From a CEO's point of view, the most valuable thing an HR director can do is leave their "role at the table" behind and be a "real honest broker", a breakfast heard yesterday.
Employers are expecting more than ever before from their frontline managers, but they must prepare them to operate in this "challenging environment", says Paula Williscroft, of the Australian Institute of Management.
Employers that fail to ensure their leadership teams have a balance of masculine and feminine "qualities of mind" could be stifling creativity and innovation, according to The Leadership Circle director Sandra Banister.
The time for talking about gender equality and waiting for people to "get it" is over - real action is needed now, according to Helen Conway, director of the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA).
Effective collaboration depends on a mutual willingness to share ideas and opinions, but many managers discourage their staff from speaking up, according to Institute of Executive Coaching director Chip McFarlane, who says true collaboration takes courage.
A little-known form of mentoring is helping to change the attitudes of senior executives to modern workplace challenges such as diversity and social media, says executive coach and trainer Melissa Richardson.
Encouraging workers to "embrace failure" is a more likely road to growth and success than celebrating the same old achievements, says Proteus Leadership Centres CEO Des Penny.
The ability to think creatively, innovate and adapt can be the difference between a thriving business and a failing one, but many managers undermine - or even crush - creativity in the workplace, according to the authors of a new book.
During times when L&D budgets are tight, all organisations should facilitate mentoring, but two categories of employee in particular should be targeted, says professional mentor Jen Dalitz.
HR professionals should aim for incremental improvements in engagement, rather than big spikes, and "do fewer things better", according to engagement research by Aon Hewitt.
The laws around engaging casual and contract workers have changed drastically this year. Understand how this affects your organisation by attending this HR Daily webinar.
From August, employees will have a legislated right to disconnect from work. Understand what this means for your organisation by watching this HR Daily Premium webcast.
