In Action
See Tracey in action
Tracey has had the pleasure of speaking with worldwide industry leaders on their podcasts and has contributed articles to various magazines on Ferocious Warmth Leadership, collaborative cultures, staff learning environments and much more. View the links to these podcasts and publication articles below.
To have Tracey on your podcast or to speak further with her, email here. She would love to speak with you.
How to Build Collaborative Learning Cultures – Video Series with International Institute of Directors and Managers
In this video with IIDM, I discuss why a learning culture is critical for organisations to thrive and how a collective growth mindset, a compelling environment for learning and having the right conversations are essential in creating ’The Buzz’.
Ticker TV Insight Interview – Why Empathy is a Crucial Leadership Skill
As seen on Ticker TV, watch Tracey’s interview discussing why empathy is a crucial leadership skill.
“Ferocious Warmth, Infectious Optimism” in Conversation with Victor Perton at The Centre for Optimism
I was honoured to be asked to speak on Ferocious Warmth at The Centre for Optimism in conversation with Victor Perton. We had a fabulous hour of discussion with people in Australia and the US on leaders who lift results AND relationships to extraordinary. We discussed infectious optimism and realist optimism. And being the Monday of a new extended lockdown here in Melbourne, the need to maintain selfcare to keep ourselves well, along with adaptability and learnability to find momentum in these days of challenge. Fabulous input and thinking from the inspirational people who came along to discuss these topics.
Connecting Conversations with Stephen Kendall-Jones, Principal, Albany Junior High School NZ
In this 13 minute video, Dr Stephen Kendall-Jones, Principal of Albany Junior High School and I talk about leading a school through the remote learning phase of COVID19 and he and his school are capturing the innovations to take forward.
3 Quick Tips for Using Video
Our current context requires leadership that connects virtually. This 5-minute video gives you three tips that can increase your confidence, connection and clarity on camera.
Publications
Tracey has contributed articles to various magazines on Ferocious Warmth Leadership, collaborative cultures, staff learning environments and much more. These articles can be viewed below.
Leading with Ferocious Warmth
Principal Connections – Fall 2023 Volume 27 – Issue 1
In today’s complex job of leading education, our ability to both achieve results and build strong relationships is critical.
Without a focus on results, with whatever outcomes we set, we meander along without a clear vision and plan for the type of education we are providing.
The data story of professional school cultures: Exploring self-awareness and professional trust
AEL – Vol 45 Issue 4 – 2023
The development of a robust professional culture within schools has been given considerable attention and research in recent years.
Culture has been recognised as a pivotal factor for improvement and transformation in the educational landscape.
Why Fearsome Leadership Inflicts Trauma
CEOWorld Magazine, October 2022
Do you have the balance of Ferocious Warmth to be able to inspire transformation and the warmth to support people to get there? Or is a fearsome style of leadership becoming your default?
The value of empathy in leadership
Insurance Business Magazine September 2022
The most effective are those who understand the emotions that motivate their staff and help them thrive, said Tracey Ezard
Professional Intimacy: Seeing Humanness as well as Worthiness
Training & Development Magazine September 2022
The dehumanisation of corporate language is a sad mirror of the actual experience of many people working for organisations. Creating an environment and culture of adaptability and flexibility is the aim of many organisations, yet in doing so, many are forgetting that with high challenge must come high support.
A learning culture is key to effective transformation
The HR Director, September 2022
A learning culture is a catalyst for transformation. It provides the momentum and right environment to tackle the status quo and most importantly, do it as a collective focused on improvement.
Why Challenging the Status Quo is a Team Sport
CEOWorld Magazine, September 2022
Every quality conversation leads to a positive challenge culture where the status quo is never left to set in stone.
The Danger of Being a Toxic Leader
SmartCompany Plus, September 2022
When great leaders are in balance, they are both ferocious about their purpose, while warmly building strong and enduring relationships. This seeming paradox comes together in what I call Ferocious Warmth.
How To Build Collaborative Learning Cultures
CEOWorld Magazine, August 2022
What’s The Buzz? It’s the energy in a culture built on collaboration, trust and learning. It’s an exciting place to work, with a buzzing learning zone. The sense of purpose is palpable, as is the willingness to find new ways of transforming the work.
Why Leaders Need To Cultivate A Collective Mindset
International Institute of Directors and Managers, August 2022
When we step out of our own individual view of the world to learn more from each other, we’re well on the way to robust, insightful and useful collaborations, and the growth mindset of the collective.
The Three Pillars of a Learning Culture
Institute of Managers and Leaders, August 2022
Learning cultures don’t happen by chance. Building a strong collective learning mindset, a compelling team environment and having the right conversations is a momentum turbocharge for teams. These cultures are crafted by leaders who create environments where curiosity, reflections and deeper discussions are the norm – not the exception.
Collective Growth Mindset Helps to Build a Learning Culture
HR Daily, August 2022
When we get all three pillars of The Buzz really working together, we create environments of strong psychological safety to be able to take risks, push the status quo & explore with each other where we could do things differently.
Can stepping into employees’ shoes improve management skills?
Human Resources Director, August 2022
We get better insights around strategy and what we are trying to achieve because we talk to people on the ground and see that there are more effective ways of doing things.
The important role of psychological safety in driving high performance
PSNews.com.au, August 2022
Evolving to high performance often requires us to re-wire the way teams are led, connect, the quality of the conversations and the presence of voice.
What do you bring to your team that enables voice and contribution and candid dialogue? How can you practice having good challenging discussions with a sense of excitement rather than fear?
Why empathy is a crucial leadership skill for CFOs to develop?
CFO Magazine, July 2022
Leadership has long been a dynamic dance balancing attaining results with managing and leading people. In this era, agility and adaptability become the skills of the thriving organisation, team and individual. The ability for teams to move within the grey and evolve to new ways of working and collaborating requires a new level of skills for leaders to enable a culture where that is possible.
Does Your Presence Allow Voice?
CEOWORLD Magazine, July 2022
Do we really need to check whether we ‘allow’ voice in our teams? But I’m calling it. I’m challenged by the number of middle leaders and team members who share that their senior leaders don’t ‘allow’ voice. Do you allow, invite, enable and enact voice?
Nurture the Collective Genius with Ferocious Warmth
THE QUEENSLAND PRINCIPAL. December 2021
LEADING LEARNING CULTURES is bread and butter for education leaders. Balancing between high support and high challenge with our teachers is the tightrope we tread to get momentum for the shift and transformation needed. The Ferocious Warmth leader is constantly aware of the push and pull of relationships and results, culture and strategy, head and heart. Together, hand in glove – not one without the other. Ferocious Warmth leaders are skilled at creating an environment where individual and collective genius shines through. People are encouraged to stretch and grow together, to lift higher and find their genius, while being held with empathy, support and trust.
Leading with Ferocious Warmth
AEL Magazine. Issue 1, 2021
It is no news to anyone reading that the year 2020 provided us with seemingly polar thoughts and feelings. This year, when asking educators how they were travelling, their words reflected both the challenges and the opportunities we faced. Exhausted yet elated, frazzled yet positive, weary yet energised. We’ve lived the experience of futurist Alvin Toffler’s famous approach: that the literate of tomorrow will be those who can learn, unlearn and relearn. This year has provided rich learning for both teachers and students in how education can be different and how quickly we can adapt to a new context.
The Paradox of Yet
CEOWORLD Magazine, August 2022
Leadership is full of contradictions. Without them, leadership would be a walk in the park. We could make decisions quickly and easily, as the answer would be straightforward. Yet I know every person reading this understands the complexity of leading. We need to draw from both our ferocity and our warmth to balance results and relationships.
Creating Authentic Collaborative Staff Learning Cultures – ‘The Buzz’
ACCESS Magazine. November 2019
I was honoured to present the keynote at the ASLA 50th Anniversary National Conference in April 2019. Not only was the conference held in the magnificent National Library of Australia, the room was bursting with people full of energy and passion for the work that they do in school libraries all around Australia. There was indeed a ‘buzz’ in the room as we investigated the exciting possibilities that collaboration and co-creation gives to a school and the integral part library teams can play. My other thrill was presenting on an agenda with one of my favourite authors from my time in the classroom, Morris Gleitzman. I had a fan-girl moment!