Businesses spend time, money and attention on visual identity but what about verbal identity? It’s a missing link in leadership frameworks. Language matters. From the disruptive to the dreary, language frames the experience for those both inside and outside of an organisation. With a background in physiology and computer sciences, Chris West leverages his rational thinking to bring the magic and mechanics of language to businesses around the world, helping brands to craft and communicate a verbal identity. Here he shares how words build worlds and language drives change.
Read MoreZoë Routh Leadership Podcast
Podcasts
249 Creating connections is a leadership responsibility with Amy Lynn Durham
As a corporate executive in a cut-throat environment managing big teams and even bigger budgets, Amy Lynn Durham knew something had to change. With tiny adjustments and brave experimentation she took her team on a journey to build connection through emotional and spiritual intelligence. The process built bonds and the business, and was the catalyst for Amy’s Create Magic At Work coaching practice and book. From crystals and journaling to setting the past on fire, Amy’s radically different approach gets to the heart and soul of great team cultures.
Read More248 Hot tips for high performing teams
Who doesn’t like being part of a high performing team? They’re fun and motivating. You get stuff done. You enjoy each other’s company. But are they realistic? It turns out high performing teams are a myth. It’s more of an ideal to strive for than a reality to experience. No team or culture can sustain high performance. High performance goes in cycles, and that’s what we need to manage.
Read More247 Hedda Bird on why high performance starts with people stuff
From paper and pulp to performance management might sound like a big leap, but Hedda Bird sees opportunities for improvement wherever she looks so it turned out to be a natural fit. Hedda, author of the Performance Management Playbook, works with organisations to help them use performance management as a route into better communication, culture, creativity and results. Her enthusiasm for understanding what makes people tick is infectious and she brings a refreshingly practical leadership perspective.
Read More246 Ideal leadership mindset with Keith Renninson
Keith Renninson has lived many lifetimes and taken leadership lessons from them all! From financial planning to military service, non-profits, executive boards and bicycles, it’s been a wildly interesting ride that has enabled Keith to develop his T.R.I.P. tool that helps leaders explore their character traits and unlock their potential. A prolific author and public speaker, Keith shares his wealth of knowledge and what he believes are the essential characteristics of successful leadership.
Read More245 Leadership principles for high performance with Edoardo Binda Zane
Author and leadership coach Edoardo Binda Zane recognised early on that developing his emotional intelligence skills gave him an edge over his peers and enabled him to lead with influence and impact. Now Edoardo helps others to do the same through exploring the nuances of emotions, perspectives, biases and decision-making to make them leaders worth following. Edoardo shares his leadership insights, research findings and practical strategies for leading with emotional intelligence.
Read More244 Leadership tips: New Year Malaise? Let’s make it MAGIC instead!
Suffering from New Year’s malaise? Uncertainty, fear, frustration are characterising the start of 2022. We need to shake that off! Here are some practical leadership tips to refocus that will boost your morale. Share with your team.
Read More243 End of Year: Book and podcast recommendations
What can we make of this year? It’s year 2 of the pandemic. Polarised conversations are still happening, and this time it’s all about vaccinations. In this episode, I share some key perspective shifts - both personally, as well as from different books and podcast interviews I’ve done. You'll gain insights on how to think better, live better, and lead better!
Read More242 The people stuff of implementing change with Susan Davidson
A fascinating example of what happens when worlds collide, Susan Davidson brought a decade of business and finance experience to a career in health education after personal circumstances became a catalyst for change. Relationships, identity and community all feature strongly in Susan’s leadership philosophy, helping her to successfully steer complex change both professionally and personally.
Read More241 Leadership strategies to stop procrastination with Eric Twiggs
Losing a good friend in college spurred Eric Twiggs to swap partying for purpose as he confronted the fact that time is not replaceable. As an author and coach, Eric partners with his clients to help prevent procrastination while paying attention to passions on the path to success. With an infectious energy that comes from his desire to make an impact, Eric shares his strategies for taking action - now!
Read More240 A leadership framework for high performance with Will Schirmer
Having worked for many years in HR there’s very little people stuff that Will Schirmer hasn’t encountered in his career. On the gnarly subject of team performance he takes a clear cut view of leadership responsibility across expectations, accountability and follow-up and shares how to do that in practice.
Read More239 Gayle Smerdon’s leadership principles for doing one thing, deep
Sociologist and author Gayle Smerdon’s time in local government led to her light-bulb moment: organisations and teams oscillate between doing everything and doing nothing when they should be doing one thing. By giving it the time and space to do it deeply, they do it well. Gayle shares her ‘do one thing deep’ leadership philosophy and breaks down the engagement required to create sustainable change.
Read More238 Author Alister Esam’s leadership tips: process will set you free
Alister Esam is a self-confessed control freak and former actuary who bootstrapped a business and worked to the point of burnout before having a leadership revelation. By embracing process as a tool for freedom and creativity - not compliance and control - he turned around his team, business and own leadership identity. After finding a happier, more efficient way to be a successful CEO, Alister is on a mission to help others realise that process is empowering and ever-evolving.
Read More237 Leadership principles for future focused growth from Tigran Nazaryan
Tech savvy CEO Tigran Nazaryan turned a side-hustle into a start-up and scaled it at speed. Confident in his AI expertise, it was the people stuff that proved a more challenging transition. Tigran combined his creative thinking with continuous learning to build a corporate culture of transparency, empowerment and innovation where small teams do focused work and meetings are actually useful!
Read More236 Perspective shifting leadership insights
Zoë Routh shares a revelatory reflection on polarised conversations and shifting perspectives that digs into the role of identity in our beliefs.
Read More235 A leadership framework for productive disagreement with Buster Benson
Author of Why Are We Yelling? Buster Benson flips the perspective of difficult conversations and conflict, turning them from something to be feared into a super power. By asking thoughtful questions, disagreements become leadership learning opportunities, goodwill generators and windows into a bigger world. Buster explains why ‘What am I missing?’ could be the most important question you’ll ask today and shares what it is like to go from entrenchment to exploration.
Read More234 Courageous leadership with Peter Scott, retired submarine Commodore
Former Commodore Peter Scott spent three decades in service of the Australian Navy, rising to the position of professional head of the submarine arm. Leading in some of the most demanding conditions imaginable, Peter has remained grounded through a deep sense of responsibility and a commitment to understanding those around him. From leading and living in close and isolated quarters to taking ultimate accountability for missions, Peter is a study in graceful leadership under pressure and he shares the experiences and insights that have shaped him.
Read More233 Bobbie LaPorte’s ‘anything is possible’ leadership mindset
Bobbie LaPorte is ready for anything! A coach and consultant who helps leaders navigate uncertainty, Bobbie’s approach is inspired by her late-in-life foray into Ironman competitions and the realisation that, with discipline and determination, we can push through our leadership limits and vulnerabilities to make the impossible, possible.
Read More232 Leadership principles for happy teams with Susie Walford
Do good, make a difference and have fun while doing it - that’s Susie Walford’s leadership philosophy and it serves her well as General Manager Federal Self Insurance at EML (Employers Mutual Limited). A veteran of the claims management industry, Susie was thrust into people leadership with little tools or training, leveraging her innate people skills and commitment to clients to create a corporate culture of shared ownership… and a little bit of silliness. Susie shares her refreshing leadership principles for creating happy, productive teams, silencing the inner critic and seeking out constructive counsel.
Read More231 How to scale without losing curiosity in your corporate culture with Tim Jackson
Being an entrepreneur calls for a different leadership perspective - one where you can pull back and cede a little control in the name of strategy. This is something Tim Jackson has learned to do as he scales his tech business in challenging pandemic conditions. From hiring for culture fit to offering employees multiple ways to connect, Tim shares his insights into growing a corporate culture where collaboration and curiosity ensure there’s no room for complacency.
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