The Better At Work podcast is your new best friend at work. It’s packed with honest, practical advice and science-backed techniques from a diverse range of guests to help you achieve betterness in your work, and life.
Better At Work is for everyone striving to be better and feel better. Whether you’re ready to take your career to new heights, or battling with the daily grind, your host Cathal Quinlan is here to help.
By drawing on insights from leading psychologists, neuroscientists and performance experts, and Cathal sharing his own successes and mistakes as a leader, the podcast delivers proven strategies, tools and science-backed techniques to help you achieve betterness in your working life, one day at a time, because when work is better, life is better.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Better At Work podcast is your new best friend at work. It’s packed with honest, practical advice and science-backed techniques from a diverse range of guests to help you achieve betterness in your work, and life.
Better At Work is for everyone striving to be better and feel better. Whether you’re ready to take your career to new heights, or battling with the daily grind, your host Cathal Quinlan is here to help.
By drawing on insights from leading psychologists, neuroscientists and performance experts, and Cathal sharing his own successes and mistakes as a leader, the podcast delivers proven strategies, tools and science-backed techniques to help you achieve betterness in your working life, one day at a time, because when work is better, life is better.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A listener on a graduate program asks: "I'm not learning what I expected. The role feels narrow. I want to be an entrepreneur. What should I do?"
Cathal and Annette tackle this question with practical advice that applies to ANYONE feeling stuck in a narrow role, not just graduates.
Plus: Cathal shares what it was like meeting Dermot Kennedy (and whether he lived up to expectations).
IN THIS EPISODE:
- Why large organisations are "friend factories"
- The 5 things to do when your role feels limiting
- How to use "easy" time for work-life balance
- Side hustles vs full-time entrepreneurship
- Getting involved in company-wide projects
- Why you won't know what you learned until later
- Meeting Dermot Kennedy: Did he live up to expectations?
- The Tig Notaro/Taylor Dayne story everyone should hear
ANNETTE'S 5 PIECES OF ADVICE:
When your job feels too narrow or not challenging enough:
1. Find your people - Your workplace is a "friend factory." Build friendships that create belonging and resilience.
2. Use the time wisely - If work is easy, use that space for work-life balance, volunteering, or building future skills.
3. Reflect deeply - Name exactly what frustrates you, then counter it with innovation projects or improvements.
4. Find mentors/coaches - Shadow people, join employee action groups, get guidance from those ahead of you.
5. Give it time - You won't know what you learned until you're in your next role. Patience reveals the value.
CATHAL'S ADVICE:
- Talk to your manager about getting involved in company-wide projects
- Consider a side hustle on weekends (test entrepreneurial ideas)
- Join internal committees (People Development, Innovation, etc.)
- Give it a year before making big decisions
- Be proud you got the role - grad programs are incredibly competitive
KEY INSIGHTS:
"Your workplace is a friend factory. Spend time finding your people and making friends at work. Those friendships build belonging, purpose, and resilience when the day-to-day isn't energising you." - Annette
"You probably won't really know what you've learned from this time until the future comes and you go, 'I grew there, I learned about myself.'" - Annette
"Give it a year. You're already six months in. Talk to your manager, get involved in other projects, maybe do a side hustle on weekends." - Cathal
RESOURCES:
Website: betteratwork.net
Instagram: @betteratwork
Submit Your Question: betteratwork.net
ABOUT BETTER AT WORK:
Making your work life be