The Michelle Pascoe Hospitality Podcast

In May this year, Kristen Green became the first Australian woman to win the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association’s (IHRSA) Woman Leader Award. Kristen’s passion and commitment to the health industry has seen her build Aquafit into a highly recognised and awarded health facility in Australia.

Jennifer Dignam is an International Change Agent with over 30 years experience in assisting multinationals with Change, Organisational Development, Learning and Human Resources. In this interview Jennifer speaks about Leaders leading from their heart to ensure that the transition through change is successful in the organisation.

This week I chat with Peter Humphreys – Director of Gaming Machine Operations, Star Casino, Sydney. Peter’s philosophy is “learning everything” and in each of his roles he has worked the frontline to get a better understanding of what they do before making changes and decisions that effect the team. Multi-skilling staff so it isn’t groundhog day keeps them engaged and enthused, and allows them to better connect with the guests and create a memorable experience that will have those guests returning. When you have 40,000 guests visiting each day it truly is all about the “customer experience”.

Time is precious, so what if you could find a way to add 2 extra hours to each day? Sally Foley-Lewis is a Productivity & Leadership expert, and has spent the last 20 years coaching, mentoring and developing people to be more productive. Today, Sally chats about making the time to take care of you, see the potential in your team and boost your overall productivity through 4 key boosters; Task Batching, Email Management, Time Chunking and Meeting Management.

Michelle chats with the “Dynamic Duo” – Morgan Stewart (CEO) and Paul Allan (2IC) at Club Taree. The pair discuss the importance of engaging with and making a difference in the local community, as well as how to build those necessary long-term partnerships with local community groups. They also discuss the importance of having a deeper understanding of your Ideal Customer Avatar (ICA) and how it can help you to better align your business with the changing needs of your current and future clients, and ultimately plan for the future.

This week I chat with Sue Currie, a leading personal branding and image management authority, and creator of the Shine Academy. Sue discusses the importance of cultivating your personal brand and professional image through the 4 key areas of Appearance, Behaviour, Communication and Digital Footprint (ABCD), and offers tips on how to put your best foot forward and dress to impress.

This week I chat to Stuart Jamieson – CEO of Club Rivers. Stuart outlines his rise from frontline staff member to CEO and the importance of self-development along the way. He also discusses the impact of creating a positive team culture within your venue and building a sense of community spirit through local engagement and support.

Making the transition from “Buddy to Boss” is not easy, and moving into a management position and learning how to effectively lead can be a challenge. In this episode, I discuss the importance of fairness, understanding and mutual respect within a team, and how to effectively manage your leadership transition by understanding your leadership style, promoting open communication within your team, and creating a workplace with shared core values.

As Director of RT Hospitality Solutions and representative member of FCSI’s Asia Pacific Division, Toni Clarke knows the Food & Beverage industry better than most. Delivering a blend of operational experience with management expertise, she is a specialist in the development of Food & Beverage concepts. In this episode, Toni discusses how to successfully introduce new concepts into your venue and highlights some of the latest and most exciting consumer trends from both here and abroad. 

This week I chat to John Jansen – Group Functions Manager at DOOLEYS. John lives and breathes hospitality and attributes his success in the Functions Industry to the patience, flexibility and positivity that he brings to each role. It’s all about maintaining a high standard (both personally and professionally), effectively handling those inevitable mistakes, keeping the lines of communication open at all times and, most importantly, being genuine – with both your team and your clients.