Strategic Readiness Program – Course Overview

The Strategic Readiness Program is a high-impact capability-building experience for senior leaders in organisations of up to 1,000 staff. It equips participants to diagnose, design, and direct change initiatives with clarity, confidence, and strategic precision. Grounded in the Strategic Readiness Framework and supported by a suite of practical tools, the program helps leaders move from scattered ambition to focused execution.

Core Philosophy

Strategic readiness is not just about having a plan — it’s about having the adaptive infrastructure to act on it. This program helps leaders define what’s truly possible, identify near-term opportunities, prioritise high-value actions, and mobilise their teams with conviction. It draws on systems thinking, change fitness, and real-world case studies to build a repeatable, scalable approach to leading change.

Program Structure

The program is delivered in three facilitated sessions, each aligned with two stages of the Strategic Readiness Framework. Participants engage in diagnostic exercises, experiential learning.

Session 1: Framing Possibility

  • Stage 1: Boundaries Define what’s truly possible vs. impossible in principle. 

  • Stage 2: Reachable Frontiers Identify the next achievable step beyond today. 

Session 2: Focusing Value

  • Stage 3: Functional Priorities Focus on high-impact, high-value actions. 

  • Stage 4: Capacity Check Match ambition to organisational readiness. 

Session 3: Directing Change

  • Stage 5: Balance Lens: Decide what to challenge vs. stabilise. 

  • Stage 6: Mobilisation Messages Build belief and commitment across the organisation. 

Learning Outcomes

Participants will:

  • Diagnose strategic readiness using a six-stage framework.

  • Identify and sequence viable opportunities for change.

  • Prioritise actions based on impact, effort, and strategic payoff.

  • Assess organisational capacity using psychological and cultural dimensions.

  • Balance innovation with stability to avoid change fatigue.

  • Craft mobilisation messages that build trust, clarity, and commitment.

Why It Matters

Most strategic failures stem not from bad ideas, but from skipped readiness stages. This program helps leaders avoid overreach, misalignment, and resistance by embedding readiness into every phase of change. It turns strategy into action — and action into momentum.

Personal Change Fitness Program (PCFP) – Course Overview

The Personal Change Fitness Program (PCFP) is a structured, self-paced learning journey designed to build the psychological capacity individuals need to navigate personal and professional change. It is grounded in the understanding that successful change is not just about knowledge or technical skill — it’s about developing the inner resources that sustain motivation, resilience, and adaptability over time.

 Core Philosophy

The PCFP is built on the premise that change is a process, not a single event. It unfolds through five key stages, each with its own psychological demands. The program helps participants understand where they are in this cycle and what’s required to move forward.

 Course Structure

The program is organised into a series of progressive “workouts,” each focusing on a specific psychological resource or concept essential to change fitness. These include:

  1. Understanding Change as a Process
    Introduces the five stages of change and the concept of psychological “demands” — the effort, discomfort, and commitment required to move forward.
  2. Demands and Supply
    Explores the idea that change has a “cost,” and success depends on whether individuals can supply the necessary resources — technical, natural, and psychological.
  3. The Seven Psychological Resources
    Each of the following workouts focuses on one of the seven core psychological capacities that underpin change fitness:
    • Motivation – sustaining energy and purpose through difficulty.
    • Agency – believing in one’s ability to influence outcomes.
    • Insight – understanding oneself and the change process.
    • Vision – having a compelling, optimistic view of the future.
    • Trust – being open to help, feedback, and learning.
    • Balance – the ability to balance competing interests, priorities, and emotions.
    • Empowering Beliefs – cultivating mindsets that support growth and persistence.
  4. Systems Thinking
    Emphasises the importance of sustainable change — ensuring that progress in one area doesn’t come at the cost of wellbeing or relationships in another.

 Learning Approach

  • Self-paced: Participants engage with the material at their own rhythm, allowing for reflection and integration.
  • Practical and reflective: Each workout includes real-world examples, analogies, and prompts that encourage personal insight and application.
  • Cumulative: Later workouts build on earlier ones, reinforcing a layered understanding of change fitness.

 Why It Matters

The PCFP equips individuals with the psychological tools to:

  • Move beyond resistance and hesitation.
  • Sustain motivation through setbacks.
  • Make better decisions under pressure.
  • Build resilience and confidence in the face of uncertainty.
  • Approach change not as a threat, but as a challenge to grow.

This program is particularly valuable in environments where change is constant and emotionally demanding — such as healthcare, education, and community services — but its principles are universally applicable.

Change Readiness Superpowers – Course Overview

The Change Readiness Superpowers course is a group-based learning experience designed to help leaders and teams build the psychological capabilities that underpin adaptive capacity. It introduces seven core “superpowers” — foundational traits that enable individuals and groups to engage with change constructively, confidently, and sustainably.

 Not Just a Repeat of the PCFP

While the Superpowers course complements the Personal Change Fitness Program (PCFP), it does not replicate it. The PCFP is a personal journey — focused on individual reflection, motivation, and psychological readiness. In contrast, the Superpowers course is a shared journey — designed to build collective language, capability, and culture around change readiness.

It shows leaders and teams how to build change fitness in others, model readiness behaviours, and apply readiness principles to real organisational challenges.

 Scientific Foundations

The course draws on multi-disciplinary insights from:

  • Physics – systems thinking, entropy, and dynamic equilibrium.
  • Biology – adaptation, resilience, and feedback loops.
  • Psychology – motivation, agency, and cognitive reframing.
  • Philosophy – meaning-making, identity, and epistemic humility.

These insights are translated into practical, accessible tools that help teams understand the deeper dynamics of change — not just what to do, but how to think and feel differently about disruption.

 Course Structure

Delivered in short, interactive sessions, each module focuses on one of the seven superpowers, plus others not shown here:

  1. Motivation – sustaining energy and purpose through uncertainty.
  2. Agency – believing in one’s ability to influence outcomes.
  3. Insight – understanding oneself and the change process.
  4. Vision – cultivating optimism and direction.
  5. Trust – being open to help, feedback, and collaboration.
  6. Balance – facing discomfort and risk with courage.
  7. Empowering Beliefs – developing mindsets that support growth and persistence.

Each session includes:

  • A practical explanation of the superpower.
  • Real-world examples and metaphors.
  • Group discussion and reflection.
  • Application prompts for workplace integration.

 Learning Outcomes

Participants will:

  • Understand the psychological foundations of change readiness.
  • Learn how to model and build readiness in others.
  • Apply readiness principles to real organisational challenges.
  • Develop a shared language and culture around adaptive capacity.
  • Strengthen team cohesion and reduce resistance to change.

 Why It Matters

In complex organisations, change readiness is not just an individual trait — it’s a team asset. The Superpowers course helps build that asset by fostering shared understanding, mutual support, and strategic alignment. It equips leaders and teams to move from friction to flow—not just manage change but thrive through it.

Change Management Training – Course Overview

The Change Management Training program is a structured, skills-based course designed to help leaders and staff understand, plan, and execute change initiatives effectively. It combines foundational theory with practical tools, guiding participants through the psychological, strategic, and procedural dimensions of organisational change.

 Core Philosophy

Change management is not just about managing tasks — it’s about leading people through disruption toward meaningful outcomes, and learning to embrace new practices and discard those that no longer serve the purpose. This course helps participants understand the dynamics of resistance, the importance of systems thinking, and the emotional journey of change. It draws on classic and contemporary models (Lewin, Kotter, McKinsey, Bridges) and translates them into actionable strategies.

 Course Structure

The program is delivered in a modular format, with each module building on the last. Key modules include:

  1. Approaching Change
    • Lewin’s model: unfreezing, changing, refreezing.
    • Preparing the organisation by softening rigidity and increasing openness.
  2. Strategies and Tactics
    • Kotter’s 8-step model: urgency, coalitions, vision, short-term wins.
    • Identifying barriers and designing initiatives that build momentum.
  3. Aligning Systems
    • McKinsey’s 7S framework and systems theory.
    • Understanding how organisational components interact and influence outcomes.
  4. Emotions and Experiences
    • Bridges’ Transition Model: endings, neutral zone, new beginnings.
    • Supporting staff through emotional transitions and psychological adjustment.
  5. Protecting Projects
    • Risk management and sustainability.
    • Franklin Covey’s lead measures and scorecard strategies.
    • Visibility, accountability, and shielding fragile initiatives from competing priorities.
  6. Final Integration
    • Synthesising concepts and preparing for real-world application.
    • Planning next steps and reinforcing learning.

Practical Application: Real-World Change Initiative (Optional)

To ensure the training is immediately relevant and actionable, participants will apply their learning to one or more live change initiatives.

This practical component includes:

  • Selecting one or more change priorities.
  • Mapping the change process using Lewin and Kotter’s models.
  • Diagnosing system alignment using McKinsey’s 7S framework.
  • Identifying emotional impacts using Bridges’ Transition Model.
  • Designing lead measures and scorecards to track progress and build momentum.
  • Building a guiding coalition and enlisting a volunteer army to support implementation.

This ensures that participants don’t just learn about change — they practice leading it, using a real challenge that matters to the organisation.

Transformational Leadership Program (TLP) – Course Overview

The Transformational Leadership Program is a reflective, capability-building course designed to help leaders develop the psychological depth and behavioural authenticity required to lead effectively in complex systems. It explores the relationship between change fitness and exceptional leadership, showing how inner development fuels outward impact.

Core Philosophy

Exceptional leadership is not just a set of learned behaviours — it’s an expression of deep psychological capacity. This program positions change fitness as the foundation of authentic leadership, especially in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environments.

Drawing on systems theory, the Cynefin framework, and contemporary leadership science, the program helps participants understand how to lead not just with strategy, but with integrity, insight, and adaptive presence.

Course Structure

The program is delivered in six structured units, each combining audio lessons, transcripts, reflective exercises, coaching, and guided reading. The core text Understanding Leaders supports the journey.

Unit 1 – Foundations of Change Leadership

    • Introduces change fitness and the Cynefin framework.

    • Explores the distinction between leadership and management.

    • Frames exceptional leadership as a developmental ideal.

Unit 2 – Behaviour and Change Fitness

    • Links authentic leadership behaviours to underlying psychological strengths.

    • Explores motivation, agency, vision, trust, insight, balance, and empowering beliefs.

Unit 3 – Leaders as Explorers and Mapmakers

    • Positions leaders as sensemakers in complex environments.

    • Explores how leaders define ambiguous realities and chart pathways forward.

Unit 4 – Mobilising Others

    • Examines how leaders build followership and social learning.

    • Explores modelling, influence, and the transmission of change fitness.

Unit 5 – Engagement as a Byproduct

    • Reframes engagement as an outcome of authentic leadership rather than a goal.

    • Explores how presence, purpose, and integrity foster commitment.

Unit 6 – Modelling Change Fitness in Action

    • Shows how leaders shape culture and processes through embodied change fitness.

    • Reinforces the idea that leadership is a developmental journey.

Each unit includes:

  • Audio lessons and transcripts.

  • Reflective exercises are submitted to a coach.

  • Quizzes and guided reading.

  • Opportunities for personal insight and professional application.

Learning Outcomes

Participants will:

  • Understand the psychological foundations of exceptional leadership.

  • Develop deeper insight into their own leadership style and capacity.

  • Learn how to lead authentically in complex, changing environments.

  • Strengthen their change fitness across seven core dimensions.

  • Model behaviours that build trust, engagement, and adaptive culture.

Why It Matters

In complex systems, leadership is not about control — it’s about clarity, courage, and coherence. This program helps leaders become the kind of people others want to follow: grounded, visionary, and resilient. It’s not just about learning to lead — it’s about learning to be.

Accessibility in The Change Gym Programs

All Change Gym® are designed with accessibility in mind. This ensures that participants with diverse learning needs can engage meaningfully, regardless of background, role, or preferred learning style.

 Key Accessibility Features

  • Multi-modal delivery
    Programs combine written content, audio narration, visual metaphors, and interactive exercises to support different cognitive styles.
  • Self-paced progression
    The PCFP allows participants to engage at their own speed, revisit modules, and reflect privately — ideal for neurodivergent learners or those managing fatigue, anxiety, or cognitive load.
  • Short-format learning
    Superpowers and CMT modules are delivered in short, digestible sessions with clear structure and practical takeaways — reducing overwhelm and supporting retention.
  • Real-world application
    Each course includes practical components (e.g., applying learning to a live change initiative) that reinforce understanding through experience rather than just theory.
  • Reflective prompts and scaffolding
    Exercises are designed to guide participants step by step, with built-in reflection questions that support metacognition and emotional regulation.
  • Optional coaching and peer support
    Participants can access one-on-one coaching or engage in group reflection, providing relational scaffolding for those who benefit from dialogue and encouragement.
  • Plain language and layered depth
    Content is written in clear, professional language, with metaphors and analogies that make abstract concepts more relatable. Deeper insights are layered in, allowing learners to engage at their own level.
  • Cultural and emotional sensitivity
    Programs acknowledge the emotional journey of change, including fear, loss, and resistance. This helps participants feel seen and supported, especially those with trauma-informed needs or mental health considerations.
  • Synchronous and asynchronous options Participants can engage in real-time group sessions (synchronous) and access materials on demand (asynchronous), allowing for flexible participation across time zones, energy levels, and work schedules.