How leaders can use humour at work, and keep everyone happy

What you're feeling amid the coronavirus crisis is probably grief: By consciously naming and understanding our grief around the myriad losses the COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it, we can move through it. Professor Kim Felmingham, clinical psychologist from the University of Melbourne shares how to deal with the collective grief that is accompanying mass layoffs, change and job uncertainty. And then Colin James, business coach, facilitator and remote meeting guru gives us some guidance on taking the pain out of video conference meetings. by This Working Life

26 min listen

The secret powers of the quiet leader: What do Barack Obama, Elon Musk and Hillary Clinton all have in common? They are all famous American leaders but they are also self-professed introverts. While it may feel like it's the loudest voice in the room is the one that gets heard, the quiet person sitting down the back may have as much (if not more) to contribute because they have thought long and hard before they speak. This is according to our guests today writer Megumi Miki, partner at Ernst and Young Ruth Picker and former Rear Admiral Simon Harrington. Each are introverts, each are powerful leaders in their field. Our quietly powerful guests share how managers can lead their introverted employees, what those quiet by nature can do to have their voice heard, why quiet people make powerful leaders and what extroverts should do in meetings to help understand their introverted colleagues. by This Working Life

25 min listen

Embracing the courage to be disliked: Japanese philosopher holds the keys to a happy work life. Or does he? In the inaugural This Working Life Book Club we dissect a book that's a blockbusting best-seller in Asia, The Courage To Be Disliked by Japanese philosopher Ichiro Kishimi and writer Fumitake Koga. Billed as a self-help book, it is a Socratic dialogue between a philosopher and a lost, rather angry young man. In it they explore the ideas of the 19th and 20th century Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler in attempt to help the young man find direction in life. Philosopher Patrick Stokes and entrepreneur Catherine Robson help Lisa Leong sort the guff from the gems and hear how Adler's principles can help us perform better at work. by This Working Life

25 min listen

Marrying love and ambition, couples and careers: What are the crucial conversations every couple must have for their marriage AND their career to survive? Dual-career couples are now the rule rather than the exception - in Australia 65 per cent of couples with children both work. Jennifer Petriglieri is a professor of organisational behaviour at INSEAD Business School and she shares her research on the crucial transitions couples must navigate to make sure they not just survive but thrive in love AND work. She covers the contract she and her now-husband signed at the start of their relationship, how to have the difficult conversations around career (often is more about a power struggle), Jennifer's book is Couples That Work. Thanks to our couple Scott and Laura, our anonymous doctor and Kate Bennett Ericksson for their time and honest insights. by This Working Life

25 min listen

THE BONUS - coming back after burnout: Many of us are doing it tough at work at the moment so let's take a minute to learn from those who have gone before. This week's show was all about burnout at work and we wanted you to hear a little more of Marie-Cecile Godwin's story because there is a lot we can all learn from her experience of coming back after burnout. GUEST: UX designer Marie-Cecile Godwin. Producer: Maria Tickle If this episode has raised any issues for you the number for Lifeline is 13114 by This Working Life

6 min listen

Do open plan offices encourage collaboration? Computer says “no”.: Data showed a 70 per cent reduction in face-to face-interactions when two Fortune 500 companies move from private offices to open plan. Harvard Business School's Ethan Bernstein conducted the research and he explains how he tracked interactions using advanced wearable devices, the phenomena of "the fourth wall" and advises how businesses can actually increase collaboration. Spoiler alert, it doesn't involve office design. by This Working Life

25 min listen

Emotional agility key in dealing with COVID-19: Emotions at work - do you repress or ruminate? One thing that is being truly tested at the moment at work and in our personal lives is our ability to deal with the uncertainty and emotional turmoil brought about by this pandemic. So this week we’re revisiting a conversation with Dr Susan David, one of the world’s leading management thinkers and a Harvard medical school psychologist. Susan's Ted Talk has been viewed more than seven million times and her book Emotional Agility is a bestseller. Susan discusses the benefits of bringing our whole selves to work; emotions as data not directives (we shouldn't let them boss us around) and why emotional agility is important for teamwork and creativity. by This Working Life

25 min listen

Lunch with 100 strangers could change your life: Lunching with 100 strangers helped Kaley Chu find her voice. Kaley works in finance and as a business development manager, dealing with people was a big part of her job. But Kaley was afraid of talking to new people and it was hampering her career. So she decided to attack it head on. She launched a personal experiment, to ring strangers and invite them out to lunch. 100 lunches with 100 strangers in one year. Over lunch, we explore what drove her to embark on the 100 lunches, how it transformed all aspects of her life and work - and what she learnt along the way. (Her book is 100 Lunches With Strangers.) We then dive deeper into the power of networking and chat with careers coach Leah Lambart (founder of Relaunch me) and executive recruitment specialist Sinead Hourigan (Queensland director Robert Walters) to find out what are the big changes to networking - does it still involve boozy cocktail parties and business cards? by This Working Life

25 min listen

When WFH collides with schooling at home the game has to change: PPT (paid pajama time), WFH - whatever you want to call it - for many of us, it’s the first time we’ve been forced to work outside the office environment. So, how might we best navigate remote work - and keep our jobs and minds intact? Mark Mortensen is Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD Business school. He’s been researching virtual working for 20 years and he walks us through what he’s learnt about remote collaboration and team dynamics. And to raise the bar even higher, if you have school-aged children in Victoria, you may be experiencing a rising tide of tension in your home as your kids log in to remote learn. And other states, listen up 'cause you may be next! As executive general manager of marketing and sales for MYOB and mother to three kids, Natalie Feehan has navigated an integrated work life for a long time. She shares what’s worked and hasn’t in this brave new world where school, by This Working Life

25 min listen

Can struggle be a gift?: Identify the gifts in your struggles to help you lead through chaos: That's the message of Bobby Herrera, co-founder and CEO of Populus Group, one of the fastest growing HR Services companies in the US. No stranger to struggle, Bobby is one of 13 children and his family immigrated from Mexico to the US in the 60s with little to their name. He shares his powerful stories of struggle and how what he has learn has helped him lead his company through four recessions. And he also talks about the current struggle - including how he leads through VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity). Then self-professed introvert and author of Quietly Powerful, Megumi Miki, turns the microphone on extreme extrovert, Lisa Leong to hear how she is coping with working in ISO. And it's not been pretty. by This Working Life

25 min listen

Know your rights and artfully negotiate to get the working life you want: Which of the following is legal: Your boss can ask you to work more hours than usual to "earn" jobkeeper, your boss can force you to take annual leave, or your boss can make you take leave without pay? Jobkeeper legislation has temporarily rewritten the rules around employment here in Australia. So to clear things up we're diving into the murky waters of what your boss can and can’t ask you to do and what YOU can ask of THEM in return. Helping us is Zana Bytheway, executive director with the not-for-profit legal service Jobwatch. Then then we learn the art of negotiation so that you can get what you want, and deserve, at work. But if you are a woman beware, because according to research by Dr Ruchi Sinha from The University of South Australia, you have to choose a different approach to men or it could have a "social cost". I(f you are listening on Apple Podcasts and enjoy the show please take a moment to rat by This Working Life

26 min listen

Culture Club: turning a toxic work culture around: Can you measure and then fix workplace culture? This episode we speak with two experts who emphatically believe the answer is “yes!” Didier Elzinga is CEO of Culture Amp, Australia’s newest unicorn start-up. What Didier offers is the tools to measure culture, based on the theory that if you can measure it you can then improve it. Didier shares why he became obsessed about culture, how you can capture meaningful data about culture and what he learnt from working in one of the toughest cultures in the world - Hollywood! Colin D. Ellis is a culture change facilitator and author of Culture Fix. He shares his hard-earnt experience of turning cultures around including: what are the uncomfortable truths around culture, what are the biggest mistakes and what are the greatest levers when it comes to successful turning cultures around. by This Working Life

25 min listen

What can we learn from our northern neighbours about work: Norway, Iceland and Germany have cracked the code in terms some of the world's biggest work problems, so what can we learn from them? Policy adviser Andrew Wear travelled the globe meeting local experts to try to understand what has worked - from reducing gender inequality and raising living standards to keeping manufacturing alive, each country had a tale to tell. And we hear how we can apply those lessons here in Australia. Andrew's book is called Solved! And people management expert Karen Gately, confronts the dos and don’ts when dealing with the thorny issue of conflict at work. Never miss a show! Subscribe to our weekly podcast on the ABC Listen App or Apple podcasts. (And if you enjoy the show help us out by rating us with those little stars it helps others find us.) Producer: Maria Tickle by This Working Life

25 min listen

Work-life balance is dead, hello integration: Before we kill it off work-life balance, what are the benefits and risks for employees and companies in this move to integration? Recorded live at Pause Fest 2020, this panel brought hard-core honesty to this conversation. These leaders shared their personal stories, fast fails and tips for those trying to make their way in a modern work world of mixed messages. Guests: Ed McManus, CEO of Deliveroo Australia, Natalie Feehan GM sales and marketing at MYOB and chief people officer with Estimate One, James Law. They debated (at times hotly) whether job flexibility is good for companies and how it needs to be managed, and whether working part-time limits your career. Never miss a show! Subscribe to our weekly podcast on the ABC Listen App or Apple podcasts. (And if you enjoy the show help us out by rating us with those little stars it helps others find us.) Producer: Maria Tickle by This Working Life

34 min listen

We're Back! Returning to the workplace after COVID-19: Is it safe to go back? How should it be managed? Will your skirt/pants still fit or is an emergency shopping trip on the cards? As restrictions begin to ease around the country, businesses are grappling with how to transition employees back to the office space. And employees are struggling with the idea too. We speak with Clare Harding who heads up the return to the workplace transition at consulting firm Deloitte, where 10,000 employees were transitioned to remote working in one week. Their approach will be a staggered hybrid model, with a “pilot” mindset. According to a recent survey by the Australian HR Institute the thing employees are most anxious about are their health and wellbeing. AHRI CEO Sarah McCann-Bartlett describes how employers might provide such support in the return to work. And finally, Jim Stanford, the director of the Centre for Future Work, draws attention to the flip side of remote working - what are empl by This Working Life

25 min listen

How to co-work from home with your partner: Both divorces and births are predicted to rise this year thanks to coronavirus-induced isolation. Many people have been thrust into remote working alongside their partners for the first time. So how can you immunise your relationship? Jennifer Petriglieri, is a professor of organisational behaviour at INSEAD Business School and author of Couples That Work. She guides us through best practice for co-working couples. We also hear how to handle rising anxiety in your staff and work colleagues from organisational psychologist Dr Laura Kirby and CEO and founder of digital agency Versa, Kath Blackham. Hear a longer interview with Jennifer Petriglieri on the career contracts all couples should have and if you are feeling a bit stir crazy pop on the lycra and leg warmers to exercise at home with Sporty's Amanda Smith. by This Working Life

25 min listen

Harnessing the power of atomic habits to break bad habits and build good ones: Never underestimate the power of habits, especially the teeny, tiny ones we repeat every day, the ones author James Clear calls “atomic habits”. We discuss Clear’s ideas of how we can harness habits to perform better at work especially in these stressful pandemic times with fangirl and neuroscientist Dr Sarah McKay. And we delve into the origin and uses of corporate jargon and buzzwords with Charbel el Khaissi, he’s a consultant in AI and language technology who is studying a PhD in linguistics at ANU. Recommended read: Atomic Habits, How to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear. Producer: Maria Tickle by This Working Life

25 min listen

Unlocking the keys to deep listening: How well do you listen to people at work? No, stop and think - how well do you really listen, not just wait for your turn to talk or be distracted by the chatter in your head: "Wish he would hurry the hell up!" or "Here she goes pushing that agenda again, now I will be late for the gym." Executive coach Oscar Trimboli and author calls it deep listening and he says it involves not just listening to the content but also the meaning, context and most importantly, the unsaid. And it can change your life and your career. And if you are struggling a little in finding your mojo after being suddenly thrust into WFH, organisational psychologist, podcaster and founder of Inventium, Amantha Imber, shares her science-based tips on how to better structure your day to get stuff done. Oscar's book: Deep Listening - Impact Beyond Words. Deep listening quiz Producer: Maria Tickle by This Working Life

25 min listen

Failure is not a dirty word: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts,” according to Winston Churchill. So when is a mistake a failure? How do we avoid failure becoming fatal and could failing actually be good for our careers? Psychologist Dr Rachael Sharman from Sunshine Coast University has studied failure and she has the answers. And Dr Paige Williams from the University of Melbourne explains why we need to become “anti-fragile” to help us fail better and get ahead at work, especially if you are a leader. BOOK: Becoming Anti-fragile by Dr Paige Williams by This Working Life

25 min listen

If not THAT then WHO? The loss of self worth and identity when jobs evaporate: 900,000 people read Alex Reiff's searingly honest account of how he felt when he lost his job. Much to his amazement the searingly honest LinkedIn post in which he shared his fear and uncertanties quickly went viral. This Indianapolis sales executive’s experience of loss is being repeated globally. Around 700, 000 Australians, across a multitude of industries, have lost their jobs due to the fallout from the pandemic. Now the word “unprecedented” has been bandied around a lot, but this kind of mass layoff hasn’t happened in this country since the “recession we had to have” in the early 90s. For many, losing their job will be not only an economic crisis but a psychological one. Alex Reiff, full-time dad Aliya Rao, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Singapore Management University author of forthcoming book Crunch Time: how married couples confront unemployment. Janna Koretz , clinical psychologist spe by This Working Life

25 min listen

The four-day work week: Utopian ideal or secret weapon to survive the COVID-19 recession?: A trifecta of CEOs share why they introduced the four-day work week to their companies, how it has actually helped them navigate the economic downturn, and hard lessons learnt along the way. GUESTS: Andrew Barnes, CEO Perpetual Guardian, Kath Blackham CEO Versa, Nikki Beaumont CEO Beaumont People. Andrew's book: The Four Day Week: How the Flexible Work Revolution Can Increase Productivity, Profitability and Well-being, and Create a Sustainable Future. by This Working Life

26 min listen

Workplace motivation isn’t just about pizzas and beer (although that helps): How do you find your work mojo now that your holiday halo has started to dim? January is the most popular month to give your job the flick (and to file for divorce apparently - but this is outside the scope of our show!). We talk motivation with sports and organisational psychologist Dr Travis Kemp and Chris Low, head of vibe at Canva which has twice been named Australia's best place to work. We discuss why things come to a head in January - just what's going on in our brains? Plus why personal values trump free beer, why money isn't our primary motivator, and how eating breakfast and lunch together helped online graphic design business Canva become a unicorn company (a privately-owned start up worth more than a US one billion dollars). Chris also refers to the importance of psychological safety in the workplace. To hear more about this, listen to our previous show on this topic: After ramp up your motiv by This Working Life

25 min listen

Bold leadership in the time of COVID-19: This is make or break time for leaders. So how should our bosses be communicating with us and what should they be saying, and NOT saying in this, the biggest global crisis of our time? A few leaders have stood out from the pack: leadership expert Dr Kirstin Ferguson breaks down what has made their leadership exceptional and what we can learn from it; and communications specialist Jayne Dullard steers leaders in what to say, how to say it and when. And that time, she says, is now. GUESTS Dr Kirstin Ferguson, leadership expert, member of multiple boards and deputy chair of the ABC, co-author of Women Kind. Jayne Dullard, communications specialist who has worked extensively in crisis communications. FURTHER INFORMATION: Jacinda Adern’s Facebook post: https://bit.ly/2UXfV4H Arne Sorenson’s LinkedIn post: https://bit.ly/2UEmA51 PRODUCER: Maria Tickle by This Working Life

26 min listen

THE BONUS - corporate culture lessons from Uber on what not to do: Uber's story is a cautionary tale in what NOT to do when creating corporate culture in a startup, according Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber. It's the book Lisa's fellow work book nerd Catherine Robson chose as best bedtime page turner. Written by award-winning New York Times technology reporter Mike Isaac, the book chronicles the rise and the catastrophic fall of the corporate giant based on hundreds of interviews with current and former Uber employees. Producer Maria Tickle by This Working Life

10 min listen

Avoiding the conclusion trap: How deliberate are you about the way you make decisions at work? Bad decisions can result in wasted time, money and jobs. For example, when a company restructure goes badly, or when there is investment in a “sexy app” that ultimately no one uses. Dan Markovitz says that the number 1 reason that bad decisions are made are because people leap to a solution - what he labels the “conclusion trap”. Dan explains how we can all make better decisions by slowing down and paying more attention to the problem itself before we leap to the conclusion. He shares his four-step method to avoid the conclusion trap. And author Carolyn Tate has used daily journaling for the past ten years, she explains how this free association style of writing has supercharged her output as a writer. by This Working Life

26 min listen

Coronavirus preppers at work: We separate fact from fiction when it comes to prepping for the coronavirus at work. by This Working Life

25 min listen

The Bonus: Life in the Woods: To get through this second COVID lockdown, Lisa has gone deep with her night-time reading. In this episode she discusses Henry David Thoreau's Walden: or, Life in the Woods with Steph Clarke facilitator and host of Steph's Business Bookshelf. Lisa explains how this book has helped her re-frame her approach to work and get a grip on her finances in these challenging times. Last week on The Bonus: Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl (And if you enjoy the show help us out by sharing and rating us with those little stars. Five thanks!) by This Working Life

9 min listen

Lisa Leong has 20 biohacks, here's another four: We sort fact from wishful thinking when it comes to some of the biohacks Lisa feels is helping her do her best work while working from home in these uncertain times. And as usual we’ve enlisted a posse of experts to run them through the hard science research filter. Butter coffee, chaga (dried fungus “coffee”), "earthing" and mindfulness meditation all go under the microscope. Will any of them survive to be utilized another day? Guests: Accredited nutritionist and dietician Catherine Saxelby from FoodWatch Belinda Smith, freelance science journalist on sabbatical from ABC Science Dr Nicholas Van Dam, clinical neuroscientist Deputy Director of the Brain and Mental Health Hub within the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences. Nicholas is currently recruiting volunteers for a research project into mindfulness meditation. Never miss a show! Subscribe to our weekly podcast on the ABC Listen app, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast by This Working Life

26 min listen

Tips to supercharge your brain for work: What to eat, how to move for peak brain power. We dig into what science says about what to feed your brain and how to move your body in order to perform at your best at work in these stressful times. You'll hear: * The good oil on the good fats and how NOT to cook with them. * Are supplements useful additions to our diet or just expensive wee? * Coffee, yay or nay? * And the best way to exercise to increase focus and creativity at work. This one may surprise you, it surprised the researchers! GUESTS: Dr Delia McCabe, is a nutritional neuroscientist [and luckily she shares my obsession] - Delia has researched how what we eat affects our brains and her book is Feed Your Brain. Dr John Ratey, is a psychiatrist and Clinical Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, who has studied the effect of exercise on the brain for more than 40 years. Never miss a show! Subscribe to our weekly podcast on the ABC Listen app, Apple Podcasts, Google P by This Working Life

25 min listen

An angel on your shoulder, how finding the right mentor can change your career: Finding yourself the right mentor is more critical than ever before to get through these tough and uncertain times at work. But how do you find the right mentoring relationship? And do men and women need different things out of it? In this episode: * Bobbi Mahlab from Mentor Walks explains and how walking and talking helps develop a safe and trusting environment for sharing for women. * Miles Protter of pro bono mentoring program Men’s Business tells why having a mentor is so critical for men. * Writer and broadcaster Benjamin Law and entrepreneurs Naomi Simson (Red Balloon and TV series The Shark Tank), Kietah Martens-Shaw and Julie Demsey tell how mentoring has helped them in their careers. Producer: Maria Tickle by This Working Life

25 min listen

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How leaders can use humour at work, and keep everyone happy

How leaders can use humour at work, and keep everyone happy

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