My Crazy Office

In this My Crazy Office podcast, Kathi and Katherine investigate why so many managers are uncomfortable asking their staff for help. They start with a question from a manager who has a team of six and fears asking them to work on additional projects, only to discover that they are more than happy to do so. Kathi and Katherine discuss why the nicest bosses often refrain from seeking the help they n...

Sometimes bosses are afraid of conflict. They just don’t know how to handle disagreements between employees. In this episode of My Crazy Office, Kathi and Katherine discuss an interesting phenomenon: What do you do when a manager who avoids dealing with employee conflict causes more conflicts to erupt? They start with a question from someone whose boss keeps insisting that the staff resolve...

In this My Crazy Office podcast, Kathi and Katherine discuss something that arises more often than you may think — what happens when the person you consider to be your mentor (and protector) at work leaves? They start with a question from someone who has been working at the same company for 8 years and just learned that her mentor there is leaving, without an explanation of why. Kathi and Ka...

In this episode of My Crazy Office, Kathi and Katherine talk about a difficult situation that can arise for any ambitious employee: What do you do if your boss blocks you from moving ahead? They start with a question from someone who has successfully launched a new program for her company and would like some tangible rewards (promotion, raise, more resources) for her success. Her boss refuses to c...

Sometimes, getting a job offer can be stressful. In this episode of My Crazy Office, Kathi and Katherine discuss “job offer jitters.” They start with a question from someone who’s been applying for jobs and is now the final candidate for two different positions. Both are appealing, but one company has made an offer, and the other one has not. How can this person hold off a decision until the other...

In this episode of My Crazy Office, Kathi and Katherine address a very frustrating situation: what do you do when a coworker’s poor work habits make YOU look bad? They start with a question from someone who relies on the data from a coworker to do her job. The data she receives is always late, and often incomplete. Kathi and Katherine discuss how to manage a situation where someone else’s poor wor...

It can be infuriating if your boss protects someone who you don’t like working with. In this episode of My Crazy Office, Kathi and Katherine ask a question that many of you may say, “yes” to: Does your boss protect the wrong people? They start with a question from someone who likes their job but can’t stand working with one person who the boss is always protecting. Kathi and Katherine discus...

In this My Crazy Office podcast, Kathi and Katherine address a question that many of you may relate to – Do you work with an angry person? They start with a question from someone who sits next to a person who looks angry, sounds angry and makes others uncomfortable. Kathi and Katherine discuss the challenges of working with someone who always seems angry, and what you can do to manage the situatio...

In this episode of My Crazy Office, Kathi and Katherine ask an important question – Is your job your identity? If so, does changing your job threaten your identity? They start with a question from someone who recently left a job at a large, recognizable brand for a better position at a smaller, less well known company. Even though the new job offers much more opportunity, the change in visibility...

In this My Crazy Office podcast, Kathi and Katherine discuss a tough situation – How do you manage a toxic employee who you’re afraid to fire? They start with a question from someone who has an employee that creates enemies in the workplace. This person is valuable because of the business she brings in. Kathi and Katherine discuss how to handle a toxic employee and whether keeping them on is a goo...

In this My Crazy Office podcast, Kathi and Katherine ask a provocative question – Is your boss not letting you make decisions? They start with a question from someone who has been at the same job for three years and still has to run every decision by the boss. Kathi and Katherine discuss how to manage a boss who has trouble relinquishing control and thinks every decision should be run by them.

On this My Crazy Office podcast, Kathi and Katherine consider an important question: Are you putting your job before yourself? They start with a question from someone who likes their job but keeps getting sick because of trying to tackle an overwhelming workload. Kathi and Katherine discuss how to identify whether you are putting your job before your own well being and what you can do about it.

In this My Crazy Office podcast, Kathi and Katherine address a common dilemma: Getting promoted but not letting go of your old job. They start with a question from someone who recently got promoted to a more executive position but finds it hard to stop doing their former job because it’s familiar and comfortable. Kathi and Katherine discuss why it can be hard to let go and how to move on – even if...

In this episode of My Crazy Office, Kathi and Katherine discuss a common problem that many people grapple with at work: Is your boss too busy to meet with you? They start with a question from someone who’s recently started an exciting new position at a growing company but can’t get the boss to meet and lay out the expectations of the job. Kathi and Katherine discuss how to tackle this frustrating...

In this episode of My Crazy Office, Kathi and Katherine discuss a frustrating situation for any manager – what do you do when you have an employee who always thinks they know better than you? They start with a question from someone whose direct report constantly tells her what he would do if he were in her position. Kathi and Katherine examine how to manage a know-it-all employee and still get the...

In This My Crazy Office podcast, Kathi and Katherine discuss an extremely important issue for anyone who feels exhausted from working too hard and caring too much about work – Burnout. They start with a question from someone who got promoted because of his high standards and strong work ethic, but finds himself working seven days a week, exhausted, and unable to let up. Kathi and Katherine discuss...

Women are the masters of nonverbal communication. One way that they can be passively mean to each other is by sending an unfriendly nonverbal message. In this episode of My Crazy Office, Kathi and Katherine explore the topic of nonverbal messages and how to manage them at work. They start with a question from a young professional who is noticing that one of her female co-workers rolls her eyes eve...

In this My Crazy Office episode, Kathi and Katherine pose a question: Are you protecting the wrong person at work? They start with a question from a manager who’s been protecting a skilled-but-difficult employee. This person’s behavior offends other employees so much that HR recently intervened, insisting the manager confront the employee. Kathi and Katherine discuss why it can be tempting to prot...

In this My Crazy Office podcast, Kathi and Katherine discuss how to get promoted by being better at managing up and managing down. They start with a question from someone who wants to move to a higher-level position but has been told that they need to be less enabling of staff and more visible to upper management. In other words, this person’s promotion is tied to more managing up and less micro-m...

In this episode of My Crazy Office, Kathi and Katherine discuss a crucial skill for anyone who wants to move their career forward: Networking. They start with a question from someone who knows that networking would help them find a new job but avoids doing it. Kathi and Katherine discuss how to manage your own resistance to networking and take steps to build your network anyway. Hate networking? L...

Interviewing for a new job can be very intimidating; especially if you haven’t had much practice. In this My Crazy Office podcast, Kathi and Kathrine discuss a crucial skill for anyone seeking employment: How to prepare for job interviews. They start with a question from someone who has been at the same job for three years, knows it’s time to move, but fears the job interview process. Kathi...

In this episode of My Crazy Office, Kathi and Katherine explore a sensitive topic: How do you fire someone who is a friend? They start with a question from someone who finds themselves in the awkward position of having to fire a good friend due to that person’s poor performance. Kathi and Katherine discuss the challenges of this kind of situation and how to prepare for the fallout.

In this episode of My Crazy Office, Kathi and Katherine explore a classic workplace topic – Imposter Syndrome. They start with a question from someone who is about to get promoted and fears that everyone will discover she doesn’t know what she’s doing. Kathi and Katherine discuss what imposter syndrome is, and how to manage it so that it doesn’t slow you down.

In this episode of My Crazy Office, Kathi and Katherine explore what happens when your friend becomes your boss. They start with a question from someone whose colleague recently got promoted to be her boss. While the two of them were friendly as coworkers, her newly promoted boss is suddenly behaving differently. Join Kathi and Katherine as they discuss how friendships can change at work, and how...

Today’s My Crazy Office podcast begins with a question: Is your fear holding you back from opportunity at work? Kathi and Katherine start with a question from someone whose employer has offered them a new position that would lead to professional and personal growth, but this person’s fear is holding them back from saying, “yes.” Kathi and Katherine discuss how to identify your fears when opportuni...