Frequently asked questions.

Head Forward Leadership Partners helps people develop practical leadership capability and helps organisations create clearer pathways for that capability to progress. Our services include individual coaching, the Leadership Health Check, Leadership Pathway Plans and leadership programs. Our approach is to develop the person, strengthen the pathway and measure what changes.

We work with aspiring, emerging and established leaders, and with organisations developing their people and succession capability. Our leadership experience spans automotive, transport and financial services. We are based in Melbourne and can work online with clients across Australia.

No. Women’s progression is a particular focus, and our coaching and leadership development are available to women and men. Organisation-funded coaching and mentoring can support staff preparing for leadership as well as people already leading. We focus on capability, fair opportunity and practical responsibility.

No. You may be preparing for your first leadership role, already leading people or working through a decision about what comes next. We can help you work on judgement, conversations and responsibility before you have a new title.

The introductory session is 50 minutes and costs A$159 (including GST). It explores your situation, what you want to change and whether coaching with Head Forward is the right fit. You identify a useful next step and discuss whether further support would help. A brief action summary is emailed within two business days. The session is not a full assessment or an ongoing support package.

The Next Move is a 60-minute one-to-one leadership coaching session, currently A$249 (including GST). It focuses on a real leadership or career situation: a difficult conversation, a decision, a change in responsibility or your next practical step. You examine the facts and options, practise where useful and leave with an action you own.

Yes. An organisation can fund individual coaching or a separately scoped Coaching & Mentoring Partnership. Before starting, we agree the goals, session arrangements, sponsor involvement, confidentiality and progress reporting. If you are seeking employer funding, ask us for service information to support your approval request.

For organisation-funded coaching, reporting boundaries are agreed with you and the sponsor before sessions begin. Funding a session does not mean session notes are automatically shared. We agree what progress information can be reported and explain confidentiality limits in the engagement terms. See our participant privacy information for more detail.

Read participant privacy information →

No. We agree practical goals and review actions, feedback and observable changes. Outcomes also depend on your circumstances, your application and the decisions of others. Coaching supports development and action; it does not replace mental-health treatment, legal advice, HR processes or a formal investigation.

The three-hour Leadership Health Check costs A$1,700 + GST (A$1,870 including GST) for one business unit or location, online or in person. It includes preparation and review of up to two existing documents; a working session with a sponsor and up to two colleagues; a one-to-two-page written snapshot within five business days; up to three priorities for a client-owned 90-day action plan; and one 30-minute virtual progress check-in during that period. Additional travel or administration charges are quoted before you accept the scope.

It helps you examine leadership expectations, capability, access to opportunity, succession exposure and follow-through. Findings reflect the documents supplied and sponsor discussion. We identify what is supported by evidence, what remains untested and where further work may be useful. A sponsor-led review does not independently establish what every employee experiences.

It includes a client-owned action plan and one 30-minute virtual progress check-in. Your organisation implements the plan. Additional coaching, implementation support, employee interviews, surveys or a wider diagnostic are agreed and priced separately.

The Health Check identifies where attention is needed. A Leadership Pathway Plan turns an agreed diagnosis or sponsor brief into a working development pathway: what capability is needed, what people will lead, their decision authority, who will support them and how progress will be reviewed. Scope, timing and price are agreed for your organisation.

The LEAD Program is a practical five-week program for 6–8 emerging leaders in one business unit. It starts with a Leadership Health Check, then five 2-hour applied sessions: diagnose, clarify, decide, delegate and commit. Each participant finishes with a 90-day plan signed off by their manager, the sponsor receives an executive readout, and every participant gets the Lead From Your Pocket app for six months. Pricing is by proposal, tailored to your business unit and number of participants. See the LEAD Program. LEAD can also form part of a separately scoped longer leadership pathway.

We agree a starting point and specific measures with the client. These can include clearer expectations, real development assignments with authority and support, better leadership conversations, demonstrated capability and evidence of succession readiness. We distinguish planned actions from changes actually observed. A course attendance record alone does not demonstrate readiness.

Yes. Individual coaching is available online. The organisational Health Check can be delivered online or in person, and program delivery is agreed to scope. For online sessions, meeting arrangements are confirmed before the appointment. Melbourne-based does not mean you need to travel to Melbourne.

Use Book Now to view coaching services through Square, select a time and follow the booking and payment instructions. Check the service, total price, location and confirmation details before completing the booking. For organisational work, contact us first so we can agree scope, delivery and fees before payment.

Check the cancellation and rescheduling terms displayed with your booking or written engagement before paying. If you need to change an appointment, use the booking confirmation options or contact info@headforward.au as soon as possible. Organisational engagements follow the terms agreed for that scope.

For coaching, bring one situation, decision or goal and what you would like to be clearer about. For the Health Check, we agree the sponsor question and up to two relevant documents beforehand. Avoid sending unnecessary sensitive information about colleagues or customers. Program participants receive preparation instructions for their cohort.

Potentially, depending on the actual purpose and your circumstances. A work-related expense needs a sufficient connection to your current income-earning activities. For self-education, this can include maintaining or improving specific skills used in your current work, or being likely to increase income from that current work. Coaching is not automatically deductible because it is called professional development. Ask a registered tax agent to assess the session or program you intend to purchase.

Costs aimed at obtaining your first job, changing to a new income-earning activity or general personal development may not qualify. The name The Next Move does not determine tax treatment: the purpose of the work and its connection to your current income-earning activities matter. A session mainly assessing coaching fit also needs to be considered on its own facts.

A business may be able to deduct qualifying expenditure incurred in carrying on its business and connected to earning assessable income. The treatment depends on the purpose, business structure and whether any component is private or capital in nature. Leadership development or advisory services are not automatically deductible in every case. Ask your accountant to assess the agreed scope and invoice.

You cannot personally claim the amount paid or reimbursed by your employer. The employer should assess its own deduction and any fringe benefits tax obligations. For relevant work-related expenses, the otherwise deductible rule may reduce the taxable value of a fringe benefit, subject to the rules and supporting records. Employer funding does not automatically make every coaching arrangement exempt from FBT.

No. An income tax deduction generally reduces taxable income; it is not a dollar-for-dollar refund of the fee. Any benefit depends on eligibility and your tax position. We do not advertise guaranteed savings, rebates or a special tax incentive for purchasing Head Forward services.

Keep the invoice or receipt, payment record, service or program outline and evidence of how the work relates to your current role or business. Your tax adviser can confirm any further records needed. Request billing to the correct individual or organisation before payment. An invoice supports record-keeping but does not itself establish that an expense is deductible.