Relationships at Work - a trust-driven leadership podcast
Relationships at Work - the leadership podcast helping you build workplace connection, improve culture, and avoid blind spots.
A relatable and honest show on leadership, organizational culture and soft skills, focusing on improving employee engagement and company culture to inspire people to apply, stay and thrive.
Because no one wants leadership that fosters toxic environments at work, nor should they.
Host, speaker and communications leader Russel Lolacher shares his experience and insights, discussing the leadership and corporate culture topics that matter with global experts help us with the success of our organizations (regardless of industry). This show will give you the information, education, strategies and tips you need to avoid leadership blind spots, better connect with all levels of our organization, and develop the necessary soft skills that are essential to every organization.
From leadership development and training to employee satisfaction to diversity, inclusivity, equity and belonging to personalization and engagement... there are so many aspects and opportunities to build great relationships at work
This is THE place to start and nurture our leadership journey and create an amazing workplace.
Relationships at Work - a trust-driven leadership podcast
Why You Need to Speak Up for Your Results
You’ve heard it before — “let your results speak for themselves.” But in reality, results don’t talk — you do.
In this solo episode, Relationships at Work host Russel Lolacher breaks down why staying silent about your success can stall your career and how communicating your impact with clarity, alignment, and presence helps leadership truly see your value.
Russel shares actionable ways to advocate for yourself and your team:
- Align with leadership priorities so your wins connect to what matters most.
- Tell a story with your data that answers “why should leadership care?”
- Show up where it counts — from one-on-one meetings to leadership briefings.
If you’ve ever felt overlooked or under-valued despite great results, this episode is your reminder: hard work doesn’t guarantee recognition — but smart communication can.
🎧 Listen to learn how to speak up for your results and get the recognition your work deserves.
And connect with me for more great content!
Welcome back to Relationships At Work – A leadership podcast helping you build workplace connection, improve culture, and avoid blind spots. I’m your host Russel Lolacher
I’m a communications and leadership nerd with a couple of decades of experience and a heap of curiosity on how we can make the workplace better.
This mini-episode is a quick and valuable bit of information to help your mindset for the week ahead.
Inspired by our R@W Note Newsletter, I’m passing on to you…
Speak To Your Results, Because Few Others Will
We've all been told at some point: 'Let your results speak for themselves.' But do they really? Or is that just wishful thinking?"
In theory, this sounds great, but in my experience, it rarely works. It assumes that people are listening. And not just anyone, but the right people—the ones who understand and value your work.
Some argue that if we have to "continuously communicate and promote our great results, we should question whether we're on the right team or in the right company." I agree with that—to a point.
But I don’t find it realistic. The reality is, results don’t speak—they need a voice. Ours. If we don’t frame our work in a way that leadership understands, we risk being overlooked. Especially in a organization where communication needs to be tailored, and stories need to be framed in ways that resonate to diverse leadership.
Yes, we’re paid for outcomes, but more often than not, we also have to be our own advocates—particularly with those who may not fully grasp the value of what we do. Many decision-makers are too far removed from the day-to-day impact of our work. Controlling what we can means telling our own story.
I’ve known people doing innovative, forward-thinking work—work that was outside the scope of their executives’ experience. Because leadership had a narrow understanding of its impact, they often took it for granted. I get that senior leaders are focused on high-level strategy, but when they don’t see the value of those working for them, it can be frustrating.
The Question: So if results alone won’t do the talking, how do we communicate our impact in a way that gets leadership’s attention?
The Action(s):
- Align with Leadership Priorities - First, if you want to be noticed, understand it's not about you. Focus on results that directly impact business goals, key metrics, or organizational priorities. And use the language of leadership—frame your results in terms of efficiency, revenue, cost savings, employee engagement, customer satisfaction, or risk reduction.
- Use Data, But Tell a Story - Metrics matter. Present hard numbers, but don’t just dump data—connect it to a narrative. Like, "by doing this, we helped that, which led to benefiting the organization in this way." And make sure you answer "why should leadership care?"
- Be Concise and Clear - Get to the point quickly. Those you're trying to get the attention of are probably working on multiple things at once. "Don't bury the lead" - make sure your communication starts with the bottom line to get their attention.
- Use the Right Mediums - What is the right medium to tell your story - one on one meetings? email summaries? reports? team meetings? It's not a one size fits all.
- Improve your Presence - Want people to pay attention? Be in their eyeline. That meanspresenting in leadership meetings when possible or sharing wins in company newsletters, Slack, or internal blogs. And make sure you're giving credit to others. It reinforces team success.
- Then What - make sure you it's not a one-and-done success story. Link your results to what you're doing next. We did this, so to further that success we're doing that OR we recommend we take steps in doing this.
Hard work doesn’t guarantee recognition or support. Smart communication can certainly get us there. We have to give our good work a voice. If we don’t tell our own story, who will?
