What do you get when you combine crystal clear expectations, fostering a culture where vulnerability is strength, and igniting the brilliance within each team member? A NASCAR pit crew that can jack up a car, change 4 tires, and refuel it in 8 seconds. On episode 111 of Managing Made Simple, I’m joined by Shaun Peet, NASCAR Pit Crew Coach & Chief Culture Officer for Trackhouse Racing who shares his leadership secrets around building strong team cultures and creating a high-performing team in...
Apr 09, 2024•39 min
Every day I hear the same concern from business owners and leaders - I want to give feedback and set expectations, but I don't want to come across as a micromanager. If you've shared this same concern, you're not alone. But today I'm going to let you in on a little secret: micromanaging is not about WHAT, it's about WHEN. In today's episode, I talk about how the timing of corrective feedback tends to a bigger issue than the feedback itself, and how establishing expectations up front is game-chan...
Apr 02, 2024•15 min
What if I told you that it's likely that there's something you're doing that might be making it harder for your middle managers or team members to delegate? In this episode I share the MOST important thing managers can do to support their managers in delegating effectively - it's the thing you have to do first to set them up for success, then you can watch the benefits of delegating roll in. -- Grab your copy of THE UNSTOPPABLE TEAM , your playbook for communicating better with your team, managi...
Mar 26, 2024•13 min
Are conflicting motivations creating friction in your team? In this episode of Managing Made Simple, we delve into the keys to aligning your team's values and priorities, breaking down barriers between departments, and fostering collaboration. Learn how to transform "us versus them" mindsets into a cohesive, productive environment. Tune in and take your team to the next level. -- Grab your copy of THE UNSTOPPABLE TEAM , your playbook for communicating better with your team, managing with ease, a...
Mar 19, 2024•13 min
Today I'm answering a question I get at least once a week: how do I create a strong culture on my team? Culture can feel abstract, ethereal even. But there are specific things you can do on your team or in your business to foster and fuel a culture that will lead not only to higher retention, but better results. In this episode, I talk about things to consider when developing team values, and dive into three ways to create a stronger culture on your team. -- Grab your copy of THE UNSTOPPABLE TEA...
Mar 12, 2024•13 min
I'm going to tell you something you might not want to hear... Being a "well-liked" manager doesn't make you a GOOD manager. Many managers think that being someone who loves people, loves mentoring, and loves developing their team members makes them a good manager all by itself, and while that's a huge portion of the job...that's not enough. Luckily, the other pieces of the puzzle CAN be learned! Not everything a good manager does makes us feel great. Things like giving difficult feedback or hold...
Mar 05, 2024•12 min
This week on the pod, I'm thrilled to announce the launch of my new book, The Unstoppable Team . In this episode, we dive into the inspiration behind the book and how it offers practical solutions for business owners, managers, and team leaders. Drawing from my experience working with business owners and leading team operations in big tech, I share insights on simplifying team management and driving business growth. The Unstoppable Team serves as a go-to guide to streamline team operations, alig...
Mar 01, 2024•9 min
Do you have an emergency plan in place that your team can "break the glass" on when you are absent from the office? If not, then you need a coverage plan! If you aren't familiar, a coverage plan is something you put together to make sure that if you can't make it into work for any reason and for any amount of time, your team will be able to function as normally as possible. Coverage plans include which of your tasks need to continue to get done on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis; who on your ...
Feb 27, 2024•13 min
If you've ever wondered, "why can't I get through to my team?" - the issue might not be you, and it might not be your team - there's just a disconnect in the message where things are getting lost in translation. But there are ways to bridge this gap so you can get back on the same page, AND people who specialize in just that. If you've been following along for a while, you've probably heard me call myself a Team Whisperer before. But what exactly does a Team Whisperer DO...and how can having one...
Feb 20, 2024•13 min
"How do I make my team members respect me as a manager?" Spoiler alert...you can't. Respect isn't automatic, and it can't be forced. Your team isn't going to respect you just because you're "in charge"...but there are things you can do to earn that respect! We want to show our team members that we aren't out of reach or out of touch. We want to show we understand their jobs and want to support them... And all it takes is a willingness to get our hands dirty...and a bit of accountability. WORK WI...
Feb 13, 2024•15 min
What if I told you that one of the people costing you the most money in your business...is you? What are you doing to cost yourself all that cash? Are you not doing enough? Do you need to work harder? Do you need to be more involved with the team’s work? Actually, it’s exactly the opposite: you need to be less involved. Because when you’re too hands-on with your team’s projects, you might find yourself becoming the dreaded "B" word: a bottleneck. When you have a bottleneck in business, it means ...
Feb 06, 2024•12 min
I've got an exciting announcement... This episode marks the accomplishment of a truly mind-blowing milestone: today, we're celebrating 100 EPISODES of Managing Made Simple! WOOHOO! We're going to kick this celebration off by revisiting some of our "top plays" of the podcast, featuring advice on leadership from six of our favorite interviews from MMS. These incredible mentors, experts, and coaches—all leaders in their own right—brought some nuggets of wisdom that even blew MY mind. And trust me, ...
Jan 30, 2024•36 min
Have you ever looked at all the projects your team is working on and realized that you have absolutely no clue how any of them are going...but you're afraid to reach out and ask for an update? You're not alone. Many managers struggle with the fear of becoming a micromanager, or being perceived as one, because they've had a micromanager themselves. I know I've been micromanaged before...and I know how demoralizing it can be. However, we can't let this fear keep us in the dark on the status of our...
Jan 23, 2024•14 min
It's a new year. That means a new quarter, new goals, new ideas... And, for many people, it may mean a new job. When a team member leaves abruptly, it can throw us all for a loop. And as much as we want to support that team member in their transition and celebrate them flourishing in their career...we also have to immediately begin working on damage control. Our other team members will be looking to us to see how to respond to this departure. So the first thing to do? DON'T PANIC. Handling a tea...
Jan 16, 2024•16 min
One of the most difficult parts of managing a team is trying to implement a change to team operations. When you want to make a shift in how work gets done, no matter how beneficial it may be for the team, people are going to resist it. No one likes change. But if we can simplify the process of implementing changes and finally get our operations shifted the way they need to be...getting work done suddenly becomes SO FREAKING EASY. Once you actually complete the change, everyone will quickly see t...
Jan 09, 2024•17 min
There's one question I get from business owners and managers that absolutely breaks my heart: "Is it too late for my team?" First of all, the answer is NO—it is not too late for your team, no matter how hopeless or stuck you might feel, no matter how unmotivated they seem, no matter how unwilling they are to change. Even if you think you've tried everything, there's always something else out there... In fact, I have THREE somethings for you to try right here, right now. If you're feeling overwhe...
Jan 02, 2024•13 min
Eager to set meaningful goals for the new year, but not quite sure where to start? In this episode of Managing Made Simple, I share a simple two-part framework for setting goals around what you want to ACHIEVE and how you want to FEEL by the end of the year, so you can accomplish whatever you set out to in your business or career without burning out. Best part is this is a great framework to share with your team to support them in setting goals that allow them to feel fulfilled in their work and...
Dec 26, 2023•10 min
There is a phrase that I have been hearing over the last few weeks that has left me a bit mind-boggled… “Process for process’s sake.” This phrase actually came up in a workshop I was leading for a corporate client around optimizing time. I heard teams saying, “I don’t want there to be process for process’s sake,” or, “It feels like this is just us thinking of new processes for process’s sake.” I was sitting in this workshop like, “What the actual beep do people mean by this?” And after thinking ...
Dec 19, 2023•9 min
Let me see if this story sounds familiar... We hire great people. We pay them well. We inspire them to do great work... And yet, more often than not, they come in and do the bare minimum expected of them. This isn’t the same as neglecting their responsibilities—they’re accomplishing their tasks, kind of—but we often know that they have more potential than that. So how do we get them from just showing up to showing up at their absolute best? Today, I want to talk about three ways to turn your emp...
Dec 12, 2023•15 min
Spoiler alert, my beloved business owner friends... If you're a business owner with people working under your supervision...guess what? You're a manager. Congratulations on your new (well, new-ISH) title! In all seriousness...this is actually something I see a lot of business owners run into. They don't realize that when they have a team, they're not just a business owner who happens to have a team...they're a business owner who is MANAGING a team. And that means that oftentimes, the need to dev...
Dec 05, 2023•16 min
This week, I want to equip you with a tool you can use to simplify your team operations almost immediately: the Thriving Team Checklist! As managers, it's easy for small things (or big things that don't necessarily fall into the realm of our day-to-day responsibilities!) to slip through the cracks. This doesn't mean we're doing a poor job, or that we're bad managers—it just means we need a little help keeping track of these tasks. It's no different than how we need calendars to keep track of mee...
Nov 28, 2023•17 min
What better time to talk about the importance of gratitude than on Thanksgiving week (for those of us based in the US) - but the truth is, we should be appreciating our team members ALL of the time. In episode 90 of Managing Made Simple, I talk about what happens on our teams without a regular practice of recognition, appreciation, and gratitude, and share three simple strategies for appreciating our team members. And - if you're feeling stuck when it comes to managing your team, you are not alo...
Nov 21, 2023•13 min
There is one simple, easy-to-implement tool you can use to reduce turnover, streamline workflows, and boost team morale... One-on-one meetings. If you didn't know that one-on-ones are a necessity for a thriving team, that's all right—not many do! But after an experience I had with a mentee, I came to realize just how crucial one-on-one meetings with our team members are...and just how much grief we can save ourselves and our team members by having them. If you think that one-on-ones aren't neces...
Nov 14, 2023•14 min
There's one question that I know you've probably asked yourself at least once... "Why can't my team members just read my mind?" No, I haven't been reading YOUR mind - I've just been there! In fact, I'd hazard a guess that EVERY manager has been there at one time or another. We all sometimes wish that we could hire a clone of ourselves to work on our team and ensure everything is done the way WE want it to be done. Unfortunately, that's not possible...but there IS a way we can help our current te...
Nov 07, 2023•14 min
With 2024 rushing toward us at breakneck speed, it's time to start deciding what we're going to prioritize in our businesses to finish out the end of the year. As managers and business owners, we have a very unique skill: we can see dire importance in EVERY task we set in front of our teams, no matter how small. But this skill can also cause a bit of a problem: because we see everything as important, we can struggle to narrow down our list of tasks to what we ACTUALLY need to prioritize. The def...
Oct 31, 2023•10 min
What if I told you that it only takes one simple mindset reframe to save you a heap of time, money, and stress? Reframing people's perspectives is my jam. I'm obsessed with reworking your view on certain things to reveal the opportunities that have always been there...you just couldn't see them. Today, I'm going to help you reframe your view around delegation. When we delegate, we can reduce stress, build trust with our team, and save ourselves hours of time and a shocking amount of money. Deleg...
Oct 24, 2023•15 min
When it comes to being a manager it can feel like there are so many things you have to get right. But when you cover off on the basics, you've laid such strong foundation to have a high functioning team. In this episode of Managing Made Simple, I'm joined by Jackie Koch, Founder/CEO of People Principles and HR expert, where dive into simple strategies for nailing your 1:1s, onboarding, work tracking, and beyond to make it easier for folks to get their work done, and reduce the "people issues" th...
Oct 19, 2023•32 min
There's a reason that onboarding is the very first thing we talk about inside my Ops Playbook. When we don't onboard our employees thoughtfully - both new and new to their role - we can accidentally prevent them from achieving the kind of success and creating the kind of impact they're capable of while working on our team. There are two common beliefs surrounding onboarding that I'm going to DEBUNK today. Because when we don't fully utilize onboarding to our advantage, it can cost us a lot of ti...
Oct 17, 2023•14 min
Having innovative and creative teams is something we all strive for, but we don't always know how to foster these qualities on our teams - especially when we're running from one deadline to the next. But when we think in terms of story, expectations, and learning, we're able to weave this into every fiber of our work. In this episode of Managing Made Simple, I'm joined by Andrew Barry, Learning & Development expert and Founder/CEO of Curious Lion, where we discuss how to fuel innovation and ...
Oct 12, 2023•29 min
Here's what it feels like to be stuck in a rut as a manager or business owner: You feel like work follows you everywhere - even at home. You feel like you have too much work and not enough support. If you're a business owner, you might feel like you're not getting what you need from your team. You can't remember the last time you took any time for yourself without worrying about work or your team or your business. You're so desperate to get unstuck that you want to cut and run. Before you make a...
Oct 10, 2023•14 min
