Every day we make thousands of decisions. Many of these are almost insignificant, but others can have major and long lasting impact on us, our teams, and our organizations. The ability to make high quality decisions as an individual and a team is an important competency for any manager. In this episode, I talk about the factors that inhibit us from making good decisions, approaches to counter these so that we can make better decisions, and two approaches to help organize your decision-making con...
Oct 13, 2020•13 min
Race, identity, bias...these are not easy topics for many Americans (or humans). For too long, we’ve allowed the status quo, which perpetuates inequity, to go unquestioned within our organizations - even when our hearts are in the right place. I, along with many other Americans, have only recently awakened to how racism undergirds our society and therefore has impacted us without our knowledge. It is time for managers to do their part to create diverse, equitable, and inclusive teams and organiz...
Oct 06, 2020•33 min
Discomfort is universally disliked, yet it is essential to growth. Just like a muscle can’t get stronger without the tension of lifting a weight, our skills and capabilities can’t develop without the tension and stress that come from stretching ourselves. In this episode, I speak with Bill Eckstrom. Bill is the founder and CEO of EcSell Institute, the world’s first and only organization to measure and quantify leadership effectiveness. He is considered one of the world’s top authorities in metri...
Sep 30, 2020•29 min
Politicking often gets a bad rap, prompting feelings of disgust or unease. But when done right, politicking can actually benefit everyone involved and feel good at the same time. How? Because politicking at its core is all about building good relationships. In this episode, I speak with Chrisa Zindros Boyce. Chrisa has been a consultant, executive coach and educator with Handel Group since 2009. Her clients, an international group of serial entrepreneurs, perennial corporate executives and estab...
Sep 22, 2020•33 min
Habits dictate anywhere from 40-80% of our daily actions, according to the top habit researchers. These behaviors occur with minimal conscious thought, enabling us to focus precious brain power elsewhere. The challenge is that most of our habits have developed organically and were shaped by factors other than our values, knowledge and goals. In this episode, I share some of my favorite learnings about habits after years of following the top habit researchers. I discuss the famous Habit Loop, som...
Sep 16, 2020•18 min
We’ve all heard it before. That little voice telling you that any moment now everyone is going to realize you have no idea what you’re doing. Or maybe it’s saying they’ll figure out you don’t really know what you’re talking about. Whatever your imposter syndrome says to you, it’s time to tell it to be quiet. In this episode, I speak with Todd Palmer. Todd is an executive coach, keynote speaker, renowned thought leader, author, and CEO who is committed to helping business owners tackle their obst...
Sep 08, 2020•30 min
Asking for what you want or need is almost never easy. Whether it’s a raise, greater autonomy, more responsibility, or something else, it’s important to ask for what you want in order to do your best work. Plus,as managers,we need to enable our team members to ask us for what they need. In this episode, I speak with AmyK Hutchens. AmyK is an international award-winning speaker, Amazon bestselling author of the brand new book, GET IT: Five Steps to the Sex, Salary and Success You Want , and has o...
Sep 01, 2020•30 min
It’s been months of living in a COVID-restricted world. Remote work, limited public life, rising tensions, and mounting uncertainty, has taken its toll. Many managers and their team members are experiencing non-stop excess stress, overwhelm or are nearing burnout. This isn’t healthy or sustainable. In this episode, I speak with Peter Gourri. Peter is a qualified Executive & Business Mentor and Coach, non-practicing lawyer, and retired Royal Air Force officer with particular expertise in ment...
Aug 26, 2020•27 min
Dealing with change is a process for everyone, but why is it that sometimes we adapt quickly while other times it's almost painful and yet other times, despite our best intentions, the change doesn’t stick? Understanding various elements of how change happens and factors that influence change can make the process easier for yourself and others. In this episode, I walk through seven factors that can help you streamline the change journey and increase the chances of a smooth change process. The fu...
Aug 18, 2020•19 min
You’re probably familiar with the old saying, “do as I say, not as I do.” Unfortunately, when it comes to building a healthy team culture, how you act as a manager is significantly more important than the mission, vision or values you espouse. We must ‘walk our talk’ to ensure our team members see and feel our values, in addition to hearing them. In this episode, I speak with Kit Krugman. Kit is the Head of Organization + Culture Design at co:collective and the former President of WIN:Women in I...
Aug 11, 2020•27 min
Mindsets are powerful because they deeply impact our view and approach to managing a team. Yet, we are often unaware of the mindsets we hold and how they may be undermining our intent. When you understand a mindset and the fears, desires, and assumptions that it is grounded in, you can better align that mindset with your values and goals. In this episode, I speak with Ryan Gottfredson. Ryan is a mental success coach and cutting-edge leadership consultant, author, trainer, and researcher. He is t...
Aug 04, 2020•31 min
Research from 2012 showed that people of every generation were experiencing loneliness in growing numbers. At a time when so many people are feeling isolated due to COVID19, it’s more important than ever to find ways to connect with people and build bridges across generations. In this episode, I speak with Hayim Herring. Hayim is a rabbi and Ph.D. in Organization and Management, and is CEO of HayimHerring.com, whose mission is “preparing today’s leaders for tomorrow’s organizations™.” Hayim is a...
Jul 28, 2020•26 min
Goals. Such a small, yet powerful word. So much of our time and energy are spent in pursuit of our goals yet rarely do we pause to consider if we’ve established the right type of goal. In this episode, I talk through three core types of goals and how to use them to help you write better goals for yourself, your team, and your organization. The full episode guide includes an overview of each type of goal plus a 4th bonus goal type, how to write them and what they are best suited for. Get it when ...
Jul 22, 2020•13 min
So much of what a manager does relies on good communication skills. Yet effective communication practices are not always obvious or intuitive. When managers become intentional about their communications, they can turbo-boost the effectiveness of their team members while strengthening relationships and trust. In this episode, I speak with Alisa Cohn. Alisa is the world's top startup coach. She has worked with clients such as Etsy, Venmo and Foursquare and others you haven't heard of yet....but yo...
Jul 14, 2020•28 min
I love solving people’s problems to make their lives easier, but as a manager, that may be counter-productive. Coaching a team member is more powerful when you help understand their thoughts and find their own solutions. This helps them solve their future challenges in addition to the current struggle. Today’s guest is Dr. Marcia Reynolds. Marcia is a world-renowned expert on inspiring change through conversations, delivering programs and coaching leaders in 41 countries while reaching thousands...
Jul 07, 2020•29 min
Disrespect in the workplace rarely begins with full blown harassment. Before it escalates, teams often see signs of demeaning behavior such as ignoring someone’s contributions, off-colored jokes, and intentional undermining. As a manager, and good human, it’s your responsibility to end these minor offenses before they become normalized, leading to much worse. Today’s guest is Emily May. Emily is an international leader in the movement to end harassment — in all its forms. In 2005, at the age of ...
Jun 30, 2020•31 min
The brain works in mysterious ways, many of which were designed to help us survive in the wild thousands of years ago. Those same functions, though, can also get in the way of us being our best as managers. Logistically, the most obvious way to make email more manageable is to just have fewer emails coming in. But in reality, this might actually be the hardest thing to make happen because we’re not totally in control of how many emails we receive every day. This week I walk through 3 cognitive b...
Jun 23, 2020•15 min
Almost everything is easier when we understand what really matters. That is true of ourselves and aligning how we show up with our values, and it’s true of others, so we can engage with them in ways that meet their needs. But knowing what actually is important (to us and them) is often easier said than done. Today’s guest is Sue Salvemini. Sue is the Founder & President Focal Pointe Consulting Group and Executive and Leadership Coach - bringing over 20 years of real-world experience from lea...
Jun 16, 2020•36 min
Being productive often sounds easier than it actually is. It’s hard to make progress on the important things when you’re busy balancing various priorities, checking things off the endless to-do list, and responding to team members’ urgent needs. Today’s guest is Tonya Dalton. Tonya is a productivity expert, author, speaker and founder of inkWELL Press Productivity Co, a company centered around productivity tools and training. She released her book, The Joy of Missing Out, with Harper Collins in ...
Jun 09, 2020•35 min
Who doesn’t want more kindness in their life? Yet it’s not always easy to be kind, especially at work where tensions run high or we risk kindness being interpreted as weakness. Throw a pandemic on top of that and you’ve got an unbelievably stressful environment -- which is when kindness can matter most. Today’s guest is Jaclyn Lindsey, co-founder and CEO of kindness.org . Jaclyn believes that kindness is humanity's greatest asset. It was this ethos that inspired her to launch kindness.org , a gl...
Jun 03, 2020•30 min
Process can be a loaded word. For some, it elicits bureaucracy and micromanagement. For others it implies structure and organization. Regardless of how you feel about process, getting clear about what happens, by whom and in what order, can create clarity that instantly reduces friction and minimizes the need to re-do work. In this episode, I walk through my simplified version of process mapping. My approach is designed to generate the right conversations that enable clarity and alignment, resul...
May 27, 2020•20 min
Most of us will never face a major crisis or tragedy, thank goodness. But for the few people who do, they often come out transformed, finding a greater sense of purpose, happiness and capability than they had before. Is it possible for the rest of us to experience such a transformation without the accompanying crisis? Today’s guest is Michael O’Brien. Michael is the Chief Shift Officer at Peloton Coaching and Consulting. He elevates successful corporate leaders by preventing bad moments from tur...
May 19, 2020•31 min
You don’t need to be a brain scientist to leverage brain science. The question for managers is: How can we create the optimal cocktail of chemicals, neuron firings and natural responses to enable people to do their best work? And, by the way, how do we avoid triggering the unhelpful systems that can send someone down an unproductive path? Today’s guest is Noelle Cordeaux. Noelle is CEO and co-founder of JRNI Coaching and the Catalyst Coaching Intensive. She is also a feminist scholar, coach, spe...
May 12, 2020•30 min
Building a cohesive team is hard. Period. Yet it's also the core of a high performing team. Unfortunately traditional team building activities, while fun, can cost a lot of time and money. And they don’t always produce the promised benefits. Plus, if you’re a remote team (now or under normal circumstances) team building is even more challenging. But what if you could spend just an hour or two, even over Zoom, and transform the relationships between your team members? Jason Treu is a Chief People...
May 06, 2020•31 min
The expectations for managers have changed over the past century. So what is needed in today’s workplace to be a great manager? To celebrate the 100th episode, I’m sharing my reflections on the differences between a traditional manager and a modern manager. Get the free miniguide for this episode at www.themodernmanager.co/miniguides . Get the full episode guide with questions for reflection and suggested behaviors to help you implement the lessons from the episode. Become a member of the Modern...
Apr 29, 2020•19 min
Do you ever feel like you’ve shown so much appreciation to someone and yet the recipient doesn’t seem to recognize it? This may be due to a mismatch in languages of appreciation. As managers, it’s critical that we show appreciation that is meaningful to our team members, but figuring out how to do this isn’t always obvious. Dr. Paul White is a psychologist, speaker, and international leadership trainer who “makes work relationships work”. His company, Appreciation at Work, provides training reso...
Apr 22, 2020•28 min
We’re all in search of the perfect balance of our responsibilities as a manager and getting our own work done. But is this elusive balance even possible or will we forever be pulled in too many directions? Bekka Prideaux is a Leadership Development Coach and Consultant. Over the past 25 years, she has worked with some of the most recognizable brands in the world to develop great leaders, deliver successful projects and impressive business results. Her clients value her pragmatic and fun approach...
Apr 14, 2020•29 min
A moment of crisis can shatter a team or make it stronger than ever. It’s all about how you respond as the team leader. Right now, surrounded by the uncertainties and tragedies of COVID-19, it’s your turn to step up and manage through this difficult moment. Dyan Dolfi-Offutt founded Soda Pop Public Relations in 2011 with the goal of doing great work for great people as well as creating a healthy & fun culture for her team. With an experienced team of professionals, Soda Pop PR specializes in...
Apr 08, 2020•30 min
We’re in the middle of a pandemic. Almost overnight, thousands of teams needed to figure out how to do their work virtually, while also navigating the stress of social distancing. Being a manager is hard enough during regular times, but right now is a time when your team members need you most. In this episode, I talk through three tips to help you adjust to managing a remote team during social distancing. For more support, scroll down to the resources section. Instead of a mini-guide for this ep...
Apr 01, 2020•15 min
Companies often talk about culture, but rarely talk about cultural differences. When team members from different countries come together, they must navigate their cultural differences and create a shared team culture that enables the team to do great work. Jonah Fisher is the Director of Seeds of Peace’s international innovation arm, GATHER. His passion for social innovation has led him to the building of a microfinance organization during the global recession, an interfaith service-learning pro...
Mar 27, 2020•32 min
