Monique Roberts

Leading from within: Monique Roberts on strategy, trust and transformational leadership.

What happens when a seasoned leader hits pause for a week of intensive learning and self-reflection? For Monique Roberts from Coal Services, it sparked a powerful shift in how she shows up, listens and leads.

Reframing strategy to meet the future

As Head of Health Operations at Coal Services, Monique Roberts oversees 100+ staff across six NSW sites who provide over 10,000 health surveillance medicals to NSW coal mine workers each year.

It’s a complex role shaped by legislation, industry relationships and changes in health surveillance and medical best practice.

And with shifting industry demands, the challenges persist.

“Over the past 50 years, the health surveillance model in the NSW coal industry has slowly evolved,” Monique explains. “However, the needs of our industry and workforce are changing. That means we need to change, too.”

At Coal Services, that means more than medical adaptation. It means strategic realignment across the organisation.

“We’re rewriting the legislation that underpins the health surveillance scheme,” says Monique. “That means working closely with stakeholders, gaining buy-in and helping people understand why we can’t keep doing things the same way.”

Navigating that complexity takes something beyond operational expertise. It calls for big-picture thinking, strategic vision and the ability to lead with purpose. 

Redefining leadership from the inside out

Monique is no stranger to the demands of leadership. She led teams in healthcare for years – from frontline nursing to operational strategy.

But she knew that leading through complexity required more than experience – it demanded fresh perspective and deeper self-awareness. So with the support and endorsement of the Coal Services leadership team, she engaged in the AGSM General Manager Program to evolve her leadership.

“It was a week of intensive learning, but also of deep self-reflection,” she recalls, adding that it gave her a powerful new perspective on leadership.

“If you want to lead well, you’ve got to understand how you’re showing up – and be willing to adapt and change if necessary.”

Why being approachable takes more than good intentions

The program challenged her to rethink how she supports and engages her people.

“I’ve always wanted to be the sort of leader that people feel safe approaching and even challenging,” she says. “Because without that trust, you miss out on the conversations that actually move things forward.

“The General Manager Program helped me realise that creating that kind of culture takes real intention. It’s not enough to say you’re approachable, people need to feel it.”

Through immersive sessions on adaptive leadership and executive presence, Monique began to rethink how she was showing up in high-pressure situations – and how her leadership style impacted those around her.

These sessions helped her explore a common leadership challenge: how to effectively support, motivate and engage people through change.

Turning resistance into insight

A key concept that stuck with Monique was the ‘line of resistance’. This is a tool from adaptive leadership theory used to understand why people push back during change.

Rather than viewing disengagement or pushback as negative, the framework encourages leaders to see resistance as a sign that people care deeply – and may not feel heard or supported.

“It shifted my thinking completely,” she explains. “Instead of treating that resistance as a problem to overcome, I now ask: What’s going on for them? What have we missed that’s made them feel this way?”

That shift has changed the tone of Monique’s one-on-one conversations with managers and team leaders at Coal Services. She’s now focusing more on curiosity and coaching, and less on solutions from the top down.

“It’s really helped me slow down, ask different questions and better understand people’s barriers to engagement.”

The session on executive presence also gave Monique a clearer sense of how to conduct herself in stakeholder settings, where confidence and clarity are critical.

“I realised that how I show up in a room full of industry stakeholders – the way I speak, the way I listen – really matters. And I’ve already seen how that impacts my relationships with external stakeholders.”

Bringing strategy into sharper focus

The impact of Monique’s leadership reset didn’t stop at culture and communication. It’s shaped how she approaches strategic planning and execution – a timely shift as Coal Services undertakes its biggest health surveillance overhaul in decades.

“We spent a big chunk of the program on strategy – how to develop it and ensure it’s effective and meaningful,” she says. “That really aligned with what we were doing internally. It gave me the language and structure to bring our new direction to life.”

It also reinforced her belief that good strategy and good leadership are intertwined.

“You can have the best plan in the world, but if you’re not leading in a way that brings people with you, it won’t mesh,” Monique says. “The program helped me bring those two things together – how we set direction, and how we get people on board.”

It’s only been a few months since Monique completed the program, but already she’s seeing a change in the quality of conversations she’s having with her leadership team. These conversations are now less focused on day-to-day operations, and more grounded in long-term thinking, shared direction and clear strategic goals.

With a stronger sense of purpose and a refined leadership toolkit, Monique is helping shape a more responsive, future-focused approach to health operations. One conversation, one strategy and one decision at a time.

Learn more about the AGSM’s General Manager Program.