Happier At Work: Leadership, Culture, Performance

Do you want to redesign work around people, purpose, and better outcomes?
In this episode of the Happier at Work podcast, recorded live at the Unleash conference in Paris, Aoife spoke to the incredible KeyAnna Schmiedl of Workhuman. Together, they explore the future of work, artificial intelligence, leadership, and what it really takes to make work better.
Rather than starting with the latest AI tool, they focus on identifying the problems people experience at work and finding the right technology to support meaningful solutions.
In This Episode, You’ll Discover:
Why AI adoption must start with people and the problems they’re trying to solve.
The importance of redesigning work around outcomes rather than tasks.
How leaders can move from having all the answers to asking the right questions.
Why organisations need to care about how results are achieved, not only the results themselves.

Related Topics Covered:
AI at Work, Capabilities, Workplace Contribution
Connect with Aoife O’Brien | Host of Happier at Work®:
Website
LinkedIn
YouTube

Connect with KeyAnna Schmiedl | Chief Human Experience Officer at Workhuman:
Website
LinkedIn

Episodes You’ll Love:
Episode 251: How I Use AI in my Business and Personal Life with Aoife O’Brien
Episode 312: Maximsing AI Productivity with Rebecca Hinds
Episode 321: Redesigning Work in The Age of AI
About Happier at Work®
Happier at Work® is the podcast for business leaders who want to create meaningful, human-centric workplaces. Hosted by Aoife O’Brien, the show explores leadership, career clarity, imposter syndrome, workplace culture, and employee engagement — helping you and your team thrive.
If you enjoy podcasts like WorkLife with Adam Grant, The Happiness Lab, or Squiggly Careers, you’ll love Happier at Work®.
Join Aoife O’Brien for weekly insights on leadership, workplace culture, career clarity, imposter syndrome, and creating work that works for you.
Editing by Amanda Fitzgerald.
Website: https://happieratwork.ie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoifemobrien/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappierAtWorkHQ

How do you build trust at work, and what behaviours might be quietly eroding it?
In this solo episode of the Happier at Work podcast, Aoife O'Brien explores the foundations of trust in the workplace and why trust between individuals deserves more attention. She distinguishes trust from psychological safety and examines how people’s different starting points, experiences, and expectations shape the way they decide whether someone is trustworthy.
In This Episode, You’ll Discover:
Why people have different default levels of trust.
The three foundations of workplace trust: ability, benevolence, and integrity.
How capability and context influence whether someone can be trusted to deliver.
Why good intentions aren’t enough if your behaviour doesn’t demonstrate care for others.

Related Topics Covered:
Capabilities, Personal Development, Relationships at Work
Connect with Aoife O’Brien | Host of Happier at Work®:
Website
LinkedIn
YouTube

Related Episodes & Resources:
Episode 279: Trust & High Performance at Work
Episode 218: How Can You Improve Happiness & Trust at Work with Matt Phelan
About Happier at Work®
Happier at Work® is the podcast for business leaders who want to create meaningful, human-centric workplaces. Hosted by Aoife O’Brien, the show explores leadership, career clarity, imposter syndrome, workplace culture, and employee engagement — helping you and your team thrive.
If you enjoy podcasts like WorkLife with Adam Grant, The Happiness Lab, or Squiggly Careers, you’ll love Happier at Work®.
Editing by Amanda Fitzgerald.
Website: https://happieratwork.ie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoifemobrien/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappierAtWorkHQ

In this bonus episode, Aoife shares her key takeaways from her conversation with Jeff Wetzler about genuine curiosity and psychological safety at work. It works as a refresher if you've heard the full episode, and as a nudge to put the ideas into practice.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
Why applying pressure when someone hasn't done what you expected tends to backfire, and why genuine curiosity works better
What gets in the way of curiosity: fear of the answer, time pressure, and the threat response triggered in high-stakes moments
Step 1: Build genuine curiosity.
Step 2: Create psychological safety.
Step 3: Ask high-quality questions.
Step 4: Listen.
Step 5: Close the loop.

Connect with Aoife O’Brien | Host of Happier at Work®:
Website
LinkedIn
YouTube

Connect with Jeff Wetzler | Author and Human Potential & Learning Expert:
Website
Podcast
Jeff’s Books
LinkedIn

Episodes You’ll Love:
Episode 316: Mastering Your Inner Narrative with Owen Fitzpatrick
Episode 228: Fostering Genuine Curiosity and Building Trust at Work with Julie Pham
Episode 296: Learning in The Age of AI with Damon Lembi
About Happier at Work
Happier at Work is the podcast for business leaders who want to create meaningful, human-centric workplaces. Hosted by Aoife O’Brien, the show explores leadership, career clarity, imposter syndrome, workplace culture, and employee engagement — helping you and your team thrive.
If you enjoy podcasts like WorkLife with Adam Grant, The Happiness Lab, or Squiggly Careers, you’ll love Happier at Work.
Join Aoife O’Brien for weekly insights on leadership, workplace culture, career clarity, imposter syndrome, and creating work that works for you.
Editing by Amanda Fitzgerald.
Website: https://happieratwork.ie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoifemobrien/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappierAtWorkHQ

How can leaders create enough psychological safety for people to share what they really think?
In the latest episode of the Happier at Work podcast, Jeff Wetzler, author of ‘Ask: Tap into the Hidden Wisdom of People Around You’, explains how curiosity, thoughtful questions, and active listening can help leaders access the collective intelligence within their teams and organisations.
In This Episode, You’ll Discover:
Why genuine curiosity starts with asking, “What can I learn here?” rather than focusing on what you want someone else to do.
How leaders can create psychological safety by acknowledging the power of their position and choosing contexts where people feel more comfortable speaking honestly.
The importance of opening up first, explaining why you’re asking, and showing that you can handle difficult feedback.
Why frontline workers often hold valuable knowledge about customers, patients, processes, and organisational challenges.
How the quality of a question determines the quality of the information you receive.

Related Topics Covered:
Psychological Safety, Building Trust at Work
Connect with Aoife O’Brien | Host of Happier at Work®:
Website
LinkedIn
YouTube

Connect with Jeff Wetzler | Author and Human Potential & Learning Expert:
Website
Podcast
Jeff’s Books
LinkedIn

Episodes You’ll Love:
Episode 316: Mastering Your Inner Narrative with Owen Fitzpatrick
Episode 228: Fostering Genuine Curiosity and Building Trust at Work with Julie Pham
Episode 296: Learning in The Age of AI with Damon Lembi
About Happier at Work®
Happier at Work® is the podcast for business leaders who want to create meaningful, human-centric workplaces. Hosted by Aoife O’Brien, the show explores leadership, career clarity, imposter syndrome, workplace culture, and employee engagement — helping you and your team thrive.
If you enjoy podcasts like WorkLife with Adam Grant, The Happiness Lab, or Squiggly Careers, you’ll love Happier at Work®.
Join Aoife O’Brien for weekly insights on leadership, workplace culture, career clarity, imposter syndrome, and creating work that works for you.
Editing by Amanda Fitzgerald.
Website: https://happieratwork.ie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoifemobrien/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappierAtWorkHQ

Are you sure someone is underperforming, or are you missing what’s preventing them from doing their best?
In this solo episode of the Happier at Work podcast, Aoife O'Brien explores the assumption that people are doing their best and what it changes for leaders. Rather than quickly labelling someone as lazy, difficult, unmotivated, or incapable, she encourages you to look more closely at capability, role fit, expectations, resources, psychological safety, workload, and your own contribution to the situation.
In This Episode, You’ll Discover:
Why assuming people are doing their best helps leaders look beyond quick judgments.
The role of capability, including skills, knowledge, experience, strengths, and confidence.
How a mismatch between someone’s strengths and their role can affect performance.
The importance of clear expectations, appropriate autonomy, resources, support, and psychological safety.

Related Topics Covered:
Personal Development, Psychological Safety, Capabilities at Work
Connect with Aoife O’Brien | Host of Happier at Work®:
Website
LinkedIn
YouTube

Related Episodes & Resources:
Episode 289: Leadership Choices that Define your Culture
Episode 295: From Individual Strengths to Team Capability
Episode 297: Creating Space for Talent to Thrive
Episode 315: Imposter Syndrome: Why Confidence ≠ Capability
About Happier at Work®
Happier at Work® is the podcast for business leaders who want to create meaningful, human-centric workplaces. Hosted by Aoife O’Brien, the show explores leadership, career clarity, imposter syndrome, workplace culture, and employee engagement — helping you and your team thrive.
If you enjoy podcasts like WorkLife with Adam Grant, The Happiness Lab, or Squiggly Careers, you’ll love Happier at Work®.
Editing by Amanda Fitzgerald.
Website: https://happieratwork.ie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoifemobrien/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappierAtWorkHQ