The Manager Track

Here is the thing when it comes to our egos... It is a lot easier to see someone else’s than it is to see your own. It’s like that little piece of spinach stuck in between your teeth. You can go all day not knowing it’s there, but everyone else sees it. When you finally look in the mirror and discover that it's there, it’s like, “Why didn’t anyone tell me?” But let's be clear. Having an ego isn’t...

The responsibility of leading other people comes with the responsibility to lead yourself - and this is what we call Self-Leadership. A big component of Self-Leadership is Mind Management and I believe that it is one of the greatest skills that you can learn to evolve your leadership. Plus, I see it as one of the most overlooked aspects of leadership development. In this episode, you'll learn what...

Join Stacey Ashley and me in this conversation as we discuss how leaders can increase their effectiveness and expand their impact without adding more hours to their workday. Stacey shares how you as a leader can... Differentiate yourself from an average leader and morph into a great leader Get organized versus being busy and what discipline has to do with it Better honor your leadership responsibi...

The vast majority, let's say 95% of people are good, caring people who have no intentions to hurt anyone. But then there are a few people who demonstrate behaviors that are hurtful towards others. They may be intentionally hurtful. They may intentionally push people's buttons. Or exclude people and make them feel less than, or insecure. Now I use quotation marks around the word "toxic" in this tit...

Although giving advice could be so much easier and faster, when you apply a coach-like approach as a manager, you increase self-responsibility and self-belief in your team members. Through your questions, you're giving choice wherever possible, while also providing them with a good balance of support and challenge. You'll walk away knowing... the benefits of asking even one question the 4-step pro...

I got a question for you... How do you feel when someone else is having a negative emotional reaction because of something you did or said? If you feel guilty and responsible for how they feel then this episode is for YOU! I often talk about emotional responsibility which means not to blame others for how we feel because our feelings are created by our own thoughts (not by other people or outside...

How do you know if you're doing a good job at work? Is it praise and recognition from others? A promotion? A bonus? Or a good performance review? The likelihood is pretty high that one of those sounded right to you. But what all these answers have in common is that these results are not fully in your control. All of them depend on other people and their needs and wants or on external factors such...

When it comes to leadership development, I take a hard stance against simple plug & play kinda playbooks that completely leave out awareness building and core leadership principles. Because in my view,  this IS the foundation of great leadership. Yes, frameworks and tools are amazing, especially for new managers who are often thrown into completely new situations and challenges. So having...

Managing an ambitious high-performer who is maybe even more knowledgable than you or who wants to become a people leader and have your job one day is not always easy. Yes, it's awesome to have a star on your team. In fact, it should be your goal to develop high-performing employees. However, while they have their work covered and don't need much guidance from you, you do have a crucial role to pla...

Do you ever end your day wondering where all the hours went? Your to-do list is longer than it was in the morning, and it feels you got nothing important accomplished. If you can relate to this, then you're not alone. As an IC (individual contributor) your main job was to get "stuff" done. Your performance was measured based on how much you accomplished and how fast you achieved your goals. So tha...

Ever been super convinced that your idea was the best but then to your complete surprise your boss decided to take a different route? The reason for this might have been your boss's different perspective and rock-solid reason for that but it could also have been due to the fact that most of our decisions are based on emotions, not logic! If you rely mostly on data, logic, and facts to make your ca...

“No random actions, none not based on underlying principles.” — Marcus Aurelius (Roman emperor and one of the main Stoic philosophers) Stoicism is an ancient philosophy that is applicable today as it was back then. Plus its surging popularity in recent years demonstrates the usefulness of these principles when it comes to dealing with stress, fast-paced environments, lots of change, and uncertaint...

40-60% of new managers fail or underperform within their first 2 years on the job! It's shocking, and it hurts! If you're new to leadership then you basically have a 50-50 chance of succeeding. Now, you might think your past success will protect you from future failure but here is the thing: what got you here won't get you there! If you underperform you obviously miss opportunities for career grow...

Most of us aren't born with rock-solid, bulletproof confidence.  Instead, we have to build it, rebuild it, and protect it as we go through life and as we grow as humans and as leaders.  So, I'm curious.... where is your confidence level at today? Want to do a quick assessment with me?? 🤓 If so, answer the following questions... What is your current confidence level on a scale from 1 to...

Does this sound familiar?... You‘re excited about a new employee you hired. They start, you introduce them to co-workers, clients, and leadership and you can't wait for them to lighten the workload you're currently carrying. Then a week or two go by and even though at first you don’t want to admit it, you realize you’re not seeing the progress or perhaps the skills, or maybe the attitude or work e...

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 eyes are on you. And so it’s critical to start out strong. In essence, you’ll want to focus on the 4 following objectives during your first 30 days. Buil relationships Learn, learn, learn Establish expectations Assess the current status In this episode of T...

Attitude is (almost) everything! The pressure of leadership, personal issues, and life, in general, can impact your mood, energy, and attitude. And, attitude matters more than you might realize. Without saying a word, your attitude permeates from your skin. Even when you think you are hiding it and that no one sees it, people are highly likely to pick up on it. Plus, your attitude impacts how you...

A couple of years ago, I heard Melanie Perkins, 34-year old co-founder and CEO of Canva, say that she doesn’t think that the employees work for her but that she works for the employees. It stuck with me because it highlighted one of the big myths so many of us have about what being a “leader” really means. Today, I come across these kinds of misconceptions all the time and I see how they can misgu...

Interviewing isn't easy and with the added pressure to find the right match quickly, this process is a common challenge so many of my clients have. And this is why I decided to bring to you an expert in Talent Acquisition and to discuss best practices for hiring managers. Join me and Mark Langlie , a highly experienced Director of Talent Acquisition, in this week's episode of The Manager Track as...

Becoming a new manager can be both exciting and overwhelming. The biggest challenge is that most new managers don't receive any leadership training. Yet, the skills you need to succeed as a manager are completely different from the skills you needed to perform well as an individual contributor. Because it's such a big transition, it’s very likely that you’ll make some mistakes as you ramp up in yo...

"Please micromanage me!"... said NO employee, EVER! Yet, 60-80% of employees (depending on the study) say that they've been micromanaged at least once in their professional lives. The point is that there are a lot of "micromanagers" getting up this morning, making themselves a cup of coffee, and starting their workday. Yet, the vast majority of them don't realize that they are being perceived and...

You'll walk away from this episode with actionable tips on how to increase your presence as a leader. Bain & Company found that among 33 leadership traits, being mindfully present is the most important one. As a present leader, you'll be better at coping with stress, staying level-headed, empathizing with others, and listening attentively. Plus, I'll share an insight from one of my coaching ca...

...How committed are you to yourself? To your personal growth, your happiness, and your contentment? So committed you would stop WHAT you are doing and see HOW you are doing when you're feeling triggered, hurt, anxious, restless, or stressed? So often we are in such a hurry to do things and get stuff done that we completely ignore ourselves. We break the promises and commitments we made to ourselv...

What if things that you've learned in school are actually more hurtful than helpful now that you're in a leadership role? This episode will spark your thinking about what lessons you might have learned in the past that actually don't hold true anymore.  Personally,  this is a topic I'm very passionate about, especially since becoming a mom.  We think thousands of thoughts each day a...

Do you know what Dr. Seuss, Oprah Winfrey, JK Rowlings, Elvis Presley, and Walt Disney have in common? They all FAILED epically early on in their careers. Many people would have given up but not them. They got back up and kept trying. They failed FORWARD. Failing forward means to... See failure as part of the process Continue to belief Take new risks Think "I failed or it failed" Practice compassi...