Phone Calls With Clever People

We're Talking About Conversations that matter. 

I’m joined by my good friend Chad Littlefield who says that he is on a mission to eradicate small talk. And as you’ll quickly learn this isn’t just something he talks about, it was the foundation on which the two of us met.

I typically like to keep these podcast episodes to roughly 30-40mins but there was no way I could contain all the gold within that time frame so I hope you’ll forgive me that this episode goes a little longer than usual. But I think you’ll love it just as much as I did.

Chad is the co-founder and Chief Experience Officer of We and Me, Inc. (www.weand.me)—an organization whose mission is to create conversations that matter. 

Leaders call Chad when they want to amplify connection, belonging, and trust in their organization. Forbes calls Chad a “global expert on asking questions that build trust and connection in teams.” He is a TEDx speaker, author of the Pocket Guide to Facilitating Human Connections, and creator of We! Connect Cards™, which are now being used to create conversations that matter on campuses and companies in over 80 countries around the world. Most recently, Chad and his partner Will Wise launched their new book, Ask Powerful Questions: Create Conversations that Matter, now a #1 Amazon Bestseller.

Connect with Chad

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

Connect with Shane on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanemhatton/ or visit www.shanemhatton.com to learn more about his work.

We're Talking About Decisions

In particular making the hard decision to take the risky path rather than the comfortable one. And I can’t think of anyone better to join me in this conversation than Kendra Banks, Managing Director at Seek Ltd.

I was fortunate to work with Kendra back in 2019 and hear some of her journey and it really is a journey of choosing the right path in the face of resistance.How did she do it? And how has it shaped the kind of leader she is now? I give her a call to find out.

Kendra leads SEEK’s employment and learning businesses across the Australia and New Zealand markets, encompassing SEEK, SEEK Learning and Career Services, SEEK Business, Grad Connection and SEEK Volunteer.

Prior to SEEK, Kendra held a series of senior marketing and commercial roles within the retail sector, including at Coles in Australia and Tesco in the UK. Kendra commenced her career in strategy as a consultant with McKinsey & Company.

Kendra holds a Masters in European Politics at the College of Europe, where she was a Fulbright scholarship recipient. Prior to this, Kendra completed a Bachelor of Economics and Mathematics at Yale University.

Connect with Kendra at

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendra-banks-0954a1/ 

Connect with Shane on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanemhatton/ or visit www.shanemhatton.com to learn more about his work.

We're Talking About Burnout

My guest is Dr Jenny Brockis and she told me that burnout is something that can often sneak up on people we identify as being the most resilient. The good news is that it is preventable. I give her a call to learn more about what it takes to help ourselves and our team thrive and avoid burnout.

Dr Jenny Brockis is an expert in the science of high-performance thinking, creating thriving teams and leaders through improving brain health and wellbeing.

How often do you feel stressed, under pressure, unable to think straight and groggy in the morning? As an award-winning speaker, facilitator and trained medical practitioner, Dr Jenny can help you understand why you think and act the way you do, and then implement science-backed behaviour change so you can make distractions, foggy thinking and mental roadblocks a thing of the past.

Connect with Dr Jenny at 

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

Learn more about the thriving mind academy at https://www.drjennybrockis.com/thriving-mind-academy/ 

Connect with Shane on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanemhatton/ or visit www.shanemhatton.com to learn more about his work.

We're Talking About Re-Energising 

There’s no doubt the last 12months has taken its toll on the workforce, but as we begin to remobilise and adapt to different ways of working CULTURE remains a crucial part of reenergising the workforce.

And who better to talk about culture than the author of Culture Hacks and Culture fix himself Colin D Ellis. 

Colin has more than 20 years experience building and leading teams in public and private sector organisations helping people to be their best selves and bring that to work each day so today I give him a call to talk about what he’s noticing in this space. 

Colin is known for delivering speeches and programs around the world that inspire and motivate individuals to become role models for others and to provide organisations with the skills to build cultures of success. 

Whether it's the way that projects are delivered, how teams work together or how to change the DNA of an organisation Colin has a unique blend or energy, humour and practical information to make change easy.

Connect with Colin at 

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

Connect with Shane on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanemhatton/ or visit www.shanemhatton.com to learn more about his work.

We're Talking About Learning 

And I’m joined by fellow learning enthusiast and the host of the brilliant podcast Steph’s Business Bookshelf, Steph Clarke.

If you were going to teach a class on ‘Learning’, what would you cover? And if you want to embed a culture of learning in your organisation what should you do? 

While we spend many years in formal education, many people still haven't learned how to learn. Steph joins me on the phone to discuss.

Steph is a facilitator, designer and podcaster. She helps teams work better together as a facilitator, works with businesses to bring their ideas and insights to life visually as a designer, and shares the big ideas from the best non-fiction books through her podcast Steph's Business Bookshelf.   

Connect with Steph at 

LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/steph-clarke

Connect with Shane on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanemhatton/ or visit www.shanemhatton.com to learn more about his work.

We're Talking About Publishing 

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of some of your favourite leadership or business books you see on the shelf? Maybe you’ve even considered sharing your thoughts with the world by writing a book. Either way you will love this conversation, and if nothing else you'll get a bunch of books to add to your reading list!

Joining me on the phone is Lesley Williams the Founder and Managing Director of Major Street Publishing, a Melbourne publisher responsible for bringing some of Australia’s best business, leadership, finance, investment and motivational books to market including my own book Lead The Room - Communicate a Message That Counts in Moments That matter.  

Follow Lesley on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-williams-769002b/ 

Learn more about Major Street Publishing and view some of their latest releases at https://majorstreet.com.au/ 

Connect with Shane on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanemhatton/

We're Talking Job Crafting

What is Job Crafting I hear you ask? Jim Collison is my guest on the show and he described it as taking what you're best at those skills and talents and experiences and then pointing them to unique problems in an organisation that need to be solved. 

Is this the way forward for the emerging workforce retaining top talent? I give him a call to discuss. 

Jim is the Director of Talent Acquisition at Gallup’s Omaha, Nebraska office and responsible for bringing together a global community of over 10,000 coaches as the CliftonStrengths Community Manager. Jim has a voice that's recognisable in the Gallup community as the host Gallup's Called to Coach and Theme Thursday Webcasts.  

Follow Jim on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimcollison/ 

Learn more about Gallup and CliftonStrengths at https://cliftonstrengths.com/ 

Connect with Shane on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanemhatton/

We're Talking Wellbeing

In a world where we glorify the grind and constantly put ourselves last, Susan is on a mission to make healthy a way of life and help people put themselves at the front of the line.

Susan is a health expert, author, speaker and mentor. She is also a naturopath and founder of the “Me First Movement” and “Radical Self Care Club”. She is passionate about empowering and educating people so they can avoid the inevitable burnout that comes with pushing too hard and losing sight of what's really important. 

Follow Susan on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-hunter-67282024/ 

Learn more about Susan and her work at https://www.susanhunter.com.au/ 

Connect with Shane on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanemhatton/

We're Talking Flexible Working

More and more I am having conversations with leaders right in the middle of the discussion around returning to the office. What does the new world of work look like? And what sits at the heart of flexible working? 

My guest is executive and author Conor O’Malley and he told me that TRUST is at the heart of going back to the office. I give him a call to explore why. 

Conor O’Malley is an executive coach for leaders who want to learn, be more effective leaders of their business, their team and in society. He has been referred to as “The CEO’s caddy” with a wealth of experience operating and coaching in the C-Suite and is the author of the newly released book “Trust – Begins and Ends With Self”

Follow Conor on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/conoromalley/ 

Learn more about Conor and his work at https://www.conoromalley.com.au/ 

Connect with Shane on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanemhatton/

We're Talking Brand Stories 

As we kick off Season 03 of the podcast I'm joined again by one of my favourite guests Gabrielle Dolan. Last season Ral gave us an exclusive on the title of her upcoming book and I vowed to bring her back when it was launched to hear all about it. 

Ral believes that Brand Stories have a magnetic quality that attracts and retains customers and helps engage employees. I give her a call to learn more. 

Gabrielle Dolan is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker and educator on real communication and business storytelling. Her clients include the Obama Foundation, Telstra, EY, Accenture VISA, Australia Post, National Australia Bank, Amazon and Vodafone just to name drop a few. Gabrielle is the best selling author of six books including Real Communication: How to be you and lead true, a finalist in the Australian Business Leadership Book Awards 2019. Her other titles consist of Magnetic Stories: Connect with customers and engage employees with brand storytelling (2021), Stories for Work: The Essential Guide to Business Storytelling (2017), Storytelling for Job Interviews (2016), Ignite: Real Leadership, Real Talk, Real Results (2015) which reached the top five on Australia’s bestselling business books and Hooked: How Leaders Connect, Engage and Inspire with Storytelling (2013).

Bringing humanity to the way business people communicate isn’t just a career, it’s a calling. Her dedication to the industry was recognised when Gabrielle was awarded the 2020 Communicator of the Year by the International Association of Business Communicators Asia Pacific region.

Follow Ral on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielledolan/ 

Learn more about Ral and her work at http://gabrielledolan.com/ 

Connect with Shane on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanemhatton/