Fast Track: Career conversations with Margie Hartley

Ep 80: The pursuit of perfect

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.

Ep 79: What is remote work doing to our brain?

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.

Ep 78: Self-Compassion at work

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.

Ep 77: Future Fit – how to stay relevant and competitive in the future of work

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.

Ep 76: Cultural competency in the workplace

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.

Ep 75: Mediating conflict

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.

Ep 74: Breaking New Ground

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.

Ep 73: 7 CEO insights about change and Covid

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.'

Ep 72: Reputation and risk

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.

Ep 71: Career reinvention and how to make the leap

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.