Chief Executive Officer, AIM WA | Emeritus Professor | Social Affairs and Workplace Expert |Workplace Trend Spotter|Columnist |Director|LinkedIn Top Voice 2018 | Speaker |Content Creator

I am a former academic turned social trends and workplace specialist, Board director, keynote speaker, newspaper columnist, and most importantly, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Institute of Management in Western Australia (AIM WA).

My passion is inspiring better workplaces.  I like to ignite discussions around workplace themes and topics, and I use my column in Perth’s The Sunday Times – called “Workplace Matters” – to get conversations started right here on LinkedIn.

I also have an interest in what’s trending in our non-work lives too, so you’ll see that I post pieces on here about various social affairs topics.

And, if you happen to follow what happens in the higher education sector, you might be interested in some of my Business News’ Education pieces which I regularly publish here too.

For me LinkedIn is all about having conversations.  So feel free to follow me, and join the chat.

Professor Gary Martin FAIM

THE slop we call work ...

Artificial intelligence was meant to free us from routine tasks to give us more time to think well.

Instead, it has turbocharged what is increasingly being called “workslop”.

It is content that looks like work and sounds like work yet carries very little thinking beneath the surface.

Most workers will have encountered the tell-tale signs of workslop.

The AI-generated workslop email is, without a doubt, the most common.

These emails are long, polite and extremely well structured.

The wording is smooth. The sentences flow into each other with ease.
As for the paragraphs, they are particularly well sequenced.

But the issue is that many email messages generated by AI say almost nothing.

It is also worth shining a spotlight on the workslop report.

This is a document that looks substantial – it might run to 20 pages or more. 

It is filled with pretty charts and frameworks and comes complete with those handy executive summaries.

The problem is that most AI-generated reports carefully avoid any clear judgement.

Every conclusion is couched in caveats. 

Every risk is acknowledged but never ranked.
 
Every recommendation is framed as something to “explore” rather than decide.

The workslop slide deck is no better.

Slides are heavy on arrows, circles and three-word slogans.

They are packed with generic language that could belong to almost any organisation.

And being led through the slide deck feels like a journey to nowhere.

Perhaps worst is the AI-generated workslop meeting summary.

This is a record containing minutes that sound industrious but explain absolutely nothing.

Everything seems to be documented, except what actually matters.

At first glance, workslop does not seem like a serious problem.

After all, the work still gets done – and quickly.

Yet workslop creates the illusion of progress.

It gives organisations plenty of activity but very little movement.

Decisions are delayed, responsibility becomes confused and hard choices are quietly avoided.

It also makes it harder to spot weak thinking.

Once, poor ideas once stood out.

They were easily identifiable because they came across as clumsy, undercooked or obviously wrong.

Workslop is different.

It is smooth, polished and confident in tone.

It makes poor thinking far more persuasive than it deserves to be.

There is a human cost as well.

People spend time responding to long emails that say very little.

They sit through presentations that go nowhere and read reports which fail to make a point.

AI was meant to free people from low-value tasks so they could think more deeply.

In too many workplaces, it has done the opposite.

AI can help organise thoughts, summarise material or provide a basic structure.

But it cannot do the thinking.

Simply put, AI can write the words – but only people can do the thinking.

#AI #workslop #management #leadership #workplace #AIMWA #business

Cartoon used under license:  CartoonStock

WITH Christmas well and truly behind us ...  perhaps its time for a little reflection on Santa's leadership?

Santa clearly has more to offer the modern workplace than sleigh bells and sentimentality. 

Underneath the red suit and rosy cheeks lies a masterclass in leadership – one every boss, whether a political leader, CEO, board director, manager or supervisor, would do well to study.

Say what you like about Santa but this guy knows how to lead a team. 

Once a year, he manages the world’s biggest delivery round.

And every time, somehow, everything goes off without a hitch.

There are no delays. There are no dramas. 

There are no complaints to HR from the elves about shoddy working conditions. 

And there is rarely a customer complaint to be heard.

This is leadership worth noting.

Behind the jingles and jolliness is a leader whose style is anything but make-believe.

As CEO of North Pole Pty Ltd, Santa’s leadership – which some have dubbed “boss magic” – comes from qualities that are refreshingly real.

For starters, Santa has something many leaders lack these days: a crystal-clear sense of purpose. 

There is no confusion about the mission of Santa and his team: they exist to spread joy.

Then there is his approach to delegation. 

Despite being the face of the brand, Santa does not micromanage. 

He does not hover over the elves, check every toy for defects or re-inspect the naughty and nice lists. 

This boss trusts his team to do what they do best – manufacturing, quality control, logistics and reindeer management – while he focuses on steering the sleigh. 

And let us not overlook his capacity for work-life balance. 

Outside of that one super busy day and night, the year is spent recharging, strategising and investing in his people. 

Underpinning his approach to self-care is Santa’s understanding that it is harder to steer the sleigh when you have run yourself into the ground.

Santa’s resilience under pressure is another hallmark of strong leadership. 

He operates in extreme conditions – snowstorms, global logistics challenges and air-traffic congestion – yet every year gets the job done. 

This kind of consistency does not happen by accident but comes from preparation, adaptability and a refusal to let setbacks derail the mission.

Then there is innovation. 

Santa has been around for centuries but not let tradition make him stale. 

He has quietly modernised operations over time, tracking children’s wishes through digital lists, upgrading sleigh navigation and ensuring efficient gift distribution across continents. 

Of course, no leader succeeds alone. 

Santa’s relationship with his team is rooted in mutual respect. 

He does not see his elves as mere subordinates but valued partners in the mission. 

The secret to leading like Santa is simple – keep your team merry, your mission bright and your ego light.

#leadership #management #workplace #work #AIMWA 

Image designed by ChatGPT

THE  boss can get bullied too ...

In today’s workplace, the boss is not always the bully – managers themselves are increasingly being targeted.

Traditionally, bullying has been viewed as a top-down affair, where those in authority exploit their position to intimidate, belittle or sideline their subordinates.

But we have also known for some time that bullying travels in other directions too.

It creeps sideways too, where workmates target their peers and engage in acts of exclusion, ridicule or quiet obstruction with harmful intentions.

And now we are increasingly being made aware that promotion to a management role does not grant immunity from workplace bullies.  

Upward bullying - or bullying the boss - is increasingly surfacing as a troubling feature of today’s workplace.

To be clear, we are not talking about well paid, high-flying senior executives and chief executives being bruised and battered.  

Rather, this is about everyday team leaders, supervisors, department heads and mid-level managers being worn down, weakened and, in some cases, emotionally wounded by those they are supposed to lead.

These managers often find themselves sandwiched in the most uncomfortable part of the hierarchy. 

They are close enough to frontline workers to cop the heat of conflict, yet too far from senior executives to enjoy their support. 

It’s important, though, not to confuse bullying with a stray comment or the odd disagreement. 

Bullying is something else entirely - a deliberate, ongoing pattern of behaviour designed to cause harm.

Those on the receiving end of upward bullying often talk about a steady campaign of resistance. 

Instructions are ignored, deadlines pushed aside, and decisions openly challenged – not to clarify, but to cast doubt on a manager’s ability. 

Gossip and whispering add fuel, eroding credibility and spreading the idea that the boss is out of their depth. 

More often than not, it’s not one worker acting alone but a small group joining forces. 

By leaning on strength in numbers, they steadily chip away at authority, leaving their manager feeling isolated, powerless and under siege.

Managers who are targeted often suffer emotional exhaustion, a loss of confidence and stress-related health problems, with many beginning to question their own ability to lead. 

Organisations can experience reduced productivity, lower morale across teams, higher turnover among managers and, over time, a weakened pipeline of capable leaders.

Workplaces cannot afford to turn a blind eye to this emerging form of abuse. 

Just as organisations have worked to protect employees from being bullied by their bosses, so too must they acknowledge and address the bullying of bosses by their staff.

Only then can workplaces genuinely claim to be tackling bullying in all its forms, no matter which direction it flows.

#bullying #workplace #work #management #leadership #AIMWA #hr   

Image designed by ChatGPT

YOU shouldn't have to  gym and bear it?

Once  a rare sight, gyms have muscled their way into every neighbourhood, piling up like sweaty towels after a high-intensity workout.

Flexing their presence with round-the-clock access, shiny equipment and talk of a total body makeover, they sell the dream of a fitter and stronger self. 

But no number of reps can prepare for the unspoken challenges of gym etiquette.

Every gym has its very own equipment hoarder who believes possession is nine-tenths of the law, its dumbbell deserter who scatters weights around the floor like breadcrumbs, and its selfie specialist  who is more focused on finding the perfect lighting than perfecting their form.  

But it’s not just about who’s doing what - it’s how close they’re doing it that really tests your patience.

At every gym, respecting personal space is key though often the last thing on many gym-goers’ minds. 

There is nothing quite like claiming a bench for a set of chest presses, only to find someone standing mere centimetres away, curling dumbbells with the intensity of an overcaffeinated barista. 

Gym-goers need breathing room, not a close encounter of the sweaty kind.
While we’re on the topic of sweat, we should mention gym-goers who leave a trail behind them almost like they’re marking territory.  

It’s not that hard – use your towel.

Then there’s the noise - a grunt here and there is fine, but when every rep comes with its own soundtrack, it starts to feel more like theatre than training.

Finally, there’s the advice brigade. 

Nothing throws off a workout like the self-declared gym expert.  

They pop up mid-set with a well-meaning but uninvited “just trying to help” style of correction. 

At the end of the day, the gym’s a shared space - a place where people of all shapes, sizes and goals show up to stretch, get stronger and feel a bit better.

Having a membership gets you through the door, but it’s basic courtesy that earns respect.

After all, the real gains are not just in muscle and endurance but in being a considerate part of the fitness community.

#wellbeing #hr #etiquette #fitness #trends #management #AIMWA 

Image designed by ChatGPT

WEASEL words or ... why leaders need to avoid language laundering 

Leaders are increasingly rinsing their language to wash away uncomfortable truths.

Once confined to the world of politics, language laundering has become so prevalent among CEOs, board chairs and executives of every type of organisation that it now shapes how difficult decisions are communicated.

Language laundering is deliberate.

It is the verbal equivalent of running a stubborn stain through a quick wash and hoping no one looks too closely. 

Yes, it might brighten the surface of the garment, but the stain remains etched deep into the fabric.

If that does not paint a clear picture for you, try this instead.

Language laundering is like masking an unpleasant smell with an air freshener rather than dealing with the source of the odour. 

The stench remains, even if the air feels easier to breathe for a few minutes.

Regardless of whether it appears in politics, the corporate sector or the public service, the language used by leaders as they attempt to rinse their words is strikingly similar.

When a leader starts talking about “right-sizing” or “optimising the workforce”, it usually means job losses. 

There is also “restructuring”. 

It is a phrase used by leaders that sounds neat and forward-looking. 

Yet it often translates into something far less comfortable, such as redundancies, watered-down roles or someone being quietly moved aside.

Then there are those leaders who like to talk about “challenging decisions”. 

It is a phrase that demands understanding but offers very little explanation. 
“Aligning with strategic priorities” is another common example of how clarity is often sacrificed for comfort.

More often than not, it is a sign that funding, programs or roles are being cut because they no longer fit the budget or the politics, though neither is ever named.

And when things go wrong, the words “strengthening governance” tend to appear. 

This usually occurs after oversight or judgement has already failed. 
It sounds like positive change without ever getting too specific about who missed what.

Perhaps the most common example of language laundering appears when departures from the workplace are recast as “mutual agreements”, even where there was little equality in the decision.

The fact is, leaders launder language because it feels safer than saying what they actually mean. 

The trouble is that most people can tell when they are being managed rather than informed. 

Over time, that gap between the words and their meaning begins to erode trust.

In 2026, we need our leaders to use language that treats people as adults who can handle the truth, even when they do not like it.

The longer leaders launder their words, the harder it becomes to convince people that trust still matters.

#leadership #language #management #communication #workplace #aimwa. 

Image designed by ChatGPT

WE need to to return to the original definition of flexible work ... WFH has bastardised that definition!

A flexible work arrangement once meant adjusting hours, roles and responsibilities to suit people’s needs. 

In 2025 it got reduced to a single measure – whether someone can work away from the office.

Working from home, or WFH, is a bastardisation of the term that strips it of its true breadth.

Not long ago, flexibility could mean later starts and earlier finishes, part-time work, compressed weeks, job sharing or rosters designed around school terms and caring duties. 

It was about shaping work to fit life, not just changing where a laptop was plugged in. 

The intention was to make work more accessible, more adaptable and ultimately more sustainable for people at different stages of their life.

Yet ask an employer today if they offer flexible work and many will respond by talking about remote-work arrangements. 

Workplace flexibility and WFH have all but become one and the same. 

For some, this narrowing of focus has been convenient and even popular. 

But it has also drained the concept of variety and excluded many from its benefits.

Many jobs simply cannot be done from home. 

Even among those who can work remotely, not everyone wants to. 

For some, home is a place for family, rest and routines – not spreadsheets and Teams calls. 

Some prefer the structure and discipline of a physical workspace, which makes it easier to switch off at the end of the day. 

True flexibility should embrace these preferences rather than simply swap one fixed arrangement for another.

Yet in many organisations, the choice has narrowed to a single question: “How many days will you WFH?” 

The result is a flexibility gap that risks creating tension between those who have the option to work remotely and those who do not. 

This divide can erode morale, create resentment and feed the perception flexibility is a privilege rather than a workplace norm.

It is not that WFH should be scrapped. 

For many, it has been a gamechanger because it has offered more time with family, cut commuting costs and created space for a better work-life balance. 

But it should be part of a bigger, more fulsome picture.

We need to be more adaptable when it comes to workplace flexibility and willing to rethink not just where people work but when, how and in what capacity.

Whatever the form, flexibility must be a balance between the needs of employees and the realities of running a business. 

Without that balance, arrangements will be short-lived or unsustainable.

By widening the lens, flexibility can once again be what it was meant to be – a genuine, two-way conversation about how work gets done. 

True flexibility should work for everyone – not just those who can take it home with them.

#WFH #workplace #management #HR #flexiblework #AIMWA

Image generated by ChatGPT.

WHO's really being rated on that ride?

Most rideshare passengers know they are given the chance to rate a driver at the end of a trip. 

What many fail to realise is that drivers are now rating passengers as well.
 
That’s right, somewhere between the click of a seatbelt and the closing of the car door, a passenger judgement process begins.

That assessment could influence whether future rides are accepted quickly, cancelled without explanation or simply take longer to arrive.

To avoid the dreaded consequences of an unsatisfactory rating, a little insight into how passengers are judged can be surprisingly useful.

Apparently, most passenger ratings are shaped by a few very basic behaviours – call them common sense if you will.

Drivers notice immediately whether a passenger is ready. 

A greeting, a simple thank you and, at times, light conversation can help.

A driver’s car is both a workplace and a personal asset, so slamming doors or leaving rubbish will hurt a passenger’s score. 

Pressure to speed, take shortcuts or arguing over routes can lower a rating.

Drivers also notice what passengers bring into the car. 

Mud, food spills, strong smells or signs of intoxication are remembered, and rarely in a good way.

Of course, addressing these concerns is no guarantee of a great passenger rating, but it does improve the odds. 

Looked at closely, passenger ratings are less about transport and more about behaviour, expectations and how people treat those providing a service.

For years, the idea that ‘the customer is always right’ has prevailed. 

It left considerable room to question the behaviour of the service provider. 

But it left very little space to question the behaviour of the customer. 

It meant customers often got away with pushy, rude and disrespectful behaviour without any consequences whatsoever.

Love them or loathe them, rideshare platforms and their passenger ratings are quietly changing this dynamic in a very practical way. 

It is not such a stretch to imagine passenger ratings appearing in other settings. 

Take airline travel, for example. 

It could easily adopt a similar model, where passengers are rated on how they conduct themselves, much like rideshare passengers are today. 

The same idea could apply just as easily to gyms. 

Members could be quietly rated on how they share equipment, respect staff and follow basic rules. 

And it’s already the case that short-term accommodation platforms allow hosts to rate guests. 

Seen this way, rideshare ratings start to look less like an odd feature and more like a sign of what comes next in how people are treated when money changes hands.

It raises a question many would rather not ask: how would your behaviour as a customer be rated?

#management #leadership #hr #business #workplace #aimwa

Image generated by CHATGpt

Why 2026 will test our ability to think for ourselves ...
 
A new threat to personal and working lives is emerging.

Artificial intelligence is increasingly taking over everyday decisions that were never meant to be handed to a machine.

Tasks that once demanded careful consideration can now be completed with a single tap.

Some now turn to AI-driven symptom checkers to judge whether a nagging ache or pain warrants a doctor’s visit, a wait and see approach or even a dash to the emergency department.

Others rely on AI powered career advisers to weigh up salary, commute time, workload and role suitability, effectively asking a machine to rule on whether a job offer should be accepted or declined.

Many are also turning to automated investing tools and robo-advisers to shape decisions about investment strategies, risk levels and portfolio adjustments.

Growing numbers use AI budgeting tools to determine how much to save, where to cut spending and whether a significant purchase will place undue strain on their finances.

Some increasingly defer to AI assisted shopping tools to select everything from household appliances to holiday destinations, allowing algorithms to filter options, compare reviews and push them towards a recommended choice.

A rising number rely on AI-powered fitness and wellbeing apps to decide how much to exercise, what to eat and when to sleep, giving digital coaches unprecedented sway over daily routines and lifestyle habits.

Letting AI make more and more decisions might feel harmless.
Yes, it might even be viewed as helpful.

But be warned. Overreliance comes with a surprising number of pitfalls.

The more choices we hand over, the less practice we get in thinking things through ourselves.

There is also the issue of trust.

AI tools often present their advice with great confidence, even when the information behind it is limited, biased or simply wrong.

Because the guidance offered looks polished and precise, many people take it as fact.

They forget that the technology is still learning and still making mistakes.

Privacy is another concern that is easy to underestimate.

Symptom checkers, budgeting apps and digital advisers work by gathering detailed information about our health, habits and finances.

With that, the chances of information being misused or exposed increase.

It is also true that technology can crunch numbers and spot patterns, but it cannot grasp the subtleties that shape judgement, gut instinct or personal values.

But perhaps the most important point is this.

When the advice is wrong, the consequences do not fall on the technology.

The person who followed the advice is left in a predicament.

The challenge for 2026 is to push back on machines.

AI can help us think, but it should not stop us from thinking for ourselves.

#AI #aimwa #business #workplace #management #leadership #hr

Image generated by ChatGPT

WANT to clock out of the nine-to-five - then try micro-shifting but only if your boss lets you ...

For years, the nine-to-five day ruled our working lives. 

It was predictable, easy to follow and rarely questioned. 

This neat and tidy arrangement, however, is starting to get a little messed up because people are increasingly shaping their days around life rather than watching the clock.

The shift even has a name – it is called micro-shifting.

This is not for everyone though for those who enjoy it, it works something like this. 

Instead of sitting through eight straight hours of work, some people break the day up and work in shorter bursts as and when it suits them.

The reality is that many people have long been unofficially working micro-shifts, albeit in quite different ways.

Micro-shifting might involve starting early to tackle demanding tasks while the mind is fresh. 

It can then include stepping away mid-morning for a school drop-off or a walk.

And later in the day work resumes with renewed focus.

For others, the working day is sliced into purposeful blocks. 

There is a meeting in the late morning. There is deep work after lunch. There is a pause for exercise or caring duties in the late afternoon. 

And then there is a final burst of work later on in the evening. 

The work still gets done though it no longer demands a continuous eight-hours-straight work marathon.

Sometimes micro-shifting is as simple as recognising varying energy patterns.
 
Early risers might knock over complex tasks before breakfast and leave routine work for later. 

Night owls might save their best thinking for the evening.  

In team settings, micro-shifting requires special attention.

Colleagues are usually expected to be available for collaboration during set windows of time.

But the rest of the day can remain flexible. 

At its best, micro-shifting turns the working day into a series of purposeful pockets rather than one long test of endurance. 

The hours still add up and the outcomes still matter.

Yet the day feels less like a marathon and more like a well-paced walk.

For a long time, flexibility meant changing the place of work rather than the schedule. 

This meant working from home, working from the office or simply working from wherever the coffee was better. 

The hours barely changed on a day-to-day basis – start at nine, finish at five and have lunch somewhere in between. 

But for all the talk of flexibility, not much actually changed.

Micro-shifting disrupts this status quo. 

It reminds leaders that flexibility is as much about time as place.

There is, of course, a catch. 

Flexibility without boundaries can quickly turn into the endless workday. 

The nine-to-five working day is not disappearing altogether.

But there is little doubt it is losing its grip.

Micro-shifting offers a different way of thinking about work.  

#management #leadershp #hr #workplace #AIMWA

Image generated by ChatGPT

WHY self-service options are a kick in the guts ...

You scan and bag your own shopping at the supermarket, fill your own fuel tank and check yourself in for flights.

What was once the duty of paid staff has been quietly shifted onto customers.

The “do it yourself” economy has become one of the most normalised features of modern life.

It is sold to unsuspecting customers as convenience and dressed up as progress.

Yet beneath the slick screens and cheerful prompts sits a simple reality – what once was customer service is rapidly becoming unpaid customer self-service.

Banks got on board with this trend years ago.

Today, customers transfer money, pay bills, verify identities and manage accounts from their phones.

In supermarkets, doing the weekly shop can mean scanning groceries, weighing fruit and vegetables and bagging purchases on the way out.

The self-service mindset carries through to the service station, where drivers themselves fill up their tanks with petrol, check tyre pressure and clean windscreens.

There is little respite when it comes to travel.

At the airport, travellers check themselves in, choose a seat, download a boarding pass, tag their bag and scan through the gate.

Even eating out can involve ordering via a QR code, entering details, splitting the bill and collecting the meal when a number appears.

Government services, once defined by counters and clerks, now rely heavily on portals and passwords.

The upshot of all this is that so-called convenience, as it turns out, has not eliminated work.

It has simply changed who does it and who gets paid for it.

This self-service mentality comes with knock-on effects that are rarely talked about.

For a start, there is no discount for doing the job yourself.

Supermarket prices do not fall because shoppers scan their own food, bank fees have not disappeared because customers manage their own accounts and airfares have not dropped because passengers check themselves in.

Another problem is that the rise of self-service labour has contributed to fewer entry level roles and increased pressure on remaining staff.

And equally concerning is that those less confident with screens and digital apps are left at a distinct disadvantage when trying to access essential services.

None of this means the notion of self-service cannot be of value to consumers.
Used well, self-service can speed up transactions and give people greater control over routine tasks.

But self-service should remain an option rather than an obligation.

As work continues to shift under the banner of convenience, systems increasingly treat our time, patience and effort as limitless simply because they belong to the customer.

Yet real convenience works best when it saves time rather than quietly takes it.

#customerservice #management #leadership #workplace #aimwa

Cartoon used under licence:  CartoonStock

MOVING jobs?   The grass in not always greener ... and sometimes its fake grass ...  Avoid ... SHIFT-SHOCK?

As the working year kicks off, a quiet restlessness begins to ripple through workplaces.

The summer holidays slip into distant memory, inboxes surge back to life and, just as they do every year at this time, many employees feel a familiar urge to jump ship.

A brand-new job elsewhere, complete with a tempting title and a much-needed salary sweetener, can seem like the ideal way to reset for the year ahead.

But beware.

As countless others have discovered, the grass is not always greener on the other side.

Yes, it can be easy to believe that greener pastures sit on the other side of the fence. 

Yet time and again, many discover that the glossy job advertisement or reassuring interview is, in reality, little more than artificial turf.

That early sense of disappointment when taking on a new role is now so common that it carries its own label: “shift-shock”.

The term has quietly crept into workplace vocabulary. 

It captures the sudden slump in enthusiasm that arrives when a new job fails to resemble the version sold during the recruitment process.

Some call it “quitter’s remorse”. Others describe it as “new-job regret”.

For some, the shock stems from a realisation that their new lawn is completely synthetic.

Promises of flexibility crumble into compulsory office attendance. 

Commitments to collaboration vanish as colleagues retreat behind closed doors. 

A so-called supportive culture reveals itself as a place where support is selectively rationed, and praise is rarely passed around.

Others land on a lawn that looks suspiciously similar to the one they left behind.

The new job may sit in a different building, with different branding and even a different boss, yet the day-to-day experience feels eerily unchanged.

Another group discovers a lawn that demands far more watering than expected. 

The workload quickly balloons and the role becomes a thirsty one. 
It soaks up energy with impressive speed. 

What was supposed to be a career reset or refresh begins to resemble a slow wilt.

There are also those who initially step onto a lawn that appears lush, only for it to brown at an alarming rate. 

So, before packing up the pot plants and preparing a farewell speech, it is worth considering whether a more fruitful outcome can be cultivated without uprooting entirely.

Many workplace woes stem from misunderstandings or unmet expectations that can be eased with a simple conversation. 

As the working year unfolds, the temptation to jump from one job to another will continue to grow.

Pausing to nurture the ground already beneath one’s feet can prevent a costly leap into disappointment. 

In the end, the greenest lawn is often the one actively cared for rather than the one chased in haste.

#workplace #management #hr #leadership #AIMWA #leadership

Image generated by chatGPT

THE mo is making a comeback one whisker at a time

Once dismissed as a hairy relic of a bygone era, the moustache has returned to fashionable faces with equal parts charm and controversy. 

Choosing to sport one is much like opting for a mullet, an ear piercing, a pair of Crocs or even Budgie Smugglers – almost guaranteed to divide opinion. 

For years, the moustache was whiskered away by the razor’s edge.

It was perhaps unfairly typecast as the facial garnish of retired cricketers, flamboyant pop stars or trench-coat detectives from the 1970s. 

Think Dennis Lillee, Freddie Mercury, Lionel Richie, Tom Selleck or Burt Reynolds.

Today it is worn with confidence and proudly perched on the upper lips of a new generation of men.

The moustache has brushed its way back into fashion for a mix of reasons.

Part of its appeal lies in nostalgia, with retro trends from the 70s and 80s making a comeback across clothing, music and popular culture. 

The moustache sits comfortably in this broader retro revival of items like Polaroid cameras, vinyl records and arcade games.

This revival has been amplified by influencers, athletes and celebrities who have helped to normalise the moustache and give it fresh mo-mentum.

Movember has transformed the moustache from a private style choice into a public act of charity that many maintain long after the month of November ends. 

And unlike costly fashion statements, the moustache remains free. 
While the moustache might be back in fashion, it is not without some hairy hassles. 

Meals can quickly turn messy and leave milk froth, soup and sauces clinging to whiskers like uninvited guests. 

Constant grooming is essential, with trimming, combing and even waxing needed to keep stray strands under control. 

And not every face is friendly to fuzz. 

Some men simply lack the facial real estate for a moustache, leaving it looking lost, lonely and limp.

Whether you delight in or despise the lip caterpillars, the truth is that the moustache is more than hair beneath the nose. 

It is a reminder that fashion never fades – it only waits for its moment to grow again.

#socialtrends #AIMWA #management #leadership #workplace 

Cartoon used under licence:  CartoonStock

💎 WellBeing Champion | ESG Leader | Business Connector | Linkedin Top 250 influencer |

Welcome, I'm Reena Strehle — a passionate advocate for workplace wellbeing, sustainable leadership, and purpose-driven business.

 My journey has been rooted in one guiding principle: when people and planet thrive, business does too.

As a WellBeing Workplace advocate, I support organisations in aligning their operations with the values of equity, sustainability, and human-centric leadership, risk management & ratings in the built environment. Such as NABERS, Greenstar & Well.

 I work hands-on with teams, leaders, and communities to spark real conversations and drive meaningful change from the inside out.

I help people optimise their long-term health by addressing inflammation at its source — a key factor in brain cognition, heart function, and immune resilience. Through evidence-based testing and personalised guidance, I work with executives, entrepreneurs, and anyone looking to maintain peak performance as they age. My focus is on measurable insights and sustainable strategies that support how you think, feel, and perform every day.

Recognised as a LinkedIn Top 300 Global Excellence Leader, I also use my platform to spotlight changemakers, share actionable insights that inspire better business practices.

And above all, I’m a connector at heart. With an extensive and diverse global network, I love bringing like-minded leaders, founders, and thinkers together — because the best ideas (and opportunities) are born from collaboration.

Wishing you a successful and productive day!

Looking forward to speaking to you real soon.

📅 Schedule a Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/reena-chat
✉️ Contact Via Email: reena@reenastrehle.com
📞 Make a Phone Call: +61 412 994 459

Reena Strehle

Phil Collins turns 74 on January 30th

The man who proved you could be a virtuoso drummer, a chart-topping solo artist, and Genesis's beating heart all at once.

His message still rings true: you can't hurry love, you can't rush greatness, and some things are worth the wait. 

Collins built his legacy one honest song at a time, no shortcuts, no pretense, just raw emotion and undeniable talent.

Here's to a legend who reminded us that the best things in life unfold in their own time. Sometimes you just have to feel it coming in the air tonight, and trust the journey.

Happy Birthday, Phil. 🥁

#Inspiration #Legend #PhilCollins

💎 WellBeing Workplace Advocate | Business Connector | Linkedin Top 300 Global Excellence Leader 2025|

The Partnership Paradox

The meeting that changed everything happened in a car park.
Not a boardroom. Not a planned strategy session. Just two business owners who saw something the other missed.

Here's what I learned about real collaboration:
Most partnerships fail because people try to merge strengths. 

The wins? 

They come from combining gaps.

Safety company meets wellness company. One protects the outside, one heals the inside. Together, they solve the whole problem.

The pattern I keep seeing: 
Companies chase competitors in their space. 
The smart money? 
Find someone in a different lane heading the same direction.

Stop looking for partners who do what you do. 

Find the person who completes what you can't.

Your next growth move isn't another product. It's the conversation you haven't had yet.

What unexpected partnership transformed your business?

#Business #Partnershi[p #Growth

The Evidence vs. Story Gap

I spent three weeks building the perfect pitch. Data. Studies. Clinical trials. 
24 PowerPoint slides.

They said no in 4 minutes.

Next meeting? I told them about Annette. One client. Real numbers. Her actual words. Three slides.

They signed that afternoon.

Here's the truth about convincing anyone of anything:
Facts inform. Stories persuade. But most of us lead with evidence and wonder why nothing lands.

The data matters—but only AFTER someone cares. And they only care when they see themselves in the outcome.

I learned this the hard way: Before you share what works, show them who it worked for. Real names. Real results. Real reactions.

Your proof isn't in your research. It's in your results.

Science opens minds. Stories open wallets.

What's one time a personal story beat your perfect data?

#Data #Evidence #StoryGap

Three people visited your profile yesterday. 

None reached out.

Think about the last time you researched someone before hiring them.
You landed on their profile looking for one thing. Can they solve my specific problem?

If the answer wasn't obvious in five seconds, you kept looking.
Most profiles fail this test immediately.

Five different services are listed. Strategy, coaching, consulting, speaking, workshops. The visitor can't tell which one applies to their situation.

Everyone gets targeted. 
Startups, enterprises, nonprofits, executives, teams. Nobody feels like the right fit.

The headline stays vague. "Helping leaders transform organisations" tells someone nothing about what actually changes.

The About section reads like a resume. 

Twenty years of experience, multiple certifications, impressive achievements. 

The visitor came with a problem and got a biography.

Profiles that convert visits into conversations do three things:
State one clear problem solved for one type of person. The headline answers "what do you do and who do you help" in plain language.

Focus the About section on their world, not your credentials. Their challenge, your solution, how to start.

Make the next step obvious. Calendar link in the headline. Another link in About. Featured post explaining how to work together.

Someone visits your profile is interested. 

They either see an obvious path forward or they leave confused.

Clarity converts. Complexity loses.


Jack AM Austin and I created the Profile Optimiser GPT that shows exactly what's broken in your profile. 

Comment "PROFILE", and we'll send it over. 

Follow him for more business tips.

#ProfileOptimisation #Clarity #Conversions

Your DMs sound like sales pitches.

Think about your inbox right now.

Dozens of messages from people asking for "just 15 minutes" or offering to "share insights" about your business.

Delete without reading.

Decision makers do the same thing to your messages.

Most outreach fails in the first sentence because it reads like every other pitch. The pattern is obvious, and the response is automatic deletion.

Messages that get replies sound fundamentally different.

Notice something specific about recent work. Not job title or company size, but actual output someone created or shared.

Ask one simple question that takes 30 seconds to answer. Something the person would actually enjoy talking about.

Make it about curiosity, not positioning for a pitch. 
No frameworks mentioned. 
No offerings listed. 
Just genuine interest in their work.

Example:
"Saw your post on restructuring sales comp. The quarterly reset approach is interesting. What made you move away from annual structures?"

The message notices specific work and asks about it.

The difference between 5% and 50% response rates isn't better copywriting.

It's whether the message sounds like a human who noticed their work and got curious.

Most outreach is an interview disguised as conversation or a pitch disguised as curiosity.

Real interest gets real replies.

Jack AM Austin and I created the Initial Message GPT that crafts opening messages getting 40%+ reply rates. 

Comment "MESSAGE" and we'll send it over. 

Follow him for more business tips.

#Outreach #Sales #BusinessTips

They replied to your DM. 

Now what?

Think about the last time someone responded to your outreach.

Actual interest. Real engagement. Then the conversation dies because the next message pushes too hard.

Most people get a reply and immediately pitch a call. The momentum stops.

Getting replies is half the equation. Converting replies into conversations is the other half.

When someone responds, continue the actual conversation first. Ask a follow-up question about what they shared. Show genuine interest in the answer.

Two or three real exchanges build rapport. The person starts to see you as someone curious about their work, not someone running a sales process.

Then suggest a conversation naturally. "I'd enjoy hearing more about this over coffee" or "happy to continue this conversation live if you're up for it."
Discovery calls trigger sales resistance. Coffee or conversation feels collaborative.

Most DM sequences fail because they move from reply to pitch in one message. 

The person who just showed interest suddenly feels sold to.

Build the relationship through the messages first. 

Three to five genuine exchanges. Then suggest talking live when it feels natural.

The goal isn't speed to calendar. 

The goal is turning interest into trust before asking for time.

Jack AM Austin and I created the DM-to-Call framework that converts replies into booked conversations. 

Comment "FRAMEWORK" and we'll send it over. 

Follow him for more business tips

#Conversion #Conversations #Outreach

The rainbow bee-eaters at Meelup Regional Park don't care about your quarterly targets.

They're too busy patrolling 11.5km of WA coastline that the Wadandi people named "Place of the Moon Rising" – waters Lonely Planet calls "the hue of a Bombay Sapphire bottle."

This 577-hectare reserve between Dunsborough and Eagle Bay shelters species found nowhere else on Earth. 

Carnaby's black cockatoos. 
Endemic orchids. 
Southern brown bandicoots in the undergrowth.

Sometimes the smartest strategy is remembering there's a world beyond the screen.

#Nature #Travel #Australia

📸 Salty Wings

Looking forward to seeing you at our inaugural in person event! 

⬇️ See link to register in the comments ⬇️

#Leadership #Melbourne #IWD2026

View company: Women in Defence Association

Panelist Announcement | Defence International Women’s Day – Victoria

WiDA Victoria, in partnership with Women in International Security - Australia Inc., is proud to announce Major General Michelle Campbell AM, Head of Reserve and Cadet Division, as a panelist for our upcoming International Women’s Day event in Victoria.

About MAJGEN Michelle Campbell AM
Major General Campbell has three decades of military experience across a range of leadership, operations, training, protocol and project management appointments in Australia and overseas.

A veteran of three bushfire assistance task forces in 2003, 2009 and 2019/2020, and service with NATO forces in Afghanistan in 2014, where she was awarded the NATO Meritorious Service Medal for distinguished service exhibiting outstanding leadership and exceptional contribution. She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the King’s Birthday Honours in 2025 for exceptional service to the Australian Army as the Deputy Commander of the 2nd (Australian) Division and as Commander of the 4th Brigade (Victoria and Tasmania).

Major General Campbell’s civilian career spans three decades of project management and capability development in Australia and Europe. She has applied her expertise to improvements across Victoria’s infrastructure major and mega projects portfolio during Covid. She led the senior leader capability development program, the Australian Major Projects Leadership Academy, across Australian federal, state and territory jurisdictions, and most recently is an independent executive advisor to various government projects, and a small business owner.

Major General Campbell will be a valued contributor to our National Defence Strategy dialogue, sharing insights on leadership, capability and the future of Australia’s defence workforce.

🎟 Tickets are nearly sold out.
 Capacity is strictly limited—register now to avoid disappointment.
 👉 Registration link in the comments (filter by Most Recent).

Reena Strehle Cai Lin Tan Rachel Falzon Maria Rost Rublee Grace Corcoran Winnie Cheng #WomenInDefence #WiDA #WIISA #InternationalWomensDay #IWD2026
 #BalanceTheScales #DefenceIndustry #NationalSecurity

💎Massive congratulations to Katherine Bennell-Pegg on Australian of the Year💎


Australia's first astronaut just said what needed saying:
"We're leaving too much talent on the launch pad."

We back underdogs in sport. 

We cheer for mates who aren't the best.

But in #STEM? If you're not top of the class or don't fit the mould, you're quietly pushed aside.

Same kid. Different treatment.

Katherine's mission isn't just space – it's reaching every young person who doesn't see themselves in science yet.

The girl who loves physics but doesn't fit the stereotype. The kid from regional Australia who thinks STEM is for "other people."
Her challenge to us:
→ Bring the "have a go" spirit from the sports field to the science lab 
→ Back each other in hard subjects like we do on game day 
→ Trust that every curious mind matters – regardless of postcode, gender, or background

That flag on her shoulder? 

It carries the hopes of thousands.

In 2026, when humans orbit the moon, some #Australian kid will look up and finally see themselves up there.

Well deserved, Katherine. Now let's get to work.
#AustralianOfTheYear #STEM #Leadership #WIDA

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Your Personal Operating System Needs an Update

Here's what McKinsey found: Leaders who continually upgrade their "personal operating model" are more productive, work more consciously, and drive change more effectively.

Translation? 

The way you led last year won't cut it this year.

Your calendar. 
Your priorities. 
Your energy management. 
Your decision-making process.

All of it needs a refresh.

Top performers aren't just managing their teams differently—they're managing themselves differently.

When was the last time you audited your own operating system?

#PersonalOperatingSystem #Growth #Update

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The Battle

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Professor Gary Martin FAIM's LinkedIn Performance

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