LEADERSHIP & BEHAVIOURAL COACHING
Knowing how to lead and being able to do it under pressure aren't always the same thing.
Leaders often know what effective leadership looks like.
Communicate clearly. Delegate. Give honest feedback. Make decisions. Listen. Set boundaries. Have the difficult conversation.
The challenge isn't always knowing what to do.
It's being able to do it when pressure, uncertainty, conflict or old patterns enter the equation.
I work with leaders and teams to understand and change the behaviours affecting how they communicate, make decisions, navigate pressure and work with others.
Where this shows up at work
Behaviour has an impact far beyond the individual.
The way a leader responds can influence conversations, decisions, relationships, team dynamics and ultimately performance.
Sometimes that looks like:
Avoiding difficult conversations
Feedback isn't delivered, issues remain unresolved and small problems have more opportunity to become bigger ones.
Overthinking and second-guessing
Decisions slow down and capable leaders can begin to second-guess their own judgement.
Becoming defensive under pressure
Communication closes down at the very moment openness, curiosity and trust are needed most.
People pleasing and conflict avoidance
Boundaries become unclear, expectations aren't communicated and accountability becomes harder.
Holding on instead of delegating
Leaders become overloaded while their teams have fewer opportunities to take ownership and develop.
Reacting instead of responding
They know how they want to respond under pressure. In the moment, something else takes over instead.
These aren't always capability gaps. Sometimes the leader already knows what they want to do differently. The challenge is what happens in the moment.
Why knowing isn't enough
Leadership development often focuses on what someone needs to do differently.
Those skills matter.
But knowing what to do doesn't always change what happens in the moment.
Rather than only focusing on the behaviour we can see, we explore what's driving it: the beliefs and habits that shape what happens when it counts.
The cost of leaving it as it is
Behavioural patterns at work don't always create one obvious moment where something goes wrong.
The impact can be quieter.
A difficult conversation keeps getting deferred. A leader holds onto decisions they could delegate. Feedback becomes less open. Pressure changes the way people communicate. Team members become more careful about what they say.
Over time, those small moments begin to shape the environment around them.
They influence how decisions are made, how openly people communicate, how much ownership others take and how people experience working together.
Why work with me
Before founding Rise & Thrive, I spent more than a decade working in corporate environments including Xero, EY, Goldman Sachs and Ashurst, with much of my career focused on people, growth and development.
I know what leadership looks like inside large organisations, and how pressure, pace and expectations can shape the way people respond.
Today I bring that experience together with my training as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC), an internationally recognised coaching credential.
“She is an authentic people leader with a natural drive to develop others… I have had the pleasure of working with Tara for the last four years, and I have no hesitation in recommending her.”
Angela La Sala
Delivery Manager, Junior Talent Program at Xero
Ways to work together
Every engagement is designed around your people and what you're trying to change.
Workshops are typically $2,500–$3,500 per day, with half-day options available. Coaching and blended programs are scoped and quoted once we've talked about what you need.
Looking for coaching for yourself? See 1:1 coaching.
Team Workshops
Interactive sessions built around the behavioural challenges showing up across a team, creating shared awareness, shared language and practical ways forward. Workshops include Leadership Accelerator, Emotional Intelligence for Teams and DISC profiling, or I can design one around what your team needs. Half-day or full-day, on site in Melbourne or online.
Leadership Coaching
Private 1:1 coaching for leaders in your organisation who want to understand and change behaviours affecting how they lead, communicate, make decisions or respond under pressure.
Blended Programs
A combination of team workshops and confidential 1:1 coaching, supporting change at both an individual and team level.
Let's talk about what's happening in your organisation.
How it starts
1. Tell me what's happening. Send a short enquiry using the form. There's no need to have it all worked out.
2. We talk it through. A conversation about your people, what you're noticing and what you'd like to be different.
3. I scope the work. I'll outline an approach that fits, including format, timing and investment, so you can decide whether to go ahead.
Tell me a little about what's going on, and I'll get back to you personally.