Relationships at Work - a trust-driven leadership podcast

(Originally Released: August 29, 2022) In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with neurodivergent leader Doug Rabold on embracing neurodiversity in the workplace, what it might look like and its importance. Doug shares his thoughts and experience with... What neurodivergency is Typical misconceptions of neurodivergency How autism and neurodivergency can show up at work Why organiza...

(Originally Released: July 4, 2022) In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with co-founder of the CX Accelerator and speaker Nate Brown on how to build community to benefit your employee experience in your industry.  Nate shares his experience with... the different types of networks the origins of the CX Accelerator network the differences between introverts and extroverts in build...

(Originally Released: June 27, 2022) In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with multi-time best selling author, researcher and international Hall of Fame speaker Eric Chester on the ingredients to an on fire workplace culture that solves the employee retention problem and improves employee engagement. Eric shares his experience with... The seven pillars for a great workplace cultu...

(Originally Released: June 15, 2022) In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with management consultant, executive coach and speaker Liz Kislik on the importance of compassion in the workplace. Liz shares her experience with... The difference between compassion and empathy How to be more compassionate Where compassion fits depending on your generation How workplace culture can benef...

(Originally Released: May 30, 2022) In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with author and keynote speaker Gregg Lederman on how being a good human through knowing your values and embracing your vulnerability can make you a better leader at work. Gregg shares his experience with... The balance between results and humanity The importance of living your defined values Where followers...

(Originally Released: May 8, 2022) In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with Neal Dlin , founder and Chief Human Experience Officer of customer and employee experience consultancy Chorus Tree, on intention and action alignment at work, including how it can impact culture, the role of leadership and employees, and how curiosity can help.   Neal shares his experience and expertise...

(Originally Released: March 5, 2022) In episode ten of Relationships at Work, I chat with former emergency management director Ian Foss , on the dangerous impacts of stress on our health and the health of our organizations, and what we can do to identify and manage that stress at work. Ian shares his experience with... The dangerous impacts of stress Where stress can come from to impact your work...

(Originally Released: April 24, 2022) In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with CEO and founder of global consulting firm Experience Investigators Jeannie Walters on the importance of employee journey mapping and its role in employee retention and engagement.  Jeannie shares her experience and expertise on... The scope of an employee journey map. How employee personas can help an...

(Originally Released: March 27, 2022) In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chat withs author and consultant Annette Franz , on company culture and how to put people-first in your organization to keep them engaged (and some of the red flags you might be going the wrong way). Annette shares her experience and from her new book BUILT TO WIN... What organizations don't understand abou...

After almost 400 episodes of Relationships at Work, I’m pausing new conversations and taking stock of what the show has helped me understand about leadership. In this solo episode, I share nine lessons that have become clearer through years of leading, listening, questioning, and learning from hundreds of experts. We get into why clarity starts with shared meaning, why leadership and management ar...

Feedback should help people grow, not make them defensive. In this episode, host Russel chats with HR expert and leadership coach Carolyn Troyan about what healthy feedback cultures look like, why trust and psychological safety matter, and how leaders can shift from giving advice to coaching better conversations. They also explore peer feedback, cultural differences, people leadership and why feed...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, host Russel Lolacher speaks with executive coach and leadership expert Payal Nanjiani about what it really takes to build meaningful relationships at work. They explore why networking becomes ineffective when it is transactional, how trust is strengthened through consistency and vulnerability, and why leaders need relationships across every level of an org...

In this episode of Relationships at Work , host Russel Lolacher speaks with keynote speaker, author and workplace expert Joel Hilchey about why so many people become managers without being prepared to lead. Joel explains how accidental managers are created, the habits that can quietly damage teams, and why good intentions are not enough. They discuss feedback, career development, values, accountab...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, host Russel Lolacher speaks with business communication expert, sports broadcaster, and author Jen Mueller about how leaders can communicate with more intention, clarity, and influence. Jen shares what decades in professional sports taught her about asking better questions, building trust through small moments, and making conversations easier for others. R...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, host Russel Lolacher speaks with leadership strategist and executive coach Andrea Wanerstrand about the role leaders play in making cultural transformation real. They explore how autonomy, accountability, trust, emotional regulation, and everyday leadership behaviours shape workplace culture—and why transformation succeeds or fails in the micro moments. An...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, host Russel Lolacher speaks with HR executive advisor and People Leader Accelerator co-founder Andrew Bartlow about why clarity is essential to employee empowerment and organizational success. Andrew explains how vague goals create competing priorities, why leaders need to translate direction into meaningful choices, and how HR can help organizations commu...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, host Russel Lolacher speaks with leadership trainer, coach, and keynote speaker Barbara Boselli about how our worldview influences the way we lead, communicate, and respond to others. They explore how assumptions become stories, why curiosity helps prevent unnecessary conflict, how leaders can separate facts from interpretations, and what it takes to creat...

In this episode of Relationships at Work , host Russel Lolacher speaks with Yvonne Jackson about why workplace values should be practical decision-making tools—not aspirational words on a wall. They explore how leaders can connect values to behaviours, boundaries, accountability, and equity to create clearer team norms and better organizational decisions. And connect with me for more great content...

Emotions are already shaping the workplace, whether leaders acknowledge them or not. In this episode of Relationships at Work , host and leadership/communication expert Russel Lolacher talks with emotional intelligence leadership coach Jamelle Lindo about emotional empowerment, emotional avoidance, and why so many workplace challenges are emotion-based beneath the surface. Jamelle shares how leade...

Leadership does not begin with strategy, authority, or knowing all the answers. It begins with understanding ourselves. In this episode of Relationships at Work , host and leadership expert Russel Lolacher is joined by Margaret Andrews, Harvard instructor, speaker, founder of The Milo Center, and author of Manage Yourself to Lead Others: Why Great Leadership Begins with Self-Understanding . Togeth...

In this episode of Relationships at Work , host Russel Lolacher speaks with no-BS leadership coach and culture consultant Adrian Koehler about why great performers often struggle to become great leaders. Adrian explores the shift from doing the work to creating the conditions for others to succeed, including the risks of control, assumption-based leadership, unclear agreements, and avoiding hard c...

What if leadership was never meant to be a solo act? In this episode of Relationships at Work , host and leadership/communication expert Russel Lolacher speaks with executive team coach, keynote speaker, author, and founder of Ferrazzi Greenlight, Keith Ferrazzi, about why the future of leadership depends less on individual authority and more on the strength of the team around us. Keith shares ins...

In this episode of Relationships at Work , host and leadership expert Russel Lolacher speaks with business leader, speaker, CEO and author Rick Yvanovich on how purpose can help leaders and organizations navigate constant change. Rick shares why purpose is more than a goal, how the post-COVID workplace has reshaped our relationship with work, and why organizations need to make purpose real through...

In this solo episode of Relationships at Work , host and leadership/communication expert Russel Lolacher explores why the words leaders use when things go wrong matter more than we think. A problem, challenge, and opportunity can all be useful terms — but they are not always interchangeable. Russel looks at how well-intended positivity can sometimes dilute urgency, dismiss employee reality, or cre...

What makes employees truly buy into their work, their team, and their organization? In this episode of Relationships at Work , host Russel Lolacher talks with business strategist, leadership coach, and author Dave Garrison about what drives employee buy-in and why so many teams slide into disengagement. Dave shares why leaders often unintentionally shut people down, how curiosity and vulnerability...