Better Workdays

This week’s special guest is Jim Zahasnky, Principal/Managing Partner and Chief Strategist at WHZ Strategic Wealth Advisors, where he leads strategy, client experience initiatives, client acquisition & retention efforts, and team leadership. Jim transitioned to WHZ in 2014 after 17 years as a senior executive in the pharmaceutical industry, where he developed and implemented strategies and initiat...

In this episode, we take a closer look at the power of clarity in goal-setting. Too often, we set vague goals like "improve communication skills" and then wonder why we don’t see results. Today, we’ll tackle this common pitfall by running an ambiguous goal through the SMART framework—making it Specific, Motivating, Attainable, Relevant, and Trackable. You’ll learn how to take a broad objective and...

This episode is for anyone who wants to manage emotional energy to create better workdays!  In this episode of Better Workdays, Andy Morrison from REAL Custom Training explores the art of managing emotional energy, drawing on insights from Tony Schwartz and Catherine McCarthy's principles.  Andy explains how time management and emotional energy management go hand-in-hand, and provides you with fou...

This episode is for anyone doing their best to be their best at work and at home! Instead of total separation, let’s take a look at Work-Life Alignment. How can we develop leadership abilities that not only advance our careers, but help us thrive as parents, spouses, community members, and individuals?  Join Andy Morrison from REAL Custom Training for a look at one tool you can use to give Work-Li...

Mistakes We Make When Discussing Mistakes This episode is for anyone who wants to productively deal with mistakes in the workplace! Many managers struggle with discussing mistakes with their team members. Some employees shut down (or even cry) when their mistake is brought up. Others grow defensive or combative. In either case, the manager is left frustrated, and the root cause of the mistake goes...

This episode is for anyone who wants to get the feedback they need to grow! We all need feedback, but it can be hard to come by. Sometimes our boss only believes in providing feedback when we “screw up.” Sometimes our direct reports are hesitant to give feedback because we’re “the boss,” or our peers feel it’s “not their place” to give us feedback on areas for improvement.  The result? We develop...

This episode is for anyone who needs to develop more influence in the workplace! Some positions require you to influence other employees, even though you are technically not their boss and they do not report to you. In this type of tough position, without any organizational authority, you have to rely on good-old-fashioned principles of persuasion.  Join host Andy Morrison for a quick review of Ro...

This episode is for anyone who wants to coach people up in the workplace! In this episode of Better Workdays, Andy Morrison presents a simple 3-question-framework that you can use to start building a coaching habit today. Andy also announces that Better Workdays is approaching its season finale and complains a bit about House of the Dragon season 2.  About REAL Custom Training REAL Custom Training...

This episode of Better Workdays is for anyone who’s ever had a bad boss! Join host Andy Morrison for a look at the lessons we can learn by studying bad bosses. Andy shares advice for applying a growth mindset when you’ve been assigned a less-than-stellar supervisor, followed by a fun look at one of cinema’s greatest bad bosses – Vizzini from the Princess Bride.    About REAL Custom Training REAL C...

This episode of Better Workdays is for anyone who could use a proven productivity tool! Join host Andy Morrison for a look at the Time Management Matrix, a simple and effective tool for quickly identifying the most important items on your To Do list. Borrowing from Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” Andy provides a quick overview of the tool and helps listeners understand how t...

 Welcome back to Better Workdays! After a relaxing summer vacation, Andy Morrison needs help recalibrating his leadership mindset – and he’s got tips in case you need to do the same! Join Andy for a look at a powerful framework to kick start your leadership mindset, inspired by Robert E. Quinn's "Moments of Greatness: Entering the Fundamental State of Leadership" from the Harvard Business Review....

Join host Andy Morrison for a look at a crucial tool in your leadership toolbox: assertiveness.    In this episode, Andy explores what it means to be assertive, why it's an important leadership skill, and how you can develop assertiveness to communicate your needs effectively while respecting others.  Andy provides two practical tools you can use to practice assertive communication: the 2-Step Red...

Join host Andy Morrison for a look at the skill every leader should pull from their toolbox first – Active Listening. Active listening is a commitment to using listening as our primary tool for shared understanding. It involves making a conscious decision to listen without interrupting, maintaining eye contact, and focusing on the speaker's words.  Andy will give you some practical steps you can t...

This episode is for anyone who wants to try a quick productivity technique! Join Andy Morrison for a look at the Pomodoro Technique, an easy-to-use tool for time management and focused work. Andy explains the basic concept and sheds some light on how the Pomodoro Technique has helped him get more done while feeling less overwhelmed. He also shares a related productivity tip inspired by The Mask of...

 This episode is for anyone who wants to make progress toward your most important goals!   Join Andy Morrison for a look at the concept of Motion vs Action and how he has been applying the concept in his own efforts to reduce procrastination. Pulling from James Clear’s great book “Atomic Habits,” Andy breaks down the difference between Motion (planning, strategizing, and learning) and Action (beha...

This episode is for anyone who wants to responsibly earn and use leadership power!  Join Andy Morrison for a look at power dynamics in the workplace, starting with an interesting posed in the HBO television series Game of Thrones. From there, Andy explores the vital role of perception in the two main types of leadership power: personal power and position power.  At the end of the episode, Andy lay...

 This episode is for anyone who wants to understand the difference between venting and complaining and learn how to manage both effectively!   Join Andy Morrison for a look at how managed venting helps release unproductive emotional energy and opens the door to conflict resolution, while complaining often leads to more frustration without solutions. You'll learn key strategies for listening, stayi...

This episode is for anyone who wants to tailor their leadership style based on their employees’ needs!  Join Andy Morrison for an overview of the versatile and practical Situational Leadership Model. This framework helps leaders adapt their style to fit their team members' developmental needs, ensuring effective guidance through various stages of growth.  Andy breaks down the two fundamental behav...

This episode is for anyone who wants to be comfortable giving challenging feedback!   Join host Andy Morrison for a review of practical strategies for delivering challenging feedback. You’ll walk away with some actionable steps like not delaying feedback, reframing feedback as a gift, and focusing on future improvements rather than past mistakes. We also look at the importance of maintaining objec...

 This episode is for anyone who wants to run more productive meetings! Andy Morrison unpacks the "BEANS" method—a straightforward, three-step approach to conducting more effective meetings. Whether you're tuning in from a home office or the boardroom, these insights are designed to help you and your team stay engaged and productive.  About REAL Custom Training REAL Custom Training is committed to...

This episode is for anyone who wants to help high-potential employees develop their leadership abilities!  As a follow-up to Better Workday’s very first episode, Andy Morrison presents an overview of the impact a fixed mindset and growth mindset can have on an employee’s attitude toward ability, learning, effort, and failure. By helping employees cultivate a growth mindset, managers can ensure tha...

This episode is for anyone who wants to make sure their organization is meeting essential employee needs!   Managing employees requires a strong understanding of basic human psychology. In this episode, Andy Morrison presents six basic psychological needs that managers can leverage to improve organizational culture, employee development and retention, conflict management, and job satisfaction.   A...

This episode is for anyone who wants to start managing their manager!  As managers, we tend to focus on managing our employees and managing ourselves – but what about our relationship with our own manager? In this episode, Andy Morrison presents the concept of managing up and provides some actionable steps anyone can take to begin fostering a better, mutually beneficial relationship with their bos...

This episode is for anyone who wants to do hard things in a human way! From writing up employees to denying special requests, there’s a lot of “tough stuff” that comes with being a leader. Compassionate leadership can help bosses get the tough stuff done while balancing concern for employees with concern for organizational effectiveness. Check out this episode and start leading more compassionatel...

This episode is for anyone who wants to be less reactive and more proactive in the workplace! Borrowing from Stephen Covey’s revered work, Andy Morrison presents an overview of reactive vs proactive attitudes, a model for moving away from reactive thinking, and suggestions for how managers can exemplify a proactive attitude for their team. About REAL Custom Training REAL Custom Training is committ...