The Public Sector Impact Forum

For Public Sector Teams

Whose Mission Matters

Happy Clients

Years Experience

Tasmania’s prettiest waterfall, is protected within Mount Field National Park, part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Known for its two main drops and lush tree ferns, it offers a magical evening experience with glow-worms illuminating a nearby grotto, creating an earthly constellation of stars.

There’s no substitute for a chat

Book a zero obligation,
30 minute
Clarity Call.

OR CALL: 1300 UPSIDES

Overview

Duration

2 x Half-Day Sessions: Eye-opening, heart-swelling, arm-strengthening. If your team’s mission is too important to leave to chance, this is your insurance policy.

Facilitator

Experienced public sector leader turned author and master trainer, Georgie Smith’s mission is to help Australia’s 2 million public servants be their best, so that they can deliver the essential public services we all need. When you thrive, everyone wins!

Satisfaction Guarantee

We guarantee that, as a manager entrusting yourself and your staff to us, you will feel seen, supported, and structured for success at all times while working with us.

If you work for government, the Public Sector Impact Forum will work for you.

Who It's For

Public sector teams ready to unlock their potential to deliver for their jurisdiction.

Business units: a manager and their staff

Leadership teams: an executive and their managers

Allies: business units that work together

And our specialty… Frenemies: teams that need to work together well but don’t yet!

What Individuals Gain

Resilience: clarity and resolve on exactly why you’re here, to charge your batteries even when it’s stormy.

Delivery skills: deployable tools to build allies, choose the smart battles and get great work across the line.

Belonging: join the growing tribe of likeminded public sector champions, who really understand why your work matters.

What Teams Gain

Resolve: shared commitment to each other and to your team’s mission.

Common language: shared understanding of how to grow, solve problems and deliver impact.

Structure: support to build successful habits into your team’s culture.

Accountability: permission as a group to aim high and follow through.

You know something’s not working, but you’re not sure what. You can’t solve a problem you can’t see, so let’s find it together.

Your people are smart

Experienced. They know their stuff. That’s not the problem.

The real challenge is channelling that expertise into powerful collaboration, and that’s where the PSI Forum comes in.

The PSI Forum isn’t just another training course. It’s a lifeline crafted by folks who’ve been exactly where you are—former public servants who know the real grind of public service life. We cut through the noise with zero fluff, delivering straightforward solutions that work because we’ve tested them in our own teams.

We all wish for smooth sailing, but the reality is that headwinds are constant, and pressures are everywhere. That’s why building resilience is our cornerstone. We help you see through the chaos, equipping you with the tools to make a genuine impact, no matter the storm.

We dig deep to uncover the healthy motivations behind your team’s stubbornness or apathy, and guide your people to channel their conviction in directions that benefit everyone.

The PSI Forum empowers both leaders and team members by equipping them with practical tools to turn friction into fuel for success. We transform individual brilliance into collective achievement, ensuring your team not only survives the challenges ahead but thrives on them.

No BS, no pie-in-the-sky promises—just solid methods that deliver. Join us at the PSI Forum to navigate the messy realities with clarity and strength, and lead your team to success that sticks.

 

The Worlds Hidden Helpers | tedx talk

There’s no substitute for a chat

Book a zero obligation,
30 minute
Clarity Call.

OR CALL: 1300 UPSIDES

Outcomes

You Can Expect

Public servants who are clear on why their work matters become resilient, adaptive, and impactful.

 

Career Growth with Clarity

Understand where you and your team stand in the career growth cycle, from Sprout to Decay. Use the Lifetime Growth Model to guide personal and team development, creating a roadmap for ongoing progress and impact.

Build Resilience, Not Frustration

The public sector isn’t for the faint-hearted. Equip your team to handle the constant storms, turning setbacks into comebacks.

 

Stop Decay Before It Spreads

Recognise the signs of career stagnation and team disengagement early. Learn how to reverse these patterns in both yourself and your team, preventing toxicity and burnout before they take root.

Turn Decay into Opportunity

Instead of fearing career decay, learn how to use it as a pivot point for growth. By understanding the Formula for Renewal, you can transform setbacks into a launching pad for future success.

Individual Growth, Team Success

Unlock the power of individual development to fuel team performance. When your team members grow, so does your team’s ability to collaborate, innovate, and deliver long-lasting results.

Practical Tools, Real Impact

Forget the fluff. Learn actionable strategies to tackle challenges head-on and drive genuine progress.

Forum Overview

Course Outline

Key Components:

Lifetime Growth Model

The Thrive Method

  • The Formula for Impact
  • The Formula of Decay
  • The Formula for Renewal

The Public Sector Impact Forum is your entry to impact.

The PSI Forum offers success-oriented public servants the essential foundations for career growth and lasting impact.

Lifetime Growth Model: A roadmap for career development, tracking four stages: Sprout, Bloom, Stasis, and Decay.

For managers, it’s a game-changer. Engage in meaningful discussions with your team about nurturing their full potential. Understand the dynamics of growth stages and tackle career development head-on.

For individuals, the Lifetime Growth Model is like an internal GPS for your own state of mind and readiness. An intuitive tool to trigger a growth and success mindset no matter what’s going on around you.

The Thrive Method: Delve into three essential formulas that bring life to the Lifetime Growth Model:

  1. The Formula for Impact – how to get from Sprout to Bloom (the goal state, from which the most impact is possible)
  2. The Formula of Decay – the slippery slope that can take even the highest achievers down into the toxicity and powerlessness of Stasis and Decay. A risk for all public servants, and the greatest risk to the most committed.
  3. The Formula for Renewal – how to reverse Decay in yourself, and stop it taking root in others, to get back to Bloom and reach the ultimate goal – sustainable, long-term, public sector impact.

Designed specifically for the public sector, The PSI Forum provides actionable insights and intuitive tools to nurture potential, drive meaningful change, and foster a resilient, thriving work environment.

Sustainable Success Starts Here

Real Results

“We no longer recognise ourselves in those comments. Everything has improved!”

Before
  • Director + 8 managers
  • Division’s role in the organisation was unclear, contested and a source of deep frustration to managers
  • 7 of 8 managers were disengaged, frustrated; 5 were considering departure
What we did
  • Management team training and coaching
  • Explored barriers; got clear on ‘the problem’ for each of them
  • Envisioned ideal future state and made plans together
One year later
  • The division’s role has transformed – clear agreement and respect across the organisation
  • Director’s time is now on the future, not putting out fires
  • Staff engagement has also skyrocketed; new initiatives abound, collaboration is the norm, team pride is high
  • At a recent planning day, managers reflected on surveys taken 12mo prior: “we no longer recognise ourselves in those comments. Everything has improved!”

Case Study

Who

Director + 8 managers

Challenges

  • Division’s role in the organisation was unclear, contested and a source of deep frustration to managers
  • 7 of 8 managers were disengaged, frustrated; 5 were considering departure

Inclusions

Team Training

Individual Coaching

Measurable Action Plan

Meet Your Trainers

We’re called “Upsides” because we like to see the best in things.

You can’t have an upside without a downside – every situation has its bright and dark parts. We believe in seeing the whole story, then choosing to lean into the good.

We founded our company because we see the whole story of the public sector, and the individuals within it. We know what’s frustrating, we know what’s possible, and we want to help.

No fine print. No gimmicks. We believe in what we do, and that you’ll love working with us.

We guarantee that, as a manager entrusting yourself and your staff to us, you will feel seen, supported, and structured for success at all times while working with us.

Seen

We will listen deeply to you. As a result, we won’t give you canned answers or generic advice. We love getting to know each and every one of our clients, including identifying what unites you with the 2 million other members of the public sector in Australia, as well as recognising and embracing everything that makes you unique.

Supported

The foundation of every Upsides process is compassion and a deep belief that every single public servant matters. So we meet you (and your team) wherever you are in your journey. We have a process, sure. but it adapts to you, not the other way around.

Structured for Success

Every Upsides course is based on decades of relevant experience backed by cutting edge research. We’ve spent years thinking about what makes people at work succeed (and fail). Crucially, we also continuously improve how we impart that insight to busy managers and staff. We’re only interested in methods that lead to relatable, retainable and repeatable improvements in performance. We don’t just rely on the fact that we’re entertaining and insightful speakers; we underpin our work with formulas, templates, and lots of other structures to encourage transformational learning, every step of the way.

Georgie Smith, MEM

Georgie Smith, MEM

Upsides Founder and Head Trainer

Staff deliver strategy. So why does most staff training embed mediocrity?

Georgie wondered this many times across her public sector career. From her beginnings in a Queensland Minister’s office in the late 90s, to the Queensland Ambulance Service, the Marrickville (Sydney) City Council, and then the Victorian Environment Protection Authority, Georgie has watched great teams waste time and money on lousy training that more often than not failed to even understand, let alone have respect for, what makes the public sector unique.

So drawing wisdom from her 20 years of experience, Georgie wrote the book on excellence in the public sector: The Formula For Impact guides public servants through the five critical components they need to succeed. No BS, no business speak, just the lessons that we all wish someone had told us when we were starting out!

Now, utilising her ground breaking Thriving Teams Methodology©, Georgie delivers training that gives public sector staff and their managers a foolproof roadmap to mastery.

Bringing illuminating insights and rock solid commitment to public sector values, participants rave about Georgie’s ability to transform how they see themselves, their roles and their pathway to impact.

That’s why federal, state and local government managers trust Georgie to help them grow high-performing teams they love to lead.

Travis Bates, BSc, MAICD

Travis Bates, BSc, MAICD

Upsides Co-Founder and Trainer

In a chaotic world, clarity counts.

From the ground floor to the boardroom, Travis specialises in integrating organisational strategy, operational realities and individual drivers to illuminate what really matters.

Travis’ 15 years in the public service started in the mines and ports of WA, before he came home to inspect the abattoirs and landfills of Victoria as an Environment Protection Officer. Moving from the field into operational policy enabled Travis to begin translating his real-world experience into the wisdom and structure that can be passed onto the next generation of officers. It’s also where his love for training took hold – guiding new staff to transform abstract concepts into real-world wins.

Now, as a Garry Weaven Scholar and former board member of the public sector’s largest superannuation fund, executives trust Travis for his integrity, insight and independent thinking. And with a track record earnt through a decade of staff advocacy, even the toughest teams know Travis is on their side.

At times, our culture change journey felt impossible. But with Georgie and Travis beside us, my team is more committed, cohesive and collaborative than it has been in years.

Ann

Chief Operating Officer
Victorian Building Authority

Georgie is awesome, very engaging and great to listen to. I would recommend this course to all new staff, not just planners.

Anonymous attendee feedback

PIA Power Planner Starter Pack Course

I loved the training because it was so insightful and relevant to my role in local government. Your course helped me improve my relationships and be more effective in my work.

Sarah, Strategic Planner

Cumberland Council (NSW)

I just wanted to say a big thank you for running Manage for Impact. ...I also recommended to (my) management that they take the course as it provides great techniques on management.

Connor, Acting Team Leader

Inner West Council (NSW)

What I learned exceeded the expectations I had going into the course. The material is relevant and useful now, and will also be useful in the future.

Anonymous attendee feedback

PIA Reinvention with Intention course

Hi Georgie. Thanks so much for today. Really enjoyed the day - well run and really useful for me.

William, Manager

Department of Planning & Environment (NSW)

Really enjoyed the course and got a lot out of it. Also really enjoyed you as a facilitator, a full day on zoom is a challenge for everyone but you made the training very engaging even through the screen, which was great.

Andrew

Inner West Council (NSW)

Georgie Smith is a rare gem in the world of public administration. She has a depth of knowledge that has been developed over many years and tested in some of the most robust public entities in Australia.

Scott, Chief of Staff

Queensland Government Minister’s office

I've done a lot of management training over the years. This is really good and the training for me in the last hurrah of my career couldn't be better. Never too old to learn! Thanks!

Richard, Senior Manager

Victorian Regional Council, attending PIA Manage for Impact