The Manager Track

Many of my clients' employers are currently getting ready to or are already in the process of moving back to the office. But for most, it won't be as it was in 2019... Teams won't all be in the same office, if in an office at all, or they won't be there all at the same time. While leading a hybrid team successfully boils down to core fundamentals of leadership, there are a few critical things you'...

One of my top 3 values is growth. And based on the fact that you're reading this right now, I'm guessing growth and learning are pretty important to you as well. So sooner or later, you might find yourself in a situation when you're craving to make an investment in yourself and experience accelerated growth. I think this is particularly common in situations when we move into new or bigger responsi...

How fulfilled are you in your job? And how fulfilled do you think your team members are? If these questions sound worth thinking about some more then I got something for you that you'll like :-) In this week's episode of The Manager Track podcast, you'll hear a conversation with Bruna De Palo, a neuroscience-based career coach. Bruna helps us understand why " fulfillment is not about what you do b...

What do you say to direct reports who vent to you about things that aren't going well or decisions they disagree with? Do you feed into it and maybe even share that you agree with how they feel about things? And very similarly, to whom do YOU talk to when you're frustrated and want to vent? Is your boss on the list of people you might be calling up? If yes, this episode is for you. We're going to...

Are you an 'answer person' or are you a 'question person'? As a student and early on in your career as an Individual Contributor, you likely had to give answers and advice left and right.  Being the "go-to" person or the subject matter expert felt rewarding and was probably what made you stand out as a high-performer.  As a manager and leader, however, being an 'answer person' makes it h...

If you're a leader and you relate to being "Type A", then there's no doubt that this is influencing the way your lead. And it's likely that these traits got you where you are today and that you're personally proud of. But here is what you need to know: Just like any other strength, these "Type A" strengths can be overdone and make you less effective as a leader. In this week's episode of The Manag...

Let's talk about masculinity in the workplace. According to Ray Arata (the guest on the podcast this week), there is healthy and unhealthy or toxic masculinity. Much of the latter has been tolerated up until recently. But despite a more optimistic outlook on gender inclusion, there are still too many unwritten rules that drive the behaviors of many men in the workplace. Ray's 8 unhealthy and unwri...

This episode is a conversation between Joshua Samberg, a Director of Engineering at productboard and a leadership coaching client, and Ramona. This episode originally aired on the Productboard Engineering Leadership Podcast. Here is Joshua's personal introduction: "I'm genuinely excited and proud to share the latest episode of my podcast. I interview my leadership and strategy coach, Ramona Shaw....

4 in 10 US employees work for a younger boss and it's been said that in many industries and professions 30 is the new 50. If you find yourself in a situation where you lead significantly older (or more experienced) people then thoughts and worries such as "What if they don't respect me?", "I think I look too young", or "They don't take me seriously" may have crossed your mind. I've been there myse...

In this episode, I'll share what an Entry Interview is and how it can help you ignite strong relationships with your new hires. The Entry Interview is a concept I first heard about from Adam Grant. I consider it an important step in the employee onboarding experience to have quality time with their new manager and to discuss their personal goals, preferences, and needs beyond what was shared durin...

As we're kicking off 2022, I thought it would be the perfect time to talk about goals and goal setting. But don't you worry.. I'm not gonna go down the SMART goal lane and this is also not about New Year's resolutions. Instead, in this week's episode of The Manager Track podcast I talk about the 3 biggest issues I see with goal setting and why so many of us lose steam along the way. Think about th...

This is a re-release of one of the most popular episodes of The Manager Track podcast. And if you were recently promoted into your first leadership role and are ready to kick the new year off on a strong foot, then this is definitely one for you. _______ During these first few weeks as a new manager, everyone will be watching you - from your team members to your boss, and to your new peers. All ey...

This is a re-release of one of the most popular episodes of The Manager Track podcast. Whether you just got a pay raise or you feel deflated after a flat year-end conversation, this episode will give you ideas on how to prepare for a pay raise all year long. _______ Tell me if this sounds familiar... You're a high-performer and are doing great work for your company. You're constantly exceeding exp...

I'm thrilled to share this interview with Michael McGill, CIO at Medical Service Company, with you.  Michael has successfully led his department through a rollercoaster of change and adversity over the last 2 years and in this conversation, he shares with us... What he wished he knew on day 1 of his leadership career The challenges he experienced when he transitioned from an IC role into a ma...

Being in a leadership role comes with a lot of unspoken rules. Things that are not written in your job description, yet are critical for you to know in order to succeed. More precisely, these unspoken rules are all about these small, often overlooked things that can make a big difference in how people see you, how they feel in your presence, and the trust they have in you. I got thinking about the...

How high do you set the bar for yourself and for others? If you're anything like most of my clients then your answer is probably "pretty high." The questions that beg to be answered are... is having high standards a good thing or a bad thing? And how do you know if your standards are just high or if they're in fact unrealistic? There are two very important aspects to consider when answering these...

Imagine this: you’re a high-performing manager taking your career seriously. Lately, though, you've been feeling exhausted and worn out. You know, intellectually speaking, that when people take care of themselves, they feel better, and maybe even work better. But deep down, you also believe that working harder and longer than everyone else is what made you successful, and in the fast-paced, intens...

Do you sometimes ruminate for hours over a critical comment from a co-worker or from your boss? Or when you evaluate your team member, do you find it easier to spot the mistakes than to see the great thing they did? If the answer was yes to either of those, then rest assured that nothing has gone wrong... As humans, we tend to focus a lot more on negative things than on positive events or circumst...

Have you been trying to be more confident or assertive at work? Or have you been wanting to block out more time for strategic thinking? Or maybe you've really tried to delegate more to free up your calendar a bit? ...But despite the effort and the commitment, it's been harder to change that behavior than you thought it would? If you can relate then read on. And please bear in mind, changing behavi...

Get this... 96% of leaders say they lack the time for strategic thinking and 43% of managers cannot stat their own strategy (HBR). That's crazy, right?! As leaders, we MUST carve out time (i.e. ruthlessly prioritize) time to operate on a strategic level, to think about, discuss, plan, and then repeatedly communicate our strategies.  But let's be real. I know it's easier said than done to carv...

Whether we like it or not, the discussion on vax mandates will become more prominent over the next few months as companies who aim to return employees to offices will have to decide what requirements they'll put in place (unless the government makes that decision for them, of course). And unless all of your team members are fully vaccinated, you as a front-line or mid-level manager will likely fin...

Could it be that your "expert mindset" is what got into your first leadership but now actually gets in the way of your leadership effectiveness? I heard Dr. Alison Horstmeyer address this very question and it piqued my interest. Alison is an executive coach and a humanistic researcher who focuses on the topic of curiosity and I'm thrilled to bring her on as a guest in this week's episode of The Ma...

"Is it me or is it them?" This is a question that I hear so often from new managers.  So, let's peel the onion on this one in this week's episode. Part of your job as a leader, whether explicitly stated in your job description or simply implied, is your responsibility to manage people's performance. For most, this is the "sticky" part of leadership. The shadow side of all the good stuff that...

What do you think makes a great leader? Intelligence, confidence, charisma, or expertise? These all sound reasonable, right? But over the many years, I’ve spent as a coach helping new and mid-level managers become great leaders, I’ve realized that the truth about good leadership comes down to skills and behaviors that are a lot less showy and obvious. When you let go of the image of what makes you...

Today, I want to take you behind the scenes of my coaching practice and introduce you to my proprietary APS Method. Here is the thing... If you want to be a high-performing leader, be respected and liked by your directs, and be admired by your peers, then in my view, this is the fastest path to get you there. The APS Method emerged out of coaching and training hundreds of new and mid-level leaders...