Building Better Cultures – Details, episodes & analysis

Have you ever witnessed patterns of communication that didn’t seem helpful or productive in your teams? Leadership and communication go hand in hand, and who better to unravel this intricate relationship than Marsha Acker. As the CEO of Team Catapult, Marsha understands that there is more to leadership than just technical prowess; it’s about understanding people dynamics and creating a safe environment for open and honest communication. 

Throughout the episode, Marsha dives into the complexities of leadership and effective communication within teams, self-awareness challenges and discusses the significant shift from individual to systemic thinking, shedding light on the growing popularity of team coaching.

Key discussions include:

1.     A self-leadership quest: How to work with other humans

2.     An insight into communication dynamics and the four speech acts

3.     Communication patterns in teams and organisations

4.     The principle of bringing offline conversations into the room

5.     Are leaders holding back from being vulnerable at work?

6.     The edge of leaders in navigating fast-paced business environments

7.     Change management: The importance of explaining the why  

8.     The evolution of team coaching and the benefits of coaching as a system

9.     Recommendations for leaders navigating change

Plus lots more!

With a focus on the evolving nature of leadership in today’s fast-paced environment, Marsha emphasises the importance of embracing vulnerability and diverse perspectives. This episode will help leaders drive positive change, improve communication, and build better organisational cultures by understanding speech acts, introducing shared language, and focusing on team dynamics.

“It’s impossible, I think, for any one person to be able to have all the answers anymore. But yet, I think that’s an edge. I think it’s leftover from what we believe we think about leaders and what they’re supposed to be able to do, to what they need to do today.” – Marsha Acker.

ABOUT MARSHA ACKER

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marsha-acker-3486a72/

Book: https://buildyourmodel.com/

Work: https://teamcatapult.com/

ABOUT SCOTT McINNES: 

Learn more about Scott McInnes, your host and the Founder and Director of Inspiring Change, by clicking here. 

ABOUT WORKVIVO:  

If you’re struggling with communications in this time of new hybrid workplace conditions, click here to explore Workvivo, a collaboration platform that offers seamless digital integration. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider clicking here to rate and review it! 

This podcast was proudly produced in partnership with Podlad.com

Can clear communication and the power of the pen have a transformative impact on your business? Absolutely! Get ready to discover all the 'write stuff' as we explore the influence of intentional communication with the founder of High-Value Writing, Erin Lebaqz.

In this episode, Erin takes an in-depth look at how leaders can foster trust, respect, and belonging through thoughtful and deliberate writing, creating an environment where people feel supported and acknowledged. Being a good writer isn't solely about getting your message across; it's also about understanding your audience.

Erin emphasizes the importance of considering different cultures and generations in your writing and unveils the role of emotion, including the surprising credibility boost that can come from emojis.

Key discussions include:

• The power of writing and the cost of miscommunication
• Clarity: The key to confusion-free communication
• Effective communication in a post-pandemic work environment
• Leadership Models: Can written communication impact organisational culture?
• Write like a leader: Tips on mastering intentional writing
• The rising role of emotion in writing
• Writing for you VS writing for others
• The key to unlocking your writing confidence 

Plus lots more!

Erin provides all the tips for avoiding the high cost of miscommunication and shares the secret to boosting your writing confidence, reminding us that writing is situational, which we are all experts on. So, hit play now and get ready to build better cultures through the written word!

"The biggest connection in today's world between writing and business success is employee retention. People leave workplaces when they don't feel happy or appreciated or their growth is cared about. And where do we get those messages, through communication." – Erin Lebaqz.

ABOUT ERIN LEBAQZ

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinlebacqz/

Work:

https://www.highvaluewriting.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@HighValueWriting

Get the High-Value Writing book:

https://www.amazon.com/High-Value-Writing-Real-Strategies-Real-World/dp/1667805517

ABOUT SCOTT McINNES: 

Learn more about Scott McInnes, your host and the Founder and Director of Inspiring Change, by clicking here. 

ABOUT WORKVIVO:  

If you're struggling with communications in this time of new hybrid workplace conditions, click here to explore Workvivo, a collaboration platform that offers seamless digital integration. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider clicking here to rate and review it! 

This podcast was proudly produced in partnership with Podlad.com

Have you ever had to deal with miscommunications in the workplace? 

Are you struggling to keep up with the sheer number of emails you receive daily?

Joining Scott this week is communication expert Kim Arnold to shed light on how to connect more effectively.  

Kim delves into the world of email communication, explores the impact of poor email etiquette, and shares insights on the use of concise language, tone of voice, accuracy, and the increasing use of emojis in emails. Keep an ear out for Kim’s must-know tips on creating a more human tone that fosters connections and relationships. Key discussions include: 

• An introduction to Kim Arnold
• The problems poor email etiquette is creating in business today
• The impact of COVID-19 on business communication 
• The overlooked skill of effective writing 
• The importance of embracing feedback  
• Generational approaches to communication
• Do emojis belong in business communications? 
• Top tips for mastering your work emails  

And more!  

“We tend to move into formal posh, I’ve got my top button done up, I’ve got my jacket on, and I’m not going to crack a smile here. And people are starting to realise that that doesn’t always create relationships. It doesn’t create connections. It doesn’t build bridges with people because we sound like robots.” – Kim Arnold.  

ABOUT KIM ARNOLD:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karnoldcomms/

Work: https://www.kimarnold.co.uk/  

 
ABOUT SCOTT:  

Learn more about Scott McInnes, your host and the Founder and Director of Inspiring Change, by clicking here.  

ABOUT WORKVIVO:   

If you’re struggling with communications in this time of new hybrid workplace conditions, click here to explore Workvivo, a collaboration platform that offers seamless digital integration.  

If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider clicking here to rate and review it!  

This podcast was proudly produced in partnership with Podlad.com  

We've all heard that knowledge is power—but in the age of the internet, is knowledge still enough? Special guest Katja Schleicher, founder of Impact Communications Coaching, is here to teach us more about the shift from knowledge to emotional selling proposition and the importance of communication in an age of digital media. Get ready to find out how to make your message stand out in the sea of noise and learn techniques for crafting effective communication.  

Key discussions include: 

• An introduction to Katja Schleicher
• Why effective communication in leadership is essential
• The biggest barriers to communicating effectively 
  
• The art of saying extraordinary things with ordinary words
  
• Creating space for psychological safety 
  
• The importance of storytelling in business 
  
• The key to measuring the effectiveness of communication 
  
• How to ignite your communication skills today!  

Plus, lots more! 

Katja's advice is essential for any leader looking to build better cultures and connect with their audience more deeply. Listen for practical tips on improving your communication skills and making a lasting impact in your organisation. 

"Knowledge is not an advantage anymore. Knowledge is a commonality. The difference between success and being mediocre as a company is how you get your message across." – Katja Schleicher.   

ABOUT KATJA SCHLEICHER: 

1. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/interviewtraining/ 
   
2. Work: https://www.interview-training.eu/en/ | https://www.katjaschleicher.com/  

ABOUT SCOTT:  

• Learn more about Scott McInnes, your host and the Founder and Director of Inspiring Change, by clicking here.  

ABOUT WORKVIVO:   

If you're struggling with communications in this time of new hybrid workplace conditions, click here to explore Workvivo, a collaboration platform that offers seamless digital integration.  

If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider clicking here to rate and review it!  

This podcast was proudly produced in partnership with podlad.com 

Do you strive to create an open and honest workplace culture? Author, leadership expert and communication coach Jay Williams is here to share his insights on building a culture of open, honest, and timely communication through the powerful feedback loop. Jay emphasises the importance of emotional engagement and alignment in organisations and offers strategies for developing a solid core in middle management.  

Key discussions include: 

• An introduction to Jay Williams
• A career shift: When a super worker becomes a supervisor
• Engagement in the workplace and the role of employee alignment
• The key components to leaders driving alignment within an organisation
• How feedback is imperative for success
• The power of a thought leader within an organisation
• The framework for receiving effective feedback  

Plus, lots more! 

This episode offers solutions for executives looking to improve their communication and management skills. So if you are ready to create a more peaceful, collaborative, and productive workplace culture, hit play now! 

"I think there is a conversation to be had with your people about how they define success and moving up in the organisation. Because there's a direct correlation between how happy they will be and a happy employee equals a more productive employee." – Jay Williams.   

ABOUT JAY WILLIAMS: 

• https://www.jaywilliamsco.com/ 
• https://www.jaywilliamsco.com/books  

 
ABOUT SCOTT:  

Learn more about Scott McInnes, your host and the Founder and Director of Inspiring Change, by clicking here.  

ABOUT WORKVIVO:   

If you're struggling with communications in this time of new hybrid workplace conditions, click here to explore Workvivo, a collaboration platform that offers seamless digital integration.  

If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider clicking here to rate and review it!  

This podcast was proudly produced in partnership with podlad.com 

Are you aware of the three employee archetypes? The Keeper, the Leaper, and the Sleeper?

If not, prepare to learn about them and how best to engage them. Greg Offner Jr. – speaker, coach and consultant is here to share his fascinating insights on the psychology of change in organizations and how to disrupt the norm to create sustainable change.  

Drawing on his experience as a duelling piano performer, Gregory intertwines principles used in the world of piano bars with the business world to make work more enjoyable. Gregory shares the importance of prioritizing skill development and the need for a culture shift that starts from the top but is endorsed and expected at all company levels.  

Key discussions include: 

• Taking the irk out of work!
• The importance of disrupting the norm in business
• How to become the organization that everyone wants on their resume
• Employee advocacy and the rise of boomerang employees
• The power of incentives in the workplace  

Plus, lots more! 

If you are eager to learn how to create a culture of engagement and enjoyment while improving your organization's bottom line, this episode is a must-listen for you!  

"Work is eight hours if we're lucky of our life every day. And not everybody gets to do something they love. But couldn't you at least like it? I mean, what's wrong with trying to make work a little more likable? And so that's what I do." – Gregory Offner Jr.  

ABOUT GREGORY OFFNER JR: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregoryoffnerjr/
Work: https://www.gregoryoffner.com/  
 
ABOUT SCOTT:  

Learn more about Scott McInnes, your host and the Founder and Director of Inspiring Change, by clicking here.  

ABOUT WORKVIVO:   

If you're struggling with communications in this time of new hybrid workplace conditions, click here to explore Workvivo, a collaboration platform that offers seamless digital integration.  

If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider clicking here to rate and review it!  

This podcast was proudly produced in partnership with podlad.com 

Is your organisation drowning in a sea of Human Resources policies? Are you tired of the stagnant work culture norms? Is this war of talent and high employee turnover era worrying you? If so, this episode is for you! Corporate culture and engagement specialist Paul Ter Wal is here to guide you on creating a positive culture, making your organisation a wonderful place to work and succeed.   

Paul Ter Wal is the managing partner of Andare Consulting and is a celebrated international speaker specialising in culture and engagement. In this episode, Paul serves you invaluable advice on creating a culture of care. He unveils the power of purpose and core values, the benefits of investing in listening and trust and reveals why shareholders must make short-term sacrifices for long-term success. Key discussions include: 

• An introduction to Paul Ter Wal
• Is customer experience overshadowing employee experience?
• Language matters: it’s time to stop using the term human resources.
• The importance of infusing core values when onboarding employees.
• Belonging in the workplace and the elastic band of resilience.
• Integrating sustainability into your business.  

Plus lots more!  
 
Are you ready to learn how to improve employee engagement, foster resilience, and create a workplace where employees want to stay? Well, go ahead and hit play now!  

“We need to change our perspective, from the short term of gaining a lot of money to a longer period of time, and invest in trust and then engagement, and then see that the productivity will go up.” – Paul Ter Wal.  

ABOUT PAUL TER WAL: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulterwal/

Work: https://www.paulterwal.nl/ | https://team-andare.com/  
 

ABOUT SCOTT:  

Learn more about Scott McInnes, your host and the Founder and Director of Inspiring Change, by clicking here.  

ABOUT WORKVIVO:   

If you’re struggling with communications in this time of new hybrid workplace conditions, click here to explore Workvivo, a collaboration platform that offers seamless digital integration.  

If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider clicking here to rate and review it!  

Is your organisation on a mission to achieve true inclusion and belonging but struggling to know where to begin? If so, this episode is for you!  

Joining Scott to discuss inclusive leadership and the secret to transformational change is special guest Sophia Kristjansson. Sophia is a US-based with UK university roots, founder of Lexicon Lens, A DEI people development and change professional, and author. Throughout the discussion, Sophia offers valuable advice and practical tips that you can implement today to build more inclusive cultures. Sophia also explores the power of uniqueness,  the importance of gaining bias awareness, and the role of values within inclusive cultures.  

Key discussions include:

• The equation to building a sense of belonging in the workplace
• How people leaders are a catalyst for businesses
• Diversity and inclusion: is there a difference between the two?
• How leaders and teams can discover unconscious biases in the workplace
• Building inclusive cultures: The role of values within an organisation  

Plus lots more! 

This enlightening discussion will teach you the secret recipe to a more inclusive and diverse workplace. Hit that play button now to learn how to empower your employees and drive your organisation’s success!  

“If you don’t have diverse perspectives, if you don’t have different kinds of people in all layers of your business, you are basically leaving money on the table and saying, I really don’t care about that.” - Sophia Kristjansson.  

ABOUT SOPHIA KRISTJANSSON: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiakristjansson  

Book: https://www.transformationalchangebook.com/buy-book  

Work: http://lexiconleadership.com/   

ABOUT SCOTT:  

Learn more about Scott McInnes, your host and the Founder and Director of Inspiring Change, by click here.  

ABOUT WORKVIVO:   

If you’re struggling with communications in this time of new hybrid workplace conditions, click here to explore Workvivo, a collaboration platform that offers seamless digital integration.  

If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider clicking here to rate and review it!  

This podcast is produced in partnership with podlad.com 

On our latest episode of the Building Better Cultures podcast, we speak to Dan Sodergren. Dan is the Co-Founder of YourFLOCK. This SaaS platform helps teams to grow by finding the best-fit candidates and maximising their value to your unique team based on culture.

In this episode, we talk about organizational culture, employee engagement, and remote vs hybrid work. 

Key discussions:

1. How leaders can use culture as a tool to drive employee engagement and productivity. 

2. Effective strategies and best practices for improving engagement among your employees. 

3. What you should do to avoid common challenges to achieve high levels of engagement in the workplace.

And lots more!

Whether you're a business owner, People Leader, HR professional, or employee, this episode will give listeners a deeper understanding of culture's role in the modern workplace.

DAN'S LINKS: 

Company: https://yourflock.co.uk/ 
TEDx Talk: The Future Of Work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=uiZJkod7h-4&feature=emb_title 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-sodergren-futureofwork/ 

ABOUT SCOTT: 

Learn more about Scott McInnes, your host and the Founder and Director of Inspiring Change, by clicking here.   

ABOUT WORKVIVO:  

If you're struggling with communications in this time of new hybrid workplace conditions, click here to explore Workvivo, a collaboration platform that offers seamless digital integration. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider clicking here to rate and review it! 

Do you think storytelling has no place at work? That it’s just a fluffy exercise that doesn’t deliver results? Then, the latest guest on the Building Better Culture podcast, Richard Newman, the Founder and CEO of BodyTalk, says, “You’re missing the point!” Richard shares that for a millennia, the human brain has learned to sequence and process information delivered as a story, but HOW that story is told makes all the DIFFERENCE. We learn about the neuroscience behind effective communication to yield actionable results and fully engage your people. You’ll learn how to blast through denial, overcome the brain’s resistance to change and avoid “non-verbal leakage.” It transforms workplace cultures by delivering information in ways our brains can receive process, and act upon – with the kinds of epic outcomes your corporate leaders will doubtless remember. Heroic journeys start in small daily interactions, and Richard is here to share some of the tools most critical tools set that stage. 

KEY INSIGHTS: 
>>> Focus on storytelling as a vehicle for connection. 

>>> It’s critical to understand how the logical and emotional minds differ when it comes to interacting with information, depending on how its delivered. 

>>> Stories that fail? They are stories that make you, your company, product or service the hero.  

>>> Stories that succeed? Those that deliver a compelling hero’s journey through the eyes of the listeners – the recipients of your intended message.  

>>> Non-Verbal Leakage: Body language, tone and words need to be in complete alignment. If they are incongruent, the effect is inauthentic and can generate distrust. Humans respond viscerally to energy and subtext. 

>>> Start Small: The quickest way to break down resistance to storytelling in the workplace is to integrate it into every daily interaction. It’s not a heroic tale, but a framework to deliver information in ways that the brains of others can accept, process and act upon. 

FURTHER RESOURCES: 
>>> "Thinking Fast and Slow," by Daniel Kahneman. 

ABOUT RICHARD: 
Company: https://ukbodytalk.com/ 
Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/191645920X 
Podcast: LIFT with Richard Newman 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardnewmanspeaks/ 

ABOUT SCOTT: 
Learn more about Scott McInnes, your host and the Founder and Director of Inspiring Change, by clicking here. 

ABOUT WORKVIVO:  
If you’re struggling with communications in this time of new hybrid workplace conditions, click here to explore Workvivo, a collaboration platform that offers seamless digital integration. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider clicking here to rate and review it!