Leaders who are respected are 12x more likely to be seen as effective than those who are simply liked. This is because respect is tied to competence, fairness, and consistency.

Respect in leadership isn't about titles or status, but about treating team members as capable adults rather than children. This helps avoid learned helplessness among teams, and creates environments where people feel safe to take risks, speak up, and even fail without fear of punishment.

Robyn Djelassi is a Chief People Officer, non-executive director, and coach. She runs her own HR consultancy working with organisations across Australia, with a focus on helping organisations achieve business results through their people.

Her approach to HR is a little different from the warm-and-fuzzy cliché that has permeated the industry, but is done with heart.

Robyn’s ADULTS leadership framework

• A: Accountability over approval. Don’t lead to be liked; lead to be trusted.
• D: Debrief, don’t rescue. When mistakes happen, resist fixing them for your team.
• U: Uncomfortable is useful. Don’t smooth the edges; people grow through the stretch.
• L: Let go of control. Ask “Have I made it clear what success looks like?”
• T: Trust before proof. Trust people before they’ve earned it.
• S: Say less, ask more. Use questions to help people think for themselves.

Episode highlights

• [00:09:03] What new leaders think leadership is
• [00:10:37] The "cool mum" approach to leadership
• [00:14:12] What we mean when we talk about respect
• [00:15:39] We're getting psychological safety wrong
• [00:20:07] Findings from Google's Project Aristotle
• [00:23:43] How to garner respect as a new leader
• [00:24:39] Robyn's ADULTS framework
• [00:30:32] Robyn's media recommendation
• [00:31:57] Takeaways from Pia and Dan

Links

• Connect with Robyn via LinkedIn
• We Used to be Journos – Robyn’s podcast recommendation
• Track and improve your team performance with Squadify
• Leave us a voice note

Too many "best places to work" lists focus on performative, low-cost perks like free breakfasts and dog-friendly offices. But they ignore fundamental issues like fair pay, reasonable working hours, and meaningful parental leave.

Companies often use marketing language to make minimal benefits sound impressive, like claiming "enhanced parental leave" when they're barely exceeding the statutory minimum. This creates a disconnect between how organisations present themselves and the actual employee experience.

Amy Wilson is a commercial consultant advisor, with a background in marketing, who helps companies grow and founders focus on what matters. She mentors young and underrepresented founders, and she joins Dan and Pia to discuss her LinkedIn post critiquing The Times’ Best “Places to Work" list.

Three reasons to listen

• To be mindful of performative workplace benefits that don't actually improve employee experience
• To identify misleading claims about "enhanced" benefits that barely exceed statutory minimums
• To understand how organisational silos and conflicting KPIs lead to workplace policies that prioritise appearance over substance

Episode highlights

• [00:06:48] What constitutes a good place to work?
• [00:10:55] Amy's response to the New York Times Best Business to Work article
• [00:17:09] Allies in name only
• [00:22:14] Why aren't companies doing the right thing?
• [00:25:27] Are things getting worse?
• [00:26:39] What can we do about it?
• [00:33:20] Amy's media recommendation
• [00:36:08] Takeaways from Dan and Pia

Links

• Connect with Amy via LinkedIn
• Amy’s response to the Sunday Times Besst Places to Work article
• Halt and Catch Fire – Amy’s TV recommendation
• Building a thriving culture from the outside in – Episode 58, with Tom Wedge and Marcus Swalwell
• Track and improve your team performance with Squadify
• Leave us a voice note

Effective change management hinges on the quality of our conversations. Asking questions can be an exertion of power, so motivational interviewing seeks to bring clarity and ensure information is shared in a way that respects the recipient's readiness to receive it.

Jeffrey Wetherhold is a change management professional who helps organisations and teams navigate difficult changes. He specialises in motivational interviewing and uses this approach to help teams have more effective conversations during periods of change.

Three reasons to listen

• To learn how to structure change-focused conversations
• To help you make more effective affirmations instead of offering general praise
• To learn how to share information more effectively, to ensure others are ready to receive and engage with it

Episode highlights

• [00:07:17] ?Motivational interviewing
• [00:10:28] Making specific affirmations
• [00:12:48] Ask, offer, ask
• [00:15:26] When to ask questions
• [00:19:23] How to become a better listener
• [00:21:19] Fitting motivational interviewing into existing skillsets
• [00:22:46] Busynesss overriding business
• [00:28:22] Guiding, influencing, or leading conversations
• [00:31:28] Reflect more, ask less
• [00:32:58] Dan's media recommendations
• [00:35:11] Takeaways from Pia and Dan

Links

• Connect with Jeff via LinkedIn
• Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World, by David Silverman, Stanley McChrystal, Tantum Collins, & Chris Fussell
• Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Your Talent and Start Making a Difference, by Rutger Bregman
• Track and improve your team performance with Squadify
• Leave us a voice note