Former New Zealand Army officer Ellen Ford (PhD) reveals flexible work strategies from “Work School Hours” to lift profits and productivity, business tips on time management and self-improvement.
ABOUT THE EPISODE
Ellen Ford—ex–NZ Army officer, leadership PhD, TEDx speaker, and author of “Work School Hours” - shares a pragmatic blueprint for flexible work that raises productivity, profits, and employee wellbeing. We cover Belonging, Autonomy, Purpose leadership, outputs-over-hours, and steps any employer can apply across New Zealand, Australia, and beyond.
What you’ll learn
◽️ Flexible work that boosts profits andproductivity (not just perks)
◽️ Belonging–Autonomy–Purpose: the leadership modelthat scales
◽️ Outputs-over-hours: measure results, notpresence
◽️ Time management tactics that remove busywork
◽️ Policies and scripts that support parentswithout losing performance
◽️ Lessons from military leadership and NZ Armyimplementation
◽️ How to pilot “Work School Hours” in any team
Episode Sponsor
www.podcastguest.co.nz
Timestamps
00:00 Intro and why this episode matters for leaders andparents
00:37 What changes when work is designed for people—profitsincluded
02:42 Ellen’s mission to improve the working world
03:34 Self-efficacy, impossible missions, and changingsystems
05:35 The Afghanistan evacuation lesson: audacity andteamwork
06:12 Motherhood, business, and the origin of “Work SchoolHours”
07:08 Data from 500+ parents: three broken outcomes to fix
08:31 From PhD to practice: leadership research meets realworkplaces
09:11 Advising the NZ Army: inclusive leadership and policyimplementation
10:25 What needed to change: pregnancy, return-to-work, andphysical standards
12:24 Policy vs. practice: why implementation makes orbreaks change
17:50 From talks to a movement: book, TEDx, and publishing
22:52 Real stories: breastfeeding, field exercises, andcorporate parallels
27:21 Why “we used to do it this way” isn’t a strategy
31:02 The three principles: value life outside work, focuson outputs, enable flexibility
33:51 For SMB owners: use flexibility to win top talent youcan’t out-pay
36:09 Outputs over hours: motivate efficiency without fear
38:31 NZ productivity problem: long hours ≠ high value
40:45 Kill busywork: align tasks to outcomes people are paidfor
42:13 Market response: why companies are booking this worknow
45:01 Belonging–Autonomy–Purpose explained (and why profitsfollow)
49:24 Case study: the dairy farm that transformed teamworkand leave
52:37 Autonomy example: presenteeism vs. real productivity
54:59 Purpose that motivates: linking tasks to businessimpact
59:15 Future of work: flexible, commercial, and leader-led
1:03:22 Free eBook for listeners (code below)
1:05:03 Final takeaway: “There’s more in us than we think”
Follow me:
LinkedIn: linkin.bio/minaamso
Follow Ellen:
https://www.ellenjoanford.com/
Use code MINA100 on Ellen’s website shop page to get Ellen's Book
Follow me:
linkin.bio/minaamso
Listen on:
Apple podcast: https://shorturl.at/UkJ8v
Spotify: https://shorturl.at/YW7bX
Episode Sponsor:
www.podcastguest.co.nz
