The Latest from Kristy-Lee

If you run a business with a team, giving feedback is not optional. It is one of the core parts of your role as a leader.

And yet, it is one of the most avoided.

Most business owners were never trained to manage people. You built your business because you are good at what you do. Leading performance, navigating behaviour issues and having uncomfortable conversations were probably not part of the original plan.

But here is the reality. Without clear, consistent feedback, your team cannot improve. When your team does not improve, you stay stuck redoing work, putting out fires and wondering why things are not getting easier.

Let’s break down the three biggest feedback mistakes I see, and what to do instead.

Mistake One: Being Too Vague

This is the most common issue by far.

You know something is not right. You feel irritated. You are thinking, this is not good enough. But when it comes time to say something, it comes out like this.

“You need to communicate bett...

Hello and welcome to Episode 313 of The People Powered Business Podcast.

In this episode, I’m diving into the real reason you’re avoiding that conversation you know you need to have. You’ve thought about it, rehearsed it and told yourself you’ll deal with it next week. But avoidance isn’t laziness. It’s protection. I unpack why so many business owners put off difficult conversations around performance management, behaviour issues and team accountability, and why it’s not about being a bad boss or not knowing what to say. It runs deeper than that.

We explore the four big reasons these conversations get delayed, including fear of escalation, worrying about back chat or Fair Work claims, not wanting to be the bad guy in a close-knit team, not trusting the structure of the conversation and letting issues go on for too long. I talk about how avoidance quietly shapes workplace culture, how behaviour becomes pattern and pattern becomes precedent, and why what you tolerate never stays neutra...

Disengagement rarely arrives with a bang.

It can often slowly creep in. As a result, the signs can be hard to spot. A few missed deadlines here. A bit less enthusiasm there. A subtle shift in behaviour that you can’t quite put your finger on, until one day, you’re facing a full-blown team issue that could’ve been prevented.

If you want to lead well, understanding the early signs of disengagement isn’t optional. It’s essential. Spotting the clues early gives you the chance to re-engage your people, turn things around, and protect your team (and your bottom line) before the damage is done.

Let’s take a look at the seven most common (and often missed) signs your team members might be disengaged.

1. They’ve Changed Their Routine

You know those team members who always show up 10 minutes early, settle in with a coffee, and are up and running before the clock hits 9?

When that person starts arriving closer and closer to start time, or worse, walking in late and dragging...

Hello and welcome to Episode 312 of The People Powered Business Podcast.

In this episode, we’re unpacking a confronting but powerful question: is your team’s performance actually a reflection of your leadership?

When something goes wrong in our teams, it’s easy to look straight at them.

But what if under-performance isn’t about capability at all?

What if it’s about clarity, communication and consistency?

I’m sharing why most performance issues are actually clarity issues, how undefined standards and unspoken expectations create confusion, and why emotional reactions instead of structured leadership conversations keep us stuck. If someone keeps getting it wrong, we need to ask ourselves what we’ve clearly defined as ‘right’.

We also explore the idea that what you tolerate becomes the norm. If lateness has no consequence, it becomes culture. If attitude slips and nothing happens, that tone spreads. If you quietly redo work instead of addressing it, quality control becomes your job ...

It’s hiring season. The time of year when resignation letters roll in, inboxes fill with CVs, and you suddenly realise you need to find new team members ….again.

But here’s the thing: if you’re still hiring like it’s 2016 (or even 2021), you’re going to struggle.

The hiring market has changed. Not in small ways, either. If you want to attract the right people in 2026, you need to understand what’s changed, what hasn’t, and how to adjust your approach so you’re not left with an underperforming team and a pile of regret.

What Hasn’t Changed (And Still Really Matters)

First, let’s bust a myth: not everything is different. Some hiring truths are timeless.

Speed is still king.
If you wait three days to call someone who applied, chances are you’ve already lost them. In today’s job market, your best candidates, the ones actively looking, apply within the first 72 hours. They’re quick. And they’re likely juggling multiple interviews.

If you’re not ready to review CVs and l...

Hello and welcome to Episode 311 of The People Powered Business Podcast.

In this episode, I’m diving into a topic that so many business owners struggle with but don’t always want to admit, micromanagement.

Are you a micromanager? Do you find yourself swooping in, rechecking work that has already been delegated, rewriting emails that were perfectly fine, or feeling anxious when someone else is responsible for the outcome? We explore what micromanagement really is, how it differs from being hands on or caring about quality, and the subtle behaviours that signal a lack of trust within your team.

I unpack why even experienced leaders fall into the micromanagement trap, from perfectionism and fear of mistakes through to burnout, decision fatigue and scar tissue from past disappointments. When the business feels like your baby, it is easy to justify controlling every detail. But I also share what micromanagement feels like on the other side, and how it impacts employee engagement, team mo...

If you’ve ever handed off a task, only to find it flying straight back to you half-done, late, or worse, untouched, you’re not alone in that frustration.

Delegation is one of those skills that seems simple in theory, but in practice? It’s a bit of a minefield.

And the truth is, most of us were never taught how to do it properly. We’ve picked things up as we go, maybe Googled a few tips, watched others do it (badly), and now we’re winging it, while still wondering why our team can’t just do their jobs without our constant involvement.

The reality? Delegation is a skill. One you can learn, refine and use to take real pressure off your plate, without sacrificing quality or control.

So, if you’re tired of being the bottleneck, here’s a clear, five-step process to delegate better, and finally keep that task off your to-do list for good.

Why Delegation Feels So Hard

Before we get to the how, let’s talk about why it often goes wrong.

The first big reason? We assume pe...

Hello and welcome to Episode 310 of The People Powered Business Podcast.

Today I am sharing a conversation had on The Australian Small Business Show, another podcast that I cohost with my husband Matt Heighway.

In this episode, we tackle a big question many small business owners are asking right now, is employee loyalty dead?

Drawing on our experiences and observations of the next generation entering the workforce, they explore how the traditional idea of loyalty as a trade for long-term job security has shifted. With changing expectations, generational differences and the lasting impact of the pandemic, the old rules around work and loyalty no longer seem to apply in the same way.

The conversation dives into why job security is no longer the primary driver of loyalty, and how employees are increasingly taking ownership of their own careers. We discuss why modern loyalty looks less like a lifetime commitment and more like being engaged, committed and aligned while someone is part o...

Hello and welcome to Episode 309 of The People Powered Business Podcast.

In this episode, we are talking about something every leader has to do, but many quietly avoid: giving staff feedback.

Giving feedback isn’t just part of your job, it is the job. When it’s done well, it drives improvement, builds trust and shifts behaviour. When it’s done poorly, it creates confusion, defensiveness and disengagement. Today, we are unpacking the three biggest feedback mistakes I see business owners make and how to fix them.

First, we look at the problem of being too vague or making feedback personal. Comments like “you need to communicate better” or “you’ve got a bad attitude” don’t help anyone improve. Vague feedback confuses people and personal feedback puts them straight into defence mode. I walk you through how to use the SBI framework so feedback stays factual, fair and focused on behaviour, not personality. We also talk about the power of following feedback with curiosity and questions, ra...

If you’ve opened up applications recently and found yourself scrolling through glowing, wordy cover letters telling you how amazing your business is and why someone’s “always dreamed of working in this industry” you’ve likely stumped into an AI generated cover letter.

Let’s be blunt. Cover letters, as we know them, are dead. And honestly, they’ve been irrelevant for a long time. But in the age of AI-generated content and fast-moving hiring needs, their shortcomings have become impossible to ignore.

So if cover letters are off the table, what should you be doing instead?

The Problem with Cover Letters

For years, cover letters have been treated like some kind of golden ticket, proof that someone has taken the time to apply thoughtfully and demonstrate their communication skills. But here’s the thing: they’ve always carried a built-in bias.

A cover letter tells you one thing, whether someone can write nicely about themselves. That’s it.

They don’t tell you if the pers...