a Master’s degree in Experimental Psychology and is currently completing a Master of Change and Organisational Resilience, reflecting a curiosity about people, systems and how organisations work.
As a guest speaker in Leading Through Uncertainty, Jessica will share insights from supporting leaders in council environments, exploring what helps, what makes change difficult and how leaders can support their teams when they don’t have all the answers.
