In the Media
November 13, 2024
Article:
Vanishing act: the curious case of the burnt-out middle manager
Burnout tops the list of challenges facing managers in Australia, and that’s not just speculation — it’s backed by hard data.
August 28, 2024
Article:
Boss trend threatening thousands of Aussie workers: ‘Nowhere to hide’
The “Great Unbossing” trend, which involves reducing middle management roles, is affecting Australian workplaces. Experts warn that middle managers need to re-skill and adapt to new technologies, such as AI, to avoid redundancy. The trend is seen as a way to streamline corporate structures, especially in traditional and public sectors. The article suggests that middle managers should learn to use AI as a tool to enhance their roles rather than fear it.
July 15, 2024
Article:
‘The Great Unbossing’ is the Latest Trending Term Making the Rounds
Have you heard the latest workplace trend doing the rounds? No, it’s not the Great Resignation or Quiet Quitting; there’s a new corporate buzzword in town: the ‘Great Unbossing.’ Initially, I dismissed it as just another buzzword, but there’s a compelling reason why this trend merits attention.
July 9, 2023
Article:
Why it’s time to ‘reboss’ and embrace the B-suite
In the past few years, we’ve heard and seen it all: the “Great Resignation”, “quiet quitting”, and even the farcical “bare-minimum Mondays”. Just when it seemed the buzzword well had run dry, a new term has emerged: the “Great Unbossing”.
June 17, 2024
Article:
8 questions to ask to make sure you’re not about to be let go
A middle management expert argues that there are often steps workers can take to increase their job security.
March 28, 2024
Article:
Here’s exactly why most of us hate our manager.
Everyone has a ‘bad boss’ experience. You can recall one already, can’t you?
Well, I’ve been one. I’ve been managing people since I was 24 years old. I sucked at it, quit, then tried again later, sucked again, and quit again.
February 26, 2024
Podcast:
Rebecca Houghton: Shaping Leaders
Rebecca is the CEO of BoldHR. BoldHR is dedicated to building B-Suite leaders with C-Suite impact.
What does this mean? Quite simply helping middle managers become top performers, who can create impact and become far more effective in both mindset, strategy and execution.
February 22, 2024
Interview:
Unlocking HR’s impact: The power of data and benchmarking
HR has completed revolutionised their own brand in the last decade, and now has an (often overwhelming) opportunity for influence and impact. In this lively debate, Rebecca and Celeste Halliday discuss where the key leverage points and opportunities lie.
February 7, 2024
Article:
How empowering middle management can benefit all your employees
Uncover the transformative effects of empowering middle management in this insightful article. Learn how this approach can benefit all employees, making them more purposeful and motivated. Gain valuable insights into the positive impact on workplace dynamics and collective success.
January 17, 2024
Article:
How to ensure you’re not wasting your middle managers talents
Middle managers are often undervalued, but they play a critical role in solving organizational problems, retaining employees, and influencing workplace well-being. They excel in navigating the complexities of hybrid work, cost-cutting, and talent attraction. To maximize their impact, organizations should streamline responsibilities, provide role clarity, offer targeted leadership training, and reset the perception of middle management as a highly prized career destination.
December 27, 2023
Article:
The ultimate guide to what middle managers need in order to excel
Mid-level leadership expert Rebecca Houghton shares five shifts that will allow middle managers to advance their own professional development and become B-suite leaders with C-suite impact.
December 13, 2023
Article:
How Empowering Middle Management Can Improve Your Culture
In discussions about workplace culture, there’s a critical factor that often goes overlooked. While thousands of articles underscore the role of senior leadership in shaping culture, only a handful delve into the true powerhouse hidden in the middle ranks: middle management.
November 17, 2023
Article:
Middle management expert’s guide to keep managers engaged and happy
This middle management expert’s guide gives you the key strategies to foster engagement and happiness in staff.
October 25, 2023
Article:
Leading from the middle: the art of influence for managers
Middle managers, termed the B-Suite, often grapple with wielding influence effectively. Despite abundant online resources, the hunger for practical strategies persists. BoldHR’s approach emphasizes purposeful influence, dispelling misconceptions of manipulation. Understanding both personal and others’ goals is pivotal.
August 23, 2023
Article:
Employee Disconnect Is at an All Time High – Here’s What To Do
Employee disconnect is at an all-time high due to a misalignment between executive priorities and workforce expectations. This disconnect is exacerbated by outdated motivational strategies and undervalued factors like good coworkers and work-from-home options. The solution lies in better communication, engaging middle managers (the B-Suite), redefining their roles, and equipping them with the necessary tools and autonomy. Effective two-way communication, rather than top-down directives, is crucial for bridging this gap and ensuring organizational cohesion.
June 5, 2023
Article:
Why are leaders complaining about quiet quitting?
The labour market has been a veritable manufactory of so many new, cool phrases that I barely know where to start.
June 1, 2023
Interview:
Mastering the art of selling change across your organisation
Unlock actionable steps to secure widespread buy-in for transformative change across your business.
June 1, 2023
Interview:
The art and science of change management
Shaking up how things are done in an organisation can improve productivity and profitability, but it is vital to get everyone on board for the ride.
May 25, 2023
Article:
5 ways CEOs can empower their middle managers
For middle managers, appreciation and autonomy go a long way toward helping them drive company performance.
May 10, 2023
Article:
Why the employee/manager relationship is vital for performance
The most crucial relationships that exist in your organisation are with — and within — your B-suite.
April 21, 2023
PDF:
Employee Disconnect Is at an All-Time High— Here’s What to Do About It
Employers are out of touch with employee expectations. Well, stop the presses. I’m fairly sure that this has been going on since the Industrial Revolution.
April 21, 2023
Article:
Why middle-management power-play is not a bad thing
Mid-level leaders are increasingly becoming recognised as the ‘power centre’ of organisational culture and performance.
April 20, 2023
Interview:
If your top-tier executives are burned out, stressed or disengaged, then your leaders will be too,
April 11, 2023
Interview:
Why you should be supporting middle managers
Understanding the value of the middle manager and easing the stress they may be feeling is important because, without them, the business can suffer.
March 22, 2023
Article:
Why ‘One Size Fits All’ Management Is A Thing Of The Past
Mastering the Art of Leadership: Balancing Authenticity and Adaptability for Success in Today’s Workplace
March 10, 2023
Article:
The ‘B Suite’ is most at risk of burnout: here’s what you can do to stop it
Middle management is in trouble. These leaders (I refer to them as the B-Suite) are typically too senior for training but too junior for executive coaching.
February 20, 2023
Article:
Building relationships with senior colleagues
Learning to communicate with people in more senior positions is vital to career growth.
February 10, 2023
Article:
Why A Radical Rethink Is Required To Ensure Sustainable Retention Strategies
We’re in the middle of a period of talent mobility that most leaders have never experienced. 1.3 million Australians changed jobs in February 2022 – the highest in over a decade.
February 7, 2023
Article:
Employee disconnect is at an all time high – here’s what to do
Engage them. Refine their roles. Equip and empower them.
February 1, 2023
Interview:
How Gen Z refashioned a new “business casual”
What signifies a “casual” or “professional” dress code, and can clothes really influence how knowledge workers get the job done or advance their career progress?
January 2023
PDF:
One-size management doesn’t fit all
Today’s leaders can’t rely on one style, they must identify which approach will work best in any given situation – all while staying true to themselves.
December 15, 2022
Interview:
The basics of being a better manager
Managing people has never been an easy task and is probably harder than ever before.
Having to put aside your own personal biases and beliefs to objectively assess an individual or situation is difficult to do on the best of days, let alone if you are feeling under pressure through normal work-related stress.
July 5, 2022
Article:
What does employee empowerment really mean?
Empowerment is not just delegation (which is really the act of acting on your behalf), nor is it working with you on something (that’s collaboration), nor being supervised (that’s training), nor being told to own your decisions (that’s accountability).
June 28, 2022
Article:
Why it’s up to leaders to reconnect the disconnect
At the end of 2021, BoldHRTM conducted two polls to gauge the sentiment of professionals on the biggest talent priorities facing business in 2022.
Conducted in partnership with Maxxia, 300+ HR Leaders responded that the great resignation followed by staff wellbeing were their greatest priorities. The same question put to 850 workers, showed that staff wellbeing followed by return to office tensions were their two biggest priorities for 2022.
June 8, 2022
Article:
Why the great resignation can be stopped with a great conversation
Everyone who knows me, knows I reject ‘The Great Resignation’ – it’s a million-dollar catch-phrase, but it’s quite dangerously misleading.
June 6, 2022
Article:
How to set better boundaries at work
Are you strugglingto set boundaries? The vast majority of us are, because most of us are people pleasers – we’ve been trained since childhood to be.
June 6, 2022
Article:
Three ways to reconnect a hybrid workforce
A client of mine recently returned to the office voluntarily, she had missed the connection of working from home five days a week. Her experience went like this: ‘The office was half empty, almost all my meetings were online, and when I was free everyone else was in meetings – either behind closed doors or on their headphones, so I didn’t get to reconnect at all.
June 6, 2022
Article:
Five ways to set boundaries to prevent burnout
Are you struggling to set boundaries? Are you saying yes to things you should say no to? Putting in long hours ‘just this once’, but all the time? Feeling that people take you for granted or even take advantage? Then there’s a chance that you’re not setting boundaries – and as a result you could be heading for burnout.
June 1, 2022
Interview:
The new age of the middle manager
The reality is, a properly trained, high-performing middle manager is essential to keeping the wheels turning and the team on track.
They can drive engagement, improve productivity and reduce the amount of burnout across the organisation, argues Rebecca Houghton, organisational expert and founder of BoldHR™
June 1, 2022
Article:
How to control your diary before it controls you
- Controlling the pace of work has become an essential skill for anyone at work today.
- Being busy is an unconscious badge of honour for most people.
- The reason that our diary controls us rather than the other way around is because we let it.
May 30, 2022
Article:
Why work arguments are a good thing
We argue a lot more than we realise. Whether it’s about vaccines, remote work, war or politics the human race argues about everything – just look at comment threads on Twitter or Facebook for proof.
May 1, 2022
Interviewer:
See something, say something: prevent toxic behaviour at work
Toxic workplace behaviour can cause significant damage to employee morale and to a company’s reputation. Here’s how leaders can dismantle a culture of silence.
April 22, 2022
Article:
How to be strategic without slowing down
Ask any C-Suite leader how often they get to focus on the ‘The Strategy’ and they’ll tell you about 5-10 days a year. Ask them how often they are being strategic and they’ll look at you funny – it’s every minute of every day.
April 15, 2022
Article:
7 ways to get your boss to help build your brand
Your personal brand is like your reputation – it’s what people say about you when you’re not in the room. But what if you are never ‘in the room’ and people don’t talk about you because they don’t know you exist? How do you raise your reputation and get noticed regardless, and importantly, how do you do it and keep your boss on side?
April 4, 2022
Article:
In the world of talent and careers, we’ve not had a catch-phrase as snappy as ‘The Great Resignation” since “The War for Talent” was invented in 1997! And just the like the War for Talent, it’s already overused, inaccurate and amounting to fear-mongering.
March 25, 2022
Article:
The 3 principles to level up your leadership
Mid-level leadership is tough. It was tough in 2018, when the international Ahlvik study proved that mid-level leaders experience stress and burnout rates far beyond those of their boss or their teams.
March 24, 2022
Interview:
How HR leaders can build resilience in the ‘B-suite’
The strain of the global pandemic has well and truly taken its toll on the workforce. Yes, returning to the office will be ‘heaven’ for some, to escape the cramped living conditions and working on the kitchen table, but the reality is no matter what your work or personal situation, 2020 and 2021 have been two very long years, resulting in significant suffering in mental and physical health for a lot of people.
March 13, 2022
Article:
The key to re-building confidence in leadership in 2022
Even the most progressive organisations are struggling to develop the impact of their midlevel leaders – their B-Suite – at the moment.
March 1, 2022
Interview:
Whats driving mass exodus workplaces?
Leadership expert Rebecca Houghton, founder of BoldHR, says she has already seen an uptick in resignations. “After almost two years of lockdown, there are quite a lot of people who are willing to take three months off. The proportion of people who are going to nothing else is really high.”
December 17, 2021
Article:
The reason leadership development isn’t working
As Simon Sinek writes in Start with Why, ‘Some in management positions operate as if they are in a tree of monkeys. They make sure that everyone at the top of the tree looking down sees only smiles. But all too often, those at the bottom looking up see only asses’.
December 8, 2021
Interview:
How to have difficult conversations at work
With end-of-year performance reviews underway, many managers are preparing for conversations with team members. Not all of these will be easy or pleasant. We asked experts for practical tips on how to best approach difficult conversations and use them to effect positive change.
December 3, 2021
Article:
Why Fear can be a (good) leaders best friend
Leadership can be lonely. It can also be unrelenting and thankless. But at the moment it can also be fearful.
December 1, 2021
Article:
Let’s Talk: How to find and keep great staff
As SMEs recover from the disruption of COVID-19, the Great Resignation is far more than HR jargon; the current lack of skilled workers is a serious impediment to consolidation and growth.
December 2021
PDF:
Why collaboration is harder than it sounds
Did you know there’s two definitions of collaboration in the Oxford dictionary?
November 18, 2021
Podcast:
Episode 163 | Impact: 10 Ways To Level Up Your Leadership | Rebecca Houghton
Finally someone has written a book aimed directly at middle managers.
November 17, 2021
Article:
How to be a middle manager with greater impact
I remember, with stark clarity, when I realised how to level up my leadership – how to be more consistently confident, strategic and have a greater impact. I was working at one of the world’s largest international health funds, and my boss had just told me I didn’t have a strategic bone in my body.
November 15, 2021
Article:
How to set better boundaries at work
Are you struggling to set boundaries? The vast majority of us are, because most of us are people pleasers – we’ve been trained since childhood to be.
November 2021
PDF:
The pathways and pressure-points of influence
First – be purposeful about what YOU want. Without purpose, influence is pointless.
November 2021
PDF:
What really motivates employees?
I often hear clients ask how they can motivate their employees. I think we are looking at employee motivation from the wrong end of the telescope.
October 28, 2021
Article:
The simple trick to a winning business case
The ability to ace a business case is a crucial skill in the toolkit of leaders in today’s world of work; yet it’s something that leaders typically have no exposure to until suddenly it’s a high-stakes, must-not-fail case.
October 19, 2021
Interview:
How Companies Identify Talent with Rebecca Houghton of BoldHR™ & Kage Spatz
October 19, 2021
Article:
How To Make Work Arguments Work
Imagine never disagreeing at work. Sounds like bliss, but in fact it would be a disaster. You’d never challenge yourself, stretch yourself, innovate your solutions or take alternative approaches.
October 16, 2021
Article:
The pathways and pressure-points of influence
There is a plethora of information out there about how to influence – and yet, according to our research, influence is still one of the top three most sought-after traits by leaders looking to develop their impact.
October 12, 2021
Podcast:
EP 79 – Rebecca Houghton on How to Level up as a B-Suite Leader
Rebecca earned her stripes leading large teams in complex organisations and built quite a reputation for doing business differently. Today, she is among Australia’s leading Talent and Leadership coaches and facilitators – helping leaders and their teams work.
October 8, 2021
Article:
Turn being stuck in a lift with the boss to your advantage
Finding yourself in an elevator with the chief executive can be awkward, but also it’s an opportunity.
October 7, 2021
Article:
What to do in the first 90 days of a new job to cue success
When starting new role, workers can get set for success by making the most of their 90 days.
October 7, 2021
Article:
Why power-play is not a bad thing
For many, this illusion of authority is incredibly frustrating. Yet these ‘B-Suite’ leaders routinely underestimate their own power and because they don’t believe they have it, they fail to exert it and miss out on having more impact as a result.
September 27, 2021
Article:
What really motivates employees?
I often hear clients ask ‘how do we motivate our employees’. I think we are looking at employee motivation from the wrong end of the telescope.
September 23, 2021
Article:
Here’s how to get noticed as a middle manager
Seventy-seven per cent of organisations still report a leadership gap, which is growing fast and this leadership gap is the home of the ‘B-Suite’ – the high performing middle manager.
September 5, 2021
Article:
Why your first 90 days in the job are important
We have all heard of a 90-day plan, but how many of us have ever actually done one? asks Rebecca Houghton.
August 30, 2021
Book review:
IMPACT: 10 ways to level up your leadership reviewed by Public Service News
Rebecca Houghton draws on extensive experience to provide a practical guide to raise your leadership. She is a leading advocate of the importance of modern B-Suite leadership – middle managers who can lead from the middle in today’s complex, fast-paced and paradoxical world of work. They are the ‘glue that holds organisations together, translating strategy into action and creating high performing workforces’.
August 18, 2021
Interview:
How many job interviews are too many?
An applicant had gone through three interviews when he was asked to attend six more. At that point, he backed out of the race. HRM unpacks how too many job interviews could backfire on your company.
August 13, 2021
Article:
The importance of negotiation in mid-level leadership
Far from the laughed-about middle manager of last decade, those that can lead from the middle – the B-Suite – are fast becoming invaluable. They turn strategy into reality and act as an essential translator between the C-Suite and the workforce.
August 6, 2021
Interview:
How to get more out of your day
Most finance brokers would agree that time is a precious commodity. When it comes to the mortgage industry, time is crucial – not only for clients awaiting settlement, but for brokers working long and busy days to line up the best finance options for their customers.
August 1, 2021
Article:
How the C-suite is instrumental in developing future executives
- The lustre of leadership has worn off a majority to aspiring to a management role.
- Burnout, a lack of interest in promotion, and a shortage of suitable experience is creating a succession planning crisis.
- This article outlines how what can the C-suite do about it?
August 2021
PDF:
How the C-suite is Instrumental in Developing Future Executives
Middle managers are increasingly the fulcrum upon which corporate performance balances — they are the interchange between strategy and execution and between workforce and leadership.
July 12, 2021
Interview:
Performance reviews: getting them right
If you’ve been talking throughout the year about what is and is not working, there should be no major surprises at this point. – Rebecca Houghton, CEO, BoldHR™
July 1, 2021
Interview:
How to quit your job and keep your reputation
If you are contemplating a career move, it is a good idea to start laying the groundwork, says leadership and HR specialist Rebecca Houghton.
July 2021
PDF:
Parting ways: How to be a good quitter
Some people choose to go out with a bang, making a big exit from a job they may have been unhappy in without so much as a backward glance.
July 2021
PDF:
If you’ve been talking throughout the year about what is and is not working, there should be no major surpirises at this point.
June 26, 2021
PDF:
We’re all too busy, but there are ways you can manage your day. Story by Rebecca Houghton.
June 26, 2021
Interview:
Four tips for successfully onboarding a remote employee
Working virtually shouldn’t mean your process for onboarding a remote employee is compromised. Here’s how to make virtual onboarding a success.
June 26, 2021
Interview:
How to manage your diary, and your time
We’re all too busy, but there are ways you can manage your time.
June 25, 2021
PDF:
Five steps to manage your diary, and your time
Controlling the pace of work has become an essential skill for anyone.
June 19, 2021
Podcast:
Are you a Middle Manager? How to make more Impact with Rebecca Houghton?
B-Suite leaders are today’s middle managers, the glue that holds organizations together, translating strategy into action and creating high-performing workforces. Yet the B-Suite is stretched thin. They are too junior to be ‘in the room’, yet senior enough to be looked up to by their team.
June 16, 2021
Interview:
How to reject an unsuccessful candidate but keep them on side
Rebecca Houghton, founder of BoldHR™, abides by a rule of thumb which requires the level of feedback to be commensurate with the level of effort (i.e., how far they are down the process).
June 9, 2021
Interview:
Making common-sense management common again
For many companies, the answer to complexity is to add more reporting lines and processes. See why this puts common-sense management at risk.
May 26, 2021
Interview:
Pet owners demand workplace sick leave and leave to welcome new family members
“Pet parenting is very similar to parenting. It’s a huge responsibility. And like people, pets need love, care and attention.”
May 26, 2021
PDF:
Why a new petition demands workplace leave entitlements for pet owners
“Love, care and grief – the feeling, responsibility and devastation that is associated with personal caregiving, be that to a parent, child or pet, should all be treated the same way.” Rebecca Houghton says.
May 26, 2021
Comment:
PetCulture petition demands workplace leave entitlements for pet owners
Australian pet owners want workplaces to implement pet policies and acknowledgment similar to what parents of children receive.
May 16, 2021
Article:
Confidence is a sly fox but she can be tamed
Confidence is that sly fox of an inner voice that sometimes to undermine us.
May 10, 2021
Commentary:
How the C-suite can deliver high impact leadership through guiding their B-Suite
The forces that are shaping and reshaping our corporate landscape – technology, competition, geopolitics and demographics – are continuously changing, and are more volatile and disruptive than ever.
May 4, 2021
Article:
How organisations can build B-Suite leaders with C-Suite Impact™
The C-suite are chiefs of their domains, responsible for leading a business and its respective departments and, as such, are the most powerful figures in the company.
May 2021
PDF:
10 ways to level up your leadership
The biggets space that leadership programs are failing is middle management.
April 29, 2021
PDF:
There are three things you can do to make the hours you spend working really count.
April 29, 2021
Article:
Why Leadership Development Isn’t Working
Leadership development outcomes, methods and competencies all need addressing to meet the needs of new business and new leadership.
April 16, 2021
Interview:
This office worker is about to become more vital to Aussie workplaces
Your colleague from the HR department will likely have a greater say in the future of your organisation post-COVID, according to new research.
April 14, 2021
Article:
10 Ways To Level Up Your Leadership
The biggest space that leadership programs are failing is middle management. Far from the laughed-about middle manager of last decade, those that can lead from the middle – the B-Suite – are fast becoming invaluable.
April 13, 2021
Article:
Why we need to lead like Sherlock Holmes
We know that the challenge of leadership has shifted in the last few years to a greater state of uncertainty, ambiguity, and changeability than we have ever seen.
April 5, 2021
Article:
As if you didn’t already know, but your relationship with your boss is one of the things that most impact your satisfaction – and your career prospects, writes Rebecca Houghton.
March 24, 2021
Article:
C Suite executive or B Suite manager? How to stop work overload
Do a lot more with a lot less, stretched paper-thin and barely balancing the chaos is a typical day in the office.
March 24, 2021
Article:
Let’s Talk: How can you drive motivation and teamwork among staff?
With hybrid workplaces increasingly commonplace, business leaders are having to rejig their approach with staff, particularly when it comes to promoting motivation and teamwork.
