Culture of Leadership

Highly Effective Leader Website

Leadership & Growth YouTube Channel

Manager to leader book (Amazon)

If you have any questions for Brendan around this episode or generally around culture, leadership, or teamwork, feel free to contact him here.

57. How to Communicate & Be Heard

Culture of Leadership

08/22/21 • 0 min

In this episode, Amber and I are both in lockdown in our homes (once again) which means we could unfortunately not record this episode in person but we still managed to get into a cracker conversation about leadership, communication to be heard, and personal development.

Amber Daines is one of Australia’s most agile communications professionals. She is known for her ability to devise and implement successful strategies across all forms of external and internal communications. She helps leaders improve their ability to advocate for their business to their employees and the outside world through speaking and writing. Amber knows how important communication is to success, so she pushes leaders to understand that listening is the first step in being heard. So often leaders are in the position of simply telling people what to do without sharing the philosophy behind it. Amber shares that a leader’s philosophy (and the proper communication of that philosophy) is the thing that really gets the buy-in from his/her team. Without buy-in, unfortunately, a leader will struggle to gain trust which will, in turn, ensure a full effort from team members when working to achieve a goal.

Amber helps us understand the best way to go about getting ourselves heard through better communication.

Discussion Points

Why is communication so important when you are a leader
Remember who your audience is and remain consistent
How leaders can get comfortable with who they are?
The impact of a leader with poor communication skills
The importance of vulnerability in a leader
The media its influence on vulnerability in leaders
Online vs offline communication
Social media in communication
What is a good measure of your communication success?
Personal branding
Nonverbal communication tips
Becoming better listeners
How to get leaders to change by seeking feedback
Top tips to improve communication
Amber’s podcast

Resources

The Politics of Everything Facebook page

Amber Daines Website

Amber Daines LinkedIn

Amber Daines Instagram

If you have any questions for Brendan around this episode or generally around culture, leadership or teamwork, feel free to contact him here.

56. How to work with and motivate disengaged team members

Culture of Leadership

08/08/21 • 0 min

Today I’m talking to Erin Jewell – a Thrive Global top 10 coach of 2021. She is an executive mindset, growth- and performance coach, speaker, and professor of leadership at Villanova University. She has over twenty years of leadership experience in the healthcare sector, working at Pfizer, Boston Scientific, and Medtronic. She has become an expert in strategies to manage team performance and had built a successful consulting practice based on these strategies. Our focus today is on engaged versus disengaged team members. Erin unpacks a few of the reasons team members might be disengaged, things leaders can do to change the situation and things leaders should avoid doing that may cause team members to disengage.

Our conversation goes into some great tips that will help both leaders and team members to better engage with each other by focusing on themselves and what they can do to promote a better work environment.

Discussion Points

Erin as Thrive Global top 10 coach
Working with leaders in the vaccine development industry
The impact of the pandemic on leaders in different industries
The great resignation
Engaged vs Disengaged
What can a leader do that causes disengagement?
The meaning quotient (MQ)
How to choose the right person to lead
Transitioning from individual performer to leader
Self-awareness in leadership
Practicing what you preach as a leader
Compassion and boundaries go hand in hand
The Karpman Drama Triangle
The responsibility of the team member/employee
What has had the greatest impact on Erin’s leadership journey?

Resources

Culture of Leadership Podcast Website

Culture of Leadership LinkedIn

Culture of Leadership Facebook Page

Culture of Leadership YouTube Channel

Culture of Leadership Instagram

Erin Jewel Instagram

Erin Jewel Facebook

Erin Jewel LinkedIn

The Meaning Quotient study

The Karpman Drama triangle

If you have any questions for Brendan around this episode or generally around culture, leadership or teamwork, feel free to contact him here.

55. How to Overcome Ego & Win

Culture of Leadership

07/25/21 • 0 min

Andrew Bartlow has 25 years of HR and organizational management experience. He is passionate about helping leaders identify their strengths and weaknesses and he has an empathetic approach to helping them improve the way they run their businesses and manage their employees. Andrew discusses a wide range of topics from his new book, Scaling for Success – where the focus is on people being the priority when working on scaling your business.

Andrew and I have very similar views on the use of personality assessment tools when making hiring decisions- that it’s a very poor way of identifying a good fit in an organization. We also go into quite a bit of detail around Andrew’s theory around the two founder archetypes – Mule-drivers and Prophets – both coming with their specific strengths and weaknesses. Andrew breaks down his process of working with each of these founder-types to help them understand their role in the successes and failures of their organizations. He works with these founders to improve their weaknesses or hire someone with strengths that complement their weaknesses. If you are a founder and not sure why there may be frustrations in your organization, listen up, you may just get the insight you need from today’s episode.

Discussion Points

All about ego
The Ego traps
The Mule-driver vs Prophet archetype founders
Impact of people in a “Prophet-founded” organization
How Andrew approaches these founders
RACI – tool
HR in a Mule-driver organization
Tools for founders (spoiler – the tool doesn’t matter)
Making decisions using tools are dangerous
Developing trust in teams
Advice for prophet founders
Advice to mule-driver founders
The greatest impact in Andrew’s leadership journey

Resources

People Leader Accelerator

Andrew Bartlow LinkedIn

Series B Consulting

Speak on Podcasts – Andrew Bartlow

Daniel Pink – Drive

5 Dysfunctions of a Team Patrick Lencioni

RACI – tool

Myers-Briggs indicator

Predictive index

Scaling for Success – Book

If you have any questions for Brendan around this episode or generally around culture, leadership or teamwork, feel free to contact him here.

52. Values, Leadership & Football with Michael Thwaite

Culture of Leadership

06/14/21 • 0 min

Michael Thwaite is an athlete, a businessman, a husband and a father. While his successes include playing for professional teams all over the world and marrying his high school sweetheart, he has had to deal with all kinds of disappointments and delays in his life and career as well. A few years ago – he made the decision to put his family first at this point in his life, recognizing that his children won’t be small forever – so he wants to be there for them. In today’s episode, he gives us insight into his values as a leader and the habits he has adopted in order to cultivate those values.

He has pushed through many disappointments and come out the other side a humbler, but stronger person. Now he’s taking on the challenge of working in his community as a disability support worker – helping people with disabilities get involved in sport. Michael is a leader in the truest sense of the word as he exemplifies a positive attitude even in his darkest moments. I chat with him about some of his major accomplishments and how he was able to get through his lowest moments. His answers might surprise you... Michael Thwaite has had a rollercoaster- career, but he wouldn’t change a single thing if that would mean he’d end up anywhere other than right where he’s at now in his life.

Discussion Points

Michael Thwaite’s career
Michael’s start in soccer
Values that drive Michael
Michael’s journey as a leader
Habits Michael adopted to reach his goals
Learning from failure
Dealing with mental health struggles
Resilience patterns
Michael’s new role as disability support worker
Michael’s thoughts on social media
That’s football business
Biggest challenge in Michael’s career
Michael’s greatest career highlight
What’s next for Michael?

Resources

Michael Thwaite Instagram

That’s Football Website

If you have any questions for Brendan around this episode or generally around culture, leadership or teamwork, feel free to contact him here.

51. The Culture of Lifelong Learning

Culture of Leadership

05/31/21 • 0 min

Today’s guest on this episode of The Culture of Leadership is Dr. Wilma Slenders. She is an expert management consultant with many years of experience in helping leaders realise their potential and better themselves through empathy and change management in their businesses.

We explore the idea of Lifetime Employability versus Lifelong employment and how that affects the mindset and work ethic of employees. This again, has a direct impact on the culture of an organisation. They discuss how important it is for leaders to see their actions through the eyes of their employees in order to ensure that they make decisions that will benefit the company as a whole – including all its employees.

This episode is packed with brilliant examples that explain the reasoning behind the theories and on top of that, Dr. Slenders shares some really exciting news about her upcoming book.

Discussion Points

Dr. Slenders’ road to becoming a leadership consultant
Lifetime Employability vs Lifelong employment
Benefits of having Lifetime employability mindset
Skills required for lifetime employability
Change agility
Relationships and trust during times of change
Leaders and Empathy
Dr. Slenders’ book
Dr. Slenders’ Advice to leaders

Resources

Transcend Management Advisors Inc

Dr. Wilma Slenders LinkedIn Page

Transcend Management Advisors Inc Facebook Page

Edelman Trust Barometer

If you have any questions for Brendan around this episode or generally around culture, leadership or teamwork, feel free to contact him here.

50. The Culture of Advisory Boards

Culture of Leadership

05/17/21 • 0 min

In today’s episode – the 50th episode of The Culture of Leadership, Brendan’s guest is Jo Hanlon. Jo is an expert business coach and mentor in the area of boosting productivity and opening communication channels and cultivating positive workplace culture. She runs a business called “Mind Your Ps” (referring to People, Productivity and Potential). They are a team of consultants who provides HR Coaching to employers and business owners, specialising in helping these leaders get the best out of themselves and their team.

Brendan chats to Jo about the role that advisory boards play in a business environment and why a business owner would want to put together an advisory board in the first place. She shares some really interesting insights on what you should have in place as a business before starting to work with an advisory board to ensure you get the most ‘bang for your buck’. Advisory boards work best when the business owner has a clear idea of the outcomes they wish to achieve from the process. Jo points out that it is also important to be open to new ideas and changes when you are considering putting an advisory board together to solve a problem for your business. Advisory boards aren’t suitable in all businesses or in all situations but there are a lot of businesses that could greatly benefit from implementing such a structure – and with Jo being an expert in this fairly new field in business, this episode is a great place to get started if you are looking to find out more about advisory boards.

Discussion Points

Jo’s background
What is an advisory board?
What sort of business can benefit from an advisory board?
Challenges that warrant an advisory board
Criteria and requirements for advisory board members
The Importance (or not) of teamwork in advisory boards
Governance board vs advisory board
Where to find information around advisory boards
Situations that would not benefit from an advisory board
Why networking is important to Jo
Situations where a business uses both a governance board and an advisory board
When a business should grow from a sole consultant to an advisory board
Cons around advisory boards
Advice for businesses considering advisory boards
Become an advisor
The cost of an advisory board

Resources

Jo Hanlon Website

Jo Hanlon LinkedIn

Mind your Ps Website

If you have any questions for Brendan around this episode or generally around culture, leadership or teamwork, feel free to contact him here.

49. The Culture of Remote Working

Culture of Leadership

05/03/21 • 0 min

Bretton Putter is passionate about company culture and his work has brought him to focus on remote working environments. He is CEO of a culture, leadership software and service platform called CultureGene – a platform that has changed the culture-trajectory of a multitude of companies who have had to make major adjustments and changes, thanks to the current “COVID new-normal”. Brett’s knowledge stems from years of consulting and working with a multitude of leaders in business who needed guidance on tackling culture challenges in their businesses.

Brendan chats to Brett about his book “Own your Culture” – their discussion revolving around the nine best practices of a successful remote working environment. Bretton points out which practices he deems to be most critical in a hybrid or fully remote business. Interestingly, Brett also debunks the myth that “structure stifles creativity in remote working”. He also makes it clear that it isn’t just up to the CEO and management to decide on what works for everyone in terms of structure – it should be a consultative process.

If you are a leader in a business that was unexpectedly ‘forced’ into remote working thanks to the pandemic over the last year – this episode is sure to give you some tips and things to consider about your management style. Even if you have been doing everything right – chances are, you will still learn something from Brett when it comes to bettering your company culture in future. Especially since it’s becoming clear as time goes on that going back to the “old-normal” is not going to be a viable option for most businesses post-COVID.

Discussion Points:

Bretton’s background
How the book “Own Your Culture” came about
Challenges in managing culture in a newly remote working environment
Difference between remote work and the Hybrid model
Why hybrid organizations are more difficult to lead
Frustrations in hybrid culture
9 Best practices in working remotely
- Build social connections at a distance
- Create recorded processes for your business
- Focus on communication
- Document everything
- Create a structure
- Develop and nurture transparency, trust, and accountability
- Focus on results, output, and outcomes
- Customize your hiring process
- Be deliberate about your culture
Remote Recruiting processes
Advice on remote working practices
Key Takeaways from Brendan

Resources

CultureGene

Bretton Putter LinkedIn

Own your Culture Book (Amazon)

Bretton Putter Twitter

If you have any questions for Brendan around this episode or generally around culture, leadership or teamwork, feel free to contact him here.

47. Attracting, Selecting & Retaining High Performers

Culture of Leadership

04/05/21 • 0 min

What factors go into the recruitment process? What makes a good leader? Why does treating candidates with respect matter? These are some of the questions that we’ll explore in today’s episode.

Today’s guest is Mark Purbrick. Mark is the Managing Director of Peoplogica. He has over 35 years of management experience, including 23 years at the General Manager or Chief Executive Officer level, as well as more than 30 years of board director experience for both private enterprise and government-controlled entities. Mark assists clients to make the right business and people capital decisions.

Mark has designed Innovative People Capital Solutions and has ensured that Peoplogica is at the forefront of people tests, assessments, and surveys. He specializes in the attraction, selection, and retention of high-performing talent. Listen to today’s episode to hear what Mark has to say about what high-performing talent looks like, how businesses can attract them, and what leaders need to be doing through the selection process.

Discussion Points:

Mark’s passions for attracting talent and for winemaking
An overview of Peoplogica
The types of business or leaders that seek Mark’s help
What a high-performing talent looks like
Consistency or inconsistency in the behaviors that high performers have
How a business can attract high-performing talent
What leaders need to do throughout the selection process
Treating candidates with courtesy
Tools that offer the best value in the interview process
The costs of getting the wrong person in the organization
What a company needs to do to retain top talent
Most effective tips for leaders
How much easier the Peoplogica tools make coaching conversations for leaders
The biggest bit of advice for attracting, selecting, and retaining high performing talent

Resources