Brand Magic with Debbie O’Connor, Founder of White River Design and The Creative Fringe
Branding is much more than a logo, name and a tagline.
The most obvious reason a business invests in branding is to help them get recognised. Why? Because if you have a strong brand, people will naturally take note of it more than they would a business without it, and it will lead to greater success.
While that certainly holds true, the real power of branding lies in its ability to shape perceptions, build trust, create lasting emotional connections and influence behaviour. It goes way beyond the tangible elements of a business and encompasses the intangible, emotional aspects that not only makes a brand memorable and impactful, it ignites the passion, inspiration and engagement of employees.
On The Uncharted Leader podcast this week we talk about the magic of branding with brand strategist and Founder of White River Design and The Creative Fringe, Debbie O’Connor.
Debbie is a multi-award winning brand strategist, entrepreneur and author of Brand Magic - How to build a brand with personality. With a mission to change lives one brand at a time, Debbie launched a platform to educate creatives in brand archetypes with a purpose of creating more profitable businesses.
Born and raised in Apartheid South Africa, on the border of the world famous Kruger National Park in a small bush town of White River, Debbie grew up without big brands like McDonalds, Nike, Pepsi and the like. Yet somehow she still knew these brands existed.
What was the source of that connection? Fast forward a few decades and Debbie has packaged her fascination, passion and insights into an online Brand Magic Program and 12 part Build My Brand series.
Recognised as the branding expert, Debbie co-hosted Kochie’s Business Builders television program and is now a sought after presenter and trainer, and in 2022, she launched her first book Brand Magic - How to build a brand with personality.
“A leader is someone who walks in front of you when the road ahead is scary, walks beside you when you need to get shit done and walks behind you when you are in need of help, support or motivation” - Debbie O’Connor
Listen to the conversation about the power of branding with Debbie on this week’s episode of The Uncharted Leader on iTunes and tell us what you think by giving a rating and writing a review :))
A few highlights:
The illusion and untapped power of branding - it ain’t what we think
Psychology based branding and brand archetypes
What to consider when writing copy for your website and social media
What is the difference between marketing and branding?
Truth telling on the role of values in branding and workplace culture
Stepping out of the ego and connecting with the brand’s purpose
Consistency is king, queen and everything in between
Ignite Your Passion and Amplify the Impact You Have in the World!
Follow Debbie O’Connor on LinkedIn, get a copy of Brand Magic - How to Build a Brand with Personality and visit Brand Personalities to take the brand personality quiz and discover your brand archetype.
Follow The Uncharted Leader on LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.
Book a call with Kylee and ask about the Emerging Leaders Program to unleash your hidden potential and ignite your passion with the power of storytelling to amplify the impact you have in the world.
Podcast proudly presented by The Performance Code
The Future of Work is Now with Cherie Mylordis, Work Futurist and Founder of nexgenify
Is your organization ready for the future? What does it mean to be future-fit? How do you prepare for the future and what are the key elements of the future of work?
If you google 'future of work', you'll get over 6,480 million results.
While there are varying views, and an extensive amount of research, the goal is simple: to develop an informed perspective on what organisations need to know about how work is shifting and how the workforce can prepare for these changes, big and small.
Joining me on The Uncharted Leaders this week is work futurist and author of Rethinking The future of Work in a Fragile World, Cherie Mylordis.
With a belief that traditional ways of working are no longer fit-for-purpose, Cherie says, “We’ve reached a pivotal moment in the evolution of work. Despite four industrial revolutions and remarkable progress in business and technology, the way we organise people and work hasn’t changed"
Work practices are no longer fit for purpose and it's hindering our ability to meet today’s challenges.
Cherie is an accomplished high-impact transformation and innovation expert, leadership coach and Founder of Nextgenify. On a mission to find out what’s stopping people from doing their best work, Cherie spoke with 200 leaders from around the world and combining decades of experience with in-depth analysis and insights, she has three bold claims:
We’ve reached a signpost in the evolution of work.
Most organisations are running on outdated models which no longer serve us.
The future of work is already here and the clock is ticking.
Cherie explains “As the whole world emerges from the pandemic and looks to the future, leaders have a choice to set their GPS to the well-trodden path with a few minor upgrades (hybrid working, 4-day weeks etc), or to be bold and choose a road that’s new and fit for the future”
Progressive organisations from all over the world are achieving extraordinary outcomes. The problem is, most people don’t realise there’s an alternative to commonplace organisational models.
In her recently published white paper: Rethinking the Future of Work in a Fragile World, Cherie summarises the following key take-aways:
Most leaders are not consistently doing their best work, and this extends to the broader workforce.
The shift in workplace attitudes and priorities following the global pandemic has been astounding. Thresholds have changed.
Outdated organisational models are clearly holding businesses and their people back.
We know what good looks like and leaders are trying to drive change in the right direction.
There are big problems to solve in the world and leaders would love to contribute to issues or causes they care about.
When asked what success looks like, Cherie says “seeing ambitious people achieve extraordinary outcomes beyond what they could have imagined. Playing a part in that is always extremely rewarding to me, as it amplifies the impact I can have in the world”
"My purpose is to inspire leaders at all levels to embrace the future of work, amplify their impact and achieve extraordinary outcomes towards a better future" - Cherie Mylordis
As for Cherie’s greatest success, she shares “the most career-defining and life-changing experience was the five years spent organising the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games”
As employee number 52, I started in the strategy team five years out. It was my dream job, but I’d never been to an Olympic Games before, let alone organised one! And I wasn’t alone.
In true Aussie spirit, we developed the strategy, plans, and built the workforce that would peak at over 150,000 people, with a third of them volunteers.
At the closing ceremony, Sydney was declared the best Games ever, and we achieved many firsts, including the first city to integrate the Olympic and the Paralympic Games as one big event - something we’re all extremely proud of.
How did a team of mostly Olympic rookies achieve that? It turns out, we embodied many qualities of the extraordinary organisations I follow today:
A clear and compelling purpose that served as our destination
Strong, authentic and inclusive leadership helped us navigate new and challenging terrain
Autonomy and collaboration that turbocharged our energy
“A leader is someone who inspires and empowers people to do meaningful work that makes a difference. They create a constructive work environment that values solving problems and creating opportunities through collaboration, feedback and continuous learning”
What is one of the biggest challenges you experienced and what did it teach you?
I had an exciting role bringing agility and change management into a large organisation. Ironically, I found leaders saw themselves far too busy to change. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the first time. I had a choice – persevere, which felt like swimming against a tidal wave, or try something else.
It started with a question, “what do I do?” More training? Change teams? Find another job? Surely things will be better there!
I stepped out of the corporate world because I knew there was a better way to do things. I believed there was something bigger going on and as many organisations weren’t providing the ingredients for people to do their best work, I decided to conduct some research to get some answers.
The solution was simple: We can all make better, faster and more meaningful progress by working in 3D - my vision is for #workin3D to be a beacon for future-fit ways of leading and working.
Dare: to set a bold new direction which is purpose-driven
Ditch: outdated practices that no longer serve us
Dial: up proven, new ways of leading and working
Listen to this week's episode of The Uncharted Leader on iTunes and tell us what you think by writing a review and giving us rating :)) You can also listen on Spotify.
Ignite Your Passion and Amplify the Impact You Have in the World!
Follow Cherie Mylordis on LinkedIn and visit NextGenify to get a copy of ‘Rethinking The Future of Work in a Fragile World’.
Follow The Uncharted Leader on LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.
Book a call with Kylee and discover The Power of Storytelling to Ignite Your Passion, Grow Your Influence and Amplify the Impact you have in the world!
Podcast proudly presented by The Performance Code
The Power of Mentoring to Build Strong, Inclusive Collaborative Relationships
If ever there was a time to invest in a mentor , or be a mentor, the time is NOW!
Organisational leaders are increasingly recognising the value diversity and inclusion brings to profitability and growth, more specifically improving financial performance and creating a happier and more productive workforce.
Here’s just three of the ‘‘17 Statistics Highlighting the Importance of Workplace Diversity and Inclusion”:
Inclusive companies are 1.7 times more likely to be innovation leaders
Sales revenue increases 15-fold among companies with high racial diversity
More than 3 in 4 job seekers are looking at diversity when deciding to accept a job offer
Creating specialist DEI teams to help leaders create a more inclusive from reviewing hiring practices to developing comprehensive updates on behavioural competencies, leadership frameworks and training programs is a great step and much needed in building the foundations.
However, when it comes to tapping into the hidden potential that lies in your organisation, we all know that systems, policies and procedures are insufficient - and not the true source of performance and growth.
Whether you’re a large organisation with a dedicated team or a small-to-medium sized business with very little resources, bringing a coach in-house can help your leadership team unlock the hidden barriers to performance and, as a result, focus on what really matters - and what really matters is delivering on the organisations purpose!
Mentoring is just one of the many ways a in-house coach can help leaders embrace the efforts of their DEI strategy to create a happier, more productive and resilient workforce.
As a mentor, they bring additional knowledge, skills and experience to help people develop and grow. As a coach they provide laser sharp insights and guidance to help people go beyond the hidden barriers (biases and perspectives) to reach their full potential.
What Are The Benefits To A Business Or Organisation?
Mentoring can be linked to an increase in productivity, engagement and knowledge as well as improving leadership, communication, and management skills. Having a mentor is not only a confidence booster, but it can alleviate stress, overcome challenges, and help improve mental health wellbeing at work.
The business benefits of mentorship are well proven to accelerate personal growth and performance, increase confidence, and transferable skills especially people skills, therefore it is especially useful as part of leadership development and provides a platform for assessment and accountability.
Check out some of the following stats:
92% of companies invest in mentoring to promote learning, reduce employee turnover and develop, grow and retain skills and expertise within the organisation (Source)
Companies with mentoring programs are far more resilient to quitting and disengagement and record 3x higher median profits (Source)
94% of employees would stay longer if offered opportunities to learn and grow (Source)
Of employees who leave within 2 years: 71% think that their leadership skills are not being fully developed. 57% feel that they are being overlooked for potential leadership positions (Source)
Download The Uncharted Leader podcast and listen to an interview, Founder and CEO Kylee Stone had with Simone Allan , CEO of The Mentor Evolution, about the value of surrounding yourself with people who have your back.
“A leader is someone who walks by your side” - Simone
Ignite Your Passion and Amplify the Impact You Have in the World!
Download The Uncharted Leader Podcast ‘The Power of Mentoring ‘ on Apple iTunes or Spotify.
Book a call with Kylee to discover the power of mentoring to connect people with the organisation’s purpose and consider the value of an in-house coach to elevate the hidden leadership potential in your organisation.
Follow Kylee on LinkedIn + Instagram for inspiration on how to listen, live and lead with purpose and the latest updates on leadership transformation, resilience and wellbeing.
Podcast proudly presented by The Performance Code
The Parity Project with Victoria Butt, Founder & CEO at Parity Consulting
Leaders are increasingly realising just how vital diversity and inclusion is to impacting organisational performance, innovation, engagement and wellbeing.
According to the Diversity Council Australia’s biannual study, tracking the state of inclusion in the Australian workforce, the message is clear - inclusion at work is good for everyone.
Employees in inclusive organisational cultures are:
three times more likely to report their team is highly effective (60% vs 17%)
five times more likely to indicate their team is innovative (47% versus 10%) and
three times more likely to provide excellent customer service (61% versus 21%).
While diversity and inclusion are interconnected concepts - they are far from interchangeable.
Simply put, you can bring together a diverse team, but without giving people the skills to be inclusive - to create a sense of belonging, demonstrate a genuine interest other people’s contribution and align on the organisation’s values; you are not leveraging diversity, you’re simply creating a revolving door of employees who are disengaged and don’t feel heard, seen or valued.
Victoria Butt, Founder & CEO of Parity Consulting says “we have a duty of care to represent a diverse workforce, but hiring for diversity is fruitless unless you set up an inclusive team to embrace diversity. Women and diverse members of the community will continue avoiding the path or they'll step into a role and soon leave”.
In 2012 Victoria founded Parity Consulting to reshape how the industry saw candidates and lift them to be equal to the client while specialising in placing diverse and capable talent in Product, Pricing, Digital, Marketing and Data Analytics.
Her team have successfully implemented two unconventional campaigns attracting career changers to recruitment and impacting 300 people by ignoring CVs and guaranteeing an interview for anyone who expresses interest in a role.
She says “the industry is sidelining over 50% of the population by taking the same approach to the way they recruit and, as a result, are failing to acknowledge two important variables - future experience does not dictate future performance, and you cannot create diversity without changing the way you include people”.
Join me on The Uncharted Leader as I talk with Victoria about The Parity Project and her purpose to level the playing field for those who are unseen and unheard.
Victoria is a serial entrepreneur, feminist, mother of two and a passionate, self-confessed wine sob who cannot be shut up when it comes to anything to do with Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB).
She is the Founder and CEO of Parity Consulting, Founder and Chief Training Officer at Evolve Sales Training, Board Member for the Entrepreneurs Organisation Sydney and an Angel Investor for BIPOC women.
“A leader is someone who thinks, feels, says and does the same thing.”
Ignite Your Passion!
Follow The Uncharted Leader on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
Follow Victoria on LinkedIn and check out Parity Consulting, Australia’s leading recruitment specialists who love working with awesome people.
Follow Kylee on LinkedIn and book a call to discover The Power of Storytelling to ignite your passion, grow your influence and amplify the impact you have in communities, organisations, society and the world!
Take Control of Your Destiny & Change the World with Mike Boorn Plener, Founder of Catapult and ScaleFest
There has never been a better time to invest in yourself and the ideas you’ve got for building a business that ignites your passion and gets you the results, and life, you want.
That seems like a pretty odd thing to say given, life as we know it is under threat, organisations are in the midst of disruption, interest rates and the cost of living is rising and we’re all a little anxious. Isn’t this the time we should bunker down, lower the risk, stay in our comfort zone and keep safe?
Absolutely not! No-one is safe and certainty is an illusion.
Last week Meta sacked 11,000 people after a revenue collapse. I don’t know about you, but I don’t believe any of us expected one of the tech giants to be facing such a disastrous downturn so soon after lockdown (if at all).
They’re not the first and they won’t be the last. Now, that seems like a fairly pessimistic outlook but organisations having been going through significant restructures and downsizing for years.
Regardless of whether you feel safe, 87% of people are unhappy, unfulfilled and undervalued, only 21% are engaged and with only 33% thriving in their overall wellbeing, most would say that they don't find their work meaningful, don't think their lives are going well or don't feel hopeful about their future.
Notably, 69% of C-suite leaders and 55% of employees are seriously considering quitting for a job that better supports their wellbeing.
While starting and scaling a business is not easy, neither is showing up to work hating your job.
Joining me on this week’s episode of The Uncharted Leader to talk about ‘Taking Control of Your Destiny’ and having the courage to start your own venture is Mike Boorn Plener, Founder of Catapult and master curator at ScaleFest - a super-sized 24-hour entrepreneurial event across Sydney, Singapore, London and New York City bringing together business owners and entrepreneurs with the very best transformational speakers, thought-leaders, experts and organisations.
Having built several successful businesses and spending time in corporate before starting his own venture during the ‘recession we had to have’, Mike is confident in a future where a far greater proportion of the population are entrepreneurs and business owners.
Are you looking to accelerate growth or design your ‘what’s next’ in business by tapping into some of the world’s leading talent?
Do you wonder what it would be like to start your own business? Are you contemplating a career change?
Maybe you’d like to test the waters by sharing some of your knowledge with a bunch of business owners who are growing and scaling their business?
If any of that sounds like you, then you are going to love today’s conversation.
A few of the highlights:
When is the best time to start a business or leave your corporate career and take action on the ‘business in your belly’?
Scale-up your idea by going beyond inspiration to transformation and integration.
Pairing Executives and Business Owners for a win-win on being a contribution and knowledge exchange.
Know your strengths and your boundaries.
Get out of your comfort zone with some comfort applying proven frameworks, structures and lived-experience advice
Setbacks are a given. Resilience is just one component of a healthy mental state.
What sets apart a great entrepreneur and what makes an executive with decades of experience a great entrepreneur?
What are the four things an entrepreneur and business owner needs to be successful?
“A leader is someone who shows the way and leads from their values and beliefs”
Ignite Your Passion and Amplify the Impact You Have in the World!
Get tickets for the next Scalefest event here. Find out what it takes to build your business into an empire at Catapult. Connect with Mike on LinkedIn.
Follow The Uncharted Leader on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
Connect with Kylee on LinkedIn and book a call to Grow Your Influence and amplify the impact you have in communities, organisations, society and the world!
Mental Toughness with Gaj Ravichandra, Career Path Strategist, Psychologist and CoFounder of Kompass Consulting
Mental Toughness.
What is it, why is it important and how do we develop it?
Call it mental toughness, resilience or grit - our ability to deal with the unknown and how well we respond to the extreme and ever-changing situations of life - plays an important role in achieving success in all aspects of our personal and professional lives.
Simply put, it’s a skill (not a personality trait) that improves performance and wellbeing and when it comes to success, is more important than intelligence.
In the words of researcher , TEDx Speaker and New York Times bestselling Author, Angle Duckworth, who studies achievement:
“It isn’t strength, smarts or leadership potential that accurately predicts success. Simply put, grit — the perseverance and passion to achieve long–term goals — is what makes the difference.”
Mental toughness is a subject that Gaj Ravichandra, Pyschologist and CoFounder of Kompass Consulting has been exploring and applying with high- performance leaders in business and sport.
In today’s interview, Gaj shares about the work of Professor Peter Clough, Head of the Department of Psychology at the University of Huddersfield (U.K) on the four pillars of mental toughness – challenge, confidence, commitment, and control.
Control - is the extent to which you feel you are in control of your life and that you can make a difference and change things. Control is your self-esteem and life’s purpose.
Commitment - is your focus and reliability to effectively set goals and targets and consistently achieve them without being distracted.
Challenge - is your drive and adaptability to be as good as you can be and to achieve your personal best. You see challenges, change, adversity and variety as opportunities rather than threats.
Confidence is your self-belief and influence and describes to what extent you believe you have the ability to perform productively and proficiently and the ability to influence others.
Gaj is a recognised as an authority on mental toughness and his passion for helping clients reach their potential. Download the podcast and be sure to share your comments here.
A leader is someone who leaves a trail of happiness behind them” - Gaj
Ignite Your Passion and Amplify the Impact You Have in the World!
Check out Kompass Consulting for tips on enhancing leadership excellence and connect with Gaj on LinkedIn.
Follow The Uncharted Leader on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
Connect with Kylee on LinkedIn and book a call to discover The Power of Storytelling to Lead with Purpose and amplify the impact you have in communities, organisations, society and the world!
Overcoming Fear to Achieve Personal Success with Amanda Thompson, Financial Advisor & World Championship Ironwoman
Fear is one of the most basic human emotions.
Programmed into the nervous system, fear works like an instinct. It’s a natural and biological condition that we all experience. From the moment we’re born, we’re equipped with the survival instincts necessary to respond with fear when we sense danger or feel unsafe.
When we turn towards fear (rather than away from it), we begin to notice things about fear that we didn't know before. Awareness is our access to acknowledge it, embrace it and take the actions that allow us to go beyond it.
Amanda Thompson has overcome her fair share of fear. From a brutal sexual assault at the age of 24, Amanda rose to the top as one of the youngest leading Financial Planners with a major bank. After becoming a single mum, she started her own business and despite a range of health issues, qualified three times for the Ironman World Championships.
Amanda is the Managing Director of Endurance Financial Australia, a Non Executive Board Member and Company Secretary with Women Changing The World Investments.
“A leader is someone who shows up authentically every day, in vulnerability, strength and everything in between. They are not afraid to lead with heart and soul, as opposed to following the text book.”
Through sharing her personal story, Amanda hopes to inspire others to find resilience, determination and dedication to something bigger than themselves. Most of all, she hopes to help others realise that love really does conquer all and while adversity is a given, courage is a choice.
Join me on this week’s episode of The Uncharted Leader as I talk with Amanda about overcoming fear and her passion for removing the gender biases that stand in the way of women achieving personal achievement and their fear of money to own their financial future.
Ignite Your Passion and Amplify the Impact You Have in the World!
Follow Women Changing The World and Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn.
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Connect with Kylee on LinkedIn and book a call to discover The Power of Storytelling to Connect with Purpose and amplify the impact you have in communities, organisations, society and the world!
Executive Loneliness and The Path to Inspiration with Nick Jonsson, CoFounder and MD Executives Global Network
What do you think is the hardest part about being an executive?
The challenges of an economic recovery, business performance and profits, cutting costs, employee engagement and wellbeing are all high on the list, but one of the biggest challenges an executive is dealing with, that goes unnoticed and under-acknowledged, is isolation.
According to the Harvard Business Review, 61% of CEOs believe loneliness hinders their job performance, according to Deloitte, 69% of c-suite leaders are seriously considering quitting for a job that better supports their wellbeing.
Executives are under immense amount of pressure to excel, they have few avenues to vent their frustrations and as a result, are often feeling isolated and alone. Combined with elevated levels of stress, being squeezed between taking care of children and ageing parents, it can lead to chronic health conditions and an over-reliance on stimulant enhancing drugs, caffeine and alcohol, just to relax.
Co-founder and Managing Director of Asia’s Executives’ Global Network, Nick Jonsson has dedicated his life to raising awareness and eliminating the stigma around the phenomenon of executive loneliness.
His passion lies in matching senior executives in confidential peer groups where they can help each other deal more authentically with the challenges they face.
In his book “Executive Loneliness, The 5 Pathways to Overcoming Isolation, Stress, Anxiety & Depression in the Modern Business World” Nick share’s how his life experiences shaped his commitment to bring the challenges of executive loneliness to the forefront and pave the way for his mission to help organisations and create authentic relationships and meaningful networks.
“Executives are feeling growing anxiety and lethargy. They often experience an overwhelming doubt, pessimism, or loneliness. This state of mind can lead to the potential for impulsivity or less-than-healthy forms of coping and escapism. Alcohol or other forms of substance abuse, or shallow and more transactional relationships are what we see most often. If they don’t find support, this could eventually lead to suicidal ideation and, worse yet, suicide.”
Join me on this week’s episode of The Uncharted Leader as we talk about what it takes to live an inspired life, the challenges of executive loneliness and Nick’s 5 steps to overcoming stress, anxiety and depression in the modern world.
A little taste of what to expect! Not surprisingly, purpose is one of the steps!
Ignite Your Passion and Amplify the Impact You Have in the World!
Get a copy of Executive Loneliness and follow with Nick on LinkedIn.
Follow The Uncharted Leader on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
Connect with Kylee on LinkedIn or book a call to discover The Power of Storytelling to Connect with Purpose and amplify the impact you have in communities, organisations, society and the world!