In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with master facilitator and executive coach Paul O'Beirne on what a first-time leader really needs to know and so does the organization they work for.Paul shares his insights and experience in...Transition challenges for new leaders.Importance of support systems.Leadership vs. management.Understanding role and relationships.Asking for help and adapting.Building networks and managing relationships.Importance of feedback structures for self-awareness.And connect with me for more great content! Sign Up for R@W Notes Subscribe on Youtube Follow on Linkedin Follow on Instagram Follow me on Threads Follow on TikTok Email me anytime

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher explains the importance of regular leadership tests to ensure we're on the right track.As a leader, how do we know we're any good? That comes from regular check ins in how we react to circumstances at work. We need to proactively be curious about ourselves and take a daily interest in understanding our impact on our teams and the culture. Russel shares four areas we can assess on a regular basis to determine the quality of our leadership and the one stakeholder group we need to hear from, more than our colleagues and bosses. Join us as we discuss. If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe and share with others.And connect with me for more great content! Sign Up for R@W Notes Subscribe on Youtube Follow on Linkedin Follow on Instagram Follow me on Threads Follow on TikTok Email me anytime

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with author and executive coach Mark J. Silverman on understanding and approaching leadership ambition.Mark shares his experience and insights on...The root of true ambition.Reckoning with ambition's impact at work.Self-awareness and authentic ambition.Generational shifts in ambition.Balancing ambition with authenticity.Organizational support for sustainable ambition.Personalized ambition.And connect with me for more great content! Sign Up for R@W Notes Subscribe on Youtube Follow on Linkedin Follow on Instagram Follow me on Threads Follow on TikTok Email me anytime

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher shares the importance of not prioritizing productivity over humanity. The ends can not justify the means. As a leader, it's vital that we provide a service or product, and deliver countless things along the way. The problem is when leaders achieve those results without regard for the human impact along the way just to make the boss happy. The long-term impacts can be devastating.Russel shares a personal story and provides of areas we can invest our time and leadership in to avoid losing that humanity for the sake of results. Join us as we discuss. If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe and share with others.And connect with me for more great content! Sign Up for R@W Notes Subscribe on Youtube Follow on Linkedin Follow on Instagram Follow me on Threads Follow on TikTok Email me anytime

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with authors and Edelman Executive Vice-Presidents Elena Grotto and Felicia Joy on understanding leadership influence and its impact on teams and workplace culture.Elena and Felicia share their experience and insights on...Continuous learning and adaption as leaders.Balancing humanity and productivity.The modern workplace as a laboratory for co-creation and experimentation.Changing employee expectations and involvement.Bridging the executive-employee gap.Importance of relationships and flexibility.Intentional relationship building.And connect with me for more great content! Sign Up for R@W Notes Subscribe on Youtube Follow on Linkedin Follow on Instagram Follow me on Threads Follow on TikTok Email me anytime

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher discusses the causes and answers to cultural debt.Technical debt is a common term in software development to explain growing issues caused by not properly addressing problems. By only implementing "band-aid" solutions, the root problems only continue to grow and fester. Cultural debt is the same in that organizational issues unaddressed or avoided, will just poison the company little by little over time until it's not something that can be fixed anymore. Russel provides examples of how we invest in cultural debt and the areas we can pay attention to to avoid it. Join us as we discuss. If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe and share with others.And connect with me for more great content! Sign Up for R@W Notes Subscribe on Youtube Follow on Linkedin Follow on Instagram Follow me on Threads Follow on TikTok Email me anytime

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with best-selling author, drama researcher and headline speaker Cy Wakeman on focusing on a reality-based leadership approach to improve accountability at work.Cy shares her insights and experience in:Why we need to self-reflect and be personally accountable.Reality-based leadership practices.Cultivating curiosity and compassion to understand different perspectives.Collective Genius for reducing risks and driving innovation.Achieving post-traumatic growth.Co-creation and simplification for the greater organizational good.And connect with me for more great content! Sign Up for R@W Notes Subscribe on Youtube Follow on Linkedin Follow on Instagram Follow me on Threads Follow on TikTok Email me anytime

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher highlights the hypocrisy of organizations not asking applicants for feedback and why they should. Leadership often talks about the importance of feedback, including for applicants (successful or not) to ask for debriefs after their hiring experience. So why don't organizations take their own advice? There are so many benefits to listening to applicants to improve the hiring process. Russel provides real-world examples of what we can applicants are asking for and experiencing and spotlights the benefits of taking a development approach to hiring. Join us as we discuss. If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe and share with others.And connect with me for more great content! Sign Up for R@W Notes Subscribe on Youtube Follow on Linkedin Follow on Instagram Follow me on Threads Follow on TikTok Email me anytime

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel chats with author, speaker and Chief Enthusiasm Officer Dr. Randy Ross on the importance of connecting values to employee retention.Randy  shares his insights and experience in:Holistic employee experienceValues and behaviour alignment.Ethical and aesthetic components of values.Alignment and authenticity of values.Continuous feedback and self-reflection to operationalize values.Culture by design vs default.Value creation vs extraction.And connect with me for more great content! Sign Up for R@W Notes Subscribe on Youtube Follow on Linkedin Follow on Instagram Follow me on Threads Follow on TikTok Email me anytime

The podcast discusses the importance of sharing personal values in the workplace to build deeper connections and enhance self-awareness. It highlights how aligning values across different aspects of life can strengthen relationships, build trust, and foster collaboration. The episode also explores how sharing values openly can increase passion, commitment, and aid in conflict resolution, with a focus on leaders modeling this behavior.