Leading a countrywide operation in a fast-paced, expanding industry comes with key challenges. The way to excel in this space is to continuously have a learner mindset and be obsessed about people. 

In this episode I get the chance to sit down with someone who’s leadership insights I admire. Puneet Chandok leads the Amazon Web Services business in India and South Asia. As the country MC, he leads the entire portfolio of AWS Services and helps organisations innovate and transform - something that he lives and breaths in his own career. 

Prior to going to AWS, Puneet held leadership roles with McKinsey and Co, and IBM Global Services. Puneet holds a MBA, and is an avid reader of the latest research into leadership and people growth. There are so many take-aways from this conversation that you may want to listen to it a couple of times. 

We talk about taking the time everyday to connect with customers, bringing leadership principles to life, and the importance of developing leaders.  

Enjoy this episode with Puneet Chandok. 

One of the goals of people and culture is to provide environments for people to function at their best. How do we do that in the current environment when so many people are feeling tired and unsure?

 Andrew Short is the Assistant Commissioner for the State Emergency Service or the SES as part of Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES). 

Leading in high stress critical response circumstances has been part of Andrew’s work for many years. Amongst this experience Andrew shares how the simple notion of being there for someone in need has, and remains a core skill required in our workplaces. 

In this conversation we unpacked the role of psychological safety, the value of curiosity, as well as a really practical tip on how to stay present with others amongst the busyness of work. 

This is an insightful conversation about preparing for the crisis, responding with humanity and rebuilding when we need to with the assistant commissioner Andrew Short.

 Influence Me podcast:
https://www.podbean.com/pu/pbblog-enrav-49bb26

This question is true for every single organisation. How do you shift behaviours at work and more importantly how do you create behaviour change on mass?

In this episode of The Business of People podcast I chat with senior learning leader at SEEK, Melitta Hardenberg. SEEK are Australia’s number one jobs, employment, and career platform. An organisation that prides itself in being a little bit different. 

Melitta and I completely nerd out around the role of learning and development in behaviour change and cultural impact. Melitta is well known for extending leadership impact with inside organisations through personal impact, building inclusive high performing teams, and lifting career engagement within organisations.

In this conversation we talk about the strengths-based culture across SEEK that is held it in good stead in navigating the changes and the impacts have COVID-19. Melitta shares the power of strengths-based focus with leaders and in their conversations with their teams. There's also a metaphor that Melitta shares involving traffic lights and roundabouts that has stuck with me long after our conversation finished. 

We also get pretty real around the current experience of leaders who deeply care, who are also feeling exhausted. We unpack the potential challenge of workplaces across the next year or so about how do we maintain a focus on culture whilst we're also looking at hybrid and remote ways of working. This is one of those conversations that you want to share, and I no doubt want to tune into a couple of times, so please soak up the curiosity and the wisdom of Melitta Hardenberg.

What's the role of the office when it comes to the future of work? How does a manufacturing company explore a hybrid world of work for all? When we talk about flexibility are we also talking about diversity and inclusion?

Today's guest on this episode of The Business of People podcast is Katy Halliwell, who has extensive HR experience spending more than 17 years working in a number of senior HR roles for leading, fast moving consumer goods companies. 

As People and Organisation Director of Mars Wrigley she is responsible for enhancing organisational culture and developing the people strategy. 

Her passion for creating an inclusive and diverse workplace that champions equal opportunities for all has been a major contributor to the Mars Wrigley Australia’s culture of fairness and equality. As a working mum of three herself, Katie understands the challenges of balancing work and life and has been an advocate for the development of organisational policies that actively promote a gender balanced workplace. 

What does it mean to truly feel like you belong in your workplace? Where you can feel seen, heard, and included, particularly as we navigate the new digital workspace and digital culture? 

Belonging is the key passion of today’s guest Beth Hall, who we speak to in this episode of The Business of People podcast.

After flying solo in the learning and performance world for 10 years Beth joined the Cotton On Group.

Cotton On Group is deliberately different, they have a unique approach to most things and culture is no exception.

In her role as Head of People Experience and Development Beth spends her days identifying emerging trends. She then builds inclusive strategies that enable wellness, development, performance, and engagement. Which is not a small job with diverse teams operating across 20 countries and 8 brands under the group umbrella.   

In our conversation we talk about the changes happening in workplaces at the moment, particularly in on-boarding new team members in a hybrid work environment. We unpack the importance of belonging, and how, whilst this takes time out of your busy day, might just be the most important part of your day. 

Enjoy the insights shared and possibility posed from Head of People Experience and Development at Cotton On Group. 

In amongst change and uncertainty, People & Culture leaders have a powerful licence to influence. 
In this episode of The Business of People podcast we explore the importance of taking to invest in ourselves as leaders in order to show up fully for our people. 
With over 20 years’ experience at the forefront of transforming people and culture, Naomi White has plenty of insight to share in the way our field has evolved. Dig into this conversation where we discuss the profound impact that leaders can have when wellbeing and balance is seen as a priority.

Workplace culture is at the heart of what we do as leaders in the People & Culture space. 

In this episode of The Business of People podcast we explore the pillars of workplace culture, and the tell-tale signs of a drop in employee engagement, with Steve Reid of Culture Eats Strategy. 
With over 20 years’ experience in the People & Culture space, Steve encourages us to look at our workplace cultures with a new perspective, one that takes into consideration the organism-like nature of our cultures as well as the impact that principle-based decision making and leadership can have on them. 

Achieving high performance in the workplace is no longer simply a matter of pure performance measures – employee wellbeing, resilience, and a mindset of anti-fragility has entered the equation. 

In this episode of The Business of People podcast, we discuss what goes into creating a culture of innovation and how high performance can be achieved in a Work from Anywhere structure with Laura Staples of Laminex. 

Over the last 15 years Laura has been pushing the boundaries in organisations with an eye on the future, untangling complexity, and uncovering opportunities to transform old ways of working and remain competitive in an increasingly fast-paced, ever-changing world.