Fast Track: Career Conversations With Margie Hartley

Many of us strive for perfection in our work life, with often unrealistically high standards and goals we set for ourselves and the highly critical voice in our heads that gives us a hard time when we're not perfect. So how can we manage perfectionism at work and is there such a thing as healthy perfectionism? Margie Hartley speaks to best selling author, teacher of the most popular class at Harvard University on Positive Psychology and happiness and a PHD in organisational behaviour, Tal Ben-Shahar to learn why we're so drawn to pursuing perfection, whether perfectionism can be a strength rather than an obstacle and why he encourages his students to fail.

When the concept of remote work became common practice in 2020, it was praised as the holy grail of better work-life balance and an effective way of replenishing our mental and physical resources. But it soon became clear that several issues arose from not being able to separate our workday from our home life and the number of work decisions increased significantly - and as a result we have a greater cognitive load to manage. Margie Hartley talks with Sophie Deutsch, Deputy Editor of HRM, the member publication of the Australian Human Resources Institute to find out what prolonged periods of working from home could be doing to our brains, what steps we can take to alleviate some of those detrimental effects and how work will change so that learning and development can still flourish in a remote work setting.

Negativity and insecurity can be common symptoms of a high-pressure work world, and the concept of self-compassion is often misconstrued by images of self-indulgent wellness warriors. But in fact self-compassion is an evidence-based methodology for improving the quality of our lives in the every day and at work. Margie Hartley speaks with Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas and author Kristin Neff to find out why self-compassion is the opposite of self-obsession and how we can harness kindness to speak up, claim our power and thrive in the workplace.

What does the future of work really look like and how can we use our ‘human skills’ to differentiate ourselves and stay secure in the future of work? Margie Hartley talks to former journalist, author and facilitator Andrea Clarke about why the future of work is about talent, not technology, what the critical skills are to stay relevant and competitive in the modern workplace and what going through underwater helicopter crash training taught her about good leadership.

Do you feel like you don’t have a clue when seeking to understand First Nations people and culture? Margie Hartley talks to Shelley Reys AO, CEO of Arrilla Indigenous Consulting, Partner at KPMG Australia, and a pivotal leader in the reconciliation space who helps the Australian workforce to work in the Indigenous space with greater skill and confidence. They discuss the role that corporate Australia has to play in reconciliation and action for First Nations People, removing the eggshells around cultural competency and why Shelley has a vision of becoming redundant.

Not many people enjoy conflict, and many of us avoid it as much as possible. We've never been taught the skills to feel comfortable with conflict or view it as a normal part of the human relationship cycle – harmony, disharmony then repair. Margie Hartley talks to Nina Harding, nationally accredited Mediator and expert in the area of dispute resolution, to understand why we hate conflict, what mediation looks like and why it works, and what behaviours and mindsets set us up for successful resolution of complex issues.

How do we break new ground in our personal career or even an industry; particularly when there are well-established barriers and the challenges of low diversity and inclusion? Margie Hartley speaks with Chelsea Roffey, journalist, author and the first woman to officiate an AFL Grand Final, about how it was being a young woman in a very visible, highly scrutinised, starkly male domain and how it led her to find the opportunities for inclusion and diversity in organisations moving forward.

There's a lot of hypothesising about the impact of the Covid pandemic on leadership, work and change but there are few real evidence-based studies and insights. Margie Hartley speaks to Leadership and Change Consultant Lyndal Hughes to find out what she learned from her interviews with senior leaders about their lived experience, the importance of knowing what we can and can't control, the idea that communication must build belief and whether it's true that 'work will never be the same again.'

What do you do if your brand and reputation, or your organisation's brand and reputation goes down the drain? How does a business or person go from a positive reputation to seemingly losing it overnight? Margie Hartley speaks to Carden Calder, Reputation Consultant and Founder of BlueChip Communication to learn about the common reputation risks, what leadership behaviours contribute to a crisis and strategies to protect your personal or corporate reputation.

Many of us dream about reinventing ourselves in a completely new career, but don't know how or when to do so - and if it's even feasible. Margie Hartley speaks to Founder and CEO of Grande Experiences Bruce Peterson, to find out how he went from P.E. teaching to becoming a pioneer of the art scene, what the mindset and actions were on his journey to a new industry and how to transfer skills from a previous role into a completely different career.

Many of us want to make a difference, change the world and leave a legacy. But where do we start with this lofty goal? Margie Hartley speaks with Holly Ransom, Founder and CEO of strategic advisory group Emergent and author of ‘The Leading Edge'. Holly was named one of Australia’s 100 Most Influential Women by the AFR, has delivered a Peace Charter to the Dalai Lama and interviewed Barack Obama. They discuss the current state of leadership in the workplace, the principles of mindset, method and mastery and how to create change as leaders.

Most of us have heard of, or experienced a toxic workplace. Even our Federal Parliament has been labelled an environment of toxic low standards for our female politicians who have been democratically voted to represent us. So what does it really feel like to be a female politician in Australia and what can we learn from those that have endured, survived and in some cases even flourished? Margie Hartley talks with former Federal MP in the Rudd and Gillard Governments and author of 'Sex Lies and Question Time' Kate Ellis, about the lessons learnt and building leadership strength through adversity.

How often have you focused on the bad feedback in a conversation, when in fact there was plenty of good news in there too? How often have you immediately looked at what’s wrong rather than what’s strong about yourself? It turns out this is a human characteristic that is universal and more common than not, so how do we use this negativity bias for good, to help us live more effective working lives? Margie Hartley speaks with Dr Roy Baumeister, Professor of Psychology at University of Queensland to discuss his ground breaking research and insights into the 'Power of Bad.'

Why do we do stupid things and what is it that can stop us from doing stupid things? Is the answer willpower and self-control? Margie Hartley speaks with social psychologist, scientist and researcher, Dr Roy Baumeister who is known for ground breaking research on self-esteem, self-control, motivation and free will. In this episode they explore what research has found about why people do stupid things, what willpower is good for and how to use self control like a muscle for greater success.  

A universal characteristic of a great leader is one that develops others. It's hard to do and it’s often not done well, but when the concept of developing others is applied properly it makes for a high performing, dynamic and engaged workplace. Margie Hartley sits down with Pip Marlow, CEO of Salesforce ANZ & ASEAN and former Managing Director of Microsoft Australia to find out why developing others through new opportunities, recognising strengths and giving feedback on development areas, is essential for success.

To lead is to bring confidence to the people you lead and the customers who buy your services and products; but recently many of us have lost confidence in brands, companies and subsequently leaders. Margie Hartley sits down with best selling author and Founder of Speakers Institute Sam Cawthorn, to find out what's missing in the current state of leadership, the importance of character over charisma and Sam's incredible story of becoming one of the world's most in-demand professional speakers after having a major car accident.

Traditionally, senior leaders have been long-term fixtures at the top of organisations, who have taken long periods of time to be appointed. But there's a new phenomenon within senior leadership - the interim C-suite executive. Margie Hartley sits down with Interim CIO at Cover-More Travel Insurance Nicki Doble, to learn about this new way of operating, what sort of person is suited to the role and whether this style of leadership is the way of the future.

For decades teams and their performance has been the subject of countless books, research papers and headaches for leaders. Teams who struggle with interpersonal dynamics, have trouble making decisions or can’t delegate effectively. Margie Hartley speaks to Novartis Professor of Leadership at Harvard Business School, Amy Edmondson to find out the difference between formal teams and the concept of teaming, what the keys are to effectively build and work in successful teams and why we need teaming practices more than ever in the current world circumstances.

Have you ever sat in a meeting bursting with a great idea, but chosen not to speak about it? Have you ever been with your manager and not shared your recent mistakes for fear of losing your bonus, or even your job? We've all heard the term psychological safety, but what does it really look like in a work context? Margie Hartley speaks to Novartis Professor of Leadership at Harvard Business School, Amy Edmondson to learn how we can create psychologically safe work environments and whether psychological safety is the answer to engaged employees and a happy workplace.

How do we write a resume that will get us noticed and hired? How do we put our life's work into one document? And how do we negotiate for a salary we think we deserve? Margie Hartley talks to Career and Negotiations Strategist Claudia Miller, to find out what hiring managers are looking for in a resume, how to prepare for an interview and how to successfully negotiate the salary we want in order to land our dream job.