Make It Work

As business owners we generally have a goal of growing our business and making it scalable. But growth isn't always linear and it isn't always what the business needs.  In this episode, we discuss business growth and its challenges with Darrell King, founder and CE of PolarSeven, a consulting and managed services organisation.

Did you know that 70% of change programs fail? This is often due to employee resistance and lack of support from management. In this episode, Karen and Lachy talk about implementing change in the workplace, why it is not always handled skilfully, and what businesses can do to manage change successfully.

How is compassionate leadership different from empathetic leadership? Difficult workplace conversations require a mindful touch, and while wisdom without compassion can be ruthless, compassion without wisdom is naive. In this episode, Karen and Lachy are in conversation with Jenny Steadman about the role of compassion in being a leader, and how this intersects with wisdom. Jenny Steadman is the Ac...

Financial rewards are one way of motivating staff, but research suggests they're not the most effective. Factors like work-life balance and pleasant work atmospheres are becoming much more popular in someone's motivation to work somewhere. In this episode, Karen and Lachy discuss the question, if it's not cold hard cash, then what does motivate us at work? 

It's a tough time for recruiting at the moment. Australia's skills shortages have only been exacerbated by border closure and other pandemic-related factors. Many businesses are struggling to recruit and retain key roles, leading to outsourcing overseas. In this episode, Karen and Lachy, with special guest Nathan Sobi, MD of Ethos360, unpack and analyse current challenges in recruitment, and talk...

Feedback is critical for effective communication at work, to help us learn and develop. However, it's not always delivered well, if at all. Karen and Lachy delve into the hot topic of feedback: why it's important, how to give it, and, maybe most importantly, how to receive it.

This week, Karen and Lachy look at the role and importance of technology in business with special guest Maria Padisetti. Leveraging technology has become vital to business growth, but it can be an expensive investment if it's done ad-hoc and without purpose.  CEO of Digital Armour, Maria is an expert in implementing IT solutions and transforming businesses through the use of technology.

Humans respond strongly to rewards - and financial incentives seem to be the most popular in business settings. Yet, research shows they're not the most effective form of motivation in the long run. In this episode, Karen and Lachy are looking at financial rewards: what works for them, what doesn't, and do they actually encourage behaviour change?

Vulnerability at work seems to be a hot topic at the moment. The image of the emotionless work persona is thawing, and leaders are being encouraged to bring their whole selves to work.  But showing vulnerability is daunting! In this episode, Karen and Lachy look at what vulnerability looks like in a work context, and the role it plays in effective leadership.

As flexible and hybrid work becomes the new normal, businesses are faced with the new challenge of how to design spaces and offices that cater to this. In this episode, we chat with Christina Kim, who specialises in designing human centric spaces, about the role of workplace design in today's hybrid, flexible environment.

The biggest challenge to setting goals is keeping track of them, and staying accountable. Scorecards are a great way of measuring your company's goals at a high level. In this episode, Karen and Lachy discuss the balanced scorecard, and how you can use it to set simple and achievable goals, and to stay on top of key performance indicators.

Goals are easy to set but difficult to follow. It's one thing to set up a goal framework, but then you have to track how you're going and measure against it - it's easy to lose track pretty quickly! A major part of setting goals effectively is making sure they are achievable and measurable. Karen and Lachy explore different goal-setting frameworks, why some goals are more effective than others, an...

Special guest Peter Solway is put in the hot-seat in this week's episode. An expert in solving B2B sales challenges, Peter is an entrepreneurial sales leader for small businesses. Karen and Lachy discuss with Peter the best ways business owners can build sustainable sales processes and grow their businesses.

You've invested so much in the hiring process, yet simply showing a new employee their workspace (or in today's world, sending them their new laptop) and wishing them well on day one isn't going to set them up for success. Put yourself in their shoes: we all know how nerve-wracking it can be to start a new job at a new company. The actions you take, or don't take, in an employee's first 30 days wi...

Generally, workplace cultures are described as 'fast-paced', or 'fun'. But, what about 'kind'? Kindness in the workplace can be difficult to pin down, but Lachy and Karen are up for the challenge! Looking at how we define workplace kindness and whether it's overrated, they bring their leadership experience to dive deep on whether kindness is a necessity or a distraction at work.

We spend a lot of time at work with our colleagues. It's not uncommon to hear a workplace referred to as a family - but how does this impact the culture of the workplace? In this episode, Karen and Lachy are discussing the impact of calling your work environment 'family'. Does it foster a stronger sense of teamwork? Does it negatively impact managerial relationships?

Developing your leadership for the future of work. Welcome to series 3 of the Make It work Podcast! -Returning on 10 March 2022- My name is Karen Kirton and along with my co-host Lachy Gray, we explore what the future of work looks like, and how as leaders we need to adapt. Each episode is less than 30 minutes as we explore the theme of growth. Of ourselves as leaders, our people and our businesse...

Can anyone believe it's almost a new year?! And what a year it's been. It felt like the longest year and the shortest year, all at the same time. But, either way, it's brought up a lot of different and interesting big questions for business and for leadership. In the final episode of 2021, Lachy and Karen recap the biggest issues and key takeaways discussed in this series of Make it Work.

As we begin to approach 'COVID-normal', what does this mean for work? Most workplaces are navigating the return to the office, but this might not suit everyone who had grown accustomed to their more flexible work-from-home lifestyle. On the other side, the office may look entirely different from how we left it almost 2 years ago! In this episode, Karen and Lachy discuss the ups and downs of return...

You've heard it everywhere: the 'Great Resignation' is upon us. Employees are dropping out of the mainstream workforce to pursue freelance work or working gigs.  So how can business owners ensure they keep their people when the gig economy continues to rise as an attractive option? In this episode of Make it Work, Lachy and Karen discuss what motivates people to go freelancing, vs. working in a te...

In this very special episode of Make it Work, Lachy and Karen welcome special guest Kaylene Wynn. Kaylene has over 20 years of experience working as a transpersonal psychotherapist and executive mind coach, and she's the author of Rise and Shine - awaken your greatest self. Together, they talk about the importance of workplace wellness and strategies for mental wellness, both for leaders looking o...

Where does the responsibility for building culture fall? On the leader? On the HR department? On everyone in the team? In this episode, Lachy and Karen discuss opposing sides of the question. They both explore how the responsibility of culture is shared, communicated and enforced. They also talk about the repercussions of weak business culture, and how you can check in and make sure your workplace...

At some point or another, we've all had conversations with people with strong beliefs. It's uncomfortable, and it's easy to get defensive, or angry, when coming against an opposing belief. But what if you could take a step back, and approach the conversation with empathy and an open mind? Would that change the outcome of your conversation? In this episode of Make it Work, Karen and Lachy share exp...

Surely being an overachiever is paramount to running a business. Leaders are often tasked with generating passion and energy and fuelling business growth. But, recent research from the Harvard Business Review may indicate otherwise.... In this episode of Make it Work, Karen and Lachy talk about the relationship between a leaders' personality and their leadership style. Are overachievers damaging t...

How can we as leaders navigate mental health? It's a pretty difficult subject, and it can be hard to know where the boundaries are around talking about mental health and checking in on your team.  Sharing their own experiences as leaders, Karen and Lachy delve in and discuss the importance of discussing mental health at work. Being proactive about mental wellbeing is so important. Having plans and...