The ATAR Program: Revolutionising High-Performance Leadership

In today's corporate landscape, the difference between a high-performing team and a stagnant one rarely comes down to raw talent. Instead, it lies in the "space between people"; how they communicate, manage pressure, and adapt to change.

As an executive coach working with a number of multinationals and CEO's, I have witnessed the palpable ripple effect that occurs in an organisation when leaders are under pressure to perform and lose sight of the essential skills required to maintain psychological safety and inspiration in teams.

So I got together with my team here at The Open Mind Institute and decided to address this gap with the creation of our flagship ATAR Program (short for Assess, Training, Assessment, and Results). The vision was to create a unique program that not only addressed these skill gaps, but also measured performance and ROI along the way.

What is the ATAR Program?

The ATAR Program is a comprehensive six-month leadership intervention that replaces "one-off" workshops with a hybrid model that consists of x4 in-person experiential learning Masterclasses, and 8 small-group (1:3) Coaching Sessions. It is built around 12 Essential Skills, ranging from Emotional Intelligence and Resilience to Digital Dexterity and Critical Thinking.

The program follows a structured four-stage lifecycle:

1. Assessment: Establishing a baseline using proprietary diagnostic tools.

   
   

2. Training & Coaching: Monthly expert-led workshops combined with fortnightly 1:3 intensive coaching sessions to ensure the "evidence-based content" is actually applied in the field.

   
   

3. Assessment: Re-taking the diagnostics to measure quantitative growth.

   
   

4. Results: A final presentation where teams celebrate their development and review the hard data of their improvement.

   
   

The Unique Selling Propositions (USPs)

What sets ATAR apart from traditional corporate training is its refusal to rely on "gut feel." Its USPs include:

• The ESA & CAA Assessments: Participants undergo the Essential Skills Assessment (ESA) and the Communication Attributes Assessment (CAA). These tools provide a structured, multi-perspective view of leadership capability and communication styles, allowing TOMI to group participants strategically (diversity-focused) rather than randomly.

  
  

• The 1:3 Coaching Model: By combining large-scale workshops with intimate coaching groups, the program bridges the gap between theory and real-world application.

  
  

• Psychological Safety at the Core: Unlike programs that focus solely on output, ATAR prioritises building a culture where team members feel safe to hold difficult conversations and take calculated risks.

  
  

Proven Success: The QPS Case Study

The ATAR Program’s effectiveness is best illustrated by its work with the Queensland Police Service (QPS). Operating in a high-stakes, high-pressure environment where public safety is on the line, the QPS leadership team utilised ATAR to enhance cognitive performance, cohesiveness and effective communication in the field.

The results were transformative:

• 91% Improvement in Stress Tolerance: Leaders showed a significant increase in resilience and pressure management.

  
  

• 90% Increase in Communication Excellence: Participants reported higher levels of assertiveness, visibility, and effective communication.

  
  

• 51% Increase in Mean Extraversion: This metric directly correlated to the team’s increased willingness to engage in difficult but necessary conversations, breaking down previous silos.

  
  

The Return on Investment (ROI)

For many organisations, professional development is a "soft" cost. ATAR turns it into a hard asset. By using the "Assessment-to-Assessment" model, TOMI provides leaders with a visible ROI.

The program targets the "Ambiguity Apocalypse", the loss of productivity caused by reactive behaviours and poor decision-making under stress. By improving 12 core competencies by measurable percentages, our clients have been experiencing:

• Reduced Burnout: Through enhanced stress regulation.

  
  

• Increased Retention: By fostering a culture that values growth and psychological safety.

  
  

• Operational Agility: Teams become more likely to navigate complex changes without losing strategic direction.

  
  

Ready to see the data for your own team but unsure about the investment?  

We created a 90-minute high impact Masterclass called the ATAR Pulse for teams to who want to taste the ATAR impact before investing in the full program. The way it works is that managers select 3 of the 12 Essential Skills they'd like to see their team improve in, the team takes the Essential Sills Assessment (ESA) to measure their base-performance, the 90-Minute Masterclass is delivered (which includes the evidence-based frameworks and experiential learning activities required to see the application of the learnings in the field, then after 30 days the ESA is taken again to reveal how much the needle has moved with respect to those skill areas.

The Outcome: You receive a clear, data-supported business case for the entire ATAR program. If there's no significant change, you've still obtained valuable team data. If there is, you have the proof to fully commit.

To learn more, visit The Open Mind Institute.