The Manager Lab

Welcome to the Manager Lab episode on mentorship, inspired by Andy Lopata's HBR article "Weave Mentorship into the Fabric of Your Organization." This episode argues mentorship should be a daily leadership behavior, not just a formal HR program. Traditional mentorship programs often fall short because they are time-bound, top-down, and optional. When mentorship is embedded into everyday work—ongoin...

In this episode of the Manager Lab we explore Antonio Rodriguez’s Harvard Business Review idea of the Project-Driven Organization: why projects now create most organizational value and how traditional functional structures fall short. We cover three key takeaways—translate strategy into disciplined projects, treat project skills as leadership skills, and manage capacity realistically—and five prac...

This episode of Manager Lab distills a Harvard Business Review article into four science-backed leadership practices: define your aspirational self, change systems rather than relying on willpower, prioritize a learning mindset over performance, and embrace discomfort to drive change. Practical takeaways help leaders increase impact, resilience, and fulfillment in the year ahead.

In this episode of the Manager Lab, the host shares a personal New Year ritual inspired by Stephen Covey’s Four Categories—physical, mental, social-emotional, and spiritual—to reflect on the past year and set clear, intentional goals for 2026. Practical tips include reviewing last year’s goals, keeping 3–5 priorities per category, using tools like Evernote to track progress, performing quarterly c...

In this Manager Lab episode you’ll learn how a simple, structured team wrap-up week helps teams reflect on the year, recognize contributions, capture lessons, and set intentions so they finish with closure and begin the next year aligned and energized. Practical manager actions and a flexible five-day format are shared to turn reflection into learning, recognition into trust, and endings into mome...

In this episode of Manager Lab we draw leadership lessons from a record-setting NFL kicker to show that pressure is predictable and trainable. Learn why top performers view pressure as a signal and how preparation beats nerves. Practical takeaways for managers include building repeatable pre-performance routines, focusing on controllables, practicing under simulated pressure, and separating identi...

In this episode of Manager Lab we summarize The Octopus Organization and explain why talent development must be a continuous, strategic investment. Learn practical tactics: embed learning into projects, use micro-learning, plan skills development, enable curiosity groups and skill swaps, and hold regular development conversations to turn managers into coaches and retain top talent.

In this episode of Manager Lab we explore how to balance data with human judgment, based on The Octopus Organization. The host explains why overreliance on data can lead to false certainty and missed context, and shares practical ways to make data more useful. Key tips include seeking counter-narratives, analyzing granular distributions instead of averages, improving data literacy across roles, pa...

In this Manager Lab episode we unpack the first part of The Octopus Organization and explore how to stop upholding poor leadership. The host explains why promoting bad leadership harms culture and productivity, and presents practical tactics leaders can use to change: speak last, build a shadow cabinet, connect through shared experience, create multiple feedback channels, stop one harmful behavior...

In this episode of Manager Lab we examine why employee trust is declining and why trust matters for engagement, alignment, speed, and retention. We unpack the three trust pillars—competence, benevolence, and integrity—and explain common causes of erosion like poor transparency, inconsistent actions, short-term decision-making, and fear at work. Finally, the episode gives six practical, immediate a...

Welcome to the Manager Lab episode about celebrating wins: why leaders often skip recognition, how neglecting celebration harms motivation and well-being, and the science showing that pausing to acknowledge progress strengthens performance. Discover seven practical tips—celebrate small and specific, connect wins to purpose, spread credit, honor learning, and build celebration rituals—to boost mome...

This episode explains why psychological safety — the freedom to speak up, ask questions, and admit mistakes without fear — is essential for reducing burnout and retaining staff, especially during crises. It reviews large-scale research showing that teams with established psychological safety fare better when resources are constrained. Listeners get four concrete actions managers can take: model un...

In this episode of the Manager Lab, the host leads a reflective pause on gratitude, exploring nine life categories that shape how we live and lead: health, relationships, work and purpose, growth, nature, daily comforts, freedom, moments of joy and stillness, and spirituality. The episode offers simple reflections and practical encouragement to reconnect with what matters, helping managers return...

In this episode of Manager Lab we review John Blakey's HBR article on measuring trust and argue that trust is a measurable strategic asset rooted in observable leader behaviors: ability, integrity, and benevolence. The episode outlines a four-step process for measuring trust and offers practical actions for managers—baseline surveys, defined governance and metrics, behavior-focused action plans, e...

Transformation succeeds when talent is treated as a strategic pillar, not an afterthought. This episode breaks down how to identify the critical roles that drive change, build capabilities from within, and align talent systems—performance, rewards, and career paths—to reinforce the new operating model. Learn practical steps: map the 10–20% of mission-critical roles, reallocate top performers to th...

In this Manager Lab episode we unpack Robin Sharma’s The 5 AM Club: the parable that introduces the 20-20-20 victory hour, the four interior empires (mindset, heartset, healthset, soulset), and practical tactics for focus and recovery. Hosts share actionable tips — write a morning manifesto, prepare the night before, keep the first hour tech-free, use weekly self-checks, and follow a 66-day habit-...

In this Manager Lab episode we unpack HBR research on what makes a great negotiator: disciplined preparation, fluent communication, trustworthy behavior, and principled value creation. We translate those findings into practical tips for managers — prepare structurally, listen and probe, honor commitments, and coach teams to prioritize win‑win outcomes — so you can improve negotiations both inside...

In this episode of Manager Lab we unpack three lesser-known threat responses at work — the please/appease response, the attach or cry-for-help response, and the collapse (disengagement). Using insights from Ron Carucci’s HBR article, we explain how these behaviors signal low psychological safety and give managers practical steps: reward honesty, invite respectful dissent, offer steady but non-reac...

Welcome to the Manager Lab, where we explore talent management through actionable insights. In this episode we review Ron Carucci’s Harvard Business Review article on the six defensive behaviors and focus on the first three: fight, flight, and freeze. Learn how to de-escalate aggressive behaviors with curiosity, invite withdrawn teammates into conversations without pressure, and make uncertainty s...

In this episode of the Manager Lab, host Greg Gillum explores a Harvard Business Review finding that middle managers report the lowest levels of psychological safety—hindering learning, innovation, and communication across organizations. We define psychological safety, explain why middle managers are uniquely squeezed between senior leadership and their teams, and share four quick takeaways about...

In this episode of Manager Lab, Greg Gillum explains how busy managers can coach effectively without long sessions by using Monique Valcour's approach: practice strategic silence, use a simple bridge structure (ask, guide, commit), and focus on high-impact micro-coaching moments. The episode includes five practical actions managers can try this week to build coaching into everyday work and develop...

In this episode of Manager Lab we explore why a feedback-rich culture matters, drawing on the HBR article “Building a Feedback‑Rich Culture.” You’ll learn how feedback drives trust, learning, and better performance, plus the four cultural elements that make feedback safe and effective. The episode also gives five practical tips managers can use today—modeling feedback, micro-checkins, balancing po...

In this episode of the Manager Lab, Greg Gillum explores four organizational red flags that make top candidates decline offers: lack of role clarity, poor hiring practices, disengaged employees, and damaged reputation. Greg explains how to spot these signals during recruiting and offers clear, actionable tips managers can use to refine job profiles, streamline the candidate journey, audit candidat...

In this episode of Manager Lab we explore Ron Carucci’s Harvard Business Review article on the emotional strengths required to lead through change, focusing on five key tensions leaders must hold: agency vs. ambivalence, belonging vs. disruption, confidence vs. humility, patience vs. impatience, and consistency vs. adaptability. Practical takeaways include building emotional awareness, being trans...

In this episode of Manager Lab, Greg Gillum explains why clarifying your personal core values improves decision-making, builds trust, and guides leaders through complex trade-offs. Learn a four-step process—reflect on pivotal stories, distill recurring themes, test your values, and make them visible—and five practical actions you can try this week: journal, run a values mirror meeting, frame trade...