Managing Made Simple

One of the most common things I hear from managers is that you want to build an inclusive team, you know it's important, but... you don't quite know how to do it.  In this episode, I share 3 concrete "must do's" for having an inclusive team, with specific examples of how to bring these to life so that you create an environment where not only people feel like they can make...

When motivation is low and it feels like our team members aren't bought in, it can make us dread managing because we worry that this lack of motivation is going to slow things down or potentially result in losing team members. The good news is, this can be a moment to reignite a sense of purpose in your team members, which can shift people's mindset from disengaged and job searching to b...

As managers or business owners, the ultimate goal is to hire great people so we can both learn from them and step out of the way and let them step up as leaders; but it can often take a few tries and lessons learned to get there.  In today's episode, I talk with Audrey Saccone, Founder and CEO of Audrey Digital, a digital design team about how to create a strong culture when managing a remote...

Working in some of the most influential organizations in the world, on teams shipping some of the most cutting edge projects - do you want to know the #1 differentiator between teams that excelled and the ones that struggled? An ownership mindset. The ownership mindset is a quality that allows small business owners and entrepreneurs to scale, and managers in the corporate world achieve even the to...

Thought feedback was hard enough when you have to give it to your team members? How about giving it to your own manager or to an executive in your management chain? Thanks but no thanks? Same. This is something that can make us start to sweat just thinking about it, but fear not, because In this episode I share a 5-step framework for delivering feedback up the chain.  And for business owners or fo...

Want to build more influence as a leader? Start with your story. In today’s episode, Alex Street, Storytelling Coach joins me to discuss the power of storytelling in motivating our teams, building a stronger sense of purpose across our organizations, and becoming a more influential leader. Yeah… storytelling is THAT powerful. We cover why storytelling is such an important leadership skill and how...

Today we're making feedback a lot more fun! I promised we'd be talking about feedback a lot on this show ;) Why? Because feedback is one of the most important skills for managers, but more than that, because feedback needs a rebrand.  Feedback is such a tough issue because we tend to think of it as all of the bad stuff - the things we did wrong or messed up.  But that's not actually...

We're all feeling a little stressed right now, and for many of us, that has our Sunday Scaries firing on all cylinders.  But fear not, in today's episode, I share three ways to deal with and hopefully prevent burnout as a manager: 1- Adjusting expectations 2- Managing up 3- Asking for help In the episode I talk about why each of these strategies are important and how to do them, even if...

As managers, we have to make decisions all of the time. But this doesn't mean the process is easy.  In this episode, I'm joined by Abby Davisson social innovation leader and author of the book "Money and Love" to discuss how we can make the whole process of making decisions easier as leaders and managers. In the conversation, Abby shares the 5 C's framework for making deci...

Meeting overload is something we’re all struggling with right now, but have we really taken action to do something about it? In this conversation, I talk with Megan Karsh expert in facilitation about frameworks for managers to apply to run effective meetings, resulting in a better use of everyone’s time, and achieving the intended outcome of the meeting. We also delve into specific tools you can d...

Showing appreciation goes deeper than just saying thank you, and if you've been finding your efforts to recognize your team members falling flat, this is the episode for you. In this episode I dive into the importance of understanding your team members' appreciation language, and three ways to meaningfully recognize your team members to create higher motivation, engagement, and better re...

As if all of the work on your plate wasn't enough.... now two of your team members are in a conflict and now you have to deal with it. It's tough and it can trigger those Sunday Scaries, or let's face it, everyday scaries.  But the key here isn't to avoid it, it's to reframe it ;)  In this episode, I share three strategies for supporting your team members through a conflic...

We've all heard about the importance of empathy in the workplace, but have we actually internalized what this means? In this conversation, I talk with Kerri Jacobs, creator of the Leading with Empathy program at Google about the signals the key signals team members look for to know they feel valued by their manager, how leaders can display and model empathy on their teams, the power of recogn...

We consume information all of the time, but how much of that are we actually internalizing and learning? In my conversation with Abbie Mirata, Learning & Development Executive and Founder of The Intrapreneur Project, we discuss the importance of investing in learning in your organization, how to create a culture of learning and development in your team, and the power of "intrapreneurship&...

Feedback is both one of the most important skills to master as a manager... and one of the toughest.  But in trying to make a tough situation easier, we sometimes make the mistake of assuming how the situation will go before before we enter the conversation - allowing ourselves to bias the situation.  In this episode, I talk about three pitfalls to avoid when giving feedback to a team member and w...

As managers, founders, or small business owners, our teams are always coming to us with questions. But with so much uncertainty right now and so many questions we can't necessarily answer, this can be a source of Sunday Scaries. The good news is there is a way to answer and still engage with our teams when we don't have all of the answers, and in this episode, I share a simple three step...

When we've been managing for a long time, it can be easy to fall into the trap of telling and directing, but the truth is, there is nothing more powerful than a thoughtful question.  In this conversation with Albert Shum, former Corporate Vice President of Design at Microsoft, we discuss how thoughtful questions empower teams, the importance of having a principled approach to leadership, and...

What's the secret to doing more with less? Focusing on the HOW. The easier we make it to get things done, the faster we can move and the more engaged our teams are. While this is important in any sized company, it's especially important for startups and small businesses. So if you're a Founder, Entrepreneur, or Small Business Owner with a small and growing team, you're going to...

Sunday Scaries. We all get them. And yet as a manager, sometimes it feels twice as hard because we're thinking about all of the things we have to face, along with everything our team has coming their way.  Each Sunday I'll be offering a quick tip to help combat the Sunday Scaries, today kicking off with calendar management and how to optimize your time and that of your teams'. To ge...

It's our first Ask Me Anything (AMA) episode, where I rapid-fire answer questions submitted by our listeners. Today's questions:  How do I deal with difficult team members? How do I manage up? How do I when when it's right to coach vs direct? Related episodes mentioned in this show: Coaching as a manager superpower and how to use it BONUS: How to overcome unlucky situations as a man...

 What's the key to better understanding both ourselves and our teams - understanding the order in which our brain processes information. In this episode, Michelle King, HR executive and leadership coach, talks about the power of the HBDI assessment to understand how our brain processes information, especially during times of stress, and how to use this tool to give better feedback and have mo...

Ever asked the question, "why isn't my team listening to me?" The answer is often found in one place: setting expectations. In this episode, I discuss the power of setting expectations to create more of a sense of ownership on your team so work gets done more effectively and efficiently, and everyone is on the same page about what success looks like. --  Connect with me! LinkedIn: L...

When something goes wrong on your team, it can be easy to feel like you're unlucky. But the truth is, this is a perspective, and it's one that we can reframe.  In this episode I talk about how to reframe your perspective from unlucky to one of possibility and potential, and then apply this to three common "unlucky" situations that happen to managers on teams, including: (1) Inh...

In this episode I interview Rebecca Cafiero, Founder & CEO of the Pitch Club and business strategist as she discusses her journey as a leader in the corporate world into entrepreneurship. Rebecca dives into the importance of transferrable skills in hiring, investing in your team members, creating space for wellbeing, and developing your team so they can step into the best versions of themselve...

When you've been managing for a while it can be easy to think you've got all of the nuts and bolts figured out, but as we move through uncertain times and a new generation enters the workforce, there is always an opportunity to reflect on how we can show up better for our teams. In this episode I explore three mistakes seasoned managers make:  (1) Not getting the training they need  (2)...