Leadership & Executive Performance
Two interconnected services — one for the whole leadership cohort, one for the individual executive. Both measurement-led, both psychologically deep, and both designed to produce verifiable, lasting change.
Service 01 — Overview
Leadership That Builds Culture by Design
Culture is not a values poster. It is the living sum of what leaders tolerate, model, and reward every day. We work at that intersection — helping leaders see exactly how their mindsets are constructing the culture around them, and giving them evidence-based tools to shift both.
Most programs fail not because of poor execution, but because they treat symptoms rather than causes. The root of almost every cultural problem is a leadership identity problem — and that is what we work with.
Most programs fail not because of poor execution, but because they treat symptoms rather than causes. The root of almost every cultural problem is a leadership identity problem — and that is what we work with.
We Measure
Leadership Mindsets & Patterns
Fixed vs. growth orientations, threat response under pressure, identity rigidity — the invisible drivers of visible culture.
We Shift
Behavioural & Identity Range
Expanding the range of responses available under uncertainty, conflict, and scrutiny.
We Embed
Cultural Norms That Sustain
Shared standards for how decisions are made, feedback flows, and psychological safety is maintained.
You Gain
Defensible Evidence of Change
Repeated measurement gives you data — not anecdote — to present to your board, executive, or regulator.
This Is Right For You If…
You Recognise These Situations
You lead a team and feel culture isn’t what you intended it to be
You’re facing elevated psychosocial risk or regulatory scrutiny
Standard leadership training hasn’t produced lasting change
You want data — not anecdote — to demonstrate culture improvement
You’re scaling rapidly and need culture to keep pace with growth
Post-merger or restructure — you need coherence from disparate parts
Who It's For
Right For You If & Works Best When
Leadership and culture work is a serious undertaking. It delivers for organisations with genuine readiness — not just appetite.
Our Approach
A Measurement-Led Five-Step Method
All engagements begin with rigorous measurement and close with a formal impact report — defensible, data-driven evidence of what shifted, formatted for your board or regulator.
Step 1
Diagnostic & Baseline Measurement
Validated psychometrics — WPSQ, Leadership Mindset Inventory, and 360° behavioural assessments. Replaces assumption with data from day one.
Step 2
Individual Debrief & Insight
Each leader receives a personalised debrief with a qualified organisational psychologist — creating the moment of genuine insight that makes change feel necessary, not just possible.
Step 3
Cohort-Based Development
Group workshops translating individual insight into shared language and collective practice — psychological safety, cognitive flexibility, constructive conflict, culture-shaping behaviours.
Assessment Instruments
The Tools Behind Every Engagement
Validated, research-backed instruments — not off-the-shelf personality tests. Each selected for its ability to measure what actually drives leadership effectiveness and cultural health.
Primary Instrument
WPSQ — Workplace Psychosocial Safety Questionnaire
Our proprietary 34-item instrument measuring psychological safety climate across four evidence-based domains. Used in every engagement.
Leadership Cognition
Leadership Mindset Inventory (LMI)
Measures fixed vs. growth orientation, psychological flexibility, and identity rigidity across six leadership domains.
Behaviour
360° Leadership Behaviour Profile
Multi-rater feedback across eight dimensions correlated with psychological safety and team performance outcomes.
Resilience
Psychological Capital (PsyCap)
Validated measure of Hope, Efficacy, Resilience, and Optimism — the four resources most predictive of sustained high performance.
Wellbeing
Occupational Wellbeing Index (OWI)
Measures burnout risk, engagement, and meaning at work — the wellbeing baseline preceding any performance conversation.
Climate
PSC-12 Safety Climate Scale
Dollard & Bakker’s 12-item validated scale — the leading international measure of management commitment to psychological safety.
Packages
Leadership & Culture Engagements
All engagements begin with measurement. Scope scales with your team size, timeline, and transformation ambition.
Focused
Culture Clarity Sprint
For leadership teams of 5–12 who need honest baseline data and a clear development roadmap before committing to a larger program.
WPSQ psychosocial safety climate assessment (full team)
Individual leadership mindset profiles (up to 12 leaders)
Group diagnostic debrief facilitation (half-day)
Culture gap analysis with prioritised recommendations
One strategic planning session with senior leadership
Signature
Leadership & Culture Transformation
Our most comprehensive leadership culture engagement. Measurement-led, psychologically deep, designed for lasting, measurable change across a leadership cohort.
Full diagnostic suite (WPSQ + LMI + 360° profiling)
Individual leadership mindset profiles (up to 12 leaders)
Four full-day group leadership development workshops
Executive coaching integration (3 sessions per leader)
Peer accountability & between-session practice structures
Mid-program pulse measurement
Repeat measurement + board-ready impact report
Ongoing
Culture by Design Retainer
For organisations committed to sustained cultural development. Quarterly measurement cycles, continuous coaching, and strategic advisory access.
Quarterly WPSQ measurement + trend reporting
Monthly leadership development facilitation
Ongoing executive coaching access (pooled hours)
Annual culture benchmark vs. industry norms
Ad hoc advisory on psychosocial risk events
Annual board presentation of culture outcomes
Hear from our clients,
What do they say about us?
We have worked across a wide range of sectors and organisational contexts, helping leaders, teams, and organisations build stronger culture, healthier workplaces, and more sustainable performance.
Steve Thomson
Senior Consultant – Capability and Program Delivery
Damien was terrific; he handled the large group really well and was able to adjust to things that arose during the sessions, in terms of meeting the diverse needs of the group. Really great and we appreciate the introduction to him!
John Doe
CAHS Child Adolescent Health Services WA Govt
I really enjoyed the content on personal values, the worksheet resources and diagrams, as well as the presentation style today.
I’d absolutely be keen for any other sessions that are presented by Damian / The Science of Happiness and Success in future.
Judy Slatyer
Chair, Sustainability, ESG, AI
April 1, 2021, Judy was senior to Damian but didn’t manage Damian directly
Damian and I worked together at Australian Red Cross. He was a great coach to me, the leadership team and the Board on our role in leading and role modelling a constructive and performance-oriented culture. A great listener, Damian was also good at holding up the mirror to me in a way which helped me see what I didn’t see and change as a result. Professional, thoughtful and of the highest integrity are the three attributes which come to mind when I think of Damian.
Steve Thomson
Senior Consultant – Capability and Program Delivery
Damien was terrific; he handled the large group really well and was able to adjust to things that arose during the sessions, in terms of meeting the diverse needs of the group. Really great and we appreciate the introduction to him!
John Doe
CAHS Child Adolescent Health Services WA Govt
I really enjoyed the content on personal values, the worksheet resources and diagrams, as well as the presentation style today.
I’d absolutely be keen for any other sessions that are presented by Damian / The Science of Happiness and Success in future.
Judy Slatyer
Chair, Sustainability, ESG, AI
April 1, 2021, Judy was senior to Damian but didn’t manage Damian directly
Damian and I worked together at Australian Red Cross. He was a great coach to me, the leadership team and the Board on our role in leading and role modelling a constructive and performance-oriented culture. A great listener, Damian was also good at holding up the mirror to me in a way which helped me see what I didn’t see and change as a result. Professional, thoughtful and of the highest integrity are the three attributes which come to mind when I think of Damian.
Your Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Get to know us better.
How do we transform a reactive, stretched workforce into a high-performing culture?
High-performing cultures don’t happen by accident. They’re built through leadership.
The most effective starting point is equipping leaders with the mindset, behaviours, and tools that create clarity, accountability, trust, and engagement. When leaders consistently model these behaviours, teams become more resilient, collaborative, and able to sustain performance under pressure. This is the focus of our Leadership & Executive Performance work.
The most effective starting point is equipping leaders with the mindset, behaviours, and tools that create clarity, accountability, trust, and engagement. When leaders consistently model these behaviours, teams become more resilient, collaborative, and able to sustain performance under pressure. This is the focus of our Leadership & Executive Performance work.
How do we achieve psychosocial safety compliance?
Compliance is usually the wrong starting question.
Organisations that focus only on compliance miss the bigger opportunity: building a culture where people can perform, adapt, and thrive. When leaders actively build psychological safety, teams manage psychosocial hazards as a matter of course, and compliance becomes a natural by-product rather than the goal.
The first step is understanding your baseline. Our WPSQ measures both psychosocial strengths and hazards, so you can prioritise what will move the needle fastest.
Organisations that focus only on compliance miss the bigger opportunity: building a culture where people can perform, adapt, and thrive. When leaders actively build psychological safety, teams manage psychosocial hazards as a matter of course, and compliance becomes a natural by-product rather than the goal.
The first step is understanding your baseline. Our WPSQ measures both psychosocial strengths and hazards, so you can prioritise what will move the needle fastest.
Our people seem stressed, low on energy, and increasingly cynical. Can you help?
Yes.
These are often early signs of burnout, psychosocial strain, or a culture under sustained pressure. Left unaddressed, they raise risk across wellbeing, engagement, retention, and performance.
We help you identify the underlying drivers, measure how widespread the issue is, and put practical leadership and cultural interventions in place to restore energy and sustainable performance. Our Teams, Culture & Psychosocial Safety work is built for exactly this.
These are often early signs of burnout, psychosocial strain, or a culture under sustained pressure. Left unaddressed, they raise risk across wellbeing, engagement, retention, and performance.
We help you identify the underlying drivers, measure how widespread the issue is, and put practical leadership and cultural interventions in place to restore energy and sustainable performance. Our Teams, Culture & Psychosocial Safety work is built for exactly this.
Our organisation is already performing well. Can you still help?
Definitely.
The highest-performing organisations rarely focus only on fixing problems. They focus on amplifying strengths. Our strengths-based approach helps successful organisations identify what’s already driving performance and push it further.
Whether the goal is stronger leadership, deeper psychological safety, more innovation, better wellbeing, or sustained high performance, we help organisations move from good to exceptional.
The highest-performing organisations rarely focus only on fixing problems. They focus on amplifying strengths. Our strengths-based approach helps successful organisations identify what’s already driving performance and push it further.
Whether the goal is stronger leadership, deeper psychological safety, more innovation, better wellbeing, or sustained high performance, we help organisations move from good to exceptional.
What makes Science of Happiness and Success different?
Most providers focus on one of four things: wellbeing, leadership, culture, or compliance. We
integrate all four.
Our approach combines organisational psychology, leadership development, psychosocial safety, and performance science to build psychologically safe, high-performing cultures where people and results grow together.
Compliance isn’t the destination for us. It’s a by-product of building the leadership and culture that make sustainable success possible.
Our approach combines organisational psychology, leadership development, psychosocial safety, and performance science to build psychologically safe, high-performing cultures where people and results grow together.
Compliance isn’t the destination for us. It’s a by-product of building the leadership and culture that make sustainable success possible.
Our Approach
Let’s Get In Touch.
Or just reach out manually to
damian@scienceofhappinessandsuccess.com