Helen Lang is passionate in her belief that people have the power to make a difference. She works with executives and senior managers one-to-one or in small or large groups.

Rather than providing generic techniques Helen will work with you to help you find your own way of resolving current issues that impede your leadership effectiveness – so that you get immediate results! Whether in groups or in one-to-one sessions Helen has a refined ability to balance support with challenge and will help you develop approaches that are authentic to your own style of leadership. As a result, you will be better able to engage and influence others, capitalise on your existing strengths; and overcome self-defeating behaviours.

Contact Details

Email: transitions@bigpond.com   Mobile +61 419 688 934

Services Offered

• Executive Coaching
• Workshop Design and Facilitation
• Conflict Resolution
• Facilitation of Change Management and Corporate Governance including
  • Strategic Planning
  • Risk Management
  • Program Evaluation
• Psychotherapy and psychology

Deliverables

• Improved on-the-job competencies and skills developed through guided and mentored handling of current situations
• Real and sustainable solutions to business problems
• Practical programs for creating self-sustaining excellence in management and values based leadership and team building
• Personal development and individual transformation for key staff providing improved communication and cooperation throughout the organisation.
• Identification and capitalization on untapped talent, strengths and resources that lie within individuals and teams.
• Saving through the avoidance of burnout by improved emotional competency and the implementation of effective stress management strategies.
• Sustainable changes in behaviour resulting in significant improvements in effectiveness.

Who is Helen Lang?

Helen Lang is the Managing Director of Transitions: Executive Coaching and Psychological Services Pty. Ltd., a boutique company that specialises in building capability at both the organisational and individual level. Helen’s unique combination of experience as an executive, management consultant, executive coach and psychologist positions her to provide tailor-made and rigorous coaching and facilitation services to suit your leadership needs.

Helen has particular expertise in the areas of leadership development, conflict resolution and change management.

She is an accredited Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation and a registered psychologist (ACT) and psychotherapist (PACFA, ANZAP).

Having coached many hundreds of clients including at the SES Band 2 level, Helen has a wealth of experience as consultant to decision makers within a range of organisations including the Australian Public Service, the private sector and academe.

For over fifteen years, including at the Senior Executive level, Helen conducted and led major change initiatives and reviews in federal government departments. The reviews analysed service delivery arrangements at the portfolio and program level and led to improvement in culture, leadership and management practices. Helen also led change initiatives associated with strategic intelligence, people development and corporate governance including strategic planning, performance monitoring and reporting functions. In these roles Helen contributed to significant leadership and management improvement at the personal and organisational level.

Helen’s experience includes professional dealings with senior executives, departmental secretaries and government ministers.

Helen strives to integrate creativity with professional excellence. For example, in exploring the vexed issue of evaluating policy she initiated, engaged, briefed and directed participants in a hypothetical production videoed before a live audience at Parliament House. Participants in the hypothetical included Government Ministers, Departmental Secretaries, senior academics and well-known CEOs of the Media and business world.

Professional Qualifications – Coaching

• ICF Accredited Coach since 2006
• Tranformational Coaching – Institute of Executive Coaching (Ivy Ning) (2005)
• Transformational Coaching – 1 yr program of 100 hrs – Hermes & Assoc. (2005)
• Executive Coach Development Program, Veritas Alliance Pty Ltd (2003- 2005)
• Manager as Coach, Executive Program, University of Sydney, School of Psych (Tony Grant), 2003

Professional Qualifications – Behavioural and Social Sciences

• PhD candidate (psychology – by research), University Western Sydney
• Postgraduate Diploma of Psychology, University Western Sydney (Dean’s Merit List, 2004)
• Diploma of Adult Psychotherapy, Sydney University, 2004
• Bachelor of Science, Australian National University (Psychology),1990
• Bachelor of Letters, Australian National University,

Executive Coach /Team Building/ Leadership Facilitator

• Attorney General’s Department (Coaching Panel Member)
• Australian National Audit Office
• Australian Taxation Office (Coaching Panel Member)
• Australian Federal Police, AFP (Coaching Panel Member)
• Canberra Institute of Technology
• Centrelink (Coaching Panel Member through IEC)
• Child Support Agency
• Department of Defence (Coaching Panel Member through IEC )
• Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (Coaching Panel Member)
• Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs
• Department of Urban Services – City Management / Environment ACT
• Department of Veterans’ Affairs
• Dept Immigration & Indigenous Affairs
• Dept of Health and Aged Care
• Griffith University
• Medicare Australia
• Australian Public Service Commission (Coaching Panel Member)
• Villaggio, Aged Care Facility ACT

Coaching Presentations and Workshops

• Panel member at inaugural Women on Boards Conference (Sydney)
• Handling Difficult Conversations –Workshop series.
• Coach Supervision and Mentoring Clinic plus action learning supervision (Professional Development for accredited coaches – Centrelink.
• Beyond Emotional Intelligence – Making the Behaviour Changes
• Presented workshops and developmental sessions eg for Band 2 teachers at CIT; coaches at ICF Australasia Coach’s Developmental Week; members of Rotary Club International.

Professional Associations & Boards

• Board Director, Conflict Resolutions Service Board
• Board Director, Mental Illness Fellowship of ACT
• Member Australia and New Zealand Association of Psychotherapy (ANZAP)
• Member Psychotherapy & Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA)
• Associate Member Australian Psychological Society (AMAPS)
• Elected Member of Council, Institute of Public Admin. Australia (IPPA), ACT Division, 1995-96

Coaching Experiences

Worked with executives to:

• Plan and implement cultural change, improve communication, teambuilding, collegiality and trust by means of group as well as individual coaching and leadership workshop facilitation.
• Build new and more effective ways of dealing with difficult, complex and personally confronting workplace issues.
• Develop new ways of acknowledging and rewarding success and productive behaviours in order to influence and shape further success.
• Build genuine self confidence and improve ability to act skilfully in the moment.
• Develop strategies for streamlining work processes to reduce risk and integrate stated values into an everyday working ethos.

Statements of Confidence

Darren Box, General Manager, Centrelink Audit, Centrelink

“Helen has a calm presence and is always alive to the conversation. Helen is able to see to the heart of the issues, and using her intuition is able to provide powerful insights. Having provided insights, Helen is able to support and build trust, so that others feel safe to challenge themselves.”

Catherine Wall, Branch Manager, Dept Education, Science and Training

”Helen is highly insightful and has the ability to communicate even the most challenging messages in a gentle and supportive manner. She uses her sense of humour and pragmatic attitude to create an environment of trust and support in her workshops, thus enabling participants to stretch out of the comfort zone. …Helen is a great role model in the art of respectful, honest communication and is very effective in coaching others in the development of these skills”.

Bob McDonald, OAM, Chief Audit Executive, Department of Public Works

“Helen is an excellent facilitator. She knows how to listen and demonstrates that very well. She guides rather than directs and is able to engage the full group in exercises and discussions. I’ve noticed her ability to keep all involved in the process and to gently bring along the one or two who may be not quite as active. I enjoy working with Helen and find her knowledge of coaching is excellent and she practices what she teaches. Her techniques are engaging and interesting and certainly a challenge from time to time. Helen puts in the extra yard to ensure the group achieves its aims. …What has changed for me? I know what I’m in control of and how to move forward, so self confidence has grown. I don’t get distracted by thinking of what I should have done, but rather reflect on what I did do and the lessons learnt from that action. I’m starting to understand the areas I need to work on to improve my way of working and communicating. I certainly find that I am listening and communicating in a more effective way”.

Jillian Bolger, Manager, Geelong Call Centre Phone

“Helen is an excellent facilitator; I found our workshops challenging, informative and supportive. Helen’s skills are evident in every conversation, teaching by doing, challenging and informing. I am a better coach for attending the workshops – thanks Helen!”

Keryl Egan. Managing Director Keryl Egan & Associates

“Helen insights have provided me with the courage to use both head and heart whilst I undergo the challenges of building a business and finding new and profitable directions. Helen’s coaching style is warm and respectful as well as being informed, thoughtful and emotionally sophisticated. I would highly recommend Helen to those executives who wish to bring insight and emotional intelligence to their management and leadership roles”.

Alison Meretini, Director Rachum Centre

“Helen has remarkable listening skills and insight. I felt safe to explore behaviours that can hold me back. At all times our sessions are both challenging and encouraging”.

Helena Chan, Australian Public Service Commission

“Helen is an excellent mentor. I have greatly benefited in the areas of managing and dealing with difficult colleagues/staff; upward management and how to obtain support from the CEO and senior executives and driving and managing a significant culture shift. Helen logically identified and provided effective advice to address each issue.”

Sharon Waterhouse, Head of Direct Distribution, Newcastle Permanent Building Society

I have very much appreciated the opportunity to work with Helen Lang. These sessions have enabled me to further develop my skills and step out of my comfort zone. Helen is able to ask the challenging questions and help me to reflect on my experiences and develop strategies that will help me to achieve my career aspirations.

Mal Thorp Director, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations

“My desire for a workplace coach was to have a person that could act as an impartial mentor capable of taking my existing skills to a level that would enable me to enjoy greater professional success. In the years that I have been working with Helen, I have found her to be exactly that person. She has a thorough understanding of what is required in the APS and an even greater understanding of ways to develop inter-personal skills. I could not speak more highly of her abilities”