NAWO - In Conversation

The National Association of Women in Operations (NAWO) presents a series of talks with inspirational experts and leaders on the issues that effect our members - women working in the operations industries in Australia. Our mission is to inspire and support women to reach their full potential and achieve their chosen career goals; and organisations to create inclusive workplaces, to attract and retain the best talent and reach their chosen objectives www.nawo.org.au

Carpe Diem! Seize the moment and be a changemaker! 07/17/2020

Carpe Diem! Seize the moment and be a changemaker! Welcome to Episode 2 of the 2020 Series. “Disruption affects the default” Anneli Blundell. There is no need to state the bleeding obvious. We find ourselves in challenging, tumultuous and uncertain times. But as Winston Churchill once said “One should never waste a good crisis”. Now is the time to proactively leverage the disruption and embrace the positive personal and systemic change that has been brought about by this public health crisis. Carpe Diem – Seize the moment! This conversation was borne out of a passionate phone conversation between Anneli and I and we decided it would be great fun to challenge you to think about what you can do to leverage opportunities for change that propell us towards a more inclusive workplace, through choosing what you are going to retain from all this in relation to your own habits and behaviour, through advocating for team process and systems that support a new, more inclusive way of working and really just being the change you want to see. Anneli Blundell is an author, a speaker, a facilitator, and executive coach and mentor – and by all accounts a great dancer and roller blader. Anneli has been a supporter of NAWO’s for a couple of years now and we had many NAWO members attend her Leading out Loud program, with awesome feedback. Anneli uses her vast knowledge and decades of experience decoding people, to bring the everyday behaviours and communication habits to the forefront of getting results. It’s often the simplest shifts that create the biggest results, but the key is knowing what to shift. The way we interact, communicate and connect with others has a dramatic impact on our ability to get results. You can see more about Anneli at . In the last episode I introduced you to the NAWO Nine Levers for Gender Balance. If you are a NAWO member you will be hearing a lot more about the NAWO Nine in the coming months as we align our Industry Solutions activities, and resources to these levers. The NAWO Nine aims to provide a roadmap to help our member companies identify where they are making good progress and also where they may need to shift their attention to ensure we continue to engage in practical action – both behavioural and systemic, to achieve greater gender balance. unwavering leadership commitment to diversity and inclusion. The many ways we have worked more flexibly, the use of digital tools and technology, changed attitudes toward children and pets popping their heads up in meetings, alignment to new behaviours norms with faciltating (hopefully fewer) meetings, injecting news ways to connect all team members socially, finding new ways to share the care at home, thinking differently about the skill sets required for certain jobs and how we might leverage alternative pools of talent……, the list of what has been disrupted and what has evolved is endless - but what is critical is how each and everyone of us plays an active part in taking the good bits forward – to resist falling back into old patterns and falling back to the status quo. Many of the areas of opportunity that we refer to in this conversation are aligned to these nine levers and really at the heart of the conversation is how to maintain We sincerely hope this inspires you to be a changemaker and use your individual power to influence and ensure that we do not revert back to systems, processes and behaviours that no longer serve us well. Anneli has two amazing programs on offer that we are promoting through the NAWO network. The Winning@WorkFromHome Online program and her highly regarded Women in Leadership Masterclass. You can find more information here. /episode/index/show/nawopodcast/id/15231395

Beat Gender Bias with Dr Karen Morley 06/12/2020

Fabian Dattner – Living with and leading through complexity - Chapter 2 of 2 09/23/2019

Fabian Dattner – Living with and leading through complexity - Chapter 2 of 2 In this episode I have the pleasure of speaking with the incredible Fabian Dattner from the The Dattner Group. Fabian has so much passion for the topic of this conversation – Living with Complexity – and so our discussion focuses on how to lead through complexity as well. There was so much to cover that we have actually split this podcast into two chapters. You can listen to chapter 1 on the way to work and chapter 2 on the way home! Fabian Dattner is recognised globally for her advocacy for women with a STEMM background (science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine), leading for the greater good, influencing policy and decision making. Fabian is a founding partner of The Dattner Group, a Leadership Consultancy that specialises in cultural transformation, executive development, senior leadership development and working with women. She is also the Founder of Compass, an Australian transformational initiative for women wanting to be more visible as leaders, building courage over confidence. She is the visionary and co-Founder of Homeward Bound, a ground-breaking global leadership initiative for women in STEMM, set against the backdrop of Antarctica, which aims to heighten the influence and impact of women in making decisions that shape our planet. Fabian’s conviction on the impact of great leaders is well documented. Her expertise comes from working over 36 years in entrepreneurial, government, not for profit and corporate sectors and she is an inspiring leader who helps others understand they are leading for the greater good. Fabian and her team work in energy, food, education, Federal and State Government, corporate and not for profits. Over 1200 women have experienced Compass and some 350 women have done or are about to experience Homeward Bound, finishing with an expedition to Antarctica. Fabian has worked with women from the US, Canada, UK, South Africa, Germany, France, Spain, Columbia, Chile, Argentina, Australia, Namibia, India, Malaysia, China and New Zealand. Fabian’s focus is to build leadership capability across generations with women’s visibility as leaders a key contributing factor towards sustainability. In early September 2019, the AFR 100 Women of Influence were announced and you guessed it – Fabian Dattner was one of them. We are really excited for Fabian and her whole team who bring exceptional development to life for women in leadership. Check our Fabian’s blogs on her Linked In page. Or go to these websites for more inspiring blogs and details about the incredible homeward bound project. and this is a link to the oatmeal backfire effect comic that Fabian referenced in chapter 1 of the podcast. It’s awesome! /episode/index/show/nawopodcast/id/11354036

Fabian Dattner – Living with and leading through complexity - Chapter 1 of 2 09/23/2019

Fabian Dattner – Living with and leading through complexity - Chapter 1 of 2 In this episode I have the pleasure of speaking with the incredible Fabian Dattner from The Dattner Group. Fabian has so much passion for the topic of this conversation – Living with Complexity – and so our discussion focuses on how to lead through complexity as well. There was so much to cover that we have actually split this podcast into two chapters. You can listen to chapter 1 on the way to work and chapter 2 on the way home! Fabian Dattner is recognised globally for her advocacy for women with a STEMM background (science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine), leading for the greater good, influencing policy and decision making. Fabian is a founding partner of The Dattner Group, a Leadership Consultancy that specialises in cultural transformation, executive development, senior leadership development and working with women. She is also the Founder of Compass, an Australian transformational initiative for women wanting to be more visible as leaders, building courage over confidence. She is the visionary and co-Founder of Homeward Bound, a ground-breaking global leadership initiative for women in STEMM, set against the backdrop of Antarctica, which aims to heighten the influence and impact of women in making decisions that shape our planet. Fabian’s conviction on the impact of great leaders is well documented. Her expertise comes from working over 36 years in entrepreneurial, government, not for profit and corporate sectors and she is an inspiring leader who helps others understand they are leading for the greater good. Fabian and her team work in energy, food, education, Federal and State Government, corporate and not for profits. Over 1200 women have experienced Compass and some 350 women have done or are about to experience Homeward Bound, finishing with an expedition to Antarctica. Fabian has worked with women from the US, Canada, UK, South Africa, Germany, France, Spain, Columbia, Chile, Argentina, Australia, Namibia, India, Malaysia, China and New Zealand. Fabian’s focus is to build leadership capability across generations with women’s visibility as leaders a key contributing factor towards sustainability. In early September 2019, the AFR 100 Women of Influence were announced and you guessed it – Fabian Dattner was one of them. We are really excited for Fabian and her whole team who bring exceptional development to life for women in leadership. Check our Fabian’s blogs on her Linked In page. Or go to these websites for more inspiring blogs and details about the incredible homeward bound project. and this is a link to the oatmeal backfire effect comic that Fabian referenced in chapter 1 of the podcast. It’s awesome! /episode/index/show/nawopodcast/id/11354021

Self – Efficacy: Taking the conversation beyond confidence 08/21/2019

24/7 flexibility at Pepsico! 07/11/2019

24/7 flexibility at Pepsico! In this episode we are delighted to speak with two leaders form the Pepsico business, from the Tingalpa snack foods facility in Queensland, where they are having great success in extending flexible work options to their shift based teams. Instilling a flexible work culture has been a journey for Pepsico across all their functions, and they have pretty much nailed it, with their ‘One Simple thing’ approach to conversations around flexible work requests earning them a WGEA Employer of Choice Citation this year. Jason Webster, Senior Supply Chain Leader and Plant Manager at Tingalpa and Stephanie Ridge, HR Manager for the site, share their approach to flexibility on site and give examples of how well it is working for their people and their operation. At NAWO we are passionate about Flexibility because we know it is a key enabler of increasing female participation in the workplace, however what is beautiful about enabling flexibility in your workplace is it benefits everyone, regardless of gender and the Pepsico example really demonstrates this. Attracting a diverse workforce to shift based teams requires businesses to look critically at the overall package they are provide to employees, to attract them into the business and retain them. Pepsico’s experience proves that shift work can provide very interesting opportunities for flexibility if there is a willingness to consider different models, think laterally and invest in skills development across teams. Key Learnings: A workplace culture of trust is a pre-requisite to successful implementation of flexible work Principle-based leadership and reference to clear principles directly applicable to flexible work requests is vital as the foundation for encouraging requests for flexible work and having open and honest conversations about how they can be accommodated An investment in cross training/skills development for front line team members is integral to enabling flexible options Positive role modelling of the behaviours around flexibility, in line with principles, from leaders is extremely important Clearly articulating the level of flexibility that can be enabled for particular roles and job classifications (e.g low, moderate and high flex roles) manages expectations from the outset There are huge benefits to implementing this approach to flexible work for sites with long tenure in regard to transition to retirement Extending opportunities for flexibility beyond traditional parameters (i.e. part time or casual work for mothers returning from leave) provides enormous retention opportunities for all employees (studying, transitioning to retirement, sporting commitments, parenting, elder care, commuting problems, faith etc) Attached here is a Linked In article I have written reflecting on principle-based leadership - what it is and why it matters and a short slide deck providing some example principles specific to enabling flexibility. /episode/index/show/nawopodcast/id/10453292

Are you future Fit? 05/16/2019

Are you future Fit? In this episode I have the pleasure of speaking with the enigmatic Andrea Clarke. Around 400 NAWO members complete her Communicating with Authority program and there have been many spectacular success stories from participants who have reported greater confidence, career progression, and all round greater control of their reputational capital…..we will talk a lot more about this in the podcast. Andrea runs an organisation called CareerCEO. You can find out all about it at . Andrea together with her colleagues Belinda Wall and Jennifer Adams, have been facilitating their program for NAWO members for the last 3 years right across the country and are active supporters of the work NAWO does – it is great to be able to partner with them to strengthen the female talent pipeline in operations! Our conversation though – is about Andrea’s new book. Future Fit! A terrific book all about the future of work, where Andrea takes a talent focussed approach to the challenges we all face in meeting the changing needs of a more technologically driven workplace. Algorithms, artificial intelligence, industry 4.0…..it has an impact on every industry in all kinds of ways. We all need to be investing in our capabilities to remain secure in the digital age of work. The responsibility for finding, securing and delivering work is shifting to the individual in ways we have not seen before., we need to invest in our own talent in ways we may not have considered. While this can be confronting and somewhat disconcerting, Andrea inspires us to look at this change as an opportunity: those who take 'human skills' to the next level, will be powerfully differentiated in a dynamic new market. The premise of Andrea’s book is that the future of work is as much about talent, as technology. I hope you enjoy the conversation and that it gets you inspired to read the book and take action to embrace your own development and invest in your reputational capital. /episode/index/show/nawopodcast/id/9789683

Leading with Authenticity Knowing Thy Self 03/27/2019

Engaging the hearts and minds of men in gender balance 03/14/2019

Do you need a Nanager?! 01/09/2019

Do you need a Nanager?! I vividly recall the challenges involved in navigating childcare and have to say I took a different approach with each of our three children. My girls experienced childcare, family day care, nannies and after school care and sometimes mixtures of all of them! All forms of childcare have their advantages and disadvantages – for both parents and children, and weighing up all the options to come up with the best solution or your family is a complex task fraught with high emotion! With the primary objective being the best care for your child, there is also the overlay of financial capacity, and the scintillating task of staying on top of the regularly changing Government rebate system! I took the nanny option once I had more than one child and needed greater flexibility, and I was very lucky to find two fantastic nannies who my children loved. However the question of whether they would be willing to do additional domestic duties while the children were having down time or sleeping was always a little bit of a sensitive topic. Well, Lauren Brown is a veritable Mary Poppins! In fact she has reinvented the modern Nanny. Lauren recognised the value that a Nanny service with the addition of domestic help, could bring to a family and has started her own business called . Nanager is a boutique agency combining professional nanny services with home management, to help you juggle a healthy career alongside a happy home. When you come home from work, the kids are happy, the house is clean, laundry is put away and dinner is on the table. Meaning you can spend time where it matters most, as a family. Sounds too good to be true! You can find out more at In this conversation you will hear Lauren talk about her journey from Nanny to Nanager, how she advocates for a mixed approach to child care and how Nanager works, matching Nanagers to families. Lauren also mentioned . Shebah is Australia’s first and only active all-female rideshare service getting women and children where they need to go – check them out! We hope you find this useful as you head into a new year to help you get on top of your child care plans. /episode/index/show/nawopodcast/id/8001347

Dialling Up Your Business Savvy With Michelle Redfern 12/13/2018

Let’s Get Flexible 11/20/2018

NAWO - In Conversation

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