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SIMON'S 2026 SERVICES GUIDE

mandatory councillor training

training beyond
box ticking

Mandatory Councillor Training is about more than compliance — it’s a chance to empower your councillor group to make more collaborative, effective, and strategic decisions. Simon works with councils that want training to be meaningful, practical, and impactful, not just a tick-box exercise.

For the past three years, Simon has facilitated the strategy component of LGPro’s Executive Leadership Program. As an independent expert facilitator, he brings a unique non-partisan perspective, allowing him to work effectively with both executive teams and councillor groups, individually and collectively.

Simon has consulted, facilitated, and trained leaders across more than two dozen Victorian councils. His expertise in strategic foresight and collaborative decision-making aligns closely with mandatory training guidelines on:
  • Decision making, integrity, and accountability
  • Strategic planning and financial management

If you’d like to support your councillors in becoming more confident strategic thinkers and collaborative decision-makers, get in touch to explore how Simon can help your council make the most of mandatory training.

Click here to get in touch

councillor workshops

strategic & emerging risks

Building on the information, knowledge, and skills associated with the Local Government Integrated Strategic Planning framework, Simon’s workshop Strategic & Emerging Risks  highlights the difference between ‘doing strategy’ and ‘being strategic’.

If you need to help councillors shift from an operational focus to a strategic one, this is a great place to start.

STRATEGIC & EMERGING RISKS

Strategic awareness allows individuals and teams to lift their gaze, make sense of the bigger picture, and refocus their actions. It’s a skill that’s essential for leadership teams and boards, but it’s also valuable for anyone with decision-making responsibilities.
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the science of decisions

There is little that can prepare councillors for the complexity and challenge of local government decision making, but The Science of Decisions workshop will definitely help.

This workshop is for councillor groups who are sick of kicking the can down the road and want the skills to tackle the complex challenges your council faces. It shares scientifically proven approaches to making difficult choices, overcoming disagreement and improving collaborative decision making.

How Better Decisions Get Made

How Better Decisions Get Made shows how leaders can make better decisions in complex, uncertain environments. It explores how sound judgement, clear process, and productive disagreement each contribute to effective decision-making. Participants gain practical approaches for counteracting bias, navigating disagreement, and making confident decisions when the way forward isn’t clear.
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From the moment we mind mashed I felt the energy and ideas coming to life. Your mentorship and experience allowed the event to land for the audience and your keynote and facilitation were both awesome. Gold plated work!
Courtney Smith
Event Owner, Forge Summit
Working with Simon was a wonderful experience. He gained trust and built rapport with our leadership team very quickly and his knowledge and process had us all deeply engaged. The outcome was also very powerful in reinforcing our future direction and the possible additional actions we need to be ready to take.
James Woodyatt
Managing Director, CDK Stone
The Scenario Planning Guide is great and even for someone who’s been doing scenarios for years, it prompted some serious thinking. I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the way you’ve made complex concepts accessible. I love the models and the layout. The whole book is exceptional! 
Alex Hagan
Futurist
Simon thanks for your work, your sessions exceeded my expectations. These are incredibly useful structures and processes.
Tony Hallam
Director Zoos Victoria
Working with Simon is an incredibly enlightening and rewarding experience. His foresight and ability to distil complex information into an engaging story that resonates with the audience is exceptional. Every conversation with Simon takes you on a journey that has many forks in the road and it’s this skill that challenges and develops our strategic thinking. I highly recommend Simon Waller to any organisation.
Leanne Williams
CEO – My Community Library
The energy that Simon brings is infectious, and the different tools he used to get people to think strategically and understand the scenario development process meant that everyone could contribute.
Laura Jo Mellan
Director, Maribyrnong City Council
Simon did a brilliant job of finding the balance between challenging and reassuring us, enabling us to be comfortable with being uncomfortable – to rise to the task of leadership in times of high uncertainty.
Angela Savage
CEO, Public Libraries Victoria
I would happily recommend Simon if you are looking for someone who will encourage you to expand your imagination, to get you thinking on another level, to consider new ideas, to think outside the box. Simon is engaging, interactive, and challenges your way of thinking. He is professional and creative, down-to-earth, and a likeable character who will help you get to where you need to be.
Annemarie Mccabe
Chair, My Community Library
Mayor, Baw Baw Shire Council

Some of the brands Simon has inspired

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CONTACT SIMON

Looking for a keynote instead?

Simon delivers engaging, thought-provoking keynotes on future thinking, decision-making, AI, and the human-tech relationship. His ‘practical futurism’ approach helps organisations sharpen strategic thinking and navigate uncertainty with confidence.
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Work With Simon

If you’re considering engaging Simon please reach out to book a to chat. You can do this by filling out the form below, contacting Sarah at 1300 66 55 85 (within Australia), or emailing her at sa***@*************om.au. If it’s for a speaking engagement please provide the event date and any information that might be helpful.

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THE SCENARIO PLANNING GUIDE

How scenario planning can be used to align thinking, stimulate ideas and overcome the inertia of uncertainty.

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