Make It Work

Reviewing our 2023 episodes, we provide themes from the year, offering insights for those interested in the intersection of upskilling, AI, and business growth.

In episode 19 of series 4 of the Make it Work Podcast, Angela Connell-Richards, CEO of Vivacity, joins Karen Kirton and Lachy Gray to explore the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the training industry. Drawing on her experiences, Angela discusses the integration of generative AI, specifically ChatGPT, in education, emphasizing its role in writing materials, creating presentations, and enh...

Skills-based hiring and development is reshaping the way organisations attract and retain talent. By embracing skills-based roles, organisations can not only access a broader pool of talent but also foster diversity, reduce unconscious bias, and prioritise employee development and retention.

In the fast-paced world of modern workplaces, the mental health and well-being of our teams are increasingly important. Today Lachy and Karen delved into the intricacies of workplace mental health, discussing anxiety, stress, and burnout.  

Discover actionable strategies for closing the gender pay gap in small businesses. To tackle this issue, we emphasise the importance of pay equity and transparency, unconscious bias, and adopting structured interviews and involving diverse perspectives in hiring decisions.

This week Lachy and Karen talk to Mark Eggers, co-founder and head of sales of Yarno, a team-based gamified learning platform that embeds information to improve your team's performance in a fun and engaging way. They discuss how Yarno embeds and reinforces information to support upskilling teams and the challenges around defining learning success. Join the conversation

Karen and Lachy revisit one of the most popular episodes from season 3 which was about what kindness looks like in the workplace (from March 2022). They talk about what behaviors to expect in a kind workplace culture, from open and transparent conversations to empathy, respect, and consideration for others.

Learn how Outsourcing Angel empowers their team members, preventing burnout and fostering growth. Richard shares his invaluable insights on recruitment, communication, and the transformative power of progress over results.

In this episode, Lachy and Karen discuss how smaller businesses can develop their team members and consider career pathways. They highlight the importance of attracting and retaining great employees, and the value of having career conversations with employees to understand their motivations and aspirations.  How do you encourage employee development in your workplace? Join the conversation

Both Lachy and Karen are avid readers, and set up their own book club! The first book they selected was Machines Behaving Badly by Toby Walsh, and it is the topic of discussion for today's episode. The book is about ethics and mortality in AI, a topical choice given the 'chat' around AI, right now.

In the latest Make It Work Podcast episode, Karen and Lachy are joined by Amal Awad, writer, director, performer, and author of a card deck called The Creative's Compass, a navigation tool for creatives. In this episode the topic of discussion is the importance of creativity in the workplace and how to develop this skill in ourselves and in our teams. 

In this week's episode, Lachy and Karen discuss the importance of building in consistent practices for learning and upskilling your teams throughout the year. They also discuss how challenging it is for businesses to prioritise learning when things get busy or revenue is low. 

We explore the pros & cons of AI in recruitment, including the potential to save time for the hiring managers, impact on the candidate experience and bias that may lie within  AI-driven hiring decisions.

In this episode, Lachy and Karen revisit an episode from season two where they discussed who is responsible for workplace culture.  This leads them to ask who is responsible for learning culture? Although everyone has a role to play in culture, someone needs to be accountable  

Ongoing skills shortages are a hot topic in Australia and businesses need to upskill and grow their teams to meet their own growth plans.  In this episode, Karen and Lachy are thrilled to be speaking with Executive Coach and Leadership Development Expert, Linda Murray on this topic of building a learning culture. Linda is a regular guest on the Make it Work podcast, having joined us in series 3, e...

In our latest Make It Work Podcast episode, Karen and Lachy discuss why we need to shift the way workplace learning is approached. In this podcast episode, Lachy and Karen discuss the importance of upskilling staff in the workplace and what needs to change in workplace learning to achieve this goal. 

We are excited to be speaking with Winning Academy Learning and Development Manager, Chris Tan.  Chris has first-hand experience in upskilling and tailoring learning to individual learner needs. He believes that L&D specialists need to educate their leaders about the value add that learning can create and not just run training as a tick box exercise. He shares how he approaches workplace learning...

In this episode, we dive into upskilling, what it is, and what particular skills we're referring to. We also chat through the skills that are in demand right now, and the skills that are expected to be in demand this decade.

In this episode, Karen and Lachy discuss the importance of hiring for behavior rather than just skills or experience with Pree Sarkar, the founder and director of Switch Recruitment.  Pree explains that 46% of hires fail when they are hired just based on skills alone, and that hiring based on values is critical. He shares his experience of creating a value-based hiring process, which involves iden...

In Season 4 of Make it Work, we're talking about upskilling and why we believe it's the key to attracting and retaining great people and thriving in today's workplace.

In Season 4 of Make it Work, we're talking about upskilling and why we believe it's the key to attracting and retaining great people and thriving in today's workplace. We aim to give you thought-provoking ideas and practical takeaways that you can use to future-proof your organisation. Check out  Amplify HR  or  Yarno  for more information.

The Make it Work podcast has covered a range of interesting and important topics this year, including insightful guest interviews. The first episode aired after Russia invaded Ukraine, Australia elected a new Prime Minister, and the economy saw a rise in inflation. There were a lot of changes! This episode shares some of Lachy and Karen's highlights of 2022.

Diversity is a hot topic. Yet one aspect of diversity that's less commonly talked about is diversity of thought and perspective. In this episode, Karen and Lachy explore thinking diversity with Michael Morgan, the CEO of Herrmann Asia. Herrmann are the organisation behind the globally recognised Whole Brain Thinking model. Together they discuss how our thinking preferences influence our behaviour,...

Organisations talk about their culture in glowing terms, saying it's healthy, inclusive, and transformative. Yet what does that actually mean? One aspect is psychological safety, which is the idea that people feel comfortable showing up and speaking up at work. In this episode, we discuss psychological safety at work with Linda Murray, founder and Executive Coach and Leadership Development Expert...

The 9-5, in the office, working week has changed dramatically in the last few years, thanks to Covid-19.  Whilst many are enjoying the flexibility offered by remote and hybrid working are we starting to see a downside to the situation?  We have less in-person connection with our colleagues and friends at work, which can result in loneliness, difficulty building rapport and a feeling of being disco...