Relationships at Work - a trust-driven leadership podcast

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with CEO, executive coach and Zen teacher Marc Lesser on creating the mindset and practice of compassionate accountability. Marc shares his thoughts, stories and experience with... What is compassionate accountability. How to add compassionate accountability into our culture. How to handle conflict with compassionate accountability. The import...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher talks about perpetual urgency - its impacts on workplace culture and the steps emerging leaders can take to change that mindset. According to a study conducted by the American Psychological Association in 2017, employees who experience high levels of job-related urgency are more likely to experi...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with CEO, leadership coach and entrepreneur mentor Tammy McKinney on defining and establishing our boundaries at work, including how to defend them. Tammy shares her thoughts, stories and experience with... A definition of what boundaries are. The difference of boundaries as a reaction vs. proactive. The varying types of boundaries to be aware...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher talks about demotivation and the activities organizations unintentionally allow to happen to demotivate their employees. Organizations may not have a set in stone demotivation strategy, but it is working. If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe and share with others. For more, go to relations...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with DEI consultant and author Minette Norman on the playbook to follow to create psychological safety and be more human in the workplace. Minette shares her thoughts, stories and experience with... What is psychological safety and why it's misunderstood. Where to start in creating psychological safety. Self-awareness's role in safet...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with culture consultant and wellness counsellor Rita Chand on what bullying in the workplace feels like, looks like and what we can do about it. Rita shares her thoughts, stories and experience with... The reaction when you don't realize you're being bullied. The various forms of bullying. What covert bullying can look like. The chan...

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. 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 organization. The ingredients in properly cha...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with communications expert and candour advocate Lisa Bloch on intentionally bringing candour into workplace communications. Lisa shares her thoughts, stories and experience with... What is candour. When not to use candour. How to handle candour with executives. Facts vs stories in how they support candour. Who sets the tone for candour. Import...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, host Russel Lolacher chats with psychologist and data analyst Dr. Kalifa Oliver on the importance of people analytics when hearing the voice of employee (VOE) at work. Kalifa shares her thoughts, stories and experience with... Why survey fatigue is a myth. The importance of intent when gathering data. Four approaches to continuous listening. Why data is mo...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, host Russel Lolacher chats with training and people developer Will Mahon , on the importance of motivation - the different motivational styles of your employees, the benefits to the organization and how as a leader or colleague you can work to connect and motivate others. This episode was originally released March, 2022. Will shares his thoughts, stories a...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, host Russel Lolacher chats with speaker and psychologist Dr. Lauren Appio on creating and fostering a consent culture in the workplace to give employees agency and choice.  Lauren shares her thoughts, stories and experience with... What consent culture actually is. The importance of fostering this type of culture What a consent culture looks like through t...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with academic and best selling author Hamza Khan on the importance of reinventing leadership to improve the workplace and the employee experience. Hamza shares his thoughts, stories and experience with... Why essential skills are future-proof. The reinvention history of leadership. How crisis influences leadership. How leaders are dropping the...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with author, speaker and age inclusivity advocate Patti Temple Rocks on ageism in the workplace, what it looks like and how to address it. Patti shares her thoughts, stories and experience with... What is ageism and being ageist in the workplace. How ageism can impact mental health. Misconceptions about age at work. Why we need to value older...

  In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with Sideways6 founder and CEO Will Read on the importance of employee ideas and how to generate and tap into them. Will shares his thoughts, stories and experience with... How having your ideas heard helps foster employee connection. How to convince organizations to take employee ideas seriously. Why clarity in asking for ideas is better th...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with the CEO for Work Ethic Development Josh Davies on what goes into the an employee's work ethic and how to bring your "A" game. Josh shares his thoughts, stories and experience with... The seven work behaviours that define work ethic.  Anyone can focus on skills to improve their work ethic. How defining terms organizationally...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with personal branding strategist Ana Lokotkova on how defining who you are in the workplace will help you standout and improve your employee experience.  Ana shares her thoughts, stories and experience with... Personal branding's link to empowerment What personal branding looks like at work and online How to figure out what your brand is...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with author, keynote speaker and i4CP CEO Kevin Oakes on research-backed actions leadership can take to culture change their organization for the better. Kevin shares his thoughts, stories and experience with... What to consider in a listening strategy. The mindset shift needed for a cultural renovation. How an Organizational Network Analysis...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with author and Inspiring Comfort CEO Jen Marr on the importance of prioritizing care and comfort in the workplace. Jen shares her thoughts, stories and experience with... Empathy isn’t enough in building connection with others How comfort and care can be effective to build connection at work The self-imposed roadblocks to caring How younger g...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with author and CEO of the Armah Institute of Emotional Justice Esther A. Armah on racial healing and the emotional justice road map for the workplace. Esther shares her thoughts, stories and experience with... How the language of whiteness shows up in DEI and the workplace The difference between intent and outcome in diversity Why the roadmap...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with organizational psychologist and SparkPath founder JP Michel on the importance of approaching career planning with a challenge mindset rather than solely on job titles and a "what do you want to be when you grow up" stance. JP shares his thoughts, stories and experience with... how to look differently in preparing students for th...

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.  Scott shares his thoughts, stories and experience with... How bad and good experiences can have life long impacts to...

As the first year of the Relationships at Work podcast comes to an end, host Russel Lolacher shares his gratitude for the experience producing the show. As well, after multiple discussions with leaders in employee experience, leadership and workplace culture, and his own experiences focusing in this area, he shares the... Top three things that he feels organizations can and should focus on to have...

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.  James shares his thoughts and experience with... What it feels like to be overwhelmed and burnt out. What good and bad HR responses look an...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with speaker and Police Chief of the Mountain View Police Department Chris Hsiung on how communication and creating connection within an organization can improve workplace culture. Chris shares his thoughts and experience with... What to put in your communications that will resonate with staff.  How to connect when titles and hierarchy can get...

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with community creation expert Nikki Thibodeau on creating safe spaces at work so we feel comfortable being our true selves. Nikki shares her thoughts and experience with... Why organizations would need a safe space How intention is necessary The difference between in-person and virtual safe spaces The benefit of creating a safe space to your...