The Latest from Kristy-Lee

Hello and welcome to Episode 315 of The People Powered Business Podcast.

In this episode I’m tackling a leadership trap I see all the time in small and growing businesses: confusing being a nice boss with being a good boss. With recent research showing that four in five Australian employees are disengaged at work, and a significant percentage actively looking for a new role, it’s worth asking an uncomfortable question.

How much of that comes down to leadership? The reality is that managers influence the majority of employee engagement outcomes, which means the way we show up as leaders has a direct impact on retention, performance and ultimately profitability.

I explore the difference between leading with kindness and prioritising being liked. When we focus too heavily on being nice, we often avoid the conversations that actually help our teams grow. We soften feedback, let issues slide and delay addressing underperformance because we don’t want to upset anyone. But strong leadershi...

If you have been running a business for more than a decade, you have probably felt it.

People do not stay as long. They are more willing to move roles. They ask different questions in interviews. They care about flexibility, development and culture in a way that feels very different to what we were taught to value.

So, it is a fair question to ask. Is employee loyalty dead?

The short answer is no. But it has changed.

The Old Loyalty Model

For many of us, loyalty was a transaction. You found a stable job. You worked hard. You stayed for years. In return, you received job security and a steady pay cheque.

The expectation was that if you were loyal to your employer, they would be loyal to you. You would climb the ladder slowly. You might work for two or three businesses across your entire career. Staying put was seen as a sign of commitment and reliability.

But over time, cracks appeared in that model.

Mass redundancies became more common. Corporate restructures ...

Hello and welcome to Episode 314 of The People Powered Business Podcast.

In this episode I’m talking about something most business owners know they need to do but often avoid: difficult conversations. We’ve been exploring why these conversations feel so uncomfortable and how to approach them, but today I’m focusing on something different – the real cost of not having them.

Whether it’s the high performer who knows they’re indispensable, the team members who simply can’t work together, or the employee whose attitude has quietly shifted, avoiding the conversation might feel easier in the moment but it comes with a price.

I unpack the three hidden costs that show up when we delay these conversations: the time and mental bandwidth it takes up, the opportunity cost of what your team and business could achieve if the issue was resolved, and the very real material costs that can appear through mistakes, disengagement, lost customers or team turnover. When you start adding those up, many bu...

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...