Relationships at Work - a trust-driven leadership podcast

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher highlights the importance of prioritizing small gestures before big moments at work.  Big events at work are great. It's an opportunity to bring everyone together, connect in new ways, hear from leadership, have presenters sharing new ideas. They're awesome. But without a foundation bu...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with HR professional and consultant Beverly Hathorn on managing and aligning subcultures in the workplace. She shares her thoughts, stories and experiences with... Subculture dynamics. Executive engagement with various work cultures. The importance of customizing engagement. Alignment and adaptability of subcultures. How mentorship can help wi...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher asks us to maintain relationships even through significant change. Change is a part of the work world, whether it's as big as a merger or reorganization of a company or as traditional as moving teams or getting a new job. Great leaders understand that relationships are integral to the emplo...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with speakers and workforce consultants Alex Schwartz and Nate Thompson on the impact AI will have on the employee experience. They share their thoughts, stories and experiences with... AI's role and adoption in work environments. AI as a tool, not a threat. The need for continuous adaption and learning. Cultural readiness and leadership...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher explores how leadership should and shouldn't respond to tragedy from their teams. Not so long ago, Russel experienced a personal tragedy, which inspired his curiosity on how leaders and workplace cultures handle those moments.  He provides real-world examples of good and bad experiences bef...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with author and speaker Bob Chartier on the relationships and practices we need to foster innovation and action at work. Bob shares his thoughts, stories and experiences with... Importance of relationships in effective leadership Tools  for building relationships "Possibility Action" - how relationships are essential when exploring p...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher asks the question, "would you tell your manager you were looking for a new job" and how the answer illustrates our relationship quality.  Recently, Russel posed this question to his community online and the answers were... sad. What does it look and feel like when we don't have a...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with Workhuman's practice leader and social recognition expert Brenda Pohlman on implementing an employee recognition and gratitude program. Brenda shares her thoughts, stories and experiences with... Recognition as a key to culture. The need for a detailed recognition framework. Cultural sensitivity in recognition practices. Technology&a...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher provides a recap of attending Workhuman LIVE in Austin and his favourite takeaways. Russel shares the future of work leadership from Brene Brown, the lessons Baratunde Thurston learned when he discovered his mom wasn't perfect, the importance of intention and impact with considering A.I., ...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with leadership development expert Summer Davies on what we need to know about our leadership styles and how they can impact employee engagement. Summer shares her thoughts, stories and experience with... Importance of leadership style adaptability. Critical roles of self-awareness and feedback. The different leadership styles and their impact...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with six-time best-selling co-author, podcast host and keynote speaker Scott Stratten on the impacts of bad leadership and how unlearning and unleadership (defying traditional norms) is the path to better relationships at work. (Originally released: January 2,  2023) Scott shares his thoughts, stories and experience with... Real experiences go...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher illustrates the importance of saying NO and not always saying YES. To be a great leader, we need to advocate for and defend our teams. To do that effectively, we'll need to be prepared to say No to our Executive, other business areas, other colleagues. Which is saying YES to team advocacy....

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with leadership and business development coach Jen Hope on assessing leadership and what we need to understand to get it right. Jen shares her thoughts, stories and experience with... Importance of self-awareness through assessments. Value of feedback and a growth mindset. Bais in assessments. Integration into organizational culture. Organizat...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher showcases common resistances to change at work and how leaders can avoid these pitfalls.  Change is a constant in the workplace, but so is resistance to it. The success and failure of change will be found in how leadership introduces, leads, implements and follows up on that change, and in how t...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with speaker and expert leadership development coach Tammy Dowley-Blackman on what leadership needs to understand and embrace from Gen Z in the workplace. Tammy shares her thoughts, stories and experience with... The need to understand and embrace Gen Z. The importance of generosity in leadership. Rethinking professional development. Creating...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with author, consultant and former WD-40 CEO Garry Ridge on how learning moments for leadership are integral to the success of culture change. (Originally released: April 24,  2023) Garry shares his thoughts, stories and experience with... What a learning moment is for leaders. What change looks when implementing new policies in a large organi...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher highlights the dangers of being an empathetic leader.  Empathy is a vital ingredient to good and great leadership. However, it can also be a double-edged sword in how it can impact our ability to lead and the culture we're creating.  Yes, there are tons of benefits in being an empathetic le...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with workplace conflict expert and professional trainer Carol Bowser on how to address conflict at work, on remote teams, in the office and across the organization. Carol shares her insights and experience in... Conflict spectrum in the workplace The role of perception and communication to resolve conflict on remote teams Understanding cultura...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher asks us to stop only focusing on performance reviews and prioritize leadership reviews as a way to help leaders and work cultures.  Performance Reviews continually are used as a checklist check-in to ensure work is being done to help with productivity. Why not also check-in on leadership quality...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with international leadership coach and consultant Gerardo Segat about what we fear and how to coach through that fear as leaders. Gerardo shares his insights and experience in... Leadership through fear management Pyramid of fears The Bullet Train and Regional Train approaches to coaching fear Transforming fear into strength The necessity of...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher shares the problem with our curse of knowledge. In every industry and role, we get comfortable in our work. This leads to embracing unique ways of talking and expressing ourselves that might be a barrier to inclusivity.  Russel will define what the curse of knowledge looks and feels like, as wel...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with executive coach, consultant and speaker HR Huntsman on why leaders need to introduce creative conflict into the workplace to improve employee engagement.  HR shares his insights and experience in... The importance of creative conflict Trust as the foundation: Leadership's role in fostering an innovative culture Creative conflict as a...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher highlights how putting more value into our corporate values will help employee engagement. We talk about values, we put them on posters and on websites but they have absolutely no meaning to staff if they aren't demonstrated and rewarded, every day.  Russel will walk through an example of h...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with researcher, author and psychotherapist Dr. Laura Crawshaw about how organizations can better manage bullies and abrasive leaders in the workplace. Laura shares her insights and experience in... Understanding abrasive behaviour The fear and lack of knowledge leaders have of intervention The importance of management responsibility Collectiv...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher asks us to consider employee interviews from the viewpoint of the employee and how a leader can help. Onboarding interviews, Stay (or better yet, Thrive) Interviews and Exit Interviews are not always great experiences for the employee. And it has nothing to do with how productive they may or may...