Relationships at Work - a trust-driven leadership podcast

Most organizations talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion at the executive level — or delegate it to HR.

But that’s not where DEI actually succeeds or fails.

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel speaks with Jonathan Njus about why middle managers are the real linchpin of DEI efforts — and why so many initiatives stall once they reach the middle of the organization.

Jonathan breaks down:

• Why middle managers quietly ...

Every leader has power—whether they acknowledge it or not.

In this solo mini-episode of Relationships at Work, host Russel Lolacher explores the often-overlooked reality of leadership influence and how even small words, actions, or moments of absence can leave a lasting imprint on people at work.

Drawing from real leadership experiences and patterns he’s seen across hundreds of conversations, Russel breaks down why leadership impact ...

Most people can spot dysfunction at work.

Bad bosses. Endless emergencies. Burnout masquerading as productivity.

But the harder question is this: what role do we play in it?

In this episode of Relationships at Work, author and executive leader Eric Charran joins Russel Lolacher to unpack how dysfunctional workplaces actually take hold — and why self-assessment is often the missing step in breaking the cycle.

They explore how leaders re...

What happens when doing your job quietly turns into managing your boss’s ego?

In this Relationships at Work mini-episode, Russel Lolacher unpacks the real damage caused by bootlicking cultures — where praise is safer than honesty, silence is rewarded over truth, and employees spend more energy protecting leaders than improving the work.

Through a simple story and clear leadership reflections, this episode explores how fear-based lead...

Most leaders mean well.
 That doesn’t mean the impact lands well.

In this episode of Relationships at Work, leadership coach and author Dr. Joel Pérez draws on insights from his book Dear White Leader to unpack why good intentions often fall apart at work — and what leaders miss about power, identity, and impact.

A grounded conversation about how leadership actually shows up, especially when culture, trust, and accountability are...

Employee retention isn’t built with perks, programs, or forced fun.

It’s built in the moments where leaders choose to listen, trust, and let teams be themselves.

In this mini-episode of Relationships at Work, Russel Lolacher shares a simple Christmas decorating story that explains why his team stayed together for nearly 12 years — and why high retention is never an accident or a “unicorn.”

This episode breaks down:

• Why autonomy mat...

Influence gets thrown around like a leadership buzzword — but most people misunderstand what it actually is. It’s not authority. It’s not persuasion. And it’s definitely not performance.

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel sits down with author and former CIO Brad Englert to unpack the real mechanics of influence inside organizations — the kind that builds trust, shifts culture, and turns critics into advocates.

Brad sha...

It’s easy to blame a leader. They’re visible. They’re the face of decisions. They’re the ones we point to when work feels confusing, frustrating, or overwhelming.

But what if the problem isn’t just the leader—what if it’s the system that shaped them?

In this mini-episode of Relationships at Work, host Russel Lolacher breaks down the real reason so many leaders struggle: they were never given the clarity, tools, or support to lead wel...

We talk a lot about mental health and physical wellbeing at work — but almost never about the part of ourselves that drives meaning, connection, energy, and authenticity.
 Enter soul health.

In this episode of Relationships at Work, founder and CEO of Quantum Sense Pam Buchanan joins me to unpack why so many employees still feel unseen and unfulfilled, even in workplaces overflowing with perks. We explore why leaders default to ...

Too many workplaces use “leader” and “manager” interchangeably — and it’s hurting their people and their culture. In this solo episode, Relationships at Work host Russel Lolacher explains the real difference between leadership and management and why misunderstanding the two leads to frustration, disengagement, and poor decision-making.

Russel explores how:

• Leadership focuses on people, growth, and purpose
• Management focuses on tas...

Most leaders treat development like a checkbox — a course, a conference, an annual review.
 But what if the real key to growth and retention isn’t an event… but a relationship?

In this episode of Relationships at Work, Russel sits down with leadership and career development expert Julie Winkle Giulioni to rethink how growth actually happens at work — through trust, curiosity, and small, meaningful moments shared every day.

Julie ...

In this solo episode of Relationships at Work, host Russel Lolacher digs into a leadership trap that quietly damages culture, disengages teams, and derails real progress: celebrating effort instead of impact.

We hand out recognition for hard work, long hours, new initiatives, “busy-ness,” and well-packaged plans—but rarely pause to ask the only question that matters: Did any of this create meaningful change?

Russel explores why organ...

We’ve been taught that being busy means being successful — but what if it’s actually holding us back? In this episode of Relationships at Work, host Russel Lolacher talks with performance optimization expert and author Peggy Sullivan about how to escape “time poverty” and achieve more by doing less.

Peggy shares how leaders can recognize the traps of constant hustle, eliminate low-value activities, and replace them with purpose-driv...

You’ve heard it before — “let your results speak for themselves.” But in reality, results don’t talk — you do.

 In this solo episode, Relationships at Work host Russel Lolacher breaks down why staying silent about your success can stall your career and how communicating your impact with clarity, alignment, and presence helps leadership truly see your value.

Russel shares actionable ways to advocate for yourself and your team:

• Alig...

Accountability in leadership isn’t about blame — it’s about ownership.

In this episode of Relationships at Work, host Russel Lolacher talks with leadership expert Michael Timms on how great leaders inspire accountability by modeling it first. Together they explore how to move beyond micromanagement, empower teams through clarity, and build trust that fuels performance.

You’ll learn how to:

• Redefine accountability as ownership, not...

We talk a lot about the importance of taking breaks — but how do you know when you’ve actually had one?

In this solo episode of Relationships at Work, host Russel Lolacher shares what happened when he took a real pause from creating, producing, and strategizing — not because he stopped caring, but because he cared too much to keep going unsustainably.

Through small grounding habits, reflection, and honest self-checks, Russel explores...

Most leaders think their organizational problems are structural — that if they just rearrange the boxes on the org chart, everything will flow better.
 But as organizational design consultant and executive coach Susannah Robinson explains, that’s rarely the real issue.

In this episode of Relationships at Work, host Russel Lolacher and Susannah break down what organizational design actually means — and how it connects directly to...

Originally released: June, 2024

In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher discusses the causes and answers to cultural debt.

Technical debt is a common term in software development to explain growing issues caused by not properly addressing problems. By only implementing "band-aid" solutions, the root problems only continue to grow and fester. Cultural ...

Originally released: August, 2024

What if being 'professional' is actually holding your workplace back? In this episode, host Russel Lolacher challenges the traditional norms and reveals why respect, not rigid professionalism, is the key to a thriving, diverse workplace.

The idea of professionalism is usually about aligning behaviours, dress codes, communication styles and work ethics around the norms of the domin...