Regardless of where you are on your leadership journey, this epsiode is guaranteed to help you progress your leadership journey and, importantly, set yourself up to win "your ideal role with your employer of choice." I had a fascinating chat with Richard Triggs, the founder and CEO of Arete Executive, an executive search and recruitment company based in Brisbane, Australia. We delved into Richard's extensive experience in placing executives in senior leadership roles and board positions, and dis...
Mar 17, 2025•45 min•Ep. 163
In this episode, I explore five key indicators that suggest your team may benefit from an MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) workshop. Learn how communication breakdowns, lack of team cohesion, low motivation and engagement, constant decision-making conflicts, and unresolved workplace tension could be holding your team back. Discover practical tips and success stories on how understanding personality dynamics through MBTI can enhance communication, teamwork, and overall workplace efficiency. If ...
Feb 12, 2025•10 min•Ep. 162
As leaders we’re often focussed on the big things and may overlook the simple actions that can make a big difference, so in this episode, I share simple and practical leadership strategies tailored for busy professionals. From learning the art of delegation to implementing the two-minute rule, making meetings more efficient, and using time-independent communication tools, these hacks aim to enhance productivity without adding to your workload. Join me as I explore actionable tips backed by resea...
Jan 22, 2025•8 min•Ep. 161
A support network is one of the most powerful tools in any leader’s arsenal—but it’s often overlooked. It’s important to note that a support network is very different from a general “network” and worlds apart from “networking,” which often brings to mind uncomfortable events full of professionals hunting for their next client or opportunity. Instead, think of your support network as a carefully built community where you exchange ideas, guidance, and encouragement to grow both personally and prof...
Jan 15, 2025•18 min•Ep. 160
I’ve put together a short wrap-up video of 2024 where you can learn valuable insights about self-leadership and personal growth to help you end the year on a high note… Explore important questions like 'Who do I need to be?' in various interactions and how changing behaviors and habits can impact your life. Discover the significance of setting an environment, making conscious choices, and maintaining habits to facilitate change. Understand the power of acceptance, asking powerful questions, and ...
Dec 20, 2024•12 min•Ep. 159
In this episode, we explore the critical role of vulnerability in effective leadership. Drawing on studies from Harvard Business Review and the Academy of Management Journal, we highlight how vulnerability can enhance trust, collaboration, and bottom-line results. Through real-world stories and experiences, we discuss the transformation that occurs in teams when leaders openly share their intentions, admit mistakes, and embrace innovation. We also delve into the misconceptions around vulnerabili...
Nov 05, 2024•18 min•Ep. 158
Workplace stress, resilience, psychological safety… These are all buzzwords that have gained increasing attention in recent years. And rightly so. We spend a huge proportion of our time at the workplace, so it’s critical that we do our best to keep stress to a minimum. But who is actually responsible for this? Our guest on the podcast this week says the burden of responsibility is shared, and proposes meditation as a solution that can have a huge impact on stress, not just from within the workpl...
Oct 31, 2024•29 min•Ep. 157
As a leader it can be tempting to point to team members as being responsible for team performance issues. Sometimes this is the case, but more often than not, we see a failure on the part of the leader to take different personality styles and preferences into account. This is actually the primary job of a leader, and what sets leadership responsibilities apart from individual contributor responsibilities, so in this episode, we delve into how your personality profoundly impacts your leadership s...
Oct 23, 2024•16 min•Ep. 156
In this episode, we explore the surprising and somewhat disturbing statistic that only one in four employees find feedback helpful for their performance. We discuss the importance of transforming feedback into powerful learning opportunities for both personal and professional growth. We highlight the role of trust, the need for a habit of inviting feedback, and using a forward-focused and solution-oriented approach. We introduce the SBIN model for delivering feedback, emphasising the necessity o...
Oct 21, 2024•22 min•Ep. 155
In this episode of the People Leaders Podcast, we explore the realm of fractional consulting with our guest Lauren Wambold Patel. Lauren, a former Boston Consulting Group consultant and now founder and CEO of Keenan Reid Strategies, shares insights into how fractional consulting is reshaping the industry. We dive into the benefits for both consultants and clients, the impact on Gen Xers and Millennials, and the steps to transition into this new model. Lauren also discusses the potential pitfalls...
Oct 02, 2024•25 min•Ep. 154
In this episode, we explore the critical role of well-being in leadership with Anna Eliatamby, a clinical psychologist and workplace well-being expert. Anna shares insights on the foundational importance of self-care for leaders, highlighting how neglecting personal well-being can lead to destructive habits and toxic behaviours. She introduces key strategies for responding to stress, maintaining healthy work habits, and fostering organisational well-being. Additionally, we discuss the interconne...
Sep 20, 2024•29 min•Ep. 153
In this podcast, we address common queries about team building, providing practical examples and sharing insights from research on high-performing teams. We outline several team-building activities with specific focuses such as learning, collaboration, fun, connection, trust, problem-solving, conflict resolution, and goal setting. Activities include watching and discussing a TED Talk, conducting the Spaghetti Challenge, cooking together, using the 'This Is Me' template for bonding, sharing signi...
Sep 17, 2024•21 min•Ep. 152
In this episode, we delve into the topic of workplace and professional resilience and what it means to effectively respond and adapt to adversity. We discuss a multi-faceted approach to resilience through mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional lenses. We share practical strategies, including the importance of self-talk, changing perspectives, physical movement, nutrition, hydration, rest, living by your values, developing empathy, and emotional literacy. We also introduce a diagnostic tool f...
Jul 25, 2024•19 min•Ep. 151
In this episode, I am excited to welcome Dr. Phill Krins, an expert in workplace psychology, coaching, and facilitation. We delve into the significance of feedback and managing difficult conversations, especially for new and emerging leaders. Dr. Krins shares his vast experience, touching on the importance of feedback for growth, role clarity, and employee engagement. We explore the barriers to effective feedback, such as workplace culture and manager time constraints, and offer strategies for g...
Jul 18, 2024•34 min•Ep. 150
In this episode, we discuss the importance of managing up and making the most out of your relationship with your manager during one-on-one meetings. We explore various questions to ask, such as understanding your manager's key priorities, communication preferences, and ways to build trust. Additionally, we dive into stakeholder management, conflict resolution, and ways to ensure continuous performance improvement. These strategies aim to enhance your performance and showcase your skills effectiv...
Jul 09, 2024•15 min•Ep. 149
In this episode, I interview David Roland, a psychologist, writer, presenter, and certified forest bathing guide. We discuss David's extensive background, including his studies in clinical psychology focusing on performance anxiety, and his transition to nature connection and forest bathing. David shares his personal experiences with forest bathing, its origins, and its many benefits such as stress reduction, mental rejuvenation, and physical health improvements. We also explore the potential of...
Jul 03, 2024•26 min•Ep. 148
Anyone new to a management position is bound to make mistakes. Some of these mistakes will be unique to a particular position, and may even be unavoidable. But many mistakes that first-time managers make are pretty common, and can be avoided. In this episode we discuss the most common first-time manager mistakes we’ve seen in the past 25 plus years working in the field. Some of these mistakes include: failing to invest in behaviour management skills, taking on too much work, not being open to fe...
Jun 24, 2024•18 min•Ep. 147
Making the transition from individual contributor to manager is about more than just taking on more responsibilities. It literally requires a shift in how you think about your work, the people you work with, and yourself. In this episode, we lay out eight paradigm shifts that are essential for you to perform at your best and to bring out the best in your team. Episode Highlights: 00:00 Introduction and Purpose of the Podcast 01:34 Key Area 1: Shifting Focus 02:54 Key Area 2: Managing Time 04:19 ...
May 28, 2024•15 min•Ep. 146
The Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) has been our favourite personality profiling tool since we first became accredited facilitators more than 20 years ago. Other profiling tools have come and gone as ‘flavour of the month’ over the years, many of which are simplified versions of the MBTI, but the MBTI itself is the tool we are most often asked to use, and with very good reason, The wisdom behind it is timeless and the applications endless, and no matter how many times we deliver our MBTI work...
Apr 29, 2024•20 min•Ep. 145
For many years now, we’ve been using the Change Curve model, created by John Fisher, a constructivist, psychologist, and coach. It’s a powerful tool for helping people navigate the different stages of organisational change. We were thrilled to be able to speak with John directly on the podcast and to discuss the application of the Change Curve in leadership programs, the emotional journey individuals go through during change, and strategies for effective change management. John emphasised the im...
Mar 20, 2024•50 min•Ep. 144
In 2014 we began working with Ian Perkins, CEO of lawlab, which, at the time, was a small and growing conveyancing firm. We’ve worked with him every year since, and have helped him expand the business to 50 staff nationwide. Ian was kind enough to jump on a call with me to discuss their growth, and the role People Leaders has had in building his team over the years. We discussed the focus on team leadership, cultural change, and the importance of staff retention and effective leadership. We hope...
Feb 26, 2024•14 min•Ep. 143
Our focus for this year for our content is going to be small and medium sized organisations (SMEs), specifically, how to create high-performing teams. We're also creating programs that cater for SMEs. Watch this space for details... There is a very different dynamic for small and medium businesses than there is with larger organisations, particularly when the owner is the leader of the business. Often these owners are what we would call "accidental leaders," meaning they didn't specifically set ...
Jan 18, 2024•19 min•Ep. 142
Have you ever wondered why we often do things that we know aren't good for our health? Today’s episode with Jo Formosa, a natural medicine specialist, will definitely pique your interest. A seasoned expert in Ayurveda, accupuncture, Chinese medicine, remedial massage, and Neuro Strategies, Jo takes us on her captivating journey into natural medicine and unveils the uniqueness of Ayurveda as a health approach that zeroes in on the causative factors of a disease rather than just treating symptoms....
Sep 01, 2023•26 min•Ep. 141
Do you ever feel the weight of achievement becoming just too heavy? Are you losing yourself in the race towards success? In our latest episode, we had the privilege of picking the brain of Nicole Monteforte, a seasoned leader and CEO, who has successfully navigated the high-pressure terrain of managing teams in the thousands and has lived to tell the tale. Nicole shares her invaluable insights on the creation and sustenance of effective teams, advocating bravery, adaptability and humility as the...
Aug 03, 2023•35 min•Ep. 140
Today’s topic of choice is one we have found people leaders really struggle with, and can really open up so many opportunities for them: delegation. In coaching or workshops, we often hear managers say, "Yes, but I'm so busy, surely I can't push any more work down on to the people that report to me." Our answer is simply, “Ask, you might be surprised by the response”.If it's the right kind of work and is something your team is interested in or think it may help with their growth and development,...
Jul 27, 2023•17 min•Ep. 67
It’s always interesting chatting with other professionals in our field and this discussion with Amos Szeps is no different. I learned some new turns of phrase that I know I’ll be using more in the future. Phrases such as: Empathy with edge; Disagree quickly but not personally; Choose meaningful problems and more. With 20 years of experience in leadership and leadership coaching under his belt, Amos has a lot to share. Episode Highlights: [02:20] Empathy with an Edge [04:35] Disagree Quickly But ...
Jun 26, 2023•27 min•Ep. 139
Leaders often have good intentions and great ideas, even great visions, for themselves but often they don’t succeed in bringing those intentions to fruition. This is not exclusive to leaders of course, but the result of a leader falling short of their potential, is that their team can often be affected as well. In this interview, with Jenna Holloway, Jan discusses the impact of limiting beliefs on our performance. The underlying cause of limiting beliefs, how they play out in day-to-day life, an...
May 29, 2023•32 min•Ep. 138
One of the qualities that separates leaders from managers is self awareness. A manager with low levels of self awareness is unlikely to bring out the best in themselves, let alone their team. Whereas a leader with high levels of self awareness, is going to naturally develop the skills needed to bring out the best in the people working with them. They will be more likely to display the humility, the compassion, and the authenticity that people leadership requires. Many leaders only develop their ...
May 24, 2023•19 min•Ep. 137
We’re always looking for new ways to provide resources to leaders and are excited to share with you that the People Leaders Toolkit app is now live. Available on Apple and Android (and usable on desktop computers also), the toolkit is designed as a hip-pocket resource to help leaders with the challenges they face on a daily basis. We’ve got five tools in the toolkit already and at least another ten on the way. All of the current tools are free and the upcoming tools will be a mixture of paid and...
May 09, 2023•9 min•Ep. 136
One of the biggest mistakes we see in the leadership field is promoting someone above their natural level of leadership. For example, someone who is an outstanding performer on your sales team, might not necessarily excel as a sales manager. Yet many organisations promote based on technical performance rather than their people leadership potential. This shows up in the stats, with 60% of new leaders evaluated as underperfomers in their new leadership role. To make matters worse, often new leader...
Apr 18, 2023•15 min•Ep. 135
