Episodes
We've all heard the entrepreneurial saying “If you find a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” The concept of loving our work has swept the world in the last 20 years and now workers and employers are clashing over return-to-office plans with large sways of the population considering changing jobs and even industry. Margie Hartley talks to journalist and author of ‘Work Won’t Love You Back: How devotion to our jobs keeps us Exploited, Exhausted and Alone,’ Sarah Jaffe, about...
Published 07/11/22
Does a positive workplace lead to more engaged employees and higher productivity? Does positivity make us successful or is it success that makes us positive? And what does a positive workplace look like? Margie Hartley talks to Clinical and Coaching Psychologist, author and founder of The Positivity Institute, Dr Suzy Green about the evidence-based research that points to a positive workplace as a hugely powerful thing, why positive workplaces require effort to achieve and what individuals...
Published 07/04/22
Navigating the world of work and career is difficult at the best of times, and the pandemic has made it even harder. In this milestone 100th episode of Fast Track, Margie Hartley reflects on five impactful guests of the show around how to build psychological safety, dealing with jerks at work, the art of teamwork, the pursuit of perfection and being the coaching leader. Their expert advice and insights are sure to provide motivation and practical tips you can apply to accelerate your own...
Published 06/27/22
Being part of a toxic workplace or having a toxic leader can be complicated and confusing, and one person’s experience can be vastly different from another's. So how do we know if we're in a toxic workplace or have a toxic leader, and what can we do about it? Margie Hartley talks to Behavioural Scientist, CEO of Bright Research and Insights, and author of 'Bullying and Harassment: Understanding the psychological and behavioural tactics of the toxic leadership stronghold,' Susan Broomhall to...
Published 05/30/22
Powerful speeches change minds, communities and the world, and teach us valuable lessons in the art of persuasion and creating positive change. Speech writing and presentation is a common minefield in leadership but a strong, engaging speech is imperative in giving direction, guidance and inspiration. Margie Hartley sits down with  Founder of leadership consultancy Mojologic and author of What She Said, Monica Lunin to find out how powerful speeches work and why they’re effective, how we can...
Published 05/16/22
Parents who work in today’s fast-paced, volatile, and at times disorientating world can easily lose track of who they are and what really matters most. Feelings of reactivity and running from one thing to the next abound and many parents feel guilt at work because they aren’t at home and guilt at home because they aren’t doing work. Margie Hartley speaks with Organisational Psychologist and co-author of Parents Who Lead, Professor Alyssa Westring about how a leadership mindset can help...
Published 05/09/22
We all want to perform our best at work, but this often comes at the expense of our well-being or physical health. Margie Hartley sits down with Coaching Psychologist and author of 'Get Moving Keep Moving' Dr Gordon Spence to learn how we can perform well by living well, why getting the balance right is transformative and how to best increase our motivation, energy levels and ultimately create a longer and more successful life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Published 05/02/22
Have you got a sponsor? This is a question that is posed to workers in recent times and a discussion particularly held for women. So why is sponsorship important as part of an organisation's culture and what role can leaders play as sponsors in the workplace? Margie Hartley talks to Managing Director at Pathway To Your Potential and adjunct professor at Torrens University, Dr Jess Murphy to find out how sponsorship is different to coaching and mentoring, why meritocracy is a myth, and how to...
Published 04/25/22
In the age of the Great Resignation, the idea of quitting seems to be on everyone’s mind.  Margie Hartley sits down with former Google and Twitter executive, now Senior Advisor at Boston Consulting Group and author of 'Don’t Quit Your Day Job' Aliza Knox, to uncover how to have a great career and a fulfilling personal life at the same time, why stamina is essential to longevity in a career and the importance of seeing the bigger picture and rising above the low points. They discuss the...
Published 04/18/22
Have you ever watched a colleague charm the pants off management while showing a competitive, Machiavellian side to the lower ranks? They happily throw peers under the bus, but their boss is oblivious to their bad behaviour. What about a constantly interrupting colleague, or an over-bearing manager? Margie Hartley speaks with Professor of Psychology at New York University and author of 'Jerks at Work,' Professor Tessa West about how to spot a jerk at work, understanding their motivations in...
Published 04/11/22
What do you do when you're a confident working human one day and then the next, a cancer diagnosis blows your life up? Margie Hartley talks to global digital leader and author of The Naked Truth About Breast Cancer, Jane Marshall to learn how to best handle difficult and disruptive life-changing events both personally and as leaders, how to navigate this important part of our identity alongside our work, and the right and wrong way to lead or work alongside someone who is going through a...
Published 04/04/22
In several countries around the world, the four-day working week has been trialled where workers moved from a 40 hour week to 35 hours, without a reduction in pay. The trial found that productivity remained the same but wellbeing increased and there was a reduction in stress and burnout. So as we come out of the greatest remote working social situation, how does the four-day work week stack up? Margie Hartley speaks with Vice President of Research and Advisory for Gartner, Aaron McEwan about...
Published 03/14/22
'Work will never be the same again.' The phrase has been a mantra over the last two years, but what does it really mean? Has work actually been redefined through disruption or are we overplaying the changes to the way we work and our environment? Margie Hartley talks to Joan Lurie, Developmental Psychologist at Orgonomix about how we might redefine the workplace when we return to the office, what the opportunities and potential pitfalls might be and how leaders and organisations can get...
Published 03/07/22
The greatest fear at work is often presenting; presenting a view, presenting a deck, presenting on a panel. A great presentation often stays with the audience and is remembered with affection or interest, while a bad presentation leaves everyone slightly relieved it’s over and wishing they’d be able to have the time back. As we continue to find the balance between physical and virtual presentations, how can we make sure our presentations are the most effective they can be in delivering their...
Published 02/28/22
The term 'productivity' is well worn. Getting more done with less time and more efficiently sounds like a worthy goal. But is it just evil corporate-speak for squeezing more out of us all? Margie Hartley speaks with Australia’s leading productivity expert and author of The 1 Day Refund, Donna McGeorge to learn about the key principles of effectively using our time to make work enjoyable, how our productivity has changed in the last two years and the best way to manage our physical and...
Published 02/21/22
With the current stop-start rhythm and momentum plus the uncertainty of returning to the office, there is a groundswell of people wondering how to ride this rollercoaster. How do we best deal with this ever-changing landscape in a practical way and make sense of our thinking and feelings? Margie Hartley talks to Jodi Oakman, Associate Professor of Public Health at La Trobe University about the relationship between work and our health and how to navigate uncertainty to best flourish. See...
Published 02/14/22
'The Great Resignation' is a phrase being used a lot at the moment, referring to an exodus of talented people from their jobs, many rethinking their careers and either changing roles or choosing to stop working altogether. So what is the trend, what is happening to workers around the globe and what should we be doing about it? Margie Hartley speaks with Vice President of Research and Advisory for Gartner, Aaron McEwan about how the pandemic has reshaped society and our views towards work, and...
Published 02/07/22
Hardly a week goes by without hearing or reading about the phenomenon of Imposter syndrome; the feeling of being a fraud or waiting to be 'found out' by the people around us. In fact 70% of people have felt like imposters at some stage in their career. So what is this syndrome and what happens to us when we experience it? Margie Hartley talks to author, Mindset and Performance coach and founder of Imposterhood Suzanne Mercier about how imposter syndrome manifests, why it occurs and what to do...
Published 01/31/22
Do you remember the first time you had to lead and manage people? Organising and communicating with people who you're responsible for can be daunting at first; learning the difference between telling and asking, delegating and influencing and having tough conversations is just part of managing others well. Margie Hartley speaks with Chief Human Resources Officer of SEEK, Kathleen McCudden about stepping up to people management in order to lead effectively, the qualities that define a great...
Published 11/22/21
It’s rare to find people raving about the experience of starting a family and navigating work; the balancing act of getting enough time off while managing a professional career is often precarious. Australia's maternity and parental leave is still considered to be one of the least generous parental schemes in the world, so has it developed enough to really make a difference? Margie Hartley speaks to Head of HR for Asia Pacific Spotify, Michael Kim about the possibilities of making parental...
Published 11/01/21
The way finances are managed is a constant issue for business, affecting everything from sales, marketing, human resources, research and development to production and procurement. So why does it feel like a mystery for so many of us who aren’t CFO’s and how can we demystify it? Margie Hartley talks with Michelle Kvello, Managing Director & CFO of Lantern Partners to find out how she helps businesses gain clarity around their finances and why it's so important to understand how business...
Published 10/25/21
In a period of such uncertainty and low control, a common phenomenon has arisen - a feeling of apathy, restlessness and a sense of monotony in the day to day, which filters through to our work life. Sociologists use the term languishing to refer to this psychological state which commonly manifests in trouble focusing, low motivation and lack of purpose. Margie Hartley speaks to psychologist and co-founder of Connect Psych services Dr Natalie Flatt Ph.D about why so many of us feel this way at...
Published 10/18/21
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...
Published 10/04/21
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...
Published 09/27/21