Survive & Thrive Series Part 5 – The Microscope not the Mantra

11 June 2025

Welcome to Part 5 of our Survive & Thrive strategic leadership series for NDIS leaders who want to move beyond surface-level compliance and into transformational leadership.

From Reflection to Measurement – Why NDIS leaders need “The Microscope not the Mantra”

In Part 4, we explored how focusing on minute details through a magnified lens can block us from seeing whether we are living our values, and the need as leaders to constantly reflect inwards to identify what we are projecting outwards.

In Part 5 we aim to shift the mindset of NDIS providers from relying on feel-good mission statements (the “mantra”) to examining concrete, measurable indicators of service quality (the “microscope”). We promote strategic leadership through practical, data-informed insights into what quality looks like in everyday service delivery.

Why the Microscope Matters More Than the Mantra

All service providers essentially want to deliver a service that is valued by the NDIS participants they serve and to provide an environment where people feel they belong. But as we know, the current media attention (rightly or wrongly) is presenting a contracted view of intent to impact that negatively reflects on providers.

We know that in the current environment, delivering exceptional support isn’t just about meeting compliance standards, it’s about fostering participant personal growth, retaining skilled employees, and ensuring your organisation remains financially viable.

But how often do we pause to take an honest, all-encompassing look at the quality of our service provision? 

Quality is Not Compliance

We need to be conscious of the fact that almost every requirement in the NDIS framework (incident management, risk assessments, progress notes, restrictive practices etc) exists because of:

• Past failures in care or abuse
• Government’s need to transfer liability
• A desire to demonstrate accountability to the public

The paperwork is trying to prove that something happened safely, ethically, and as planned. Not that it exceeded client expectations or allowed the person to do something they have never been able to do before.

The Risks of Undefined Quality

The mistaken belief that compliance equals quality results in quality being a tag line, not a trend line. The variable nature of quality (it is in the eye of the beholder) often gives us the excuse to go off sentiment and the (seemingly) absence of complaints and issues as a demonstration of ‘quality service’. But is that all we can truly aspire to?

The rule: what you can measure, you improve can on is a rule for a reason.

How Are You Measuring Quality?

So what are your tools for measuring and how are you using them? The answer can’t be audits or reportable incident numbers or complaints. How are you measuring tangible outcomes that demonstrate quality? How have you backwards engineered YOUR (not a generic NDIS Service) ability to deliver outcomes that delight and inspire every time?

Barriers to Measuring What Matters

How you are measuring quality can often be a hard question to answer as the devil is in the detail, yet most providers continue to be burdened by:

• Legacy systems designed for block funding
• Layered documentation with no clear owner
• Internal processes that duplicate effort (e.g. rostering > shift notes > daily logs > communication books)

These aren’t rules or barriers created by the government. So whilst the government seems content to keep beating providers down without offering support or guidance, we need to define for ourselves how we intend to show up.

How to Make Service Quality the Heart of Your Strategy (and the bloodline of your reporting)

Reframing Quality: It’s in the Experience

This part of our strategic analysis provides a practical approach to achieving meaningful insights and change with input from your transformation team members by focusing on the question – is your service genuinely participant-focused? 

The common business paradigm is that high-quality services lead to satisfied participants and their families, fostering loyalty and positive word-of-mouth. Poor quality, on the other hand, drives complaints, higher turnover of participants (and staff), and potential financial penalties. But can we stand by this assertion when we haven’t defined what great quality really is?

But what are the quality indicators? These should look different for every organisation, but some suggestions are:

What Does a Full Plate Look Like?

I’ll give you an analogy.

Growing up, my brother and I HATED lasagne. It was always on rotation at home, quick, convenient, and straight from the freezer to the oven. We developed elaborate exit strategies just to get away from the dinner table.

But then something unexpected happened. We took a bite, and it was delicious. That was our first lesson in quality variation: two very different experiences of the same dish.

So, how do you know whether your service is Nonna’s lasagne… or the version that makes people quietly push food around the plate?

In other words, are your participants genuinely satisfied—or just being polite?

You need to look for the “empty plates.” Who is coming back for more? Who is visibly growing, engaging, and trusting your service?

Ask yourself:

• What does genuine participant satisfaction look like in your service?
• How does your organisation deliver that experience consistently?
• Especially in SIL services—are you offering handcrafted, values-driven care, or something that just ticks the box?

The Four ‘Empty Plates’ of Quality

Empty Plate 1: An Employee Retention Rate of Less Than 10% 

Employees want to work for organisations where they feel supported, valued, and part of something meaningful. High turnover not only disrupts participant support but also drains financial and operational resources. The sector norm currently sits at 16% for full time and permanent part time and 24% for casuals according to the NDS Workforce Census Report 2024.

Did you know that each time you need to replace a staff member, you are adding approximately 25% to their salary for recruitment and onboarding expenses that get lost in your corporate overhead. 

But this, in itself, isn’t a solid indicator. Employees may also be shovelling it in with a smile on their faces.

Depending on your definition of quality, is the benefit of employee retention one of the following (or similar)?

• Clients benefit from stable, predictable relationships with support staff given that trust and rapport take time to build, or
• Retained staff accumulate detailed knowledge over time, enabling tailored, person-centred support, or
• Experienced staff are more confident in making complex, on-the-spot decisions that directly impact safety and care quality, or
• The team has stronger shared values, peer accountability, and continuous improvement practices.

Empty Plate 2: Higher Than Average Return On Investment for Training

In today’s environment, training can often feel like a cost without a clear return. But high-quality providers know exactly what outcomes they’re aiming for, and they track the impact through improvements in productivity, compliance, and participant results.

You’ve likely heard the argument:

“Why invest in training when staff just move on to the next organisation?”

But here’s the real question:

What happens when you don’t train them—and they stay?

A well-trained team doesn’t just meet standards, they set them. High performance breeds high performance. So instead of asking if you can afford to train people, ask:

How are you measuring your team’s increasing competency over time?

This shift in mindset turns training into a strategic lever, not a sunk cost.

Empty Plate 3: Profitability 

Profitability isn’t just about staying afloat—it’s about unlocking the ability to do more. It provides the financial stability and flexibility to improve quality, invest in your team, and drive better outcomes for participants.

Yet despite good intentions, many providers fall into the trap of focusing only on survival. So how can you ensure profitability is working for your quality goals?

Here are three basic prompts to guide your reflection:

1. Are your services financially sustainable and reinvestment-ready?

Check whether you’re consistently covering your costs and building financial buffers. A practical benchmark:

Do you have at least three months’ worth of expenses saved on your balance sheet?

2. Are hidden inefficiencies eating into your bottom line?

Unnecessary costs often come from operational friction e.g. high staff turnover, poorly utilised systems, or frequent changes caused by weak change management.

Where are the pain points, and are they costing more than you think?

3. Are you exploring smart external supports to optimise your operations?

Some organisations are already innovating in NDIS service delivery. For example, Resolv will review your SIL rosters for efficiency and alignment with funding rules, plan values and SCHADS optimisation. They even offer a Performance Guarantee, ensuring savings exceed the cost of the service. This seems like a no brainer to me to at least have a conversation. 

Are you leveraging these types of solutions—or trying to do everything in-house?

Empty Plate 4: Client Growth

Positive change only happens when an individual is ready and motivated to grow. So if your organisation claims to support independence and personal development, ask yourself:

How are you actively addressing motivation—and supporting progress through realistic, incremental steps?

Growth must be deeply personalised, but it should still align with your organisation’s broader definition of quality. One approach is to define a few universal, flexible domains of growth that can apply across your client base.

But here’s the key:

Measure progress relative to each individual’s baseline and personal goals, not against a generic benchmark.

This ensures your outcomes are meaningful, context-driven, and genuinely reflective of participant progress—not just compliance.

Shifting the Focus: Better Metrics for Real Impact

Focusing Your Microscope

So with these four areas, let look at some of the more subtle areas where we focus our microscope on the wrong parts:

Seeing Your Organisation Through a Different Lens

With a Disability-Led Audit

Sometimes, internal reflection isn’t enough. To truly understand how your services are experienced, you need insight from people with different perspectives and lived experience.

At Supporting Potential, we’re proud to offer a disability-led audit. It’s more than just an assessment, it’s a collaborative partnership designed to help you see your organisation through the eyes of those who understand the barriers, frustrations, and opportunities better than anyone else.

Our audits are led by individuals with lived experience of disability, people who receive similar services to those your organisation provides. This makes the process uniquely grounded, authentic, and impactful.

It includes:

1. Collaborative Review
We engage your team to understand your goals, challenges, and values so the audit is tailored, not generic.

2. Lived Experience Assessment
Auditors with disabilities conduct observations, interviews, document reviews and identify areas of strength and opportunities for growth. Their shared perspective helps participants feel more comfortable and confident to speak openly to someone who truly understands their challenges.

3. NDIS Registration Compliance Requirements
Our lived experience auditors work alongside NDIS-accredited quality auditors. We will systematically review your documentation and provide you with a percentage score of your compliance achievement.

4. Actionable Feedback
You receive practical, personalised recommendations that strengthen inclusivity, accessibility, and participant outcomes.

5. Ongoing Support
We don’t just leave you with a report, we help you implement changes and track the results over time.

From Insight to Action

This process delivers far more than just a box-ticking exercise. Our audits have:

• Illuminated Hidden Barriers
  Uncovered gaps in service delivery and policies that unintentionally disadvantage participants.
• Reinforced Participant-Centred Values
  Aligned services with the real needs, preferences, and dignity of those you support.
• Boosted Staff Confidence
  Equipped teams with insight and tools to improve support and communication.
• Elevated Organisational Reputation
  Demonstrated a visible, authentic commitment to inclusion—building trust with participants, families, and stakeholders.

The Key Takeaways….

Regardless, of your approach, the key leadership challenge is to remain committed to using the microscope to prove you meet your mantra. The strength of your leadership will be reflected not just in the success of your services but in the clarity and purpose of the micro behaviours that define the outcome. 

Join our webinar on Part 5 – The Mirror not the Microscope next Thursday, 19 June at 1pm.

Hear From Lived Experience: Robbie’s Story

In the companion webinar for this blog, you’ll hear directly from Robbie, our Lead Lived Experience Reviewer. He’ll share what receiving quality services has meant to him, and how he learned to navigate the NDIS as a commercial marketplace, using his power to choose providers that genuinely listen and adapt to his needs.

Register via the link below to join the webinar.

https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/17c59c54-7f1c-4e04-a45b-491f9d43490a@d8fe5969-e9bc-4d6b-ba5a-62e8825302c8

The next fortnightly instalment in our NDIS Survive & Thrive Series

Part 6 – Money Matters

In human services, cost is mostly driven by our people. We will seek to understand the linkages between cost, value and price and how this should impact your budgeting approach, ensuring you maintain financial sustainability while delivering quality services. We will also dive into the likely impacts if IHACPA take over pricing to support you to mobilise quickly to the likely changes.

Outcome – the development of organisational strategies to optimise financial results in a price restricted environment.

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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