25 Executive Team Offsite Facilitators for Schools in Australia and New Zealand (2026)

Your last executive team offsite felt productive in the moment, then three months later it was like it never happened.

The session itself was fine. People participated. Flipcharts got filled. Someone took photos of the whiteboard. But back in the day-to-day rhythm of running a school, the commitments dissolved, the decisions never got actioned, and the deeper issues your team needed to confront remained untouched. You are not alone in this. Most school leadership offsites are designed for the day, not for the 90 days after.

The difference is not the venue or the agenda. The difference is the facilitator. A facilitator who understands school culture, knows how executive teams actually function, and builds follow-through into the design from the start creates offsites that produce lasting change. A facilitator who treats your offsite like a generic corporate workshop wastes your time and your team's trust.

I put together this list of 25 executive team offsite facilitators schools across Australia and New Zealand trust to do the real work.

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP OFFSITE SPECIALISTS

These facilitators have built their practice around school executive teams. They understand the specific tensions school leaders face: the board above, the staff below, the parents on the perimeter, and the mission pressure that never lets up. They do not bring corporate frameworks and retrofit them. They work inside the world you already occupy.

1. Jonno White

Jonno White works with school leadership teams who have the talent on paper but know the team is not working the way it should. His offsites are built around execution, not ideation. The focus is on what happens in the 90 days after the session, not just the insights generated on the day.

Pattern recognition sits at the centre of his approach. Jonno has facilitated hundreds of offsites across independent, Catholic, and public schools. He notices the meeting after the meeting, the unresolved tension between two senior leaders, the deputy who is quietly undermining the principal, and the strategic plan everyone nods at but nobody believes. His sessions surface these patterns and create the conditions for real conversation.

• Works with schools around the world

• Author of Step Up or Step Out, with over 10,000 copies sold

• Certified Working Genius Facilitator who uses the model to diagnose team friction and improve collaboration

• Designs offsites with built-in accountability cadences so commitments survive re-entry

Jonno's offsites do not stop when the room closes. He builds 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day check-ins into the design. Schools that engage him report fewer unresolved conflicts, clearer role alignment, and senior teams that actually make decisions together instead of deferring them.

Reach out at jonno@consultclarity.org if your executive team needs an offsite that produces follow-through, not just flipcharts.

2. Michael McQueen

Michael McQueen specialises in helping school leadership teams navigate change without losing their people in the process. His offsite facilitation centres on momentum, culture shift, and how to lead through transitions that feel too big to manage. Schools book him when they are facing strategic pivots, leadership succession, or cultural transformation that requires the exec team to move in sync.

His approach blends foresight with practical implementation. McQueen is known for naming emerging trends in education and helping leadership teams position their schools ahead of the curve. He does not just facilitate discussion. He helps exec teams make hard decisions about what to stop, what to start, and how to bring the rest of the school along.

What makes his offsites different is the focus on stakeholder buy-in. School leadership decisions do not happen in a vacuum. McQueen designs sessions that account for how the board, staff, and parent community will respond. His facilitation includes pre-work, real-time decision frameworks, and post-offsite communication strategies so the exec team stays aligned when pressure builds.

3. Jenny Donovan

Jenny Donovan facilitates executive offsites for school leadership teams that are stuck in polite disagreement. Her sessions are designed to surface the real issues, not the ones people are willing to name in the first 20 minutes. Schools engage her when the leadership team is talented individually but dysfunctional together, and nobody knows how to break the pattern without breaking relationships.

Her method is built on psychological safety first, hard conversations second. Donovan spends time before the offsite interviewing each exec team member individually. She listens for the gaps between what people say in the room and what they say behind closed doors. Then she designs the session to close those gaps in a way that feels respectful, not confrontational.

Schools that work with Jenny report that her offsites produce the kind of honesty most leadership teams avoid for years. She is particularly effective with teams where one or two members dominate the conversation, where conflict gets smoothed over too quickly, or where the principal suspects the real problem is them.

4. Tim Dalmau

Tim Dalmau works with school executive teams navigating complex organisational change. His offsite facilitation is grounded in systems thinking, culture dynamics, and the human side of transformation. Schools book him when the strategic direction is clear but the exec team cannot align on how to execute it, or when cultural resistance is derailing progress.

Dalmau's offsites focus on patterns, not symptoms. He helps leadership teams see the system they are operating within, the feedback loops that reinforce stuck behaviours, and the leverage points where small changes produce disproportionate results. His sessions are intellectually rigorous without being academic. He translates complex systems ideas into practical next steps the team can act on immediately.

• Works across sectors but has deep experience with mission-driven organisations including schools

• Co-author of multiple books on organisational change and culture

• Designs offsites that integrate with existing strategic planning cycles

• Known for helping exec teams shift from reactive to proactive leadership

Schools that engage Tim Dalmau leave his offsites with clarity about the deeper patterns holding their team back and a roadmap for shifting them.

5. Sue McKinlay

Sue McKinlay facilitates offsites for school leadership teams who need to rebuild trust after a crisis, a leadership transition, or a period of sustained conflict. Her approach is relational before it is strategic. She understands that executive teams cannot execute well when trust is fractured, and her sessions are designed to repair what has been broken before moving to the work ahead.

Her offsites are structured but not rigid. McKinlay uses a combination of reflective exercises, structured dialogue, and real-time coaching to help teams surface resentment, misunderstanding, and unmet expectations. She is particularly skilled at working with exec teams where the principal is new, where a long-serving deputy feels passed over, or where a restructure has left people uncertain about their role and value.

Schools book Sue when the usual offsite facilitator would make things worse. Her work is slower, deeper, and more relational than a typical strategy session. Teams that work with her report that the offsite feels less like a planning day and more like the conversation they should have had two years ago.

6. Peter Hutton

Peter Hutton specialises in strategic clarity for school executive teams. His offsites help leadership teams move from vague aspirations to concrete decisions about priorities, resource allocation, and accountability. Schools engage him when the strategic plan exists but nobody is clear on who owns what, or when the exec team keeps revisiting the same conversations without resolution.

Hutton's facilitation is directive without being domineering. He brings structure, pacing, and decision-forcing mechanisms that prevent the offsite from drifting into endless discussion. His sessions produce documented outcomes: clear priorities, named owners, defined success metrics, and follow-up dates. He is the facilitator you book when you need the offsite to end with decisions, not just themes.

His background in education leadership means he understands the specific constraints school exec teams operate within. Limited budgets, board oversight, staff sentiment, and parent expectations all shape what is actually possible. Hutton designs offsites that respect these constraints while still pushing the team to make meaningful choices.

7. Gabrielle Dolan

Gabrielle Dolan facilitates offsites for school leadership teams that need to reconnect with their purpose and communicate their vision more effectively. Her sessions focus on storytelling, authenticity, and how exec teams can lead with clarity in a way that resonates with staff, students, and the wider school community.

Her approach centres on narrative before strategy. Dolan helps leadership teams articulate the story of where the school has been, where it is going, and why the journey matters. She then works with the exec team to translate that narrative into communication strategies, leadership behaviours, and decision frameworks that reinforce the story.

• Author of multiple books on business storytelling and authentic leadership

• Works with organisations globally, with significant experience in the education sector

• Designs offsites that balance reflective exercises with practical communication planning

• Known for helping leadership teams move from abstract values to concrete leadership behaviours

Schools that work with Gabrielle report that her offsites help exec teams speak with one voice, reduce mixed messaging, and lead with greater confidence.

8. Andrew Bradbery

Andrew Bradbery works with school executive teams navigating governance challenges, board relationships, and the strategic tensions that arise when the leadership team and the board are not aligned. His offsits are designed for principals and exec teams who need to manage upward as well as downward, and who are feeling the pressure of competing expectations.

His facilitation addresses the political realities of school leadership. Bradbery understands that executive decisions are shaped by board dynamics, community perception, and the constraints of the school's operating model. His sessions help leadership teams navigate these realities without becoming paralysed by them.

Schools book Andrew when board meetings are becoming contentious, when the exec team feels micromanaged, or when strategic decisions keep getting overturned. His offsites create clarity about roles, boundaries, and how the exec team can lead effectively within the governance structure that exists.

EXECUTIVE TEAM DYNAMICS AND WORKING GENIUS FACILITATORS

This group of facilitators specialises in team function, not just strategic planning. They use diagnostic tools, behavioural frameworks, and real-time observation to help exec teams understand why they are stuck, where the friction is coming from, and how to work together more effectively. If your offsite needs to address team dynamics before it can address strategy, these facilitators are the ones to consider.

9. Patrick Lencioni Certified Facilitators

Patrick Lencioni created some of the most widely used frameworks for executive team health: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, The Advantage, and Working Genius. Certified facilitators trained in his models bring these frameworks into school leadership offsites, helping exec teams diagnose dysfunction and build the trust, conflict, commitment, accountability, and results focus that high-performing teams require.

These facilitators use assessment data, not just conversation. Before the offsite, the exec team completes diagnostics that reveal where trust is low, where conflict is being avoided, where commitment is weak, and where accountability gaps exist. The offsite itself is structured around the data, so the team spends time on the real issues rather than the comfortable ones.

What makes Lencioni-certified facilitators effective in schools is their ability to translate corporate frameworks into education contexts. The language shifts, the examples change, but the underlying team dynamics are universal. Schools that engage these facilitators report clearer role expectations, fewer unresolved tensions, and exec teams that hold each other accountable without the principal having to enforce everything.

10. Certified Working Genius Facilitators

Working Genius is Patrick Lencioni's framework for understanding how people contribute to productive work. It identifies six types of work: Wonder, Invention, Discernment, Galvanising, Enablement, and Tenacity. Every person has two areas of genius, two areas of competence, and two areas of frustration. When exec teams understand their collective Working Genius profile, they can assign work more effectively, reduce friction, and stop burning people out in areas where they were never going to thrive.

Facilitators certified in Working Genius design offsites that map the team's collective strengths and gaps. The session reveals why certain projects stall, why some team members are constantly exhausted, and why the same frustrations keep surfacing. Then the facilitator helps the team reorganise responsibilities, redefine roles, and build workflows that align with how people are naturally wired.

• Particularly effective for exec teams that are talented but misaligned on who should own what

• Useful when team members feel overworked in some areas and underutilised in others

• Helps principals understand their own Working Genius and how it shapes their leadership

• Creates a shared language the team can use long after the offsite ends

Schools that use Working Genius in their offsites report better task allocation, clearer expectations, and team members who finally understand why certain types of work drain them while other types energise them.

11. The Table Group Consulting

The Table Group is the consulting firm Patrick Lencioni founded to bring his models into organisations. Their facilitators work with executive teams across sectors, including schools, to build health, trust, and strategic clarity. Schools engage The Table Group when they want a structured, proven approach to team development and are willing to invest in a multi-day offsite with deep pre-work and post-offsite accountability.

Their offsites are not one-off events. The Table Group designs engagements that span months, with the offsite sitting at the centre of a longer process. Pre-offsite interviews and assessments surface the real issues. The offsite itself addresses those issues with structured frameworks and facilitated conversations. Post-offsite follow-up sessions ensure the commitments made in the room translate into behaviour change back at school.

Schools that work with The Table Group report significant shifts in team culture, decision-making speed, and leadership alignment. The investment is higher than a single-day facilitator, but the outcomes are correspondingly deeper.

12. Simon Sinek Certified Facilitators

Simon Sinek's Start With Why framework has shaped how organisations think about purpose, culture, and leadership. Certified facilitators trained in his methodology help school executive teams reconnect with their why, clarify their how, and align their what. These offsites are particularly effective for schools undergoing identity shifts, mission drift, or leadership transitions where the founding purpose has been lost.

The facilitation process begins with discovery. Before the offsite, the facilitator interviews leadership team members, staff, and sometimes students and parents to surface the school's core purpose. The offsite itself is structured around articulating that purpose clearly, testing it against current strategic decisions, and identifying where the school's actions are misaligned with its stated values.

Schools that engage Sinek-certified facilitators leave the offsite with a clear, compelling articulation of why the school exists, how it operates, and what it does. More importantly, the exec team has a shared reference point for making decisions, prioritising initiatives, and communicating with stakeholders.

13. Strengths-Based Facilitators

Facilitators trained in strengths-based frameworks like CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder) or VIA Character Strengths bring a focus on individual talent and team composition to school leadership offsites. Their sessions help exec teams understand each member's natural strengths, how those strengths complement or clash, and how to organise work so people operate in their zones of genius more often.

These offsites are diagnostic first, strategic second. The team completes strengths assessments before the session. The facilitator then maps the collective profile, identifies gaps, and highlights areas where the team is either overloaded or underrepresented. The offsite conversation focuses on how to leverage strengths, compensate for gaps, and reduce the friction that comes from expecting people to operate outside their natural wiring.

• Effective for exec teams that feel misaligned but cannot articulate why

• Useful when new members have joined the team and integration feels clunky

• Helps principals understand how their strengths shape their leadership style and blind spots

• Creates a shared language for feedback and role clarification

Schools that use strengths-based facilitation report better self-awareness, clearer role boundaries, and team members who feel more valued for what they naturally bring.

14. Emotional Intelligence Facilitators

Facilitators specialising in emotional intelligence bring frameworks from Daniel Goleman, Brene Brown, and others into school leadership offsites. Their focus is on self-awareness, empathy, relationship management, and the emotional competencies that separate high-performing exec teams from dysfunctional ones. Schools book these facilitators when interpersonal friction is derailing strategic work, or when the exec team is technically competent but relationally strained.

Their offsites create space for the conversations most teams avoid. How does the principal's leadership style land with the team? Where is trust low? Who feels unheard? Where are unspoken resentments festering? The facilitator uses structured exercises, real-time feedback, and reflective practices to surface these dynamics in a way that feels safe, not accusatory.

Schools that engage emotional intelligence facilitators report stronger interpersonal relationships, fewer unresolved conflicts, and leadership teams that can navigate disagreement without damaging trust.

STRATEGY AND EXECUTION SPECIALISTS

These facilitators focus on translating vision into action. They work with school leadership teams that have clarity on where they want to go but cannot align on how to get there, or teams that keep setting priorities but never follow through. If your offsite needs to produce a concrete execution plan with named owners and deadlines, these facilitators build that into the design from the start. For a practical starting point, see these executive offsite agenda templates designed for exactly this purpose.

15. Scaling Up Certified Coaches

Scaling Up is Verne Harnish's framework for execution, built around the One-Page Strategic Plan, quarterly planning rhythms, and daily and weekly accountability habits. Certified coaches trained in Scaling Up bring this discipline to school leadership offsites, helping exec teams move from strategic aspirations to 90-day execution plans with clear priorities, metrics, and ownership.

Their offsites are output-focused. The session does not end until the exec team has documented priorities, assigned ownership, defined success metrics, and scheduled the follow-up meetings that will keep the work on track. The facilitator pushes the team to make decisions, not just explore options. The result is a one-page strategic plan the entire leadership team can reference and a rhythm of accountability that survives re-entry.

• Effective for schools that set goals every year but never hit them

• Useful when the exec team feels busy but not productive

• Helps principals move from micromanagement to systems-driven accountability

• Creates quarterly planning cadences that keep the team aligned over time

Schools that work with Scaling Up coaches report faster execution, clearer priorities, and leadership teams that stop revisiting the same strategic conversations.

16. OKR Facilitators

Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) is a goal-setting framework used by high-growth organisations to align teams, track progress, and drive accountability. Facilitators trained in OKRs help school leadership teams set ambitious objectives, define measurable key results, and build the quarterly review cadences that keep the work moving. Schools engage OKR facilitators when strategic plans sit on shelves, when nobody is clear on what success looks like, or when accountability feels subjective.

The offsite process is structured around clarity and alignment. The facilitator helps the exec team identify the three to five most important objectives for the next quarter or year. Then the team defines the key results that will measure progress toward each objective. The session ends with ownership assigned, timelines set, and review dates locked in.

Schools that use OKRs report better alignment between the exec team's priorities and the work happening across the school, fewer competing initiatives, and leadership teams that can track progress without endless reporting.

17. Hoshin Kanri Facilitators

Hoshin Kanri is a strategic planning methodology rooted in Japanese management practices. It focuses on aligning long-term vision with short-term action, ensuring that every initiative the school undertakes contributes to the overarching strategic goals. Facilitators trained in Hoshin Kanri help school exec teams close the gap between aspiration and execution by building cascading goals, cross-functional alignment, and review rhythms into the plan.

These offsites are highly structured and output-driven. The facilitator guides the exec team through a process of defining breakthrough objectives, identifying the critical few initiatives that will move those objectives forward, and assigning ownership at every level. The session produces a visual strategic plan that maps how each department's work contributes to the school's overall direction.

Schools that engage Hoshin Kanri facilitators leave the offsite with a plan that connects the principal's vision to the deputy's priorities to the middle leader's daily work. The alignment is visible, trackable, and actionable.

18. Agile Facilitators for Education

Agile methodologies, originally developed for software teams, have been adapted for schools and nonprofit organisations. Facilitators trained in Agile for education help school leadership teams adopt iterative planning, rapid experimentation, and adaptive execution. Schools book Agile facilitators when the traditional strategic planning cycle feels too slow, when the environment is changing faster than the plan can keep up, or when the exec team wants to pilot new initiatives without committing to multi-year rollouts.

Agile offsites focus on short cycles, rapid feedback, and continuous improvement. The facilitator helps the exec team identify initiatives to pilot, define success criteria, and build review points where the team can decide to continue, adjust, or kill the initiative. The emphasis is on learning fast, not planning perfectly.

• Effective for schools navigating rapid change or uncertainty

• Useful when the exec team wants to innovate without risking the core programme

• Helps leadership teams move from annual planning to quarterly or monthly cycles

• Creates a culture of experimentation and adaptive leadership

Schools that adopt Agile practices report faster decision-making, more innovation, and leadership teams that feel less paralysed by uncertainty.

19. Lean Facilitators for Schools

Lean methodology focuses on eliminating waste, streamlining processes, and maximising value for the end user. Facilitators trained in Lean for education help school exec teams identify inefficiencies, reduce unnecessary complexity, and focus resources on what actually improves outcomes for students. Schools engage Lean facilitators when the leadership team feels overwhelmed by competing initiatives, when staff are burnt out from doing work that does not add value, or when the school is trying to do too much with too little.

Lean offsites are process-focused. The facilitator maps the school's core workflows, identifies bottlenecks and redundancies, and helps the exec team redesign processes to eliminate waste. The session produces a list of initiatives to stop, processes to simplify, and areas where the school can reallocate resources for greater impact.

Schools that work with Lean facilitators report less overwhelm, clearer priorities, and staff who feel like their time is being used more purposefully.

20. Balanced Scorecard Facilitators

The Balanced Scorecard is a strategic planning and performance management framework that helps organisations measure progress across four perspectives: financial, customer, internal processes, and learning and growth. Facilitators trained in the Balanced Scorecard help school exec teams move beyond test scores and enrolment numbers to a more holistic view of school performance. Schools book these facilitators when the board or leadership team wants better data for decision-making, or when the school's current metrics do not capture what actually matters.

The offsite process centres on defining the right metrics. The facilitator helps the exec team identify the handful of key performance indicators that will reveal whether the school is making progress toward its strategic goals. The session produces a dashboard the leadership team can use to track performance, identify trends, and make data-informed decisions.

Schools that adopt the Balanced Scorecard report better alignment between strategic goals and operational decisions, clearer communication with the board, and leadership teams that can spot problems earlier.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND TRUST-BUILDING FACILITATORS

These facilitators specialise in the relational work that makes everything else possible. They work with school executive teams where trust has been damaged, where unresolved conflict is paralysing decision-making, or where interpersonal dysfunction is preventing the team from executing even the best strategy. If your offsite needs to repair relationships before it can build plans, these facilitators know how to do that work.

21. Restorative Practices Facilitators

Restorative practices, originally developed for conflict resolution in schools and communities, have been adapted for leadership teams. Facilitators trained in restorative practices help school exec teams address harm, rebuild trust, and repair relationships after a crisis, a leadership failure, or a period of sustained conflict. Schools engage these facilitators when apologies need to happen, when people feel unheard or disrespected, or when the leadership team cannot move forward without addressing what went wrong.

The offsite is structured around dialogue, accountability, and repair. The facilitator creates a safe space for each team member to name the harm they experienced, express how it affected them, and articulate what they need to move forward. Then the team works together to identify actions that will repair trust and prevent the same harm from recurring.

• Effective for exec teams recovering from a leadership transition, restructure, or public failure

• Useful when one or two team members feel scapegoated or excluded

• Helps principals address their own role in team dysfunction without being defensive

• Creates a process for ongoing accountability and relationship maintenance

Schools that use restorative practices in their offsites report deeper trust, more honest communication, and leadership teams that can navigate future conflicts without external intervention.

22. Mediation Specialists

Mediation specialists work with school executive teams where conflict has escalated to the point that normal facilitation will not work. These facilitators are trained in conflict resolution, negotiation, and the dynamics of high-stakes disagreement. Schools engage mediators when two or more exec team members are in open conflict, when the principal and a deputy are at an impasse, or when interpersonal tension is threatening to blow up the team.

Mediation offsites are not strategic planning sessions. They are conflict resolution processes with a clear goal: get the parties to a place where they can work together productively, even if they never fully agree. The mediator structures the conversation, enforces ground rules, and helps each party articulate their perspective without attacking the other. The session ends with agreed-upon behaviours, boundaries, and a plan for moving forward.

Schools that bring in mediators report that the offsite feels uncomfortable in the moment but produces the breakthrough the team needed. The alternative is losing a valuable team member or operating with unresolved tension that poisons every decision.

23. Trust-Building Workshop Facilitators

These facilitators design offsites specifically to rebuild trust in leadership teams where it has been lost. Their sessions use structured exercises, vulnerability practices, and real-time feedback to help team members lower their defences, share what is really going on, and rebuild the relational foundation the team needs to function. Schools book trust-building facilitators when the exec team is polite but distant, when people do not speak up in meetings, or when the principal suspects nobody is being honest with them.

Trust-building offsites move slowly and intentionally. The facilitator does not rush to strategy or decision-making. The session focuses on creating moments of connection, shared vulnerability, and mutual understanding. Common exercises include personal history exercises, trust-building conversations, and feedback rounds where team members name what they appreciate and what they need from each other.

Schools that engage trust-building facilitators report that the offsite feels more like therapy than strategy, but the long-term impact is profound. Teams that rebuild trust make better decisions, move faster, and weather crises without fracturing.

24. Crucial Conversations Facilitators

Crucial Conversations is a framework for navigating high-stakes dialogue where opinions differ, emotions run high, and the outcome matters. Facilitators trained in Crucial Conversations help school exec teams have the difficult discussions they have been avoiding: performance issues, strategic disagreements, role confusion, and unspoken resentments. Schools book these facilitators when the leadership team is stuck because nobody will name the real issue.

The offsite teaches the team how to dialogue under pressure. The facilitator introduces the Crucial Conversations framework, then guides the team through real conflicts using the model. The session is part training, part live practice. By the end, the exec team has the language and the skills to navigate future disagreements without deferring, avoiding, or escalating.

• Effective for teams that smooth over conflict too quickly

• Useful when the principal avoids hard conversations with underperforming team members

• Helps exec teams distinguish between healthy debate and destructive conflict

• Creates a shared framework the team can use long after the offsite

Schools that adopt Crucial Conversations report fewer unresolved tensions, faster problem-solving, and leadership teams that can disagree without damaging relationships.

25. Brene Brown Certified Facilitators (Dare to Lead)

Brene Brown's Dare to Lead programme focuses on courage, vulnerability, trust, and resilience in leadership. Certified facilitators bring her research and frameworks into school leadership offsites, helping exec teams lead with authenticity, navigate discomfort, and build cultures where people feel safe to take risks and speak up. Schools engage Dare to Lead facilitators when the leadership team feels risk-averse, when people are afraid to challenge the status quo, or when the principal wants to model vulnerability but does not know how.

Dare to Lead offsites are experiential. The facilitator uses exercises, storytelling, and group reflection to help the team explore their relationship with vulnerability, shame, and courage. The session challenges the exec team to examine their own behaviours, acknowledge where fear is driving decisions, and commit to leading differently.

Schools that work with Dare to Lead facilitators report leadership teams that are more willing to admit mistakes, more open to feedback, and more courageous in making the hard calls the school needs.

INDEPENDENT SPECIALIST FACILITATORS

These facilitators do not fit neatly into a single category, but they bring deep expertise, unique approaches, or specialised skills that make them valuable for specific types of school leadership offsites. Consider these facilitators when your offsite has a unique challenge or requires a tailored approach.

26. Brett de Hoedt

Brett de Hoedt works with school leaders on communication strategy, stakeholder engagement, and how to navigate the political realities of leading in the public eye. His offsites help exec teams get clear on messaging, manage crisis communication, and align internal and external narratives. Schools book Brett when they are facing reputational challenges, when parent or community sentiment is turning negative, or when the leadership team needs to communicate a difficult decision.

His facilitation is practical and media-savvy. De Hoedt understands that school leaders operate in a fishbowl. Every decision gets scrutinised by parents, staff, and sometimes the media. His offsites help the exec team anticipate stakeholder reactions, craft messages that land, and build communication plans that reduce backlash.

Schools that work with Brett report clearer messaging, fewer communication missteps, and leadership teams that feel more confident navigating the external pressures that come with running a school.

27. Mandy Johnson

Mandy Johnson specialises in leadership coaching and facilitation for school principals and executive teams navigating transition. Her offsites are designed for schools where the principal is new, where a major restructure is underway, or where the leadership team is rebuilding after losing key people. Johnson's approach is relational, grounded in adult development theory, and focused on helping leaders step into new roles with clarity and confidence.

Her offsites create space for the questions leaders do not ask in public. What if I am not the right person for this role? How do I earn the trust of a team that did not choose me? How do I lead people who have been here longer than I have? Johnson facilitates conversations that help principals and exec teams navigate these uncertainties without pretending they do not exist.

Schools that engage Mandy Johnson report smoother leadership transitions, stronger relationships between new and existing team members, and principals who feel less isolated in the role.

28. Bryce Johnson

Bryce Johnson facilitates offsites for school leadership teams focused on innovation, future-focused learning, and how to prepare students for a rapidly changing world. His sessions help exec teams think beyond incremental improvement to transformational change. Schools book Bryce when they want to reimagine their educational model, pilot new approaches to teaching and learning, or position the school as a leader in innovation.

His offsites balance vision with pragmatism. Johnson pushes the exec team to imagine what the school could become, then helps them identify the practical steps required to get there. The session produces both a compelling vision and a realistic implementation plan, so the team leaves inspired and equipped to act.

Schools that work with Bryce report clearer innovation strategies, more experimental mindsets, and leadership teams that feel permission to challenge the status quo.

29. Maggie Dent

Maggie Dent is a wellbeing advocate, author, and facilitator who works with school leaders on staff wellbeing, burnout prevention, and creating sustainable cultures in high-pressure environments. Her offsites help exec teams address the human cost of running a school, particularly in the aftermath of the pandemic, and build leadership practices that prioritise people, not just performance.

Her facilitation is compassionate and grounded in neuroscience. Dent helps leadership teams understand how chronic stress affects decision-making, relationships, and long-term sustainability. Her offsites create space for the exec team to acknowledge their own exhaustion, identify the systems and behaviours that are driving burnout, and commit to leading in a way that protects the team's wellbeing.

• Effective for schools where staff turnover is high and morale is low

• Useful when the exec team itself is burnt out and running on empty

• Helps principals model self-care without feeling like they are shirking responsibility

• Creates wellbeing strategies that integrate with school culture, not just HR policy

Schools that engage Maggie Dent report leadership teams that are more attuned to staff needs, more willing to set boundaries, and more intentional about creating sustainable work environments.

30. Loretta Giorcelli

Loretta Giorcelli is an education consultant and facilitator with deep experience in school improvement, leadership development, and strategic planning. Her offsites help exec teams align on school priorities, clarify leadership roles, and build the structures that support sustained improvement. Schools engage Loretta when they need a facilitator who understands the mechanics of school improvement, not just the aspirational language.

Her approach is evidence-informed and practical. Giorcelli draws on research in effective schools, instructional leadership, and change management, but translates it into language and actions school leaders can use immediately. Her offsites produce clear plans, defined roles, and accountability structures that survive the return to daily operations.

Schools that work with Loretta report better alignment between the exec team's priorities and the school's improvement agenda, clearer communication with staff, and leadership teams that feel more capable of driving sustained change.

31. Steve Francis

Steve Francis specialises in governance, board relations, and the strategic challenges school principals face when managing upward. His offsites help exec teams navigate the tension between board expectations and operational realities, clarify governance boundaries, and build stronger working relationships with their boards. Schools book Steve when board meetings are becoming contentious, when the exec team feels micromanaged, or when strategic decisions are getting overturned.

His facilitation addresses the power dynamics most facilitators avoid. Francis helps the exec team articulate what they need from the board, identify where governance is overstepping into management, and build communication strategies that create alignment without conflict. The offsite often includes pre-work with the board chair or a joint session where the board and exec team clarify roles together.

Schools that engage Steve Francis report clearer governance boundaries, less friction with the board, and exec teams that feel more empowered to lead.

32. Linda Kaye

Linda Kaye works with school leadership teams on diversity, inclusion, and the cultural competencies required to lead diverse school communities. Her offsites help exec teams confront their own biases, build inclusive decision-making practices, and create school cultures where every student and staff member feels they belong. Schools book Linda when diversity and inclusion are stated values but not lived realities, or when the exec team knows they need to do better but does not know where to start.

Her offsites are challenging and reflective. Kaye does not let the leadership team stay comfortable. Her sessions surface blind spots, name systemic inequities, and push the exec team to examine how their own identities and assumptions shape their leadership. The session ends with concrete commitments, not just good intentions.

Schools that work with Linda Kaye report more inclusive hiring practices, better support for marginalised students and staff, and leadership teams that are more willing to confront difficult conversations about race, class, and identity.

33. Greg Parry

Greg Parry facilitates offsites for school leadership teams focused on financial sustainability, enrolment strategy, and the business side of running a school. His sessions help exec teams make hard decisions about resource allocation, fee structures, and how to grow or stabilise enrolment without compromising mission. Schools engage Greg when financial pressure is forcing difficult choices, when enrolment is declining, or when the exec team needs to think more strategically about the school's financial model.

His facilitation is data-driven and decision-focused. Parry brings financial models, enrolment projections, and market analysis into the offsite. The session does not shy away from hard truths. If the current financial trajectory is unsustainable, the exec team confronts it. If enrolment decline is being driven by factors the school can control, the team identifies them and acts.

Schools that work with Greg Parry report better financial discipline, clearer enrolment strategies, and leadership teams that can have honest conversations about money without fear or shame.

34. Kath Murdoch

Kath Murdoch is an education consultant specialising in inquiry-based learning, curriculum design, and pedagogical leadership. Her offsites help exec teams align on teaching and learning priorities, support middle leaders in curriculum innovation, and build school-wide instructional coherence. Schools book Kath when the exec team wants to shift pedagogy but does not know how to lead the change, or when curriculum initiatives are happening in pockets but not spreading.

Her facilitation bridges the gap between leadership and teaching. Murdoch helps exec teams understand what inquiry-based learning actually looks like in practice, how to support teachers through pedagogical shifts, and how to build the structures that sustain instructional improvement. Her offsites are intellectually rigorous, practically grounded, and deeply respectful of teachers.

Schools that engage Kath Murdoch report stronger instructional leadership, more coherent curriculum implementation, and exec teams that can articulate their pedagogical vision clearly.

35. John Fleming

John Fleming works with school leadership teams on evidence-based teaching, visible learning, and how to use data to improve student outcomes. His offsites help exec teams move from intuition-driven decisions to evidence-informed leadership. Schools engage John when they want to lift student achievement, when the exec team is drowning in data but not using it effectively, or when teaching quality is inconsistent across the school.

His approach is grounded in research synthesis. Fleming draws on the work of John Hattie, Robert Marzano, and other researchers to help leadership teams identify the teaching practices that have the greatest impact on learning. His offsites translate research into actionable leadership strategies, observation protocols, and professional learning plans.

• Effective for schools focused on lifting academic outcomes

• Useful when the exec team wants to shift from compliance-driven professional learning to impact-driven improvement

• Helps principals become instructional leaders, not just managers

• Creates data literacy and evidence-use practices across the leadership team

Schools that work with John Fleming report stronger instructional leadership, more effective use of data, and teaching quality that improves measurably over time.

Your next step depends on what your executive team actually needs. If the issue is strategy, book a facilitator who builds execution plans with accountability baked in. If the issue is team dynamics, book a facilitator who uses diagnostic tools like Working Genius or strengths assessments. If the issue is unresolved conflict, book a mediator or trust-building specialist. If the issue is unclear, start with a facilitator who has seen your exact pattern before and can name what you are dealing with. Not sure where to start? Read this guide on how to choose an executive offsite facilitator before you make the call.

An offsite that changes nothing is worse than no offsite at all. It burns trust, wastes time, and makes your team cynical about the next one. Choose a facilitator who designs for the 90 days after the session, not just the day itself, and your leadership team will leave the offsite with clarity, alignment, and the momentum required to actually execute.