INTHEBLACK

When was the last time you had a work disagreement? How was it for you? 

How you handle workplace conflict can make or break a work relationship, a project, or a whole team's trust in each other. 

In this episode, Genevieve Hawkins, Founder of Mentally at Work, unpacks what it means to disagree well at work. 

She explains why assuming good intent is the first step to any productive disagreement, and why reframing conflict as curiosity (rather than a battle to be won) changes the outcome entirely. 

You'll learn her expert insights on: 

How to distinguish a disagreement from a fight driven by emotion 


Why being convinced you are right can prevent you from hearing useful perspectives 


How asking questions and listening can interrupt adversarial exchanges 


Ways to address passive aggression by describing observable behaviour and inviting an explanation 


When to pause, manage rising tension and return to a difficult discussion with a clearer perspective 


How to prepare for uncomfortable conversations and disagree with a manager constructively 


The central lesson is that understanding another person's perspective doesn't require you to abandon your own. 

Listen now. 

Host:  Tahn Sharpe, INTHEBLACK Editor 

Guest: Genevieve Hawkins, Founder, Mentally at Work. She helps boards, executives and leadership teams navigate the conflicts, commercial pressures and cultural dynamics that typically derail transformations. 

You can learn more about Genevieve at her website. 


Loving this episode? 

Listen to more INTHEBLACK episodes and other CPA Australia podcasts on YouTube. 

And don't forget to click subscribe to the channel for a wide range of content that will help your career. 

CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting: 

With Interest 

INTHEBLACK 

INTHEBLACK Out Loud 

Excel Tips
Search for them in your podcast platform. Email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au

CFOs can learn a lot about pricing and leadership from Costco. 

In this episode of How CFOs Think, the former Costco CFO Richard Galanti explains how Costco Wholesale – a multibillion-dollar global retailer with warehouse club operations in 14 countries – has used pricing discipline, operational efficiency, transparency and long-term thinking to build customer loyalty and value. 

Listeners will learn: 

Why Costco maintains strict limits on product mark-ups 


How operational efficiency helps protect customer value 


Why Costco sometimes accepts lower short-term earnings 


How transparency shapes relationships with investors and suppliers 


What the CFO contributes to major capital and strategic decisions 


Why monthly performance reviews support better decision-making 


What new CFOs should focus on during their first 90 days 


How long-term financial discipline can support shareholder returns 


Tune in with special guest Richard Galanti, who will also be speaking at CPA Congress 2026. 

Host: Ky Chow, media trainer, journalist, writer and presenter 

Guest: Richard Galanti, who joined Costco in 1984 after helping raise the company's original outside capital as a banker and spent close to 40 years as its CFO. 

Richard Galanti will appear at CPA Congress 2026. 


Loving this episode? 

Listen to more INTHEBLACK episodes and other CPA Australia podcasts on YouTube. 

And don't forget to click subscribe to the channel for a wide range of content that will help your career. 

CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting: 

With Interest 

INTHEBLACK 

INTHEBLACK Out Loud 

Excel Tips 

Search for them in your podcast platform. Email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au

Technical expertise can produce exact numbers. However, communicating what those numbers mean is a different, but incredibly valuable, skill. 

This episode explores why storytelling is becoming an increasingly important capability for accountants and finance professionals. 

You will learn: 

Why peer credibility matters alongside formal authority 


How storytelling can help financial insights drive action 


Why numbers can influence behaviour, not just describe performance 


How technical professionals can develop their communication skills 


How the TLC framework can structure thinking, presentation and communication 


How to make financial recommendations stand out to busy decision-makers 


Explore the story behind the numbers — and why narrative is becoming an essential finance discipline — with special guest AJ Kulatunga, a leadership keynote speaker who will be speaking at CPA Congress 2026. 

Host:  Jackie Blondell, Editor, CPA Australia 

Guest: AJ Kulatunga,  a leadership keynote speaker specialising in execution intelligence for CFOs 

AJ Kulatunga is speaking at CPA Congress 2026.  

You can learn more about him at his website. 

Loving this episode? 

Listen to more INTHEBLACK episodes and other CPA Australia podcasts on YouTube. 


And don't forget to click subscribe to the channel for a wide range of content that will help your career. 

CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting: 

With Interest 

INTHEBLACK 

INTHEBLACK Out Loud 

Excel Tips 

Search for them in your podcast platform. Email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au

Change is the one constant in today's work landscape. 
This episode sparks fresh ideas on leading people through change without losing their trust or buy-in. 
Expert guest Richard Gerver – who has worked with Google and Deloitte and will speak on Leading Humans Through Continuous Change at CPA Congress 2026 – looks at why restructures so often fail on the human side, not the technical one. 
He explains why: 
Asking questions beats presenting answers 
Change works better when people have ownership of it 
Organisations need to move from "managing change" to becoming comfortable with continuous change 
Leaders should unlock the ideas and potential already inside their organisation 
Psychological safety and leader vulnerability are essential to innovation 
Resilience isn't about asking people to cope with more, it's something leaders help build 
If you're leading a team through a restructure, a system migration or AI adoption, this conversation reframes resilience as something you build deliberately, not something people simply have or don't. 
Give it a listen this week. 
Host Tahn Sharpe, INTHEBLACK Editor, CPA Australia 
Guest: Richard Gerver, award-winning change and leadership speaker with a background in education, innovation and human potential 
For more information on Richard Gerver, head online to his international speakers bureau page. 
Richard will speak at CPA Congress 2026. 
Loving this episode? 
Listen to more INTHEBLACK episodes and other CPA Australia podcasts on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@CPAaustralia/podcasts 
And don't forget to click subscribe to the channel for a wide range of content that will help your career. 
CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance and accounting:  
With Interest https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/tools-and-resources/podcasts/with-interest 
INTHEBLACK https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/tools-and-resources/podcasts/intheblack 
INTHEBLACK Out Loud https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/tools-and-resources/podcasts/intheblack-outloud 
Excel Tips https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/tools-and-resources/podcasts/excel-tips  
Search for them in your podcast platform. Email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au 
Chapters:
00:00 Richard Gerver on leadership vulnerability and empowering teams
00:29 Introduction to Richard Gerver, change leadership expert and educator
01:27 How Richard Gerver transformed a failing school through empowerment
04:54 Employee empowerment vs top-down change management
06:15 Why continuous change is the new normal for leaders
10:51 How to get employee buy-in for organisational change
13:00 Leadership, psychological safety and encouraging innovation
16:58 Resilience, failure and learning in a changing workplace
20:29 Leading humans through change, AI adoption and ERP transformation
22:25 Richard Gerver's advice for finance leaders managing major change projects
23:41 Key takeaways and CPA Australia Congress 2026 preview

What does responsible leadership look like when short-term performance still matters? 
This episode explores stewardship as a practical approach to balancing profit, purpose, stakeholder interests and long-term value. 
Key learnings include: 
What stewardship means in today's leadership environment 
Why organisations are shifting from short-term thinking to long-term value creation 
The connection between purpose, values and leadership effectiveness 
How leaders can build cultures of accountability and responsibility 
Balancing stakeholder expectations in a complex world 
Practical actions individuals can take to become better stewards in their own roles 
This podcast aims to help leaders understand how a stewardship mindset can drive both sustainable business success and meaningful societal impact. 
 Tune in now. 
Host: Patrick Viljoen, ESG Lead, CPA Australia 
Guest: Rajeev Peshawaria, CEO of Steward Leadership Institute and an internationally recognised author, speaker and leadership expert whose work has challenged executives around the world to rethink the purpose of leadership and the role of values in driving sustainable success. 
You can find more about Steward Leadership Institute on LinkedIn. 
Loving this episode? 
Listen to more INTHEBLACK episodes and other CPA Australia podcasts on YouTube. Head to our podcast page CPA Australia - YouTube 
And of course, click subscribe to the channel today. 
We deliver regular content that will help boost your career skills and capabilities. 
Additionally, INTHEBLACK online has stories on everyday ethics issues. 
CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/tools-and-resources/podcasts 
INTHEBLACK https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/tools-and-resources/podcasts/intheblack 
INTHEBLACK Out Loud https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/tools-and-resources/podcasts/intheblack-outloud 
Excel Tips Excel Tips | CPA Australia 
With Interest https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/tools-and-resources/podcasts/with-interest 
Search for them in your podcast platform. Email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au  
Email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au