Stepsero

Can tough conversations help? Whether we like them or not, tough conversations happen, and it is important to know how to approach them, and when. Costas Kalisperas walks us through preparing tough conversations, focusing on the desired outcome, listening to learn, and much more. Our Guest: Costas Kalisperas Costas is the Founder & CEO of In Tune Executive Coaching. His focus is on helping lea...

Do Values Matter? Do values matter? Broadly speaking, values relate to a sense of justice The values that most companies openly pursue may look very similar to one another. What matters however, is whether people practise them or not. Values at work reinforce your sense of purpose, your satisfaction in your own work. They increase motivation, enhance engagement, loyalty, retention, and performance...

Too kind to lead? In this episode of our mini-series “Coaching with Costas”, we discuss whether one can actually be “too kind to lead”. Below are the main highlights: At the root of effective leadership is kindness. Kind leadership is critically important, particularly today.   Leadership is about being inclusive and understanding others’ perspectives and their personal growth agenda,...

Speaking Up at work Speaking up at work” is the central topic of this fifth episode of “Coaching with Costas”. Below are a few main pointers: Speaking up at work is an essential part of one’s career. The fear of how it could be received should not be the reason why you don’t do it. There are two categories of speaking up: sharing an opinion, and wanting to effect change. The former is...

What’s wrong with Politics? In this fourth episode of “Coaching with Costas”, we discuss how to deal with office politics. Below are the main highlights of our chat: Office politics often have a negative connotation. However that does not have to be the case. It is not either performance or politics. One does not exclude the other. If anything, politics do affect performance, so...

Dealing with Difficult People In this third episode of “Coaching with Costas”, we discuss how to deal with difficult people. Below are the main highlights of our chat:   “Difficult” means different things to different people.   “Difficult people” represent challenges or risks to our wellbeing, our career path and our progress. It is natural to feel stress hormones rising when dealing w...

Impostor thoughts or growth mindset? In this second episode of “Coaching with Costas”, we discuss the “Impostor Phenomenon”. Below are the main highlights of our chat: It is natural to have impostor thoughts if you push yourself towards growth. The impostor phenomenon is a symptom of success. It is often born out of a natural tendency for self-growth and self-improvement. The more you...

The work-life conundrum In this first episode of the miniseries “Coaching with Costas”, Costas addresses the work-life conundrum.  Below are a few notable highlights:  Try to figure out which times of the day you are most effective at work, and in which times are best for you to carry out mundane tasks instead. Once you have done that, plan your time accordingly by time-blocking. Some...

The relationship between body and psyche In this episode, we welcome executive and mental coach Marta Michniewicz. In our chat, we cover a variety of topics, including:  The relationship between body and psyche, and the bio-psycho-social model. The effects of treating your body the right way Therapy as a vessel Individual change and organisational change The impact of leadership Our Guest: Marta M...

Leaders and remote work Kem Boggs joins Stepsero to share her thoughts on the role of leaders in a remote work environment.  Below are a few main takeaways:  The changes that occurred in the past few years forced many companies into a globally distributed and remote model. Many organizations are still in the adaptation phase. Leaders face an increasingly difficult position, as they now need to con...

A chat with Richard Turner from Employees Health Richard Turner, Director at Employees Health, joins the Stepsero podcast to discuss how to improve employees’ health and well-being.  Here are a few main takeaways:  What is the point of going through life if we aren’t happy, fulfilled, and healthy? Richard’s mission is to help professionals keep an optimal health state for as long a...

Leadership and trust In this episode of the Stepsero podcast, we discuss leadership and trust with Leo Wang.  Here are some useful pointers:  It is important that your team members operate according to a shared set of values they adhere to and engage with. Letting your team know early on that you have their best interest at heart might help establish a baseline of trust. However, sharing...

Toxic Leadership Kasia Musur joins the Stepsero podcast to discuss toxic leadership.  Below are a few main takeaways:  It can be hard to define toxic traits in leaders. Generally speaking, toxic leaders put their image and interest ahead of the well-being of the people they lead. For toxic leaders, success is not about their team or even the company, but rather about themselves. Especial...

Effective Coaching with Costas Kalisperas In this episode, Costas Kalisperas shares some precious insights about coaching and building trust.  Below are a few notable highlights:  While most companies offer training for technical knowledge, few offer their leaders opportunities to acquire key behavioural skills, which are critical for building trust, forming alliances and creating inclus...

Mental well-being at work with Thomas Forstner Thomas Forstner joins the Stepsero podcast to discuss mental well-being at work, focus, and vulnerability. Here are some takeaways from our chat: In recent times, many companies have provided their employees with some useful resources, including tools for online therapy. As great as these may be, however, they should come as part of a wider strategy t...

Global mobility and Employee relocation This episode covers Global Mobility and employee relocation, as well as their impact on employees’ mental well-being.  Below are a few highlights:  Employee relocations have become more popular in recent years, also thanks to the growth of the Tech industry. However, company leaders may not always understand the importance of relocation processes....

Brain Health In this episode, Dr. Sara Whedon joins us to discuss the importance of Brain Health at work. Below are a few relevant pointers:  Brain Health is the main driver of employees’ performance at work. However, organizations rarely know how to help their people reach an optimal level of functioning without going over budget. Understanding Brain Health is crucial for organizations to ge...

On Naturopathic medicine In this episode of Stepsero we chat about naturopathic medicine and human interconnectedness with Dr. Antonella Aguilera Ruiz, ND. Below are a few main takeaways from our discussion:  Naturopathic medicine is a relatively new discipline and is sometimes perceived as an antagonist to Orthodox medicine. In the US, there are only five accredited colleges. It is Dr. Anton...

A Chat with Rob Stephenson, CEO at FormScore: Episode Notes In this episode we are joined by Rob Stephenson, CEO and Founder at FormScore. Rob is not only a phenomenal entrepreneur, but is also a very inspiring human being, set to build a well-being movement backed by technology.  During our conversation we talk about the struggle of dealing with bi-polar disorder, as well Rob’s plans for For...

Positive thinking with Tia Graham: Episode Notes In this episode of the Stepsero podcast we discuss positive psychology and happiness at work with Tia Graham.  Tia has helped numerous organizations by increasing employee happiness and morale, and has provided many leaders with tools and strategies based on the science of happiness and neuroscience.  Here are a few takeaways from our chat...

Dr. Böttiger and Taxfix back on Stepsero: Episode Notes In this episode we share a success story featuring two former guests of the Stepsero podcast: Neuroscientist Dr. Caroline Boettiger (founder of Mitte Institut) and Marie Bosseur Dit Toby, Head of People at Taxfix. Thanks to their appearance on Stepsero, Taxfix and Dr. Boettiger and her team from Mitte Institut embarked on a fruitful collabora...

A chat with Selfapy’s CEO, Nora Blum: Episode Notes In this episode of the Stepsero podcast we enjoy a laid back conversation with Nora Blum, CEO and founder at Selfapy, a well-known digital platform for self-help against depression.  We kick off our discussion with a few considerations on self-isolation, namely one of the many negative effects caused by the current Covid-19 pandemic. W...

The positive effects of a career change: Episode Notes In this episode we discuss employee well-being with Raisin’s Head of Learning and Development, Maja Bazan. Raisin is a well-known deposit marketplace, with a network of over ninety partner banks.  Maja’s interest in mental well-being has grown further thanks to her experience with individual coaching, which opened many opportunities for h...

AI and mental health: Episode Notes In this episode of Stepsero we speak about AI and its application to mental health. Our guests, George and Amir, are part of The Data Analysis Bureau, a UK-based data science agency that has recently developed a virtual AI assistant tool called SAM.  Below are a few highlights from our conversation: The recent lockdown has forced people to pay closer attent...

Wooga and employee mental health: Episode Notes Wooga, a well-known Berlin based game developer, have recently made it to the news for being 100% carbon neutral. Given their impressive achievement, we approached them to discuss their employee mental health initiatives.  The gaming industry has long been under scrutiny for its long work hours (also referred to as “crunch”). In fact, game devel...