David Schmidtchen
David writes, speaks, and advises on leadership and institutional change, chiefly for government leaders. An organisational psychologist, he has spent three decades in the military, consulting, the public service, and academia.
NEW BOOK
The Discipline of Hope
why leadership needs more than optimism
Available at the end of November 2026. The Discipline of Hope argues that leadership, having traded hope for plans, has lost the practice that makes plans worth committing to, and shows how leaders can recover it as a discipline rather than a sentiment.
In conversation
Leaders are asked to hold stability and transformation at once, often in full public view. David talks with Katie Rigg-Smith about how they manage it, and why hope, imagination and dissent make organisations more resilient. Future Health Podcast, NSW Health · 1 July 2026 · about one hour
Start here
Transformation without imagination
Somewhere between the announcement and real change, something crucial fails to happen.
The quiet courage of frank &fearless advice
Hope fuels collective aspiration and personal perseverance amid cynicism.
The threat of unmanaged AI drift
Paying attention counts more than perfect wrapping, so who gives the most thoughtful presents?
Why bureaucracy matters
The public service ideal of being ‘frank and fearless’ meets its toughest test.
The importance of hope
As systems learn and adapt, their goals can quietly drift from human values.
Who buys the best Christmas presents
Reforms, digitalisation, crises: bureaucracy evolves with politics and society, and so must those who work in it.
Speaking & Advisory
David speaks on hope, reform and the arrival of AI in public institutions, and advises governments on reform and workforce design.