Compass Women in Leadership Programs
From self-awareness to impact and influence
Designed by renowned leadership activist Fabian Dattner and built on more than two decades of transformational leadership practice, Compass combines deep self-awareness, behavioural insight, coaching, and real-world application to help leaders translate personal enquiry into meaningful, sustainable organisational change.
Compass combines behavioural insight, coaching, and practical application to help experienced women leaders strengthen their influence, navigate complexity, and increase their organisational impact.
Develop the confidence, clarity, and leadership effectiveness needed to shape culture, influence decisions, and contribute at a higher level.
Leadership development for meaningful organisational impact
For Organisations
Tailored to your organisation’s needs, our Compass Inhouse Program offers a customisable women in leadership course designed to address specific cultural and team challenges.
For Individuals
A leadership influence program for experienced women leaders designed to strengthen organisational impact, expand influence, and create meaningful change.
Organisations don't need more leadership theory
They need leaders who can influence outcomes, align people around a shared direction, and navigate complexity. Compass helps organisations:
Despite making up 51.25% of the workforce, women hold only:
39
of key management positions
22
of CEOs
21
of board chairs
Compass helps organisations strengthen leadership capability and build pathways for experienced women leaders to contribute at higher levels.
Leadership is not a position – it is a practice
Compass is Dattner Group’s leadership development platform for organisations and experienced women leaders committed to creating meaningful impact. Through behavioural insight, coaching, diagnostics, and practical application, participants develop a deeper understanding of how their leadership shapes people, culture, and outcomes.
Compass helps leaders translate self-awareness into influence, and influence into action.
For organisations, Compass supports leadership capability, succession readiness, and the development of women leaders who can contribute effectively to culture, strategy, and organisational performance. By strengthening leadership effectiveness and organisational influence, Compass helps build more diverse, capable, and future-ready leadership teams.
The impact extends beyond individual development. Participants strengthen their ability to navigate complexity, influence outcomes, and contribute to positive organisational change. As leaders grow their capability and influence, organisations benefit from stronger cultures, improved collaboration, and increased capacity to meet future challenges.
Compass is more than a leadership program. It is an investment in the leadership capability needed to build stronger organisations, communities, and a more sustainable future.
“To transform leadership, we simply must increase the number of women leading”
Fabian Dattner – CEO Dattner Group
More than 2,000 women have participated in Compass
Across government, higher education, financial and professional services, healthcare, community services, and the public sector.
Compass participants develop a deeper understanding of their leadership impact, strengthen their ability to influence complex systems, and build the capability to contribute more effectively to organisational success.
Many go on to take broader leadership responsibilities, influence strategic initiatives, and contribute to positive change within their organisations.
Feedback about the impact of Compass
Supporting women from organisations including:
Leadership creates the future
Compass is not simply about developing leaders.
It is about strengthening the leadership needed to build better organisations, stronger communities, and a more sustainable future.
We’re not here to deliver a program. We’re helping leaders create a legacy of influence, impact, and meaningful change.
Articles and insights
Discover practical insights, research, and thought leadership from the Dattner Group team. From influence and culture to leadership effectiveness and organisational change, our resources are designed to support leaders creating meaningful impact in a rapidly changing world.
After years of being told she was “too soft” to lead, Karen Foster came to see empathy and kindness not as liabilities, but as strengths. In this Compass alumni profile,…
International Women’s Day is a valuable moment for reflection, but advancing women’s leadership requires sustained, year‑round strategic action. Research consistently shows that organisations with more women in senior leadership achieve…
In this reflective conversation, Adele Rohde shares how she leads with values, navigates complexity, and creates space for humanity in senior leadership roles.
A deceptively simple dollhouse exercise reveals a powerful truth about leadership, pace and success - as shared by Compass alumna Rhody Hill in this moving reflection.
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