This Working Life

What if ADHD wasn't seen as a deficit or a disorder? What if it's actually harnessed as a superpower? We show how, given the right support and understanding, workplaces have the ability to turn ADHD into an asset and create environments where everyone thrives.

We speak with proud Torres Strait Islander woman (Kubin; Moa Island descendant) Carla McGrath and proud Yorta Yorta man Ian Hamm about what First Nations perspectives bring to governance and management.

Emotions at work - do you repress or ruminate? Both could be dangerous for your career. Harvard Medical School psychologist Dr Susan David is one of the world's leading management thinkers. Her Ted talk has been viewed more than five million times and her book Emotional Agility is a bestseller.

Susan discusses the benefits of bringing our whole selves to work; emotions as data not directives (we shouldn't let them boss us around) and why emotional agility is important for teamwork and creativity.

We take a deep dive into this medical mystery and look at how workplaces and individuals can navigate the world of work as they recover from long COVID.

Teamwork, resilience and grit – just some of the skills from sport that we can all learn from when it comes to our work. So how can the corporate world harness these skills, and what can we learn from the athlete’s mindset?

It’s not just about getting the job done when we’re working hybridly, it’s about the connections we make. And this has been lost when we’re working from home, and this is making us feel lonely.

In the second part of our hybrid work feature, we look at how hybrid work can leave us feeling lonely and disconnected, and what we can do about it.

Guests:

• Mark Mortensen - Associate Professor, INSEAD
• Dr Caroline Knight - Research Fellow, Curtin University’s Future of Work Institute
• Sasha D’Arcy - Psychologist and ‘Inventiologist’ at Inventium

Hybrid is here to stay. So, what is pandemic-driven hybrid work doing to our ability to focus and what do we need to do to find that elusive flow state in this brave new world of work?

In the first part of our hybrid work feature, we look at hybrid work and our level of focus when working from home, compared to in the office, and along the way we’ll bust some myths and get some attention hacks.

Guests:

Sue Williamson - Associate Professor of Human Resource Management in the School of Business at UNSW, Canberra

Katherine Johnson - Associate Professor in Psychology in the School of Psychological Sciences at the University of Melbourne

Sasha D’Arcy - Psychologist and ‘Inventiologist’ at Inventium

What is your role in your family of origin? Jester, responsible one, black sheep or peacemaker, we all have one. But did you know the role you have inherited or the values and beliefs your family held could be holding you back at work? Professor Deborah Ancona runs us through how to recognise the “family ghosts” and how to bust them.

Guests:

Deborah Ancona, Seley Distinguished Professor of Management at MIT’s Sloane School of Management

Rebekah Donaldson, executive manager, people group at Qantas

Anetta Pizag, workplace design consultant, strategist and author.

HBR article Deborah co-wrote, Family Ghosts in the Executive Suite

Producer: Maria Tickle

Would you call yourself an introvert, or an extrovert? Or are you a bit of both?

When it comes to personality traits and states, it’s not black and white. It’s a spectrum.

But sometimes we still desire a label or a name for what we are. Many of us have done personality tests for fun, or have been asked to do a psychometric test when applying for a job.

Here in Australia, around 40 per cent of recruiters and employers ask candidates or employees to do one of these tests.

But how helpful are they, really, when it comes to our work?

Guests:

Luke Smillie - Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Melbourne

Nick Haslam - Professor of Psychology at the University of Melbourne

Dr Martin Boult - Psychologist and Senior Director Professional Services at The Myers-Briggs Company, Asia Pacific

What was your first job, and what did it teach you?

We’re turning back the clocks and heading back into the supermarket and greasy fast-food joints to find out just why first jobs are so crucial in our careers and what they can teach us.

If we put on our detective caps, we can look at our first jobs and pick up the little clues and insights about ourselves that can help us navigate our current career. And if you have kids, or are mentoring young people, we learn how we can advise teenagers on what to look for in their first job.

Guests:

Professor Julia Richardson, Curtin University School of Management and Marketing

Daisy Turnbull, teacher and author 50 Questions to Ask Your Teens: A Guide to Fostering Communication and Confidence in Young Adults