The Guardian Leadership Expedition
For leaders shaping cultures that outlive them
A 12-week guided leadership experience with David Galbraith for experienced leaders ready to build cultures where people belong, take responsibility and perform together.
Start: 2 February 2027
12 Weeks
Maximum 10 leaders
(Or talk with David first)
ARE YOU LEADING,
OR CARRYING?
Many capable leaders find themselves carrying more and more – solving, managing, stepping in, and taking responsibility for people who are capable of carrying more themselves.
Over time, leadership can drift towards caution and control.
Control over courage. Caution over responsibility. Compliance over ownership.
The harder we work to create performance, the more we can unintentionally create dependency.
Guardian Leadership offers a different way: creating an environment where people belong, take genuine responsibility, and bring more of themselves to the work.
“The real test of leadership is not what happens while you are there…
but what remains when you are not.”
Watch David introduce Leadership as Guardianship
About the expedition
Where leadership is lived, not discussed
Understanding how you want to lead is one thing. Living it consistently – under pressure, in difficult conversations, and in the everyday demands of leadership – is another.
The Guardian Leadership Expedition is a 12-week guided experience designed to bring this work into your real leadership. We meet, reflect honestly, set intention, and then take the work back into the places where leadership actually happens – your decisions, your conversations, your relationships, and the environment you create around you.
The real work happens between sessions. Each week gives you something to notice, practise and live, before we come back together to reflect on what happened and what it revealed.
This is not another leadership course. It is a commitment to doing the work.
The 12-Week Journey
From the leader you are, to the relationships you create, to the culture you leave behind.
View the full 12-week map
The Expedition unfolds across three phases and twelve weeks, each building on the last.
Click on the image to view the map
The Self-Guided Guardian Leadership Expedition
Coming 1 December 2026 – available to pre-order now
For the first time, David has brought the thinking, reflections and practices behind Guardian Leadership together into a complete 12-week self-guided experience.
Delivered as a 225-page digital guide, it is designed not simply to be read, but to be lived – inviting you to explore who you are as a leader, the relationships your leadership creates, and the culture that grows around you.
The Self-Guided Expedition is included with the 2027 Guardian Leadership Expedition. Register for the guided Expedition and your digital guide will be sent to you as soon as it is released on 1 December.
Or, if you would prefer to undertake the journey in your own time, the Self-Guided Expedition can be purchased separately.
The Guardian Leadership e-Book
Coming 1 December 2026 – available to pre-order now
For the first time, David has brought the thinking, reflections and practices behind Guardian Leadership together in one place.
The new e-book is a deeper exploration of the ideas at the heart of the Expedition – designed not simply to be read, but to invite reflection on who you are as a leader, the relationships you create, and the culture your leadership shapes.
The e-book is included with the 2027 Guardian Leadership Expedition. Register for the Expedition and the book will be sent to you as soon as it is released on 1 December.
For those who would prefer to explore Guardian Leadership in their own time, the e-book can also be purchased separately.
Who this is for
The Guardian Leadership Expedition is for experienced leaders who have already invested in their own development and are looking for something deeper than another set of leadership tools.
It is particularly suited to business owners, CEOs, senior executives and experienced people leaders who:
- carry genuine responsibility for people, performance and culture
- want greater ownership, courage and independent thinking in the people around them
- are willing to look honestly at themselves and the environment their leadership creates
- value high performance, but understand that sustainable performance comes from growing people, not controlling them
This is for leaders ready to go deeper – into who they are, how they lead, and what remains when they are no longer in the room.
Practical details
Weekly Live Sessions (12 Weeks)
We meet every Tuesday at 9am for 1 hour accross 12 weeksOpening session Tues 2 February, 9-11am (2 hrs)
Closing session Tues 20 April, 9-11am (2 hrs)One-on-One Time
The week 6 session will be used for one-on-time with David Galbraith for personalised guidance.Group size: a group of maximum 10 leaders
Ongoing guidance & integration: clear guidance, reflection frameworks, and practical plans between sessions
Missed a session? All sessions are held on Zoom and recorded, so you can catch up if you’re unable to attend live.
Pricing
The full investment for the 12-week Expedition is $5,000 NZD (excl. GST).
– To secure your place: $500 (incl gst) at registration
– Before the Expedition begins: We will invoice the balance required to bring your total payment to 50% of the full investment
– After the first session: The remaining 50% will be invoiced
READY TO STEP IN?
Join the 2027 Guardian Leadership Expedition
If you’re ready to join us, register now to secure your place in the 12-week Expedition beginning 2 February 2027.
Not quite ready?
If you’d like to talk it through first, we’d be very happy to arrange a short conversation with David to explore whether the Expedition is right for you.
Express your interest →
“Leadership is measured by what lasts”
-DG-