recent years as businesses realize the direct impact that leadership can have on the overall culture and performance Here are just a few reasons why executive coaching is critical to workplace culture and performance: Improved Performance: A key responsibilities of executives is to manage the performance of their teams Executive coaching is critical to workplace culture and performance because it helps leaders develop the skills they need to communicate effectively, make better decisions, manage performance more effectively

Don't underestimate the impact of silence and agreement on performance as more detrimental and longer the importance of collaboration, we make decisions we feel might enhance collaborative efforts and we performance always on “the run” as leaders and slowing down is seen as a luxury not a necessity or something high performing Slowing down is a necessity for high performance, not a luxury. 

No matter the leadership role, there's always a significant focus on "getting others on board". We see it everywhere: P&L changes, new strategies, mergers, acquisitions, and new technology. While we may talk about leading change, inspiring, or motivating, what we're really discussing is how well we influence others. But let's be clear about the word influence. For some, it can carry an ethical dilemma. Here, we're talking about influencing for good, with positive intentions that serve and improve our communities. And when leaders struggle to influence, the top three reasons are consistently the same: Relationships are always at the top Trust is a close second, or lack of Authority/expertise follows next People will "get on board" with people they like, align with and feel united with. This means that before you can influence you must invest effort and energy into building genuine well intended relationships (and it doesn't mean being an extrovert). Your title and authority are not enough, I know this from experience. Three ways to build influence. Tip 1: Proactively invest in building relationships and connections. Actively develop relationships with people across the business, not just within your direct teams or division. This requires energy and effort to also nurture these connections, be genuine, well intended and generous, and don't allow your title, calendar or sense of importance limit your behaviour. Tip 2: Offer support to those outside of your direct accountability. If you believe you can help, give it freely without expecting anything in return. I once had a senior leader offer to check-in over coffee, inviting me to share my challenges. I was met with advice, mentoring and organisational insights. This one-off turned into regular advice and mentoring that I welcomed. As a result, when they needed something, I couldn't wait to repay their help in spades! "People naturally reciprocate, so be generous with your support and make it a way of life." And if you're on the receiving end of this kind of generosity, my motto is to "pay it forward". Whatever elevates your experience in the workplace, your career, your aspirations, find someone to pay it forward with. Tip 3: Share your knowledge Share your knowledge and expertise generously. Support others, both inside and outside your direct accountability to build their own skills. Look for opportunities to mentor or coach others, and share your learnings. Doing this may build your authority in a specific area, without needing a formal title, whilst also building your reputation and strengthening your personal brand. Tip 4: Bank credits in your Trust bank with others Act and behave always with integrity and honesty. Be transparent, follow through on all your promises (so only promise what you can deliver) and be consistent in how you show up in the workplace. These small, yet powerful acts builds your Trust Bank with others. Also consider that trust is a journey not a destination, so acting like this in bursts, or for a period of time, will likely diminish Trust faster than you can build it. These tips shouldn't be one-off actions. I prefer to see it as ways of working, a way of life. Done without expecting any return and always in service of the greater good. Influencing others has been woven into our leadership programs, and is a key module in our emerging leaders program, Rise-UP. Reach out to discover more.

PeopleQ Workshop facilitated by Melina Lipkiewicz and Suria Ward We see this often, team participation dropping, leaders perceiving possible survey fatigue and we’d like to challenge that thinking. Maybe it's not a survey fatigue problem. Maybe it's an action fatigue problem. People don't necessarily get tired of being asked - they get tired of being asked and seeing nothing change, and of the emptiness behind "your voice matters to us”. Participation is driven by whether employees believe their voice matters. And the sign that it matters is meaningful discussion, action and ultimately change. Since our PQfactor journey began, we’ve received responses from 3,788 people who have also provided 24,068 comments. You can imagine how many times we hear “survey fatigue”. Most culture surveys, at least ours, are designed to take two to four minutes to respond. We ask each question only three times a year, every four months, so your aggregate accounts for the environmental factors that come and go. Across a whole year an employee might spend 25 to 50 minutes giving feedback, roughly 0.03% of their working hours. This doesn’t suggest survey fatigue. What does research say? The most consistent theme is perceived inaction. McKinsey reviewed more than 20 academic articles and concluded that the strongest predictor of “fatigue” was employees’ belief, usually shaped by prior experience, that the organisation would not act on the results. Their prescription isn’t to survey less, but to be far more disciplined about communicating and acting on it, closing the loop. So let me ask you this, particularly if you're working hard to take action, and we know many of our clients do. Is survey fatigue resulting from inaction? Or a hangover “belief” from prior experience of inaction? We'd also like to stretch your thinking on two beliefs that quietly drive the problem. First, culture is not their problem, it sits with leadership as a responsibility. Second, the sense that the culture is now good enough. Expectations are either low or static, and teams treat culture as a project, do some work after that it will sustain itself. We guarantee you, it never does. Before you accept survey fatigue as the explanation, check that the simpler causes have been dealt with. Length Fatigue: It’s not too long and cumbersome that after 10 minutes any response will do and after 15, the distractions win before you hit submit. Relevance Fatigue: People understand what you are asking and why, they are genuinely interested in what it means for them, and agree with you it matters, and can see it benefits them as much as the organisation. Cadence fatigue: Research tells us people are happy to answer the same questions up to four times a year. There is no clear research on whether it is better to ask them all at once or to pulse it. We opt for a monthly pulse as it compensates for environmental factors and timing biases that skew your data. For example June, the busy end of the FY for some sectors, or January just after the holidays. What comes next? What action can you take? Message the importance of their feedback and the difference it's made so far - communicating regularly the changes the organisation, divisions and teams are making and how people are responding to these changes with the data. Promote, and embed the mindset that culture is a shared accountability - how are those JD’s looking? What does onboarding look like? Do we regularly discuss this at our team huddles? Consider having culture ambassadors through-out the organisation - those people that believe and understand wholeheartedly the importance of continuously putting effort into raising the bar on workplace culture. Ask the team how they'd like to see the monthly results and how they'd like to have the conversation - get them behind the wheel with you. Follow through on your team huddles and actions - close the loop before inviting more actions. Show people what you've heard, what you're doing about it and, importantly, what you aren't going to change and why. Close the loop on not just team level actions, but show people what the organisation and the leadership team is working on as well. Make measurement meaningful: Culture measurement shouldn't become an annual reporting exercise. The value comes from using data to create better conversations and focused actions. Be the role model - are you doing the same for your leadership team? Are you responding every month? Set the bar higher, invite a dialogue about the standards we want and what would it take to raise the bar. Culture is not a set and forget exercise Most importantly be prepared to put in the hard yards and stay the course. The energy needed to improve workplace culture is akin to pursuing organisational purpose, infinite, not a task. Speak to us about PQfactor and the difference we are making. melina@peopleq.com.au I suria@peopleq.com.au

I am a change maker, an initiator, a start-her-upper, a risk-taker, a higher performer, a leader in my Whilst I have spent most of my career in corporate, my leadership journey has invited me to 👉 initiate reform   👉 Be comfortable that your people will outgrow your capabilities 👉 Deal with under performance productively

CULTURE and the Curated Conversationalists

And when we found one, it felt like adrenaline blasting through our high-performance mind-sets.

We've all had moments where, despite our best intentions, we've inadvertently disempowered others. It may stem from a desire to "fix" things quickly because of time constraints or resource pressures, and often is mixed with our own narrative of solving it all. We might jump in with a solution or decide it's easier to do it ourselves, it will take less time. Leadership isn't just about what we do, it's how we use and share power, shifting our internal narrative so those around us RISE. It requires a deliberate, conscious approach. Empowerment at its heart is a deliberate act of delegating decision-making . It's entrusting our team with the autonomy needed to act and grow. When we empower our people, we are investing our time in them, and indirectly displaying our belief in them and confidence in ourselves. Empowered teams are confident, capable, and accountable, creating a ripple effect on the teams capacity and achievements, leading to higher engagement and thriving. When Leaders intentionally lift those around us, everything rises. Empowerment isn't a single action but a continuous thread woven into every act of leadership. It's about building others up to achieve better outcomes for everyone. Here's what an empowered workplace looks like: Support, not solutions:  time and space for people to explore and find their own answers. Power with, not power over:  Building accountability collectively Delegate:  Delegating responsibilities with appropriate support, including new opportunities, not just passing off tasks or the opposite, micromanaging. RiseUP:  Challenge and stretch others beyond their comfort zones. Clear communication:  We ensure everyone has the necessary context, information, and a shared understanding of goals, fostering transparency and trust. A strengths-based approach:  Recognize and value the unique skills and talents each person brings to the team and encourage their passions and interests. Delegation is often the biggest hurdle for leaders, they struggle with this, claiming they have time pressures or fear a drop in standards. Overcoming this requires a mindset shift to see delegation as a pathway to building the team's capacity, which ultimately, positively impacts our resource pressures. Instead of avoiding delegation, try these strategies; Delegate in stages  and include check-ins with micro-milestones. Be clear  about what's being delegated and why. Share all relevant information  and provide context. Coach and provide mentors  to your team member. Empowerment is a continuous journey and dynamic due to the changing nature of our teams. By being intentional with our actions and embracing a culture of shared power, we drive better outcomes for our entire community. To find out more information about how we can help your Leaders build the skills needed to empower others, reach out. Our workplace culture and leadership programs incorporate empowerment strategies for all levels of leadership.

Melina and Suria at work in Halifax Street Our work with leaders, as well as ourselves, often centre's on strategies to effectively navigate challenging conversations, introducing our 5I's model as a tool to assist leaders engage in these dialogues productively. And no matter how prepared we feel going in, I've noticed, and experienced, that internal compass sometimes steering us away from difficult conversations, while at other times urging us to courageously lean in. This made me wonder if this hesitation is due to the individual, or the relationship climate? I’d like to suggest the latter! When challenging conversations are easy, I've observed a powerful combination of factors at work.   Alignment , going beyond the surface to establish a shared understanding of the why and how, common objectives and desired outcomes clarifying the what and where.  It means we operate from a unified perspective.  A collective approach. A deep sense of connection with a healthy respect and appreciation for each other's perspectives, expertise, beliefs and strengths. And implicit understanding that team success is prioritised over the individual, whilst valuing the individual.  Individual needs are considered within the broader context of the team's goals. A quiet and powerful acceptance that intentions are good , and individuals approach the dialogue with positive intent.  Essentially building goodwill among each other.   A genuine desire to appreciate what others contribute and a willingness to support their growth and development beyond their own expectations of success. There is acceptance that open robust transparent discussions are pathways to positive outcomes, which enhance trust and confidence.  Therefore leaving nothing unsaid and being clear with what we are communicating, rather than being ambiguous or or evasive, which are unhelpful approaches.   When hard conversations become exponentially more difficult, I witness, and experience disconnection, misalignment and misunderstandings. People drift away from collective understanding to individual agendas and selfless pursuit of excellence may be traded for selfish pursuit of success.  As this dynamic unfolds, judgement becomes rife giving rise to shame, which results in searching for the nearest exit to avoid uncomfortable interactions.  And, truth telling and candid dialogue are overshadowed by a tendency to skirt around issues, rely on inuendo and indirect references versus addressing the core of the matter at hand. So what’s the work of leaders? Apart from adopting tools like PeopleQ's 5I's to prepare for these dialogues, also consider creating the right relationship climate by; 🔢Getting on the same page with your team, what's important, whats the objective and why 🔢Cultivating and building a deep sense of connection 🔢Defining your purpose, and gaining clarity on your legacy to anchor to in these moments 🔢Adopt, and practice language that doesn't place others into a defensive state, amp up EQ + Trust 🔢Be open and fluid, supporting the growth of others. 🔢Practice communicating with clarity and avoid ambiguity Connect with us for a coffee chat on how we can support you build your approach for challenging conversations.

Trust is an enabler of performance: Building trust isn't about making everyone comfortable.

Regular workplace culture check-ins and performance reviews are wonderful ways of collecting parts of

create change and performance uplift with PQfactor