We’re back after a mini hiatus, answering your questions.

First up, is there a growing trend of senior people being iced out at work until they eventually resign rather than being made redundant?

We look at why companies might do it, the complexity of Australia’s industrial relations system, why good employee protections can still become overly complicated, and why some senior leaders would rather slowly exclude someone than have an honest and difficult conversation.

More importantly, how do you know when it’s happening to you?

We break down three places to look for the warning signs: below you, beside you and above you. Are your team hiding information? Have your peers stopped asking for your opinion? Are senior leaders making important decisions without you?

Because sometimes you don’t need to be told you’re being iced out. The behaviour around you is already telling you.

Then we tackle a brilliant question, what do you do when your career has no direction because you haven’t taken responsibility for it?

Our answer is somewhere different.

Before asking how to take control of your career, work out what you actually want from it.

What does work mean to you? How important is ambition? What are you good at? What kind of life are you trying to build? And perhaps most importantly, are you even on the right ladder?

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to reach the top. There’s also nothing wrong with deciding work simply funds the life you actually care about.

The problem is never making the decision at all.

In Short:

• Getting iced out at work
• Australian IR
• Difficult conversations
• Career drift
• Ambition
• Finding direction
• Figuring out whether you’re climbing the right ladder in the first place.

Find us here:

Digital Resources: Therackycunninghamcollective.com

Instagram: @letsjuststartpodcast

Tiktok: @letsjuststartpodcast

Youtube: @LetsJustStartPodcast

Laura Insta: @laura.racky

Laura Tiktok: @lauraracky

Christian Insta: @leaderbiltacademy

Christian Tiktok: @leaderbilt

Leadership training and coaching: Leaderbilt.co

Marriage is not just about finding the right person.

It is also about having the conversations that most couples assume they will 'work out later'.

In this episode, we talk through six areas that couples should discuss before marriage, before children, and then revisit as life changes:

• Money
• Kids and parenting
• Day-to-day life
• Ambitions and dreams
• Values
• Extended family

How much do you want to save?

What kind of life are you actually trying to build?

Do you want children?

What does parenting look like when both people work?

Whose career takes priority when opportunities collide?

How involved will extended family be?

What are the values you simply will not compromise on?

The point is not that couples need identical answers.

The point is that resentment grows when expectations remain unspoken.

We talk about the assumptions people carry into relationships from childhood, traditional roles, money fears, family dynamics and previous experiences, and why some of the most important conversations in a marriage are MISALIGNMENTS in expectations.

Because it is much better to have the difficult conversation six years before the problem arrives than six weeks after.

In Short:

Marriage maxxing.

Money, parenting, careers, ambition, lifestyle, values, extended family, resentment, expectations and the conversations that make a relationship stronger before life puts it under pressure.

Find us here:

Digital Resources: Therackycunninghamcollective.com

Instagram: @letsjuststartpodcast

Tiktok: @letsjuststartpodcast

Youtube: @LetsJustStartPodcast

Laura Insta: @laura.racky

Laura Tiktok: @lauraracky

Christian Insta: @leaderbiltacademy

Christian Tiktok: @leaderbilt

Leadership training and coaching: Leaderbilt.co

Nobody cares about your career as much as you do.

That might sound harsh, but it's one of the most empowering lessons you can learn.

In this episode we discuss why so many people spend years working hard without ever clearly defining what success in their role actually looks like.

• If your company hasn't set meaningful KPIs, how do you know whether you're succeeding?
• How do you demonstrate your value?
• How do you build a case for a pay rise or promotion?

Waiting for someone else to create the framework is often a mistake, and taking ownership of your own performance can completely change the trajectory of your career.

We then tackle one of the trickiest workplace situations of all: reporting to a weak leader.

Not every poor manager is the same, some are simply inexperienced or overwhelmed. Others are political, self-serving or willing to protect themselves at your expense.

Understanding the difference dictates how you will approach.

We discuss how to build influence, protect your reputation, navigate organisational politics and make decisions that keep your career moving forward, even when your manager isn't.

Career maxxing, building your own KPIs, negotiating promotions, identifying weak leadership and taking responsibility for your own career progression.

In short:

• Career maxxing
• Why most companies don't define success well
• Building your own KPIs
• Creating meaningful performance measures
• Demonstrating your value
• Preparing for pay rise conversations
• Promotions and career progression
• Weak managers versus dangerous managers
• Building influence outside your reporting line
• Organisational politics
• Protecting your reputation
• Paper trails and accountability
• Long-term career strategy

Find us here:

Digital Resources: Therackycunninghamcollective.com

Instagram: @letsjuststartpodcast

Tiktok: @letsjuststartpodcast

Youtube: @LetsJustStartPodcast

Laura Insta: @laura.racky

Laura Tiktok: @lauraracky

Christian Insta: @leaderbiltacademy

Christian Tiktok: @leaderbilt

Leadership training and coaching: Leaderbilt.co