Elise Stevens

Podcast #206: Gina Covarrubius – Why do we get our careers wrong? High-achieving graduates leave university with high expectations of their future careers. They've often been led to believe their good grades will translate into plum roles with big salaries so they can be disheartened if they don't land the dream job they'd envisaged. Life […]

Podcast #205: Elaine Jacques – The importance of a confident presence To be perceived as competent at work, we must first be perceived as confident. In this podcast, Elise Stevens speaks with leadership development coach Elaine Jacques about the importance of a confident presence. Elaine has tips for all personality types on how to challenge […]

Podcast #204: Lee Lambert – Diversity in action There's no doubt about it, diversity and inclusion are good for business. So why are so many organisations still trailing in this area? Some employers and hiring managers will say they cannot find a diverse recruitment pool. Others may have the right intentions, but still seem to […]

Podcast #203: Hilary Bendon – Pesky personalities in the workplace Most of us don't expect to go to work and like everyone. But we also don't usually have the interpersonal skills to deal with pesky personalities in a way that's productive and respectful. In this podcast, Elise Stevens speaks with conflict coach Hilary Bendon about […]

Podcast #202: Tanya Meessmann – Inspiring the next generation of women The next generation of women is growing up in a highly curated, digitised world that skews their reality. As social media focuses their attention on the filtered highlights of conventionally successful and beautiful people, young girls are less exposed to the vast diversity of […]

Podcast #201: Anna Wilk – How to survive the return to work Becoming a parent is a monumental change in anyone's life and returning to work can be daunting. Some people are desperate to get back to the office, while others are apprehensive, feel guilty or simply lack confidence. In this podcast, Elise Stevens speaks […]

Podcast #200: Embracing the future! Party episode with Laura Barnard, Andy Kaufman and Jennifer Bridges Every region in the world has had a different experience of the COVID-19 pandemic.  In many ways, the world is yet to truly emerge from the pandemic even though organisations in many parts of the world are already shifting and […]

Podcast #199: Erika Flora – Change programs – it's not about the technology! We all love to buy technology hoping it will fix our problems and organisations are no different. Cultural change is hard!  Digging deep into the issues with our people and processes is costly, complicated and time consuming and we'd all rather buy […]

Podcast #198: Yvonne Burton – How to manage a global team Teams are often spread across the globe, working remotely across countries and time zones, creating both benefits and challenges for leaders and organisations. Global teams grapple with language barriers, cultural differences and communication issues but there are simple, familiar solutions to these problems. In […]

Podcast #197: Abigail Wald – The most important things to do when returning to work from parental leave Returning from maternity leave or extended parental leave is a huge adjustment that will shift the way you view your work and yourself. Raising kids is a full-time job that doesn't simply stop when you go back […]

Podcast #196: Nicole Tschierske – Advancing your career within your organisation Often when we think about advancing our career, we assume we'll have to leave our current organisation, but there are benefits to staying and harnessing internal opportunities. In this podcast, Elise Stevens speaks with career development coach Nicole Tschierske about why you shouldn't assume […]

Podcast #195: Deborah Coviello – Building influence Influence is important for success at work, linked directly to our relationships and how we are perceived. Working hard day after day isn't enough to ensure your contribution is valued and you're hitting your career goals. In this podcast, Elise Stevens speaks with management consultant Deborah Coviello about […]

Podcast #194: Faith Timbs – How to avoid redundancy It's an unfortunate fact of life that, sometimes, good people are made redundant.  There are always unseen forces at play in organisations – particularly in turbulent economic times – which means even a major restructure can seem to come entirely out of the blue. But there […]

Podcast #193: Kristi Royse – Dysfunctional teams Dysfunctional teams struggle with high staff turnover, poor communication, negativity, infighting, and lack of motivation. Team members may be afraid of conflict, scared to speak up or ask for help, and unmotivated to do anything but the bare minimum. So, are all dysfunctional teams doomed to fail or […]

Podcast #192: Lenka Pincot – Leading transformational change As organisations look to their leaders to help them navigate a post-COVID world, what they really want is trailblazers of transformational change. Transformational change is designed to create a shift in the culture and work processes of an organisation. Many of these changes have been thrust upon […]

Podcast #191: Anar Umurzakova – Lean in to Lean You’ve likely come across Lean principles and methodology before – reducing waste without sacrificing productivity and determining what adds value by removing everything that doesn’t. But in this podcast, Elise Stevens speaks with start-up consultant Anar Umurzakova about how you can apply these business principles to […]

Podcast #190: Lia Zalums – Debunking Career Myths My employer will manage my career progression. The best person for the job always gets the promotion. My boss will take care of my training. We all want to believe these statements because it’s reassuring to think someone else is taking care of our careers and steadily […]

Podcast #189: Lydia Hughes-Evans – Futureproof your Career – The Career Pivot How do you know when it’s time to make a career pivot? From a young age, Lydia Hughes-Evans believed she wanted to be a school teacher. But it took multiple career pivots and going back to school twice before she figured out her […]

Podcast #188: Robert Gillette – Why professional development shouldn’t feel like homework If you’re reading this, it’s fair to say you’re career-driven and work hard in your office hours. But that doesn’t mean you love spending your precious free time on professional development.  In this podcast, Elise Stevens speaks to Robert Gillette about how professional […]

Podcast #187: Eli Angote – How to boost your motivation We all experience ebbs and flows in our motivation levels. Some days we’re clear-headed and on-task and other days we can barely summon the energy to turn on our computers. It’s easy to feel like we have no control over these natural fluctuations, especially when […]

Podcast #186: Belle Walker – A different approach to building effective teams What if we applied the principles of systems engineering to humans, in the same way they’re applied to code or steel? In this podcast, Elise Stevens speaks to Belle Walker about how to take a systems engineering approach to building effective teams. Belle […]

Podcast #185: Nicole Maaguo – Why is ambition a dirty word? This year, Kamala Harris will become the first female US Vice President. In other parts of the world, from Germany to Taiwan to New Zealand, women are already in the top job (and have been for some time!). But despite women smashing glass ceilings […]

Podcast #184: Susan Schwartz – Emotional intelligence Managers are rarely hired simply because they’re great leaders. Often they’re promoted for their technical skills, regardless of their personal skills – or lack thereof!  We have all had this type of manager. They struggle to build strong, diverse teams and retain good staff because they lack emotional […]

Podcast #183 : Joe Pusz – Getting unstuck How do you know if you’re stuck in your career? Maybe you really like your team, your boss is fair, and you’ve got a great salary and benefits. You’re good at your job. You’re comfortable. So, why would you want to give all that up to take […]

Podcast #182 : Jaspreet Dol – How will AI change the way we work? There’s a lot of buzz right now around artificial intelligence and automation – machines doing things that previously only humans could do. As with any change, it’s natural to feel nervous about the implications for your career. But this podcast is […]

Podcast #181: Chuen Chuen Yeo – Does leadership need to change? COVID-19 has caused huge changes in the way society functions. How we work, how our kids are educated, how we see our doctor, and even how our government communicates with us, has changed dramatically in just a few months. As we navigate all this […]

Podcast Episode #180: Andy Kaufmann – Dealing with difficult people What if we chose to get closer to difficult people instead of avoiding them? We’ve all had a difficult boss, stakeholders we’ve dreaded dealing with or clients we wish we’d never taken on, so we know these relationship problems rarely solve themselves. Andy Kaufman is […]

Podcast #179: Future-Proof Your Career – Johanna Rothman – Embracing the agile mindset As COVID-19 wreaks havoc on our lives and livelihoods, many of us are beginning to consider what our careers might look like in the future. We all like to think we’re adaptable and resilient but how do we decide if it’s time […]

Podcast Episode #178: Sarah Hajipour – The value of business agility Most companies already recognised the value of business agility, but the COVID-19 pandemic has now proven that businesses must be agile if they are going to survive. Business agility Is more than just software frameworks. It’s a mindset that allows a business to respond […]

Podcast Episode #177: Renee Henville – Dealing with difficult people We’ve all worked with difficult people. Some believe they’re always right, others will say yes to everything but rarely deliver, some are dictators, other are more passive, and most seem to find all the problems but no solutions. Elise Stevens has plenty of experience dealing […]

Podcast Episode #176: Jay Stone – Why is change so exhausting? What is it about change that we find so difficult? Why is it burning us out and making us depressed? Neuroscience tells us that our brain simply hasn’t evolved much over thousands of years. Even positive change can trigger the same fight/flight/freeze reaction our […]

Podcast Episode #175: Laura Dallas Burford – How to find your focus As Marie Kondo would say – does it spark joy? No, not your Tupperware drawer – your career!  Many project managers would consider themselves a jack of all trades, ready to jump head-first into any project, but consultant advisor and mentor Laura Dallas […]

Podcast Episode #174: Teresa Lawrence – Creative problem solving in project management The best idea usually doesn’t belong to the loudest voice in the room – so why should they be the only one who gets heard? Whether they’re the boss, the boss’s son, or just a bit of a loudmouth, too often decisions within […]

Podcast Episode #173: Elizabeth Harrin – How gamification makes projects more engaging It doesn’t matter how much time you put into your powerpoint presentation or carefully-drafted email, your team still might be more likely to open a game on their phone or start scrolling through Facebook than pay attention. Gamification makes your projects more engaging […]

Podcast Episode #172: Lynda Tregoweth – The importance of leadership in project management Strong leadership is far more challenging to deliver in times of pressure or change – but that’s exactly when it’s most needed. Lynda Tregoweth is a coach and mentor who has worked in leadership roles long enough to know that if pressure […]

Podcast Episode #171: Anita Phagura – How to be a fierce project manager and take control of your career If there is one thing you take from this podcast today, it should be the importance of taking control of your own career. Many of us leave the trajectory of our careers to be determined by […]

Podcast Episode #170: Jen Dolden – How to set up a group for women in project management Jen Dolden was fed up with walking into a project meeting or networking event and finding she was the only woman in the room – again! But when she started searching for a group of women she could […]

Podcast Episode #169: Vicki Griffiths – Why the Women in Project Management SIG is so valuable There’s more women than men coming into project management at entry level, and yet the large majority of senior roles are still occupied by men. Why is that? Any woman working in project management probably has a few theories! […]

Podcast Episode #168: Carole Osterweil – What does neuroscience have to do with project management? Just take five deep breaths.  We’ve all heard this advice when we’ve been stressed or overwhelmed or anxious. But do you know why it helps us relax and focus? In this podcast, Elise Stevens speaks with coach Carole Osterweil about […]

Podcast Episode #167: Jools Barrow-Read – Building a successful PMO A successful PMO is one that’s tailored to the needs of the business. That might sound simplistic, but Jools Barrow-Read believes that’s the only definition a PMO needs. Jools has been working in PMOs for 15 years. Five years ago, she started her own PMO […]

Podcast Episode #166: Susanne Madsen – Changes in project leadership It’s been five years since Susanne Madsen released her book The Power of Project Leadership. In that time she’s worked with project leaders in nearly every corner of the globe, and noticed a lot of changes in the demands and expectations placed on them– enough […]

Podcast Episode #165: Crystal Richards – Politics and Projects “Because it’s you, I’ll do it.” Some people seem to have no issue getting others to bend over backwards, put in a good word or sign that cheque. According to Crystal Richards these people all have one thing in common – a knack for politics. ‘Office […]

Podcast Episode #164: Echo Woolf – The art of project management Art is defined as the expression or application of human creativity or imagination. It’s a much broader definition than simply painting or sculpture, but many project managers will still wonder why a conversation about art belongs in the project management world.  According to project […]

Podcast Episode #163: Laura Dallas Burford – How to start your project management consulting career Lots of project managers come to Laura Dallas Burford asking how they can become a consultant – but many can’t tell her why they want to. As Laura tells Elise Stevens in this podcast, it’s the first, and most important, […]

Podcast Episode #162: Ruth Pearce – How to spot the character strengths in your project team Have you thought about your strengths lately? Not your skills and talents, but the key character strengths within your personality. If you’re a project manager there’s a good chance you’re prudent and persevering, which means you like to have […]

Podcast Episode #161: Julia Steel – Getting buy-in from stakeholders You’ve got project approval, you’ve got a sponsor, your stakeholders have turned up to the first meeting – but do you have real buy-in? When experienced program director and program manager Julia Steel decided to write a book to help project managers she took a […]

Podcast: Emily Luijbregts – Diversity in project management Why don’t more business leaders see women in the prime of their lives as an opportunity? That’s the question asked by project management influencer Emily Luijbregts. Emily believes a lack of diversity is one of the primary reasons major projects fail – but she says not enough […]

Podcast: Susanne Madsen – Stress in project management With deadlines, budgets, demanding stakeholders, time zone clashes, and an endless stream of emails, project management is full of stress triggers. Many of us consider it an unavoidable consequence of the work we do, but chronic stress can be deadly. In this podcast, Susanne Madsen speaks to […]

Podcast: Paul Pelletier – Women and Disrespect in the Workplace Disrespect in the workplace is easy to spot. It can start as snide comments, gossip or someone being excluded but can escalate into bullying and harassment. Victims, most often women, can be too intimidated to speak up and bystanders often think it’s none of their […]

Podcast: Hussain Bandukwala – Yes, you can set up a PMO in 100 days The success or failure of a newly elected head of state is often measured by how much they achieve in their first 100 days. Hussain Bandukwala thinks PMOs should be measured in the same way. Hussain is the founder of Parwaaz […]

Podcast: Naomi Caietti – Getting unstuck and jumpstarting your career We all know them: the people who wind up in leadership roles through luck or timing or rising through the ranks, but have limited leadership competencies. But leadership is not just a role or title, it’s a choice. In her latest book, project management consultant […]