This Working Life

Why do our ‘old’ concepts of “High Performance Team” and "Peak Performance” need a rethink? Recorded live at SXSW Sydney, we interrogate these concepts and why it can lead to burnout, brittleness and budget blowouts. Ben and Aubrey share stories about their own burnout and the powerful role that values can play when it comes to our performance.

Ever felt that overwhelming sense that there’s just not enough time to do your job? And that everything is suddenly urgent? How did we get here and how can we stop the urgent work loop? Tips from Dermot Crowley: Six dials you can tweak to manage urgency: Time, Quality, Scope, Resources, Budget, and Risk. How to plan ahead to avoid urgency:  Daily: 10 minutes each workday morning to get focused Wee...

“If we do this, it could profoundly change how we are together.” Is your day full of meetings leaving you tired and working late just to get everything done? Surely there must be a better way... In this episode, Lisa Leong finds out how we can do meetings better and looks at one technique called The Circle Way.

You’ve been asked a curveball question in a job interview, or your boss has asked what you think in a meeting. Suddenly your heart races and your palms get sweaty. So how can you think clearly and speak in a compelling way when you’re put on the spot? Matt Abrahams has some surprising tips and insights to help you get through these anxiety-inducing moments - from how to maximise mediocrity to harn...

“We are all artists, sometimes we forget that”. Even if you don’t think you have a creative job, or that you yourself are artistic, there’s a lot you can learn from the ‘artist’s way’.In this episode you’ll learn lessons to incorporate into your working life no matter what your profession is - from how to get inspired and innovate to getting into a flow state.

You want to talk with your boss about a pay rise but even just thinking about it causes your heart to race and your palms to get sweaty. So how can you navigate negotiation at work like a pro and, most importantly of all, properly prepare so it goes well?

Our habits, good and bad, influence how we live, and how we feel and perform at work. And if you’re human, chances are you want to shake off some bad habits that set in over winter. So here’s how you can do it (with zero willpower).

In her new book Storytellers, Leigh Sales shares hard-won lessons on how to craft a story, how to listen and how to be brave enough to ask hard questions at work. We also learn from her music practice, what helps her flow state, and how anxiety has been a pretty consistent part of her work life.

A colleague gets promoted. A friend lands their dream job. You feel happy for them, but also, a pang of pain... what is that? Is that envy?? It’s natural to feel envious, but many of us deny it or try to ignore it. But how we react to this feeling can be the key in unlocking its power. So how can we use it for good?

What can guiding a horse teach us about leadership?  In recent years, ‘Equine Assisted Learning’ has been used in leadership development. But what is it exactly, and what can it teach us about leadership for the workplace?

We spoke with original Matildas player Dr Shona Bass in our recent episode The Matildas Effect but we loved her insights so much we decided to bring you the whole interview.  She reflects on what makes ace teamwork, the DNA of the Matildas that persists to this day, and what we can learn from them for our own working lives. With thanks to intern Kate Lawrence.

Yesss, we’ve got World Cup fever! So what lessons can we learn for our work from the amazing gameplay the Matildas have shown, even without star player Sam Kerr playing in the first few games? We’re unpacking the 'Matildas Effect' and figuring out how we can pull together as a team and unlock the power of ‘us’ to do our best work.

How can we best protect (and repair) our relationships at work? When we start working with someone we tend to just dive into the work at hand. But what happens when we start by learning how we can best work together? Coaching expert and author Michael Bungay Stanier believes this can be the key to building the best possible relationship. And it starts with five questions. So what are they? And how...

What does it mean if you declare your workplace to be anti-racist? Where does lip service end and actual systemic change occur? How does this differ from diversity and inclusion?   How do you begin to dismantle the structural racism in your workplace and rebuild an organisation where everyone feels safe, where everyone thrives?    This episode will cover the multifaceted approach of anti-racism ed...

There's the age old saying, do what you love, and you'll never work a day in your life. But how easy is it to find what you love? What energies you, what fulfils you?   Acclaimed author and researcher Marcus Buckingham helps us bring love into the workplace and helps us find love in what we do every day, no matter our job.  

Micro stressors - they’re just a normal part of the day, right? From when you wake up and check your messages, listen to the news, wrangle your kids, jostle your way to work, and then deal with that colleague…you’re stressed without anything major actually happening. Rob Cross says the people who maintain and prioritise their social connections, often through shared activities, are way less affect...

This week we meet some of the next generation of Indigenous entrepreneurs who are influencing the way we think about business and community. Drawing on the strength and resilience of their elders, these business leaders show us what makes First Nations businesses stand out and what helps them thrive. 

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health conditions, but in the workplace, we don’t tend to talk openly about them.   Based on her own journey, entrepreneur, podcaster and author, Morra Aarons-Mele Morra learnt that through understanding her anxiety and others’ mental health, it made her a better leader. Through empathy, vulnerability and kindness she also challenges traditional underst...

In Seth’s latest book, The Song of Significance he gives us insight into what real leadership looks like and how it can transform the way we work.  

“It just seems some of the lessons about ethical behaviour don’t appear to have really sunk in” - Peter Ryan,  ABC's senior business correspondent, reflecting on the recent PwC scandal. Often when we think about ethics in business and work we focus on the wrongdoer - the bad apple. But it’s also those surrounding them that are at fault. Those who are complicit. Turns out we can all be complicit, s...

If you could work four days instead of five, for the same pay, would you?  Organisations and businesses around the world are tentatively saying 'yes' and trialling the four-day work week.  Recently, Bunnings announced it will trial a version of the four-day week for tens of thousands of its full-time employees. It’s a first for the retail industry and will be watched with interest. And just last m...

What happens when we feel stuck in our job or career, and how can we get unstuck? From overcoming fear to discovering what really makes us tick, we discover the best techniques to get unstuck and have a breakthrough. We hear personal stories, famous anecdotes and practical tips to help you navigate being stuck in your work.  

On average, workers are in the office half the time. But some leaders say that’s not enough. But why? Should leaders really be worried about office culture dying, and teams suffering? We explore what’s behind these calls, what time in the office is good for, and what experts have found is more important than time in the office that leaders should really pay attention to.

Do you feel frustrated at work? Maybe you feel like you're not playing to your strengths, or not being valued.  Well, before you chuck it all in: have you heard of Job Crafting? Since this foundational work started over 20 years ago, it’s come into its own with the rise of hyper-personalisation of work through the pandemic. So how can we craft our jobs? Surprisingly, it’s much easier than you thin...

We’ve got more generations in our workplaces than ever before. And as a shortcut we often box people according to their age - known as generational stereotyping. In this episode we look at how we box others, and even ourselves, and learn how it affects our workplaces and how we can change this behaviour.