this working life

Why do our ‘old’ concepts of “High Performance Team” and "Peak Performance” need a rethink?

Recorded live at SXSW Sydney, we interrogate these concepts and why it can lead to burnout, brittleness and budget blowouts.

Ben and Aubrey share stories about their own burnout and the powerful role that values can play when it comes to our performance.

Why do our ‘old’ concepts of “High Performance Team” and "Peak Performance” need a rethink?

Recorded live at SXSW Sydney, we interrogate these concepts and why it can lead to burnout, brittleness and budget blowouts.

Ben and Aubrey share stories about their own burnout and the powerful role that values can play when it comes to our performance.

Yesss, we’ve got World Cup fever! So what lessons can we learn for our work from the amazing gameplay the Matildas have shown, even without star player Sam Kerr playing in the first few games?

We’re unpacking the 'Matildas Effect' and figuring out how we can pull together as a team and unlock the power of ‘us’ to do our best work.

Yesss, we’ve got World Cup fever! So what lessons can we learn for our work from the amazing gameplay the Matildas have shown, even without star player Sam Kerr playing in the first few games?

We’re unpacking the 'Matildas Effect' and figuring out how we can pull together as a team and unlock the power of ‘us’ to do our best work.

We've learned about intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and how they can influence each other. But if we go deeper into the heart of motivation, we find its kernel: engagement. So how can we be truly engaged in our work?

We've learned about intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and how they can influence each other. But if we go deeper into the heart of motivation, we find its kernel: engagement. So how can we be truly engaged in our work?

It’s not just about getting the job done when we’re working hybridly, it’s about the connections we make. And this has been lost when we’re working from home, and this is making us feel lonely.

In the second part of our hybrid work feature, we look at how hybrid work can leave us feeling lonely and disconnected, and what we can do about it.

Guests:

• Mark Mortensen - Associate Professor, INSEAD
• Dr Caroline Knight - Research Fellow, Curtin University’s Future of Work Institute
• Sasha D’Arcy - Psychologist and ‘Inventiologist’ at Inventium

It’s not just about getting the job done when we’re working hybridly, it’s about the connections we make. And this has been lost when we’re working from home, and this is making us feel lonely.

In the second part of our hybrid work feature, we look at how hybrid work can leave us feeling lonely and disconnected, and what we can do about it.

Guests:

• Mark Mortensen - Associate Professor, INSEAD
• Dr Caroline Knight - Research Fellow, Curtin University’s Future of Work Institute
• Sasha D’Arcy - Psychologist and ‘Inventiologist’ at Inventium

Would you call yourself an introvert, or an extrovert? Or are you a bit of both?

When it comes to personality traits and states, it’s not black and white. It’s a spectrum.

But sometimes we still desire a label or a name for what we are. Many of us have done personality tests for fun, or have been asked to do a psychometric test when applying for a job.

Here in Australia, around 40 per cent of recruiters and employers ask candidates or employees to do one of these tests.

But how helpful are they, really, when it comes to our work?

Guests:

Luke Smillie - Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Melbourne

Nick Haslam - Professor of Psychology at the University of Melbourne

Dr Martin Boult - Psychologist and Senior Director Professional Services at The Myers-Briggs Company, Asia Pacific

Would you call yourself an introvert, or an extrovert? Or are you a bit of both?

When it comes to personality traits and states, it’s not black and white. It’s a spectrum.

But sometimes we still desire a label or a name for what we are. Many of us have done personality tests for fun, or have been asked to do a psychometric test when applying for a job.

Here in Australia, around 40 per cent of recruiters and employers ask candidates or employees to do one of these tests.

But how helpful are they, really, when it comes to our work?

Guests:

Luke Smillie - Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Melbourne

Nick Haslam - Professor of Psychology at the University of Melbourne

Dr Martin Boult - Psychologist and Senior Director Professional Services at The Myers-Briggs Company, Asia Pacific

What was your first job, and what did it teach you?

We’re turning back the clocks and heading back into the supermarket and greasy fast-food joints to find out just why first jobs are so crucial in our careers and what they can teach us.

If we put on our detective caps, we can look at our first jobs and pick up the little clues and insights about ourselves that can help us navigate our current career. And if you have kids, or are mentoring young people, we learn how we can advise teenagers on what to look for in their first job.

Guests:

Professor Julia Richardson, Curtin University School of Management and Marketing

Daisy Turnbull, teacher and author 50 Questions to Ask Your Teens: A Guide to Fostering Communication and Confidence in Young Adults

How does your boss keep tabs on your work? Before the pandemic, they probably popped their head over the partition or reviewed your KPIs over a coffee. But now, with more of us working from home, many companies are increasingly using time tracking software or surveillance technologies that allow employers to check what you’re up to whenever and wherever you are, even if you don't work at a desk. So how are you being tracked, how is it changing your work and is there anything you can do about it?

GUESTSJathan Sadowski, Research Fellow at the Emerging Technologies Lab at Monash University Assistant Professor Liz Lyons, from UC San Diego School of Global Policy

Tyler Sellhorn, Head of Customer Experience for Hubstaff

Lauren Kate Kelly, Senior Policy Researcher at the United Workers UnionPatrick Turner, Senior Associate at Maurice Blackburn lawyers.

CASE STUDIESBen Worthington, IELTs Podcast

Producer: Edwina StottSupervising Producer: Maria Tickle

The right mentor could make or break your career. So what makes a good one and how can you find them?

We speak to Madeleine Grummet who started an organisation dedicated to mentoring the future workforce; and meet Maria Antwan who opened a business in the most male dominated industry in Australia, the construction industry, and find out how a mentor helped her deal with criticism, build her resilience and realise her true potential.

GUESTS: Madeleine Grummet, CEO and Co-Founder of Girledworld;

Maria Antwan, Director of NWD Design and Build;

Isabel, student.

"I used to think that anxiety and stress was actually good... to drive you to better performance," Morgan Ranieri says.

He is the CEO and one of the co-founders of Your Grocer, a food grocery delivery service. But the management style that helped get the business started was not what was needed to keep it going. So what changed and how did it impact on the business?

And meet Cheryl Lawrie, whose side hustle is being a funeral celebrant. She works with people on the margins of society - prisoners, refugees and members of the LGBTQI community who have lost loved ones. Cheryl says she finds good company with people on the edge.