Grow Your Influence

In this episode Juliet and Kristy-Lee are discussing the tricky task of building connection and trust when you’re new in a leadership role, or leading a new team.With movement in the market many leaders may be facing this challenge right now, and the quicker connection and trust can be built, the quicker they can get down to achieving results for them and the teams they lead.In this episode we discuss strategies to build connection and trust quickly and effectively with the team you lead, but also with the leaders you report to and your peers in the leadership team.What’s your experience in building connection and trust when you’ve been new to an organisation, or leading a new team? We’d love to hear from you. You can share your thoughts and experience with us at https://www.facebook.com/growyourinfluence/And if you would like to connect with us, including accessing free resources on this and other leadership challenges, you can do this at:Juliet Robinson        Big GoalsKristy-Lee Billett      People Powered BusinessIf you enjoy our podcast we would love a review on whichever platform you access your episodes.

In this episode Juliet and Kristy-Lee are tackling a particularly tricky topic – how to have the ‘personal hygiene’ difficult conversation.As leaders we need to have so many different types of difficult conversations, but the personal hygiene the one we are all least comfortable with.We discuss how to approach this sensitive topic with a team member, as well as the ways we probably would avoid dealing with this issue.Have you had to have this conversation with anyone on your team? How did you approach it? We’d love to hear! You can share your thoughts and experience with us at https://www.facebook.com/growyourinfluence/And if you would like to connect with us, including accessing free resources on this and other leadership challenges, you can do this at:Juliet Robinson        Big GoalsKristy-Lee Billett      People Powered BusinessIf you enjoy our podcast we would love a review on whichever platform you access your episodes.

In this episode we are celebrating 100 episodes of Grow Your Influence and Juliet and Kristy-Lee are taking a look back at the last four years since our first episode launched in 2021.As we reflect back on the topics we have discussed and the discussions we have had, we discuss the fact that similar themes continue to be important to leaders across all industries, no matter what season of business we are in.From hybrid work, to dealing with difficult people, the importance of values and culture and trust are all still fundamental leadership factors.If you are a long time listener of the podcast, or you are new to our community, we’d love to hear what topics you’ve loved most, and what you would like us to tackle in our next 100 episodes. You can share your thoughts with us at https://www.facebook.com/growyourinfluence/And if you would like to connect with us, including accessing free resources on this and other leadership challenges, you can do this at:Juliet Robinson        Big GoalsKristy-Lee Billett      People Powered BusinessIf you enjoy our podcast we would love a review on whichever platform you access your episodes.

In this episode of the podcast we're sharing one of our most popular conversations. In this episode we tackle the bane of everyone’s work life: difficult people and how to deal with them, wherever they appear in your work life.We waste so much time and energy dealing with people who behave badly.  Often we put the conversation off for as long as possible and sometimes we avoid these conversations altogether.  What we know is that avoiding dealing with difficult behaviour is not going to change anything.  As leaders, there are some simple things we can do to connect with and manage difficult people, particularly if they are on our team. Starting with a plan is important and what you role model for yourteam gives them an idea for how they can also deal with these situations. We give you our top tips for dealing with these difficult people. We’d love to hear your thoughts at https://www.facebook.com/growyourinfluence/

Today we are joined by Kate Russell from The Huddle for a discussion on dealing with conflict in the workplace. Kate is the Founder of The Huddle—a business built on deep listening, emotional safety, and the belief that conflict can be transformative, not destructive.She’s not a lawyer, nor does she have a master’s degree in conflict resolution. Kate does have over 30 years of lived, professional experience navigating some of the most emotionally complex and high-stakes environments you can imagine—from child support and family services to workplace conflict and leadership breakdowns.Kate has worked with people in crisis, in silence, in fury, in heartbreak—and she has walked beside them without flinching. Not to fix them. But to hear them. To reflect them. To help them find their way back to themselves and each other.Kate created The Huddle for leaders and teams who are ready to have real conversations—the kind that heal fractures, build trust, and reshape culture from the inside out. Her approach blends conflict transformation, trauma-informed practice, emotional intelligence, and good old-fashioned human decency. She is noy here to tell people what to do. She is here to help them listen better, lead better, and live better—at work and beyond.If you’d like to connect with Kate her website is: https://www.thehuddle.net.au/ Or connect with her on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conflictcoachandteambuilder/If you are currently juggling this challenge we’d love to hear from you. You canshare your experiences with us at https://www.facebook.com/growyourinfluence/And if you would like to connect with us, including accessing free resources on this and other leadership challenges, you can do this at:Juliet Robinson        Big GoalsKristy-Lee Billett      People Powered BusinessIf you enjoy our podcast we would love a review on whichever platform you access your episodes.

In this episode we are talking about the pattern we’re seeing of businesses looking to bring people back into the office on a more permanent and full time basis and how we manage this with the pull for flexibility.In this discussion we unpack how we can balance this with people working from home, generating productivity, keeping team connection and managing individual morale.We discuss how this looks different for different businesses, and even how this may differ amongst teams within the one organisation.Of course when making changes to patterns to work we need to consider what’s best for the organisation as a whole, as well as for teams and individuals.If you are currently juggling this challenge we’d love to hear from you about how you’re approaching this change and what’s working well for you in striking the balance. You can share your experiences with us at https://www.facebook.com/growyourinfluence/And if you would like to connect with us, including accessing free resources on this and other leadership challenges, you can do this at:Juliet Robinson   Big GoalsKristy-Lee Billett People Powered BusinessIf you enjoy our podcast we would love a review on whichever platform you access your episodes. 

So often when we are recruiting new people into our teams, we are doing it under pressure.  We need someone NOW and it can be tempting to just fill the job that has been created, rather than thinking strategically about the skills we need in our team.When we’re recruiting we often bring in people like us.  People we can relate to in interviews so we think they will fit in the team and we can train them up for the job.  Sometimes that works.  Often it doesn’t.  And either way, it takes a lot more time and energy that taking a skills-based approach in the beginning.In this episode Juliet and Kristy-Lee talk about the challenges of recruiting for a skills-based team that also ‘works’.  That is, the new joiners ‘fit’ with the team culture and have the skills to contribute immediately, even if the way they work and communicate is a bit different from the existing team. There are some key steps you can take to ensure the role you’re filling is what’s required and that your next hire hits the ground running.If you have been have a strategy for your recruitment we would love to hear from you about how you have navigate this.  You can share your experiences with us at https://www.facebook.com/growyourinfluence/And if you would like to connect with us, including accessing free resources on this and other leadership challenges, you can do this at:Juliet Robinson           Big GoalsKristy-Lee Billet           People Powered BusinessIf you enjoy our podcast we would love a review on whichever platform you access your episodes.

Recently Juliet worked with a team that is moving from a strong command and control culture to one where they are trying to encourage teamwork and innovation, and we thought it was worth discussing the challenges.  Command and control culture – where instructions come down from the top and there isn’t much (if any) tolerance of questions, problems or even discussion about ideas – is not unusual within owner operated businesses.  As the business this becomes more limiting for the business and harder to sustain.  A culture of accountability and innovation is all about teamwork – challenging the status quo, encouraging questioning, ideas etc and letting go of much of the top-down control.In this episode Juliet and Kristy-Lee talk about the merits of both sorts of culture at different times and the challenges of moving from one type of culture to another.  This shift requires the leader to let go of control and be open to challenges that can drive the business forward.  This requires trust, openness and conversations.  And it takes time. If you have been through this we would love to hear from you about how you have navigated this experience or if you’re still in transition.  You can share your experiences with us at https://www.facebook.com/growyourinfluence/And if you would like to connect with us, including accessing free resources on this and other leadership challenges, you can do this at:Juliet Robinson           Big GoalsKristy-Lee Billet           People Powered BusinessIf you enjoy our podcast we would love a review on whichever platform you access your episodes.

Can you believe it’s 5 years since we first headed into those unprecedented lockdowns, restrictions and work from home orders?In this episode Juliet and Kristy-Lee are exploring a report recently released by Gallup called: The Post Pandemic Workplace – The Experiment Continues. The report explores Gallups work in measuring how peoples lives and work changed over the past 5 years. The data is drawn from surveys of 400 000 US employees – and whilst Australia is not the Unites States, and we took a different approach to many aspects of the Pandemic, there is no doubt the trends are similar.The Gallup report is so extensive we decided to break this discussion down into 4 sperate episodes.First we conducted an overview of the gains, losses and lessons. Then in the second episode of the series we chatted about the rise in disconnection with vision and values at work. Last episode we look at a concept Gallup are calling ‘the great detachment’ and finally in this episode we unpack what’s happened to workplace wellbeing in the last 5 years.We hope you enjoy this exploration of and discussion around these findings. We would love to hear from you about how you feel about the changes to your workplace since 2020, and the impact you think the changes are having. You can share your experiences with us at https://www.facebook.com/growyourinfluence/And if you would like to connect with us, including accessing free resources on this and other leadership challenges, you can do this at:Juliet Robinson           Big GoalsKristy-Lee Billet           People Powered BusinessIf you enjoy our podcast we would love a review on whichever platform you access your episodes.

Can you believe it’s 5 years since we first headed into those unprecedented lockdowns, restrictions and work from home orders?In this episode Juliet and Kristy-Lee are exploring a report recently released by Gallup called: The Post Pandemic Workplace – The Experiment Continues. The report explores Gallups work in measuring how peoples lives and work changed over the past 5 years. The data is drawn from surveys of 400 000 US employees – and whilst Australia is not the Unites States, and we took a different approach to many aspects of the Pandemic, there is no doubt the trends are similar.The Gallup report is so extensive we decided to break this discussion down into 4 sperate episodes.The first episode in the series was an overview of the gains, losses and lessons. Then in the last episode we chatted about the rise in disconnection with vision and values at work. Today we are exploring a concept Gallup are calling ‘the great detachment’ and finally we unpack what’s happened to workplace wellbeing in the last 5 years. We hope you enjoy this exploration of and discussion around these findings. We would love to hear from you about how you feel about the changes to your workplace since 2020, and the impact you think the changes are having. You can share your experiences with us at https://www.facebook.com/growyourinfluence/And if you would like to connect with us, including accessing free resources on this and other leadership challenges, you can do this at:Juliet Robinson           Big GoalsKristy-Lee Billet           People Powered BusinessIf you enjoy our podcast we would love a review on whichever platform you access your episodes.

Can you believe it’s 5 years since we first headed into those unprecedented lockdowns, restrictions and work from home orders?In this episode Juliet and Kristy-Lee are exploring a report recently released by Gallup called: The Post Pandemic Workplace – The Experiment Continues. The report explores Gallups work in measuring how peoples lives and work changed over the past 5 years. The data is drawn from surveys of 400 000 US employees – and whilst Australia is not the Unites States, and we took a different approach to many aspects of the Pandemic, there is no doubt the trends are similar.The Gallup report is so extensive we decided to break this discussion down into 4 sperate episodes. Last week we took a zoom up and lookedat an overview of the gains, losses and lessons. Today we chat about the risein disconnection with vision and values at work. Next up we will look at a concept Gallup are calling ‘the great detachment’ and finally we unpack what’s happened to workplace wellbeing in the last 5 years.We hope you enjoy this exploration of and discussion around these findings. We would love to hear from you about how you feel about the changes to your workplace since 2020, and the impact you think the changes are having. You can share your experiences with us at https://www.facebook.com/growyourinfluence/And if you would like to connect with us, including accessing free resources on this and other leadership challenges, you can do this at:Juliet Robinson           Big GoalsKristy-Lee Billet           People Powered BusinessIf you enjoy our podcast we would love a review on whichever platform you access your episodes.

Can you believe it’s 5 years since we first headed into those unprecedented lockdowns, restrictions and work from home orders?In this episode Juliet and Kristy-Lee are exploring a report recently released by Gallup called: The Post Pandemic Workplace – The Experiment Continues. The report explores Gallups work in measuring how peoples lives and work changed over the past 5 years. The data is drawn from surveys of 400 000 US employees – and whilst Australia is not the Unites States, and we took a different approach to many aspects of the Pandemic, there is no doubt the trends are similar. The Gallup report is so extensive we decided to break this discussion down into 4 sperate episodes.Today’s episode is an overview of the gains, losses and lessons. Next up we’ll chat about the rise in disconnection with vision and values at work. Following that we look at a concept Gallup are calling ‘the great detachment’ and finally we unpack what’s happened to workplace wellbeing in the last 5 years.We hope you enjoy this exploration of and discussion around these findings. We would love to hear from you about how you feel about the changes to your workplace since 2020, and the impact you think the changes are having. You can share your experiences with us at https://www.facebook.com/growyourinfluence/And if you would like to connect with us, including accessing free resources on this and other leadership challenges, you can do this at:Juliet Robinson           Big GoalsKristy-Lee Billet           People Powered BusinessIf you enjoy our podcast we would love a review on whichever platform you access your episodes.

We’ve all had that feeling when someone behaves badly: maybe if I just leave it, they will sort themselves out/the problem will just go away…In this episode Juliet and Kristy-Lee talk about an example of a client who knew they needed to deal with a toxic person in their team but had been avoiding the issue.  As soon as they decided to deal with the person, they felt so much better about themselves.  The team’s morale was almost instantly improved and the manager gained so much confidence from realising their response didn’t need to be perfect, they just needed to need to do it. We talk about the importance of leaders being aware of boundaries, both personally and within the team, and tackling issues directly when people are pushing those boundaries.  As managers we can feel overwhelmed when someone on our team is behaving badly and their negativity starts to infect the team.  It can be tempting to hope that they will realise they are being unreasonable and start behaving better.  The reality we talk about in this episode is that our team is watching to see how we deal with these things and whatever we do gives them signals about what’s ok. We will also feel better about ourselves when we deal the situation.  If you find yourself in this situation, remember you just need to take small steps. Plan a first conversations and be clear about what you want to change.  It is your role as a leader to deal with difficult people, both within and beyond your team, and you will feel better when you do this.  We would love to hear from you about how you have navigated this experience or if you’re currently dealing with a difficult person.  You can share your experiences with us at https://www.facebook.com/growyourinfluence/And if you would like to connect with us, including accessing free resources on this and other leadership challenges, you can do this at:Juliet Robinson           Big GoalsKristy-Lee Billet           People Powered BusinessIf you enjoy our podcast we would love a review on whichever platform you access your episodes.

In this episode Juliet and Kristy-Lee answer a question that has come in from a listener: “how do I deal with being promoted when a colleague thought the promotion was theirs, and is resentful of me securing the role?”We love to receive and answer your questions – and this was a great one to dive into.In this episode Juliet and Kristy-Lee Discuss, at a broad level, how to handle being promoted above peers who feel resentful. We talk about the importance of tackling the issue head-on through a direct conversation that acknowledges the peer's feelings while setting clear expectations. We suggest encouraging the resentful colleague to seek feedback on why they weren't chosen, from the decision makers themselves, and then offering support for their career development, where you are able to contribute to this. We also talk about the importance of setting and maintaining boundaries around appropriate behaviour, and how this helps to build trust with the wider team.If you find yourself in this situation, remember this is not your role, as a new leader, to solve this challenge for your colleague. We would love to hear from you about how you have navigated this experience in the past. You can share your experiences with us at https://www.facebook.com/growyourinfluence/And if you would like to connect with us, including accessing free resources on this and other leadership challenges, you can do this at:Juliet Robinson           Big GoalsKristy-Lee Billet           PeoplePowered Business

In this episode Juliet and Kristy-Lee recap our Summer Series of interviews and share their highlights and biggest take aways.One of the key themes we identified across all of our guests was the importance of values-based businesses, and how values impact hiring, leading and managing staff. We are both seeing the increasing desire, especially among younger generations, to join workplaces that align with personal values and offer more than just transactional work. We also discuss how having a clear purpose or "North Star" can help businesses navigate uncertain times and foster innovation. We also talk about the issue of psychological safety in the workplace, the challenges of leading volunteers, and the diverse perspectives on leadership shared by their guests throughout the series.We would love to hear from you about your feedback on our Summer Series. You can share your thoughts and make suggestions for future guests at https://www.facebook.com/growyourinfluence/And if you would like to connect with us, including accessing free resources on this and other leadership challenges, youcan do this at:Juliet Robinson           Big GoalsKristy-Lee Billet           PeoplePowered Business

In our sixth Summer Series interview Juliet is talking with Darren Taylor, Managing Director at Taylor & Grace, one of Melbourne’s leading brand strategy firms which is on a mission to help all Australian businesses, regardless of size, stage, structure or sector to amplify their impact by leveraging their brand. Darren is an award-winning brand strategist, keynote speaker, author of the book, Rebranding Branding, and an accomplished pianist and pipe organist. From social enterprises to global giants, Darren has helped hundreds of organisations to uncover what makes them remarkable and how to leverage their brand to amplify their impact. With an education spanning engineering, marketing and musical theatre, Darren has a wide perspective and has held Director roles with Georges Mora Foundation, Chamber Music Australia and currently, Musica Viva Australia.  In this interview he talks about a range of issues we need to think about with our branding including the importance of our values in developing our brand. We discuss the interconnectedness of values, brand and the ways we lead.We would love to hear from you about how you have developed your brand and the elements you considered. You can share your experiences and ask questions at https://www.facebook.com/growyourinfluence/You can contact Darren for more information about branding at https://taylorandgrace.com.au/You can also download a free copy of Darren’s book Rebranding Branding at https://taylorandgrace.com.au/free-ebook-the-promised-brand/And if you would like to connect with us, including accessing free resources on this and other leadership challenges, you can do this at:Juliet Robinson           Big GoalsKristy-Lee Billet           People Powered Business

Today in the next of our Summer Series interviews, Kristy-Lee is talking with Nicole Turnbull from Neon Shed about Psychosocial Safety at work.Nicole is the Founder and Chief Courage Officer at Neon Shed, which brings light to the dark sides of work. She works with businesses to eliminate psychosocial hazards at work and ignite courage in leaders and teams by giving them the tools and options to know HOW to have a safe workplace.Nicole has over 20 years experience in communications and 15 in the work health and safety industry. She has worked for both NSW safety regulators, the workers compensation insurer and the workers compensation independent review office.Nicole has seen the damage poor communication and psychosocial hazards can do to individuals, teams and organisations. Nicole is also the Winner of the 2023 Influential Businesswomen Awards for Most Empowering Founder (Australia) and the host of the Under the Rug at Work podcast.If you’d like to connect with Nicole you can visit her website here: https://neonshed.com.au/Or connect with her on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolesturnbull/Throughout our discussion Nicole also mentioned a number of resources and websites you can visit to get more information on this important topic, access to all of these is here:Model Code of Practice: Managing psychosocial hazards at work from Safe Work Australia (most states have their own as well)Positive duty information on the Australian Human Rights websiteRespect at Work websitePsychosocial Safety Summit in Queensland this yearWe would love to hear from you about how you ensure psychosocial safety within your team. You can share your experiences and ask questions at https://www.facebook.com/growyourinfluence And if you would like to connect with us, including accessing free resources on this and other leadership challenges, you can do this at:Kristy-Lee Billet           People Powered BusinessJuliet...

In this, the fourth in our Summer Series, Juliet is talking with Ed Ross, one of the Founders of Trade Mutt and This Is A Conversation Starter (TIACS). In case you haven’t heard of them, Trade Mutt designs outlandish work shirts and other useful and colourful things for tradies and people on the land.  Their products are designed to get people talking about mental health and to normalise these conversations.  A proportion of every sale goes to funding psychologists at TIACS who are available to talk when these people are struggling.The Trade Mutt business has gone from strength to strength and not long after our interview they signed off on a deal with Bunnings, which will raise their profile further.In this interview Ed talks about the origins of the business and how it has evolved as demand for TIACS has grown.  In building two very different enterprises alongside one another they struggled with a range of issues and Ed is very open in talking about how they have tackled these and grown both teams.We would love to hear from you about how you have tackled rapid business growth and if you have a favourite Trade Mutt shirt or story. You can share your experiences and ask questions at https://www.facebook.com/growyourinfluence/And if you would like to connect with us, including accessing free resources on this and other leadership challenges, you can do this at:Juliet Robinson           Big GoalsKristy-Lee Billet           People Powered Business

Natalie MacDonald led the Victorian Country Fire Authority (CFA) through a period of dramatic change between 2021 and 2024 and in the third of our Summer Series interviews Juliet talked with Natalie prior to her retirement about some of these challenges and the opportunities they present for the CFA. Prior to the CFA Natalie was Vice-President (Strategy & Development) at La Trobe University for eight years and was involved in developing the University’s strategy and the transformation of its campuses to create economic growth, community value and high-quality research, teaching and student life environments.  At the CFA Natalie led a make-dominated workforce that is spread across Victoria and is largely composed of local volunteers whose first loyalty is to their local crew, rather than a distant head office. In this conversation Natalie talks about her focus on supporting local crews, building the CFA culture and embedding genuine, sustainable diversity within the workforce at CFA, which has enabled the organisation to come through a difficult time in good shape.Natalie has served and is serving on a number of Commonwealth and State bodies and not-for-profit, education, superannuation and research Boards.  She has a BA, MBA and MComm from The University of Queensland.We would love to hear from you about how you tackle building the culture of your business and motivating your people. You can share your experiences and ask questions at https://www.facebook.com/growyourinfluence/And if you would like to connect with us, including accessing free resources on this and other leadership challenges, you can do this at:Juliet Robinson           Big GoalsKristy-Lee Billet           People Powered Business

Today in the second of our Summer Series interviews, Kristy-Lee is talking with Mel Rosenthal of 52 Conversations on having the important conversations that matter.    Mel is a Professional Certified Coach, accredited by the International Coaching Federation and an Australian Institute of Company Directors graduate (GAICD).  She holds a Bachelor of Commerce (First Class Honours) from the University of Western Australia and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.    Mel works with Founders and Leaders to drive growth for companies and the people in them.     She has been trusted by the leadership of companies including Who Gives A Crap, Minor Figures, Keep Cup, StartUp Victoria, QBE, Tyro, Champion Life, Thoughtworks, The Australian Centre for Social Innovation, Inventium, Advisian, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Swinburne University, Alinta Energy, ME Bank, Visy and Medtronic.    Mel is also the creator of 52 conversations – a card game to create conversations that matter – and that’s what our conversation focused on today. Mel shares some stunning statistics that reflect the real costs and risks of not having important conversations with our teams, and shares her insights into how leaders can have more effective and impactful conversations.    To leave more about the 52 Conversations Card Game, simply head to this site: https://www.52conversations.com/    To learn more about Mel, the work she does and how you can connect with her, head to this website:  https://melissajrosenthal.com/    Or you can connect on LinkedIn here:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosenthalmelissa/    We would love to hear from you about tackling important conversations in your business. You can share your experiences and ask questions at https://www.facebook.com/growyourinfluence/    And if you would like to connect with us, including accessing free resources on this and other leadership challenges, you can do this at:  Kristy-Lee Billet People Powered Business  Juliet Robinson Big Goals