The Modern Manager

Many teams struggle with the same invisible problem: unspoken norms that quietly undermine collaboration, performance, and trust. Even when leaders want better behaviors, more ownership, heal...

Salary conversations are inherently complex and challenging, filled with hidden traps. They are high-stakes, deeply personal, and blend factors like budgets, fairness, expectations, and emoti...

In a world that constantly demands breakthrough solutions, do you ever feel like innovation is reserved for a select few, or that you’re simply not "creative enough"? This week’s guests are h...

Layoffs are some of the hardest moments a manager can face. How you handle them can shape not just the experience of the employees leaving but also the morale and trust of the team that remai...

You’ve just stepped into a new manager role—congratulations! Now what?The first few weeks can feel like a whirlwind. One day you’re a high-performing individual contributor, and the next, you...

We all have thought patterns that work against us—whether it’s feeling like an imposter, overextending ourselves at work, or assuming the worst in situations. Today’s guest breaks down eight ...

You’ve heard it before: “People don’t quit jobs; they quit bad bosses.” But is that really the whole story? Why do employees really leave their jobs? That’s exactly what we’ll answer today wi...

When it comes to leadership, emotional intelligence often gets overlooked. For years, the American work culture has emphasized suppressing emotions in the workplace. But times are changing.To...

Onboarding sets the tone for an employee’s success. It’s more than just paperwork and introductions–it’s about creating the foundation for engagement, productivity, and belonging. But how can...

Do you struggle with giving your team members more ownership and authority? If you’ve ever wrestled with how to empower your team with confidence, today’s guest will tell you exactly what to ...

Have you read your company handbook? As a manager, a simple decision at work could land you in hot water, so reading your company handbook is essential, especially for new managers. You must ...

Are you struggling to deal with narcissistic personalities in your workplace?Working with a narcissist can feel like a never-ending battle. Their lack of empathy, manipulative skills, and con...

How does it feel to work with somebody you'd rather avoid? Let's admit it: We all experience a fair share of difficult people at work. And many times, we just have to be around them whether w...

Do you feel overwhelmed with your role as a manager? What exactly is your job? Managers are key to organizational success. They act as a vital link between leaders' strategic vision and indiv...

Have you ever set goals but then struggled to achieve them? Do you ever wonder why it’s so hard to stay on track? In the spirit of the new year, which many consider a fresh start, we’ll unpac...

Have you tried journaling? Well, it’s time to be intentional about it and make it a habit. Journaling is more than just writing down your life experience. According to this week's podcast gue...

Is your team safe enough at work? Just like physical safety in the workplace, we also need psychological safety if we want people to do their best at work.Psychological safety is about creati...

Do you ever wish you could accomplish more of your goals personally and professionally?Many people believe that accomplishing goals is about time management when, in fact, it’s about holding ...

Have you had the opportunity to use ChatGPT or other AI tools in your work yet? Have you considered harnessing these tools to improve your communication skills? This conversation might convin...

Do you ever feel like the world is against you? Many leaders have risen to the top of their industries by working hard, trying to prove themselves against all odds. But surprisingly, those wh...

Of all the learning resources available, sometimes the best one is another person. No matter how much we know about a certain topic or industry, there is likely someone who knows a bit more. ...

Do you know your team members’ unique talents? Every member of a workplace possesses a unique set of talents and skills that can be valuable to a team. By utilizing these diverse abilities, t...

At some point, we’ve all been told to “Work smarter, not harder.” But what does that actually mean? Working smarter often means recognizing the importance of mindset in our work. The way we a...

Teams are the backbone of organizations. When functioning well, team members feel a sense of belonging, while maximizing their collective resources and skills to accomplish the organizations’...

You probably know the feeling of ‘there’s an elephant in the room’ and no one wants to address it. But letting things go unspoken creates problems in the workplace. This is true of the large ...

Many studies have shown that the best and most innovative companies are those who embrace diversity and make an effort to recruit people with different personalities and different strengths. ...

Human beings are creatures of habit. Just watch a child or animal go through their daily routines and you can see that habits are deeply ingrained in our biology. While we’re often aware of s...

Management is about helping other people achieve greatness - in the results they produce and the career path they take. However, if you've had any experience as a manager, you know how diffic...

Understanding identity is vital for managers. We all want to respect and better understand our colleagues, but in order to do that we must first understand ourselves. Identity informs how we ...

Both verbal and nonverbal communication are critical interpersonal skills. Listening to others, observing their reactions, speaking in a way that promotes understanding and connection, using ...

A modern manager is an employee’s partner. You support them, teach them, and guide them through the ups and downs of doing their work. While many new managers, and entrepreneurs are thrown in...

Great managers invest in growing their team members. But who is actually responsible for professional development? Surprise: it’s the individual, not the manager. Organizations take a wide va...

Your voice is the most powerful tool you own! When you are confident in who you are and grounded in what you’re saying, the words flow with ease. But sometimes, without noticing, our voice be...

Hard work, timing, talent, intuition...there are many ingredients that are often cited as critical to success. One often overlooked strategy is finding what works and replicating a winning pr...

So often we *know* we should change and even *commit* to changing, yet when the time comes to follow through, we fall back into old habits. We all have behaviors we’d like to change, but as m...

Conflict exists wherever there are humans in relationship to one another. It’s a natural part of teamwork and therefore dealing with conflict is an essential aspect of any manager's role. Whe...

Too often we are knowers instead of learners. Yet as knowers, we close down conversations, dis-incentivize sharing information or perspectives, and risk the health of our team and organizatio...

It can be hard enough to motivate yourself sometimes, let alone your team members. But great managers know how to tap into a person’s internal motivations in ways that maximize impact without...

For far too long accountability was measured by time in the office or goals met. As we’ve shifted to virtual work, “face-time” in the office has all but disappeared as a proxy for accountabil...

In Genesis 12:2 God says, “You are blessed and you shall be a blessing.” This particular interpretation is a modern read, but one that is quite interesting to consider in the context of conte...

Building a cohesive team is hard. Period. Yet it's also the core of a high performing team. Unfortunately traditional team building activities, while fun, can cost a lot of time and money. An...

The expectations for managers have changed over the past century. So what is needed in today’s workplace to be a great manager? To celebrate the 100th episode, I’m sharing my reflections on t...

A rockstar manager does more than make sure timelines are met and goals accomplished. They know how to get an individual or team to do the best work of their lives while finding satisfaction ...

We all have days when little things seem to bother us more than they should or when our emotions take over and we over-react. It’s hard to lead others when you’re feeling unsettled yourself. ...

Your team members are your greatest resource. When they succeed, you succeed. Taking time to focus on each of them rather than the work can have exponential impact on employee engagement, qua...

Managers are often expected to be natural interviewers with a discerning ear, able to determine if a candidate is both capable of doing the job and a good fit with the team. I had to learn ho...

Are you a good listener? Like breathing, listening is something we do every day yet most of us struggle to do it well simply because we were never taught how. A lack of listening skills in co...

Introducing a new technology tool to your workflow, whether doing it alone or with a team, shouldn’t be taken lightly. You have to work the technology in order to reap the benefits. Getting s...