Natasha is a leading HR expert, entrepreneur, author and sought-after media commentator for outlets such as Sunrise (Channel 7), ABC Radio and The Australian Financial Review. Natasha co-founded Employee Matters in 2011 to help Australian businesses achieve success through their people.
“You don’t build a business — you build people and people build the business.”
This was the central theme when Natasha Hawker, Founder of Employee Matters and leading expert in HR strategy, workplace culture, and people management, joined Brendan McGurgan on the ScaleX Insider Podcast:
Listen to the full episode here:
With over 25 years of experience in senior HR roles and as the author of From Hire to Fire and Everything in Between, Natasha brings real-world insights to help SMEs hire, manage, and when necessary, exit team members effectively, all while staying compliant and cultivating strong cultures. The conversation ranges from the strategic to the personal, with stories and examples that every business leader will relate to.
Why This Conversation Matters
In under an hour, this episode delivers years of hard-earned lessons for business owners and leaders. It’s both a blueprint and a wake-up call: your growth trajectory is only as strong as the people driving it.
Leadership Alignment is Non-Negotiable
Scaling efforts succeed or fail based on whether the leadership team is truly pulling in the same direction. Misalignment, whether it’s due to conflicting priorities, unclear roles, or low trust, quickly filters down to disengagement at all levels. Natasha shares practical ways leaders can check alignment regularly and course-correct before issues snowball.
Culture as the Growth Engine
Culture isn’t just a “nice to have”, it’s the environment where performance either flourishes or withers. Natasha stresses the importance of intentionally building a high-performance culture by:
Setting clear expectations from day one
Recognising and celebrating wins
Ensuring values are lived behaviours, not just words on a wall
Hire Smart: The Three Types of Interviews
Many managers lack confidence in interviewing, often skipping deeper assessments of fit. Natasha advocates for three structured interview types:
Technical – Can they do the job?
Behavioural – How have they acted in relevant past situations?
Cultural – Will they thrive in your specific workplace environment?
Natasha also highlights the importance of having a compelling Employee Value Proposition (EVP) and selling the role to top candidates, especially in a market where flexibility is a deciding factor.
Managing with Courage and Continuous Feedback
Scaling often means asking more from your team — and having courageous conversations when expectations aren’t met. Natasha’s approach:
Set the expectation for regular feedback from day one
Recognise great performance immediately
Address misaligned behaviours quickly and constructively
This coaching-style leadership creates trust, accelerates improvement and prevents underperformance from festering.
Maximising ROI Through Engagement
High engagement isn’t just good for morale — it’s a measurable business advantage. Organisations with engagement scores of 75%+ enjoy:
21% higher productivity
20% higher profitability compared to those in the bottom quartile.
Clear KPIs, strong onboarding, and recognition of discretionary effort all help unlock this potential.
Avoiding HR Pitfalls
From ignoring compliance obligations to delaying performance management, Natasha calls out the costly mistakes leaders make when scaling fast. Acting early saves time, money, and reputation, especially when it comes to exiting employees respectfully, legally, and without surprises.
Embracing AI Without Losing Humanity
AI is already transforming workplaces, creating efficiencies and levelling the playing field for SMEs. Natasha suggests using it for tasks like onboarding automation, content generation, and even building websites — but warns against stripping out the human touch that customers and employees still crave.
Scaling with Empathy and Resilience
Natasha speaks candidly about the human side of leadership — managing burnout, staying connected to purpose and balancing entrepreneurship with family life. She also addresses the challenges faced by women in leadership, calling for greater diversity, male allyship, and recognising the unique loyalty and conscientiousness women often bring to the workplace.
Key Takeaways:
Education – Invest in ongoing learning for yourself and your team
Balance – Protect your wellbeing to lead sustainably
Employees matter – They are your greatest asset… or your greatest liability. Build assets
If you’re ready to scale with confidence, purpose and a people-first mindset, this episode is essential listening:
If you are a business owner or manager looking to improve your company's HR practices, book a Discovery Session with Employee Mattersand let us show you how we can help you create business success through your people.
