The People Powered Business Podcast

Hosted by Kristy-Lee Billett

Business Entrepreneurship

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200

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Sep 2026

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About the show

Managing people shouldn't be the hardest part of running your business. But for most small business owners, it is. Each week, Australian small business HR expert Kristy-Lee Billett tackles the real challenges business owners face with their teams. From hiring the right people the first time, to handling difficult conversations, staying compliant, and mastering the mental game of being the boss. With 300+ episodes, this is one of Australia's longest-running small business HR podcasts. Practical, real worlds advice for business owners with teams of 3 to 40 people. If you're dealing with a people problem right now, or want to avoid the next one, this is the podcast for you.

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September 8, 202626 min

The Framework for Difficult Conversations, Built by an Employment Lawyer

Hello and welcome to Episode 340 of The People Powered Business Podcast. You know the conversation. It's been sitting on your list for weeks, maybe longer. You've rehearsed it in the shower, in the car, at 3am when you should be asleep, and every day you don't have it, you tell yourself tomorrow. If that's you right now, this episode was made for you. I keep coming back to this topic because it's the one thing I see stopping business owners more than anything else. Not a lack of skill, not a lack of care, just the simple fact that nobody ever taught us how to have a hard conversation with someone on our team. We learn how to run the business, sell the thing, manage the money, and then we're expected to just know how to tell someone their work isn't good enough, without any training at all. Today I'm talking with Jennifer Bicknell, an employment lawyer who's spent over a decade running her own firm and now spends most of her time teaching people how to have exactly this kind of conversation before it turns into something that needs a lawyer. She's identified the three real reasons people avoid these conversations, and she walks through a simple framework she calls the six Ws, something you can genuinely run through in about five minutes before you pick up the phone or walk into the room. My favourite part of this chat is her point about what you're actually teaching your team every time you let something slide. It changed how I think about the small stuff I let go. In this episode we cover: The three real reasons people avoid difficult conversations, and how to work out which one is driving you A simple five-minute framework for planning a conversation so you walk in with confidence instead of dread Why naming the outcome you want before you open your mouth changes the entire conversation What you're silently teaching your team every time you let something go unaddressed How to reframe a hard conversation as an opportunity instead of something to survive Links & Resources: To connect with Jennifer: Website: https://jenniferbicknell.com.au/about/ Newsletter: https://jenniferbicknell.com.au/jens-workplace-news-2-0/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-bicknell-lawyer-coach-speaker/ 💬 DM Kristy-Lee on Instagram @kristy.lee.billett Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristyleebillett/ Email me at hello@peoplepoweredbusiness.com.au Book a 15-minute clarity call: https://calendly.com/kristyleebillett/chat What this episode covers This episode breaks down why business owners avoid difficult conversations with their team, and gives a practical, repeatable framework for having them well. Employment lawyer Jennifer Bicknell shares the three underlying reasons people stay silent on issues that need addressing, and a simple planning tool for approaching any hard conversation with clarity instead of anxiety. It's built for business owners who lead a team and want to deal with issues early, before they escalate into something more serious. Key insight from this episode Every time a leader lets a problem go unaddressed, they are teaching their team that the behaviour is acceptable. Silence is not neutral. It's a message, and the longer an issue goes unaddressed, the more disproportionate the eventual reaction tends to be, which damages trust more than raising the issue early ever would. What you'll take away Identify which of the three core reasons (not knowing what to say, wanting to be liked, or fear) is driving your own avoidance of a specific conversation Use a simple framework to plan a difficult conversation in under five minutes Name the outcome you want before starting a conversation, so the discussion stays focused Recognise the cost of letting small issues slide, and why early conversations are easier than delayed ones Approach team conversations as a tool for building trust and performance, rather than something to be feared

September 1, 202614 min

Are You Too Slow to Fire Someone?

Hello and welcome to Episode 339 of The People Powered Business Podcast. You already know who this episode is about. The employee whose performance has been off for months, the one you keep making excuses for because actually ending their employment feels like the hardest conversation you'll ever have to have. If you've been sitting on a firing decision, telling yourself you'll deal with it next month, or after this project wraps up, or once things settle down, I need you to listen to this one properly. I'm talking about this today because it's come up in nearly every conversation I've had with business owners this week. In the last seven days alone, I've worked with three different owners who sat on a firing decision for so long that it made the exit far harder than it needed to be. No documented warnings, none of the process followed, because they'd been putting it off for months. By the time they came to me saying "I need to fire them now," I was the one having to put the brakes on so we could actually do this properly and legally. It didn't need to get that hard. It rarely does, if you act when you first know. In this episode, I'm walking you through the practical checks to run before you make the call, including whether they're still in their probationary period, whether you've actually documented a warning or just stayed quietly annoyed, and whether this is genuinely a performance issue or a personality clash you've let become one. I also get into the real reasons business owners stall on this decision even when they already know the answer, and what that delay is quietly costing your best people, the ones watching how you handle it. But the part I really want you to hear is this: confidence about a firing decision doesn't show up before you act. It shows up after, usually the moment your team finally tells you what had really been going on. In this episode we cover: The legal and practical checks to run before you make the call, including probation status, documented warnings, and whether this is actually a performance issue or a personality clash Why business owners delay firing decisions even when they already know the outcome What your best people are quietly noticing when you let poor performance slide, and why it's often the reason you lose them first Why the rest of your team is almost always covering for an underperformer, and what that's really costing them Why confidence about this decision comes after you act, not before it Links & Resources: 💬 DM Kristy-Lee on Instagram @kristy.lee.billett Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristyleebillett/ Email me at hello@peoplepoweredbusiness.com.au Book a 15-minute clarity call: https://calendly.com/kristyleebillett/chat What this episode covers This episode addresses why small business owners consistently delay firing decisions, even once performance issues are clear, and what that delay costs the wider team. It's built for business owners who are avoiding a termination they already know is necessary. By the end, listeners understand the legal and practical checks to run before acting, the real reasons behind the delay, and why confidence in the decision typically follows the action rather than coming before it. Key insight from this episode Confidence in a firing decision is not a precondition for acting. It's a result of acting. Business owners who delay a termination while waiting to feel certain are working backwards, because the clarity, and often the affirming feedback from the team, only becomes available once the decision has already been made and acted on. What you'll take away A practical checklist of legal and performance factors to review before terminating an employee, including probationary status and documented warnings A clearer understanding of the psychological and business reasons owners delay difficult staffing decisions Insight into how ongoing underperformance affects team morale, standards, and the workload carried by other staff A reframe of confidence as a result of decisive action, not a precondition for it Guidance on avoiding common misconceptions about the legal termination process, including the myth of a fixed number of required warnings

August 25, 202616 min

Stop Waiting to "Feel" Ready. You're Making It Worse.

Hello and welcome to Episode 338 of The People Powered Business Podcast. You've known for two months, maybe longer, that you need to fire this person. You've rehearsed the conversation in the shower, in the car, a hundred times in your head. You keep telling yourself you'll do it when you feel ready, when the timing is right, when they've had one more chance. Here's the truth: that day isn't coming, and every week you wait, nothing is staying the same. It's getting worse. I've been in business for 20 years, and I've spent most of that time helping business owners navigate what I call the mental game of being the boss. Firing someone, admitting a hire hasn't worked out, having the conversation that makes your stomach drop, none of it gets easier with experience. I still don't feel ready when I have to do these things, and this is what I do for a living. If I don't feel ready after 20 years of doing this and teaching other people to do it too, I can't expect you to feel ready either. So this week I wanted to call out the myth of feeling ready, because waiting for it isn't harmless. It's quietly costing you at every level of your business, and your team is watching you tolerate the thing you should have dealt with weeks ago. In this episode I'm unpacking why readiness is a feeling, not a prerequisite, and why waiting for it means you end up making the call on someone else's behalf instead of your own. I share the three places I see this show up most in business: delaying a termination, refusing to admit a hiring mistake, and putting off a difficult conversation, plus the trap that catches most of us, waiting until we hit the point of explosion instead of dealing with the issue early, which is often when things get messy and expensive. Rehiring a role can cost you anywhere from half to three times that person's annual salary, so the wrong hire you're avoiding dealing with is more expensive the longer it sits there. I also talk about what doing it scared actually looks like in practice, because that's the reality for all of us, no matter how many times we've done it or how prepared we are. Preparation dulls the discomfort, it doesn't switch it off, and that's something worth knowing before you go in expecting to feel calm. In this episode we cover: Why feeling ready is a myth, and what you're actually doing every time you wait for it Why admitting you hired the wrong person is good leadership, not failure Why delaying a termination isn't kindness, it's choosing your own discomfort over your team's wellbeing The explosion trap, and why waiting for the perfect moment makes the eventual conversation harder, not easier What doing it scared actually looks like, and how to prepare without needing to feel calm first Links & Resources: 💬 DM Kristy-Lee on Instagram @kristy.lee.billett Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristyleebillett/ Email me at hello@peoplepoweredbusiness.com.au Book a 15-minute clarity call: https://calendly.com/kristyleebillett/chat What this episode covers This episode is for business owners who are stalling on a hard decision, whether that's terminating an employee, admitting a hiring mistake, or having a conversation they've been avoiding. It explains why waiting to feel ready keeps the problem alive and usually makes it worse, and outlines what taking action before feeling ready actually looks like in practice. Key insight from this episode There is no future version of a business owner who finds firing staff, admitting a bad hire, or having a difficult conversation easy. Feeling ready is not a prerequisite for taking action, it is simply a feeling, and waiting for it is often avoidance in disguise. The business owners who move fastest are not the ones who feel most confident, they are the ones who prepare well and act anyway. What you'll take away Recognise when "waiting for the right moment" is actually avoidance Understand why admitting a wrong hire is a leadership strength, not a weakness See why delaying a termination affects team morale and performance more than the termination itself does Learn how to prepare for a difficult conversation without needing to feel ready first Build a simple approach for taking action before confidence arrives, not after

August 18, 202614 min

3 Ways Your Desire to Be Liked Is Driving Down Performance

Hello and welcome to Episode 337 of The People Powered Business Podcast. Have you softened a deadline because you didn't want to be the bad guy? Let a piece of work that wasn't good enough slide because pulling someone up on it felt like an uncomfortable conversation you'd rather avoid? Said yes to something you really wanted to say no to, just to keep the peace? None of those moments feel like a big deal on their own. But they're all quietly costing you performance, and there's one thing running through every single one of them: wanting to be liked by your team. I've been circling a similar theme on the podcast over the last few weeks, and there's a reason for that. I'm celebrating 20 years in business this year, and reflecting on two decades of working with business owners, a handful of truths keep coming back to me. One of the biggest is this: so many of us are chasing being liked by our team, almost wanting to treat them like family, and in the process we miss the thing that actually matters more, which is earning their respect. You can have both. But you can also have a team that likes you and walks all over you because they don't respect you, and if I had to choose, I'm choosing respect every time, because that's the thing that actually drives performance. In this episode I'm breaking down three specific ways your desire to be liked might be quietly driving your team's performance down: letting the small stuff slide, slowing your decision-making down to keep everyone comfortable, and what happens when your best people start noticing the pattern. I also get into what actually earns respect, because it's not about being cold, ruthless or hard-nosed, and why more than ever respect isn't something that comes automatically with the job title. It has to be earned. In this episode we cover: Why letting small things slide, like late starts, missed details or average work, quietly resets what your team believes is an acceptable standard How defaulting to decisions by committee to avoid pushback slows you down and rarely produces the right call for the business What your best people notice when you let things slide, and why it's often the fastest way to lose them The real difference between being liked and being respected, and why respect is what actually drives performance A simple reframe to shift your focus from being liked to earning respect, without losing your warmth as a leader Links & Resources: 💬 DM Kristy-Lee on Instagram @kristy.lee.billett Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristyleebillett/ Email me at hello@peoplepoweredbusiness.com.au Book a 15-minute clarity call: https://calendly.com/kristyleebillett/chat What this episode covers Many small business owners default to wanting their team to like them, sometimes treating their team like family, without realising that likeability and respect are not the same thing, and only one of them actually drives performance. This episode breaks down three specific ways the desire to be liked quietly erodes a team's output: tolerating small lapses in standards, slowing decision-making to seek consensus, and losing top performers who notice the double standard. It's for business owners who sense their team could be performing at a higher level and want to understand what's actually holding that back. Key insight from this episode Being liked is a bonus. Being respected is the job. A leader who lets small things slide or makes decisions to please everyone isn't being kind, they're quietly teaching their team that the standard is negotiable. Respect, not likeability, is what gets a team to follow through, trust a leader's judgement, and perform at their best. What you'll take away Recognise how tolerating minor lapses, like late starts or under-par work, resets the standard the whole team performs to Understand why seeking consensus or approval before making a decision usually produces a weaker outcome for the business See why top performers are often the first to disengage or leave when standards are applied inconsistently Learn what actually earns a team's respect, honesty, consistency and clear decisions, as distinct from being liked Apply a simple reframe to prioritise respect over likeability without losing warmth as a leader

August 11, 202616 min

Changing Your Mind Doesn't Make You a Weak Leader

Hello and welcome to Episode 336 of The People Powered Business Podcast. You made a call to your team on Monday. By Thursday, new information landed and you knew the original decision wasn't right anymore, but instead of fixing it, you sat on it for two days. You're worried that changing your mind will make you look weak, indecisive, like your team won't take you seriously next time you make a call. That fear is exactly what keeps business owners stuck on the wrong course for far longer than they should be, and it's costing more than anyone realises. I keep seeing this play out with the business owners I work with, and it shows up two ways. Some get so paralysed by the fear of looking indecisive that they stay on a path they know is wrong, and it ends up costing the business money. Others swing hard the other way, changing direction every other week until their team stops bothering to follow through on anything, because why would they, if the goalposts are going to move again by Friday. I recently worked with a team where the fallout of this landed on my desk: a team member escalated a complaint because what was right one day was wrong the next, with no explanation given in between, and she genuinely couldn't do her job under those conditions. This year I'm celebrating twenty years in business, and this is one of the truths I keep coming back to when I reflect on what I know for certain after two decades of doing this work. In this episode I explain the real difference between flip-flopping and adapting, because your team can tell which one you're doing, even if you never say it out loud. I walk through why refusing to reverse a bad decision just to look consistent is an ego problem, not good leadership, and why updating your view when the facts change is actually discernment, not indecision. I also share the exact process for changing direction without losing your team's confidence, including the one habit that undermines it every time: over-apologising. It feels like humility, but to your team it sounds like uncertainty, like there's room to argue the decision back. And because not every complaint means you got it wrong, I cover how to know when the right move is holding the line instead. In this episode we cover: The real difference between flip-flopping and adapting, and why your team can tell which one you're doing Why changing your mind when the facts change is a sign of strength, not weakness The specific habits, like reversing a decision without explanation, that make a team lose faith in a leader A simple, direct process for changing course without losing your team's confidence How to tell when a complaint means you got it wrong, and when it means you should hold the line Links & Resources: 💬 DM Kristy-Lee on Instagram @kristy.lee.billett Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristyleebillett/ Email me at hello@peoplepoweredbusiness.com.au Book a 15-minute clarity call: https://calendly.com/kristyleebillett/chat What this episode covers This episode looks at the difference between adapting a decision and flip-flopping on one, and why business owners often confuse the two. It explains why refusing to change a bad decision in order to appear consistent damages a team more than admitting the call was wrong, and sets out a simple process for changing direction without losing a team's trust. Business owners who feel stuck at the thought of reversing a decision will find a clear framework for when to change course and when to hold firm. Key insight from this episode Changing a decision is not what damages a team's trust in a leader, the pattern behind the change is. A leader who reverses course under pressure with no explanation teaches their team that pushback works better than good judgement, while a leader who names the change, gives the real reason, and keeps it brief keeps their team's confidence intact. What you'll take away Recognise the difference between flip-flopping and adapting to new information Understand why sticking with a wrong decision to appear consistent is a bigger risk to a business than admitting it Learn a simple, direct process for communicating a change of direction without losing team trust Identify the specific habits, including over-apologising, that undermine a leader's authority when changing course Know when to hold a decision firm rather than reversing it under pressure

August 4, 202617 min

Why Friends and Family Are the Worst People to Ask About Your Team

Hello and welcome to Episode 335 of The People Powered Business Podcast. You've had that conversation before. You vent about someone on your team to your partner, your mum or your best mate, and they say exactly what you want to hear: sack them, you deserve better than this, how dare they. It feels like support in the moment. It's actually some of the worst advice you can get. I keep seeing this play out with the business owners I work with, and honestly, I live it too. My partner vents to me about his work day most nights, and I'm probably not the best person to give him advice because all I want is for him to feel better. That's completely normal. When your team is driving you mad, you can't exactly vent to your team about your team, so you turn to the people closest to you instead. But here's the problem. Those people are emotionally invested in you, not in your business, and their advice is shaped entirely by that. It's not dishonesty. It's protection. It feels good in the moment, but it doesn't get you any closer to actually solving the problem. And that distinction matters more than you'd think. In this episode, I explain why friends and family will always prioritise your feelings over your business, and why that can keep you stuck in the same team problem for months without ever moving toward a decision. I talk about the five types of people every business owner needs around them, a framework from a previous guest, Loretta Hart, including the cheerleader role your loved ones play, and why that's not the same as having someone who can give you sound, unbiased advice. I also cover what useful feedback actually looks like: someone who asks clarifying questions instead of just agreeing, someone who can spot the pattern behind the incident because they know your business well enough, and someone who understands what's legal as well as what feels fair, not just what seems reasonable. Plus, I share a pattern I see over and over in businesses that reach around seven staff, when things that used to work stop working and owners start to feel like they're losing their grip on the team, insight you can only get from someone who's worked with hundreds of businesses at every stage of growth. If you've ever followed advice from someone who loves you and ended up in hot water, or just stuck exactly where you started, this episode is for you. In this episode we cover: Why the people closest to you are emotionally invested in you, not your business The difference between advice that protects your feelings and advice that solves the problem Why venting to friends and family can keep you stuck in the same cycle for months What useful, unbiased feedback about your team actually looks like Why an external advisor can spot patterns in your team that you're too close to see Links & Resources: 💬 DM Kristy-Lee on Instagram @kristy.lee.billett Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristyleebillett/ Email me at hello@peoplepoweredbusiness.com.au Book a 15-minute clarity call: https://calendly.com/kristyleebillett/chat What this episode covers This episode looks at why the people closest to a business owner, partners, parents and close friends, are usually the wrong people to ask for advice about a struggling team member. It explains the difference between emotional support and useful business advice, and why loyalty to a person can work against sound decision-making about a team. Business owners managing staff will learn what genuinely useful feedback looks like and where to find it. Key insight from this episode Friends and family are not lying when they tell a business owner to fire a difficult team member, they are protecting them. Their advice is shaped by loyalty to the person, not knowledge of the business, which means it is rarely grounded in the full picture, the relevant employment law, or what will actually solve the problem. What you'll take away Recognise why advice from loved ones is emotionally driven rather than business-focused Understand the difference between a cheerleader and an advisor, and why a business needs both Identify the signs of being stuck in a validation loop instead of moving toward a decision Know what to look for in a genuinely useful, unbiased source of team advice Understand the legal risk of acting on well-meaning but unqualified advice about staff

July 28, 202616 min

The Bigger The Team, The Lonelier The Job

Hello and welcome to Episode 334 of The People Powered Business Podcast. You built a team so you'd have back-up. So why does it feel like the bigger that team gets, the fewer people you've actually got to talk to? I keep hearing versions of this from the business owners I work with: they've grown a team, they're doing well by every outside measure, and yet somewhere along the way they started feeling more isolated, not less. Nobody warned them this would happen, and most of them assumed it was just them. After 20 years of watching business owners build teams, I can tell you it isn't. It's part of the job. In this episode I unpack why growing a team and feeling lonelier as the boss happen at exactly the same rate, and why that's actually a sign you're doing something right, not wrong. I talk about why your team, no matter how great they are, can't be the ones you offload your hardest decisions onto, and why the same self-reliance that got your business off the ground might now be the thing keeping you isolated. Then I get into what genuinely helps, because staying lonely isn't the only option. In this episode we cover: Why growing your team and feeling more isolated happen at the same rate, and why that's normal Why nobody warns you about this (hint: it looks like success from the outside) Why your team can't be your sounding board for the big decisions, even the ones you trust most How the instinct that built your business might be the same one keeping you isolated as it grows What actually helps when you're feeling like you've got no one to talk to Links & Resources: 💬 DM Kristy-Lee on Instagram @kristy.lee.billett Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristyleebillett/ Email me at hello@peoplepoweredbusiness.com.au Book a 15-minute clarity call: https://calendly.com/kristyleebillett/chat What this episode covers This episode explains why business owners tend to feel more isolated as their team grows, even as the business becomes more successful. It's for anyone managing a team who has started to feel like there's no one left to talk to about the harder calls, and it breaks down why that isolation happens and what to do about it. Key insight from this episode Growing a team and feeling lonelier as the boss happen at the same rate, and that isn't a personal failing. It's a normal, predictable part of running a business, largely because it looks like success from the outside, so nobody thinks to warn you about it. What you'll take away Understanding why more staff means more decisions and more responsibility, not less Recognising why team members, even trusted ones, can't be a confidant for business decisions that affect their own employment Identifying whether self-reliance, the instinct that built the business, is now driving isolation instead of solving it Knowing the difference between a normal part of leadership and a problem that needs outside support Clarity on what kind of external support actually closes the gap, rather than adding another task to the list

July 21, 202615 min

Stop Apologising to Your Team

Hello and welcome to Episode 333 of The People Powered Business Podcast. Do you catch yourself giving instructions that come with a pre-packaged apology? "Sorry to be a pain, but..." "Sorry, I know you're flat out, but..." If every request you make of your team arrives wrapped in a sorry, this episode is for you. And if you think that little apology is you being kind, I'd love you to keep reading, because it's doing the opposite of what you intend. A couple of episodes back we talked about the risks of over-explaining yourself to your team, and I briefly mentioned that over-explaining often comes with an apology attached. As I've been working with my Power Boss clients over the last few weeks, I've realised just how many of us have fallen into apologising as a default. One client even emailed me to say it felt like I was looking straight at her. We do this almost subconsciously, usually because we've worked for the barking-orders type of boss and decided we'd never be that person. The trouble is, nobody hands you the playbook for what to do instead. In this episode I get into what that reflex sorry is really telling your team. When an apology is attached to a completely reasonable instruction, it frames the task as an imposition, something negotiable, a personal favour that deserves something in return. I've seen it play out as "well, I did that thing for you, so can I leave early on Friday?" It also reads as uncertainty, and teams don't follow an unsure leader. Worse still, it muddies your standards, because you've effectively apologised for setting them. I also cover why certain boss styles (my high S and high I DISC people, I see you) lean on this habit more than others, the times when sorry absolutely IS the right word, and a really simple language swap you can start using this week. In this episode we cover: Why apologising before an instruction feels kind, and what it's actually signalling to your team The imposition effect: how a reflex sorry turns normal parts of the job into negotiable favours What default apologies do to your standards, your authority and your team's performance When an apology is exactly the right call, and why owning mistakes builds respect The quick word swap that replaces sorry with something warmer, clearer and more confident Links & Resources: 💬 DM Kristy-Lee on Instagram @kristy.lee.billett Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristyleebillett/ Email me at hello@peoplepoweredbusiness.com.au Book a 15-minute clarity call: https://calendly.com/kristyleebillett/chat What this episode covers Many small business owners soften every instruction to their team with an apology, believing it makes them a kinder boss. This episode explains why the habit forms, what a reflex "sorry" actually signals to employees, and how to give clear, warm direction without it. It's for any business owner or team leader who wants to be respected without becoming the overbearing boss they once worked for. Key insight from this episode When an apology is attached to a reasonable work request, it reframes that task as an imposition rather than a normal part of the job. Over time, employees begin treating core duties as favours that deserve reciprocity, and their sense of what the role requires shrinks. The apology intended as kindness ends up lowering standards, blurring expectations and depleting team performance. What you'll take away Recognise the personality styles and situations where default apologising takes hold, including why high S and high I DISC profiles lean on it most Understand how apology-wrapped instructions train a team to see tasks as negotiable and leaders as unsure Know when an apology genuinely builds respect: owning mistakes and missteps, never decisions or instructions Apply a simple language swap, replacing "sorry to ask" with "thanks for picking this up", to change the energy of every request See the connection between apologising for standards and struggling to uphold them later

July 14, 202636 min

Workplace Wellness Isn’t What You Think with Author and Strategist Amy Green

Hello and welcome to Episode 332 of The People Powered Business Podcast. Have you thrown money at wellbeing perks in your business, morning teas, a gym membership, maybe even a "wellness day," and still feel like your team is running on empty? You're not doing it wrong. You've just been sold the wrong fix, and you're definitely not alone. I keep hearing this from business owners I work with. They genuinely care about their people, they've ticked the boxes they were told to tick, and they're still watching staff disengage, burn out or walk out the door anyway. It's estimated Australian businesses spend around $64 million a year on wellbeing initiatives, and most of it goes towards treating symptoms rather than causes. So for this episode I sat down with workplace wellbeing strategist, speaker and author Amy Green. Amy's a former teacher and school leader who's spent the last decade working with schools, corporates and individual leaders, helping them properly rethink what keeps people well at work, rather than just papering over the cracks. We get into why burnout is so much more than being tired on a Friday afternoon, and why the perks-based approach to wellbeing (think ping pong tables and free coffee) misses what people actually need to thrive. Amy explains the difference between wellbeing that feels good for five minutes and the kind that sustains people long term, and why trust, autonomy and accountability all need to work together if you want a team that performs well and stays well, not one you're checking up on at 5.15pm on a Friday. She also shares a great example of how trust is actually built (hint: it's not by handing it over all at once, and it's not by micromanaging either), and why so many leaders confuse a lack of clarity for a lack of trust. We talk about the generational change happening in how people think about work and success, including a story about her eleven-year-old nephew's dream job that will make you think differently about what the next generation wants from work. We finish with a look at Amy's brand new book, The Wellness Paradox, which explores six paradoxes she sees playing out again and again in workplaces just like yours, including the paradox of success and why so many high achievers doing "all the right things" end up more exhausted, not less. In this episode we cover: What burnout actually is, and why it's not the same as feeling tired or overworked Why perks like massages, morning teas and gym memberships aren't fixing your team's wellbeing, and what will The difference between wellbeing that feels good in the moment and wellbeing that actually sustains your team How trust, autonomy and accountability need to work together if you want your team to thrive without you watching over their shoulder Why the old markers of success are being rejected by the next generation of workers, and what that means for how you lead To connect with Amy: Amy’s website: https://amygreen.com.au LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amygreen/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy_._green/ To connect with Kristy-Lee: DM me on Instagram @kristy.lee.billett Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristyleebillett/ Email me at hello@peoplepoweredbusiness.com.au Book a 15-minute clarity call: https://calendly.com/kristyleebillett/chat What this episode covers This episode unpacks why so many workplace wellbeing initiatives fail to reduce burnout, even when businesses are genuinely investing in them. Workplace wellbeing strategist Amy Green explains the real difference between quick-fix wellbeing perks and the conditions that actually sustain a team long term, and why trust, autonomy and accountability need to work together rather than in isolation. It's suited to business owners and leaders who want their wellbeing efforts to actually work, not just tick a box. Key insight from this episode Most workplace wellbeing initiatives fail because they treat the symptom rather than the cause. Perks like massages, morning teas and gym memberships address short-term, feel-good wellbeing, but they do nothing to fix the underlying conditions, unclear expectations, low trust, lack of autonomy, that are actually driving burnout and disengagement. What you'll take away Understand the real difference between burnout and everyday tiredness or overwork Recognise when a wellbeing initiative is addressing a symptom rather than the actual cause Learn how trust, autonomy and accountability work together to build a team that performs and stays well See how generational expectations of work and success are changing, and what that means for retention Get a clear framework for rethinking what wellbeing actually looks like inside your own business

July 7, 202617 min

Stop Over Explaining Yourself to Your Team

Hello and welcome to Episode 331 of The People Powered Business Podcast. Do you ever catch yourself justifying a decision to your team three different ways before you've even finished the sentence? Or slip in an apology before giving a completely reasonable instruction? If that's you, you're not alone, and it's costing you more than you think. I see this constantly with the business owners I work with: over-explaining, apologising, adding disclaimers to decisions. It feels considerate, it feels inclusive, it feels kind. But it's actually undermining your authority and changing how your team sees you as a leader, whether you realise it or not. Most of us do it because we don't want to be the boss who barked orders without any context, the boss none of us wanted to work for. This one flies under the radar because it looks like good manners rather than a leadership issue, so I wanted to unpick it properly, because I promise you, every business owner has done this at some point. In this episode I walk through why over-explaining feels like good leadership but is actually the opposite, and the real difference between giving your team context, which is good leadership, and asking for their permission, which isn't. I talk about what your team actually hears when you apologise for asking them to do their job (it's not what you think), and why that habit compounds over time until you snap over something small and your team has no idea why. I bring in the Brené Brown line I use constantly with business owners, clear is kind, unclear is unkind, and share three practical ways to make a call and own it: leading with the decision instead of the explanation, cutting the disclaimers, and building yourself a few short, reusable phrases. If you're naturally direct this will come easily, if you're more considered by nature it'll take a bit more practice, and that's completely normal. I also touch on why silence isn't the enemy of good leadership, and a pattern I see all the time: most of us apologise to our lowest performers, not our best ones. In this episode we cover: Why over-explaining feels like good leadership, but is actually the opposite The real difference between giving context and asking for permission What your team actually hears when you apologise for a reasonable request Three practical ways to make a decision and own it, starting today Why silence isn't the enemy of good leadership Links & Resources: 💬 DM Kristy-Lee on Instagram @kristy.lee.billett Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristyleebillett/ Email me at hello@peoplepoweredbusiness.com.au Book a 15-minute clarity call: https://calendly.com/kristyleebillett/chat What this episode covers Over-explaining, apologising and adding disclaimers to decisions might feel considerate, but it undermines a leader's authority and changes how a team responds to instruction. This episode breaks down the difference between giving a team context, which builds trust, and seeking their permission, which erodes it, and sets out three practical techniques for making a decision and communicating it with confidence. It's for small business owners who want their team to trust their decisions without needing to justify every one of them. Key insight from this episode Giving a team context builds trust; seeking their approval erodes it. The distinction sits in a simple question: is this explanation helping the team understand the decision, or is it seeking their sign-off on a decision that's already been made? Leaders who confuse the two train their teams to treat reasonable requests as negotiable, and to see normal expectations as impositions. What you'll take away Recognise the difference between giving context and seeking permission when communicating a decision Understand why apologising for reasonable requests trains a team to resist them Learn a simple technique for leading with the decision before the explanation Build reusable phrases that communicate decisions clearly, without over-explaining or disclaimers Understand why silence during a difficult conversation is a leadership strength, not a weakness