Working Conversations

When your best employee starts going quiet, most managers wait. They're busy. They tell themselves it will pass. But silence sends a message, and it is not the one you want to send. Dr. Janel Anderson shares a personal story about a top performer who checked out for weeks, and what happened when she finally sat down with her. She walks through a four-step framework for entering this conversati...

That long, complicated email you are about to send could be making things worse, not better. When topics involve complexity, disagreement, or ambiguity, email amplifies the confusion instead of resolving it. Dr. Janel Anderson walks you through the five signals that your email draft should become a meeting agenda: the ambiguity signal, Janel's Rule of Three, decision-making red flags, the avoi...

You have sat in that meeting, watching the clock, thinking this should have just been an email. And you were right. Dr. Janel Anderson breaks down the real reason unnecessary meetings keep getting scheduled: not poor planning, but a leadership confidence problem she calls the CYA meeting. She introduces the Meaning Making Test, a three-question framework to help you decide in 30 seconds whether so...

You have probably heard you should be doing skip-level meetings. But if you are not sure what the point is or what you are actually supposed to talk about, you are in good company. Dr. Janel Anderson breaks down why skip-level meetings are relationship infrastructure, not a surveillance tool, and lays out three compelling reasons every senior leader should have them on the calendar. She walks thro...

Executives are convinced their teams are embracing AI. Frontline employees are doing the opposite. And you, the middle manager, are absorbing the pressure from both directions with no clear playbook. Dr. Janel Anderson breaks down exactly why this gap exists, backed by Harvard Business Review research showing a 45-point perception gap between what executives believe and what employees are actually...

Your organization wants you to use AI, but nobody gave you training, context, or an on-ramp. That gap is real, and it is not your fault. In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson shares four practical strategies for getting started with AI at work, including why picking a specific problem beats trying to learn AI broadly, how to use AI as a thinking partner rather than a ghostwriter, and a personal exam...

When a coworker takes credit for your work, the damage is not just frustrating. It is reputational. Dr. Janel Anderson breaks down three types of workplace credit theft, explains why the type matters for how you respond, and gives you four concrete techniques to protect your professional visibility. From creating a paper trail before the meeting to a specific, calm script for a direct conversation...

Most people know they should handle hard conversations better. What they do not know is which specific pattern their brain runs every time the pressure is on. Dr. Janel Anderson identifies four distinct patterns: the Improviser, the Avoider, the Escalator, and the Deflector. She explains what drives each pattern, why most people misidentify their own, and why that misdiagnosis is the real reason n...

You already know what the word no means. The fear is what you think it will cost you. Dr. Janel Anderson reframes the real career risk: it is not saying no, it is saying yes to more than you can deliver. She walks through five specific scripts for giving a strategic no at work, including the honest redirect, the trade-off ask, the soft hold, the values-based no, and the no with the bridge. Each on...

Most leaders ask this question at the wrong moment, when they are already stuck. But the leaders who benefit most from executive coaching are the ones who are already performing well. Coaching is not remediation. It is acceleration. Dr. Janel Anderson breaks down three signals that indicate you may be ready for a coach: the plateau, the transition, and the perception gap. She also clarifies the di...

That workplace issue that's been bothering you keeps taking up mental real estate during your commute, in the shower, and when you're trying to fall asleep. You know the feeling - there's this thing at work that's bothering you, but you keep telling yourself it's not really worth making a big deal of. So you let it slide, and then it happens again and again. In this episode, Dr...

Your boss is micromanaging you, made a decision you know won't work, or completely misunderstood a situation — and now you have to set the record straight. The power dynamic makes these conversations terrifying because they control your paycheck, projects, and daily happiness at work. In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson shares her five-step framework for approaching your manager when they'...

You have a mentor, but your career still is not moving. That might be because mentorship and sponsorship are not the same thing. A mentor invests their time in you. A sponsor invests their reputation. In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson breaks down the real difference between mentors and sponsors and shares four tactical steps for getting the career advocate most people are missing. She covers how...

You are doing all the right things at work, but somehow your name never comes up when promotion decisions are made. The problem is not your performance. It is the gap between the quality of your work and the breadth of your reputation. In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson shares five strategies for building professional visibility without feeling like you are bragging. She covers how to identify th...

If you struggle to speak up in meetings, silence feels safe. But it isn't neutral. When you consistently hold back, people fill that quiet with their own assumptions about what you know and how much you have to contribute. In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson reframes the real reason most people stay quiet at work: it isn't introversion, it's fear of judgment. She shares four concrete t...

Getting passed over for a promotion is one of the hardest career moments to sit with, especially when you were certain you were the obvious choice. In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson walks you through exactly what to do next. She shares a framework for processing the disappointment without stewing in it, and then gets tactical: she identifies five specific gaps to diagnose (visibility, skills, ad...

Episode 259: You’re Probably Doing 1:1 Meetings Wrong In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson explains the true purpose and importance of one-on-one meetings with employees. She introduces the “Focus, Friction, Forward Motion” framework, offering managers strategies to ensure these meetings foster alignment, psychological safety, and trust, rather than devolving into status updates or being canceled w...

Episode 258: How to Onboard a New Employee In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson dives into the art of effective onboarding for new employees. Drawing from personal experience and practical strategies, she explains how a thoughtful onboarding process shapes psychological safety, sets clear expectations, and leaves a lasting impression. From building relationships and limiting cognitive overload to e...

Episode 257: I Just Got Promoted. What Should I Do in My First 30 Days? In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson breaks down exactly what new engineering managers should focus on during their first 30 days. She offers a practical, phased approach: first observing and learning the team’s culture, then stabilizing through clarifying expectations and scoring quick wins, and finally aligning with both the...

Episode 256: When Everything Feels Urgent: A Smarter Way to Prioritize In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson tackles the challenge of prioritizing work when everything feels urgent, especially for new technical managers. She explains how sudden increases in cognitive load can lead to overwhelm and reactivity, rather than true prioritization. Drawing on user experience thinking and executive coaching...

Episode 255: Before Your Next Hard Conversation, Do This In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson shares her updated seven-step methodology for navigating difficult conversations at work. She breaks down the essentials, from naming the real issue and separating facts from assumptions to pressure testing your opening language and anticipating responses. With practical examples and guidance, Dr. Janel of...

Episode 254: Why Smart People Struggle with Change at Work In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson uses her own office relocation as a case study for understanding why organizational change is so challenging. She explores the emotional impacts of not having control, the meaning of resistance as feedback, and how shifting situations can disrupt our professional identities. Drawing from both her recent...

Episode 253: Hybrid Work Isn’t Broken. The Infrastructure Is. In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson examines the true barriers to successful remote and hybrid work. Drawing on an opinion piece by Justin Harlan of Tulsa Remote, she argues that productivity and career stagnation aren’t failures of remote work itself, but rather the result of not intentionally designing for human connection. Dr. Janel...

Episode 252: What a Coffee Spill Taught Me About Leadership In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson explores how everyday mistakes, like forgetting a coffee cup under the Keurig, reveal deeper leadership lessons. She explains the difference between slips and mistakes, and why it’s important to design systems that can anticipate our human errors. Using relatable stories, Dr. Janel makes the case for bu...

Episode 251: What Your Calendar Says About Your Values In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson explores the connection between how we spend our time and what we truly value. She reveals that our calendars, as well as the daily routines outside of scheduled events, offer the clearest insight into our real priorities, often more so than mission statements or lists of stated values. Through personal stor...