177. Small Towns, Big Leadership Challenges with Simone Pickering and Prina Shah

Series: Rethinking Regional Workplaces with Simone Pickering

In this episode of Ways to Change Your Workplace, Prina Shah is joined by Simone Pickering, Founder of The People & Culture Office, for a thought-provoking conversation about leadership capability, workforce engagement, and the future of work in regional Australia.

Drawing on research, leadership experience, and observations from regional communities, Prina and Simone explore why employee engagement remains stubbornly low, how leadership directly shapes employee experience, and what organisations need to do to build sustainable workplaces for future generations.

They discuss the challenges facing regional employers, including skill shortages, generational differences, knowledge transfer, leadership capability, and the growing need for human-centred leadership.

This episode is a powerful reminder that workplace culture is not a "nice to have"—it's an economic imperative.

About Simone Pickering

Simone Pickering is the Founder of The People & Culture Office and works with organisations across regional Western Australia to build stronger cultures, better leaders, and more sustainable workplaces.

Website:
https://thepeopleandcultureoffice.com

LinkedIn:
https://au.linkedin.com/in/simone-pickering-mahri-a03954134

In this episode, we discuss:

• Australia's employee engagement crisis
• The relationship between leadership capability and employee experience
• Why productivity and engagement are deeply connected
• Skill shortages in regional communities
• The disconnect between executives and frontline employees
• Psychological contracts and changing employee expectations
• Generational differences in leadership and career development
• Knowledge transfer as Baby Boomers leave the workforce
• The impact of technology on critical thinking skills
• Why emotional intelligence and human skills matter more than ever
• Building leadership capability in regional Australia
• Aligning work with personal purpose and values

Key Insights

"Leadership experience dictates employee experience."

Low engagement is rarely an employee problem.

More often, it reflects leadership capability, culture, communication, and a disconnect between what employees need and what leaders believe employees need.

As workplaces evolve, organisations must move beyond outdated leadership models and invest in human-centred leadership, emotional intelligence, mentoring, and meaningful career conversations.

Reflection Questions

• How engaged are people in your workplace really?
• What assumptions do leaders make about employee motivation?
• Are generational differences being understood or dismissed?
• What critical knowledge could leave your organisation in the next five years?
• Are you developing human skills with the same urgency as technical skills?
• What is your purpose—and does your work align with it?

Send Prina a text to let her know how you'd change the workplace

If you are seeking professional advice or would like to change your company culture through training, consulting, speaking and coaching, get in touch, email me.

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Prina (Helping you find GREAT ways to change your workplace) Shah