Survive & Thrive Series Part 4 – The Mirror not the Microscope

27 May 2025

Welcome to Part 4 of our Survive & Thrive strategic leadership series for NDIS providers

We invite you to find a quiet space, have a quick mental reset and settle in for 8 minutes reading time to discover:

Why NDIS Leaders need “The Mirror, Not the Microscope” – Defining and Embracing Organisational Purpose

In Part 3, we explored how to identify the key players in your organisation, who has a seat at your NDIS strategic table and, and how to implement a structured transformation approach to drive the survival of your organisation.

This week, we’re pressing pause on the audits, checklists, and compliance spreadsheets to ask something more personal: Are you truly living your purpose—or just performing it?

Suggested Activity: You may find it useful to note down the thoughts and beliefs that automatically come to mind immediately after reading this question and then ask yourself when you finish reading the article whether they are still the same as before.

Beyond Risk: Why Purpose Matters

In a sector where the pressure of risk can push us to over-analyse and focus on the tiniest details, often just to feel a sense of being in control or that we are at least doing something to mitigate risk in the unpredictable NDIS landscape, this article invites NDIS leaders to take a step back and pick up the mirror, not the microscope.

It’s a call to reconnect with what your organisation truly stands for, ensuring your purpose and values are lived out in daily practice, not just sitting in forgotten policies or feel-good blurbs on a website. We explore how thoughtful reflection, and strategic alignment can build clarity, confidence, and a balanced approach to risk and operational transformation even in the midst of chaos.

Zooming Out: Escaping the Risk Trap

Due to the frequent (and sometimes catastrophic) risk of harm to participants and workers, NDIS leaders are often tempted to scrutinise every detail under a microscope, focusing on the minutiae that can draw us away from the broader vision.

We keep zooming in on pricing inconsistencies, operational inefficiencies, and compliance gaps. We analyse, dissect, diagnose again and again. Over time, practice becomes transactional and impersonal. People are reduced to their diagnoses, behaviours, and risk profiles — potential liabilities to be managed rather than individuals to be supported.

In doing so, we risk losing sight of the values, care, and desire to change lives that drew us to this work in the first place. We become resigned to being cogs in a system we once hoped to transform. When was the last time you picked up the mirror? Because this sector doesn’t need another audit of what’s wrong. It needs a recommitment and reconnection to what is right.

And that begins with our earlier question: Are you really living your purpose or just performing it?

Purpose in Action: Strategic Alignment in Practice

This perspective challenges leaders to reflect on what they and their organisation stand for, reinforcing the core values and purpose that guide every action and decision. By reinforcing the ‘why’ behind your actions, you provide a lens through which your team can evaluate and respond to change. This shared understanding helps in negotiating chaos, as decisions are made not merely based on immediate outcomes but on whether they align with the core mission.

A clear organisational purpose also facilitates more effective engagement with stakeholders. When you articulate what you stand for in a way that resonates with the values and needs of your stakeholders, it becomes easier to identify common ground and establish connection. This is crucial for negotiating terms, collaborating on projects, and navigating challenges together. It shifts the focus from individual agendas to shared goals and mutual benefits.

Reconnecting with Why: Living Your Purpose

In the current political and financial climate, revisiting your core purpose might feel soft or not a key priority but being steadfast in your purpose and aligned with your values allows you to negotiate the chaos confidently because you are walking your talk, you are demonstrating commitment to enacting purposeful change, not performing lip service and box ticking. Now is not the time to be wedded to a service model that sends you broke because the focus is too narrowly focused on risk, compliance and cost reduction. Purpose isn’t achieved by preserving old formats.

You don’t have to change what you stand for, just how you stand for it.

NOW is the time to reaffirm what matters. Not with slogans, but with strategic choices that align with your purpose and still make sense on a balance sheet.

Understanding Your Organisational Identity

The mirror symbolises self-reflection, a critical exercise for any leader aiming to reinforce their organisation’s identity and purpose. Craft opportunities that allow you to interrogate the actions, decisions, and priorities that have previously been set. This isn’t about branding. It’s about alignment.

• • Are you walking your talk?
  • Do your values show up in rostering? In how you talk to staff? In the way you write your shift notes or develop partnerships?
  • If you stripped away your marketing, your compliance framework, and your executive reporting would your purpose still be recognisable?

This reflection helps clarify what your organisation truly stands for, beyond just the services you provide.

Practical Activity 1: Do Your Decisions Reflect Your Values?

An activity you may wish to consider with your transformation team is to review the last three big business decisions that were made. By big, I mean things that would affect more than 50% of your stakeholders or staff.

Without considering the actual outcome, encourage your transformation team to review the decision through the lens of your organisational values. Do all three decisions demonstrate clear alignment to your values and the decisions that were made?

If they did – fab! If not, consider:

1. Discussing the findings with your team and use them as a learning experience to be more conscious of your values in the decision-making process, and

2. Tabling a project to revisit the organisational values to be reflective of how you act and what your truly value (this may have been evident in the driving factors behind the three big decisions).

Practical Activity 2: Do Your Strategies Reflect Your Values?

Next, your transformation team should consider your current organisational priorities and your strategy for achieving them in the next 12 months. Do they:

• • Reflect your values?
  • Address the uncertain external operating environment?
  • Highlight an approach that prioritises flexibility?

The key to this part of the process is to interrogate buzzwords that lack clarity. Terms like:

• Accountability
• Empowerment
• Person-centred
• Choice and control
• Independence
• Efficiency
• Technology
• Innovation

To uncover their real meaning and impact, consider surveying staff and participants for real-life examples of how they understand and experience these broad conceptual terms and ask:

• • Do their interpretations match the organisation’s intended use and values?
  • Are the meanings consistent across different people and roles?

Understanding how people interpret these words helps you identify gaps and make meaningful changes.

If you do choose to use these terms, it’s essential to develop an agreed organisational glossary that defines what each term means in practice and what feelings, behaviours, or standards it should evoke.

A shared glossary ensures staff, providers, and stakeholders have a common understanding of key terms in the context of your organisation’s policies, procedures and practices.

Ban the Buzz: Define What You Really Mean

As humans, most of us adhere to a common psychological phenomenon where we judge ourselves based on our intentions while assessing others by their actions and the feelings those actions evoke for us. This understanding is crucial in strategic planning as it will encourage your transformation team to consider how to communicate intentions clearly, but also, to closely consider and manage how each action will be perceived.

The goal is to build strategies that are not just internally satisfying but are also externally effective, reducing misunderstandings and building trust. By aligning intended outcomes with the actual impact of actions, organisations can ensure that their strategic objectives are met in ways that positively resonate with all involved parties. Or, more simply – ban the buzz.

This may present an opportunity to differentiate yourself from your competitors who all have the same, but slightly varied mission statements.

Bringing Values to Life: Internal and External Alignment

So, take a moment to assess the ripple effects of your strategy on your stakeholders—clients, staff, and the wider community. A transformation program isn’t just about aligning internal operations with your values; it’s about ensuring those values resonate outwardly. Engaging your transformation team to map out how your organisational goals and actions are perceived beyond your walls is critical to your longevity.

Consider hosting focus groups or stakeholder forums to gather honest feedback about the alignment (or misalignment) between your stated priorities and the lived experiences of those you serve and employ. This kind of validation fosters trust and credibility, showing that your organisation, and you as a leader, are committed to listening and evolving in meaningful ways.

Embedding Purpose in Your Transformation Culture

Finally, remember that transformation isn’t a one-time event but a continuous journey. Establish how you will check and continuously measure the alignment between values, strategies, and outcomes.

The next critical step is to incorporate these reviews into your operational rhythm to ensure adaptability as the external environment continually shifts. By embedding transformation into your culture, you position your organisation as a leader in the sector—not just one that reacts to change but one that shapes the future of disability services. This proactive, reflective approach will ensure your strategic plans remain relevant, flexible, and impactful for years to come.

Many organisations may feel this step is unnecessary as they believe the stated values of the organisation are strongly embedded and commonly known. Hopefully that is the case, however the outcomes from undertaking the activities put forward this week may surprise you. It will also support you in building clarity and confidence with your transformation team on how to achieve your future vision. This confidence is not just about knowing what you stand for but prepares you for the next steps of ensuring that every part of your organisation is operating in alignment with this purpose. When leaders are clear and confident about their direction, it cascades down to every level of the organisation, creating a unified focus that is both empowering and stabilising.

We invite you to come back next fortnight to see how your organisations values are translating in service delivery.

The Key Takeaways….

1. Stop Over-Magnifying the Minutiae
NDIS leaders are often drawn to hyper-scrutiny to avoid risk but focusing only on what’s under the microscope can obscure the bigger picture. Strategic leadership requires reflection, not just reaction.

2. Use the Mirror: Reflect on Purpose and Identity
True leadership begins with knowing what your organisation really stands for. This means regularly reflecting on values, culture, and the impact your decisions have on stakeholders.

3. Purpose Guides Through Chaos
Revisiting your organisational purpose may feel non-essential in tough times, but it’s what allows you to navigate complexity with clarity. You don’t need to change what you stand for—just how you stand for it.

4. Test Strategic Alignment with Real Decisions
Have your transformation team review the last three big decisions. Did they align with your stated values? If not, do you need to adjust your processes or revisit what those values really mean?

5. Ban the Buzzwords – Define What You Really Mean
Words like “empowered,” “choice and control,” or “innovation” are useless unless you define and demonstrate what they mean in practice.

Join our webinar on Part 4 – The Mirror not the Microscope on Thursday, 5 June at 1pm.

Register via our mailing list here or LinkedIn

The next fortnightly instalment in our NDIS Survive & Thrive Series is Part 5 – The Microscope not the Mantra

All service providers essentially want to deliver a service that is valued by the NDIS participants and to provide an environment where people want to belong. But how is this translating to your daily service delivery?

Outcome – a gap analysis of what you do well, what you need to improve on and what is not worth your time or energy.

Get Involved and Get Connected!

• We would love to know if you’ve tried any of the activities we’ve suggested or done something similar in the past – and what the outcomes were! You can reach out to us in the Get in Touch section at the bottom of this page.
• We also share practical tips, real life examples, and expert insights every week on LinkedIn. Follow along, join the conversation, and share these posts with your network.
• Join our mailing list here to receive notifications up upcoming instalments and webinars. We truly value the insights and experiences attendees are bringing to our webinars!

How We Can Help

In today’s climate of tight overhead margins and a competitive labour market, resourcing your transformation team entirely with internal staff may not be feasible. That’s where we come in. Our experienced project and change managers can provide the specialised support you need to keep your transformation on track.

We also offer skilled facilitation for transformation team meetings, maximising your time and ensuring meaningful, high-quality outcomes.

For broader strategic needs, we provide executive advisory and tailored support packages designed to empower NDIS businesses at every stage of growth and development.

Get in Touch

If you would like confidential assistance in looking at this differently, book in a time to have a no obligation chat via my bookings calendar or email me at  angela@supportingpotential.com.au.

Let’s build a stronger, more adaptable NDIS community together.

Your partner in achieving compliance, growth and sustainability 

Angela Harvey

Managing Director of Supporting Potential

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