Executive Excellence

Join us for an insightful conversation with Alarna Lane-Mullins, Executive Director at the Public Sector Commission, as we explore how organizations can make it valuable for their employees to stay. In this episode of the Emerging Excellence Podcast, we delve into the importance of employee engagement and retention, the concept of an employee value proposition (EVP), and how it can shape the overall employee experience. We also discuss the role of people, process, and technology in building a robust EVP and explore the employee lifecycle from attraction to retention. Alarna shares her expertise on how leaders can recover from mistakes and create a workplace culture that fosters loyalty and commitment. Tune in to learn how to retain top talent and create a workplace where everyone thrives!Connect with Alarna on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alarna-lane-mullins-369a7555

In a world where we're constantly told to do more and be more, Sheridan Stewart offers a refreshing perspective. Join us on the Emerging Excellence Podcast as Sheridan shares her personal journey of burnout and how a 90-day challenge to spend less became a journey of self-discovery towards contentment. From surrendering to the essentials to choosing to make lasting change, Sheridan's story is both inspiring and practical. Tune in to learn how to prioritize calm, self-care, and what really matters in life.To grab a copy of Sheridan's book, head to this link:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Am-Enough-90-day-challenge-contentment/dp/0711278571

In this episode Felicity is joined by Matt Harrison and Jess Rawlings from University of Melbourne, and co-founders of Next Level Collaboration. Jess Rawlings, the CEO, is a speech pathologist, while Matt comes from an educational background. Both guests are passionate about gaming and neurodiversity, and have used their unique experiences to create an inclusive and innovative approach to support neurodivergent individuals. Listen as they discuss their personal experiences with gaming, the role of gaming in fostering social connections, and the importance of focusing on strengths when evaluating and hiring individuals. They also explore the future of gaming and technology in creating more accessible and inclusive environments for neurodivergent communities. Tune in for an insightful conversation on how embracing neurodiversity and the gaming world can propel your business forward.

In this decade we will close the gender pay gap. That's the bold prediction (backed up by data) of our special guest Simon Kuestenmacher, Expert Demographer, and Professional Speaker on this episode. But how is this possible?In this episode, we dive into three key areas that are essential for creating a more equitable and diverse workplace: closing the gender pay gap, leveraging technology to empower young people, and how senior leaders can enable diversity in their workplace.First, we discuss the urgent need to close the gender pay gap, which has persisted for far too long despite efforts to address it. Kuestenmacher shares his insights on the steps that leaders can take to ensure that women are paid fairly and equitably, and how this will benefit not only women, but also the organizations they work for.Next, we explore the ways in which technology is transforming the world of work, and how young people can use these tools to their advantage. From online learning to remote work, we examine the ways in which technology is enabling new forms of work and learning, and how young people can prepare themselves for the jobs of the future.Finally, we delve into the importance of creating a diverse workforce, and the role that senior leaders can play in fostering a culture of inclusion. We take a look at the steps leaders can take to attract and retain a diverse range of employees.Join us as we explore these important topics and offer practical advice and insights for leaders who want to create a more equitable, innovative, and diverse workplace.

Felicity Furey and Brett, the CEO of QLeave, are discussing talent pipelining and succession planning. This episode revolves around the role of a leader and how they can leave an organization in a better place than they found it. Developing a clear talent management strategy is critical in today's competitive hiring landscape and will lay the foundation for attracting, retaining and enhancing your workforce.

If you are leading a team, evaluating your teams capability is essential. This week, Felicity & Brett dive into how do evaluate discuss the question of whether or not teams are ready for leadership roles and responsibilities. Furey mentioned that this is a question CEOs often worry about, and Bassett agreed that it can keep him up at night. He believes in evaluating team performance on an ongoing basis and bases his evaluation on the outcome of large projects and crises. Bassett encourages leaders to think of this question in a positive sense, and to use it as a way to motivate themselves and their teams. Overall, the two discussed the importance of proper preparation and training for teams in order to ensure their success.Brett believes that if something goes well, the team should get the credit and if something goes wrong, it is the leader's fault. He has found this to be true in his experience in various organizations. His belief is that the leader should take responsibility for the team's performance, looking at what is missing or what could make a difference. He encourages leaders to be empowered and to give their team enough space to grow and succeed. Brett views leadership as a responsibility and a reflection of how well a team performs.The conversation between Brett and the other person focused on the difference between sports and business when it comes to performance and leadership. They discussed how, in sports, the board or fans look to the captain on the field when a team isn't performing well, while in business, it is harder to set goals. They agreed that culture starts at the top and if the culture is not good, it will pervade the team. The other person shared their experience of being an emerging leader and wanting to control things, while Brett shared his experience of failing as a leader of a team. They concluded that rescuing can stop growth within the team and that the leader needs to be accountable for stepping away or bringing somebody else in. Felicity shared her personal experience of giving volunteers too much freedom and it ended up leading to them all quitting. He learned from this that the team was capable and that the leader needs to have a balance of giving the vision and some boundaries, while also giving them freedom.Brett discussed an important lesson he learned early on in his career: the importance of reflection. He takes 30 minutes on Friday afternoons to assess how he and his team have performed and write down his thoughts. He also discussed how a leader can contribute to the downfall of a team by not encouraging a safe space for conflict. He explained how creating an environment where people feel comfortable expressing different opinions and challenging each other in a respectful way is key for a high performing team.

In this first ever episode of Emerging Excellence we take a look at what it’s REALLY like to be a leader. We explore How to Best Support Emerging Leaders in the Changing Workplace, and what we can do to help develop work cultures which sing. SUMMARY In this conversation, Brett and Felicity discuss the concept of leadership and what it means to be a leader. Felicity shares her experience of unexpectedly taking on a leadership role when she was in her twenties, and how it was much more challenging than she expected. Brett shares his perspective on leadership, saying that he never wanted to be a leader when he was in the police, and that he never thought he had what it takes to be a leader. They discuss the importance of understanding what it takes to be a leader, as a leader is not just a level or a role. They also discuss the importance of mindset, training, and mentors in developing leadership skills.