The Modern Manager

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 kin...

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...

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...

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-fou...

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, eve...

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...

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 tr...

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...

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 &...

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 di...

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 bu...

Coronavirus has drastically impacted our daily lives and how we collaborate with colleagues. Check out these three webinars to help you transition to a high performing virtual team.  www.mamieks.com/webinars Webinar Bundle includes webinars 1 & 2 $15 for up to 10 team members (free for members of The Modern Manager community) Webinar 1: Work Productively From Home Monday March 23, 1-2pm Easter...

Do you ever feel like you are sandwiched between upper management and your team members? Being a middle manager is tough, especially when you’re feeling the pressures from all sides. Learning to manage up as well as down will make your job much easier, and make you a rockstar middle manager. Donald Meador has survived mergers, promotions, re-organizations, and downsizing. He is an author, award-wi...

Behavioral psychology has typically been used to help therapists provide effective counseling and designers build better products. But we all can benefit from insights about how our brains work. When we apply these lessons to our own work, we can positively impact our teams and our organizations.  Matt Wallaert is a behavioral scientist working at the intersection of technology and human behavior....

You’ve planned a thoughtful agenda, sent materials as pre-work, and done everything in your power to set the meeting up for success. But then...someone takes the conversation off track. Or keeps bringing up old business and wants to rehash a decision. Or won’t stop talking. These disruptive meeting behaviors can make it hard to accomplish even the best planned meeting objectives. Effective meeting...

We live in a world of distractions. Between the endless buzzes and notifications, and the biological desire for dopamine, it’s almost impossible to expect anyone to concentrate and stay focused for more than 20 minutes. Yet that is exactly what is needed if we want to do deep, meaningful work. Jake Kahana believes that we can live a healthier life and do our best work by creating  structures and e...

Whether you’re leading a single team or an entire organization, you can’t deny that culture plays a critical role in your experience at work. The challenge is that culture is hard to design, cultivate, and sustain. It’s often the small things that make the most difference. So what can you do to shape a strong, healthy culture? Tristan White is the founder & CEO of The Physio Co, a unique healt...

Good intentions just aren’t enough when it comes to being an inclusive leader and creating an environment that truly embraces diversity. I learned that the hard way. It requires a personal journey in which you learn about yourself and others, but by doing so, you are able to become an empathic and inclusive leader needed to build a thriving team in which all people flourish.  Jennifer Brown is a l...

Decision-making can be one of the most challenging aspects of a manager’s job. You want to empower your team, but worry about whether they’ll make a decision that derails the project or negatively impacts your stakeholders. Finding the right balance is easier than you might think once you have a model for determining which decisions should be delegated and a clear method for identifying who will b...

Despite our best efforts, it's hard to ignore gender in the workplace. Gender roles and stereotypes have been reinforced in us since birth. Often, we don’t even realize our unconscious gender biases and their impact. If we truly want to create a work environment that rewards on merits, we must address gender with eyes wide open.  Andie Kramer and Al Harris, they are married practicing lawyers. The...

With so much emphasis on employee engagement programs, there is very little emphasis on the root cause of employee dis-engagement. Despite the overwhelming research on the negative effects of employee dis-engagement, very little is actually being done to move the needle. No amount of money or attention on employee reward programs, wellness efforts, or engagement programming will make a difference...

Motivation is a complicated beast. Almost every manager questions how to best motivate their team members at some point. External motivators can only take us so far. The real magic happens when we align internal motivators with the work context. Then, you don’t have to motivate people at all - they’ll motivate themselves. Steve Sisler is a Behavioral Analyst, speaker and author. Steve's consultati...

Most people think of project planning as the execution plan: Who needs to do what by when. But before we get to milestones, RACIs, or fancy gantt charts, it’s important to align the team up front on the strategy and scope of the project. Without this critical step, it’s easy for projects to go off course, friction to arise between team members, and time, energy and money to be wasted.   In this ep...

Organizations have up to five generations in the workplace, yet most people tend to congregate with others of the same generation. Even more problematic is the fear that sharing knowledge or making introductions for colleagues will somehow negatively impact one’s own career. As a manager, it’s your job to create an atmosphere of open dialogue where everyone can learn from one another, regardless o...

Why are big tech companies so successful? It’s not just that they create amazing products leveraging the newest technology. According to this week’s guest, it’s how they approach their work by focusing on continuous customer engagement and measuring outcomes. Even if you’re a service business, or an HR team inside a manufacturing company, or a small business retailer, we can all improve when we me...