ORANGE CREATIVE COACHING
Future X Adaptive Leadership
Future-shaping leaders don't just adapt – they align teams, energises culture, and win client trust.
Trusted by leaders from:
01
Identify
The agency world is being rewritten in real time, and the leaders who adapt now will shape its future.
Leadership under pressure looks different when:
AI is disrupting at pace – and leaders must integrate it into decisions, culture, and client delivery.
Vision is drifting – opportunities multiply, but teams lose focus and direction.
Collaboration without authority is the norm – cross-agency and cross-functional work is expected, but systems, incentives, and skills haven’t caught up.
Energy is collapsing – stretched leaders slow decisions, burning themselves and their talent.
These aren’t abstract trends. They’re showing up in your day-to-day: delayed decisions, client frustration, talent attrition, and lost pitches.
02
Assess
The Future X Adaptive Leadership Lab is designed for senior leaders in creative, media, digital, and communications agencies who:
Have stepped up because they’re brilliant at what they do – but haven’t been given a system for leading at scale.
Feel the tension between agency priorities and wider business priorities – and want to influence without losing trust.
Are running at full speed but still battling vision drift, decision bottlenecks, and competing priorities.
Lead teams who are talented but stretched thin, hybrid, or siloed – and need new ways to energise, align, and retain them.
Carry big expectations from clients and execs, yet often lack the time, frameworks, and authority to deliver consistently.
Want to future-proof their leadership for an AI-disrupted industry, without losing the human edge that builds client trust and team loyalty.
If this sounds like you, you’re exactly who this Lab is built for.
03
Develop
At the heart of the Future X Adaptive Leadership Lab is one outcome above all:
Helping senior leaders cut through complexity and lead with clarity and authority – so decisions stick, teams align, and clients trust.
From this foundation, everything else follows:
Retain and energise top talent by building cultures where people know what matters and how to contribute.
Win more pitches and strengthen client trust by leading with conviction and authority under pressure.
Reduce silo drag by influencing across functions and agencies without waiting for formal authority.
Make faster, higher-quality decisions that keep momentum high and reduce rework.
Future-proof your leadership system so you stay relevant and effective as AI, disruption, and change accelerate.
Sustain energy for yourself and your teams so performance doesn’t collapse under pressure.
OUR METHOD
The 5 Adaptive Leadership Streams
The Future X Adaptive Leadership Lab gives senior agency leaders the frameworks, tools, and systems to lead with clarity, authority, and impact in a disrupted world.
You’ll move through five adaptive leadership streams:
Canvas – Adaptive Self + System
Culture – Future-fit Performance Culture
Communication – Authority Narratives
Clients – Trust as a Competitive Edge
Connectivity – Collaboration Without Authority
Adrian Mills
Managing Director, McCann Melbourne
If you're reading Sue's recommendations, then she must have already made an impact on your life/career/business/relationships, or a combination of these. Even if you've only been around her a little, it's an inevitability. It's what she does. Through Orange Creative Coaching, Sue provided me with insights, perspective and motivation that I didn't even realise I needed. That's why she was invaluable, and that's why I'm so happy to be writing this.
Adrian Mills
Managing Director, McCann Melbourne
If you're reading Sue's recommendations, then she must have already made an impact on your life/career/business/relationships, or a combination of these. Even if you've only been around her a little, it's an inevitability. It's what she does. Through Orange Creative Coaching, Sue provided me with insights, perspective and motivation that I didn't even realise I needed. That's why she was invaluable, and that's why I'm so happy to be writing this.
Pillar 1 - Canvas
Adaptive Self + System
In an environment of constant disruption, leaders can no longer rely on instinct or charisma alone. You’ll build the self-awareness and leadership operating system to shift from reacting to shaping. This means making faster, higher-quality decisions, staying grounded in uncertainty, and leading with authority that others can trust and follow.
Pillar 2 - Culture
Future-Fit Performance Culture
Hybrid work, stretched teams, and competing priorities have eroded the energy and trust that make agencies thrive. You’ll learn how to turn principles and behaviours into real performance drivers – embedding culture as a system that energises people, retains top talent, and delivers results, even when resources are tight and pressure is high.
Pillar 3 - Communication
Authority Narratives
In a world flooded with noise and AI-generated messages, it’s never been more important for leaders to communicate with clarity and conviction. You’ll develop authority narratives and presence that cut through — leading tough conversations, inspiring alignment across teams, and influencing clients when the stakes are high and the spotlight is on.
Pillar 4 - Culture
Trust as a Competitive Edge
As AI accelerates delivery and commoditises output, human leadership and trust become the differentiators clients are really buying. You’ll learn how to lead teams in ways that build trust under pressure – not just winning the pitch, but retaining the business, strengthening relationships, and showing up as a partner clients can rely on.
Pillar 5 - Connectivity
Collaboration Without Authority
Agencies are increasingly expected to deliver through cross-functional, cross-agency squads – but without the formal authority to enforce alignment. You’ll master the skills of adaptive influence: aligning silos, navigating competing priorities, and creating the connective tissue that makes collaboration work in the real world.
Why Should You Join This Program?
The Future X Adaptive Leadership Lab is not a lecture series.
It’s an applied leadership experience built for senior agency leaders who need tools they can use immediately in the heat of client pressure, team dynamics, and market disruption.
Immersive Sessions
Live, interactive Lab sessions where you'll explore the 5 Adaptive Leadership Streams.
Each session blends frameworks with real-world case studies from agencies navigating the same challenges you face.
Practical Application
You’ll work on your own leadership challenges in-session — from client trust issues to collaboration bottlenecks — and leave with tools you can put into play the very next day.
Reflection guides and exercises ensure you don’t just learn the frameworks, you embed them into your leadership system.
Peer Learning
Connect with other senior leaders facing the same disruptions.
Share experiences, test ideas, and expand your leadership network in a way that accelerates your own growth.
Adaptive Toolkit
Access to tools, templates, and models that help you apply clarity, culture, and authority in the moment – not just in theory.
From decision-making frameworks to culture design sprints, you’ll leave with assets you can use across your team.
Future-Fit Focus
Every element of the Lab is designed to prepare you for the world ahead — where AI is accelerating, hybrid is here to stay, and collaboration without authority is the new norm.
Jenn Mancini
Director, Client Strategy at Twitch, Greater New York City.
Sue created a perfect environment for me to take a profound journey of self-discovery, which transformed my career and my life. If you are looking to level up and stand strong, then look no further. I hope you take the plunge with her. Hands down recommendation!
Jenn Mancini
Director, Client Strategy at Twitch, Greater New York City.
Sue created a perfect environment for me to take a profound journey of self-discovery, which transformed my career and my life. If you are looking to level up and stand strong, then look no further. I hope you take the plunge with her. Hands down recommendation!
ABOUT SUE
Why This Lab, Why Sue McKenzie
The Future X Adaptive Leadership Lab is delivered through Orange Creative Coaching, founded by Sue McKenzie – one of the most experienced leadership and culture strategists in the agency world.
25+ years inside agencies – from creative to media, digital to design – means Sue knows the pitch pressure, client demands, and culture challenges first-hand.
3,000+ leaders coached globally – from senior managers to CEOs – across the world’s top networks.
Deep connection to global trends – from Cannes Lions insights to leadership forums – ensures the Lab is built on what’s shaping agencies right now.
Proven results – leaders report faster decisions, stronger retention, clearer pitch narratives, and deeper client trust.
Lynn Chinnock
Managing Partner at Red Havas, Melbourne
My years working with Orange Creative Coaching have been transformational. Sue has had an incredible impact on my personal growth journey as a leader, as my career evolved. Giving me the tools and confidence to build a culture-first, high performing team. As well as thriving through those unexpected, challenging times when our leadership skills are put to the test.
Sue’s group training is insightful, engaging and provocative. Her authentic style really connects with people, from all walks of life.
Lynn Chinnock
Managing Partner at Red Havas, Melbourne
My years working with Orange Creative Coaching have been transformational. Sue has had an incredible impact on my personal growth journey as a leader, as my career evolved. Giving me the tools and confidence to build a culture-first, high performing team. As well as thriving through those unexpected, challenging times when our leadership skills are put to the test.
Sue’s group training is insightful, engaging and provocative. Her authentic style really connects with people, from all walks of life.
Investment
What You’ll Get When You Join the Future X Leadership Lab:
An intensive leadership programme designed for the agency world
Live, interactive workshops with Sue McKenzie and peers from across the industry
A complete Adaptive Leadership Toolkit to embed clarity, culture, and client trust
Peers community and network to share challenges and solutions
Outcomes you can measure: faster decisions, higher retention, stronger pitches
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