The Modern Manager

We often refer to close knit or strong company cultures as families. In fact, research shows that lessons from effective family relationships can help us build healthier workplace relationships.  Today’s guest is Dave Schramm. Known as “Dr. Dave” on campus and across the country, Dave is a professor and family life extension specialist at Utah State University in the department of Human Developmen...

When most people think about gender in the workplace, they think about women. But men’s roles and expectations of behavior are quickly shifting, leaving some men confused or frustrated. Instead of focusing on the impact of gender on women, let’s consider preconceived notions about masculinity. When we open the conversation to include men, we create space for them to evolve into better leaders, man...

It can feel almost impossible to plan for the future when we’re unsure how next week will be, let alone a year from now. Yet, our organizations and teams need to continue charging ahead, making progress toward future goals. How can we create useful plans during times of uncertainty?  In this episode, I talk through various strategies to support team and individual planning during times of great un...

Many high performers have developed strategies that enable them to consistently work productively and effectively. We can all learn from these habits, tactics and approaches in order to enhance our own performance. Today’s guest is Siimon Reynolds. Siimon is a leading expert on high performance, in business and life, with more than 50 awards for excellence to his name, and a 30-year career owning...

As managers, we’d do well to remember that we succeed when our people succeed. It’s not always easy to know how we need to adjust our behavior - by stepping in or getting out of the way - but when you get it right, your people can truly flourish and accomplish great things. Today’s guest is John Eades. John is the CEO of LearnLoft, Author of Building the Best, and host of the Follow My Lead Podcas...

Inevitably you will experience moments of conflict among a team. Although most people are conflict avoidant, productive conflict enables a team to find new solutions and build stronger relationships. Learning to navigate conflict is a critical skill for every manager. In this episode, I speak with Susan Clarke, co-founder with her partner CrisMarie Campbell of thrive! Inc. and authors of The Beaut...

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 thes...

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...

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...

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....

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 learning...

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, re...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 Ha...

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 o...

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...

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 thro...

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 a...

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 no...

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...

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 pr...