Leadership Discoveries

In this special solo episode, part of The Short Take, Host Shirley Kavanagh explores starting a new leadership role. Hear how to understand the situation you’re stepping into, how to clarify expectations early, how to agree to a small number of priorities, what questions to ask your peers, and how to choose an early action that matters. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn

Vincent Brennan joins Dr Shirley Kavanagh to reflect on more than four decades in banking and financial services, including senior executive roles at Bank of Ireland, his work as Transformation Director at Accenture, and his time as Deputy Chairman of the Euro Banking Association. He now works as an independent transformation advisor and non-executive director. Vincent shares candid insights into moving between leadership roles within the same organisation, navigating impostor syndrome, and building the trusted relationships that help leaders make sound decisions. We explore why leaders need to listen to constructive dissent and face inconvenient truths, how to influence without formal authority, and what changes when you move from executive responsibility into advisory and board roles.  Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn, and Vincent on LinkedIn

This is Part 2 of a 2-part series on internships, and what happens when students move from the classroom into the workplace. Charlie Askew & Aoibhinn Murphy are students currently working on the award-winning BSc in Digital Business & Innovation at Dublin City University Business School (DCU), a programme started by our previous guest, Professor Brian Harney. Charlie has an internship with Enterprise Ireland, and Aoibhinn has an internship with PwC. Hear the top skills the students have learned in their internships, how part-time work experience can prepare students for internships, the importance of feedback in an internship programme, how much responsibility to give your interns, and why the students have become more confident throughout their internships. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn, and Charlie & Aoibhinn at DCU.ie and on LinkedIn

This is Part 1 of a 2-part series on internships, and what happens when students move from the classroom into the workplace. Brian Harney is Head of School for Work, Psychology, and Strategy and Professor in Strategy & HRM (Human Resource Management) at Dublin City University Business School (DCU). He is founder and former Programme Director of the award-winning BSc in Digital Business & Innovation and former Programme Director of the award-winning MSc in HRM. Brian’s research focuses on the intersection of Strategy & HRM, with a particular focus on SMEs, growth, and knowledge-intensive sectors. Hear the critical thinking skills students learn in internships, how their perspective on failure changes, what makes a genuinely developmental experience in an internship, how to infuse a mentorship component into your internship programme, and how present & future leaders can navigate our complex world. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn, and Brian at DCU.ie and on LinkedIn

In this special solo episode, Host Shirley Kavanagh explores the skill of leading yourself. Hear why we don’t spend nearly enough time on self-leadership, why leaders stall, how to choose growth over the comfort of the familiar, how to exercise bravery & openness as a leader, and how to keep learning throughout your career. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn