Happier At Work: Leadership, Culture, Performance

Are your people leaders equipped to inspire, engage, and retain your top talent?
In this solo episode of the Happier at Work podcast, Aoife O'Brien delves into the crucial role of people leaders and why so many organisations inadvertently set managers, and their teams up for failure. Drawing from her recent book launch and audience Q&A at Google in Dublin, Aoife unpacks the dangers of promoting high-performing individual contributors without providing them with essential leadership training. Backed by research and personal experience, she sheds light on the staggering hidden costs of untrained managers, from disengaged employees to sky-high attrition rates. She highlights effective strategies for building psychologically safe, high-performing teams within the Thriving Talent Framework and offers actionable insights on the three core skills every manager needs.
In This Episode, You’ll Discover:
The key driver of both employee turnover and disengagement at work.
The importance of psychological safety for thriving teams, enabling open dialogue, creativity, and resilience, even amidst change.
Why untrained managers are prone to inconsistency, micromanagement, and avoiding difficult conversations, behaviours that erode trust and culture.

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

Related Episodes You’ll Love:
Episode 297: Creating Space for Talent to Thrive
Episode 113: How to Handle a Bad Boss with Aoife O’Brien
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
Mentioned in this episode:
Thriving Talent book - out now
Book

In this week’s bonus episode, Aoife O’Brien reflects on her conversation with Mamie Kanfer Stewart all about meetings: Why so many of them fail, what that says about our leadership and culture, and how to start designing them with intention. If you've ever sat through a meeting thinking "I could be doing actual work right now," this one's for you.
Here are the key takeaways:
Bad meetings are a leadership problem, not just a time problem.
Meetings teach people about culture.
Every meeting needs a desired outcome.
Design around decisions, ownership, and next steps.
Question every recurring meeting.
Invite the right people, not everyone.
Being busy is not the same as being useful.

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

Connect with Mamie Kanfer Stewart | Founder of Meeteor, Author & Podcast Host:
Podcast
Website
LinkedIn
Instagram

Related Episodes You’ll Love:
Episode 259: How to make one-to-one meetings count at work
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
Mentioned in this episode:
Thriving Talent book - out now
Book

Are endless meetings draining your productivity?
In this episode of the Happier at Work podcast, Aoife O'Brien sits down with Mamie Kanfer Stewart, author of the acclaimed book "Momentum," to dive deep into the art and science of running effective meetings. Drawing from her unique experience growing up in a family business with vibrant, purposeful meetings and contrasting it with the all-too-common reality of "meeting overload," Mamie offers practical strategies to transform your organization’s meeting culture.
In This Episode, You’ll Discover:
Why so many meetings are ineffective, and how to challenge the status quo
The most common meeting mistake: defaulting to information-sharing sessions that could be an email, voice memo, or quick update
Strategies for defining a clear meeting goal or desired outcome before you send an invite
Understanding the meeting cycle: before, during, and after, and how to use each phase to include the right people at the right time

Related Topics Covered:
Mindset at Work, Communication at Work, Workplace Culture
Connect with Aoife O’Brien | Host of Happier at Work®:
Website
LinkedIn
YouTube

Connect with Mamie Kanfer Stewart | Founder of Meeteor, Author & Podcast Host:
Podcast
Website
LinkedIn
Instagram

Related Episodes You’ll Love:
Episode 259: How to make one-to-one meetings count at work
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
Mentioned in this episode:
Thriving Talent book - out now
Book

Are some people at work simply lazy, or is disengagement an organisational issue?
In this solo episode of the Happier at Work podcast, Aoife dives deep into the controversial topic of "quiet quitting" and whether workplace disengagement is a result of individual laziness or systemic challenges within organisations. Drawing from recent opinion pieces and the launch of the Thriving Talent book, Aoife questions long-held assumptions about employee motivation, ambition, and accountability, exploring how workplace environments, values, and leadership play pivotal roles in shaping people’s willingness to contribute.
In This Episode, You’ll Discover:
The importance of viewing disengagement as a systemic issue rather than placing blame solely on individuals.
The role of recognising and leveraging employees’ strengths to energise performance.
The need for regular accountability conversations and clarity of expectations.

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

Related Episodes You’ll Love:
Episode 297: Creating Space for Talent to Thrive
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
Mentioned in this episode:
Thriving Talent book - out now
Book

In this bonus episode of the The Happier at Work Podcast, host Aoife O’Brien reflects on her recent conversation with Leanne Elliott, unravelling the growing sense of overwhelm affecting both individuals and organisations.
Together, Aoife and Leanne explored practical ways to reduce stress, foster genuine connections, and build psychological safety at work, all while linking these priorities to commercial success and organisational values.
Here are the key takeaways:
How to manage overwhelm at work
The impact of organisational culture and psychological safety
Simple strategies for building healthy team relationships and fostering civility
The role of job crafting, understanding strengths, and the importance of recovery activities
The effect of AI and technology on workplace wellbeing
Practical steps for leaders to create thriving, high-performing teams and set boundaries that work
Why understanding your own workplace "vitals" leads to fulfillment and happiness at work

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

Connect with Leanne Elliott | Chartered Psychologist & Podcast Host:
Podcast
LinkedIn

Related Episodes You’ll Love:
234: From Overwhelm to Intentional Fulfillment with Cherylanne Skolnicki
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
Mentioned in this episode:
Thriving Talent book - out now
Book