“Hellomonday’s approach gave our Executives sophisticated support to tackle the real challenges they face. The mix of learning circles and one-to-one coaching was exactly what they needed: practical, flexible and with content pitched at the right level,” said Anita Falconer, Principal Advisor, Learning and Development, Department of Justice QLD. 

Building Executive capability through change

The Department of Justice (DoJ) is a key public service agency in Queensland, touching the lives of every Queenslander through the delivery of services as broad as courts and tribunals, consumer protection, industry regulation, guardianship and protection of vulnerable citizens.

In the face of ever-growing community expectations, and the pace of justice reform, the demand has never been greater on the Department’s senior executives to navigate complexity and demonstrate strategic, effective and contemporary public-service leadership. Creating a culture where its people can flourish and are inspired to deliver outstanding service and better outcomes for Queenslanders is a core value for DoJ.

An initial pilot of an Executive leadership program was run in early 2024, but it wasn’t hitting the mark. The eight full-day workshops focused heavily on technical skills, pulling 20 Executives away from their busy day-to-day responsibilities. 

What Executives needed instead was support that was: relevant to their real challenges, flexible enough to fit demanding schedules, and practical enough to allow immediate application. That’s where Hellomonday stepped in.

Program adaption to meet Executives’ needs 

Working closely with DoJ’s Learning and Development team, the Executive Leadership Re-Launch Program was launched with Hellomonday in partnership with ANZSOG. This was a flexible, tailored leadership development experience grounded in adaptive leadership principles.

The program was redesigned to:

• Focus on adaptive leadership: helping executives navigate complexity and ambiguity, lead teams through change and influence across silos
• Provide flexibility: shorter, modular touch points instead of full-day commitments that could be accommodated by Executives’ diaries‍
• Deliver practical, real-world application: moving away from theory and into hands-on problem-solving

One participant reflected that, after just three sessions, he had “re-found his purpose at work”. Others highlighted the value of having a confidential space with trusted peers to think strategically, resetting priorities and navigate the pressures of leadership in modern government.

Program tailored to the realities of Executive leadership

The restructured program combined four integrated components:

1. Comprehensive assessment and onboarding: 180-degree assessment, coach matching and selection, leader conversations and goal setting delivered by Hellomonday
2. Leadership Labs: two half-day external workshops introducing adaptive leadership concepts delivered by ANZSOG, featuring fireside conversations with dynamic senior public sector leaders
3.  Learning Circles: three small group coaching sessions after each lab, designed to apply theory to live challenges, delivered by Hellomonday‍
4. One-to-one coaching: three individual coaching sessions for each executive, allowing personal reflection, tailored support and accountability delivered by Hellomonday coaches

Executives valued the flexibility of booking sessions into their calendars as needed. The bite-sized cadence allowed them to immediately test new frameworks in their day-to-day work and return to the next session with insights and questions.

Coaching that adapts to Executives 

Alongside the one-to-one coaching sessions, Executives found the Learning Circles highly impactful. 

“These sessions sparked the most magic,” said Kelly Crow, Senior Advisor, Learning and Development. “Executives brought their own challenges, shared experiences and applied adaptive leadership tools directly to their situations. The peer-to-peer accountability created momentum.”

Executives noted that the learning circles provided a rare opportunity for honest, cross-division conversations. This helped to break down silos that can so easily become entrenched in any large organisation.

“Instead of being fed theory, Executives were testing ideas, sharing what worked and challenging each other. It shifted the culture of learning from passive to active," added Falconer.

For many Executives, this was their first experience with external coaching. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

“Executives told us again anda gain 'my coach gets it’,’” Falconer said. “They appreciated that the coaches had been in similar senior roles themselves and could offer grounded, practical guidance. This wasn’t about abstract leadership ideals; it was about tools and approaches they could use the next day.”

Turning conversations into measurable change

Within a constrained time frame, the Executive Leadership Re-Launch Program delivered clear and measurable impact:

• 87% of participants reported the program had a meaningful impact on their leadership
• 32 areas of development were achieved with the strongest areas of growth: being self-awareness, resilience, communicating effectively and influencing
• Cross-silo collaboration improved with participants reporting stronger peer     relationships and shared problem-solving

Most importantly, the program restored confidence and engagement in leadership development across the executive cohort.

“I love how it’s tailored to the individual, making the learning feel relevant and practical. It’s shifted my mindset, given me tools to tackle challenges with confidence, and now it’s about putting them into practice,” one Executive said

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Purpose built leadership development programs 

For Falconer, what stood out was not just the quality of the program, but the way Hellomonday partnered with DoJ to make it happen.

“The level of customer service was unlike anything we’d experienced before. The team felt like a safe pair of hands always troubleshooting, always adapting and going above and beyond,” she said.

From initial scoping to delivery, the collaboration was seamless. “It felt like a huge weight off our shoulders to have partners who truly understood our needs and worked along side us every step of the way.”

The Executive Leadership Re-Launch Program demonstrated that with the right design, Executive development can be both practical and transformative. By focusing on adaptive leadership and providing flexible, personalised support, DoJ was able to turnaround a program and deliver meaningful change.

“Leadership coaching is about meeting people where they are, not forcing them into a framework that doesn’t fit,” Falconer concluded. “Hellomonday enabled us to do just that. And in doing so, helped our executives step up to lead through complexity.”