building relationships Archives

How To Be Heard

August 29, 2023August 30, 2023
by Claire

We’ve all been there, sitting in that meeting trying to get our point across and becoming infuriated because someone we work with repeatedly ignores what we say in meetings.

Being heard at work isn’t as simple as just speaking up. Research shows that particularly if you’re a woman or a minority it’s harder to have your ideas, your comments and contributions acknowledged and accepted.

But there are things we can do to help overcome the challenges we sometimes face and in this episode Claire and Greta take you through numerous ways you can improve your influence at work and ensure your messages and communications are landing as well as they can.

They look at tactics and tools you can use before, during and after important meetings, plus share stories from some of the most senior guests we’ve had on the show including a member of the House of Lords in the UK and the President of a large global health business.

In this episode you’ll learn:

When, and with whom, Claire typically finds it difficult to be heard
How to piggyback off someone else in a meeting when you’re having trouble finding the moment to speak
Why you have to stand up for yourself
And, an important meeting tactic everyone should use.

This episode is jam packed with tips and tools that can help us all increase our influence, and that we use regularly. If you know someone who’s complained of not being heard at work then why not share this episode with them as well.

Enjoy!

Useful Links

Martha Lane Fox episode

Que Dallara episode

Interview

Inspiring Others with Her ‘Why’ – Lina Xu

July 26, 2023July 26, 2023
by Claire

If you’re inspired by people who have a worthy and clear purpose or mission then you’re going to love our episode this week.

Our guest is Lina Xu, co-founder of a Medtech startup called Telecare which offers under-served people living in regional and rural areas virtual access to specialists and other healthcare professionals.

When Chinese born and raised Lina moved to Australia seven years ago and became a mum shortly after, she felt very isolated, out of touch with her new country and alone.

Whilst still breastfeeding her second son four years ago, Lina realised she needed to make a change and do something more in her new country and so this quietly spoken and determined woman, along with her husband, co-founded Telecare.

Two doctors joined them as co-founders and all were inspired by the potential of Telecare to fill a vital healthcare gap by enabling regionally based patients to have affordable access to city based specialists and allied healthcare professionals.

As luck would have it, Telecare was founded just 6 months before Covid happened, so their foresight and careful stakeholder management has really paid off. So much so that Lina was awarded a Cartier Women’s Initiative Fellowship this year as one of Oceania’s leading female entrepreneurs.

In this episode you’ll hear how:

A family tragedy helped Lina develop the resilience and adaptability that’s so valuable as a female founder
How having a clear and impact-focused Mission has made it much easier for Telecare, and Lina personally, to garner supporters
How she and her co-founders are making headway with innovative technology in what is a very conservative and risk averse healthcare sector; and
Why relationships are so important to her.

What struck us about this inspiring conversation with Lina is how clear she is about her ‘Why’ and how that’s morphed into becoming something much bigger and even more meaningful with her business.

We think you’ll love this episode with the humble and mission-driven Lina Xu.

Useful Links

Telecare Website

Lina Xu on LinkedIn

Cartier Women’s Initiative

Interview

A Rare CFO – Madeline Ling

November 8, 2022November 8, 2022
by Claire

Our episode this week features the first Chief Financial Officer we’ve had on the show, however Madeline Ling is not your ‘ordinary’ CFO.

We don’t think we’ve met a CFO who values diversity and building relationships the way Madeline does, not to mention the articulate and creative way she speaks about the stories the numbers can tell her.

Madeline has held multiple CFO roles throughout her 20-plus year career to date which has seen her work far and wide, including in the U.S., China, Mexico, Europe, and Thailand. A tech-company veteran, these days she is CFO of US-based Boomi, a fast-growing global SaaS company, focussed on easy software integration, now owned by two blue chip private equity firms.

Before taking on CFO roles, Madeline spent twelve years consulting including the Boston Consulting Group where she was a Principal. She also has an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

In this episode you’ll hear:

What Madeline learnt as an impressionable teenager when she moved to the US not speaking a word of English
How she thinks about leveraging her differences to add value
Madeline’s recipe for building awesome working relationships; and
The two questions she asks herself before changing roles or company.

In short, this was a fabulous conversation and you’ll really be inspired by the thoughtful and articulate Madeline Ling.

Useful Link

Boomi website

Below you can see how the cake turned out that Madeline talked about in the interview (top right) – looks delicious!

Bonus Episode

2021 – That’s a Wrap!

December 14, 2021December 14, 2021
by Claire

We’re really thrilled to share a very different type of episode, one that features some of the best advice and insights from six of our incredible guests this year. We recap some of the key themes that emerged from 2021 AND we explore how to set yourself up for 2022.

If you’re looking for some perspective at the end of another crazy year filled with all the highs, lows, cancellations, and uncertainties that come with living during a global pandemic then you’re welcome! 🙂

After listening to these amazing and inspiring guests you’ll:

Hear what we and others think is most important, really
Be inspired by the simple steps you can take to build a better world; and
Feel equipped and ready to constructively farewell 2021 and welcome 2022 with the right mindset and the right priorities for you going forward.

We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we’ve enjoyed revisiting our time with the amazing people who joined us this year.

Finally from both of us, we wish you and yours all the very best for a safe and joyous Festive Season and we look forward to sharing lots of adventures and insights with you in 2022.

Useful Links

Our full episode with Connie Mckeage

Connie on LinkedIn

Our full episode with Holly Ransom

Holly on LinkedIn

Our full episode with Adina Jacobs

Adina on LinkedIn

Our full episode with Tessa Clarke, Co-Founder of OLIO

Tessa on LinkedIn

Drawdown.org – great site if you want to educate yourself on climate change

Our full episode with Sarah Wilson

Sarah’s website

Our full episode with Dr J (Dr Jacinta Jimenez)

Jacinta on LinkedIn

How To Episode

How to Build Your Network

September 22, 2020
by Claire

This week’s episode is one of our ‘How To’ episodes and we’re covering that sometimes awkward topic of networking.

One of our guests has described your network as your ‘net worth’ and while that may be an exaggeration, there’s no doubt who you know can really make a difference to opportunities that may come your way. Particularly if you’re in the position of wanting to change industries or jobs.

Of course, building your network during COVID can be a little bit trickier and we talk about this during the episode.

You’ll also hear tips and advice on:

How to nurture and maintain your existing network
What we (Claire and Greta) actually say and do when we’re ‘networking’
How we approach it to take the awkwardness away
And how to think about growing your network to help your career goals.

So if you’re contemplating a career change, or have neglected your network this year, then this is the episode for you! If you know someone who is looking for a job or to change careers, then why not share this with them now. Enjoy!

Useful Links:

New York Times Article we refer to – ‘We’re all socially awkward now”

Full interview with Dr Cath Ball – Flying High with Drones and More

Full interview with Maria Macnamara – On Reinvention