Critical Friend Program
Partnering With You To Develop Ferocious Warmth Leadership
Culture Change Starts With Everyone
Do you feel like your organisation has been stuck? Each person showing up almost as if they are on autopilot.
Everyone is busy doing their jobs, too busy in fact to focus on the fact that the organisation isn’t growing.
You’ve had strategy meetings, you’ve decided on a path forwards but there doesn’t seem to be follow through, or if there is, the strategy doesn’t seem to bring about the desired results.
You’ve looked at productivity, you’ve looked at KPIs or success markers, but nothing seems to be making a difference.
Staff turnover is a constant stressor and those that do stay seem uninspired and doing the bare minimum just to scrape by. Your team has expressed that they don’t feel seen or heard and deep down you know that your organisation has a problem, but you can’t quite seem to pinpoint exactly what it is.
At this point you might be starting to realise that something needs to change. In fact, you might be ready to scrap everything you thought you knew and start from scratch, because you know without everyone working together you’ll never make it out of this rut.
It’s time for a new culture.
A culture that creates a sense of safety so your people can feel supported enough to grow and stretch their skills. A culture that gains momentum and helps propel your organisation forward. A culture that sees everyone working hard, learning from each other and rising to tackle challenges rather than allowing them to become roadblocks that cause stagnation.
While you may be motivated right now and ready to take action, the truth is the responsibility of a great culture doesn’t rest squarely on your shoulders as the leader, it relies on everyone in your team being on the same page. Because you know that culture isn’t just about how we treat each other, it’s a reflection of how we do everyday actions. It’s about connection but it also directly impacts the standard of work we are able to produce. And that’s why it’s time to make this shift…
But you don’t need to do it alone.
Allow me to be your partner in creating cultural change within your organisation. I’ll help facilitate this shift within your business across weeks, months, or years, however long it takes, and ensure that you are left with a culture that lasts, rather than one that dies once the motivation is gone. Together we’ll create a strong culture of trust, collaboration and learning.
This is the beauty of the Critical Friend Program. Curious to see how it could work for you?
Download Ferocious Warmth Brochure
Click image below to download more information on Ferocious Warmth Leadership and how you can work with Tracey.
What Creating A Culture Of Safety And Stretch Looks Like
As our “Learning Partner” Tracey Ezard has expertly and perceptively added incredible value to the work of our school and preschool leaders.
Tracey is acutely attuned to the needs of the leaders in our portfolio and adjusts her presentation and facilitation accordingly.
Her ability to distill complex leadership concepts into meaningful and understandable frameworks is a unique skill. Through deep and meaningful discussion, these frameworks and approaches are able to be contextualised across all levels of both school and preschool settings, resulting in cultural leadership enrichment.
“Ferocious Warmth”, “Psychological Safety”, trust and deep meaningful dialogue are qualities which Tracey exudes. Her ability to enrich our leaders with the same qualities has been amazing and is enriching the leadership culture in our portfolio of schools and preschools.
DAVID CHADWICK Education Director – Adelaide Prospect and Morialta Partnerships Department of Education, South Australia
After an extremely difficult year in 2020, the roller coaster of COVID, a range of staffing issues, large staff turnover and my own personal stress, I reached out to Tracey to help build the understandings and skills of all my staff including my leadership team on how we can collaboratively move from an environment of corrosion, blame and toxicity to one of a thriving professional and collaborative learning culture. We embraced the opportunity to unite everyone in a call to change in practices and behaviours that had been condoned for too many years…
The power in Tracey’s work is centred on what the school needs, supporting us through this challenging time firstly as a whole staff, then working with the leadership team and … with PLC leaders and their immediate teams. …We have developed a common language across the school guided by Tracey’s tools and strategies and creating our own new master stock.
…To be able to have genuine dialogue with each other, learn and make mistakes side by side, co-create, be compassionate and not be afraid to have hard conversations, owning our ignorant truth, building curiosity and suspending all judgment.
You are in great hands if you work with Tracey, she is practical, knowledgeable, real and inspirational. This makes a world of difference.
Natalie Rose, Principal, Ripponlea Primary School
How The Critical Friend Program Works
The Critical Friend Program is completely bespoke to your organisation. However, there are a few key components that we cover throughout this process that help no matter which stage of cultural transformation you are at.
The Buzz
The first step is to establish where you are right now so that we can collectively work to move your organisation up The Buzz Cultural Ladder. Once everyone understands where you are right now, then we can work towards building where you want to be in the future. This is where we will bring your organisation together to co-create a culture that they believe in, are motivated by and are ready to embed together. The importance of instilling The Buzz within your organisation is that it takes the responsibility of culture off the shoulders of the leadership team and empowers your entire organisation to embrace a new culture together. Why is this important? Because we don’t just want to build a culture that is powered by your leadership team. We want to create a culture that can drive momentum within your organisation on a daily basis. We’ll look at the behaviours and attitudes that need to be established as part of this new culture so that everyone understands what they need to be doing on the day-to-day to make this possible.
Ferocious Warmth Leadership
While culture is not simply the responsibility of your leaders they do have an extremely important role to play. Ferocious Warmth is an approach to leadership that will set your organisation up for success. Ferocious Warmth is a paradox balancing warmth with ferocity, strategy with connection, safety with stretch and challenge with support. Ferocious Warmth is a framework we use to develop your individual leaders and your teams. Why is this important? Because toxic leaders can create a toxic culture and we don’t want to undo all the hard work we did creating a culture simply because a leader didn’t have the skills they needed to support their team.
These approaches are research-backed and delivered in a way that allows every member of your team to take action as soon as they walk out the door. The delivery of each of these components will vary based on the specific needs of your organisation. The timeframe, content and delivery method will all depend on your specific needs.
As part of this journey you’ll be able to take advantage of the following:
Frameworks backed by 18 years of experience
Online resources to access at any time
Access to my books on leadership and culture: Ferocious Warmth, The Buzz, Glue
In-person delivery that are developed to work with your whole organisation, leadership teams, or key individuals within your organisation
Online training so that you can work through at your own pace
Diagnostics to keep track of how you are travelling throughout this journey together
And at the end of our time together you will have a new culture rolled out within your organisation. You will have momentum. Your leaders will have the confidence they need to have the hard conversations and be able to lead your team through times of change while still allowing them to feel safe enough to do their best. You will have a culture where conversations around growth are common practice and feedback is just an essential part of the organisation. Your culture will be so strong that the care and empathy that your team develops for each other will radiate outside of your organisation creating an even better experience for those that you serve as well.
The world is shifting so much that allowing your team to stay within their comfort zone is actually driving you backwards. This is your opportunity to take them out of their comfort zone and into their learning zone. To do this we need your team to be willing to collectively be vulnerable and be willing to step out of this comfort zone together, knowing that they will be supported the entire time.
Aren’t you excited by the possibility of the culture you could create as part of the Critical Friend Program? I’m excited for them!
And all you have to do is take the first step.
Tracey Ezard – Your Partner In Culture
With a rich background spanning hospitality, education, health and corporate sectors, Tracey brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and authenticity to every interaction. As a keynote speaker, author, and educator, Tracey is dedicated to inspiring collaboration and thriving workplace cultures. Holding esteemed credentials as a Fellow of the Australian Council of Education Leaders (FACEL) and a Certified Speaking Professional, Tracey’s commitment to excellence is evident.
In each session, Tracey leads with empathy, compassion and kindness, understanding the challenges leaders face in implementing change within their organisations, while working with every single person to co-create a culture that they are proud of. By reshaping perspectives on culture and leadership, Tracey empowers teams to cultivate environments of trust, collaboration and continuous learning.
Through the Critical Friend Program, Tracey collaborates with leaders and teams across organisations to foster cultures of trust, collaboration and learning. Leveraging evidence-based approaches from leadership, emotional intelligence and neuroleadership, Tracey offers a tailored solution for your organisation using frameworks that have been developed over 18 years of practice. The Critical Friend Program adapts to the unique context of your organisation, providing the catalyst for change and the tools to embed that change within the professional culture.
Work with Tracey to build a culture founded in collaboration, learning and trust.