Helping leaders change and thrive in complexity

Change consultant and Adaptive leadership expert,Dr Josie McLean has short grey hair, is smiling, and is sitting outdoors against a brick wall, wearing a dark blazer and an orange top.

Dr Josie McLean empowers you and your organisation or community to adapt, innovate, change and flourish in today’s uncertain world through her Adaptive Leadership approach.

Proven track record: Working with a myriad of different organisations and as a lead facilitator of South Australia’s prestigious Governor’s Leadership Program for over 15 years, she’s become the go-to expert for people facing their toughest challenges.

The City of Marion Transformation: Josie helped turn around a council plagued by chronic deficits, high staff turnover and project failures. The result? A complete cultural transformation that catapulted the City of Marion into one of the top 3 financially managed councils in South Australia – now a multiple award winner for business excellence and organisational culture.

Josie's research-backed approach has helped create lasting change in organisations across government, corporate, and community sectors throughout Australia.

Explore working together

“we used adaptive leadership tools to start moving into the solutions space... we got some amazing outcomes from this fascinating beginning, and it will shine a light for us to see the NEXT STEP”

— Alex Gaut, Team Leader City of Holdfast Bay

“Her deep understanding of complexity...and exceptional coaching skills, have allowed our team to test ideas and become confident navigators in complexity.”

— Tania McDonald, Urban Sustainability Team, Department of Environment and Water, South Australia

“Josie’s wise advice and facilitation skills were the perfect mix in supporting our successful transition to a high-performing small team. Her empathy and care created a safe space for my team to share their dreams for the future.”

— Gilbert Rochecouste, Managing Director, Village Well

“Josie McLean and her team have worked with myself and the leadership team for over a year now. Her unique approach both challenges and nurtures team beliefs and assumptions… Staff have come away from these sessions with greater clarity on our direction, improved collegiality and respect for one and other and a renewed sense of vigour in achieving our goals.”

— Ben Stockwin, CEO, Australian Institute of Landscape Architects

Real Results Across Every Level of Your Organisation

When people believe that they can make a difference, transformation follows. Our clients see measurable improvements in four key areas:

Individual Impact: Leaders develop stronger decision-making skills, increased confidence, and enhanced emotional intelligence, which in turn improve both their professional effectiveness and personal fulfilment.

Team Transformation: Enhanced collaboration, higher engagement scores, improved productivity, and stronger working relationships that reach across silos.

Cultural Evolution: Organisational culture shifts that improve retention, boost performance, and create environments where people thrive - not just survive. Employees queue up to work in these places.

The Ripple Effect: Perhaps most importantly, our clients become catalysts for change in their broader networks, industries, and communities. They don't just transform their own organisations - they influence entire sectors.

Who we work with

We partner with forward-thinking leaders who recognise that thriving in today's complex world requires more than traditional management approaches.

Our Ideal Clients Are:

Purpose-driven organisations ready to align their operations with meaningful regenerative impact
Culture-conscious leaders who understand that enduring success starts with people and relationships
Visionary change makers seeking practical strategies to engage their teams in transformation

From Local Government to Global Corporations We've successfully guided organisations across sectors—from community banks and high-tech manufacturers to local councils and not-for-profits. Size doesn't matter; commitment to authentic change does.

Ready to Start? Whether you're a CEO, Head of People & Culture, Sustainability Manager, or change maker at any level, we want to hear from you. After more than a decade of helping organisations move from surviving to thriving, we know real change is possible when the right support meets genuine commitment.

Start the conversation