The People Leaders Podcast

How to Find and Win Your Next Leadership Role With Richard Triggs

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 17:00:00 +1100

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 discussed his books 'Uncover the Hidden Job Market' and 'Winning the War for Talent.'

We explored the intricacies of knowing when it's time for a career move, the importance of self-awareness for leaders, and specific strategies for excelling in job interviews. Additionally, Richard shares actionable advice for leveraging the "hidden job market" and emphasises ongoing personal development. This episode is packed with practical tips and deep insights for both job seekers and employers.

Episode Highlights:

00:30 Richard Triggs' Background and Achievements
02:07 The Importance of Authenticity in Leadership
03:44 Recognising When It's Time for a Career Change
14:21 Preparing for Job Interviews
22:32 The Importance of Ongoing Education
23:36 The Value of an MBA in Today's Market
26:10 Skills Employers Look For
30:31 Navigating the Hidden Job Market
32:26 Effective Networking Strategies
40:14 Coaching and Recruitment Tips
42:10 Conclusion and Contact Information

Useful Links:

Arete Executive Website - https://www.areteexecutive.com.au/
Richard Triggs on LinkedIn - https://au.linkedin.com/in/richardtriggs
Uncover the Hidden Job Market Book - https://www.areteexecutive.com.au/uncover-the-hidden-job-market-book/

Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders

5 Signs Your Team May Need an MBTI Workshop

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +1100

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 these issues sound familiar, it might be time to consider an MBTI workshop for your team.

We’ve been delivering MBTI workshops, in person and online, in Australia and around the world, for over 25 years. If you’d like to discuss how an MBTI workshop might benefit your team, contact jan@peopleleaders.com.au or phone Jan on + 61 425 795 938.

Episode Highlights:

00:30 Introduction: Why Your Team Needs an MBTI Workshop
00:52 Sign 1: Communication Breakdowns
02:32 Sign 2: Lack of Team Cohesion
03:53 Sign 3: Low Motivation and Engagement
05:30 Sign 4: Constant Decision-Making Conflicts
06:48 Sign 5: Unresolved Workplace Tension
08:05 Conclusion: Transform Your Team with MBTI

Unlocking Leadership Potential: Simple Hacks for Busy Professionals

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 13:00:00 +1100

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 research to help you simplify your tasks and lead more effectively.

Episode Highlights:

00:30 Choose One Leadership Hack
01:18 The Art of Delegation
03:04 The Two-Minute Rule
04:04 Effective Meetings
05:19 The 80/20 Rule
05:59 Time-Independent Communication
07:42 Move into Action

Useful Links:

Why Leaders Should Create a Support Network

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 13:00:00 +1100

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 professionally. While some networks form naturally, the most successful leaders take intentional steps to foster supportive relationships with their peers.

In this epsiode, we explore the incredible benefits of having a strong support network and introduce our exciting new initiative: Leadership for Life.

This program is designed to help ambitious, career-focused leaders like you access the support they need to excel both professionally and personally.

Learn more about Leadership for Life at https://peopleleaders.com.au/community.

Episode Highlights:

00:30 Shifting Perspectives on Networking
00:35 The Importance of Networking for Leaders
01:12 Reducing Isolation Through Support Networks
03:03 Benefits of Diverse Perspectives
05:49 Professional Growth and Development
09:31 Emotional Support and Resilience
10:33 Giving Back Through Support Networks
12:59 Feedback Helps us Thrive
14:54 Launching Leadership for Life
16:41 Final Thoughts and Call to Action

Useful Links:

Key Takeaways from 2024: Insights on Self-Leadership and Personal Growth

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 13:00:00 +1100

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 the necessity to lead yourself through familiar and unfamiliar challenges.

Additionally, get a sneak peek into our new community launching next year focused on self-leadership, community support, coaching, and accountability.

Lastly, gain communication tips like the 'three gates of communication' to navigate difficult conversations effectively.

All this and more in less than 11 minutes! Click the video below to watch it now.

Episode Highlights:

00:00 Who do I need to be?
00:42 Changing behaviour
02:27 What habit could you replace right now?
03:53 The power of acceptance
07:32 Self Leadership
08:28 Community
09:39 The three gates of communication

Useful Links:

Why Being Vulnerable Makes You a Better Leader

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +1100

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 vulnerability, outlining its benefits in fostering creativity, authentic leadership, and organisational resilience. We challenge leaders to start incorporating vulnerability into their interactions.

Episode Highlights:

00:30 The Power of Vulnerability in Leadership
01:25 Building Trust Through Vulnerability
04:40 Vulnerability and Innovation
06:44 Resilience Through Vulnerability
09:24 Authentic Leadership and Employee Engagement
16:06 Practical Tips for Embracing Vulnerability

Useful Links:

Combating Workplace Stress with Vedic Meditation: An Interview with Brett Jarman

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 13:00:00 +1100

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 workplace, but also the stresses that naturally make their way into the workplace from “outside.”

Brett Jarman is a Vedic Meditation teacher, and has practised the technique every day, without exception, for more than 33 years. (We, Jan and Michelle, have also been practising the technique for the same period of time).

As a business consultant, mentor, and business mastermind group facilitator, Brett’s also well versed in the impacts of stress in the workplace.

He is also Jan’s husband 🙂, and is very active behind the scenes in our business, so is very familiar with the world of leaders and managers.

He says meditation, and Vedic Meditation in particular, is not just a personal pursuit; it’s a transformative tool that can profoundly benefit the workplace environment.

Episode Highlights:

00:30 Introduction to the Interview
01:25 Understanding Stress in the Workplace
04:23 The Contagion of Stress
05:18 Identifying Signs of Stress
05:26 The Role of Good Stress
08:45 Stress and Employee Roles
12:09 Benefits of Meditation in the Workplace
16:00 Personal Benefits of Meditation
17:19 Understanding Baseline Happiness
19:05 Different Types of Meditation
22:45 The Science Behind Meditation
23:32 Learning Vedic Meditation
26:05 Teaching Meditation in Workplaces
27:46 Current Projects and Future Plans
29:29 Conclusion and Contact Information

Useful Links:
The Meditation People website - https://themeditationpeople.com
Brett Jarman on Instagram - https://instagram.com/brettjarman
Brett Jarman on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettjarman/

Your Personality Has the Biggest Impact on How You Lead

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +1100

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 style and effectiveness.

We explore introversion and extroversion, sensorial vs. intuitive information processing, logical vs. feeling decision-making, and structured vs. flexible approaches.

By understanding and balancing these preferences, leaders can enhance their ability to connect with their team, make better decisions, and ultimately achieve greater success. Even better, they can teach their team how to do the same

Join us as we share insightful examples and practical strategies for growing into a more self-aware and adaptable leader.

Episode Highlights:

00:30 Understanding the Impact of Personality on Leadership
00:58 Introversion vs. Extroversion in Leadership
02:00 Adapting Leadership Styles for Team Effectiveness
03:17 The Importance of Self-Awareness in Leadership
04:50 Sensing vs. Intuition: Information Preferences
08:38 Balancing Task and People Focus in Decision-Making
11:04 Judging vs. Perceiving: Flexibility in Leadership
14:27 The Path to Psychological Maturity and Effective Leadership

Useful Links:

Transforming Feedback into Powerful Learning Opportunities

Mon, 21 Oct 2024 13:00:00 +1100

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 of specificity and actionable steps. We also stress the importance of self-awareness and emotional intelligence in receiving feedback effectively. Finally, we provide practical tips and real-life examples to help engage with feedback constructively and turn it into a valuable tool for improvement.

Episode Highlights:
01:03 The Power of Personalised Feedback
02:58 Giving and Receiving Feedback Effectively
03:41 The Importance of Specific and Constructive Feedback
05:18 Transforming Feedback into Learning Opportunities
09:05 Five Key Considerations for Effective Feedback
13:27 Practical Tips for Practicing Feedback
21:01 Conclusion: Embracing Feedback for Growth

Use Links:

Fractional Leadership: Flexibility and Expertise with Lauren Patel

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 20:00:00 +1000

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 and how to navigate them, providing valuable advice for senior leaders looking to explore fractional opportunities. Join us as we uncover the strategies that can help business leaders tackle their most ambiguous problems.

Episode Highlights:

00:30 Introduction
01:36 Understanding Fractionalisation
02:31 Benefits for Consultants and Clients
03:55 Industry Applications and Career Transitions
05:33 Impact on Gen Xers and Millennials
09:05 Starting a Fractional Career
15:11 Leadership and Culture in Fractional Workplaces
21:05 Ethics and Best Practices
23:04 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Useful Links:
Lauren Patel on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenpatel/
Lauren’s 2x2 Newsletter - https://the2x2.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Maximising Leadership Effectiveness Through Wellbeing with Anna Eliatamby

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 17:00:00 +1000

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 interconnectedness of well-being, diversity, and inclusion, and the necessity of addressing toxicity in the workplace.

Anna also shares thoughts on creating effective well-being programs and the importance of psychological safety. Tune in for a deep dive into developing healthy and effective leadership practices.

Episode Highlights:

00:48 Meet Anna Eliatamby: Expert in Workplace Well-being
02:07 Common Pitfalls in Leadership Well-being
04:15 The Impact of Personal Habits on Leadership
05:29 Qualities of a Happy, Healthy Leader
11:41 Strategies for Managing Stress
17:44 Creating Effective Well-being Programs
20:36 Addressing Toxicity in the Workplace
27:04 Conclusion and Contact Information

Useful Links:
Anna Eliatamby Website - http://www.healthyleadership.world/

Team Building Activities That ACTUALLY Work (2024)

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 14:00:00 +1000

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 significant personal items to build trust, engaging in problem-solving simulations, practising difficult conversations, and setting team goals using the SMART acronym.

These activities are designed to be low-cost and can be adapted for both face-to-face and virtual settings.

Episode Highlights:

00:37 Team Building Activities Overview
02:24 Learning Component: TED Talks
04:01 Collaboration: The Spaghetti Challenge
05:37 Fun Activity: Cooking Together
07:12 Relationship Building: This Is Me
09:27 Building Trust: Significant Item
10:52 Problem Solving: Simulations
12:48 Resolving Conflict: Difficult Conversations
15:32 Goal Setting: SMART Objectives
19:06 Conclusion and Invitation for Feedback

Useful Links:

Workplace Resilience: Practical Tips and Strategies

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 18:00:00 +1000

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 for assessing and improving resilience within teams and individuals. Tune in for valuable insights and techniques to enhance your resilience in the workplace.

Episode Highlights:

01:38 Defining Professional Resilience
04:15 Mental Resilience Strategies
07:16 Physical Resilience Tips
08:33 Hydration and Recovery
10:07 Spiritual Resilience
10:21 Living Your Values
10:47 Developing Empathy
11:35 Being of Service
12:54 Building Emotional Resilience
13:48 Emotional Literacy and Flexibility
15:25 Impulse Control and Professional Resilience
16:07 Practical Tips for Self-Reflection
17:20 Final Thoughts and Personal Anecdotes

Useful Links:

Mastering Feedback and Difficult Conversations with Dr. Phill Krins

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 14:00:00 +1000

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 giving and receiving feedback.

Additionally, Dr. Krins provides practical advice on setting up these conversations, managing emotions, and fostering a culture of open communication. Tune in to learn about creating growth opportunities through feedback and enhancing team dynamics.

Episode Highlights:

00:30 Guest Speaker Introduction
02:23 The Importance of Feedback
04:12 Challenges in Giving Feedback
06:36 Prerequisites for Effective Feedback
10:33 Handling Emotional Reactions to Feedback
17:09 Opening the Feedback Conversation
21:48 Receiving Feedback Effectively
26:42 Practical Tips for New Leaders
30:07 Mediums and Current Projects
33:09 Conclusion and Contact Information

Useful Links:
Dr. Phill Krins on LinkedIn - au.linkedin.com/in/phillkrins
Prometheus People Ignition Website - peopleignition.com
Dr. Phill Krins’ Uncomfortable Conversations Cheat Sheets - https://peopleleadersresources.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Dr_Phill_Krins_Uncomfortable_Conversations-Cheat_Sheets.pdf

The Art of Managing Up: Crucial Questions for Your Manager

Tue, 09 Jul 2024 17:00:00 +1000

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 effectively, fostering a proactive and productive work environment.

Episode Highlights:

00:35 The Importance of Managing Up
02:56 Key Questions to Ask Your Manager
04:32 Effective Communication Strategies
05:45 Building Trust with Your Manager
07:30 Seeking Specific Advice
08:41 Managing Stakeholder Relationships
09:48 Understanding Top Performers
10:57 Handling Conflict and Difficult Conversations
12:21 Integrating Performance Feedback
13:31 Conclusion and Next Steps

Useful Links

Stress Relief and Mental Clarity: Forest Bathing with David Roland

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 16:00:00 +1000

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 forest bathing for team-building and trauma recovery, as well as practical tips for incorporating nature into daily life. Join us as we uncover the profound impacts of connecting with nature.

Episode Highlights

00:29 Introduction and Guest Overview
00:47 David Roland's Background and Achievements
02:07 Personal Experience with Forest Bathing
03:38 What is Forest Bathing?
07:20 Benefits of Forest Bathing
12:23 Practical Applications and Team Building
16:30 Current Projects and Future Plans
19:12 Practical Tips for Nature Connection
24:33 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Useful Links
David Roland’s website - https://davidroland.com.au/
David Roland on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-roland-62863b23/

The Biggest Mistakes New Managers Make and How to Avoid Them

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 16:00:00 +1000

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 feedback, not addressing red flags, failing to understand the business holistically, neglecting to clarify expectations, struggling with changes, and underestimating the importance of teamwork and collaboration..

You’ll get insights and actionable tips to help new managers navigate these challenges effectively, emphasising self-awareness and communication as crucial skills for leadership development.

Episode Highlights:

00:00 Introduction
00:48 Biggest Mistakes New Managers Make
01:15 Investing in Behavioural Management Skills
02:48 Avoiding Overworking as a New Manager
04:12 Being Open to Feedback
06:25 Actioning Red Flags Early
08:30 Understanding the Business
10:08 Clarifying Expectations
12:39 Coping with Change
14:16 Working Well with Others
16:13 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Useful Link

Stepping Up from Individual Contributor to New Manager/Leader

Tue, 28 May 2024 13:00:00 +1000

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 Key Area 3: Thinking Mode
05:26 Key Area 4: Approach to Work
06:38 Key Area 5: Action Mode
07:26 Key Area 6: Work Status
08:20 Key Area 7: Understanding Next Steps
09:11 Key Area 8: Ownership and Accountability
10:22 Key Area 9: Reporting and Adding Value
12:19 Conclusion and Next Steps

How to Get More Value Out of Your MBTI

Mon, 29 Apr 2024 13:00:00 +1000

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 workshops, they never fail to deliver life-changing insights to course participants.

But how many organisations or participants get value from their MBTI profiles on an ongoing basis? How many people or teams review their profile regularly for insights as their career or organisation progresses?

Most people give their MBTI profile consideration based on their circumstances at the time they took their test, but as circumstances change, e.g. a promotion happens, new team members arrive, the demands on the team change, etc, they might only give a fleeting thought to their MBTI profile (if at all), and how that might be relevant to the change,

In this episode, we explore ways in which you can squeeze more value out of your team’s MBTI profiles in the months and years after first having the profiles done. With very little effort, and with big rewards, the MBTI can be the ‘gift that keeps on giving’ to you and your team.

Episode Highlights:

02:00 Exploring the Value of MBTI in Teams
05:01 Utilizing MBTI for Individual and Team Development
09:14 MBTI's Role in Organisational Dynamics
11:50 Diving Deeper with Myers Briggs Step Two
16:51 Leveraging the Myers Briggs Team Report
18:29 The Universality and Practicality of Myers Briggs
19:16 Encouragement to Engage with MBTI

Useful Links

The Power of the Change Curve with John Fisher

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 14:00:00 +1100

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 importance of communication, trust, and understanding individual motivations in navigating change.

We shared our experiences with using the Change Curve in our work and discussed the impact of COVID-19 on organisations transitioning to remote work.

NB - John shared some slides on the podcast so if you want some visuals, jump over and watch the YouTube version of the podcast here.

Episode Highlights:

00:58 John Fisher's Background and the Change Curve Explained
02:34 Deep Dive into the Change Curve and Its Application
15:27 Utilizing the Change Curve in Leadership and Organizational Change
19:49 Strategies for Managers to Implement Change Effectively
21:50 Interactive Applications of the Change Curve in Workshops
30:52 Addressing Resistance to Change and Enhancing Communication
38:58 Navigating Remote Work Transitions with the Change Model
46:45 Concluding Thoughts and the Power of Trust in Change

Useful Links:
John Fisher’s Website - http://www.c2d.co.uk/
John Fisher on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/c2dlimited/

Growing a Nationwide Business: Ian Perkins' Journey with Lawlab

Mon, 26 Feb 2024 15:00:00 +1100

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 it gives you some insights into what might be possible if we were to work with you and your team. Whether you have two staff, two hundred staff, or two thousand staff, the principles that we apply are universal, and we’d love the opportunity to discuss what your needs might be.

You can reach me directly at jan@peopleleaders.com.au or phone +61 425 795 938.

Elevating Team Engagement and Performance for Small to Medium Businesses

Thu, 18 Jan 2024 13:00:00 +1100

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 out to become a people leader as such, but it's come about as a natural consequence of the success of their business.

They can, of course, still be outstanding leaders, but can sometimes need a bit of extra help, particularly when it comes to creating their own leadership team, and developing a culture that doesn't revolve around the owner making all the decisions.

So, as you can imagine, we'll have a lot to talk about, and have kicked it off already with our first podcast episode: Elevating Team Engagement and Performance for Small to Medium Businesses

Join us on this episode for insights that are sure to become a pivotal part of your leadership toolkit.

Aligning Health for Optimal Performance and Wellbeing with Jo Formosa

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 18:00:00 +1000

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.

She sheds light on the intriguing concept of 'pragya aparadh', a term that explains our strange proclivity towards harmful habits.

As we delve deeper into the conversation, Jo references John Maxwell's insights into breaking destructive habits and understanding the mind-body connection. We explore the surprising effects of overwork on performance, the role of dopamine hits, and why it’s important to step off the work-reward treadmill.

You’ll be fascinated as we dig into strategies to support team wellbeing by understanding their individual profiles and body types.

Finally, we highlight the importance of regular health check-ups, listening to our bodies and being proactive about our health.

Jo recounts her experience helping a business leader transform his health and emphasizes the power of preventative healthcare.

Wrapping the episode up, Jo shares her experiences helping high-profile clients detoxify and reset their bodies, emphasizing the power of the mind-body connection. Join us and discover how aligning your health can lead to optimal performance and wellbeing.

Episode Highlights:

(00:02) Ayurveda
(07:24) Breaking Detrimental Habits and Supporting Wellbeing
(15:59) Regular Check-Ups & Listening to Body
(19:22) Detox and Body-Mind Connection Power

Useful Links:
Jo Formosa's Website - https://healthdynamics.health
Jo Formosa on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joformosa/

Navigating High-Stakes Leadership: Stress Management Techniques and Building Effective Teams with Nicole Monteforte

Thu, 03 Aug 2023 13:00:00 +1000

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 cornerstones of success.

The journey to the top, however, is fraught with stress and burnout. Nicole illuminates the dark side of high achievement, where the relentless pressure and lack of self-care can lead to a catastrophic collapse. But worry not, she introduces us to ingenious stress-hacking techniques, like a one-minute exercise with a bouncy ball, that can simply melt away the stress and supercharge our performance.

But to truly excel as a leader, one must turn the lens inward. Nicole emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and self-care in leadership and she shares insights on finding the right mentor and reveals her new online stress-hacking course. This episode is a treasure trove of wisdom for emerging leaders and seasoned managers alike. Tune in, and let Nicole's practical advice guide you to your peak performance.

Episode Highlights:

(00:00) Introduction and Nicole's Background
(03:08) The Key Foundation Every Successful Team Should Have
(07:08) Managing Prickly Personalities in High-Performing Teams
(10:33) Motivating High-Performers
(11:54) The Biggest Obstacles for New and Emerging Leaders
(13:53) Stress Hacking Techniques
(16:43) How a Simple Activity Ignited Focus and Collaboration in Stressed Salespeople
(18:35) The Vicious Cycle of Unresolved Stress
(20:31) How Stress Chemicals Impact Our Performance
(22:35) Handling Stress: Strategies and Recommendations
(25:57) How Can Leaders Find Meaning in Life and Manage Responsiblities
(28:24) Earn the Right to Lead
(30:47) Best Way to Connect with Nicole
(32:23) Top Tips for Enhancing Leadership Skills and Effectiveness

Useful Links:
Nicole’s Website - https://strongmountainconsulting.com
Nicole Monteforte on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicmonteforte/

Delegate Your Way To Better Leadership

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 13:00:00 +1000

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, they’ll likely say yes. Rarely do people say no, so managers shouldn’t use that as an excuse.

It's important not to assume, especially as a people leader, because there are so many benefits of delegating.

Episode Highlights:

The main reason managers don’t delegate - fear and a lack of trust
Leading rather than managing - delegating tasks for development opportunities
Accountability vs responsibility - understanding the difference when delegating
The dos and don’ts - knowing which tasks are OK to delegate to others and which tasks should be always done by you
How to decide what to delegate and who to assign the task to
The 5 questions to ask when preparing to delegate: a suitability index
Using our delegating template

Amos Szeps - Executive Coach

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 13:00:00 +1000

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 Not Personally
[05:25] The Biggest Challenge for Leaders in the Modern Workplace
[08:04] Common Issues and Challenges Leaders Seek Coaching For
[09:49] Creating Meaningful Work in Hierarchical Organisations
[12:45] Imposter Syndrome and Its Detrimental Impacts
[15:32] How to Give and Receive Feedback
[18:13] Enhancing Feedback for Greater Effectiveness
[19:58] Coaching Someone on Giving Feedback to Their Boss
[21:37] What Leaders Need to Do Differently to Manage Hybrid Teams
[24:06] Choose Meaningful Problems
[25:18] How to Contact Amos

Useful Links
People Max Website - https://www.peoplemax.com.au/
Amos Szeps on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amos-szeps-mcc-icf-3b591652/
Amos Szeps Website - https://amosszeps.com/

Jenna Holloway - Releasing Limiting Beliefs to Unleash Leadership Potential

Tue, 30 May 2023 02:00:00 +1000

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, and what we can do about them to stop them limiting our potential.

Listen closely, especially to the bits about non-judgment and self awareness. And let us know if this episode hits the spot with you or if it gives you food for thought.

Episode Highlights:

[01:31] Where Do Limiting Beliefs Come From?

[06:00] How Can You Identify Limiting Beliefs?

[10:42] What Can You Do About Limiting Beliefs?

[15:11] Do You Need to Know Where Limiting Beliefs Came From?

[20:36] How Can a Leader Develop Their Own Self-Awareness?

[27:55] What Else Can a New Leader Do to Support Their Leadership?

Useful Links
Jenna Holloway’s website - https://www.jennaholloway.com
Jenna Holloway on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenna-holloway-hypnotherapist/

Journaling to Develop Your Leadership Skills

Wed, 24 May 2023 13:00:00 +1000

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 self awareness either by chance or by professional development that includes a component of self-awareness training within it.

One of the most underrated ways of developing self awareness is through leadership journaling. And while a first reaction might be to think, “I simply do not have the time for a luxury like journaling,” we encourage you to think again.

The reflective nature of journaling is such that you will become aware of ineffective behaviours and habits that are reducing your effectiveness as a leader. In other words, instead of exhausting yourself through non-supportive behaviours and actions, you’ll enliven yourself through behaviours and actions that are on point.

The bottom line is, deep leadership starts with self leadership, and self leadership starts with self awareness.

Enjoy the episode and remember to download the People Leaders Toolkit from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store so you can start becoming a more effective leader today.

Episode Highlights:

[00:41] What Leadership Journaling Is
[01:36] The Benefits of Leadership Journaling
[02:39] Committing to a Routine
[03:48] Questions to Reflect On
[05:04] Learning & Surprise
[06:07] Pride and Self Worth
[07:15] Future Focus and Team Appreciation
[08:21] Admirable Qualities
[09:23] Setting Clear Intentions
[10:57] Reflecting on Performance
[12:08] Reflecting on Missed Opportunities
[13:11] Making it Real
[14:01] A Positive Flavour
[14:54] Quick Wins
[15:46] The Progress Principle
[16:51] Setting an Intention

The People Leaders Toolkit App is Live!

Tue, 09 May 2023 14:00:00 +1000

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 free tools. ALL of them will save you time, especially in terms of reducing “trial-and-error leadership” and giving you a one-stop-shop to solve your people leadership issues.

Listen to the episode then follow the link below download the app on your smartphone and please, send us your feedback once you’ve had a play with it.

We made the app for you and want to make sure that we’re hitting the mark with it.

Onwards and upwards!!

Episode Highlights:

[00:32] The People Leaders Toolkit for Unlocking Your Leadership Potential

[01:39] How the Toolkit Can Help You Grow as a Leader

[03:02] Tools for Effective Planning

[04:09] The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

[05:00] Journaling Tool

[06:26] Help Us Help You

How to Identify and Support Potential Leaders in Your Team

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 12:00:00 +1000

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 leaders are thrust into their role without the support they need to perform at their best.

In this episode, we share five signs to look for when looking for leadership potential in your team, the necessary people leadership and performance skills to look out for, and how you can best support your new leaders to maximise the chances of success.

It’s a short episode but it has lots of value packed in it, so be sure to have a notepad handy.

Episode Highlights:

[01:16] Five Signs of Leadership Potential

[03:13] Leadership Listening Skills

[04:53] Questioning, Acknowledgement and Messaging Skills

[06:08] What Success Looks Like

[07:09] Self Regulation

[08:03] Giving and Receiving Feedback

[08:36] Goal Setting and Planning Skills

[09:57] Supporting New and Emerging Leaders for Success

[10:58] One-on-One Coaching

[12:38] Evaluating Leadership Traits

The Year of the New and Emerging Leader

Sat, 18 Feb 2023 10:00:00 +1100

New and emerging leaders are usually given the short straw when it comes to leadership development and training. They’re often thrust into a role based on technical achievement and/or attitude and aren’t given much in the way of training in people leadership.

This is a huge mistake, because these are the people on the front line, the interface between the objectives of the organisation and ‘the work’ that makes those objectives come about. It’s the make-or-break point for deep leadership to take hold in an organisation.

What happens all too often is that new and emerging leaders focus on managing “the work,” instead of managing the people who are meant to be doing the work, and end up taking too much of the work on themselves.

And on top of that, they’re expected to manage the dynamic of the workplace, and spend too much time resolving conflict or compensating for underperformers in the workplace.

This is why high-performing teams are so rare. Most teams are “getting by,” but it’s because a leader, and perhaps one or two other high performers, are carrying the bulk of the load.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team flies under the radar, not necessarily because they are lazy, but because their leader doesn’t have the skills to lead, to bring out the best in the team.

Efficient, Effective and Respected

So this year we’re taking a stand for new and emerging leaders. We’re dedicating our content to helping them make the transition from being a manager to being a leader, from being overworked and underappreciated to becoming efficient, effective and appreciated.

So if you are a new and emerging leader, we’ve got your back. Pay attention to what’s coming your way because it’s especially for you.

And if you are a leader of new and emerging leaders, we’ve got your back too. We know that passing on leadership skills can be tricky, especially if you haven’t been taught them yourself or if you’re more of an intuitive leader and you don’t fully understand the process behind your style of leadership.

This is the level where deep leadership takes hold in an organisation and we’re committed to seeing that happen wherever we can.

So this episode of the podcast is a taste of what’s to come this year.

It ends with an invitation to tell us what you want to hear about. We’d love to know the challenges you are facing, and the questions you have, as a new and emerging leader or a leader of new and emerging leaders.

Listen to podcast here and let us know what we can do to help you.

Onwards and upwards!!

Timestamps

[01:29] The Power of Planning in Personal and Professional Success

[02:23] This is the Year of Emerging Leaders

[05:03] The Importance of Investing in Emerging Leaders

[06:22] Understanding Personality in Leadership Development

[10:55] Implementing Change

[12:25] Focus

[13:39] Always Look One Level Up

[14:48] What Does Success Look Like for You and Your Team?

[15:56] Life Rewards Action

Team-Based Planning for New and Emerging Leaders

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 14:00:00 +1100

New leaders have a tough job. Not only do they have the technical aspects of their role to master, but they also have to master the craft of leading people.

One of the biggest mistakes we see organisations make when promoting someone from an operational to a leadership role, is that they don’t give them sufficient training in planning. They are so often given their objectives for the year and a team and some resources, then left to fend for themselves.

The solution is team-based planning, and the key to doing this successfully is to have a proven process. This episode can help breach that gap.

Listen in or watch as we walk you through the planning process we’ve just been through. And if you’re thinking that it’s February already and it’s too late to do any planning, think again. Any time is a good time to plan, especially if you don’t have one already, and most new leaders should think of doing this on a quarterly or six-monthly basis, at least until they have the confidence to plan over a longer period of time.

Enjoy, and make use of the template that you can download below.

Episode Highlights:

[00:26] The 10-Step Team-Based Planning Framework
[03:32] Step One - Situation Analysis
[07:03] Step Two - SWOT - Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats
[09:43] Step Three - Stakeholder Analysis
[11:46] Step Four - Team Purpose
[14:45] Step Five - Team Values
[18:11] Step Six - Setting Objectives
[22:06] Step Seven - Resources and Support
[23:38] Step Eight - Reviewing or Shoring Up the Plan
[26:06] Step Nine - Create a Timeline
[27:21] Step Ten - Monitoring and Following Up
[29:39] Keeping the Plan Alive

Useful Links:
Team-Based Planning Template - https://peopleleaders.com.au/team-based-planning-new-emerging-leaders/

Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/

Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/

Lyndal Hughes - Building Purpose-Driven Organisations

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 17:00:00 +1100

Purpose-driven organisations are more than just ‘nice places to work.’ They also tend to have higher market share and grow three times faster than organisations that are not purpose-driven.

In this podcast Jan had a lively discussion with Lyndal Hughes, Managing Director of Q5 Australia, a consultancy that helps organisations ‘make change stick.’

Lyndal explained that their work centres around helping organisations and teams find their ‘Why’, collectively and personally, and then work out how their work can be meaningful for all involved.

And Lyndal was kind enough to share a free giveaway, a pdf explaining some of the finer points that were covered on the interview (see the link below).

Episode Highlights:

[00:26] A Broader Perspective on You and Your Role
[02:23] What is a Purpose-Driven Business?
[03:19] A Clear Why
[04:20] Exponential Organisations
[05:53] Difficult Circumstances
[07:56] Finding Meaning
[09:06] Getting Clear on Your Why
[10:52] Goals, Performance and Resilience
[13:08] Are We a Team or Are We a Group?
[14:15] Aligning Individual and Team Goals
[16:51] Recognition
[18:31] A Sense of Belonging
[19:56] Psychological Wellbeing
[22:02] A Performance Rhythm
[23:13] A Career Marathon
[24:44] Walking the Talk

Useful Links:
Q5 Partners Website - q5partners.com/
Lyndal Hughes on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/lyndalhughes/
Lyndal’s Purpose-Driven Organisations Framework

Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd
Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen
Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744
People Leaders on Instagram - instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - facebook.com/PeopleLeaders

Take a free test drive of our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking

A Leader’s Framework to Help Shape 2023

Wed, 11 Jan 2023 19:00:00 +1100

For leaders, setting personal and professional goals is common practice, especially at the beginning of the year, but, regrettably, not everyone gets to tick them off as done by the end of the year.

There are two reasons for this: 1) because they don’t do a thorough review of the prior year before setting the goals, and 2) they get caught up in creating specific outcomes rather than setting intentions for change in one form or another.

The end result is a year of ‘busy’ action that doesn’t always lead to career or team progress. You might get to the end of the year, feeling like you’ve worked hard, but unsure what you’ve actually accomplished.

If this sounds familiar, or even if this is your first year of setting goals for yourself and/or your team, you’ll enjoy this episode, in which Jan walks you through a process for reviewing the year that was, and setting yourself up for the year ahead.

The episode is only 20 minutes long, and the process will take a bit longer, and we’ve also included access to a planning template to help you along.

Don’t underestimate the value or importance of this type of planning. You can certainly ‘get by’ without it, but if you’ve read this far, that suggests you’re interested in more than just getting by when it comes to your career and your leadership role.

[00:29] Be Intentional
[01:34] What Happened?
[03:00] Create a Plan
[03:22] What Was Your Biggest Insight?
[04:03] What Are You Most Proud Of?
[04:52] What Are Three Things You Don't Want To Continue In 2023?
[05:21] What Are Three Things You Want To Continue in 2023?
[06:02] What Areas In Your Life Are Working For You?
[07:00] What Conscious and Consistent Action Would Make The Biggest Difference In Your Life?
[08:07] What's The Best And Kindest Advice You Could Give Yourself?
[09:12] What Talent Or Strength Did You Demonstrate That Brought Value To Others?
[10:26] What Is A Limiting Belief That Is Holding You Back?
[12:26] How Do You Want To Feel?
[15:04] Put Your Plan In Your Calendar
[17:35] Put Your Plan On A Page
[18:58] Putting The Plan Into Action

Useful Links:
My Plan on a Page Template - https://peopleleadersresources.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/People_Leaders_My_Plan_On_A_Page.pdf

Take our Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit for a test drive - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/

Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/

Integrating People, Processes and Technology With Hardik Parekh and Adrian

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 12:00:00 +1100

Hardik Parekh, CEO and founder of Searce, believes that the potential of people, processes and technology working together has the ability to change the world. He is passionate about working with people who share this belief, and who have a desire to make work and life better. In this conversation, Hardik and Adrian Chu, country manager of Australia and New Zealand, discussed on the podcast how their approach is working to improve the world of work.

In today's rapidly changing business landscape, leaders need to be aware of the tools and skills necessary for innovation. This includes the ability to connect with people across different geographies and cultures, as well as the use of digital collaboration tools. Leaders also need to have a strong social media presence and the ability to listen to and learn from others.

The company has an open platform for sharing wins, losses, mistakes, and suggestions in order to improve the organization. The philosophy is one of ‘blameless root-cause analysis’, and every meeting starts with the leader admitting what they could have done better. This creates an environment where people feel more open to admitting their own mistakes.

Episode Highlights

[02:03] The Changing World of Leadership
[04:17] The Rise of Community-Based Leadership
[06:12] Happier Work
[08:02] Social Listening Skills
[09:43] Celebrating Mistake Makers
[12:34] Learning From Repeated Mistakes
[14:12] Have You Solved Things Differently?
[17:03] Be Brave and Fail Fast
[19:34] Better Than Our Best So Far
[21:05] The Hard Thing About Hard Things
[23:13] Earning Trust
[26:05] Managing Prickly Personalities
[27:46] Thinking Out Loud
[29:29] A Happier Culture Deck

Useful Links:
Hardik Parekh on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/parekhhardik/
Adrian Chu on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/-adrian-chu/
Searce Website - searce.com/
The Hard Thing About Hard Things (book reference) - https://www.google.com/search?q=the+hard+thing+about+hard+things

Take a free test drive of our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking

Dr John Demartini on Leadership, Motivation and the Science Behind Distraction

Tue, 06 Dec 2022 15:00:00 +1100

Leadership is grounded in understanding human behaviour, and few people understand human behaviour quite like the tireless Dr John Demartini.

With 40 books under his belt and another ten on the way, Dr Demartini has studied human behaviour through the lens of almost all the great philosophers and teachers to come up with a contemporary approach that has helped thousands of people around the world.

We spoke with Dr Demartini on the People Leaders Podcast and explored leadership, motivation, the science of distraction and much more. If you don’t have Dr Demartini as a leadership resource yet, you’re in for a treat. And if you’ve already come across Dr Demartini before, then you know already that this is a must listen interview.

Episode Highlights:

[01:40] Natural Leadership Traits
[03:26] Intrinsic Motivation
[04:36] Feedback Mechanisms
[05:58] A Master Delegator
[06:50] Passion and Suffering
[08:02] The Time Trap
[09:14] Majoring in Minoring
[10:18] Low-Meaning Things
[11:19] One Up On Wall Street
[12:16] Motivation's a Symptom
[13:32] Liberation
[14:29] "I Don't Grow the People"
[15:35] The Cost of Delegating Inappropriately
[16:51] Intrapreneur to Entrepreneur
[18:06] Limited Minds and Limited Companies
[18:46] There's Leadership Skills
[19:23] Distractions are Amygdala Based
[20:33] We Can't Outgrow Our Vision
[21:51] Everybody has Leadership Potential
[23:01] Values Drive Everything
[23:58] Actions That Fulfil Values
[25:35] Congruence
[26:42] Linking Values to Jobs
[28:11] Self Started
[30:22] High-Performing Teams
[31:37] Dialogue vs Alternating Monologues
[32:38] Keep Some Ring on the Finger
[34:07] Find Out What They're Dedicated To
[35:11] The Seven Secret Treasures
[36:04] Wake Up Your Intellectual Genius
[37:01] A Mastered Life

Useful Links:

Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/

Case Study: Why Use the ‘Above the Line, Below the Line’ Leadership Tool?

Tue, 05 Jul 2022 10:00:00 +1000

One of our most popular downloadable leadership tools, Above the Line, Below the Line, is a must in any manager’s or organisation’s toolkit. The accountability framework can be used by teams and organisations to foster clear and cohesive ways of working.

The premise of the tool is that there are ‘above the line’ ways of operating, which are usually constructive, responsive and adopt a growth mindset. And then there are ‘below the line’ ways of thinking and behaving that usually result in a lack of accountability or responsibility.
We’ve introduced this framework to many teams and organisations over the years. Here’s how to introduce this simple, yet powerful system to transform your team or organisation to thinking and behaving ‘above-the-line’ based on our work with teams so far.

Episode Highlights:
Identifying ‘above the line’ and ‘below the line’ thinking

Creating new norms
Nurturing your relationships
Holding people accountable
The power of simplicity

One thing that’s clear about the Above-the-Line, Below-the-Line framework is that it’s not a difficult concept to get. It’s incredibly simple but incredibly powerful, so we encourage every leader to introduce it to their team and organisation. Print it off and put it on the wall in your break room and introduce it at a meeting as a template. Just have a go and reap the benefits.

And if you’d like a free test drive of our Above the Line Leaders’ Toolkit, you can take one here.

If you have a leadership or management question or subject you'd like covered on the podcast, please contact us at info@peopleleaders.com.au.

5 Biggest Mistakes People Leaders Make in a New Job Role and How to Avoid Them

Fri, 20 May 2022 11:00:00 +1000

When you start a new job role as a people leader, it can be difficult to know where to start. Many of us go in wanting to prove our worth as soon as possible but end up underperforming in the long run. That’s just one of the biggest mistakes people make in a new job role.

There will always be challenges but it’s how you navigate them that’s important, so knowing what people tend to do wrong will help you succeed. In this post, we’re going to look at the five biggest mistakes people make in a new job role.

These also apply to those who are already part of an organisation but are moving to a different role within the company. So whether you’re starting a new role soon, are a few weeks in, or have been at your company for a while, be mindful of these common mistakes and use our advice and tips to improve.

Episode Highlights:

Mistake #1 - Making short-term goals
Mistake #2 - Making assumptions about your team
Mistake #3 - Relying too much on your manager
Mistake #4 - Not understanding your remit
Mistake # 5 - Creating a plan without your team’s involvement
Bonus tip - Don’t forget about your own health and wellbeing

Useful Links:

Two Key Questions To Ask Yourself

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 10:00:00 +1100

In this short and sweet bonus episode Jan and Michelle pose two key questions to ask yourself and reflect on:

How do you want to communicate?
What impact do you want to have?

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Diversity in the Workplace with Arthur Woods

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 14:00:00 +1100

We are all naturally biased when we make decisions, so it’s vitally important to set up procedures in the workplace that minimise their effect. On this episode we speak to Arthur Woods: a social entrepreneur, bestselling author and champion of equality in the workplace.

Arthur is the co-founder of Mathison: a venture-backed tech platform that enables employers to stay on track with their diversity hiring. Arthur is a seriously eminent voice in the space, having been named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 and 40 Under 40 and having hosted multiple TedEx talks. He has also created an equal hiring index to help benchmark inclusive hiring practices.

All leaders will get a lot from this conversation. Arthur’s teachings are a great balance of data-driven theory and easily actionable practice.

In this episode you will learn:

The definition of diversity
How employers can hire with empathy
How to ensure structural consistency
Why the interview process should be more structured
How to reduce unconscious bias
The dangers of an interview auto-pilot
How to identify coachable moments
The importance of celebrating ‘bright spots’
The power of storytelling
Examples of how leaders can keep themselves on track with diversity
Why leaders don’t have to wait for their organisations before acting to change diversity policy
The psychological shift that is needed to truly hire for diversity

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/
Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/

Go to Arthur’s company website: http://www.mathison.io
Find Arthur’s book and additional resources here: http://www.hiringfordiversity.com

Mental First Aid with Sophie Aghdami

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 16:00:00 +1100

One in five Australians are challenged with their mental health. Pretty much every leader is going to have to guide people who are suffering, and yet historically, the focus of leadership and management has been on professional performance rather than state of mind.

Our guest this week, Sophie Aghdami, has been through her own mental battles and come out the other side to become an addiction recovery coach and brand strategist. We’re particularly interested to speak to her because she has a foot in both camps. She has been in high-level roles in some impressive brands in the UK, and runs her own coaching practice called The Wolf You Feed.

We talk to her about how she juggled her own addiction with a high-powered career, how leaders can spot the warning signs among their own colleagues, and how a leader can step up to inspire and support those who really need it.

In this episode you will learn:

The true meaning of ‘recovery’
How to regain control
The difference between recovery in rehab and recovery at home
What a recovery coach can do for an executive
Why Zoom counselling/coaching can sometimes be better than in-person
How leaders can reduce the stigma of addiction and recovery in their team
The ‘grey area’ of addiction
What a leader should do to broach the topic if they suspect one of their team is struggling with addiction
The addiction cycle model
How a leader can demonstrate they understand addiction
The meaning of ‘The Wolf That You Feed’

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/
Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
The Wolf You Feed website - http://www.thewolfyoufeed.com

Above-the-Line Below-the-Line Thinking

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 12:00:00 +1100

Many, many years ago we read ‘Walking the Talk,’ a book by Carolyn Taylor, which was our first introduction to the concept of above-the-line and below-the-line thinking. Since that time we’ve incorporated the principles of this style of thinking into almost everything that we do.

We built the model into many of our programs and have done countless workshops purely on the subject. The simplicity of the model makes it seem less powerful than it really is, but everywhere we turn, we find somewhere that it can be applied.

We’ve had a lot of leaders reach out to us over the years and tell us how powerful they think it is too, but they’ve been frustrated by their efforts to get their teams working and thinking above the line.

We’re about to fix that, and are currently pre-launching our new Above-the-Line Leaders’ Toolkit. It will be available for release in January 2022, but between now and December 17th we’ve got a prerelease offer giving you the opportunity to secure it for half price. You can find out more about that here.

In the meantime, we wanted to use this episode to give a bare bones look at the model and share some examples of how it’s been applied.

The Line of Choice

If you can imagine a line drawn across the middle of a sheet of paper; we’ll call that line ‘The Line of Choice’.

Above that line, are all behaviours and thinking styles that have a positive impact on the culture and effectiveness of the team - collaboration, responsibility, initiative, positivity, etc. And below that line, would be the not so positive behaviors and thinking styles - competitiveness, denial, blame, sarcasm, and so on.

Obviously the goal is to reduce the below-the-line behaviours, and increase the above-the-line behaviours. Simple to understand yet difficult to implement, because… people!

Teams are made up of people, and all of us have our habitual ‘flaws’ that cause us to repeat behaviours, often unconsciously, that might be below the line. So the first step into shifting above the line, is to develop an awareness of these habitual patterns and to make a choice, hence ‘the line of choice’, to do something else.

Above the Line in Action

For example, someone operating above the line would communicate effectively. S/he would listen attentively, speak articulately, and express her/himself optimistically. Someone operating below the line might be abrupt, s/he might interrupt and speak superficially, leaving it up to the listener to work harder at understanding what was being said.

Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of the model though. Having worked with it for so long, we’ve been applying it at a much deeper level than most people would even think of. In fact we’ve ‘married it’ with the nine dimensions of our popular High-Performing Team Indicator tool, making it probably the most comprehensive application of the above-the-line model that you’re likely to come across.

Find out more about our Above-the-Line Leaders’ Toolkit and take advantage of our pre-release offer before December 17th. You’ll thank us later.

Above-the-Line Below-the-Line Thinking - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/?utm_source=op&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=podcastatl21121

The Changing Style of Leadership In a Modern Age, With Dr Ben Ritter

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 15:00:00 +1100

The agile work environments of today pose a big challenge… are leaders really leaders anymore? Our esteemed guest, Dr Ben Ritter, has noticed a trend of leaders not feeling like they deserve to be there.

The speed with which leaders can rise to the top, mobile/remote working and the fluidity of organisational structures have all contributed to a totally different kind of leader, so we’re going to find out what it takes to be a top executive in 2021.

Dr Ben is an immensely successful learning development consultant, author, mentor and speaker with 10 years of experience coaching in corporate finance for the likes of Amazon and Google. He’s guided hundreds of professionals in his time, and beyond his professional work, he’s also a very well-read academic with an MBA and MPH on his CV. If ever you wanted someone to tell you about the art of leadership, he’s your man!

Episode Highlights:

The true meaning of ‘executive presence’
How to think like an executive
The importance of seeing current projects in the context of a 3 - 5 year plan
How good leaders should prepare for meetings
The difference between ‘a meeting’ and ‘an update’
When to hold off on giving an instruction
Why you should always try and ask one more question
How to manipulate meetings to make sure you show up
The ‘three cs’ of self leadership
How to stay aligned with your vision
How to attain psychological safety in your work

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/
Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
Dr Ben Ritter on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritterbenj
Company website - https://www.liveforyourselfconsulting.com/

Love Them or Lose Them with Beverly Kaye

Wed, 24 Nov 2021 16:00:00 +1100

What a pleasure it was to speak to a genuine thought leader on the latest People Leaders podcast. Beverly Kaye is an internationally renowned expert in career development, employee engagement and employee retention. She’s written multiple books (the last one sold over 800,000 copies) and, just for good measure, she has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Talent Development, and a Thought Leader Award from the Association of Learning Providers.

As Beverly says herself, “people don’t leave organisations, they leave managers”, so we picked her brains on what you can do as a manager/leader to empower your employees to achieve the best possible results and stay onboard once they do.

Beverly prides herself on giving simple, actionable advice, and this conversation is a great example of that. Get ready to take some notes… there’s some absolute gold in this one!

Episode Highlights:

The basics of job retention
What a manager needs to know, from A - Z
Why managers should include the team when they come up with solutions
The three pillars of good management
The importance of meaningful conversations with your employees
Why CEOs should be using the word ‘love’
How to help your team find purpose
How employees can learn to love their work
The power of the question, “How are you doing?”
How a leader can show that they care
How easy it can be for team members to exchange duties to play better to the strengths of individualsThe power of ‘stay interviews’
The value of non-monetary incentives
”Recognise, verbalise, mobilise”

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/
Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
Beverly Kaye Website - https://bevkaye.com/
Beverly Kaye on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bevkaye/

Be More Wrong - How This Can Help Your Leadership Interview with Colin Hunter

Mon, 11 Oct 2021 07:00:00 +1100

We all experience insecurities at some point in our lives. Some people suffer from insecurities such as social anxiety, nervousness, past traumas, recent experiences of failure or rejection, loneliness, negative beliefs about yourself, perfectionism, and so on. These insecurities can have a huge impact on your life, relationships, personality, and work, among other things. But what if you could use your insecurities to your advantage?

In this episode of The People Leaders Podcast, Colin Hunter joins us to share how we can turn our insecurities into an element of leadership. Colin is the author of the book Be More Wrong: How Failure Makes You an Outstanding Leader, a mentor, entrepreneur, coach, CEO, and a Lead Guide to the business called Potential Squared.

Potential Squared is an international business founded in 2001, that specializes in creating playgrounds to disrupt the way people are led! And they specialize in creating playgrounds to inspire new ways of thinking and habits.

Listen to Colin as he discusses how failure makes an outstanding leader, how to turn your insecurities into your strengths, and how your insecurities are an essential element to leadership.

Episode Highlights:

Colin started his career with a massive inferiority complex.
Colin's grandfather was a professor of theology, and his dad invented echo for a baby's heart.
Colin says our insecurities cost us a lot of energy.
Colin has insecurity of nervousness and fear of failing.
His insecurities give him power because he doesn't believe he will be successful, and he has nothing to lose.
Colin says your insecurities can make you fly.
Through his book, Colin gives the readers a chance to think about their systems, habits, purposeful practice as a leader, and how they grow.
The quietest and the lowest person in the room tends to have some of the best bits of feedback, thoughts, or ideas.
Practice your idea until it becomes a habit. Once it becomes a habit, it becomes habitual, and it becomes a part of your system.
Leadership should be a simple chat. We make it more complex than it is. It's about connecting with individual teams, having a purpose, and fresh ideas.
Colin says the best ideas come when people are in a safe space with a soft place to land.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion With Robin Rosenberg

Fri, 10 Sep 2021 13:00:00 +1000

Promoting and maintaining diversity, equity, and inclusion in a hybrid environment is challenging for leaders, especially during this time of COVID-19. To find ways out of this issue, we have Robin Rosenberg to discuss and share some tips on how to promote and maintain diversity, equity, and inclusion in an organisation.

She is CEO and Founder of Live in Their World, a company built to improve workplace culture. The company immerses individuals in workplace scenarios and teaches them DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) using virtual reality (VR) platforms.

Robin is also a psychologist, author, and mentor. She has combined her interest in immersive technologies with her coaching and clinical experiences to foster a deep understanding of how and why people might feel slighted or marginalised, and productivity and how to approach such interactions differently depending on the type of person.

Listen to her as she shares the importance of DEI in an organisation, how to promote DEI, best practices to take and receive feedback, counter the bias issues, etc. She also tells us about the phenomenon of the Mere Exposure Effect and how it impacts the workplace.

Tune in now!

Episode Highlights:

Why is DEI important for the company and the workers?
How to conduct equity audits, and why is it necessary?
The behavior that signifies that you’re an inclusive leader
How should a leader take feedback?
The best practices of giving and receiving feedback?
Challenging aspects in having a remote or hybrid workforce
The psychological phenomenon of Mere Exposure Effect
What can a remote worker do to promote the Mere Exposure Effect?
How you can increase engagement and participation in your organisation through VR
How to counter your bias towards your workers?
Will remote work remain feasible after the pandemic is over?
How is the remote environment affecting how we can connect?
Cohort issues about younger employees and upskilling for respectful conversation
What can leaders do constantly and consistently to create a difference in the inclusion of workers?

Live In Their World Website - https://www.liveintheirworld.com/

Robin Rosenberg on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-s-rosenberg-b6942329/

How To Literally Find Your Voice And Become A Great Leader, With Melanie Weller

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 05:00:00 +1000

In this episode we speak to the inspirational Melanie Weller: a professional voice coach who can tell you exactly what you need to do to project yourself in the best possible way.

Melanie works with voice professionals and non-voice professionals alike. Whoever you are, you’re going to need this advice!Her clinical specialty is the vagus nerve, so we talk about how important this can be to your overall well being; not just your voice. We also had a fascinating conversation about how our bodies relate to astrology and the spinning of the earth’s axis. Although this sounds a bit out-there, Melanie is great at giving practical advice that we can all act on immediately. This is one not to be missed!

Episode Highlights:

How to project your voice to sound like a winning leader
Why the voice is so important
How your voice relates to the vagus nerve
How the vagus nerve works, and why it’s important
How to stimulate the vagus nerve
Exercises you can do for yourself
The six major compression points
The ‘leadership’ compression points
The triggers you should look out for when feeling stressed
Where science meets mythology
How to achieve true ‘vision’
The importance of strong values
How you can map the vagus nerve to your business
The importance of breathing properly
How your future is actually behind you

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/
Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
Find Melanie Weller’s site free course with vagus nerve at http://www.melanieweller.com
Email Melanie at: ask@melanieweller.com

Using Algorithms for Better Recruitment, with Michael Yinger

Wed, 09 Jun 2021 11:34:23 +1000

Recruitment is one of the biggest headaches in business, but it really doesn’t need to be. We speak to CEO and co-founder of Resume Sieve, Michael Yinger, about how you can automate the recruitment process and get really clever with the algorithms. Once you’ve got the right tools, as Michael says, you can “take the drudgery out of the recruitment process.”

What’s more, the very same thinking can help you manage people once you’ve hired them, and you can even avoid the hardest bits of the recruitment process altogether by hiring from within. Michael has some very impressive corporate experience, way beyond the realm of recruitment, so he really understands what busy leaders need in order to recruit and manage effectively. You’ll be amazed at the sophistication of the systems he has helped pioneer.

Episode Highlights:

How to automate the recruitment process
Do we still need CVs?
Different approaches to recruitment for small and large organisations
How to fill a job from within instead of going outside
The “post-COVID tsunami” in recruitment
How technology can help you understand introverts
How to deconstruct CVs so a system can read them for you
How to use a system to take the drudgery out of finding candidatesHow to work around the biases that managers/recruiters might have
Managing through coaching rather than managing with direction
How to measure employee performance with similar measures to recruitment
When there can be too many direct reports
The importance of double confirmation in management feedback

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/
Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
Michael Yinger on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeyinger

Leading Together with Susan Basterfield and Travis Marsh

Thu, 13 May 2021 00:00:00 +1000

We absolutely love it when people take a deep dive into the art of leadership. Susan Basterfield and Travis Marsh have certainly done that as co-authors of an inspiring new book called ‘Lead Together’. They’ve done some extensive research into many aspects of leadership, most notably the transformative power of ‘empathetic leadership’, and why leadership climates fail.

Susan and Travis have over 50 years’ worth of coaching experience between them. They have an excellent track record of building collaborative cultures and helping organisations scale. The book is a really great read, and the conversation we have about it is packed full of brilliant hints & tips that any leader could benefit from.

Episode highlights:

The 6 necessary roles of leaders
Psychological safety
What ‘empathetic leadership’ really means
What you can do differently as a leader
The importance of “checking in” at the start of a meeting
How to treat feedback so it is always constructive
The ‘communications operator’ explained
The importance of spreading decision making
Why leaders have to buy in to change, whatever the structure
Top tips on how to influence
How to build trust in an organisation
When it’s time for an unco-operative leader to go
How to reconcile being ‘a visionary’ with being an effective leader
Why being a ‘good company’ is not simply about growth

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/
Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
Buy the book on Susan and Travis’ website: http://www.leadtogether.co
Susan Basterfield on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-basterfield-ab8104/ Travis Marsh on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/travismarsh/

The Johari Window - Developing Your People Leader Toolkit

Fri, 16 Apr 2021 10:43:11 +1000

As a people leader it’s useful to have a strong toolkit of good frameworks; shortcuts for certain ways of operating. We get a lot of feedback from people about the resources we share and how helpful they are, so we’re sharing a new one with you: the Johari Window.

Episode Highlights:

When was it developed, who developed it and what actually is the Johari Window?
Why was the Johari Window invented?
The four quadrants of the Johari Window: Open Area, Blind Spot, Hidden Area and Unknown. The open area refers to what you know about yourself that is also known by others in your team
In a highly functioning team, you should try to be open, and to broaden and expand your ‘open area’
How we’ve used quadrant one when working with teams
The importance of being fully present and leveraging your strengths as a team
Quadrant two: the blind spot
What you might not know about yourself that others do
Being open to feedback from other team members
Quadrant three: the hidden area
What others don’t know about you and why it’s important to share what challenges you have or what you’re working on
By knowing what challenges each member of your team (and yourself) has, you can better set people up for success
Quadrant four: the unknown areaLearning to open your eyes to the potential
Do you have a talent for something that hasn’t been tested yet? Has your team’s resilience been tested yet?
Starting small as a people leader - do the first quadrant yourself
Build your team up to be more open and give the Johari Window a go at your next team meeting
Not only are you learning a new resource, but you’re building your team’s toolkit
How the Johari Window can help your team develop and grow - giving them the ability to communicate their challenges clearly and concisely
The two layers of the Johari Window for your team and your senior leadership team

Key Shifts In Leadership 2021

Thu, 08 Apr 2021 16:26:20 +1000

Crazy is the new busy! We’ve been working with leaders in business for well over twenty years and the common mantra to date has always been, “I’m busy, really busy,” or variations on that theme. Since the beginning of last year though, that mantra has changed, “Things are crazy, really crazy!” No points for guessing what’s brought that about...

A lot has changed in leadership in the past year and this has stirred things up a bit, but the fundamentals still remain the same. We thought this episoide would be a good time to explore some of the changes that have happened in leadership in the past year, and how you can adjust to those changes.

If you like what’s in this episode, then our next round of Leadership Essentials [https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/?utm_source=op&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=le2104.6] , starting on April 15th, will be right up your alley. The training covers the fundamentals of leadership and the group coaching helps you integrate those fundamentals into the current circumstances you find yourself in. Applied learning if you like.

Episode Highlights:

Leaders are more tech savvy
Effective leaders are becoming better listeners, better questioners and better at sharing
Smart leaders are continuing with team development
Trust has become more critical
Clarifying expectations is more important than it used to be
Switching off the ‘always-on culture’
Same, same but different

How To Master Your Own Wellness, With Jamie Shapiro

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 16:54:00 +1100

We speak to a truly inspirational lady on this episode of People Leaders. Jamie Shapiro is an executive leadership coach with a refreshingly holistic take on business. She’s also a bestselling author, former triathlete, certified nutritionist and CEO of her own company, Connected EC. You’ll hear plenty of easy-to-understand tips for how to cultivate your own character and thrive as a leader. Jamie empowers her clients to improve their emotional intelligence and lead with empathy, but this time she’s giving all of her inspirational advice for free. Listen up for some great hacks to help you discover your true potential as a leader.

Episode Highlights:

How to combine executive coaching and wellness
Is it time to change the way we look at leadership?
The difference between fulfillment and happiness
How to find fulfillment in a simple way
The definition of ‘self-leadership’
The full-body leadership model
Radical best friendship of self
The speed of behavioural change
The power of small steps
Energy is a renewable resource, but time is not
How simple things like good hydration and exercise can be game changers

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/
Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
Jamie on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-shapiro/
Jamie’s website: https://connectedec.com/jamie-shapiro

Top Leadership Hacks, with Dave McKeown

Thu, 25 Mar 2021 14:00:32 +1100

On the show this week we hear some great advice from Dave McKeown: the energetic and charismatic founder of Outfield Leadership. Dave explains how to make strategic planning a part of every working day, and what leaders can do to empower their staff to buy into the wider company vision. Dave really knows what he’s talking about.

As a business growth advisor he’s made it his business to help leadership teams set the right goals and inspire their staff to accomplish them. And by the way, he’s also written a great book called “The Self-Evolved Leader - Elevate Your Focus and Develop Your People in a World That Refuses to Slow Down”, which he gives us a sneak preview of during the show. Listen up for some really great leadership tips.

Episode Highlights:

The importance of establishing a decision-making process
The dangers of ditch leadership
How to make strategic planning a live issue on a day-to-day basis
The importance of alignment
How to build effective review processes
How middle management can make more of a difference
"The self-evolved leader” explained
How to prevent the nightmare leader scenario of “all roads lead to me”
Why quarterly reviews are so important
The five key leadership disciplines
The changing trends of leadership

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/
Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
David’s site: http://www.outfieldleadership.com
David on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davemckeown/

How To Be The Leader You Always Wanted To Be, With Amber Hurdle

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 16:43:00 +1100

By the end of this episode you’re going to have some great tools to sharpen yourself up as a leader. Our guest Amber Hurdle specialises in helping leaders define their position and value to maximise results. Amber is CEO of Amber Hurdle Consulting, a multi-award winning talent organisational firm that works with international celebrities and Fortune 100 companies. As well as having great professional experience, Amber is an excellent speaker. All of her advice is easy to understand - there are so many great takeaways. Whether you’re an established leader or a wannabe leader, there’ll be something here for you.

Episode Highlights:

Why you need a personal brand
What leadership is all about
The power of storytelling
What quiet leaders are afraid of and how to work around it
Thoughtful leadershipHow to be appropriately direct
How to retain top talent in your company
The biggest mistakes leaders make
The danger of self-importance in a leader
How the current climate has threatened the standard of leadership
Why a leader’s To-Do list is less important than you think
How a leader can shape company culture to retain their top talent

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/
Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
Do Amber’s leadership quiz at: http://www.amberhurdle.com/leadershipquiz
Amber Hurlde on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberhurdle/

How to Deal With Death in the Workplace With Zenith Virago

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 01:00:00 +1100

Bereavement is uncomfortable in any situation and the workplace especially. We had an incredibly moving conversation on the podcast with Zenith Virago, a ‘deathwalker’, marriage celebrant, consultant, educator, speaker, facilitator and author. Most of us never think of how to deal with bereavement until it actually happens, but half an hour with Zenith is something we could all benefit from.

She discussed with us how leaders and teams can cope when the team or a team member is touched by the death of a loved one. Zenith has over 20 years of experience in the field of holistic health and bereavement. She presents and teaches around the world, and even tells us about a conversation she had with the Dalai Lama! Listen up for some profound and empowering advice for how to respond when the worst happens...

Episode Highlights:

What not to say when someone is bereaved
When actions are better than words
What to do when someone is crying
What a team leader needs to do to manage a team with a bereaved team member
Zenith’s meeting with the Dalai Lama
How to understand the different stages of bereavement

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/
Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
Zenith Website - https://www.zenithvirago.com/https://www.naturaldeathcarecentre.org/

Pillars of Communication: Develop Your Confidence, Self-Promote, and Sell - Interview with Bill Kurzeja

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 12:18:00 +1100

In this episode of the People Leaders Podcast, we talk about useful strategies on how to build and develop confidence, tips on self-promoting and selling - without it feeling awkward, and different ways to improve communication. We invited Bill Kurzeja, the owner and founder of Professional Success South, a sales training and business consulting firm, to join the show. He talks to us about his expertise and passion in training and coaching, specialising in the basics of communication and how paying attention to detail helps build a strong foundation.

Episode Highlights:

Bill’s career began in the United States Army where he learned discipline and the importance of strict attention to detail.
Bill made his way up the ranks to sergeant where he learned about leadership and the importance of clear, effective communication in training. He transitioned out of the military into retail and rose through the ranks of finance, sales manager to GM positions.
Confidence can be earned when you gain the knowledge of a certain product, service, or type of skill set.
Tips on how to increase one’s level of confidence. The more you practice the better you get.
When you're passionate about something it will show. You won’t have to think twice about what to say or how to say it, it will just come naturally.
Show honesty and be authentic. Other people will pick up on that and want to learn more. Smaller goals are ideal because it's easier to achieve in a short amount of time. It also encourages you to move on to the next step quicker.
Focus on verbal and non-verbal communication. Your words are as important as your tone of voice, your body language and the inflection in your pitch. Express empathy by understanding the pain points of others.
Take some time to understand employee struggles and lead accordingly.
One of the most important pillars of communication is listening.
When someone says something to you or asks you a question, you don’t have to say something back right away just to fill the void.

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/
Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
Bill Kurzeja’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-kurzeja/
Professional Success Instagram: https://instagram.com/professionalsuccesssouth.com/
Professional Success South Website: https://professionalsuccesssouth.com/

End Of Year Reflection Session Template For You And Your Team

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 15:52:00 +1100

The end of the year is nipping on our heels so for our last offering this year we wanted to share a Reflection Session Template that we’ve been getting great feedback about from clients.

Of course any time of the year is a great time to reflect but typically the end of the year, or the beginning of the following year, might be times where you go through this exercise, either by yourself or with your team. You can complete the template in about 10 minutes and, optionally, you could add on a discussion at the end where team members can share their reflections if they choose to.

Before we dive in though, let’s just reflect on why it’s important to reflect ;-). Quite simply, it helps you avoid repeating mistakes you’ve made in the past and continue repeating the successes you’ve had. It provides an opportunity to put a spotlight on what’s worked and what hasn’t.

The process itself is simply a matter of answering some questions in a preformatted template (see below for a link to download this). What has been the highlight for me, professionally and personally? Of course if you have more than one, feel free to note them down. This is a time to celebrate!! What goals did I achieve? What contributed to this? Goals plural. Again, don’t limit yourself here. It might be a long-term goal, something that you set at the beginning of the year, or perhaps even a goal you didn’t know you had until the opportunity came up for it. The second part of the question is important. Success always leaves clues so by answering this question you know what you can lean on to help with future goals.

What life lesson have I learned? 2020 has been packed full of lessons for all of us! What did you learn about yourself, others or life in general this year? How happy/fulfilled do I feel?Surprisingly this is a question that many people forget to ask themselves. They might have a sense of it from time to time but rarely actually ask the question.We’ve recently gained qualifications as Certified Emotional Intelligence (EQ™) Facilitators and the criteria for happiness in the EQ world are:
Optimism - How well you recover after a setback or an obstacle
Self Regard - How you see yourself
Self Actualisation - How well you live your life in alignment with your values
Interpersonal Relationships - No explanation necessary there :-).

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/
Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/

Improve your Leadership Culture – Interview with David Shar

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 16:37:15 +1100

It was such a privilege to speak to David Shar on the People Leaders Podcast – he is a truly inspirational man. David is a keynote speaker, trainer and consultant who helps organisations improve their leadership culture and avoid burnout. As leaders we are often focused on troubleshooting the poor performers rather than building the right leadership culture to enable everybody to thrive, so it was great to hear David’s guidance on how to do it. Are business leaders looking at things the wrong way?

Episode Highlights:

Now there is a culture of working from home, we’re seeing that people are actually putting in more hours. This really should not be the case. It’s time to start taking advantage of this change in the workplace!
There are three main aspects to ‘burnout’. Overload, cynicism and a lack of personal accomplishment. People often only focus on the first aspect, but it’s important to understand the other two.
What is it that is baked into our work culture that is causing all this stress?
The emphasis should not be on curing the stress afterwards – it should be on preventing it in the first place.
The positive change in our lifestyles in a Covid era should be captured. Write down and commit to the things you now believe to be important to your wellbeing and make sure you stick to them when times change after Covid.
You don't need to be a superhero every day. You just need to be you. Whatever your thing is, whether it's kindness or humor or empathy… bring that to the people that are connected to you.

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/
Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
David’s Company Website - http://www.illuminatepmc.com
David Shar on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidshar/

Finding The Perfect Candidate For Your Team - Interview With Kathleen Steffey

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 17:16:00 +1100

In this podcast, we interviewed Kathleen Steffey, who started her recruiting firm ‘Naviga’ in 2002. Kathleen has nineteen years of experience as a Chief Talent Officer. She joined us on the People Leaders Podcast to share some wisdom on how to go about recruiting talent to expand your team. Even if you are not in a position where you are hiring team members yet, you’d do well to listen in to get some tips that might well be useful if you find yourself on the other side of the recruitment table at some point.

Episode Highlights:

Kathleen became the CEO/Founder of Naviga Recruiting & Executive Search in 2002. She wants to provide an advisory platform to everyone who has difficulty fulfilling their short and long-term goals in the business sector.
Not only does she search for outside talent for organisations, but she also ensures a career path is set for people who align with the firm’s long-term goals.
A candidate’s behaviour in the recruitment process sets the benchmark for actual performance.
As well as the skill set and track record, take notice of professionalism, punctuality, trustworthiness, authenticity and communication skills.
It’s the manager’s responsibility to strike the right chord with suitable candidates when hiring. “You are not your job and your job is not you.”
Your job should not identify you but the motivation and passion you display carves your pathway to success.
Key questions that are part of Kathleen’s framework for recruiting talent include: Were you looking for a position at the time we approached you? (This determines the level of engagement a candidate has in the process)
What are you looking to do specifically as the next move in your career? (Ask this before you give them details of the role, otherwise they might shape their answers to fit your specifications)
What are your compensation expectations? (Not ‘How much are you making now?’ This can save a lot of wasted time if their expectations are beyond yours)
When can you start a new position? (If you don’t ask this question up front you could waste time if the candidate isn’t available when you need them to be)

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/
Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
Kathleen’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleensteffey Naviga’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/naviga-business-services Naviga’s Website: https://www.navigarecruiting.com/

The Power of Leadership Coaching – Interview with Tony Martignetti

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 14:59:00 +1100

In this episode of the People Leaders Podcast, we interview Tony Martignetti, Chief Inspiration Officer and Founder of Inspired Purpose Coaching. Tony is a leadership coach with a specialty in working with leaders and their teams to navigate through change and unlock their true potential. He is known for supporting leaders by helping them find clarity so that they can unlock their full potential and lead effectively. Throughout his career, he has gained some valuable lessons by working with high-performing leaders in many different organisations.

Episode Highlights:

Tony has been coaching leaders for a long time and loves seeing people go through the transformation process. Coaching is a powerful tool that can equip leaders to become aware of their inner capabilities. Tony says that coaching benefits both the coach and the “coachee”.
Seeing the change in people is fulfilling at both ends. One of the biggest challenges faced by individuals and teams is the lack of security.
People are afraid to speak up, especially in today’s environment where most team meetings happen virtually.
Psychological Safety: An important variant to think about especially during this pandemic. People need to feel safe and part of that is the trust shown by leaders. An element of caring is what builds an individual.
Tony says that leaders should show a sense of compassion and care towards their team. Mental health is important and builds confidence in people.
As a manager, leaders must demonstrate love, kindness and concern towards their team. Teams thrive in this environment because they feel a sense of security.
Tony talks about Notion of Clarity - the “aha” moment that an individual experiences when they realise their True North.
He also talks about his process and how there is no single prescribed method to coaching. Tony does however focus on the paradox around expanding vision to narrow focus.
If you tap into and expand your field of vision, you look at the possibilities in front of you. You can then narrow your focus and execute your vision accordingly.

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/
Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
Tony’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonymartignett1/
Tony’s Website: https://tonymartignetti.com/
Inspired Purpose Coaching’s Website: https://www.inspiredpurposecoach.com/

Ryan Berman And The Return On Courage

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 12:22:14 +1100

In this inspiring episode we interview Ryan Berman. Ryan has worked with some of the most influential companies in the world. He has spent the last decade and a half growing his own creative business, but in 2019, he actually fired himself from his last agency to start Courageous, a change consultancy that develops Courage Brands and trains companies how to operationalise courage through Courage Bootcamp.

He is also the author of the best selling book Return on Courage, a business playbook for change. In this episode, we get to know more about Ryan’s definition of courage, his journey to understanding and deconstructing courage, some ideas on how leaders can build courage, our biology behind fear, and about his book ‘Return on Courage’.

Episode Highlights:

Ryan's definition of courage"I think the world doesn't care if you've worked on something for a thousand hours or two hours. They don't see that. They just see the final product and you're not there to defend your work."
Ryan shared how he started with the concept of building and leading courage brands, and the beginning of his book, Return to Courage.
"Knowledge plus faith plus action equals courage."
Ryan further explains how these three, knowledge, faith, and action, need to be present all together for a decision to be a courageous move.
Some ideas on how leaders can build courage
"What the experts basically suggest is that society is 95% freeze or flight, 5% fight. So this is not a business problem only. This is a people problem"
In Ryan's quest of deconstructing courage, he basically delved into our biology and our central nervous system.
According to Ryan's 'brain sherpa', Nicholas Alp, our brain is like a reverse onion with layers that are building on top of each other.
Our sad, terrible experiences from when we are young up to present build up like layers, and our behavior has to go through all their layers or fear filters.
Courage can't be taught... Ryan explains why this is a myth. He also gave examples from two different professions that showed how courage can be taught.
The four attributes that Ryan values himself and for the clients he will work with, in the exact order, are Playfulness, Creativity, Courage, and Excellence.
If anybody wants a Free Core Values Assessment, message Ryan at ryanberman@couragebrands.com.

7 Deadly Strategies: Our Top Tips To Improve Your Physical, Mental and Emotional Wellbeing

Thu, 17 Sep 2020 13:31:16 +1000

Has your physical, emotional and mental well being fallen by the wayside during all this change and uncertainty? As a people leader, you need to be your best self so you can lead others. Paying extra attention to your own well being is always a good idea. In this episode, we share our top seven strategies from our Leadership Essentials program that help you do just that.

Episode highlights:

An introduction to our Leadership Essentials Program. Six modules, with a new one released every two weeks, and group coaching taking place every second week. Our physicality is about our capacity to expand and recover energy and is defined by the amount of energy we have.
The importance of sleep and why it should be a priority Between the hours of 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM, the brain and body is at its peak rejuvenation cycle.S
et up your environment for a good night’s sleep - make sure your room is around 17-18 degrees.
Staying hydrated is one of the most important things you can do to keep your energy levels up.
Jan’s secret ‘prime tea’ to help her stay hydrated and curb cravings for caffeine - a mixture of boiling water and CCF seeds (cumin, coriander and fennel).
The ideal number of cups of water per day for women is 11.Nitric oxide - a secret weapon when we breathe.
Why we all need to learn to breathe through our noses more, especially when we’re sleeping.
The importance of breathing exercises that we share in our Leadership Essentials Program.
Mental health is all about how you focus your energy.
The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Toy Schwartz: They say that nothing so interferes with performance and engagement as the inability to concentrate on the task at hand. And in order to perform at our best, we must be able to sustain concentration and then move flexibly between broad and narrow, as well as internal and external focus.
Practice self-reflection to improve your energy focus - look inwards to learn more about yourself and what you need. Is the way you talk to yourself disempowering you?
The words we use create our environment and experiences.
Did you know we all have around 60 to 80,000 thoughts a day and most of them are negative?
The three ways to become more aware of yourself through self-talk and how to improve your thoughts.

A Time For Change - Navigating The New World Of Business

Thu, 27 Aug 2020 16:40:00 +1000

We know things aren’t easy right now. We’re all learning how to navigate such dramatic change in business as a result of COVID-19. And a change in our environment means changing the way in which we work. So we’ve created a transition plan to help people leaders and their team embrace the change and move forward post-COVID as a high-performing team .https://peopleleaders.com.au/covid-transition-plan-template/

Episode highlights:

Understanding how business may have changed
Three key areas managers and leader can support their teams with - safety, support and information
The importance of making a plan
Four key areas to focus on - team protocols, safety, tools and technology
Understanding the purpose of the team
Highlighting both team goals and individual goals
Spending time on the simple things - listen to your team and communicate
Why you need to pay attention to your own wellbeing as well as that of your team’s
Identifying your key principles
Writing down your goals, objectives and targets and holding people accountable
Identifying your critical success factors
Knowing what steps you need to take to achieve your goals
Measures of success - coming up with the criteria that will determine whether or not you’ve achieved your objective

Accessing our ‘Lock in the Learnings’ package - https://peopleleaders.com.au/lock-learnings/

Fine Tuning Your Coping Mechanisms And Resilience During Tough Times

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 15:46:00 +1000

How are you coping with all the change and uncertainty that’s going on at the moment?We’ve all been affected in different ways by Covid-19 and all the restrictions that have come with it, not to mention the disturbed routines. Some are taking it in their stride, while others are struggling, particularly those who’ve been forced into a second round of lockdown. We’ll leave you to decide which end of the spectrum you are in.

For all of us though, Covid-19 is a masterclass in flexibility.It’s a non-elective subject that we’re all enrolled in and are coping with to varying degrees.

Our own flexibility has been challenged and, for the most part, we’ve risen to the challenge, making sure that each situation ‘doesn’t take away our peace’.

We put that down to more than 30 years each of working on our own personal development and our own self leadership. This includes reading from great teachers of the past and present, time spent in workshops learning from masters in their field, our regular meditation and yoga practices, and the hours we've each spent teaching, facilitating and coaching leaders in business throughout Australia.

We’ve learned a lot along the way and practice the skills we’ve picked up every single day.But you don't have to wait 30 years to develop the same coping mechanisms or resilience that we have. We’re excited to help you benefit from our 30 years of ‘practical research’ by inviting you to participate in our brand-new Life Essentials Program. We’ve taken some of the most important lessons we’ve learned over the years and assembled them into bite-sized chunks that you can learn, and put into practice, in just a matter of weeks. We could say it’s a 6-week intensive on resilience and coping but it’s actually much more than that.

With elements of training and live group coaching with us, it’s a foundational program in self-leadership that you won’t find anywhere else.

So if you like the idea of being in a position where circumstances ‘don’t take away your peace’ you can find out more here, including details of a bonus group coaching call that we’ll add to the program if you sign up before this Friday, August 14th.

Here’s to you leading your own way out of the current crisis…

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/
Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/

Understanding Different Personalities: The Seven Myths Of Introversion and Extroversion

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 13:10:00 +1000

In this very special episode — our 100th episode — we’re in myth-busting mode and are taking a look at the common misconceptions of introverted and extroverted personality types. It’s no secret that we’re lovers of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and using it to understand your own and your team’s personality types. There are certain things that we see time and time again when it comes to understanding — or a lack thereof — of the different personality types out there. It’s your role as a people leader to find the uniqueness in each person. When you really look at the underlying motivation for behaviours, it makes life so much simpler. Knowledge is definitely power. So we’re here to help uncover the seven myths of introversion and extroversion.

Episode highlights:

How we use our personal relationships to teach our Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) workshops.
Myth #1 - Extroverts are happier. They are more likely to express their thoughts and feelings. Introverts tend to have a rich internal life so analyse more and keep to themselves.
Myth #2 - Introverts don’t like to socialise. Perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions. Introverts do like to socialise, they just do it in a different way, on their own terms.
Myth #3 - Extroverts are more confident. Extroverts come across as more confident because of their body language and openness. On the flip side, introverts appear calm, but it’s not always the case.
Myth #4 - Extroverts are superficial. Extroverts love breadth of relationships and events, while introverts love the depth.
Myth #5 - Introverts are less emotional. They tend to bottle up their emotions more, so it’s important to check in with introverted people rather than assuming they are okay.
Myth #6 - Extroverts love to network. Because extroverts are good at making small talk, it’s assumed they are great networkers. Really, introverts can be just as good because they can delve deeper and foster stronger relationships.
Myth #7 - Introverts don’t contribute as much. Giving an introvert the opportunity to speak up in meetings is key. They might contribute in other ways, such as listening and being fully present.
“The MBTI is a great tool to use to broaden your level of staff awareness and understand the impact you might be having on other people. If you’re going to work on anything, understanding yourself and your impact will bring you a rich life.”

If Not Now, When? Don’t Put High Performance On Hold...

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 14:56:00 +1000

We’ve had a lot of mixed responses from clients considering engaging us for leadership and team-building programs since Covid-19 restrictions took hold back in March. All the leaders and organisations we’ve spoken to recognise that the team dynamic and organisational culture have had to adapt to the new ways of working, and that in many ways these changes will be permanent.

Where people get stuck though is deciding on how and when to get us in to facilitate some work with their teams. Some say it’s “too important to wait so let’s move on it now, even if we have to do it online,” while others say, “it’s too important to do online, so let’s wait until we can get together face-to-face and do it then.”

One of the most important points we make on that podcast is this…“If it's not now, when are you going to make those changes as a team? The most successful teams have been the ones that have continued to put learning and development, team building, working on themselves, up there with getting the work done and staying safe.

And so the teams that are waiting, waiting, waiting till this is over, you will have missed the boat. You will have missed the opportunity, one of the best and biggest opportunities that you're ever going to have as a team to inch up to that high-performing mark is now.”

We cannot stress that point enough, the opportunity cost of waiting until face-to-face facilitation becomes a reality again far and away exceeds any perceived benefit of face-to-face facilitation over online facilitation. We say perceived benefit because in our experience, online facilitation can be just as effective as face-to-face facilitation. But don’t take our word for it. Here’s some feedback from an HR Manager who asked us to put together a series of webinar-based workshops for their organisation…

"Wow. I was a bit hesitant to go ahead with the online program but you have delivered way beyond my expectations. I didn't realise something online could be so dynamic and effective, and the feedback from those who participated has been outstanding. Thank you once again and looking forward to the next one". - HR Manager (Government Owned Corporation) Victoria.

In the podcast we outline some examples of workshops that we’ve been presenting successfully online and included some snippets of content. Here’s a quick summary of those and, of course, if you’ve got another need you want met, we’d be happy to put together a bespoke workshop for you.
MBTI (Myers Briggs Type Indicator)
Team Sessions - 2 and 4 hour sessions and customised MBTI reports for your team members
Wellbeing Strategies While Working From Home - Just what it says on the box!
How To Run Effective Team Meetings, ‘Check Ins’ And ‘Catch Ups’ In A Virtual Environment - Let’s get rid of Zoom/Teams fatigue and get everyone engaged again!
Team Building Sessions – Icebreakers and team-building activities in a virtual environment
Establishing Good Rhythms And Routines - So essential with a fragmented workforce
How To Cope With Change And Uncertainty – Strategies and ideas to implement at the individual and team level
“Lock In the Learning” - how to establish new ways of working in a Covid-affected world

These sessions can be two hours or longer, depending on what the group needs, and start from only $1500 (+ GST for Australian clients) and deliver benefits that far exceed the cost.We can also conduct LSI Assessments and follow-up coaching if required to ensure your leaders are working at their best. The bottom line is, high performance is critical now and too important to put off till things get ‘back to normal’.

That's worth repeating. High performance is critical now and too important to put off till things get ‘back to normal’

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders'

Zoe Routh Interview: Loyalty, Advocacy, Leadership

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 12:53:00 +1000

We have an information-packed episode with Zoe Routh. In this episode, Zoe talks about the gig economy and this pandemic, strategies for leaders on retaining talent, her definition of loyalty in the workplace, on being an elder-archetype leader, and more.Zoë Routh is one of Australia’s leading experts on people stuff - the stuff that gets in our way of producing results, and the stuff that lights us up. She believes developing people skills is the gateway to better decisions and greater results. She has worked with individuals teams internationally and in Australia since 1987. From the wild rivers of northern Ontario to the remote regions of Australia, Zoë has spent the last thirty years showing teams struggling with office politics and silos how to work better together.

Zoë is the author of three books: Composure - How centered leaders make the biggest impact, Moments - Leadership when it matters most and Loyalty - Stop unwanted stuff turnover, boost engagement, and build lifelong advocates. Her past leadership roles include Chair of the Outdoor Council of Australia, President of the Chamber of Women in Business, and Program Manager at the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation. Zoë is also the producer of the Zoë Routh Leadership Podcast. Her fourth book, People Stuff - Simple tools for better leadership,is due out May 2020.

Episode Highlights:

Who is Zoe Routh?
Zoe Routh shares with us her past affiliations, experiences, and her first marathon experience.
Zoe talks about the gig economy and why digital nomads chose to be digital nomads.
It's interesting how the gig economy and digital nomads were well ahead of the curve in terms of being prepared for a pandemic.
"What motivates us most is not necessarily money, but purpose, mastery and autonomy."
They have the freedom to operate where and how they choose, making their own hours. And this makes for very engaged workers because they're doing it on their own terms.”
A discussion on how the pandemic made most of us into digital nomads, how it amped up our ability to learn technology, being autonomous, and more.
"Health. Wellbeing. Put that at the forefront of everything that you do. Get yourself into a rhythm of looking after your health and wellbeing, because that is what's going to sustain you through this. And of those people that have done that, you can see them they're sort of rolling through quite nicely."

Franziska Iseli Interview - Courageous Leadership and Personal Branding

Tue, 07 Jul 2020 15:59:00 +1000

In this episode, Franziska shares some wonderful ideas and tips on courageous leadership, concepts of imperfection and how it is helpful for leaders and teams, personal branding, and more.

Franziska is an internationally renowned speaker, entrepreneur, adventurer. She's known for her thought leadership and for pushing boundaries. Franziska is a maverick entrepreneur, leading marketing strategist, mad adventurer, author and the co-founder BasicBananas.com, Oceanlovers.com, MomentsofHumanity.com, TheBusinessHood.com and SaltyLipsBand.com.

Episode Highlights:

Franziska On winning a number one female speaker award - "I am often the only female speaker so it's a little bit easier to win that award."
Franziska shares her take on courageous leadership.
"There's a huge difference between courageous leadership where you lead with a vision and then there's the managers where it's more about the KPIs and the goals, and you need both.“
“The only thing that is certain right now is uncertainty. So having leaders that are leading with courage is so important.”
The three components a courageous leader must have - vision, principle, intuition
The courage effect
"Courage is contagious. And leading with these principles is contagious. Naturally as a leader, and if you have team members, they look up to you, whether you know it or not or whether you think they do or not, they do, and they will copy you."
"The courage effect is about leading by example, not pointing the finger or forcing something onto people. And then naturally some people will fall away from your teams. Naturally some people will deselect themselves and that's good.
"Franziska shares some ideas and her thoughts on how to keep teams engaged.The concept of imperfection (relating to teams) and the comparison trap"Give people ownership and expect people to own their results. And you can do this by encouraging people to fail, to make mistakes, not getting upset about failures, but actually rewarding almost failures."
Bottom-up leadership
"Franziska’s tips for leaders who want to enhance their personal brand within an organisation"
"The brand alchemy method"
The more that the person can get clarity on what they're good at, the more they can bring that into the business.

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/

Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
Franziska Iseli on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/franziskaiseli/
Franziska Iseli Website - https://www.franziskaiseli.com/

James Sinclair Interview - Talent Retention With A Difference

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 11:19:00 +1000

In this episode, we interview James Sinclair, the Chief Executive of EnterpriseAlumni. His primary role is in recruitment but he is really making a name for himself teaching organisations how to maintain relationships with staff when they do leave. He also contributes to various media on the future of work and large enterprise innovation and entrepreneurship.

He shared some fantastic insights around how to create diversity in high-performing teams, clear opinions on exit interviews, setting up your own talent pool and tapping on it to future-proof yourself and your organisation.

Episode Highlights:

James talks about him being an ENTJ - its gifts and downfalls.
"We come to opinions very quickly. We're willing to trust guts, we're willing to run fast and we do listen and we take it on board. We just don't always recognise and we don't always perhaps take the moment to say 'Thank you for your opinion. Thank you for your idea. I hear you.'"
EnterpriseAlumni and James' role and responsibilitiesLetting talent leave without continuing a relationship and keeping the door open is like having an asset walk off your balance sheet
James' thoughts about exit interviews
"The only real way to know how great you are is to work with you."
"Respecting that leaving is inevitable is such an important thing."
"There's a lot of conversation that people don't leave companies, they leave managers some of the time. Other times it's because there's another opportunity that's just better that perhaps you couldn't get in this organisation. Or if you think about career growth, most people grow into a next job that they're not quite ready for"
"Treat everyone like a customer at every single step of the way. Your employee experience should be a consumer-like experience. If you wouldn't do it to a customer, don't do it to an employee."
James’ opinion on creating diversity for high-performing teams
"High-performing teams come from small teams with diverse opinions, little budget and unfair goals and unfair expectations."
"You can't judge people on competencies. It doesn't work because two people with identical competencies could be very different performers, thinkers, all of those things."
"High-performing teams are performance-based results. I don't care if you work for a minute or a hundred hours. Results. That's the business I'm in and I think that's what remote teams are going to suddenly uncover.”

Covid 19 and Your Financial Wellbeing

Wed, 13 May 2020 11:52:00 +1000

In today's episode, we are graced again by the presence of Vivian Goh as she talks about financial wellbeing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Vivian is the founder and coach of Simple Wealth Coaching (SWC). She also discusses how you can, step by step, start getting your financial house in order and automating your budget so you can prepare and make sense of the current changes in the economy and the impact on your life.

An overview discussion by Vivian of what's happening in our current financial markets and its impact on us.

In Australia, we have not actually experienced a recession for over 20 years."Recession, in terms of the financial markets, happens usually in a cycle - every 7 to 10 years.""Whenever there is growth, there will always be recession."

"Recession isn't really a good or bad thing but it is just how the money system goes. It's made up of ups and downs, and we're just experiencing one of the downs."

What can we do to get our house in order in terms of our finances?

"The people who are riding this wave with resilience are the ones who were already investing in their personal development and growth and are actually doing really well at this time."

To get clarity about your financial wellbeing, you list down everything and get clear. Vivian shares some support websites where we can get more information and tools essential to checking our financial well-being MoneySmart.gov.au - https://moneysmart.gov.au/Speak to your accountant directly to see if you're qualified for "JobKeeper" or a "JobSeeker” allowance.

Vivian shares some key steps on how to get your financial house in order.
1. Know clearly where you are at a financial standpoint. Be very specific.
2. Set a goal for the next 3 months.
3. Employ the necessary resources with clear intention.

"It's quite common to find $20,000 of missing money a year."

Would Vivian advise working with a financial coach or planner when getting your financials planned out? "Start investing in yourself."

Vivian shares with us her Covid-19 Financial Coaching Package and an overview of this program."Transform your relationship with money so that money is something that you can really relate to, in a confident way, in a loving way."

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/

Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/

Vivian Goh on LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivian-goh-simple-wealth/
Simple Wealth Coaching on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/simple-wealth-coaching/ Simple Wealth Coaching Website - https://www.simplewealthcoaching.com.au/

What is Trust in Leadership? - Jesse Curry Interview

Tue, 05 May 2020 10:15:00 +1000

In this episode, we’re chatting with Jesse Curry, the founder of First-String Leadership. Founded in July 2019 (first as a blog, now a podcast) to serve other leaders and entrepreneurs looking to scale their businesses, but needing leadership training to do so.

He began his career as in the US Army as an Aviation Officer, including serving as an Intelligence Officer, up until his final assignment as a company commander in 2016. We discussed in this episode his experiences from being a West Point student and graduate, serving in the army, and working with leaders and entrepreneurs through leadership coaching.

Episode highlights:

Who Jesse Curry is
2 primary principles of trust-
What trust is and what Jesse thinks of it
"Trust and empowerment are hand in hand"
"Get Your Own Boots Dirty"
Get down, get dirty, build trust
Jesse shares his experiences that shifted the way he approached leading teams
What is extreme ownership?
Jesse talks about HIIT Training
"As a leader, as entrepreneurs, and as leaders, if you're not in good physical condition, you're not going to bring your best mental self to work."
Jesse shares his West Point experience that led down the mindfulness path
"Part of being a leader is you that have a collective mind"
"If he's the smartest person in the room, he’s already failed"
I'm leading a team now, what could I do to foster trust amongst the team?
"Don't just focus on the business piece. Focus on them is a person."
"Take care of each other, and they'll (team members) take care of the client."
Practical examples that leaders can improve their education and develop around development and leadership
"Take prudent risks"- "Push your own comfort zones"
Jesse's thoughts on feedback
"Leadership is a journey"
Staying in touch with Jesse(linkedin)

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/

Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
First String Leadership website - https://www.firststringleadership.com
Jesse Curry on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-curry-ab7797a8/
Jesse Curry on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/firststringleader/

The 5 Things You Need To Do To Lead Your Team Through Change And Uncertainty

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 10:28:00 +1000

It’s a turbulent time. The coronavirus outbreak continues to spread and the majority of people are working from home. It can be stressful trying to navigate these changing and uncertain times. So, checking in with yourself, your family and friends and your team is key. In this podcast, we’re sharing our top five tips we’ve learned along the way to make working from home a little easier for you and your team.

Episode highlights:

Working from home - it can be stressful whether you’re used to it or not.
Set up your environment - set aside a room or space in your house to use as a home office and desk.
Make sure your desk and office are clear and tidy so you don’t get distracted.
Get into a routine each morning - start the day with exercise and journalling or a mindfulness activity.
If you have children, find a rhythm that works for you and your partner.
Having a structure in place will help you be more efficient with your time and your day will be more effective.
Come up with a set of agreements with your family to make your day-to-day lives easier and less stressful.
Agree on noise levels and be respectful of people’s spaces.
Working at home can be very isolating - take time to check in with your team each day
Keep check-ins separate from work meetings - focus on the individuals and offer support and help where you can.
Have structured one-to-ones to provide clarity for each team member and help to alleviate stress and anxiety.
Take time for yourself - go for a walk or play with the kids throughout the day.
Take time to reflect on what you’re grateful for each day.
Practice being realistic and optimistic each day.
Make sure you have fun!

Making Processes And Systems Interesting And Worthwhile, Yes It Is Possible!

Wed, 12 Feb 2020 16:47:00 +1100

Are your processes and systems helping or hindering your business? In this episode, we’re chatting to Craig Meinicke, the founder and managing director of Touchpoint One, a Brisbane-based management consultancy business. He has over 20 years’ experience across many different industries and in various utility sectors including water, electricity, transport and resources.

He began his career as a water treatment plant operator and has worked his way up to now delivering key solutions to complex problems to utility companies and SMEs throughout Queensland. We cover everything from bridging the gap between a great manager and a great leader, and what makes a high-performing team, to creating strong relationships with stakeholders. But the key takeaway from this interview is how Craig’s five-step method can improve profit, productivity and staff engagement, and reduce stress and frustration.

Episode highlights:

Bridging the gap between being a great manager and a great leader - the tools you need in your toolkit.
Key problems most businesses have that Craig has identified.
What investing in the wrong technology could mean for businesses.Many business owners are unable to identify a problem because they are too close to the business.
Being on the right side of the legal argument - Are your business systems truly compliant with legislation?
Taking the time to develop systems and processes - a lot of businesses don’t see the value in it.
Mapping out the systems of your business as it grows means you’ll get a better understanding of your business.
Craig’s D-Livery Method - a five step framework to transform your current management systems: Discover, Diagnose, Design, Develop, Deploy.
What Craig thinks makes a high-performing team
How to create strong relationships with stakeholders - listen, feedback, manage expectations, stay neutral and keep people informed
Where the name for Craig’s business came from - he found himself in the touchpoints between businesses, between different groups and businesses, between businesses and legislators, etc.
Craig’s gift to you - his Business Management Blueprint template

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/
Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
Craig Meinicke on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigmeinicke/
Touchpoint One Website - https://touchpointone.com.au/
Touchpoint One on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/touchpointoneptyltd/
Touchpoint One on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/touchpoint-one-pty-ltd/

How To Set Yourself Up For Success in 2020: The Power Of A Morning Routine

Thu, 23 Jan 2020 14:03:00 +1100

A new year means new opportunities and a chance to set yourself up for a successful year ahead. But we’re not talking about making New Year’s resolutions. We’re talking about something much simpler, and much more likely to make a difference to your life, both personally and professionally. In this episode, we’re looking at the power of a good morning routine.

Episode highlights:

Why morning routines are so important
Why you should steer clear of New Year’s resolutions
Focus on your wellbeing Too many people don’t get enough sleep and rely on caffeine
The importance of a good evening routine - limit screen time before bed
Latest science shows it’s what you do during the day that determines how well you’ll sleep
Guided meditation in the mornings
How meditation by Louise Hayes has helped us
Why you need to pay attention to your progress
How do you determine whether you are moving forward in your life?
How do you measure your progress as a people leader?
Make your goals visual to stay focused
Coaching helps everybody, even us!
The only thing you can truly be responsible for is your actions
Ask yourself quality questions and start the day with them so you’re a better role model
Habit is just a repeated behaviour - start small and tweak your existing habits

Vivian Goh Interview - Achieving Financial Wellness And Living Your Best Life

Fri, 10 Jan 2020 13:44:59 +1100

It can be stressful not having control over your money. And sometimes, the idea of taking back control is so daunting it can be hard to know where to even start. Luckily, in this episode we cover that and more. Vivian Goh, financial wellness coach and founder of Simple Wealth Coaching shares her knowledge and tips for taking responsibility of your finances. Her areas of expertise include life coaching, wealth creation, budgeting, protection planning, debt planning, investment, and retirement planning, to name a few!

Vivian’s mission is to empower people to achieve financial wellness by teaching them how to have a healthy relationship with money. She does this through coaching and workshops and has worked with some of the top tier companies in Australia, so she knows a thing or two.

Episode highlights:

An introduction to Vivian and what she does
Eye-opening statistics - 49% of Australians say personal finance is the number one cause of stress
What brings in most of Vivian’s clients - a lack of knowledge around dealing with personal finances
How Vivian starts to help her clients - clear any assumptions when it comes to money and then look at what they truly value in their lives
An example of how Vivian has turned someone’s life around
What budgeting really is - a simple money flow
Building awareness around your finances
The three main pitfalls when people look at budgeting
The importance of incorporating what’s happened in the past as well as what’s happening in the here and now
An insider tip from Vivian - using an online robo advice company to help you invest
Three highest value habits people can do to control their personal finances - figure out what you can and can’t control, check or challenge your assumptions, and journal your thoughts on money and see if there’s a pattern
The components that determine a person’s financial wellbeing according to 2017 research by Professor Elaine Kempson and her team
What Vivian is working on right now - working with small businesses on a financial wellness program

How To Do A Year-End Review For Leaders and Teams

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 11:28:31 +1100

We don’t know what kind of year you’ve had to date but whatever it’s been, now is a great time to review how the year has been for you in the context of being a leader.If you still haven’t got the results you were hoping for in 2019, hang in there, you may be closer than you realise. And if you did get the results you were looking for, well done! And if you happen to be reading this or listening to the episode long after it was published, anytime is a good time for a review so don’t think you have to wait till the end of the year to do this process.

You can do the review process on your own or with your team

Teams often find the process energising as they feed off each other’s insightsIf you are doing it with the team, you have the choice of doing it collectively or individually then having everyone share

Start with a large square drawn on a sheet (or whiteboard, etc) and divide it into 4 equal squares

In the top left note all your achievements for the yearIn the top right note all the lessons learned from your achievements

In the bottom left note all your mistakes and challenges for the year

Resist being judgemental about the mistakesIn the bottom right note all the lessons learned from the mistakes and challenges

Based on the lessons learned, how will you approach things differently in the year ahead?

Key lessons from our own review include:

The power of the breath.
The power of a consistent morning routine.
The power of acceptance.
We are all ‘works in progress’ and ‘it never finishes’.
Schedule the things that are important to you.
The power of visual reminders.
The power of feedback.
Your turn now!
Schedule some time now do your own review to set yourself up for 2020 and beyond.
We’d love to hear what your biggest lessons are so please share them with us via email when you’ve completed your year in review.

How To Build Your Personal Brand And Become An Authority In Your Space

Wed, 11 Dec 2019 17:45:00 +1100

Do you write your own story? Do you build your own personal brand? In any environment, you need to take responsibility for your career, how you want to be, the reputation you want to be known for, because if you don’t determine it, other people will do it for you. In this episode, we’re chatting to someone who helps leaders do exactly that: Matt Johnson. Matt is a marketer, speaker and founder of San Diego-based PR and production agency, Pursuing Results. He runs a virtual team to share his core thoughts on leadership with people around the world. He’s also the host of the MicroFamous Podcast that aims to help people use podcasting as the new networking tool to become micro-famous in their fields, and has a book on the same concept being published soon.

Episode highlights:

Who Matt is and what he does
The importance of writing your own story and your own personal brand - if you don’t others will do it for you
Your personal brand might be determined by others based on interactions outside the office or on social media etc.
Positioning himself as an authority
The type of information to share to position yourself as an authority: what you know, what you’re learning and what you’re doing
How Matt knew he was heading in the right direction - the level of engagement and how he felt when he got on the phone with clients
How introverts can become a thought leader in their space - use podcasts to get yourself out there
Leadership is driven by three things: personal performance, systems and peopleWhy you can’t rely on rockstar people to build a rockstar business
A system takes more effort today but it makes tomorrow easier
Running a virtual team and the importance of consistent communication and weekly meetings
What Matt and his team talk about in their weekly team meetings
Holding people accountable to their performance goals as a leader
Skills every leader needs to successfully manage a virtual team
Free training on Pursuing Results
How Matt looks after himself - he doesn’t schedule anything in the afternoon

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/
Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
Matt Johnson on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/microfamous/
Matt Johnson on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/microfamous/
Matt Johnson on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/getmicrofamous
Pursuing Results Website - https://pursuingresults.com/
Pursuing Results on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pursuingresultsllc/
MicroFamous Podcast - http://getmicrofamous.com/

A Guide To Team Agreements For High-Performing Teams - What They Are And How To Use Them

Tue, 03 Dec 2019 12:07:48 +1100

Constructive team agreements are all about the behaviours and the way the team interacts with one another and stakeholders. In order for a team to be high performing, no matter their industry, they need to agree to uphold those behaviours throughout the day and week as a team. A person might be doing a really good job in terms of what they have to deliver, but it’s not just about delivering the task, it’s about how they deliver the task. So in this episode, we’re talking about team agreements and why they’re important if you want a high-performing team.

Episode highlights:

The two main issues for managers - behaviour and each team member’s role
What are team agreements?
Why a team agreement should be the first thing a people leader works on with his/her teamIdentifying what ‘good’ looks like to your team
Does your team know how to communicate in a respectful manner?
The importance of managing disagreements effectively
Keeping stakeholders happy
An example of how one leadership team ensures nobody burns the midnight oil
Taking it one step further - creating an agreement of ‘off track’ behaviours
Encouraging self-reflection at the end of each meeting
What you need to do as a people leader if you want to create a team agreement

Cate Wilson Interview - Yoga And Leadership: A Perfect Match

Thu, 31 Oct 2019 15:00:00 +1100

In this episode, we’re chatting with our favourite yoga instructor, Cate Wilson, about why yoga and leadership are the perfect match. Cate is a 250-hour YTT yoga teacher, with a love of learning and inspiring change in others. A wife and mother of two, she’s also a beauty therapist and thermomix lover and is passionate about what we put into our bodies, onto our skin and allow into our minds.

Episode highlights:

The common issue people try to fix with yoga according to Cate - dealing with mental injuries
Why yoga is so good for time-poor people
What Cate thinks is the biggest misconception about yoga - not being flexible enough and “yoga is only for hippies”
Finding the right yoga teacher Victor Frankyl’s power of the pause quote and why Cate thinks this is key to becoming a better people leader
It’s a powerful tool to recognise that you can always take a moment and choose how you respond to every situation
You don’t need to be challenged by those colleagues who push your buttons - know what your triggers are and rewire your brain and your reaction
A good question to ask yourself: ‘Why am I sharing this information?’ Be clear about your purpose and it will make you more conscious
Another of Cate’s favourite quotes: “Only speak if it improves the silence”
Being a good role model for your team - get out, get fresh air and space and give your team the
Part of the leadership journey is giving context for your actions and explaining a change in your behaviour
The physical benefits of yoga - stronger and more flexible
The benefits of yoga for your energy - using the breath to bring the whole body together as oneThe mental benefits of yoga - making the body pliable and gives you the ability to sit with yourself
Where to start with yoga - practice at home and start with the butterfly pose to stimulate the body followed by a few sun salutations
The biggest insight for Cate this year
Meditating each day, even if only for six minutes a day
How Cate meditates each day

Chris Wildeboer Interview - Reconnecting With Your Energy As A Leader

Wed, 16 Oct 2019 13:42:21 +1100

It’s no secret that in order to be an effective leader, your energy levels need to be maintained. The same goes for being an effective, high-performing team member. It’s easy to lose awareness of your energy, but reconnecting with it doesn’t need to be difficult. In this episode, we chat to Chris Wildeboer, CEO and Personal Energy Specialist at Balance Central. Her journey to understanding and finding balance began in 1995 when she attended a kinergetics workshops and learned how to reset. Now, she works with leaders and their teams to help them achieve high performance as individuals and as a team. Chris delivers individualised workshops for her clients in Australia, Dubai, the UK, USA and elsewhere. She is also a speaker, a best-selling author of ‘Balance Central’ and has been nominated for a number of business awards.

Episode highlights:

What Chris does - works with leaders and teams to achieve high-performing teams
Who she works with - anyone who thinks they’re a leader and feel confused about their next steps
Reoccuring themes and problems
Chris finds in the leaders she works with - confusion
Chris’ tips and strategies for leaders who feel uncertain going into a meeting
Why grounding yourself is so powerful
Stop worrying about what everyone else is going to think
Find out who you are and figure out what is sapping your energy
Chris’ superpower - being able to hear what people don’t say
Why Chris doesn’t call herself a coach
Chris’ decision-making model - ‘The Next Step’ and the different types of energy as a leader
The golden question to ask yourself when you’re feeling hazy - what am I willing to include?
What Chris does daily to feed her own energy
The different aspects of our energy - it’s not just about our emotional being, our mental being and our intuition
How Chris ensures all aspects of your energy works together
The most common issues Chris sees in teams that she works with - individuals living up to the expectations of the position they’re in
Why Chris enjoys working with individuals in teams rather than the team as a whole
What Chris is working on at the moment

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/

Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
Chris Wildeboer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriswildeboer/
Chris Wildeboer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chriswildeboer/
Balance Central Website - https://balancecentral.com.au/
Balance Central Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ChrisBalanceCentral
Balance Cen

How To Beat Imposter Syndrome And Build Your Confidence As A Leader

Thu, 19 Sep 2019 11:28:01 +1000

Do you lack confidence as a leader? It’s a common problem among people leaders, and something we’ve seen more and more of lately. Many new and developing leaders think they’re not good enough, and don’t have all the tools and resources to lead confidently. But it is possible to build your confidence and bridge that gap to improve. In this episode, we’re sharing how to do just that.

Episode highlights:

New and developing leaders think they’re not good enough
Building your confidence comes down to your mindset and your belief about yourself and your capabilities
You can control your confidence
Start by simply trying - choose an area where you want to improve and just give it a go
Practise makes perfect - with repetition and learning you can become masterful
Even if you fail, you’ll already be more competent that you were before you tried
You need to trust yourself and other people
Trust that things aren’t going to go wrong so you can grow
Why high achieving people tend to struggle with imposter syndrome
Be vulnerable, step out of your comfort zone, ask for feedback and refine yourself
Use the resources on our website to get started

Next-Level Thinking: The 5 Tips You Need To Be A Better Leader

Fri, 06 Sep 2019 09:54:00 +1000

You might already be in a position of leadership, or you might have recently been promoted or put yourself forward for a new role. Whatever stage of leadership you’re in, it’s time to change your strategy. Being a leader requires next-level thinking. You need to prepare mentally, physically and emotionally. Luckily for you, we’ve got a few tips and strategies to help you do just that. This episode comes to you from Bali so sit back and relax into next-level thinking!

Episode Highlights:

Why you need to think differently once you become a leader
Shifting your focus - it’s no longer about you, it’s about others
Shift your mindset and focus on your team to achieve your goals as a leader
You can only focus on others when you operate with self-awarenessFind role models in your organisation for inspiration
Model some behaviours of other next-level thinking leaders
Reflect on feedback you’re given/have been given in the past
Do you want to be liked as a leader?
Don’t shy away from difficult conversations because you want to be liked
Study yourself and recognise what your tendencies are as a leader
Have a clear vision - make a list of five things you want to achieve and keep it visible
Get an ‘accountability buddy’, mentor or coach to guide you through being a leader
Reach out to us if you would like help in becoming a better leader - info@peopleleaders.com.au

How To Move From Supervisor To Manager - The 10 Things You Need To Focus On

Fri, 30 Aug 2019 01:00:00 +1000

Making the move from supervisor to manager isn’t a simple one. Working the way you used to work just isn't going to cut it anymore. The three key areas that allow you to be successful in a managerial role are your thoughts and mindset, your behaviours and the tools and strategies you use. More importantly, there are 10 shifts in mindset you should work on to be successful as a new manager. In this episode, we’re taking a look at them in more detail.

Episode highlights:

Why you might struggle in a managerial role
Stepping up as a manager - learning to delegate and shifting your mindset
Broadening your horizons - short view vs long view
Becoming a manager means you need to coach your team on what to do, not tell them what to do
The common manager catchphrase: ‘What do you need from me?’Your team members are responsible for checking in with themselves
Taking initiative requires a new level of thinking as a manager
Giving and receiving feedback is one of the biggest problem areas for new managers
Holding yourself accountable and taking responsibility
The importance of finding the balance between your team’s tasks and people issues within the teamSeeing your team as part of the bigger picture
Leading by example and managing your stress
Why being emotionally competent is key as a manager

Are You Cut Out To Be A Leader? These Are The 4 Qualities You Need

Mon, 19 Aug 2019 02:00:00 +1000

Are you cut out to be a leader? Many people think they don’t have what it takes. That they don’t have the qualities needed to hold a leadership position. But leadership isn’t some grand vision to be attained. The title of ‘leader’ is not something that only people like Nelson Mandela or Gandhi are able to use. We believe we all have what it takes to be a leader. In this podcast, we’re shining the light on leadership and proving that we all have those leadership qualities inside us.

Episode highlights:

Everybody has some capacity to be a leader - giving good advice or always organising events and getting things done
Leadership is a journey, not a destination - it takes continuous improvement and practice
The best leaders we’ve seen are those who have goals and are always moving forward
Becoming too focused on the details - the best leaders look out and upLeadership isn’t a role or a title, it’s a quality
Finding ways to work more effectively together
Having open and honest conversations, even before you’re in a leadership or management role
Do you enjoy developing people?
Crystal clear leadership - be clear about your vision, don’t assume people understand your goals
A good habit to get into - before you speak in a team meeting, ask yourself why you’re sharing the information
Everyone has the capacity to be a leader
Start with developing yourself as a person - journalling and being present and mindful

Gretchen Gagel Interview - Revealing Your True Self As A People Leader

Thu, 08 Aug 2019 12:41:00 +1000

In this episode, we’re chatting to Gretchen Gagel. An expert in the construction industry, she consults to owners to support the cost-effective planning, design, and construction of capital assets, and to contractors, engineering firms, and material and equipment suppliers. Her firm, Greatness Consulting, has worked with high level clients over the years including Intel, Marriott, Hewlett Packard, United Airlines and others. Gretchen holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, an MBA from the University of Denver, a Masters in Nonprofit Management and a PhD in Organisational Learning, Performance and Change.

She is also an Affiliate Professor at the Australia National University and the University of Denver, where she develops and teaches courses on leadership and ethics, change and agility, strategic human resource management, evidence-based management and team performance.

Her research explores the relationship between leader behaviours and organisation agility, which we’re very interested in and talk more about in this episode. She’s also an experienced consultant to the nonprofit sector and author of ‘8 Steps To Being A Great Working Mom’.

Episode highlights:

Gretchen’s focus at the moment - leadership and women
What Gretchen’s firm, Greatness Consulting, does - helps people solve strategic issues
The problem with creating change management as a capability nowadays - everything changes faster than it used to
How Gretchen defines agility
The book she used for her research - ‘The Agility Factor’The four agile routines - agile strategising, agile proceeding, agile testing and agile implementation
What Gretchen did for her PhD study - measured the behaviours of leaders of business units and the presence of the four agile routines
Typical leader behaviours Gretchen found in her research
What Gretchen would like to research in the future - how culture develops these four agile routines
How leaders influence business culture and why it’s key they understand their impact
The difference between leaders and teams in the USA and Australia
Regional cultures in the USA
How our nationalities and backgrounds impact our ability to lead effectively
The teams Gretchen has worked with in Australia are all multi-cultural
Google Aristotle Project - learning about psychological safetyGretchen’s tips to leaders and teams to demonstrate or give psychological safety
Making the time to reflect on yourself as a leader
Sometimes you have to let people go if you want your culture to change
Gretchen’s upcoming work - chairing the board of Bridges to Prosperity
Habits Gretchen has to ensure she remains a high performer - no caffeine, working out, 8 hours’ sleep a night and regularly playing golf
One piece of advice Gretchen gives to her clients that she needs to take on board herself

The Anatomy Of Change: How To Change Your Mindset To Change The Way You Lead

Tue, 23 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +1000

Do you ever feel a little stuck or that you lack focus when at work? Working inside, whether you’re stuck in an office or a warehouse or at home, means your brain has ‘less space’ to think. The challenge for most people is not having enough space in between their meetings or between their thoughts to allow their creative juices to flow and allow something better to come to them.

So it’s a good idea to look outside the window every now and then because it actually allows the brain to become a little bit more expansive when it sees space. So in this episode we’re taking a look at how to transition and a four-step framework you can use that we’re calling The Anatomy of Change.

Episode highlights:

Working inside all day means your brain doesn’t have the space it needs to keep the creative juices flowing
To be your best you need to learn to recalibrate and rebalance as you transition throughout the day from desk, to meeting, and back again
One of the biggest problems is that most people want to change one thing in their lives - it doesn’t work that way
To change some aspect of your life, you yourself have to think and respond differently
The framework we use in any situation or event in our livesAccept that there will always be something you can’t control
How do these situations make you feel? Sad? Disappointed? Unappreciated?
You control the way you think and feel - what’s an alternative feeling that will leave you feeling empowered rather than victimised?
Your response and actions to things determine your results
How we used this framework for a flight we missed
The importance of positive thinking - it will affect your energy if you continue to think like the victim

Changing Behaviour: How To Effectively Manage Difficult Personalities In Your Team

Wed, 10 Jul 2019 15:27:54 +1000

In this episode, we explore an issue that one of our podcast listeners is facing, but it’s a common problem in any high-performing team: dealing with difficult people. Hands up, do you have a difficult colleague or somebody in your team that could be considered difficult?

In the case of our podcast listener, they felt their colleague has high IQ but very low EQ. So we’re going to give you a few ideas on how you might deal with someone who, in your eyes, has a difficult personality.

Episode highlights:

Knowing how to deal with colleagues who have difficult personalities can be a common problem
What makes a difficult personality? Sometimes high IQ but low EQLeaning to change behaviour - anybody can learn a new behaviour
People don’t like change so don’t force them to change
What’s the benefit for people to change the way they behave at work?
As a people leader, it’s your duty to ensure the best environment for people to perform to their absolute best
Managing your response to difficult behaviour
The importance of not ignoring difficult behaviour - you won’t grow and neither will they
Start by improving the quality of your conversations
Follow the SBIN method - situation, behaviour, impact, next stepBe specific and ask what they think about the facts you present
Dealing with a difficult personality can significantly drain your mental and emotional energy
Change the way you think about that person - perhaps they are just different
Get some 360 feedback using the LSI tool
Check in with yourself first and take action

Identifying Your Key Stakeholders: Why Every People Leader Should Do It

Wed, 03 Jul 2019 03:00:00 +1000

We have been getting a lot of feedback from leaders who feel they don’t have a good relationship with their stakeholders. So in this episode, we’re taking a look at a few strategies and approaches that can help you improve your relationships for better business success.

Episode highlights:

Defining a stakeholder - an individual or group of people who have something to win or lose by you being successful or failing in business
The common issues for leaders and stakeholders - many people think they have a good relationship but actually don’t
The difference between having a good casual, social relationship and a healthy overall relationship: specific feedback
Main areas of value to a stakeholder - responsiveness, reputation and performance
Lifting perspective and seeing the bigger picture - brainstorm who your stakeholders are
Your team members are your biggest stakeholders
A downloadable template to help you brainstorm
Who are your stakeholders?
What are their biggest concerns and what can you do to support them?
What do you want from them?
How important are they to you?
Success quote from Warren Buffet in ‘The Third Door’ How well do they currently support you?
Taking action - asking for feedback and adding value

Sandra Hannah Interview - High-Performing Team Indicator Review

Mon, 27 May 2019 11:44:00 +1000

Recently we chatted with Sandra Hannah on the People Leaders Podcast. Sandra is a customer operations manager at City West Water and a participant in a 9-month leadership program we ran in 2018.

Sandra used our High-Performing Team Indicator (HPTI) with her team and told us, “I used the High-Performing Team tool because I wanted to find out exactly how my team felt. You can question your team, but there are some people who sit back and don’t say anything but really want to.“Quieter team members sometimes have the best suggestions but they don’t want to put themselves forward in team meetings, so the High-Performing Team Assessment Tool is great for them as individuals.”

Sandra also shared that the results of the tool stimulated valuable discussion amongst the team members. She said that hearing each other’s point of view gave them a better understanding of they dynamic of the team. The discussion was so productive that their one hour team debrief turned into a two hour session.“The High-Performing Team Assessment Tool was set out well and was easy for people to follow. People have different learning styles, but everybody was able to participate and give their own opinion.”And if you want to find out what your team really thinks, you access our new online version of the High-Performing Team Indicator tool here.

Episode Highlights:

What attracted Sandra to the High-Performing Team Indicator - it gave her and everybody on her team the opportunity to express their thoughts on what needed to be changed
How Sandra administered the toolInsights Sandra gained from her team after the assessment - two teams that stood out
Using the tool to focus discussion as a team to move forward
What Sandra liked about the tool - easy for people to follow and split into good sections
Why the tool is especially useful for the quieter members of the team
Sandra’s advice for other people leaders using the tool
How Sandra would feel about being rated by her team

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/

Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
Sandra Hannah on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-hannah-73923084/https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-hannah-73923084/
City West Water Website - https://www.citywestwater.com.au/
High-Performing Team Indicator - https://peopleleaders.com.au/high-performing-team-indicator/

Virginia Thompson Interview - Being An Effective Leader In A World Of Uncertainty

Thu, 16 May 2019 13:40:07 +1000

When a business goes through a period of change, good or bad, it can be unsettling for its employees. That’s where people leaders are important; knowing how to deal with change and having the skills to react the right way can help a team move forward.In this episode, we chat to Virginia Thompson about how employees can connect strategy and purpose and learn to live with ambiguity and uncertainty.

Virginia is director and co-founder of Human Priority and a specialist member of the People Leaders team. She has worked in corporate facilitation, consultation and executive coaching for the last 15 years.We know her as a master coach and someone who has the ability to manage a large scale change, having worked with Virginia on a number of large transformational programs.

Episode Highlights:

What Virginia does and why she loves it
Why executive coaching is so important - allows people leaders the chance to take time out to reflect on what’s important
We all play multiple roles so it’s key we remember our goals and what needs to be done to achieve them
The many reasons executives go to coaching sessions
A common theme in both individual and group coaching sessions - underestimating the amount of effort required to make a change
Virginia’s tips for coaching executives through change
Humans tend to be uncomfortable with change
Acknowledging
How people leaders can tell their team about change and what they need to do
Tools and skills people leaders needs to navigate change - observing, listening, asking questions
Opportunities for people leaders to manage change
How to set your team up for success - understand how change affects you and your team and put it into perspective
Often people don’t mind change but don’t like being changed
Virginia’s best piece of advice for a people leader going through change - living in ambiguity and having skills and strategies to help others through that
Knowing how to drop back into learner mode
Don’t be afraid to use emotional language - it’s validating as a leader

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/

Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
Virginia Thompson on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/virginia-thompson-5647147/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carrie Harris Interview - Finding Purpose And Meaning For Your Business

Wed, 17 Apr 2019 00:29:11 +1000

As a business owner or people leader, your job is to make a change to the lives of your customers and clients. But what about making a change to your local community? Even the smallest changes can have the biggest impact, and can really boost your company’s success.In this episode we chat to Carrie Harris, president of Aspire Worldwide. Her team builds customised Give Back programs and teaches businesses how to increase their success using their resources to make a positive change, both near and far.

Aspire Worldwide gives back by contributing a portion of all their profits to Operation Underground Railroad, whose mission is to rescue children from sex slavery.Over the years, Carrie has created programs including the Caring Kids Program and Family Preservation of Utah, which addressed social needs in her own community. Currently, she’s working with The American Campus helping individuals from third world countries receive an education and leadership and entrepreneur skills to strengthen their communities and country.

Episode Highlights:

What Carrie does and her career background
What a Give Back Program is and why businesses have them
An example of a business that builds beds for children who have never slept in a bed - team competitions to see who can make the most bedsInvolving as many people in your business as you can - promoting a good business culture and positive work environment
The process for a small company - think about causes that you’re passionate about and look at the needs of that cause
Looking at both ROIs - return on investment and return on impact
How Carrie helps businesses - Live To Give program
Creating a service-centered culture
Obstacles for people leaders that might stop them from giving back - they want to make a difference but don’t know where to start because it’s so overwhelming
There are needs in every community and businesses are the answer
Free 15 minute consultation with no obligation with Aspire Worldwide Inc

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/

Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
Carrie Harris on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-harris-mba-331b1659/
Aspire Worldwide Inc Website - https://aspireworldwideinc.com/

Richard Nedov Interview - Building Trust And Transparency In Your Business Relationships

Mon, 15 Apr 2019 17:27:27 +1000

Does trust in business need to be difficult?In this episode, Richard Nedov shares his simple secrets to building successful relationships in business, based on trust, transparency, and leadership commitment. Richard is an experienced senior executive and director, with strong knowledge of the energy, renewables, and logistics industries, and a proven track record in business turnaround.

He is currently a non-executive director and leadership consultant. He also works with Indigenous Land Corporation and Indigenous Business Australia on their increased focus around commercialisation and producing greater benefits for the indigenous estate.

We worked with Richard on a leadership programme a couple of years ago and saw first hand his ability to bring high level strategy down to a day-to-day operational level. He has now joined our team at People Leaders as a consultant and facilitator.

Episode Highlights:

Richard’s role in People Leaders
The work Richard does with the Indigenous Land Corporation and Indigenous Business Australia - focusing on commercialisation and benefitting the Indigenous estate
Richard’s mantra - to keep things simpleInsights into what Richard thinks makes a successful alliance and joint venture
One of the hardest things in business is for people to trust
Trust starts from the top with leadershipRichard’s approach to building relationships - trust and transparency
A story about handling difficult relationships
Having the courage to ask for feedback
Building credibility to build trust
How to challenge and support your team
Richard’s approach to asking his team questions rather than provide answers
The importance of being approachable as a team leader but remembering there is a slight difference between you
One piece of advice for people who are moving into a leadership position - ask yourself if it’s really want you want to do
How Richard keeps on top of his health and wellbeing - daily exercise

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/

Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
Richard Nedov LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-nedov-96088435

Vicki Bryce Interview - Redefining The Role Of The Executive Assistant

Thu, 04 Apr 2019 17:01:00 +1100

When we talk about people leadership, we’re also talking about leading yourself through your career and in areas of influence.No one knows this better than Vicki Bryce, Engagement Advisor for Melbourne Water. Prior to that, she worked as Office Manager to the Managing Director, a position she held and redefined for four years.

We think there’s a lot to learn from Vicki, when it comes to the role of the Executive Assistants and Office Managers.In this episode, we chat about the challenges of being an Executive Assistant (EA), transferable skills needed, and how to ensure you deliver your own personal brand as well as the Managing Director’s.

Episode Highlights:

Going from retail to Executive Assistant - transferring her skills to work at ASX level and then for BBDO, the largest marketing company in Australia
How to succeed as an Executive Assistant - know what’s happening in the organisation, be involved and be customer and stakeholder-focused
Being curious and thirsty for more knowledge of the business world and people in general
Being the eyes and ears to the company - the admin and strategic sides of being an EA
Benefits for Managing Directors of having an EA who is more strategic
Building a trusting relationship with the MD
Objectives Vicki puts in her Performance Development Report that she knows are going to enhance her work with the MD
Working with other Executive Assistants in the organisation
Use your air time well - knowing when to speak up and when to keep it for later
Giving feedback on behalf of the Managing Director - remember to deliver your own personal brand as well as the brand of the MD
Vicki’s daily activities - ‘temperature check’ across the organisation
Being the bridge to the MD
Moving into an Engagement Advisor role

High-Performing Team Tool: Understanding Your Team

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 03:03:00 +1100

One of our most popular downloads for people leaders is the High Performing Team Assessment Tool. We developed it to give managers a practical way to have open and honest discussions with their team.

In this episode we chat to Jayden Cardinal, a user of the tool, about his experience. While it’s designed to help leaders better understand their team, he tells us it has just as many personal benefits for the individual too.

Episode Highlights:

A brief background of the High Performing Team Tool, what it is and who it’s designed forJayden’s role in the company
How the High-Performing Team Tool was used in the meeting
Jayden’s recommendation for how to divide the groups - the pros and cons of random selection
How Jayden and his team used the tool - discussing scores given and why and coming together as team to agree on a final score
The outcome of the tool for Jayden and his team
The personal benefits the tool has had for Jayden and what has changed since completing the assessment
Discussing the alignment between people and the managing director and building a better business culture

Myers-Briggs In Depth - Revealing Your Inner Introvert And Extrovert

Thu, 07 Mar 2019 16:14:59 +1100

When we do our Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) workshops with people, we’re often asked how team members can be the same type but be so different in so many areas, and vice versa.Not everything can be explained using the Myers-Briggs framework, but the answer is: they may have a different MBTI Step II result. There’s a lot of depth to the MBTI and that’s what we love about it.

A lot of our people in our community have done Myers-Briggs Step I so we’re going to look at taking it to the next level and look at Step II so you can better understand the depth and breadth of your personality as well as your team members’ personalities.

Episode Highlights:

A basic understanding of what the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Step II can reveal
Knowing the real you - learning more about yourself
Using Step II for personal and professional development
Introversion vs extraversion in different areas of our personalities
The way we connect with others
How open we are to communicating feelings and thoughts
Understanding the breadth and depth of our relationships
The ways we communicate, socialise and learn
Levels and kind of energy we have for different personalities
Free template for people leaders

What Makes A Good People Leader? These Are The Top 3 Skills

Thu, 14 Feb 2019 02:17:04 +1100

Do you have what it takes to be a good people leader? We’ve thought long and hard about what makes good leadership. We’ve narrowed it down to what we believe are the top three skills based on our experience working with people leaders over the years. They are feedback, coaching and delegation. In this episode, we discuss the models we use for each skill, and the benefits of each skill for you as a people leader, and your team.

Episode Highlights:

Top three skills - feedback, coaching and delegation
Feedback - giving and recieving it
Balancing feedback with positive comments
Using the SBIN model for feedback
Coaching - following the 80/20 rule
Encouraging your team to find their own solutions
How to use the GROW model for coaching conversations
Delegation - the benefits for you and your team
Showing your team that you trust them and earning their trust in return
Using the CROW model for delegating tasks

Geoff McDonald Interview - Being A Leader And Creating A Change

Wed, 30 Jan 2019 03:59:00 +1100

We all know what makes a good people leader, but have you ever thought about what people leaders might do that could hinder their leadership skillsGeoff McDonald, a speaker, author and prolific writer, speaks to us in this podcast about the common mistakes managers make too often.

The journey for Geoff began with a degree in architecture. He has also owned his own website design business, a coaching business, and presented training programs. Nowadays, he concentrates on speaking at conferences and events, and helps other people finish their goals through, Project Done, a guided program that helps people implement projects in their business.

Geoff has also written 8 books over the years, the latest being ‘Disruptive Leadership’, which takes a deeper look at the ongoing “leadership crisis”.

Episode Highlights:

Geoff’s book wrappers - reviews of leadership books
3 books Geoff recommends for leadership - ‘On Becoming A Leader’ by Warren Bennis, ‘The End Of Leadership’ by Barbara Kellerman and ‘The Leadership Challenge’ by Kouzes & PosnerKey themes in the leadership space
New leadership issues - gender, team environment, millennials
Moving away from male dominated leadership
Why building a good team environment is so crucial
Learning to embrace millennials
One characteristic every people leader should possess
The most common mistake Geoff thinks people leaders make too often - talking too much
Geoff’s tips for making the most of reading books that will help you progress as a people leader - read on public transport, at a coffee shop, always carry a book with you
About Project Done - why Geoff started the business
Why working in a team produces better results than working as an individual

Useful Links:
Explore our brand new Above-the-Line Leaders' Toolkit - https://peopleleaders.com.au/above-the-line-thinking/
Join our next Leadership Essentials Program - https://peopleleaders.com.au/leadership-essentials-program/

Get in touch with us at info@peopleleaders.com.au
People Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/
People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/
Connect with Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/
Connect with Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leaders
Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/
Geoff McDonald LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffmcdonald/
Geoff McDonald Website - https://geoffmcdonald.com/
Project Done Website - https://projectdone.com.au/

Insights From 2018: The 5 Top Strategies Of Effective People Leaders

Fri, 21 Dec 2018 15:55:00 +1100

As the year draws to a close, we’re reflecting on the strategies and habits of the most effective managers and people leaders we have come across.We’ve worked with hundreds of people over the last year, so we’ve gathered a lot of insights into the most effective management and leadership skills in action. Today we’re going to share these with you so you can be the best people leader.

Episode highlights:

Making your wellbeing a priority - develop habits that promote solid mental, emotional and physical health
Ways to develop your mental, emotional and physical health
Focusing on your strengths and playing to those
Using meetings and catch-ups to keep things fresh but consistent
Investing in your skills - listen to podcasts, read books, attend conferences
Harvard Business Review and Google team-based studies and results
Developing your team - supporting them, listening to each other and creating a trusting environment
What motivates team effectiveness?

Perfectionism vs People Leading: Is It Good Or Bad For Your Career?

Wed, 28 Nov 2018 17:24:20 +1100

For some, being a perfectionist is seen as a good thing. For others, it’s a bad trait to have. We all have some understanding of what it means to be a perfectionist, but there’s more to it than meets the eye.Perfectionism is on our radar because we’re seeing a lot of it when it comes to people management and the impact it has on those with a tendency to strive for perfection and their ability to manage others.In this episode, we chat about what perfectionism actually means and what you can do to alter your behaviour to lead a happier, balanced life.

Episode Highlights:

Defining perfectionism
People management and perfectionism - leading tasks instead of people
What drives a perfectionist’s behaviour?
The fear of failure
Characteristic checklist:
10 key traits of a perfectionist
It’s not all bad - the benefits of being a perfectionist
What you can do to work on yourself and your relationships
Activity - separating satisfaction from perfection

The Enneagram - Discover The Core Values Of Your Team

Fri, 16 Nov 2018 14:34:56 +1100

We’re big believers in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and its benefits for the corporate world. But we also love using the Enneagram, and have done for over 20 years.A dynamic personality system, the Enneagram describes nine fundamentally different ways of operating in the world. It reveals how our patterns of attention and focus create our core beliefs, our preoccupations, our behaviours, and our personalities.

While it’s not as widespread as Myers-Briggs, there are many benefits from discovering more about not only your team, but yourself, too using the Enneagram.

Episode Highlights:

The benefits of the Enneagram
A basic history of the personality indicator
A look into each of the nine different personality types - the pros and cons
A team-building activity to try

Where Do You Sit? Above And Below The Line

Thu, 01 Nov 2018 15:30:56 +1100

This post is about one of the most impactful behavioural models we've come across in the last 18 years. It’s called ‘above the line and below the line’ where the line represents choice. We can choose to operate either above the line or below it. If it sounds simple, that’s because it is.

But in its simplicity, lies its strength,One of the reasons this tool is so impactful is that it brings values to life in a tangible way. For the teams we’ve worked with, it’s absolutely galvanised the language they operate in and really brought their values to life. We're going to explore the original model here but also how you can adapt it and bring it to life for your own needs.

Episode Highlights:

How it works and who it’s for
Above the line thinking
Below the line thinking
Above the line feeling
Below the line feeling

How To Wheel Your Way To Success

Wed, 17 Oct 2018 14:51:13 +1100

We’ve been using the success wheel for many years, and every time we use it with a leadership client or team we get great feedback and they get great results. The beauty of this activity is that it’s ridiculously simple and yet super effective. In this post we’re going to share why and how we use the success wheel – and why it brings such successful results.

Episode Highlights:

What is the success wheel?
The personal success wheel
The team success wheel
Success wheel for a leader
Why is this tool so effective?
Success wheel tips and uses

What Do You Want? We’re Here To Help You Get It...

Fri, 05 Oct 2018 09:50:52 +1000

At People Leaders, we’re always happy to hear from our readers and listeners. But today, we’re getting really interactive. If there are things you really want and you’re willing to try and make them happen, we want you to get in touch and tell us all about it. Why? Well, what we really want is to put all our knowledge and experience, tools and resources at your fingertips to help you get what you really want.

There are just five simple steps to this process and, if you take us up on the offer, the result for you promises to be an absolute game changer. Here’s how it works.

Episode Highlights:

#1- Get clear about what you want
#2 - How will I know when I’ve achieved it?
#3 - How will it feel?
#4 - Practise that feeling state
#5 - Get in touch with us

The 4 Agreements for Effective Team Leadership

Tue, 18 Sep 2018 23:06:17 +1000

Many of our coaching clients ask us for book recommendations, especially about the leadership journey. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz is probably the book that we recommend most often - and it’s one of our all-time favourites. It’s powerful, profound, and gives you a framework to operate at your best.

So we thought we’d talk about what the Four Agreements are and give you some examples of how you can apply them in your teams, as a people leader, and even just in everyday life.

Episode Highlights:

A background on the origins of The Four Agreements
Agreement #1: Be impeccable with your word
Agreement #2: Don't take anything personally
Agreement #3: Don't make assumptions
Agreement #4: Always do your best
Why you should also be impeccable with your thoughts
Practical ways to put the four agreements into action
How to use the agreements to boost your self-awareness and create change

Pass the Kava (and the pigs) as Pacific Island Chief Sam talks about Leadership

Thu, 06 Sep 2018 14:45:34 +1000

You may remember from recent pods and posts that we went on holiday to Vanuatu to do some business planning. Since we were discussing people and leadership, we thought we’d chat with a very special someone we met while we were there – Chief Sam.

Chief Sam is an actual Chief of Futuna, a small island in the south of Vanuatu with around 300 people living across four villages. Because we’re always fascinated to learn how different types of leaders work, we were excited to hear all about his role as Chief, and so we shared some Kava and asked him about the joys, responsibilities and challenges of his position.

Episode Highlights:

How Chiefs are appointed
How Chiefs learn about their role and responsibilities
How a Chief knows when he’s doing a good job
What kind of problems and community matters a Chief has to solve
How Chiefs develop and maintain respect
The most difficult thing about the role
What Sam likes most about being a Chief
How the Chief's Council brings village Chiefs together
What Chief Sam sees as the most important thing about his leadership role

Our Top 5 Energy Boosters for People Leaders (Or Anyone For That Matter)

Wed, 22 Aug 2018 12:10:51 +1000

In many of our workshops lately, energy, or rather the lack of it, has been a big issue. In this podcast, we share our top five energy boosting tips. They’re all super easy and there’s not a piece of gym equipment in sight!

As a people leader, you really do need to be at your best if you're expecting the best from your team. And to be as effective as you can be, you need to be optimised mentally, physically, and emotionally. If you can get all of these areas humming along - or even just improve them all a little bit – you’ll have more vitality, more strength and you’ll be able to act more effectively in your role. Here’s a countdown of our favourite energy boosters from five to one.

Episode Highlights:

Drink hot water and lemon first thing
Tip: If you’re prone to laziness, make it at night and top up with hot water in the morning.
Do something of service for someone
Tip: Do this earlier on in the day. If you can set your morning up right, then you're building momentum for a successful and rewarding day.
Take three to five deep diaphragmatic breaths
Tip: Take three deep breaths before going into a meeting or stressful environment. It acts like a pattern interrupt, clearing the head and circulating oxygen throughout the body and brain.
Play your favourite song
Tip: Try incorporating this with your morning hot water and lemon - but be careful not to spill!
Early to bed, early to rise
Find the energy boosters that work for you

Leadership Perspectives - Interview With David Ryan, MD City West Water

Wed, 08 Aug 2018 12:57:00 +1000

Today, as part of our leadership series, we’re sitting down with David Ryan, managing director of City West Water, a government owned retail water company, to hear his thoughts on leadership and running a large organisation.

The background is that People Leaders ran a six-month leadership programme for David’s team at City West Water in Melbourne. Based on the feedback and the shift in behaviour we've seen, it’s been very successful. David explains:“Leadership is a journey of continuous improvement. You don’t ever arrive at the destination and that’s one of the things I love about it. You also have this huge capacity to make a difference, and I love that too. In our field, it's about water and essential services for the community, but seeing my people grow, as much as anything, is the bit I love most.”David added that it’s this bit that provides the most challenges too, because the influence you have is so much through others.

Episode Highlights:

Trust earning behaviour
Creating the right environment
Having difficult conversations
The importance of well-being
The one characteristic every people leader should have
Advice for someone stepping into a people leader role for the first time
Giving and receiving feedback Important practical strategy

The New and Improved High Performing Team Assessment Tool

Thu, 26 Jul 2018 02:12:16 +1000

The High Performing Team Assessment Tool (HPT) is one of our most downloaded resources. It’s so popular because it’s simple to use and benchmarks your team across eight critical areas, enabling you to easily measure improvements over time. At People Leaders, we’re also all about continuous improvement. That’s why we’ve revamped the HPT in line with feedback received and our own new learnings. In this podcast, we talk you through the tool and changes we’ve made to it, explaining why it’s so valuable in helping you improve team performance.

Episode Highlights:

What is the HPT?
The eight dimensions of a high performing team
Why update the high performing team tool and what’s new and improved?
What can the team do with information from the assessment?

MBTI Type Skills for Managers and People Leaders

Wed, 04 Jul 2018 16:46:08 +1000

We recently went on holiday with the extended family to Vanuatu and it was fascinating to observe how different we all were in our ways of being. For example, some of us were crazy organised with an agenda full of activities. Others were very present, focusing only on what was in front of them in that moment. Inspired by the family dynamics, we decided to look at personality types in this podcast because, as a people leader, understanding the different ways people perceive and organise information, communicate and make decisions is incredibly useful in avoiding problems and improving effective collaboration within a team.

Episode Highlights:

Extroversion: Focusing on the outside world
Introversion: Focus on the inside world
Sensing: Focus on basic informationIntuition: Focus on interpretation and added meaning
Thinking: Decision-making preference
Feeling: Decision-making preference
Judging: Orientation to the outside world
Perceiving: Orientation to the outside world
How you can use the MBTI with your team

Psychological Safety in the Workplace

Wed, 20 Jun 2018 16:05:00 +1000

When we talk about diversity in the workplace, we usually think in terms of age and gender. But what about the important differences in personalities, communication styles and approaches? All too often, people don’t speak up at work because it doesn’t feel safe – and the consequences can be far reaching. In this podcast we look at the idea of ‘psychological safety’, and how we can create a framework that really honours the differences people bring to a team.

Episode Highlight:

Psychological safety – what is it and why is it so important?
How to establish accountabilities
Check whether you need to refocus or establish clearer accountabilities
The importance of a team agreement
People leaders who embrace diversity and accommodate different styles create a sense of psychological safety when they invite everyone's input in the way that’s right for them
Everyone learns from each other and they all push each other to success
Free your people up to really engage and not be afraid of each other

4 Essential Ingredients for Effective Team Meetings

Sun, 03 Jun 2018 15:23:25 +1000

People talk about team meetings like they’re a dirty word, and it’s true that without the right preparation they can often feel like a waste of time and energy. Minds wander, focus is lost and before you know it your meeting has missed its mark.

Episode Highlights:

An effective meeting has a clear purpose
Before calling a meeting, think about what you want to get out of it
When you’re clear on the meeting’s purpose, don’t forget to share it with participants before the event
An effective meeting has the right participants
How to prepare an agenda
Effective meetings improve focus, collaboration and performance

How To Motivate Your Team As A People Leader

Wed, 23 May 2018 14:03:43 +1000

How to motivate my team? It’s a common but elusive question that many people leaders struggle with. Your team's drive and desire to perform well is key to their productivity and success. Yet the truth is, you can't really motivate people unless they want to do it themselves. So where does that leave you? In this podcast we discuss four focus areas to consider when thinking about how to motivate your team.

Episode Highlights:

The importance of asking yourself questions
A motivated team starts with a motivated leader
When figuring out improvements, it’s essential to first clarify what you want to be different
Why is motivating my team important to me?
Understanding what improved motivation means is essential before you step into discussions with your team.
Acknowledgement is a powerful tool in your motivational arsenal – and it’s one of the easiest things to give
Simple steps to a more motivated and hard-working team

Awareness, Acceptance and Action

Thu, 03 May 2018 21:08:57 +1000

Today we’re sharing a simple yet powerful model we’ve been using to help our clients work through the process of change. It’s called the Awareness Acceptance Action Model, and it’s a framework or continuum with three stages. Moving through each stage will help you experience a different response in any given situation so that you can create real change.

Episode Highlights:

What is awareness?
There can be no change without awareness
Different ways to develop awareness
How to accept who you are in the moment
When we move into action, we gather information that leads us down another path and ultimately through the situation, feeling or event.
If we jump into action in a state of resistance or misalignment, it will feel like an uphill struggle.
The path of least resistance

Building Your Brand As A People Leader

Thu, 26 Apr 2018 12:27:07 +1000

Recently, we’ve coached a number of people leaders who’ve received feedback from their upline managers around the importance of building their personal brand. We thought it would be interesting to talk about how to build your reputation from a perspective of building relationships.

Episode Highlights:

How to grow stronger relationships across your networks
Stakeholder relationships
Template activity
Focus on relationships with real potential
Remember that you can't be everyone's cup of tea
Action is the only thing that affects change.

Your Leadership Playbook

Thu, 05 Apr 2018 17:04:30 +1000

When we think of a playbook, we think of a strategy or plan used in a team sport. In this podcast, we're talking about how you can create your own personal playbook. It's a useful tool that helps purposeful leaders focus their efforts when they’re going into or have come out of a project or task. It prompts you to address the who, what, where, when and how of your development.

Episode Highlights:

The importance of knowing your top three priorities
It’s useful to know what your manager's top three priorities are and if you don’t, then why not have the conversation in your one-on-one catch-up?
What are the projects you know you need to deliver and what are you doing about them?
The trick to measurement is to agree what the measure is and then to be consistent about the tool you're using to measure it.
Isolate one of your personality strengths and think about how you could use it more often and more consciously.
For example, if you’re a ‘connector’, who are you connecting with and who are you connecting together?
Take the path of least resistance

How to Interpret Lencioni's 5 Dysfunctions of a Team

Wed, 28 Mar 2018 15:14:38 +1100

If you’ve been following People Leaders a while, you’ll know we’re all about optimising your team’s performance and effectiveness. We like to explore ways in which we can help you, and we love hearing what leading-edge thinkers have to say. This week, we’re looking at the work of organisational health expert Patrick Lencioni and the ideas raised in his book ‘The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - A Leadership Fable’.

Episode Highlights:

The five basic dysfunctions that teams commonly struggle with
The causes of these dysfunctions e.g. confusion, misunderstanding, negative morale and can impact entire organisations
Lencioni believes teamwork starts with trust - and the way to build trust is to come from a place of vulnerability
Fear of conflictIf you recognise these patterns within your team, it might come as a relief to know they’re universal and can be overcome
Remember, they’re all connected and the key is to start by building a strong foundation of trust

How To Create A Values Based Personal Development Plan

Fri, 16 Mar 2018 17:33:45 +1100

Values are at our very core. They guide our behaviour and what we stand for. But how often do we really focus on them? We recently re-read The Power of Full Engagement (see below for details), and it reconfirmed to us just how important values are. The message we’re sharing today in this post and podcast, is that living your values is the key to being your best self, and the route to higher performance and effectiveness. The Values Based Personal Development Plan is a seven step process that becomes a tool to guide you, like a compass, with discovery and direction.

Episode Highlights:

‘Living your values’ is about defining what’s important to you and focusing on those things.
The Values Sort Card Tool
The four stage process to evaluating your values
Clarifying your purpose and what’s really important?
What life enriching, energy enhancing practices can you do?
The importance of holding yourself accountable
The impact you have on others

4 Types of Performance Conversations for Leaders and Managers

Thu, 08 Mar 2018 20:01:00 +1100

Performance conversations are extremely important in your job as a manager. A fundamental part of your role is giving feedback to improve your teams’ effectiveness as well as helping each member develop their skills and career. In this podcast we're looking at the four broad performance categories: Underperformers, Average to good performers, High performers and High potential and the things you need to be mindful of when you’re discussing with your team members where they sit on the scale. We’ve developed a simple template to make it easier for you too and it can be used in several different and very useful ways, some of which we discuss below.Episode Highlights:Delving into the 4 broad performance categoriesWhen discussing performance, include things like skills, achievements and strengths and to what degree each person is performing as per expectationsDiscuss as a team for all round agreement, clarity and setting expectationsAnd remember the 80/20 rule and be mindful of where you're putting your energy, time and attention. Don’t labour over minor issues. Focus instead on those that are likely to yield a result if they are fixed.How to have a discussion with the underperformersWhy performance conversations is an art and a scienceUseful Linksinfo@peopleleaders.com.auPeople Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/?trk=cws-cpw-coname-0-0Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/People Leaders Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/People Leaders Twitter - https://twitter.com/PeopleLeadersPeople Leaders Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leadersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mentoring Session Guidelines For People Leaders

Thu, 01 Mar 2018 14:32:00 +1100

These days a lot of people, particularly high performers and senior leaders, enjoy the benefits that coaching and mentoring provide. This podcast and post looks at a resource we offer our clients that delivers a framework to help mentors and coaches direct session discussions. Though you don’t have to follow it to the word, just having these questions in your back pocket, and following the structure loosely, gives you a pathway and will really help you make the most of your time together. Let’s dive in.

Episode Highlights:

What’s happened since our last session?
What are the questions you need to be asking?
Remember that people have mentors for different reasons, perhaps for help developing relationships or progressing their career.
What are you working on?
How can I help?
What’s next?

Customer/Stakeholder Engagement Plan

Mon, 19 Feb 2018 23:56:00 +1100

At the beginning of the year, our clients all share a keen interest in putting their plans into place, identifying objectives and rolling out the strategic plan. One of the key steps in this strategic planning process is a stakeholder analysis. We're going to step you through a very simple - yet very effective - customer/stakeholder engagement plan.

Episode Highlights:

Who are your stakeholders?
Identify individual external stakeholders
Identify the stakeholder’s role
Identify the stakeholder’s impact on your business, project or endeavour
Describe the type of relationship you currently have with the stakeholder
Building external stakeholder relationships
Building internal stakeholder relationships
Take an interest in your stakeholder’s success, and they’ll take an interest in yours

The 10 Key Steps of Team-Based Planning

Thu, 18 Jan 2018 16:39:05 +1100

In our last podcast, we introduced you to the idea of team-based planning and its many benefits. To recap, it’s an activity most commonly carried out at the beginning of the year (or whenever a refresh is required), and it’s guaranteed to bring clarity, focus and direction to your team. Team-based planning gets everyone on board, aligned and invested not only in the outcome, but the journey too.

Episode Highlights:

10 key steps to help you with this valuable planning process
Step One - Situation Analysis. A situation analysis provides context so that everyone starts the planning process on the same page.
To start creating the plan, we recommend the tried and tested SWOT Analysis method which asks the question...
Step Three - Stakeholder Analysis
Step Four - Team Purpose
Step Five - Team Values
Step Six - Setting Objectives
Step Seven – Resources and Support
Step Eight – Shoring up the Plan
Step Nine - Creating a Timeline
Step Ten – Keeping the Plan AliveGetting your team involved in the planning process, with everyone contributing and on board, is a skill that every people leader would do well to master.

An Introduction to Team-Based Planning

Fri, 12 Jan 2018 12:23:51 +1100

Team-based planning is something we work on with our clients at the beginning and end ofthe year as a top and tail activity. But what exactly is team-based planning? Who’s involved? And what are the benefits?

Episode Highlights:

What is team-based planning?
What are the benefits of team-based planning?
How long should planning take?
Who's involved in team-based planning?
When do you carry out team-based planning?
What do you need to start planning?
What’s the difference between team building and team-based planning?

The 3 Keys to Executive Presence for People Leaders

Fri, 15 Dec 2017 00:43:00 +1100

‘Executive presence’. We hear the term a lot, particularly in leadership circles. But what exactly is executive presence? And how does one develop it? At People Leaders, we refer to those with executive presence as having an authentic, confident and poised sense of self that makes a positive impression. In this podcast we've boiled down the concept into three key areas of expression: How you look, How you speak and How you act.

Episode Highlights:

3 Keys to Master the Simple But Elusive Art of Executive Presence.
‘Executive presence’. We hear the term a lot, particularly in leadership circles. But what exactly is executive presence? And how does one develop it?
How you look – You CAN judge a book by its cover
How you speak – your voice reflects how you feel and think
How your tone of voice, pace and language can influence your Executive Presence
How you act – It’s not just what you say, it's how you say it
The importance of body language for executive presence

How to Keep Your Team on the Same Page With a Team Charter

Fri, 08 Dec 2017 14:09:00 +1100

Working well in a team can often be the difference between project failure and success. One way to increase team cohesion is to develop a team charter that details how the team will work together to get the best result. This simple yet instrumental document encourages members to discuss and agree on how best to coordinate efforts towards their shared goal.

It sets out expectations for behaviour and provides a framework for how the team will operate. To get your new team off on the right foot, or to reinvigorate an established one, developing a team charter is an ideal way to gain agreement and ensure everyone is on the same page.

Episode Highlights:

What is a Team Charter?
How to develop your Team Charter
How to use your Team Charter
Some real life examples of Team Charter statements
Creating a team charter is about bringing the team together and having everyone participate in the process.
A well-written team charter will provide clarity and enhance communication and collaboration. By building alignment of values and expectations within the team, it will help you pave the way to deliver better results faster.

How to Create a Team Purpose Statement in Three Steps (and Why)

Wed, 29 Nov 2017 23:35:20 +1100

It’s fair to say that most organisations have a Purpose Statement, Mission Statement or something that determines the company's’ scope of operations and direction. However, though they need just as much clarity and direction (or perhaps more!), it’s rare that individual teams within organisations have their own distinct Purpose Statements.

In this episode, we explain why Team Purpose Statements are such a great idea for your team and organisation as a whole. And, we reveal three simple steps for creating your own.

Episode Highlights:

What are the important questions you need to ask when writing a Team Purpose Statement
Describe what your team does
Who are you doing it for?
Why are we doing what we do?
We suggest managers create the first draft of a Team Purpose Statement and then invite the team to comment, edit or review. Some people need to have a starting point in front of them to critique, evaluate and expand upon
Put up the Team Purpose Statement for all to see - particularly in open plan environments, it's great to have a visual reminder of what each team does. In this way, everyone can see the connections.

A 4 Step Framework for One-on-One Catch Ups for People Leaders

Thu, 23 Nov 2017 13:37:57 +1100

It’s important for managers to check in on their staff in regular one on one catch ups. But without a process or structure, these conversations can be quite transactional. In this post, we explain how we help managers pave the way to far more valuable and effective catch ups using 4 steps and 5 tips.

Episode Highlights:

Step 1 - Follow up
Step 2 - Share information
Step 3 - Provide feedback
Step 4 – Delegate and develop
Tip #1 – Stick to a regular schedule
Tip #2 – Keep it private
Tip #3 – Take notes and follow up
Tip #4 – Timeframe
Tip #5 – Use the feedback model SBIN

5 Tips to Effectively Influence ‘Feelers’

Thu, 16 Nov 2017 23:39:38 +1100

Influencing is an important skill for anyone, especially people leaders. In this post, we continue our discussion on Influencing, focusing our attention on how best to address those with the personality style of ‘Feeler’. Let’s be clear again - this isn’t about manipulation. It’s about how delivery of a message is integral to how it’s received. To influence someone with a predominant decision-making style, we can message our communication in a certain way to influence the outcome for a win win.

Episode Highlights:

What does it mean to be a Feeler?
Who should aware of Feelers, and why?
#1 Tip - Listen for soft objection
# 2 Tip - Understand the impact this decision will have on others
# 3 Tip – Understand their values and where they draw their line in the sand
# 4 Tip - Strive for group agreement or consensus
# 5 Tip - Be personable and empathetic

Are You Leaving Your Most Important Conversations to Chance?

Wed, 08 Nov 2017 18:03:14 +1100

Today we’re sharing insights about the benefits of preparing tangible takeaways before heading into an exchange with a team member (or a colleague for that matter). We’ve recently come across several situations where we’ve helped leaders prepare for a variety of responses heading into a conversation. Invariably we’ve found that presenting visual materials or specific evidence to back up points or demonstrate intent has successfully influenced outcomes. Here’s how.

Episode Highlights:

Facts clear a pathway for an effective conversation
Specifics drive your desired outcome
Preparedness indicates understanding and intent
Examples facilitate action
Prioritising for better wellbeing and balance

A Rasci Matrix to Help Your Teams to Collaborate Effectively

Wed, 01 Nov 2017 13:31:00 +1100

For teams to work well collaboratively, every member must be crystal clear on roles and responsibilities. The RASCI matrix (pronounced ‘racey’) is a simple ‘quick view’ tool that defines who’s involved at what stage and in what capacity. In this way, it helps managers keep everyone on the same page.

RASCI stands for Responsible, Accountable, Supported, Consulted, Informed. It’s an incredibly straightforward and useful model that managers can implement on joining an existing team or starting up an entirely new project. With a RASCI matrix in place, there’s far less room for ambiguity or details slipping through the cracks. Let’s explore how it works.

Episode Highlights:

How to set up your RASCI MatrixThe steps to determine tasks
How to populate your RASCI template
Respnsibility - 'Who is the doer (performer) of this task?’
Accountability - ‘Who has the authority? Who approves the sign off before it the work comes into effect?’
Supportive - The more information you can add to the matrix the better, so annotate for clarification as you go.
Consultation - This person provides information or expertise
Informed - ‘Who needs to be notified of the results or perhaps the project?’
When you need to use RASCI

This Is Me - How to Help Your Team Know You Better

Fri, 20 Oct 2017 03:47:37 +1100

Understanding how team members operate is the key to high-performance teamwork. But it can take some time (and painful trial and error) before you really know what makes each person tick. Through the work we do with managers and teams, we’ve developed a practical shortcut that helps people get to know each other quickly. It’s a simple and highly effective exercise we call, ‘This is me’.

This exercise gives you valuable personal insights in a safe, deep and structured way. And by sharing it with fellow teammates, you’ll fast-track the learning curve and quickly get to grips with their style, needs and challenges. We first learned this approach from Abby Falik, CEO of Global Citizen, and have put together a template you can grab right here. So, let’s explore how it works.

Episode Highlights:

What are my 3 key strengths - a strength is a talent combined with skill, knowledge and experience
3 words people have used to describe me - These answers can help you shape future meetings to ensure they’re effective and leave members with a feeling of energy and accomplishment.
The best way to communicate with me is - It’s important to understand there are different ways to communicate and some people prefer one way to another
The best type of meeting for me - These answers can help you shape future meetings to ensure they’re effective and leave members with a feeling of energy and accomplishment.
The best way to solve a problem with me - A deeper understanding of each other’s preferences and processes helps people smooth the way for more effective problem-solving.
The three questions you need to ask in order to support yourself

A Simple 5 Step Career Planning Guide For Leaders

Thu, 12 Oct 2017 17:01:04 +1100

The end of the fiscal year can often be a time when people begin examining their careers. They may be reflecting on what has been accomplished and how their current role in their organization fits who they are -- their aspirations and goals.As such you may be thinking it’s time to do some career planning. In order to be thorough, career planning doesn’t have to be complicated but it does take a good amount of analysis and thought.

Here is a simple five-step process that helps you identify a) the most important questions to ask yourself, b) the research you may need to do and c) the various elements that are vital to keep in mind as you plan your career goals.

Episode Highlights:

Know yourself (your values, your strengths and your skills)
Explore Your Options (two or three roles you would like to explore)
Make Decisions on the Options (narrow them down based on specific criteria)
Take Action (put a plan in place that will help you achieve your specific career goal)
Put it all together (an overall assessment of the benefits and drawbacks)
We’ve created a simple Career Guide template to help you move through these five steps with ease. It’s well worth spending the time to do this.

Remember: “those who fail to plan, plan to fail.”

5 Tips to Effectively Influence ‘Thinkers’

Wed, 04 Oct 2017 16:40:59 +1100

A big part of any leadership role is knowing how to influence others. Not to manipulate or cajole but to influence so your team can work more cohesively. Because we all see the world differently, not everyone has the same ‘influence buttons’ but the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) gives us clues how to frame an argument based on style or ’preferences.’We covered preferences in more detail in this post on How to use the MBTI In Your Professional Development but today we’re going to focus on Thinkers

Episode Highlights:

What are the characteristics of a thinkerJust give them the facts. Thinkers understand facts. It’s their language.Thinkers like a list so, as you can guess, they love it when they can have two lists. Pros AND cons. That’s Thinker heaven.
Principles are a strong reference point for Thinkers. So if the objective facts of a situation are ambiguous they will then look for an overarching principle to help with their decision making.
Be ready to address the negatives of all positions and expect debate
Do not underestimate the value of influence. It’s the hallmark of a great leader. If you cannot influence you cannot lead, it’s as simple as that.

Meditation - Your Secret Leadership Weapon

Thu, 21 Sep 2017 12:35:55 +1000

Meditation is a subject full of misconceptions and misunderstandings, yet those of us who do it regularly can’t imagine life without it. It’s one of the best kept secrets around but fortunately it’s becoming more and more mainstream.In fact at the leadership level it’s becoming an essential skill.

Mark Bunn, author of Ancient Wisdom for Modern Health sums it up nicely when he says, “Twenty years ago meditation was seen in the business world as something for weirdos. Ten years ago people started to see that maybe there was something to it. And now, you’re at a distinct disadvantage if you don’t meditate.”We’ve both been meditating for more 18 years now and in this post and this podcast episode we wanted to share some of the benefits and insights we’ve picked up along the way.

Episode Highlights:

What are the benefits of meditation
Evidenced based research tells us that meditation increased coherence of the brain and supports neuroplasticity. That’s a fancy word for change in the brain.
Meditation also allows us to develop a thicker cortical wall in the brain which has been linked to a slower decline in brain function with age.
What is turbo sleep?
Meditation tips
Why meditating at the same time each day is beneficial
How you can experiment with meditation

6 Good Coaching Habits For Managers and Leaders

Thu, 07 Sep 2017 10:55:47 +1000

As you move up the leadership chain, your role steadily changes from supervisor to manager to leader. Supervisors are very task oriented and the focus of their work is ensuring that outputs are met in a particular timeframe. Managers and leaders however are more focused on empowering their team members to take responsibility for their own outputs.

In the modern work environment, this requires managers and leaders to be coaches and mentors, usually to their team members but also occasionally to their colleagues as well. Essentially, coaching is about bringing out the best in team members rather than making them work harder or faster.

Episode Highlights:

Coaching strives to bring about capability lift and to make the coachee function independently of the coach. That being the case, it’s not about giving advice.
Coaching the coachee so they can become their own advice giver or to have the resourcefulness to find advice from other resources.
How to solicit and provide feedback
Coach your team members to put themselves in the shoes of others so they can see a broader perspective.
Empowering someone through coaching as a manager or leader means to step back and let them execute, not just in their own way, but also with their own style
Fit the work into the bigger picture
The best way to form a habit

4 Ways to Flip Feedback for Leaders and Managers

Wed, 30 Aug 2017 16:13:46 +1000

Feedback for team members in the work environment is a double edged sword. On one hand it can be constructive and useful, while on the other hand it can also cause stress and discomfort.The stress and discomfort usually comes about because of the top-down aspect of feedback. Usually it’s a manager or leader providing feedback to a team member for the purposes of ‘course correction.'

Episode Highlights:

How to flip the top-down feedback culture to a bottom-up feedback culture
How constructive feedback isn’t always positive hence the value in trying the flip approach
You want specific feedback that you can action so be specific with your questions
Specific question examples you can use for feedback
Seek feedback from all directions, not just your leader or manager, and don’t just go for the friendly option
Make proactive feedback a regular habit
Make your request for feedback as close to an event or situation as possible so it's fresh in people's mind
If a culture has been established that invites and welcomes feedback, those conversations will be much easier and more productive to have

Top 10 Tips for Communicating with Introverts

Wed, 16 Aug 2017 01:45:03 +1000

We’ve previously covered our top 10 tips for communicating with extroverts on our podcast and blog. Today it’s the introvert’s turn*. It may well be that you think you don’t have many introverts on your team or in your workplace but that could be because introversion is often misunderstood.

Some think of introverts as shy and/or quiet. This is often the case but these are definitely not universal attributes. See if the tips below help serve as clues for who on your team might be introverted and adjust your approach to them accordingly.

Episode Highlights:

Practice active listening - of course extroverts like it when you list en actively but there is a subtle difference with introverts
Think before speaking
Respect the need for privacy - This is privacy rather than secrecy, especially when it comes to personal details
Speak slowly and calmly...without being condescending
Choose a time and a place to communicate with a minimum of distraction
Pause and wait for a response
Don't come across as imposing or demanding of an immediate response
Provide information and allow time for processing in advance
Stick to topic
Summarize your final thoughts and the direction that you've agreed on

Top 10 Tips for Communicating with Extroverts

Thu, 10 Aug 2017 01:25:13 +1000

Depending on the nature of your workplace, chances are that half your team (give or take) is likely to be extroverted. Probably less than half if you are running a library and more than half if you are running a sales team. Either way, knowing how to communicate effectively with extroverts is a skill worth having, especially if you are more introverted yourself. That’s not to say that extroverts have special needs as such but if you want to bring out their best, communicating effectively is key.

Episode Highlights:

How to address conflict and confront issues as they arise
Focus on topics that you know well or have had a chance to consider
Create opportunities to network or connect
Be an active listener and show a readiness to respond
Express overt enthusiasm
Give immediate responses and provide verbal acknowledgement
Make concessions for ‘thinking out loud
Take the lead on introductions or conversations
Be ready to follow up and be forthcoming with information
Buy some time if you need it to prepare a response

MBTI Types

Thu, 03 Aug 2017 13:45:18 +1000

As a leader or manager you are in a position where you have more impact than most. While your intention will always be for that impact to be positive, sometimes it’s affected by factors you may not be aware of. Your reputation for example.

If you have a reputation for being strong or principled, then chances are your words and your directions will have more impact than someone with a reputation for not walking the talk. Where there’s a misalignment, problems will arise. They may be small or they may be not so small but they will be problems nevertheless.

Episode Highlights:

What are the energy preferences?
Introversion vs Extroversion
The Information preferences Sensing vs Intuition
The Decision Making Preferences - Thinking (T) and Feeling (F)Orientation to the Outside Word Preferences - Judging (J) and Perceiving (P)
How you can ‘fix’ yourself

Know Your Impact. Know Your Reputation

Tue, 25 Jul 2017 18:33:31 +1000

Seeking feedback can be a challenging process but don’t let that stop you from doing soIn order for the feedback to be as honest as possible, you’re going to need to have a third party help you out. They will be receiving and collating the feedback before you receive it.
How you can identify your participantsYou are after a 360 degree view so don’t just go to staff that report directly to you.
Identifying your questionsThe goal is to know what people think rather than who thinks it.
Review the feedback.
The moment of truth! At this step it might be helpful to have someone run through this with you, to help you interpret and reflect on the results

4 Simple Time Hacks To Improve Your Performance As A Manager

Wed, 12 Jul 2017 13:52:24 +1000

Though all of us have the same amount of time each day, it seems that some folks use that time more effectively than others. While we might like to think it’s because they don’t have as much on their plate as we do, that’s often not the case. Often they actually have more to do but they have just set themselves up to be extremely effective.

While this may take a little effort to set up, you don’t have to be superhuman to do this yourself. If you follow hacks below you should be able to get an extra hour of ‘value’ out of your work day. Whether you choose to use that hour to knock off earlier or to put it to other uses is up to you.

Episode Highlights:

Performance vs Productivity, Effectiveness vs Efficiency
Hack # 1 - Take Control Of Your Email and how he 4D rule can make you more efficient Do, Defer, Delegate and Delete
Hack # 2 - Clear Your Desk - There is nothing like a clear desk. Some folks say they find clutter reassuring because then they know where they can find things. The trouble with this thinking is that you’re faced with constant reminders and remnants of unfinished work.
Hack # 3 - Meet On Your Feet - How a stand up meeting has a total different level of engagement
Hack # 4 - Do. One. Thing.Listen in to the episode to find out the extra 6 bonus hacks to improve your performance as a manager

Cognitive Diversity

Wed, 05 Jul 2017 00:50:03 +1000

Workplace diversity has been a pretty hot topic in recent years. Most people think of diversity in terms such as gender, age, race or physical or intellectual ability. And rightly so, as diversity based on these characteristics add tremendous value to a workplace.

However, there is a less talked about form of diversity that has a huge impact on how teams and businesses operate. Cognitive diversity refers to the differing perspectives or information processing styles that we have. The ways in which we take in information, how we process that information, and how we make decisions based on that information. We discussed it on this week's podcast episode

Episode Highlights:

Most of us are knowledge workers these days, hence the way in which we organise and process information has a huge impact on the work that we doBy ensuring diversity in styles across the team, you are more likely to achieve the best outcomes for all concerned.
We need to be able to switch between one perspective and then the other(s). You can't hold multiple perspectives at the same time. So what does that mean when we're managing people and managing teams?
Being able to switch effectively between perspectives will greatly enhance your problem solving and team building skills. But first it helps to know what those different perspectives look like.
How we receive informationHow to balance cognitive diversity In the workplace

Personality Profile Clarity 4D

Fri, 16 Jun 2017 03:45:37 +1000

We’ve been long time fans of profiling tools and use them almost every day in our business. Our primary tool is the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), but we’re always keen to learn about other tools that can be of value to our clients. We recently became accredited in Clarity 4D and want to share some of what we learned here (you can also listen to us talk about it in this podcast episode).Like the MBTI, Clarity 4D is partly based on Carl Jung’s psychological preferences around the dynamics of thinking and behaviour, and the ancient ‘elements’ of fire, water, air and earth. While Clarity 4D is not as thorough as MBTI, it’s certainly useful and is a great introduction to profiling for teams who are new to it.

In this episode:

The four profiles in Clarity 4D are represented by colours Each colour relates to the elements and the ‘energy’ or characteristics of those elements as noted in the graphic below.
Each profile has a preference for either introversion or extroversion and thinking or feeling. Preferences for intuition and sensing are not differentiated in Clarity 4D.
The 4 in 4D doesn’t refer to the colours though, it refers to the four dimensions of ourselves and our development.
D = Discover, Discuss, Diversify and Develop Clarity 4D gives you a framework that you can use either alone or with others who have an understanding of it.

10 Tips To Invigorate Your Career In Your Organisation

Wed, 07 Jun 2017 03:25:52 +1000

In a recent post we covered 4 Simple Steps to Create a High Performing Career. Today we’re upping the ante with 10 more, but these are focussed specifically on ramping things up within the organisation that you are currently in.

Episode Highlights:

You may have or have had a coach or mentor from within the organisation already but we’d invite you to think outside the box with this one.Y
ou aren’t just looking for support, you are looking for someone to challenge you
Have you considered upskilling others even when they don’t need it? Or running in-house workshops that pass your skills on? Is there a project outside of your direct role that you could add value to?
Take some professional risks.
What are those things that you're doing each day that are leading or contributing to your success?
Spend ten minutes a day reading up on what’s happening within your field or industry.
Find or create some data about the organisation that would be useful to others and write a paper that makes that data meaningful.
Your progress in the organisation will always be relative to the perception that others have of you.
Invite others in the organisation to share openly and honestly what their perception is with you.
Spend a few minutes now to write down your top five talents or skills and see what ideas come up when you arrange them in various combinations. (Yes, this can count towards your 10 ideas per day habit).

Top 3 Tips For Introverted People Leaders

Wed, 24 May 2017 20:00:01 +1000

If you’re an introverted manager, chances are that you will occasionally find your preference for introversion is challenged by your role as a people leader. That’s not to say that introverts don’t make good managers or leaders. It just means that sometimes there’s a need to take on extroverted behaviour in order to be effective.

To clarify. That doesn’t mean you have to ‘be’ an extrovert, just that it helps to take on extroverted behaviours.

Episode Highlights:

3 important tips for introverted managers
What is introversion?
The framework around introversion
Contrary to often held beliefs, introversion doesn’t mean to be shy or aloof or withdrawn
How an introverted person is more likely to think, then speak, then think againHow introverts make decisions and finalise discussions
Why people with an introverted preference may sometimes appear a little bit closed off or less engaged in a conversation than an extrovert.
How your value can’t really be felt unless it’s actually shared.
How you can leave a meeting knowing that a situation or issue has been dealt with to the satisfaction of those involved.
3 tips for introverted managers:

Share information sooner
Be expressive
Prepare for meetings and discussions in advance

Top 3 Tips for Extroverted People Leaders

Wed, 24 May 2017 19:15:54 +1000

Extroverted managers are in their element when it comes to management and leadership. Not necessarily because they are better at it than introverts but because extroverts are people people. They are energised by the group dynamic and develop their ideas by bouncing them off others.

In an earlier podcast episode we shared our 3 top tips for introverted leaders. The blog post included a ‘primer’ on introversion, to clarify what we meant by the term.

This was necessary because introversion is often misunderstood. Extroversion is less misunderstood so a primer isn’t necessary, except to say that a primary distinction between the two is that introverts, think then talk, whereas extroverts tend to talk then think, or, talk as they think.

And although the people dynamic comes more easily to extroverts, or rather, because the people dynamic comes more easily to extroverts, sometimes it’s good for them to flex their style to become more effective in their role.Here are our top 3 tips for managers with a preference for extroversion.

Episode Highlights:

Avoid being imposing or demanding
Listen consciously
Pause and wait for a response

Top 5 Tips for Mindfulness in the Workplace

Thu, 18 May 2017 11:03:08 +1000

People leaders are no stranger to 'mind fullness'. Not only do they have their head crowded with their own issues, but usually there are a dozen or more team issues keeping their mind full also.

We've got five tips to share that can help you be more mindful. You can hear them on our podcast or you can read them below. Or you can do both. You are, after all, a ninja leader!

In this episode:

How a full mind can lead to many forms of stresses
Why you are always on the lookout for what’s next?
The difference between mind fullness and mindfulness
How being mindful can lead to better decision making
How to make your actions more impactful
Top 5 tips for mindfulness in the workplace
Taking control of how you feelUse affirming body language
Listen intently rather than with intent
Express kindness to others
Reflect - Put a checklist on your mirror to bring your awareness to them until they become habitual. If it seems to much to take them all on at once then do them one at a time.

And remember, it's even more fun with a friend. Enlist someone else to be mindful with you so you can support each other and become ninja like together.

5 Tips (and a Challenge) for Well-Being for Leaders

Wed, 10 May 2017 00:44:28 +1000

Leading people creates stress and puts pressure on your health and well-being. But as a leader, it's important for you to set a standard that not only keeps you in top shape, but sets an example for your team to follow.And while you no doubt know what you need to be doing to take care of yourself, chances are you may not be. We covered our five top tips for self care in this week's podcast episode.

Episode Highlights:

Meditate - This is one of the most powerful things we can do for our health yet it's one that many people resist. We think it's because people a) misunderstand exactly what meditation is, and b) have unrealistic expectations about what the experience should be.
Move your body - We are designed to move and need to move to maintain strength, flexibility and even posture. We certainly weren't designed to sit at desks or in front of screens all day. So for those of us who are working in an office or home office environment, we need to do extra to compensate for the movement that's not happening.
Turn up the positive - As adults we need to work a little harder to counteract the streams of negative influences that come our way. Bad news on the television. Gossip and rumours in the workplace or home. Even bad experiences like being cut off in traffic, having someone steal your car, be rude to your or even worse.
Hydrate - Apart from making the body sluggish it also makes the mind sluggish. That's not good for anyone but especially not good for you as a leader with people depending on you to make good decisions.
Get outdoors - We don't need to tell you about the benefits of fresh air vs conditioned air but there is lot more to being outdoors than just that.
Your well-being challenge

The GROW Model

Tue, 02 May 2017 14:11:14 +1000

As a manager or people leader, you have several conversations with team members each day. These will often have a coaching or advisory element to them. Some may even be about performance management. And some conversations may in the form of emails or written memos.In any of these cases, using a model or framework for the conversation will help you cover all the bases and influence the outcome. Our favourite model for this the GROW Model. Not only is it simple but it's easy to make it a habit. We discussed it in this week's podcast.

Episode Highlights:

Goal - Start with the end in mind by asking yourself, "What's the purpose or goal of this conversation?" "What do I want to get out of this conversation?"
Reality - What are the facts of the situation? Often we cloud conversations with emotive arguments or historical factors that don't contribute to the solution.
Options - At this point you know the goal of the conversation and you've established the reality of the situation. So now it's time to explore the options to move forward (it's rare that that there will only be one option hence the use of the plural).
Wrap - As you'd expect, the wrap includes settling on one of the options covered in the previous step. But there's more to it than that. Deciding the option is one thing but, without commitment and action, the conversation goes to waste. The simple questions here are - "What next?" "Who is doing what and by when?"

The 7 Elements of a Resilient Team

Wed, 26 Apr 2017 00:02:36 +1000

In the work we do with leadership teams we often come across teams who are overworked. The impact of this is more than tiredness and inefficiency. It actually affects the character and personality of those in the workplace. People who might usually be optimistic become pessimistic.We've even heard leaders talk about 'racing to average.' This describes the treadmill effect of working hard to only move forward slowly. It's a downward spiral that has a massive cost to business.

A recent study by Medibank revealed that workplace stress is costing the Australian economy over 14 billion dollars a year. Stress related absenteeism is costing Australian employers 10 billion dollars a year. And the average worker loses 3.2 working days through workplace stress each year. What the social cost of this might be we can only imagine.

Episode Highlights:

Developing team resilience is a key strategy for leaders at any level of business
Difficult circumstances are inevitable in business
How the team responds to these circumstances is a measure of their resilience
A team with an optimistic outlook will focus on the outcomes they are after when a problem arises. This is a better approach than to dwell on the causes of the problem.
If the team isn't inherently optimistic, it's up to the leader to set the tone
The team objectives are dependent on the the senior leaders objectives

How To Create A Habit In 5 Easy Steps

Tue, 18 Apr 2017 23:15:20 +1000

Habits are fundamental to performance, not only in the workplace but in life in general. Anytime you create a habit, you free up valuable brain space for more important tasks. You also free up vital energy that you can use better elsewhere. But creating new habits, or getting rid of old habits, is easier said than done. Some say it takes 30 days while other say it takes longer. We don't know for sure what that magic number is but here are 5 simple steps that we know make it a whole lot easier.

Episode Highlights:

Be realistic - sometimes we try to jump in the deep end and take on too much too soon.
Remove obstacles - you want to make it easy for you to engage in your aspirational habit.
Set a schedule - have you ever noticed you brush your teeth or make your coffee in the morning almost without thinking about it? That's the power of regularity. It frees up valuable brain space and decision making energy for other things.
Acknowledge your first landmark - Your new habit won't lock into place overnight but you will hit milestones along the way for sure. Think back to the step goals mentioned in step one above. Those are ideal places to stage your landmarks.
Engage a supporter - Cheerleaders are called leaders for a reason. But you don't need to be a professional athlete to have one on your team.

The SCARF Model

Tue, 11 Apr 2017 18:17:32 +1000

When we are young, we learn things like manners, social cues and social values and incorporate them into our daily actions to the point that we don’t even think about them. How useful would it be to have a collaboration and influencing framework, a tool to improve your social awareness to the point that advanced leadership skills become second nature to you? Today we’re going to explore one such model, the SCARF® model.The SCARF Model was developed by David Rock in 2008 and is described as a brain based model, as it leverages detailed neuroscience research.Episode HighlightsSCARF centres around three core themes or ideas. Our rough translation of those themes is...The 5 domains of human social experience in the SCARF ModelStatus - In a nutshell, the Status domain means that we are constantly evaluating our own importance relative to others.Certainty - As you’d expect, the social dimension of certainty is about being able to predict the future, or at least to have a sense of assurance about what the future holds. In some cases, certainty can give us pleasure, but more often than lot, it’s a lack of certainty that brings us pain.Autonomy - In simple terms, the more choices you can give people, then the higher their level or feeling of autonomy is likely to be. More autonomy is pleasurable, less autonomy is painful.Relatedness essentially equates to a sense of belonging and safety. Are you friend or foe? Do I feel a part of this group or not? Ultimately, do I feel safe or do I feel threatened?Fairness - In the workplace, this boils down to the concept of having fair exchange between people, having the same set of rules and expectations of each other.How do you apply the SCARF model?Useful Linksinfo@peopleleaders.com.auPeople Leaders Website - https://peopleleaders.com.au/People Leaders on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-leaders-pty-ltd/?trk=cws-cpw-coname-0-0Jan Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janterkelsen/Michelle Terkelsen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-terkelsen-creating-high-performing-teams-a992744/People Leaders Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleLeaders/People Leaders Twitter - https://twitter.com/PeopleLeadersPeople Leaders Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/people.leadersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How to Prepare and Conduct a Difficult Conversation as a Manager

Wed, 05 Apr 2017 12:28:27 +1000

For most of us, the idea of having a difficult conversation makes our heart race a little (or a lot). People leaders have an extra layer of difficulty because, in most cases, these are conversations that can’t be avoided.Let’s face it, it’s part of the job and something that has to be done. In fact, if you aren’t having difficult conversations on an almost daily basis, you probably aren’t doing your job to the best of your ability, and nor are you serving your stakeholders as well as you could be. It’s part of the duty of care of being in a leadership role.

Episode Highlights:

What is a difficult conversation?
Every difficult conversation that is avoided is actually a missed opportunity

Steps to prepare for a difficult conversation:

Inform the other party
Set the stage
Assess the facts
Address the emotions
Acknowledge your part Identify positive outcomes
Develop a strategy not a script

Conducting a difficult conversation
Follow-through From a Difficult Conversation

Difficult conversations are a skill that you will continue to develop over your career. The more you practice the more masterful you will become and the less difficult they will be.

4 Simple Steps to Create a High Performing Career

Tue, 28 Mar 2017 21:48:43 +1100

In this podcast, Jan and Michelle talk about why it is important to keep things simple when it comes to career planning.There are several different aspects to career planning. They share tips about kickstarting a career that is in its early stages. They also explain the different ways that people can invigorate their existing careers if they feel like they are stuck in a rut.

Changing to a different career is one of the most challenging things that anyone can do, but there are strategies in place to help people achieve this, even if people feel like it is too late to begin again in a different profession. Jan and Michelle offer strategies for people who are facing any of these difficulties with their career.

Episode Highlights:

Having a sense of self: why it is important to understand personal skills, values and behaviours in order to have a rewarding career
Exploring different options: how people can improve their career prospects by exploring different options through self-education and extra training
Avoiding becoming set in certain ways: why seasoned professionals need to avoid unconscious bias so that they can concentrate on positive career developments
Understanding technology: why being aware of technology and how it affects an industry can make career planning easier
Narrowing focus: how people can narrow their focus to make a career decision after they have evaluated their strengths and weaknesses
Taking action: how to take positive action after the focus has been put on a particular career decision

Renewal - The Eight Dimension of The High Performing Team Assessment Tool

Mon, 20 Mar 2017 21:15:07 +1100

In this podcast, Jan and Michelle talk about recovering from setbacks as individuals and as a team. They believe this is only possible if People Leaders and team members maintain their physical and mental health at all times.

The People Leader has a responsibility to create an environment where team members feel like they can bounce back from adversity. This can be done in a variety of different ways, both in group and individual settings. When team members feel like they are being encouraged to improve through training and constructive feedback, they are more likely to recover from a setback.It is also important for team members to feel part of a collective ethos so that they can recover from setbacks as a group, without anyone feeling that they have been left behind.

Jan and Michelle offer strategies on how People Leaders and team members can recover from adversity more effectively.

Episode Highlights:

Common setbacks: what the most common setbacks are for individuals and teams as a wholePeople Leader setback strategies: how People Leaders can help their team members recover from a wide range of different setbacks
Team member setback strategies: how team members can help each other to renew and recover from setbacks
Health and setbacks: why People Leaders and team members need to look after their mental and physical health to prevent setbacks
Link between communication and setbacks: why clear communication is key for preventing failure on individual and team levels
The importance of setbacks: why adversity is important for improving the team’s ability to renew itself and improve

Flow - The Seventh Dimension of The High Performing Team Assessment Tool

Tue, 14 Mar 2017 00:59:47 +1100

In this podcast, Jan and Michelle talk about the importance of clear communication between different members of a team. They highlight the need for team leaders to keep the channels of communication open with team members so that everyone can work efficiently all the time.
When team members share information freely amongst themselves, they become a more cohesive unit and perform better.

Jan and Michelle also talk about the importance of seeking input from other people in order to resolve issues and conflicts. Super clear communication is vital when team members are dealing with people outside the company, such as key stakeholders. Poor communication with such stakeholders can lead to serious problems.Jan and Michelle offer strategies which can help you as a People Leader or team member improve the flow of communication between team leaders, members and stakeholders.

Episode Highlights:

Concise leader communication: why leadership communication needs to be clear and consistent all the time
Open communication between the team: how team members can talk to each other openly and respect each other’s time to improve efficiency
Correct stakeholder communication: how to communicate with stakeholders so that they feel like they are “in the loop” at all times
Resolving issues: how to resolve issues by being honest with team leaders and members
Issues and time: understanding why it is important to deal with issues as soon as possible by being clear

Growth - The Sixth Dimension of The High Performing Team Assessment Tool

Tue, 07 Mar 2017 23:57:38 +1100

In this podcast, Jan and Michelle discuss the importance of growth and a development-focused approach in managing teams. One of the top reasons employees leave organisations is a lack of professional development, so maintaining a competitive advantage prevents attrition and attracts talent. By helping team members develop the right level of technical confidence, members can achieve their goals and influence outcomes.

Jan and Michelle also maintain that keeping conversations about strengths and goals should continue far past the interview, and are vital for individual and team development.

Episode Highlights:

Public positive feedback: why acknowledging team members’ strengths publicly is key
Improving work processes: How to allocate time to make sure processes work optimally.
Communication encouraging growth: Why it is important to regularly communicate performance goals and encourage team members to share what’s on their mind.
Organising growth: Why the team needs a process for organising and managing growth.
Accepting feedback: How to listen with all senses and accept constructive feedback.
Encouraging growth: Michelle’s seven easy strategies for encouraging growth in teams.
Development and delegation: Why leadership is giving members vision and direction.

Service - The Fifth Dimension of The High Performing Team Assessment Tool

Tue, 28 Feb 2017 21:02:36 +1100

In this episode, Jan and Michelle talk about the relationship teams have with clients and stakeholders. A “stakeholder” is anyone who has something to gain or lose as a result of your efforts, so it’s important to be clear on who they are, how your team’s work affects them, and how to maintain expectations.

Jan and Michelle weigh in on how service relationships need to involve two-way communication, clear understanding, and more organized team approaches.

Episode highlights:

Being clear about stakeholders: Why it is important for managers and team members to agree about who their work affects.
Know their expectations: How would members rate the team, what do they want to see, and what works?
Clear criteria: How to judge on quality, timeliness, trust, and consistency.
Client and stakeholder feedback: How constructive feedback is a two-way street...
Service litmus test: Is communication clear even when there’s not a problem
Plan for success: Why it is vital to have a clear approach for client interaction, knowing how to communicate, and what’s important to them.
Clarity is key: How to be crystal on who stakeholders are and how to do your best for them.

Accountability - The Third Dimension of High Performing Teams Assessment Tool

Tue, 14 Feb 2017 12:07:16 +1100

In this podcast, Michelle and Jan clarify the crucial difference between “accountability” and “responsibility”, then map out why accountability is such a critical gear in engineering true team performance. When individuals are clear about their role and what they are accountable for, they tend to perform better. Moreover, when individuals are also clear about what others’ roles are, conflict plummets and performance lifts.

People generally want to do a great job, and they tend to step up when they know what they are being measured on. Jan and Michelle share actionable examples of how you, as a People Leader or team member, can successfully facilitate this and more.

Episode Highlights:

Where the buck stops: how accountability is really about one person, and responsibility is about a group
Know your role: the importance of each person knowing the value they are expected to bring
Know their role: the further importance of how each person should know everyone else’s role...The subtle art of acknowledgment: when to cheer (and when not to)
Metrics, metrics, metrics: Decide what to measure, then share, share, share...
Why regular “check-ins” are the secret weapon to individual and team performance
Keeping an ear to the grindstone: having conversations which matter to the team and the enterprise
Empowerment trumps diminishment: Giving constructive feedback…
Why every leader should get creative with team meetings and have them often

Interactions - The Second Dimension of High Performing Team Assessment Tool

Thu, 09 Feb 2017 14:08:25 +1100

In this episode Michelle and Jan discuss the importance of positive interpersonal relationships within a team and how they can affect team performance. They also discuss the importance of building trust in the team and what you can do to continue this process.

Michelle and Jan give you easy to implement strategies on how to build and foster positive interactions amongst team members.

Episode highlights:

We look at interpersonal relationships that exists amongst the team members.
The importance of giving constructive feedback
The challenge for people leaders is that they still have to get work done, but they get work done through people
The importance of setting time for the your team
The two main qualities for a successful team are...A great reflective and practical question to ask yourself; Do you think you and your team have a high level of trust? And how is that demonstrated?
Trust within the workplace
The importance of building the right culture within the workplace

TIP: Practice the process of giving and receiving feedback

The importance of engaging your team and utilising the individual contribution that each team member can bring
A great question to ask yourself as a manager/leader ‘How do we demonstrate and display trust in our team?’

Process - The Fourth Dimension of The High Performing Team Assessment Tool

Thu, 09 Feb 2017 12:50:17 +1100

In this episode, Michelle and Jan discuss the importance of internal processes and procedures which successful teams follow. By having clear and organised actions planned for regular and unexpected situations, attaining goals and solving problems can actually be simple and easy. Setting expectations also sets teams up for success, and keeping everyone in the loop on procedures can prevent and solve future conflicts.

Jan and Michelle then help us understand how processes for handling meetings, decisions, conflicts, and obstacles benefit everyone on all levels of a team.

Episode highlights:

What is the purpose?
How to give clarity on what you’re getting out of a procedure
On the same page: How to make sure policies and procedures are clearly articulated and understood
Focus on the future: Why the best meetings look forward
Plan for how to make decisions: Why it is important to have a process for both easy and difficult choices...
Top 10 strategies for dealing with conflict: How to implement processes for handling in-team battles
Productive meetings: How to keep everyone involved in the agenda while getting things done
Feedback after meetings: Ways to ensure that team members can evaluate the success of meetings
Taking one for the team: How to get things done when one person is absent

Direction - The First Dimension of High Performing Teams

Wed, 25 Jan 2017 14:36:43 +1100

In this podcast series Michelle and Jan share stories, insights and practical examples of what it takes to create and lead a High Performing team. In a lively discussion format they present an overview of their High Performing Team assessment. They systematically work through the 8 key dimensions to provide you with a clear understanding of how to build an engaged team.By listening to this podcast you will learn how to set clear objectives for your team and how this will set you up for success.You will also learn what to look out for so you can setup your team and yourself in the right direction.

In this episode:

Explore the first dimension of the High Performing Team assessment tool which is Direction
The reason why direction is the first dimension is because it’s so important that everyone in the team is clear where they're heading what they’re doing
Be clear about what the team is measuring their performance against (internal or external)
The clearer you are about what you want to achieve the more likely you’ll be to achieve it
There are five different categories within direction
As you listen rate yourself in the five categories“The more specific you can be about what it is you are trying to achieve the clearer everybody in the team is going to be about”

The High Performing Performing Team Assessment Tool An Overview

Wed, 25 Jan 2017 14:36:42 +1100

DirectionInteractions
Accountability
Process
Service
Growth
Flow
Renewal

If you are a Leader of a team, this podcast is for you, you will walk away with at least 1 practical strategy that you can implement with your team, that doesn’t cost money just some focused attention.

In this episode:

Jan and Michelle explain the eight facets of a high performing team
Why it is important for teams to have set processes to follow
Why accountability is important
How interpersonal relationships can affect the performance of a team
How different teams in the same organisation respond to customers or stakeholders
How colleagues and different teams in the same organisation can improve their communication with one another
Why the ability to face stress and build resilience is an important skill

Preview and Intro to People Leaders

Wed, 25 Jan 2017 14:36:39 +1100

The People Leaders Podcast is a resource for managers and business leaders creating high performing teams. Join leadership and team development experts Jan and Michelle Terkelsen each week and explore both subjects from every angle. Through practical tips, valuable insights, and compelling interviews with leadership experts around the world, you’ll learn how to bring out the best in your staff and how to give your best as a leader.

We cover issues such as workplace communication, understanding the self and each other, the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), managing virtual teams, our very own High Performing Team Assessment Tool and much more.

Our goal with the podcast is to reduce workplace stress and increase job satisfaction for leaders, managers and their teams worldwide.

In this Episode:

Welcome, What, How and Why the People Leaders Podcast
What excites Michelle & Jan about the new People Leaders Podcast
Between Jan and Michelle they have over 30 years of experience within the industry
Each episode you will walk away with something practical that you can use with your team right away
The next 9 episodes revolve around their High Performing Team Assessment tool (HPT).
The HPT is an excellent assessment tool for teams which is about more than roles and goals it involves relationships, communication and practical strategies