The Latest from Kristy-Lee

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...

Working from home, it became the new norm for a while, and then the big employers decided returning to the office was in order for the majority of their staff.

Just when many employers thought they'd settled into a new normal with hybrid work, a landmark decision from the Fair Work Commission has shaken things up.

And if you manage a team or run a business, it’s time to pay attention.

This case has made headlines for good reason. It's the first of its kind since major updates to the Fair Work Act came into effect, and it's already sending a very clear message to employers: blanket return-to-office mandates won’t cut it anymore.

Let’s break down what actually happened, why it matters, and what you need to know now.

The Westpac Case: What Happened?

A long-serving Westpac employee, with 23 years under her belt, had been working from home successfully since 2017, well before the pandemic made remote work mainstream. She was also the primary carer of two young children ...

 Hello and welcome to Episode 308 of The People Powered Business Podcast.

Today we’re digging into the vault and rereleasing one of our most popular episodes, back from late 2020.

Today we are taking a look at the other side of employee engagement. We have spoken a few times on the podcast about employee engagement, what it is, why it’s important and how you can improve it.

However, we haven’t before spoken about how to identify a disengaged employee and what you need to look out for. Today we take a detailed look at 7 key signs that your employee may be disengaged.

Specifically we discuss:

• Changes in behaviour and routine;
• Withdrawal from social connections at work;
• Employees becoming distracted and losing focus at work;
• Missing deadlines and work quality starting to slip;
• The importance if you notice a change in their demeanour;
• Communication becoming frustrating or non existent;
• The rise in absenteeism.

An Invitation:

If you’d like to book a 15 minute clarity cal...

As we head into a new year, it’s the perfect time to pause, reflect and reset how you're leading your team. If you’ve been feeling stuck in reactive mode, constantly solving problems or wondering why your team isn’t quite hitting the mark, this is your opportunity to do things differently.

You don’t need a full business overhaul to shift the dial. Sometimes, it’s about starting small with a few key actions that have big impact. This simple framework of stop, keep, start is a brilliant place to begin.

In this third and final part of the series, we're looking at what to start doing when it comes to your team in 2026. These aren’t surface-level tactics, they’re practical moves designed to help you lead more effectively, create more autonomy in your team, and take a few things off your plate without letting performance slip.

Let’s dive in.

#1: Start Building Leadership Skills and Layers

One of the biggest roadblocks in growing businesses is that everything still runs throu...