In this bonus episode, Aoife gives her key takeaways from her conversation with Dr. Shirley Kavanagh, executive coach, team facilitator, and PhD researcher, on how individuals and organisations can create genuine impact and value at work, especially in a world of constant change and distraction.
Key Takeaways
1. Know what drives your business
Whether you’re in HR, a support function, or any other role, understanding the commercial drivers, KPIs, and performance metrics of your organisation is how you earn credibility and a seat at the table. You can’t demonstrate value if you don’t know what the business is measuring.
2. Always ask: where’s the value here?
Before diving into any new initiative, tool, or project, pause and ask: what are we actually trying to achieve? Who benefits? What is the impact? This discipline applies whether you’re an individual contributor, a team leader, or a senior executive.
3. Give yourself permission to pause
In a world of relentless busyness, the pause is a superpower. Stepping back, even briefly, to reassess direction, priorities, and purpose is not a sign of weakness. It’s a mark of strong leadership.
4. AI is a tool, not a friend
Generative AI can save time, but it requires significant human input, review, and judgement. As Shirley puts it: AI doesn’t care about you. Be aware of its limitations, particularly around nuance, emotional intelligence, and context.
5. Course correction is a strength
Just because a decision was made doesn’t mean you have to stick with it. Revisiting priorities as circumstances change, and being honest when something isn’t working, takes courage, but it’s essential for effective leadership today.
6. After action reviews still matter
Taking time after a project or initiative to honestly assess what worked, what didn’t, and what you’d do differently is one of the most underused disciplines in organisations. It’s not about blame, it’s about learning.
7. Cognitive diversity makes teams stronger
Having people with genuinely different perspectives, experiences, and ways of thinking in the room will challenge your ideas, and that’s exactly the point. The best outcomes come from teams willing to have courageous conversations.
8. Happiness at work evolves
What makes us happy at work shifts throughout our careers, from relationships and money early on, to purpose and impact later. Taking stock of where you are now, and what actually matters to you, is worth doing regularly.
Connect with Aoife O’Brien | Host of Happier at Work®:
Connect with Dr. Shirley Kavanagh | Executive Advisor, Shirley Kavanagh Consulting:
Resources & Episodes You’ll Love:
Episode 195: Workplace Culture Dynamics: Creating a Positive Work Environment with Caroline Collins
Episode 236: Navigating Uncertainty in Leadership with Maggie Jackson
Episode 228: Fostering Curiosity and Building Trust at Work with Julie Pham
About Happier at Work
Happier at Work is the podcast for business leaders who want to create meaningful, human-centric workplaces. Hosted by Aoife O’Brien, the show explores leadership, career clarity, imposter syndrome, workplace culture, and employee engagement — helping you and your team thrive.
If you enjoy podcasts like WorkLife with Adam Grant, The Happiness Lab, or Squiggly Careers, you’ll love Happier at Work.
Join Aoife O’Brien for weekly insights on leadership, workplace culture, career clarity, imposter syndrome, and creating work that works for you.
Editing by Amanda Fitzgerald.
Website: https://happieratwork.ie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoifemobrien/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappierAtWorkHQ
