How do you retain good people – and set them up for success in a dynamic, fast-moving environment? Promotion, job design, and clear career pathways are all part of the answer. This week, a pastor leading a growing church wants to know when is the right time to promote people and how to make sure they don't burn out. Anne and Frances deliver advice to help leaders embrace uncertainty and chart a course for success, whether they’re in the pulpit or the C-suite. What problems are you dealing with a...
Mar 25, 2024•32 min
Whatever happens off-the-job comes with us to work, including our mental health. And having the right tools to talk about it is crucial to improving our experience of work. In this episode, Master Fixer and Harvard Business School professor Lauren Cohen joins Anne and Frances to deliver some surprising statistics on mental health and why it’s vital to have conversations about wellness in the workplace. Whether you’re worried about an employee who lost a loved one or don’t know how to bring up yo...
Mar 18, 2024•32 min
Do ideas have the freedom to run in your workplace, or do they get caught in internal complexity? As companies grow, they tend to have more processes and stakeholders slowing down change. So what can you do to get things done? In this week’s episode, Anne and Frances help a rockstar Chief People Officer avoid her company’s bureaucratic tendencies and stay on the fast track to success. Tune in to learn how empowerment, reframing and intention can help accelerate your organization’s way of getting...
Mar 11, 2024•38 min
Do you feel like you’re hitting a wall at work? This week, Anne and Frances are joined by Master Fixers Bob Sutton and Huggy Rao. Bob and Huggy are professors at Stanford University and authors of “The Friction Project: How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder”. Together, the four discuss how anyone can eliminate the obstacles to doing their best work—and create constraints that make work even better. Transcripts for Fixable are available at go.ted.com/fixablesc...
Mar 04, 2024•36 min
You have a fantastic idea, but you're going to need help with execution. Thankfully, that’s what your network is for. In this week’s episode, a listener who developed her own pilates equipment business comes to Anne and Frances for advice on how to turn a successful product into a scalable company. With a little help from Anne and Frances, Bree learns actionable ways to ask the right people for help and make her goals a reality by focusing on what she’s great at! Transcripts for Fixable are avai...
Feb 26, 2024•31 min
You know what they say about unsolicited advice (don’t give it!) but when it comes to SOLICITED feedback, author and executive coach Kim Scott says: bring it on. Kim believes that when it comes to improving your life at home, work, and anywhere in between, it helps to ask for – and provide – kind, but radical, candor. In this episode, Kim shares what she’s learned about embracing candidness and care in the workplace, gives tips on how to engage in constructive conversations, and opens up about t...
Feb 19, 2024•37 min
Have you ever been caught in the middle of a tricky work dynamic, struggling to please everyone? Sometimes, the only solution is to realize it’s not your job to fix everything. This week, Anne and Frances talk to a listener who’s struggling to manage relationships with multiple bosses with competing priorities. Together, they chart a path for this superstar employee to make it clear she can’t solve every problem while also safeguarding her career. Transcripts for Fixable are available at go.ted....
Feb 12, 2024•29 min
Sure, we all want our work to speak for itself… but who will make sure your impact is truly seen and valued? This week, Anne and Frances are joined by Master Fixer Carla Harris. Carla Harris is a Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley, the bestselling author of books like Expect to Win and Lead to Win, and an expert on building relationships at work. This week, she brings her wisdom to Fixable to discuss why it’s impossible to have a true meritocracy – and why strong relationships are the key t...
Feb 05, 2024•33 min
Have you ever felt like something about your identity was getting in the way of your success? This week, a listener needs help pushing through the resistance she’s facing as a woman navigating a male-dominated workplace. Anne and Frances discuss what you can do when someone else’s bias is standing in your way. Together, the three uncover how you can find your agency in unexpected places – and why you must use it unapologetically. Transcripts for Fixable are available at go.ted.com/fixablescripts...
Jan 29, 2024•35 min
How do you find common ground with skeptical audiences? Robin Steinberg is the CEO of The Bail Project, an organization that advocates for abolishing cash bail and reforming the criminal justice system. She knows her work is vital, but public anxiety about crime and safety often gets in the way of lasting change. Robin Steinberg asks Anne and Frances how to communicate her mission to people who don’t understand what she does or why she does it. They help Robin craft a new outreach strategy and d...
Jan 22, 2024•28 min
What kinds of writing gets people to take action? In his book, “Writing Effectively for Busy Readers,” Harvard professor and this week’s Master Fixer Todd Rogers discusses his extensive research into the most effective writing styles. Todd talks with Anne and Frances about what it means to be "radically responsible" to your audience. Then he shares the best (and seemingly counterintuitive) writing techniques to stir your readers into action. Transcripts for Fixable are available at go.ted.com/fi...
Jan 15, 2024•30 min
How can you communicate confidence when the future is uncertain? Claire manages communications at a transportation company that’s going through major changes, and she’s tasked with making sure everyone—from C-level corporate executives to people out in the field—get the information they need. However, she finds herself competing with industry news cycles and word-of-mouth speculation to get people’s trust and attention. Anne and Frances discuss the importance of authenticity and trust at work – ...
Jan 08, 2024•35 min
Hi everybody, new episodes of Fixable are back next week! In the meantime, we are bringing back this episode in case you missed it. Anne and Frances are joined by their first “Master Fixer," author Claire Hughes Johnson, who’s here to help you fix your meetings! Her book Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company Building draws on her executive experiences at Stripe and Google and reveals her techniques for getting the most out of the people she’s leading – especially while they’re gathe...
Jan 01, 2024•30 min
This is an episode of one of our favorite shows, What's Your Problem? hosted by former Planet Money host Jacob Goldstein. Each week, Jacob talks to entrepreneurs and engineers about how they’ll change the world -- once they solve a few problems. We hope you enjoy Anne and Frances in conversation with Jacob while we're still on a short break. Find more about What's Your Problem at pushkin.fm And remember — if you want to be on next season Fixable, call Anne and Frances with your workplace problem...
Dec 25, 2023•25 min
This is another episode of one of our favorite shows, Leading Up With Udemy, hosted by Alan Todd, the Udemy Vice President of Leadership Development. We hope you enjoy it while we're on a short break! Roberta Matuson is a talent consultant and author of several incredible leadership books, including international bestseller Suddenly In Charge, Can We Talk?, and The Magnetic Leader. She discusses how to manage up and how to have difficult conversations at work. If you're looking to become a more ...
Dec 18, 2023•32 min
Trust is the foundation for everything we do. So what do we do when it's broken? In this episode of TED Business, a familiar voice gives a crash course on the essential components of trust, and how to build them. Plus TED Business host Modupe Akinola explains how to apply those principles of trust with Black colleagues and others in the minority. And remember — if you want to be on next season Fixable, call Anne and Frances with your workplace problems at 234-Fixable (that’s 234-349-2253). You c...
Dec 11, 2023•27 min
This is an episode of a podcast we hope you'll love. On After Hours, Harvard Business School professors Mihir Desai and Felix Oberholzer-Gee discuss and debate current events that sit at the crossroads of business and culture. In this episode, Felix and Mihir discuss how Sam Altman was fired and reinstated over the course of just a few days. Was the board right to dismiss Altman? Does the turmoil change how we think about hybrid organizations that combine nonprofit and for-profit motives? What d...
Dec 04, 2023•33 min
Hi Fixable listeners! We are going on a short break before we bring you new episodes of Fixable. In the meantime, here is another podcast we thought you’d love. It’s an episode from ReThinking with Adam Grant, another podcast from the TED Audio Collective. Carla Harris is a fierce leader, a devoted mentor, and a dynamic speaker. A Wall Street veteran who has been named one of the most powerful Black executives in America, Carla’s worked across multiple industries in her 30+ year career, and was ...
Nov 27, 2023•39 min
Hi Fixable listeners! We are going on a short break before we bring you new episodes of Fixable. In the meantime, here is another podcast we thought you’d love. It’s an episode from TED Talks Daily, another podcast from the TED Audio Collective. Resumes are a mainstay of the job application process — despite little evidence that they actually help job-seekers or employers get what they want. So why are we still so preoccupied with them? HR leader Nicos Marcou dives into the absurdity of these on...
Nov 20, 2023•12 min
How do you balance what works professionally with other goals and needs? Curtis Sittenfeld is the bestselling author of Prep and Romantic Comedy. Though she has found great success as a full-time writer, Curtis wants more interpersonal connection than what she often gets from her very isolated approach to writing. In this episode, Anne and Frances talk to Curtis about how she can build more community in her day-to-day life without abandoning the most important part of her writing process. They a...
Nov 13, 2023•35 min
Do you want to feel more confident about speaking up at work? This week, Anne and Frances are joined by a Master Fixer: “Think Faster, Talk Smarter” author Matt Abrahams. Matt is a professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and an expert in communication. In this episode, Matt gives Anne and Frances a wide-ranging playbook for how to be a better, less anxious communicator, including how to recover after blanking out and the way focusing on an audience can actually make you more confid...
Nov 06, 2023•36 min
How can you be caring at work while still maintaining personal boundaries? Gina Gutierrez, founder of the audio erotica app Dipsea, loves her close-knit team — but she’s worried that she might be acting too much like a parent as opposed to a boss. In this episode, Anne and Frances show Gina how to empower both herself AND her team while establishing limits at work. Transcripts for Fixable are available at go.ted.com/fixablescripts . For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-tr...
Oct 30, 2023•32 min
How can you make change in your workplace as a newer hire? That’s the problem Al is dealing with. He's an enthusiastic middle school teacher who is finding that his more senior colleagues are hesitant to embrace change and address bias in education. In this episode, Anne and Frances discuss ways Al can empower himself to be a change maker in the community and have more productive conversations with his colleagues in order to improve education for his students. Transcripts for Fixable are availab...
Oct 23, 2023•38 min
How will AI change the way you work? This episode’s caller A.J. Jacobs is a journalist and author who has written books like The Year of Living Biblically, The Puzzler, and Thanks a Thousand. He's built a career off of his creative ideas, but the rise of ChatGPT has made him concerned whether there’ll still be a place for his work as technology gets more advanced. In this episode, Anne and Frances discuss why AI is a resource (not a replacement) and the ethical dilemmas that must be confronted a...
Oct 16, 2023•33 min
How can you make sure everyone on your team is on the same page? That’s the question posed by this episode’s caller, Luís Martín. Luís is the founder and CEO of an early stage startup, and he’s noticed some tension between his older employees and their Gen Z colleagues due to their different work styles. With the help of Anne and Frances, Luís gets to the root of the problem: when a company lacks focus, it’s hard for the employees to be aligned. Together, they create a roadmap to bring the compa...
Oct 02, 2023•23 min
As a standup comedian and the host of the TED podcast How to Be a Better Human, Chris Duffy knows how to be engaging in front of a microphone. However, he feels awkward about posting on social media yet worries that not posting is costing him opportunities and a bigger audience. It's a problem that Anne and Frances have faced too. Together, they talk about the art and mindset of self-promotion and the ways YOU can rethink your online presence so it feels more aligned with what you stand for. Tra...
Sep 25, 2023•30 min
What’s the best way to transition back to work after going on leave? Wren is a newly minted director at a fintech company who got promoted into the role just a few months before going on maternity leave–and now she’s returning as the mom of a child with health challenges. However, her job and team have changed dramatically in her absence, and Wren doesn’t feel like the same person she was before her baby, either. Not knowing how to go into the office again, Wren turns to Anne and Frances for hel...
Sep 18, 2023•30 min
There are unhelpful managers, and then there are ones who make you actively question your own skills. Rachel is a mid-level employee facing one big obstacle at work: a boss who refuses to hear her thoughts. The repeated stonewalling has made Rachel question her ability to do her job, and she turns to Anne and Frances for help. Together, they help Rachel unlock her inner fierceness and give her tips that can help anyone confront a dismissive boss. Transcripts for Fixable are available at go.ted.c...
Sep 11, 2023•33 min
Remote work is here to stay — but even for companies that did it pre-pandemic, new challenges are popping up. Dean’s accounting firm has 4,000 employees, and people once happily alternated between working from home and the office. But recently there's been a shift, and the once-thriving hybrid environment is not quite as bustling. Afraid of losing the supportive and social in-office culture, Dean turns to Anne and Frances for help. Together, they find a balance between remote flexibility and in-...
Sep 04, 2023•26 min
Welcome back to Fixable . This one’s a little different! This week, Anne and Frances dive into their area of expertise: trust. Frances recounts the time when she was brought in to help Uber fix their huge trust breakdown. Using Uber as a case study, they explain the three pillars of trust – authenticity, empathy, and logic – and actionable solutions to strengthen each leg when they’re on shaky ground. Transcripts for Fixable are available at go.ted.com/fixablescripts . For the full text transcri...
Aug 28, 2023•34 min
