New Podcast Episode: The People Leaders Podcast with Jan Therkelsen
Looking for something insightful to listen to while you’re working or on the go? In this episode of The People Leaders Podcast, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Jan Therkelsen to discuss the ever-evolving landscape of executive leadership, career progression, and how to stand out in today’s competitive job market.
Whether you’re an executive considering your next career move, an employer looking to attract and retain top talent, or simply someone interested in leadership strategies, this episode is packed with valuable insights to help you stay ahead.
What We Cover in This Episode
Recognising When It’s Time for a Career Move – What are the signs that it’s time to take the next step in your career? We discuss how self-awareness and career planning can help you make the right move at the right time.
How to Stand Out in Job Interviews – Key strategies for making a lasting impression and positioning yourself as the ideal candidate.
The Hidden Job Market – Why many of the best executive roles are never advertised and how you can tap into these opportunities.
The Power of Networking & Personal Branding – How building genuine connections and positioning yourself effectively can create new career opportunities.
What Employers Look for in Top Talent – The essential skills and attributes that employers are prioritising in today’s market.
The Importance of Continuous Learning & Development – How executive education and professional development can set you apart.
Why You Should Listen
With my experience as the Founder & CEO of Arete Executive, I’ve worked closely with organisations and senior executives to help them navigate the complexities of executive search, recruitment, and career progression. In this episode, we take a deep dive into practical strategies that job seekers, leaders, and hiring managers can implement immediately.
If you’re currently exploring career opportunities, looking to attract top talent, or simply want to refine your leadership skills, this episode is a must-listen.
Great candidates have many options when considering a new job. Richard Triggs MAICD, founder and CEO of executive search specialists Arete Executive, says these five simple strategies will help organisations improve their ability to attract and retain top performers.
1. Use LinkedIn to sell yourself as a leader of choice
Most senior executives and board directors have a LinkedIn profile. Yet for the vast majority, their profile is just a summary of their career history, with limited detail about their career achievements and what makes them an excellent leader.
When a prospective employee looks at your LinkedIn profile, they ask themselves, “Is this person reputable? Can they mentor and coach me to achieve my highest potential? Can they solve the problems I’m currently experiencing in my career?”
You need to make sure your LinkedIn profile can pre-emptively answer these questions as quickly and positively as possible, as they apply to your employees of choice.
2. Ensure consistency of brand message across
LinkedIn profiles Most people write their own profiles, but many are not very good at it.
Have your marketing team, in conjunction with your HR team, determine what message you want to “sell” to prospective employees, then incorporate that into the profiles of your executives and board members.
You need to “sell the sizzle, not the steak” and ensure candidates are seeing that “sizzle” when investigating your organisation.
3. Dedicate a page on your website to attracting candidates
Companies spend a tremendous amount of money building and maintaining websites targeting their customers of choice.
Few spend anything to target their employees of choice. Are the profiles of your executives and board members easy to find and do they present them as employers of choice? Is your company doing new and innovative things, are you passionate about diversity, do you have an exciting and engaging vision and values?
Especially in the current market, what are you doing around workplace flexibility — working from home, telecommuting and so on? Be proud and shout it out loud.
4. Utilise social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram
Have you considered having a company podcast, where not only the executive and board teams, but also more junior employees can be interviewed about new projects, exciting achievements and why they love working for your company?
What about a video series on YouTube that does the same? If someone in your business wins a sporting challenge or does something great for charity, consider posting about it on Instagram as well as on LinkedIn.
Candidates love this stuff. Why are you an exciting company to work for? What makes you innovative and “sexy”? Again, shout it out loud.
5. Get your executives into the market
Are your executive leaders committed to building their own brands as leaders of choice? Are they speaking at conferences, appearing on podcasts or writing blogs?
If employees are your greatest asset, set KPIs around each leader’s activities in doing such tasks. “What gets measured gets done”. It is not enough for senior leaders to say they are “too busy doing their day job”.
Perhaps they would be less busy and could focus on more strategic imperatives if they were attracting the top talent to allow them to do so.
Following these five easy, inexpensive steps will greatly enhance your own and your organisation’s profile. Attracting and retaining top talent can deliver a strategic advantage over your competitors, it makes sense to give it the attention it deserves.
This article first appeared under the headline ‘Five ways to attract top performers to your board and executive team’ in the March 2025 issue of Company Director magazine.
Australia’s leading magazine for directors.
Qantas chair John Mullen on restoring trust and plotting a new flight path
Why Most Companies Struggle with Recruitment – and How to Fix It
In a recent episode of the Confessions of a Recruiter podcast, I had the opportunity to discuss one of the biggest challenges businesses face today: recruitment. The truth is, most employers are terrible at recruiting. But it’s not necessarily their fault—many internal recruitment teams are under-trained, poorly managed, and stretched too thin.
The Myth of the “War for Talent”
There’s a common belief that hiring top talent is a war, a battle between companies trying to secure the best professionals. But in reality, there’s no war—there are just companies that know how to recruit well, and those that don’t.
The reason some businesses struggle isn’t due to a lack of talented candidates but rather an ineffective hiring process. Many organisations approach recruitment reactively instead of strategically, leaving them at a disadvantage.
Internal Recruitment Teams Are Overwhelmed
One of the key points I made in the podcast was that internal recruiters are often overloaded with work. In many companies, HR teams are expected to handle 40 to 60 roles at a time, making it nearly impossible to give each hiring process the attention it deserves. This leads to:
Poor candidate experience – Slow response times, unstructured interviews, and weak engagement turn top candidates away.
Missed opportunities – Companies often fail to attract the best talent because they don’t have a proactive strategy.
Rushed and ineffective hiring – HR teams are forced to fill roles quickly, leading to poor hiring decisions and higher turnover.
Why I Wrote Winning the War for Talent
This is exactly why I wrote Winning the War for Talent—to educate businesses on how to recruit more effectively. Many companies think the solution is always outsourcing to recruitment agencies, but that’s not necessarily the case.
Instead, companies need to learn how to build a high-performing recruitment process internally. This means:
✅ Training internal teams to source, attract, and retain top talent
✅ Implementing a structured and strategic hiring process
✅ Reducing dependency on external recruiters by improving in-house capabilities
How Recruitment Coaching Can Help Your HR Team
If your internal HR team is struggling to hire the right people, there’s a solution. I offer recruitment coaching to help companies build a strong, scalable hiring process.
With the right training and strategy, your team can:
Identify and attract top talent before competitors do
Improve hiring decisions, reducing turnover and costly mis-hires
Build a recruitment process that works for long-term success
If your company wants to hire better, faster, and smarter, let’s talk.
📩 Get in touch to learn more about recruitment coaching [email protected]
In this episode of Grow a Small Business, host Troy Trewin interviews Richard Triggs, founder of Arete Executive, discusses his journey of scaling his business from just two to fourteen team members. He shares key strategies for effective hiring, managing partnerships, and supporting businesses of all sizes. Richard also talks about the challenges and rewards of building a strong, dynamic team. Tune in to hear his insights on navigating growth and success in the business world.
Why would you wait any longer to start living the lifestyle you signed up for? Balance your health, wealth, relationships and business growth. And focus your time and energy and make the most of this year. Let’s get into it by clicking here.
Troy delves into our guest’s startup journey, their perception of success, industry reconsideration, and the pivotal stress point during business expansion. They discuss the joys of small business growth, vital entrepreneurial habits, and strategies for team building, encompassing wins, blunders, and invaluable advice.
And a snapshot of the final five Grow A Small Business Questions:
1. What do you think is the hardest thing in growing a small business?
Richard Triggs emphasizes that hiring the right people is one of the toughest challenges in growing a small business. Aligning hires with company culture, skills, and goals is critical, as poor team selection can have lasting consequences. He highlights the importance of a careful hiring process to scale effectively while balancing growth with operational needs.
2. What’s your favourite business book that has helped you the most?
Richard Triggs’ favorite business book that has helped him the most is Good to Great by Jim Collins. This book provides valuable insights into what differentiates successful companies from their peers and has been influential in shaping his business strategies.
3. Are there any great podcasts or online learning resources you’d recommend to help grow a small business?
Richard Triggs recommends leveraging podcasts and online learning resources that focus on leadership, recruitment, and business strategy to grow a small business. In his insights, he highlights the importance of continuous learning and suggests exploring programs that delve into effective hiring practices and building high-performing teams. While specific titles aren’t mentioned, he encourages entrepreneurs to seek resources that align with their business challenges and growth aspirations.
4. What tool or resource would you recommend to grow a small business?
Richard Triggs emphasizes the importance of tools and resources that streamline recruitment and team management to grow a small business effectively. He recommends leveraging applicant tracking systems (ATS) to optimize hiring processes and ensure the right cultural and skill fit for the business. Additionally, he advocates for using leadership development programs and engaging with experienced mentors or coaches to enhance team performance and business strategy. These tools and resources, he suggests, are key to building a sustainable and high-performing business.
5. What advice would you give yourself on day one of starting out in business?
Richard Triggs would advise his day-one self to focus on the importance of hiring the right people who align with the company’s values and culture. He would stress the value of strategic planning, understanding market needs, and being adaptable to change. Triggs also emphasizes seeking mentorship and building a strong network early on, as these relationships can provide guidance and open new opportunities.
In this awesome conversation, Richard Triggs shares his unique journey from aspiring rock star to successful recruitment consultant and author. He discusses the importance of understanding the job market, effective interviewing techniques, and the role of AI in recruitment. Richard emphasizes the need for organizations to balance love and accountability in leadership while fostering a culture of performance. He also highlights the significance of clear communication and relationships in achieving organizational success.
