Episode 96- Leadership Culture Expert, Maureen Kyne

1 May

Written By Jane Anderson

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🎙️ On this new episode of The Jane Anderson Show, we’re shining a light on a powerful yet rarely discussed issue in leadership—Upward Bullying. Joining us is the extraordinary Maureen Kyne, a trailblazer in HR, industrial relations, and leadership culture. With over 30 years of experience, Maureen has become the go-to expert for helping leaders move from chaos to calm in even the most challenging environments.

Meet Maureen Kyne
Maureen is an executive coach, keynote speaker, and soon-to-be author of Tranquil Leadership: Three Steps to End Upward Bullying. Her career spans nursing, construction, transport, and corporate HR—making her uniquely equipped to support leaders across a wide range of industries. Whether it's addressing bullying, harassment, or discrimination, Maureen empowers leaders to face the hard stuff and emerge stronger, more respected, and ready to lead with confidence.

Ending the Silence Around Upward Bullying
Upward Bullying—where employees target their leaders with undermining behaviour—is more common than you think, and Maureen is on a mission to bring it into the open. Through in-depth research and hundreds of interviews with impacted leaders, she’s developed a proven framework to help leaders reclaim their authority and wellbeing. Her signature approach, Tranquil Leadership, is all about courageous conversations, calm authority, and creating cultures that thrive on mutual respect.

Practical Wisdom for Brave Leaders
In this episode, Maureen doesn’t just talk theory—she shares real strategies to help leaders stop walking on eggshells and start building cultures of trust. From boardrooms in Brisbane to workshops in Shepparton, her insights offer clarity, courage, and tangible next steps. If you're ready to shift your team from dysfunction to dignity, this is the conversation you don’t want to miss.

✨ Tune in and discover how empowered leadership can change lives—and workplaces—for the better.

Key Takeaways from Today’s Episode:

Jane Anderson opens the podcast by acknowledging the challenging and uncertain business environment heading into 2025. She notes that successful practitioners are those focusing on what they can control—especially around sales, business development, and tracking key metrics. She encourages listeners not to wait for uncertain client decisions but to actively manage their pipeline and performance. Jane also stresses the importance of demonstrating ROI (Return on Investment), encouraging her audience to capture data and evidence of transformational impact, especially in leadership development and change management.
Jane continues by sharing the overarching theme for her work with clients in the current year: a strong focus on ROI. She urges consultants to go beyond simply asking clients to "invest in me" and instead frame the value proposition as a business investment with tangible results. She advises practitioners to lead strategic conversations using data, showing how their work directly contributes to organisational performance. This framing is essential to win work in a cautious market.
Jane introduces her guest, Maureen Kyne, as a foremost authority on upward bullying. Maureen is an executive coach, advisor, speaker, and author of the upcoming book Tranquil Leadership: Three Steps to End Upward Bullying. With over 30 years of experience in leadership, HR, and industrial relations, Maureen is a passionate advocate for raising awareness about upward bullying—an often overlooked but pervasive issue in workplaces globally. She regularly appears in major media across Australia and works with organisations to restore calm and confidence through tailored coaching, workshops, and advisory services.
Jane welcomes Maureen, who begins by recounting the unexpected circumstances that led to her consulting career. After a breast cancer diagnosis 21 years ago and being made redundant during treatment, Maureen decided to return to her hometown of Shepparton. Encouraged by her father and inspired by her prior leadership roles, she established a consultancy focused on supporting businesses with strategy, people, and culture. Coming from a family of small business owners, Maureen already had firsthand insight into the realities of running a business, which informed her pragmatic approach to entrepreneurship.
Maureen shares how her practice evolved from general business support into a specialised focus on workplace bullying. Seventeen years ago, she predicted that bullying could become a serious organisational threat. Alongside her then-business partner, she began designing programs and speaking events to raise awareness of its impact. After her partner’s passing, Maureen leaned further into this work, expanding her focus as she began to recognise different types of bullying, particularly the upward bullying of leaders by their teams.
Maureen explains that over the past six years, she has intensified her exploration of upward bullying, a form of misconduct where team members undermine or target their leaders. She recounts an early workshop where a CEO initially denied such behaviour existed in his organisation—until a senior team member publicly disagreed and confirmed its prevalence. This pivotal moment gave Maureen the conviction to continue advocating for the issue. She stresses that upward bullying often goes unrecognised because leaders assume they should be able to manage all team behaviour. By the time patterns emerge, the damage is often significant and harder to reverse.
Jane and Maureen discuss the current shape of Maureen’s work, which includes coaching, in-house and public training programs, and an upcoming book. Her coaching engagements range from local businesses to global CEOs, reflecting the widespread nature of upward bullying. In addition to leader-focused interventions, she works with entire teams, helping employees recognise their own roles in negative dynamics. This fosters greater self-awareness and accountability, especially when employees realise they may be contributing to toxic behaviours unknowingly.
Maureen outlines how upward bullying is rarely the work of one person. Often, she explains, it’s orchestrated by a "conductor" leading a group effort to destabilise leadership. These mobs may manipulate other leaders or board members into supporting their cause. Their ultimate goal is to remove the leader and take informal control. She underscores how such targeted, coordinated efforts can create toxic environments if left unaddressed.
Maureen closes this segment by addressing recent legal updates in Australia under the Respect@Work legislation. The reforms now include sex-based harassment, sexism, hostile work environments, and a concept called “positive duty,” which legally obliges employers to prevent harassment. Sexual harassment is no longer just inappropriate—it’s now formally unlawful. This new legal framework calls for a significant cultural shift, urging organisations to proactively reassess and reform their internal practices and policies.
Maureen explains that organisations now face significant legal consequences if they fail to address inappropriate behaviour in the workplace, especially under new laws like the Respect@Work legislation. In addition to sexual harassment, there are now legal obligations around sex-based harassment, hostile environments, and broader psychosocial risks. These are enforced not just by one body, but collectively by Fair Work, the Australian Human Rights Commission, and workplace safety regulators. Organisations must have clear prevention plans in place to comply with these overlapping requirements. Maureen notes that many workplaces are struggling to understand and implement what’s now required, which elevates the urgency for leadership to act—not just because it’s legally necessary, but because it's also good for business performance.
Jane asks how Maureen is increasing visibility and getting her message heard. Maureen describes how she has initiated a local HR network in her community that meets monthly to discuss emerging workplace issues. This initiative has helped her both educate others and stay connected. In addition to local engagements and speaking opportunities on various committees, Maureen credits LinkedIn as one of her most powerful platforms. She is deeply engaged on the platform daily—responding personally to comments and messages—to ensure authenticity and insight. She believes this hands-on approach gives her richer understanding of global trends and client challenges.
Maureen shares her LinkedIn strategy, which involves dedicating an hour every morning to respond personally to all comments and private messages. She insists on doing it herself rather than outsourcing to her team because it gives her critical insight into her audience's mindset and needs. This has resulted in a significant number of meaningful connections, often leading to coaching engagements globally. Maureen describes the volume and depth of these responses—sometimes upwards of 100–200 private messages per post—and how her team tracks and follows up with those interactions. This level of engagement has been pivotal to building trust and growing her practice.
Maureen explains her thoughtful and strategic approach to LinkedIn engagement. When someone likes a post, she follows up with a thank you and invitation to connect, often initiating a conversation by asking what piqued their interest. She also tracks who shares her posts, connects with their networks, and thanks them for their support. This targeted effort not only expands her network but builds strong, authentic connections. Jane praises Maureen’s deliberate and consistent strategy, noting that her success on LinkedIn is the result of sustained, human effort rather than automation.
When asked about challenges, Maureen confesses that "shiny ball syndrome"—the allure of new ideas and crisis opportunities—can be a big distraction. Known for her crisis handling skills, she often gets pulled into urgent situations, which can derail her focus. She stresses the importance of staying in one’s lane and maintaining clarity of purpose. Jane acknowledges Maureen’s evolution in focus and notes how much cleaner and more defined her brand has become, especially with her book and positioning around upward bullying.
Maureen attributes much of her business success and longevity to the support of mentors and coaches. Over her 20-year career, she has worked with a range of mentors—some excellent, others less so—but each has shaped her journey. She credits Jane in particular with helping her bring more structure and strategic clarity to her business. Beyond mentorship, Maureen highlights the importance of having a team and outsourcing key tasks. Although she runs her business independently, she relies on a support network for execution, which in turn gives her the freedom to focus on the work she loves most.
For Maureen, freedom and lifestyle have always been part of her business vision. She celebrates being able to travel and meet clients globally, including during her holidays. What once seemed like a dream—combining work and travel—has become her reality. Her genuine enthusiasm and love for her work are evident, as is her global reach. She mentions a particularly strong following in Ireland, where professors at universities have shared her work, amplifying her impact.
Maureen reflects on how a single post shared on LinkedIn helped her gain traction in Ireland, opening doors to new connections and academic attention. Jane commends her intentional strategy, daily discipline, and close attention to audience insights. While others may dismiss LinkedIn’s effectiveness due to inconsistent effort, Maureen proves that authentic, sustained engagement leads to meaningful results. Jane quotes Seth Godin—“We’re waiting for you to lead us”—emphasising that Maureen is indeed doing just that. Her ability to capture attention, start important conversations, and build a community around critical workplace issues is a model for others in the consulting and leadership space.
As the conversation nears its close, Jane invites Maureen to share advice for consultants who are either just starting out or feeling stuck in their business journey. Maureen emphasises the importance of not going it alone. Whether you're just getting started or facing growth hurdles, having a coach, mentor, or advisor is essential. She also underscores the value of engaging with your local community—not for the sake of selling, but for building trust. She notes that much of her own work has come from being a visible and supportive member of her local network.
Jane points out that Maureen hasn't simply joined communities—she's taken the lead in forming them. By doing so, she has positioned herself as a central figure and leader of practice in her field. This leadership role has generated trust and referrals, even from competitors. Maureen agrees, sharing that even people who don't currently engage her services still acknowledge her as a valuable resource. She also reiterates that there is enough work for everyone and that being generous with learning from peers, even competitors, broadens her own perspective and benefits the whole industry.
Maureen reflects on the importance of generosity and shared learning within the professional community. She embraces collaboration over competition, believing that a rising tide lifts all boats. Jane praises her for modelling a spirit of leadership that's grounded in community and the collective good. This mindset not only benefits those around her but has also helped position Maureen as a trusted thought leader. Her ability to lead conversations around cultural change and workplace wellbeing is rooted in her commitment to creating real, systemic improvements.
As the episode wraps up, Jane congratulates Maureen on her work and acknowledges her role in leading conversations that matter. They mention the upcoming release of Maureen’s book, Tranquil Leadership, and encourage listeners to connect with her on LinkedIn, where she posts regularly and shares a newsletter. Maureen expresses her enthusiasm for ongoing engagement and future opportunities to share her work. The interview closes with mutual gratitude and a sense of shared purpose in continuing to uplift and guide leaders around the world.