The New Manager Podcast

Think you're in competition with a colleague?  In this episode, a listener writes in to ask for guidance when they and their coworker are both up for promotion.  And, as a manager, you might find yourself in a similar situation -- where two people on your team want a promotion, and you'll have to (1) make a decision about who and when, and (2) communicate the news.  Let's discuss! **Af...

As a new manager, you might feel a tendency to people-please flare up.  It can get in the way by causing you to overwork (by having no boundaries), communicate poorly (by avoiding conversations or not being direct), or creating more pressure and anxiety (by ruminating).   In this episode, you'll see what creates the impulse to people-please, and what to do instead.  So you can be intentional i...

What if you're a new manager who is managing people who are older than you, or who have more experience than you?   One of my listeners wrote to me asking about this, and it's such a good question.  In this episode I talk about the pressure you might feel, the importance of being clear on what the job actually is, and a simple process to help you navigate the situation and relationships.  ...

Many new managers get feedback to be more assertive.  What does that mean?  How do you do it?  Let's discuss! **After the Episode** Enroll in Communication Skills for Managers: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maven.com/kimnicol/communication-strategies⁠⁠⁠⁠ For private coaching: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kimnicol.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow me on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimnicol/⁠⁠⁠ Become a more calm and confident leade...

Being a human means you have access to all the emotions -- as does everyone you work with!  Becoming a manager will bring up everything from self-doubt, fear of failure, and frustration. . . to connection, inspiration, and confidence.   The best part of work is when we feel proud, valued, and respected.   The worst is when we feel a lack of trust, discouraged, or chronically frustrated.  Understan...

When you start managing people, you will be making new decisions about how you use your time.   Some of your time will be in strategic thinking and planning, some will be in execution, some in communicating, and other relationship management tasks.   You must learn how to use your time well, rather than letting yourself feel overwhelmed -- which leads to avoidance, reactivity, and never feeling li...

You're not managing people yet, but it's the next step and you want to start preparing.  In this episode we'll talk about how you can start developing your mindset, before you shift from IC to people manager. **After the Episode** Enroll in Communication Skills for Managers: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maven.com/kimnicol/communication-strategies⁠⁠⁠⁠ For private coaching: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kimnicol.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠...

As a manager, part of your job is to speak up.  But as a human, you might feel anxious or reluctant to do so.  What holds us back from speaking up at work?  And how can you learn to have more authentic confidence to speak up?  Let's discuss.   **After the Episode** Enroll in Communication Skills for Managers: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maven.com/kimnicol/communication-strategies⁠⁠⁠⁠ For private coaching: ⁠⁠⁠...

One reason we hold on to anxiety and perfection is because of an underlying belief that you need them to be successful.  You might think that perfection makes you detail oriented, and anxiety motivates you towards achievement -- and you may have been rewarded for them!  In this episode, you'll get some ideas for how to think differently, so you can achieve what you want but in a new way.  It w...

Having friends at work makes our work experience much more rewarding.  In this episode, learn four things that great work friendships have.  And learn how to think about balancing friendships with people who report to you. **After the Episode** Enroll in Communication Skills for Managers: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maven.com/kimnicol/communication-strategies⁠⁠⁠⁠ For private coaching: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kimnicol.com/⁠⁠⁠...

There are three skills every manager needs:  Advocacy, Giving Feedback, and Boundaries.  Today we explore how they all connect.  When you know what you want, the next step is to consider how to go about making happen.  Is it something you need to advocate for?  Do you need to give someone feedback, to create a desired change?  Or is this a boundary issue that requires you to clarify an agreement w...

Being human means going through highs and lows.  Let's talk about what that means for you as a manager.  And:  what happens when you realize you don't love what you do?  In this episode you'll learn how a small shift in perspective can help you're feeling discouraged. **After the Episode** Enroll in Communication Skills for Managers: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maven.com/kimnicol/communication-str...

If you've managed child care for your family, then you have experience managing people.  You've had to interview, hire, and onboard a new team member.  You've had to manage schedules, evaluate performance, and give feedback.  In this episode, let's talk about the connections between managing child care and being a manager at work. **After the Episode** Enroll in Communication Skill...

Many folks are uncomfortable setting boundaries because it can feel confrontational, like something you're putting against someone else.  Or boundaries can feel like a rule you set for other people.  But a boundary isn't about controlling other people.  Here's a way to think about it instead.  It may help you create boundaries more easily. **After the Episode** Enroll in Communication...

Being overly self-critical and diminishing your skills and accomplishments is one way to keep yourself small.  When you start to take up more space, it might feel weird -- like you're boasting, or being arrogant.  There's another way to think about it.  Rather than making yourself smaller or puffing yourself up into arrogance, this episode will give you a way to think about that let's...

Being ambitious does not mean you need to be great at everything.  And when you focus on what you're not good at, you're more likely to overlook and diminish what you are good at.  In this episode we look at where this story comes from, how it effects you at work, and what to do instead.  We'll talk about three types of family pressure and one common career pressure (especially if you...

One of the first ways we learn to do something new is by observing someone else, and then trying to mimic what we see.  But this always the best approach, and one pitfall is that you'll compare yourself to others and think that your job is to be like them and do what they do.  When you're a new manager, this looks like replicating what you've seen other managers do -- rather than think...

Time Management may seem boring, but to me it is a sacred practice.  Because when you make decisions about what is on your calendar, you are making decisions about how to spend your life .  Making decisions about your time is also tied into bigger topics -- like your values, your fears, and what else is happening in your life right now.  There will always be more things to do than time (or energy)...

What if it was possible to have better meetings?  Start to think about meetings as something you can design with intention and care.  Let's talk about it.   **After the Episode** Enroll in Communication Skills for Managers: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maven.com/kimnicol/communication-strategies⁠⁠⁠⁠ For private coaching: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kimnicol.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow me on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimn...

Ambition is what motivates you to succeed.  But when you take a closer look, what's really driving it?  Is it a desire for achievement? Money? Autonomy?  Something else?  In this episode we take a closer look at ambition and how it connects with three distinct stages of career:  Workhorse, Confident Practitioner, and Legacy / Vision.  We'll also talk about why to become a manager -- or not...

Before you manager other people, first you have to manage yourself.  It starts by understanding how your mind works.  For most of us, when faced with uncertainty the mind fills in the blanks with negative creativity.  You think about all the things that could go wrong, or how you're not good enough.  Learning how to manage your mind is something that will help you as a new manager and leader,...

Every problem has two parts:  the outside part, and the inside part.  In this episode, learn how to identify the real problem, and see why working on the inside part always creates more options and solutions for you.  Also:  being a manager is a lot about dealing with emotions.  Let's talk about it. **After the Episode** Enroll in Communication Skills for Managers: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maven.com/kimnic...

Wonder what happens in coaching?  Let's talk about it.  Many of my clients have never worked with a coach before coming to me.  Learn why having a plan can get in the way of progress, and how coaching creates positive side effects like getting promoted.   **After the Episode** Enroll in Communication Skills for Managers: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maven.com/kimnicol/communication-strategies⁠⁠⁠⁠ For private c...

What's more important that perfection?  Clarity of purpose.  In this episode you'll learn why new managers can get distracted by perfection, and how to look at things in a more useful way.  Start to focus on purpose over perfection, and see what happens. **After the Episode** Enroll in Communication Skills for Managers: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maven.com/kimnicol/communication-strategies⁠⁠⁠⁠ For privat...

Why do we feel anxious when things are going well?  Let's talk about it.  Every new manager and growing leader will face this as some point.  There will be a time in your life and career when things are going great, and yet you'll feel worried, stressed, guilty, or anxious.  Find out where that comes from so you don't go into success avoidance or sabotage.  Learn how to feel safe being...