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Think of the worst boss you’ve had. What made them so bad? Do you think their top career goal was to be seen as a horrible boss, or did they lack the training, skills, and self-awareness to learn and grow in their role?

Today we dive into the topic of bad bosses, looks at the sobering stats around employee engagement, financial impact to the business, and the scary mental health impact that often results from toxic bosses and workplace cultures.

My guest today Rob Kalwarowsky (Cal – Var – Row – Ski), an MIT Trained Mechanical Engineer turned leadership coach. Rob shares the eye-opening journey that led him from the world of heavy industry engineering to leadership coaching, along with important lessons for employees and bosses in today’s rapidly changing leadership landscape.

Welcome to the Working Well Podcast, the show that explores the rapidly changing landscape of work and wellbeing. Each episode, We dive into the hottest topics in leadership, employee wellbeing, and the future of work! I’m your host Tim Borys.

Before we dive in, let’s learn more about Rob Kalwarowsky.

These days, society has a love/hate relationship with technology. It’s an integral part of our digitally driven world, yet if we aren’t careful, getting sucked into the digital vortex can be disastrous for our mental and physical health.

Thankfully some great technology companies are using their coding and behavioural science skills for good. These companies are helping people live healthier, happier, more vibrant lives. To facilitate learning, engaging with nature, and connecting with other humans.

Today, we will meet Jane Wang, one of the amazing women driving this positive change and learn how her biochemistry and medical background led her to create a unique wellness technology company that’s transforming consumer health, corporate wellness, and influencing the future of the insurance industry!

The personal choices of employees are their own to make. However, companies also have a vested interest in ensuring that each person is as healthy, engaged, and high performing as possible. Balancing the nuances of this gray area is one of the most challenging aspects of leadership and corporate culture.

Doing it well requires a customized blend of access to information, clear communication, leadership strategy, and employee engagement. The combination of these factors are important components of your unique corporate culture recipe.

Today’s episode brings up a topic that’s traditionally within the employees personal choice, but the health risk is important for companies to understand and mitigate. Similar to the challenges from smoking, excess drinking and drugs, or other unhealthy behaviours, companies that can engage, inform, and help guide healthier choices in employee populations will see outsized financial, operational, and corporate culture returns. 

This episode brings my background in Health Coaching and Performance to the forefront and combines it with the challenges facing companies, leaders, and the quest for improved workplace wellbeing.

I look forward to your thoughts and comments. I encourage you to reach out and engage in the conversation!  

What comes to mind when you think of a Corporate Board of Directors? Thankfully the vision of a bunch of old white dudes eating caviar and playing golf, is starting to fade…and the implications are massive

It’s no secret that the pace of change continues to accelerate. This rapid transformation is redefining how businesses and boards function. The role of modern boards has changed and they are playing a great role in corporate governance and ultimately business performance.

We are living in an exciting time that’s expanding the opportunity and potential for more people like you to make a positive impact on business and society.

Today, we talk about why joining a Board of Directors can be a great way to do that. Why it can be beneficial to add to your career plan, how to make it happen, and how to avoid some of the most common mistakes people make when trying to join a board.

What is potential?  As humans, how do we go about putting potential into action in our work and life?  These are big questions that businesses and leaders struggle with each day.  The good news is that the solutions can be quite simple and highly effective with a strategic shift in mindset and perspective. 

Today, we’re going to unpack potential and look at how individuals, teams, and organizations can harness it for transformative change.

My guest today is Pam August. And she knows a lot about the power of potential in people and businesses. Pam’s pedigree includes 14 years helping curate one of Canada’s most admired corporate cultures.  Pam guides organizations, teams, and leaders to unlock their potential for transformative results.

She’s a fierce champion for how developing people and culture enables strategic business success.  As Director of Culture Activation at WestJet, Pam spent over a decade proving and refining this business case.  Today, she’s a trusted partner for high performance organizations around the world through her firm, Connecting Potential. 

Pam is a sought after speaker, facilitator, and organization and relationship systems coach, with a Bachelor of Adult Education and a Master of Arts in Leadership.  Pam takes pleasure in solving tricky problems Listening deeply, learning always, and laughing a lot.

Remote work, hybrid work, and back to office orders. These topics are taking up a lot of bandwidth these days. A key part of this focus is because companies are still coming to terms with the massive workplace changes of the past few years. That has led to a mental health pandemic that doesn’t seem to be going away, and rising levels of stress and burnout in the workplace.

To shed some light on these challenges and solutions, I’m excited to have Dr. Laura Hambley Lovett on the show today. She’s a rockstar PhD and organizational psychologist who was researching remote work way back in 2003.

Dr. Laura is an Organizational Psychologist and expert on workplace psychology with a specialty on the future of work and career development. Her work passion is creating cultures where people stay and thrive, so that companies can attract top talent.

Dr. Laura has founded several psychology and consulting practices, including Canada Career Counselling in 2009, where registered psychologists help 1000s of Canadians navigate their career and workplace challenges, and support organizations with career transitions.

She holds a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Calgary, where she is currently an Adjunct Professor. Dr. Laura received a Canadian Women of Inspiration Award as a Global Influencer in 2018.