Make work better
Better leaders / Better teams / Better individuals
Welcome to Kākāpō
Work is a big part of our lives. It should be as purposeful, enjoyable and fulfilling as it can be. Kākāpō is about making this real for as many organisations as possible.
Sarah Cross is an expert facilitator, communicator and coach with a proven history developing effective leaders and connected teams. She provides guidance, support and expertise at every level to make work better. And by doing that, she gets better results for her clients.
Kākāpō Consulting develops and delivers programmes in emotional intelligence, communication, resilience and wellbeing, performance, culture and leadership. All programmes are grounded in the theory of Western psychology and human development but align well with concepts within Te Ao Māori such as manaakitanga, whakawhanaunatanga, hauora, reciprocity, and authenticity.
Every organisation is under pressure right now: technology is disrupting the status quo; budgets don’t go as far as they used to; there are more competitors in the market; and staff have too much life in their life. And still, in this context, organisations need results.
Those results come when:
- Organisations are clear on why they exist and where they are going.
- Leaders offer a compelling vision, communicate with clarity and build strong relationships.
- Teams are connected, collaborative, focused, and self-managing.
- People know how to take care of their wellbeing, are connected to the purpose of their work and feel valued by their employers.
Make Work Better
Better Other Stuff
Sarah is an experienced keynote speaker able to add value and humour to your conference or dinner. She may also be able to help with that project that doesn’t seem to fit anywhere else. Select below for more information.
Testimonials
- "I had the amazing experience to attend the leadership course facilitated by Sarah. She is a very knowledgeable, kind and down to earth person who makes everyone in the group comfortable to just soak in the whole experience. This was the best leadership training course in my whole career. The weekly modules with different topics and subsequent homework enable you to discuss with your work teams and to integrate the new learnings into your working life."
Birk Mammitzsch Project Manager, Aurora Energy
- "Sarah was one of two keynote speakers at the Association for Administrative Professionals of NZ(AAPNZ) national professional development forum. Sarah's style was engaging & relaxed; she spoke openly about her own experiences and was clearly, very knowledgeable about the subject. We have received excellent feedback about Sarah as a presenter and as a participant, I was grateful to be able to experience hearing Sarah first hand. Ican highly recommend Sarah for any training needs you might have.."
Kate Lilley
President, AAPNZ Dunedin
- "We engaged Sarah to undertake a project for Enterprise Dunedin to look at our team values. Sarah was excellent in facilitating this process. She was well prepared, engaging with the team and delivered to our brief. I would definitely utilise Sarah’s skill again for working with us and I can recommend her to any other clients without hesitation"
John Christie Director, Enterprise Dunedin
- "I attended a GRIP course when one of my employees was unable to make it at short notice and I am so glad that I did! GRIP is a wonderful, non-threatening and easily digestible introduction to the science and practical frameworks for improving how you manage your own stress and grow your resilience. I enjoyed Sarah’s delivery of the course as it was kind, knowledgeable and respectful of everyone in the room. This course is well designed and would allow anyone at any stage of personal development to learn and grow their resilience capability - expect them to return to work wanting to make changes to some of their daily routines and their mindset."
Robyn McLean Network Manager, South Dunedin Community Network
- “I've had the pleasure of working with Sarah in developing our company values and through the leadership programme that she ran at Network Waitaki. Sarah was engaging, passionate, and knowledgeable and used a mix of theory, group participation and real-life examples to make the sessions enjoyable and memorable. I highly recommend Sarah to anyone looking for leadership training or to facilitate company-wide collaboration.”
Craig Conlan Network Development Manager, Network Waitaki
- “I can strongly recommend Sarah. She worked with me as a consultant facilitator managing a complex consultation project. She delivered seven workshops with a total of almost 150 people attending one or more of them. I was particularly impressed with Sarah's ability to lead and summarise complex discussions and to distil the findings into a very accessible and usable report. The process that Sarah led has been highly effective in helping us to turn the workshop programme into a realistic work programme.”
Nick Dixon Group Manager Ara Toi, Dunedin City Counci
- “Sarah is very well placed to facilitate sessions where groups need improvement in their relationships and culture, particularly where there have been ongoing problems. Sarah has great skills in team building and leadership. She is very approachable but also brings a rigour to her facilitation that I think distinguishes her apart from others that work in the same space. That means she appeals to business-minded people (who respond to facts and figures) plus creative types (who want to visualise and relate to stories).”
Kate Hesson
Founder, Confident Contracting
- "Our team had the fortune of attending a Team Building workshop facilitated by Sarah. All in the team thoroughly enjoyed the workshop, the insights gained and the facilitation by Sarah. Her observations of team members and considered feedback ensured that all in attendance participated and felt heard. Sarah’s presence and manner ensured that everyone left the workshop both more self-aware and knowing how to ensure their interaction with others are more positive and productive."
Bob King Manager Operations and Finance at Cancer Society
of New Zealand, Otago and Southland Division