Make middle management work.

“Davina has been absolutely instrumental in supporting the development of what is now a very high functioning leadership team, as well as building a strong culture within our leaders’ network. Without Davina’s support I can honestly say we would not be in the strong position we are in.”

[V.D., General Manager]

Middle management is an untapped source of organisational performance.

Sources:

(1) Gallup, State of the Workforce Report, 2024

(2) B-Suite Benchmark Report, 2024

Executive leaders set the vision and high-level strategy.

Operational workers do the on-ground activities that realise that vision and strategy.

Middle managers translate ‘exec speak’ into on-ground action. They help employees know where they are going and create the motivation and momentum to deliver what needs to be done. They are the [often ignored] engine room.

Without capable and connected middle managers your strategy and operations will never truly align and critical momentum is lost. Did you know:

  • Middle management practice explains 70% of variance in team engagement (1)

  • Businesses with the highest quality middle management achieved 23% higher profit than those in the bottom quartile due to less absenteeism, lower turnover, less shrinkage or theft, fewer safety incidents, fewer defects or errors and higher customer loyalty and productivity (1)

  • In Australia, it is estimated only 6.5% of middle managers are operating at the gold standard (influencing what gets done, not just how) (2).

A strong middle layer gives your organisation a competitive edge.

Introducing our founder, Davina Jones

With over a decade of experience and most recently managing Strategy and Business Improvement for a large state government department, Davina Jones is a strategic organisational development and culture specialist, leadership coach, facilitator, educator and change-maker. Her approach is grounded in research, systems thinking, and human-centred design - and driven by a core belief that the people working within a system are best placed to improve it.

“I know what it’s like to work in an energising and empowering workplace culture with inspiring and capable managers. Where direction is clear, truth is spoken to power, power is shared, and people own their role in the bigger picture. I know the power of empathy in leadership and trusting the expertise of employees to help us achieve our goals. I know because I’ve done it. Because I’ve led in those environments, and been an employee too.

I want others to have that same experience.

It’s possible.”

Davina

Learn more
Founder of Life and Career Coaching, Davina Jones

Our services

Through our targeted services we help you and your people do your best work together. We work with each client to design an approach unique to their challenges, and could use a range of tools including:

  • leadership coaching

  • collaboration or culture review, and

  • capability development and system-level change.

Davina Jones with Client for Individual Coaching

Our mission is to make management feel more natural. Our tailored coaching sessions are designed to ease the overwhelm, cultivate curiosity, build confidence, and help managers be more strategic by getting out of their head, connecting with their people and strategy, and enjoying the challenge of their role.

A woman with curly brown hair, wearing a light blue blazer, white top, and jeans, standing next to a white easel with an illustrated whiteboard. The whiteboard has a diagram with three steps labeled 'Have fun,' 'Learn something,' and 'Try it out,' with cartoon drawings accompanying each step, against a dark background.

Empower your people and engage them as change agents to build a better business, with tailored workshop experiences. Our process sees teams take ownership over their roles, build trust and create momentum - and lead themselves.

Free stuff

Want to know the kind of work I do? There are a few things to help you get started below.

Role and team clarity canvas
Role and team clarity canvas

Role descriptions rarely articulate why a role exists, or the impact it’s expected to create. Increase the authority and autonomy of your team through this role and team clarity canvas. Great to onboard new staff, or support performance conversations.

ALIGN Model Critical Question Cards
ALIGN Model Critical Question Cards

Elevate your influence with the ALIGN Model Critical Question Cards. Designed for mid-level people leaders, these 65+ digital cards are an essential part of your managing up toolkit. They provide powerful, evidence-based questions to strengthen alignment with your leader, clarify expectations, improve communication, and lead strategically from the middle.

These cards work alongside our ALIGN Conversation Framework for effectively managing up, and will turn your 1:1s and other meetings into structured, strategic, and productive events.

Middle Manager Stress Survival Guide
Middle Manager Stress Survival Guide

Middle management is one of the toughest gigs around. This free toolkit contains 6 research-backed ways to address common issues experienced by emerging leaders.

Streamline communications for employee wellbeing
Streamline communications for employee wellbeing

We all know that email adds to feelings of work overload, stress, and reduces available attention available for deep work. But what do you replace it with? This matrix helps you find ways to manage communications without overloading your people.

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What people are saying

  • "The Art of Managing Up" webinar feedback

    “Davina is such a natural presenter. I felt confident that I was getting real, practical, proven information delivered by someone with personal experience.”

    “I loved the interactive nature and questioning techniques.”

    “Clear, explicit, practical strategies and understandings that can be applied immediately.”

    “Lots of thought provoking perspectives!”

    “Davina did an excellent job and communicated clearly. She was very passionate and knowledgeable.”

    “I look forward to attending more of Davina’s sessions.”

  • M.B. (Communications Consultant)

    “For a comms person I sometimes (probably more often than not) find it hard to articulate what I want my work life to be. I’ve known for a while that I needed a change but didn’t know what to do, where to go, how to start. Enter Davina with her calm focus, experience, humour, real life examples and most importantly questions! Not big overwhelming questions, the little ones, the right ones. The questions that quietly guide you to your answer.

    From the beginning she took the time to understand what I needed and structured each coaching session to match. We talked, we worked through some exercises, I did some homework, we talked some more. It was personalised - there were no hard lines, no right or wrong, just the right kind of support. I’ve ended the sessions with a clarity that was missing before and recommend Davina to anyone looking for a guide to see them through any or all of life’s little adventures.” (October 2025)

  • S.G. (Deputy Principal)

    “Davina’s warmth and professionalism puts you immediately at ease. What truly sets her apart is her remarkable ability to build trust so quickly. Davina creates a space where you feel safe to be vulnerable and free to be completely honest, knowing you are supported unconditionally. That sense of psychological safety fosters authenticity. Davina listens actively and deeply, helping you unearth unconscious beliefs and rediscover core values. What follows is clarity as Davina has an uncanny ability to identify and articulate the heart of your challenges, cutting through the fog to illuminate what really matters. Her blend of strategic insight and emotional intelligence makes each session feel both grounded and transformative. Davina’s coaching isn’t about mere survival - it’s about thriving.” (September 2025)

  • C.S. (Senior Engineer)

    “I cannot express how grateful I am for the opportunity to know you as my coach. You created a safe space for an open discussion and made it so easy for me to share my needs in sessions. You followed that up so well with the guidance and introduction of new concepts tailored to my needs. I always looked forward to our catch ups so I could share my experience using the newly gained knowledge in my daily life.

    Honestly, it’s only been four short months of working with you to improve my leadership skills and yet, not only have I learned so many new concepts and techniques but also, was able to implement them in my daily life.” (March 2025)

  • F.L. (Professional Musician)

    “My session with Davina shone light on some unconscious beliefs that have been holding me back in a number of areas. She helped me rediscover my core values at this point in my life, and where I was in and out of alignment with these in both work and relationships. I am so grateful for her relaxed and efficient manner, and am excited to continue to work with her.”  (July 2025)

  • L.M. (Director)

    “Thank you Davina. Really appreciate how you facilitated the day to elicit useful insights from the team and structure the workshop using the right business frameworks in a prioritised way, so we have useful collective insight to improve our business.

    I also appreciate the suggestions around experience maps as that’s our top priority activity for the team. I was also pleasantly surprised with the level of positive engagement from the team! I look forward to seeing you in the not-too-distant future.” (April 2025)

  • V.D. (General Manager)

    “Davina has helped bring structure and discipline to my stray thinking and random plans, and she has been absolutely instrumental in supporting the development of what is now a very high functioning leadership team, as well as building a strong culture within our leaders’ network. Without Davina’s support I can honestly say we would not be in the strong position we are in.” (April 2025)

  • A.B. (Director)

    “Davina you’re a rock star facilitator and it was great you were able to run our session today. I appreciated your availability noting the timing and we really benefitted from your breadth of skills and experience. We’re all richer for the experience, thank you!” (March 2025)

  • R.B. (Senior Manager)

    "It would be impossible to put a dollar value on this experience. Davina took the time to truly understand what I wanted to achieve, which was around my family life and relationships. She helped me clarify my goals, develop practical tools, and supported me to use them in a way that worked for my real life—not just in theory. Davina challenged me when I needed it, but always with warmth and respect.

    What stood out was her ability to help me see the patterns driving my choices, and to find realistic ways to bring things back into balance when life felt out of sync. I chose to focus on my family relationships, and as a result of my work with Davina, our family life is so much more cohesive and nurturing. I feel more confident as a parent and partner, and the positive changes have been noticed by everyone at home.

    If you’re looking for someone who will listen, guide, and gently push you to grow in the areas that matter most, I can’t recommend Davina highly enough." (December 2025)

Contact Us

If you're ready to take the next step - whether it's for yourself, your team, or your organisation - we would love to hear from you. Fill out the form and we’ll be in touch to arrange a free introductory consultation and answer any questions you may have.