Relationships at Work - a trust-driven leadership podcast

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with author and Chief Growth Officer Mark Mears on the steps we need to take to grow as leaders and leave a lasting legacy. Mark shares his insights and experience in... The L.E.A.F. Model as a Framework for Leadership Impact of COVID on Workplace Reflection Empowerment through Listening and Valuing Team Members Uprising and Revolution in Work...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher asks us as leaders to assume we're part (even in some small way) of any problem or issue that arises. It leaders to improving our impact. Issues and difficulties will always come up in our careers. As leaders, it's essential that we don't immediately assume we aren't a part o...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with speaker and executive board chair Jenny Knott on understanding the value of innovation through inclusivity and getting buy-in from executive. Jenny shares her insights and experience in... Inclusivity as a Core Organizational Value The Link Between Inclusivity and Innovation The Importance of Accountability in Inclusivity Inclusivity as a...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher wonders why organizations prioritize the feedback of outsiders before insiders, and shares the steps to show we value our employees first. Leaders can be odd. We will talk about employee retention, engagement and empowerment but then turnaround and listen to the feedback of consultants before th...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with corporate advisor and speaker trainer  Elizabeth Bachman on how to prevent miscommunication and misunderstandings and what leads to them in the workplace. Elizabeth shares her insights and experience in... Single vs multi-focus approach to communications Strategic empathy to navigate workplace dynamics Avoiding the "expert trap"...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher highlights the importance of care and connection in employee recognition, over prescriptive and and planned. It's important to recognize our employees, to improve retention, morale, productivity and more. But how we recognize those team members and the quality of that recognition is as impo...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with a speaker and award-winning entrepreneur Jennifer Ables on losing our work identity, discovering an identity that matters, and the role work identity plays on our mental health. Jennifer shares her insights and experience in... Importance of Separating Personal Identity from Roles Value of Recognizing and Embracing Your Unique Qualities R...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher shares how the phrase "If you don't like it, you can leave" has changed in recent years but still exists.  The phrase was heard a lot, back in the day. It's something leaders would use as a stick to stay at an organization even if they didn't agree with how things were d...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with coach and communications expert Ulrike Seminati on how to improve our leadership communication skills, in the office or for remote work. Ulrike shares her insights and experience in... What effective leadership communication looks like. How leadership communication is different than other communications at work. The importance of understa...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher shares why the hiring process and application submission are missed opportunities for organizations to make a great first impression. Inspired by a recent conversation with author Joey Coleman, Russel highlights the importance of taking the hiring process more seriously as the first step in an e...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with continuous improvement consultant and education leader Carly Basian on what it takes to get buy-in from your organization at every level. Carly shares her insights and experience in... What it means to have "buy-in". The challenges in getting buy-in from your colleagues and executive. The role DEI has in approaching and getting...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher shares the signs that we could be destroying a work relationship. Based on the work shared on Adam Grant's Re:Thinking podcast of John and Julie Gottman, Russel digs into the four patterns in conflict that predict the end of relationships. He shares what those patterns look like at work and...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with workplace consultant and positive psychology play coach Jeff Harry on how we can silence our inner critic and get out of our own way at work. Jeff shares his thoughts and experience with... How we know we’re getting in our own way at work. The impacts of listening to our self-critic. What we should do or stop doing to get out of our own w...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher celebrates the show's 100 episode milestone with 10 lessons and takeaways.  After almost two years of digging into leadership, workplace cultures and employee experiences with brilliant guests from around the word, Russel shares his experiences, what stood out for him and what we can make n...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with speaker, coach and consultant Monique Helstrom on understanding and improving our communication habits at work. Monique shares her thoughts and experience with... How communication habits are formed. What bad communication habits can look like. How self awareness can help in understanding and redefining our habits. The importance of knowi...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher asks us to embrace night owls, and their way of working, to further support diversity and inclusivity.  We don't all work the same. We aren't all productive and energize at the same points in the day. So why do we treat all employees like they are?  Night owls and their productive ener...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with digital transformation consultant and executive coach Tara Wilson on prioritizing the human element of digital transformation and change management. Tara shares her thoughts and experience with... Who needs to be considered in digital transformation. How you bring employees along into this change management. The role vision and mission ha...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher highlights how organizations weaponize language, intentionally or not. Words matter and how we use those words matters more.   Language we use everyday in emails, posters, meetings, etc. can have negative impacts in the workplace. Words like leadership, professionalism, resiliency, when used or...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with mental health advocate and motivational speaker James Pickles on his personal experience with the impacts of burnout at work on mental health - breaking down because if it and the journey to rebuild. (Originally published: Dec. 5, 2022) James shares his thoughts and experience with... What it feels like to be overwhelmed and burnt out. Wh...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher asks leaders to consider their relationship with their team when providing employee recognition. The challenge is understanding that not all kudos are created equal.   Russel shares the dangers of assumption when it comes to good relationships and multiple steps to consider in ensuring employee...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with UC Berkeley's Chief Learning Officer and Director of People and Organizational Development Dr. Angela Stopper on why and how we need to rethink and modernize Human Resources.  Angela shares her experience and insight on... Why it's important to earn transformation before you do. Who's in charge of HR transformation. How do...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher shares ways we can stop the passion tax and support the mental health of our team. "The reward for good work is more work." We've heard that before and it's a common problem in many organizations.  But what's forgotten is the impact, the tax, of taking advantage of those...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with author and psychologist Dr. Marie-Helene (MH) Pelletier on how to address anxiety in the workplace and how to be better prepared for it. MH shares her insights and experience with... What the reality of anxiety can look like. How helpful context can be in combating anxious environments. The role of boundaries in resilience to anxiety. The...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher shares the questions we need to ask to know if the organization we work for cares about us. It's important to understand that our success is our responsibility, but that doesn't let company's off the hook when it comes to investing in its employees. How do we know that the organiz...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with author, consultant and keynote speaker Gregg Brown on what it takes to spark action and lead change that matters in the workplace. Gregg shares his insights and experience with... Why someone at work would need to "spark" action. The importance of understanding ourself before sparking change. What to do with naysayers to change....