Podcast

You’re a positive force of nature. You’re a helper. A fixer. You solve problems quickly. You’re so outcome focussed.  So when your workmate asks you how you’re going, you reply: “I’ve got major Zoom fatigue and I’m struggling a little bit.” And it’s quickly followed by: …”but it could be worse.” You’re not the only one. We’ve seen thousands of people who are starting to scratch the surface with how they’re feeling but dismissing it before they’ve had a chance to fully acknowledge it, let alone process it.  I’ve still got a job. It could be worse. Some people have it harder. Which all [...]

As a leader, you bring a load of experience to the role. When people are looking for answers to problems, you naturally come up with ten of them. But sharing your solutions too soon can send your team backwards.  This is what we talked about with Tanya Hendry, Deputy CEO of Whitelion Youth this week of our Top Five Movement leadership podcast, Leading Generous Teams.  Tanya has over 20 years’ experience as a senior organisational leader within the health care and non-profit sectors. She is passionate about social justice and being person-centred, with a strong focus on  hearing the voice of [...]

Sometimes, it’s unavoidable. You’ve landed with a leader who isn’t generous. It’s bad but not bad enough to leave. So what do you do? On the podcast with Ann-Marie Chamberlain, we spoke about how to make the most of a bad leader so you don’t miss a hidden opportunity. Ann-Marie is a multiple award winning executive and community leader, board member and experienced coach. In her “spare time” you’ll find Ann-Marie thinking strategically as the Chair of Volunteering SA/NT, as a Trustee for Kalyra Communities and a Director at the Police Credit Union.    Ann-Marie is a two time winner of the [...]

We’ve all heard the saying it’s all about timing, which eludes to waiting for the right time in the calendar or season. But what if it’s not about waiting. It’s about getting into the right mindset before you nosedive into those tricky and charged conversations. That’s what we spoke about with John Thwaites in this week’s Top Five Movement Leading Generous Teams podcast.  John is a Co-Chair of the Leadership Council of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (“SDSN”) launched by the Secretary General of the United Nations to provide expert advice and support to the development and implementation of the [...]

When leaders encourage their team to “switch off” they don’t always realise it can be demotivating and inaccessible. For many, the idea of switching off is actually daunting. Like a void of space and time that could be used to be making a difference.   Also, you’re not a lightbulb. You don’t have an on and off switch. It’s not that black and white.  The best thing you can do is learn to go from “on” to “recharge.” This is what we discussed in the episode with Dr Cassandra Goldie, CEO of the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS).  Cass brings public [...]

Leaders are often looked to as experts. But they’re not. The strongest leaders surround themselves with experts, which means, you don’t know the answer a lot of the time.  When leaders feel like they should know, they miss the opportunity to invite their team to step into their strengths, rally around you, draw out their skills and talents to solve the problem in ways you couldn’t imagine. This is what vulnerability looks like practically, at the highest levels of leadership. This is what we discussed with Alex Badenoch, Telstra’s former Group Executive – Transformation, Communication and People on our Leading Generous [...]

People think that a collaborative team is being a yes person, never disagreeing, and singing kumbaya in a circle.  But actually, leading a collaborative team takes some hard decisions. This is what we talked about with Kelly O’Shanassy, CEO of the Australian Conservation Foundation on our Leading Generous Teams podcast this week. We discussed how she fuels herself and her team/ to make the hard decisions and stay focussed on the goals that matter. Kelly is experienced in executive roles in business, government and the community sector. In her career, Kelly has led the charge to boost clean energy, save water [...]