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(This episode features three special guests: my birds Nacho, Goochie, and Smokey who were in the hotel room with me when I recorded this due to Southern California wildfire evacuations.)
A 1:1 meeting may sound basic, but it can absolutely transform how you and your team work together.
If your 1:1s are supportive, consistent, and positive, your team has a much better chance of being healthy and happy. On the other hand, if they’re not those things, bad 1:1s can damage your relationship with your employees - more than you may realize.
The good news is that great 1:1s aren't hard to do! In this episode, I share ideas for questions and meeting structure that might surprise you, and certainly will help you and your team do better work together.
We’ll also talk about common things that go wrong with 1:1s, as well as some simple reframes and techniques to make them instantly better. I promise it’s easier than you might think, and January is the perfect time to reboot how you run your 1:1s!
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Did you know that almost 80% of people have experienced imposter syndrome at some point? According to the American Psychological Association, people with imposter syndrome live with the ongoing fear that they’re going to be unmasked as being incompetent and unable to perform according to expectations. When you boil it down, imposter syndrome is a combination of constant inner judgment and the underlying belief that we are just not good enough.
Before doing research, I assumed that imposter syndrome is experienced mostly by women. But that's not exactly correct. In this episode, I cover who is most likely to suffer from it, as well as the 5 sub-types: Perfectionist, Natural Genius, Superperson, Expert, and Soloist.
In this episode, I talk about my own experience with major imposter syndrome and how I analyzed and questioned my way out of it. And finally, I share my ideas for helping reframe being new at something and not voluntarily making ourselves small, so that we can all leave imposter syndrome behind this year.
Get my book, Not Safe for Work
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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I know you listen to this podcast at least in part because you believe everyone should have dignity in their work. But do you also like chocolate? If you’re wondering what those two things have to do with each other you’re going to have to check out this conversation with Dr. Aurora Dawn Benton!
Aurora is Founder and Chief Change Agent of Astrapto LLC, which exists to advance positive impact in the workplace. Her passion is to make sustainability practical and approachable for people whose main job is not sustainability, but who have a passion to improve social and environmental performance in their operations and supply chains. Aurora loves helping people realize their potential while discovering a greater purpose for good in business.
In this episode, Aurora and I talk about the idea that business and the good you can do in the world don’t have to be separate. And she shares her four Es for helping her clients move toward sustainability: Empathize, Enlighten, Empower, and Encourage. I think you’ll love her positive approach to helping drive change and her hopeful message that sustainability will be BUILT IN to how corporations will do business.
Aurora has a Doctorate in Business Administration in Social Impact Management and was named a 2021 Top 30 Sustainability Champions by the International Hospitality Institute. In August 2024, she published her first book, Exponential Impact: Harnessing Human Potential to Drive Sustainability in Organizations.
Find out more about Aurora and her work here:
Astrapto Website
Exponential Impact book
Instagram
LinkedIn
We also talk about the UN Sustainable Development Goals
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In this episode, I read a section from my book on leading with vision. Many leaders think “having a vision” is a luxury, or even just a waste of time. But every team needs one - especially when you feel like you don’t have time for one. Yes, even your team.
A vision is more than just goals and objectives. It’s a way for you and your team to identify the “why” behind what you do and map out a path for the future. Is your work too boring and basic for a vision? Nope. I can pretty much guarantee you that you’re wrong about that. Every team has a purpose and can find a shared reason for coming together, and even finding joy, from their vision.
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What's the connection between why HR is getting a bad rap and why some employees don't want to be managers? Listen as Megan Wheeler and I try to unravel this tough question and talk about leading with curiosity and questions instead of making assumptions.
Megan is a former coworker of mine from my design agency days in Brooklyn. She is the founder of Spoken, a consultancy dedicated to helping leaders and teams achieve meaningful growth. Megan has over 15 years of global experience and a Master’s in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. As you’ll hear in this episode, she combines academic expertise with practical application to address real-world challenges.
Megan is an ICF-certified coach and leadership facilitator, and she has supported leaders from organizations across the globe focusing on building individual capabilities and strengthening team dynamics.
Listen in as we talk about how Megan brings clarity and focus to leadership development, and also as she shares a couple of her journeys - from academia to corporate, from corporate to consulting and back to corporate - and what is drawing her back to the corporate world.
Connect with Megan on LinkedIn or visit her website to learn more about her work.
Get my book on Barnes & Noble or Amazon!
Resources Megan discusses in this episode:
So, Human Resources Is Making You Miserable? - NYT
Why HR is Getting Tougher - and How to Break Through - McKinsey
Human Centered Organizations - Articulate
Inclusion on Purpose - Ruchika Tulshyan
Scaling People - Claire Hughes Johnson
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For a change of pace, I'm excited to read to you from my book, NSFW (Not Safe for Work) - A good manager's guide to better-feeling work in a toxic culture. In this episode I'm going to share little bit of Chapter 5: Lead and Inspire or Get Out of the Way - the section called “Sticks and Stones.”
Spoiler: It’s about words. Well, it’s about phrases - some of my least favorite phrases, because I think they point fingers at and shame employees in an unfair and outsized way. And I think managers can do better. So sit back and listen for a little corporate storytime.
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Forbes reports that the tech industry has laid off more than 124,000 workers in 2024 alone. Layoffs are a massive problem and source of strife and low morale - not just for those laid off, but for those who remain. But this episode isn’t about layoffs. Well, it’s not JUST about layoffs.
Layoffs are a symptom. Lower salaries and less frequent raises are a symptom. Having less power and leverage in job offer negotiation - also a symptom. Of what? Mergers. In this episode we’ll be talking about how mergers cause layoffs - and how to protect yourself and your team.
For additional info on the Google cases I mention in the episode, you might also like these articles from Ed Zitron:
Monopoly Money
Matt Stoler Explains Monopolies
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A lot of us have dreamed of - or even dabbled in - entrepreneurship at some point. But you probably have so many questions, like: How do you make the transition? What if your initial business strategy needs to change? How do you handle all the technology and platforms?
Well you found the right episode of Manager on a Mission, because our guest has the answers. Diane Lam comes from the corporate world, more specifically operations, and finance operations at that! In her business as an operations strategist she has been featured in Forbes, Bloomberg, Business Insider and more.
In this episode, we talk about the six years she’s spent building her business and how she helps other entrepreneurs untangle their systems and scale their businesses faster. We also talk about self-discovery and working in harmony with your natural working style.
Diane is on Instagram and welcomes hearing from you!
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I’m not an economist, a historian, or a philosopher. But when I started putting out podcasts and writing my book, I had to go outside of my comfort zone in order to develop a sense of context, as well as a more informed opinion, on what is happening for employees and why in so many cases it feels so wrong.
In this episode, I interview some real experts - Paul Knowlton and Aaron Hedges, authors of the book, "Better Capitalism - Jesus, Adam Smith, Ayn Rand, and MLK Jr. on moving from plantation to partnership economics." That subtitle both triggered and intrigued me, and I needed to find out more. So I read the book, and had Paul and Aaron on the podcast!
Paul and Aaron are experts on economics, but also on theology. I had my hackles up when I started reading their book, but it's actually about a lot of the things I talk about, like the power dynamics in Corporate America, why work is so bad for so many employees, and of course, some things we can do to fix it.
Paul is an attorney, pastoral counselor, and author. He is a first-generation Cuban American who spent some years in the foster system. Paul combines his unusually broad and diverse background in engineering, law, business, and seminary training for a truly interdisciplinary approach to every question.
Aaron is the CEO of Inheritance of Hope,a nonprofit that helps families who have lost parents due to terminal illness. He is also an entrepreneur and business coach, and of course an author.
Find out more about them and their mission by reading their book or visiting their site, bettercapitalism.org
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I recorded my first podcast as a guest on Friday. I was so excited, but afterward I didn't celebrate or rest. No, instead I worried. I worried about everything I said that might have been offensive. I was terrified and ashamed that when the episode came out, I would come across as too angry, too negative, too opinionated.
Why?
That's exactly what we'll explore in this short little episode: how in order to survive and even have a chance at thriving in Corporate America, most of us have to deny our bad days and show up with a smile and be a problem-solver through every situation. We’re not allowed to say we’re not ok. We're not allowed to have bad days. We shoot the messenger and we criticize the way the message is delivered.
And that's not ok. Sometimes we're not ok. We've learned so well how to deny ourselves and our feelings. And that's why we need to talk about it.
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Whether entrepreneurialism is burning inside you or is something you've never allowed yourself to consider, Steph Sheldon shares her wisdom about the creative process and finding your voice. Yes, even in a corporate job.
Steph is the talent behind my top-to-bottom rebrand - from this podcast name and artwork, to my new site, and all those photos I've been using on the socials. In this episode we talk about how to find your authentic voice, honor what your body is telling you, and build a business foundation.
Steph shares the concept of "unstructing," a counter to the prevalent belief that we always need to learn more things. Instead, she believes we need to strip away everything in order to find our true, authentic selves.
Visit Steph's beautiful site and Insta to learn more!
Get my book on Barnes & Noble or Amazon!
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Sometimes it feels like nothing you do matters as a manager, unless maybe you're the CEO. You can't hire the people you need to hire, you can't get the software your team needs, and you can't get them the raises they deserve. It feels like no matter what you do, you just can’t make a difference.
What if i told you you don’t need to fix everything and you could still improve the lives of your team? And what if you could do it without getting approval of budget dollars from your manager? What if it was just YOU who could make a big impact and you could do it this week?
In this episode I’m going to show you how. I'm going to share my tips for dramatically changing your team members’ experience at work, enough to improve their mental health and their job satisfaction, regardless of whether you have anyone else's approval or support.
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In the first episode of Season 2, we look at how management is stuck in the 90s and hasn’t kept pace with the challenges that employees are dealing with at work, like how quickly priorities change, how ambiguous projects can be, and how much more complexity employees face as far as office politics, layoffs, and far-flung coworkers in multiple time zones.
Old-school managers are shortchanging their team members by holding on to past ideas of what management looks like, instead of what is required to lead today - not just procedural things like how we assign work but big things like kindness, trust, and coaching instead of just correcting.
Work is changing RIGHT NOW. We can let change happen, or we can lead the change. This podcast is for the ones who are ready to lead.
Here's the Season 1 episode I mention - Coaching Beats Feedback
Spotify
Apple
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For the final episode of our first season, we’re doing something a little bit different. I asked you to send me questions, and now I'm sharing my best answers regarding:
How managers can help you increase your visibility and build your reputationWhy doing boring work doesn't mean you're doomed to never get a better job than the one you have nowHow to become a better presenter, even if you feel like you've already tried everythingHow to handle an overworked and understaffed team when there's no relief in sightThank you so much for listening to this season of the Management Detox podcast. I'll be back soon with Season 2!
If there's anything you want me to cover in the new season, DM me on LinkedIn. I look forward to hearing from you.
In the meantime, follow me:
Instagram
TikTok
Get my book on Barnes & Noble or Amazon!
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Brian Walch is a coach, consultant, and speaker who helps organizations develop their managers and build best-in-class management cultures. He is the owner of Shiftfocus Coaching and Consulting, where he provides services to help empower managers to lead themselves, their teams, and their organizations.
In this episode, Brian and Tosca talk about management culture and what to do when organizations don't support managers, as well as how easing new managers into their roles is like getting into a kayak.
Brian shares why he's passionate about ensuring that managers get the support they need to succeed, including his iterative approach to helping managers and their teams deliver better work over time.
Brian also reveals an unexpected source of inspiration for him: death. And he shares the concept of the "modern elder," as coined by Chip Conley and what that means for second acts in life, for managers or otherwise.
Connect with Brian on LinkedIn
Resources:
Modern Elder Academy - Chip Conley
Brian's consultancy: Shiftfocus.com
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The #1 barrier to productivity isn't remote work, or RTO policies, or even mass layoffs. It's meetings. As more and more employees struggle to complete their actual work, why is the tyranny of meetings not just tolerated but expected in Corporate America?
The recent Atlassian Workplace Woes survey about meetings validated everything I had been feeling about meetings before I left my corporate job: they're largely ineffective, they waste time and energy, and they make it hard to complete the work that is supposed to matter. They're also a symptom of a larger problem: control and fear of making mistakes.
I know we can't do away with meetings completely, and I don't think we have to. But we can't go on like this. Besides sharing key insights from the Atlassian survey, in this episode I offer my own additional insights into why meetings have gone so wrong, guidelines for improving them, and ideas for alternatives to putting another meeting on everyone's calendar.
Let's continue the conversation. Connect with me on LinkedIn.
Get my book on Barnes & Noble or Amazon!
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Dina Berman is a 30 year agency veteran, San Francisco native, and recovering ‘good girl’ who leveraged her mastery as a middle child and her love of commercials into a career in advertising with a focus in Account Management. She is Head of Account and Project Management at wello, Wells Fargo’s creative agency where she’s also a member of the Leadership Team. For the past 6 years Dina has been working on her own transformation as a leader, with a focus on mindful leadership.
In this episode, Dina and Tosca talk about the differences between toxic positivity and influential positivity, the power of mindset, and Dina’s Energized Leadership Program. They have a little debate about “feedback,” and share their beliefs about how leaders need to earn the right to ask employees to turn on their cameras on Zoom.
Dina explains the two parts of her career: the first part, which was dedicated to output, and this second part as a leader, which is about impact in helping others develop and grow in their own career journeys. Dina’s word of the year is “connection,” and she welcomes listeners connecting with her. You can find her on LinkedIn.
Other resources Dina and Tosca discuss:
Kelly McGonigal’s TED talk: How to Make Stress Your FriendAuthor and inspirational speaker Simon Sinek Researcher and storyteller Brene BrownOrganizational psychologist and author Adam Grant The Energy Bus bookGet my book on Barnes & Noble or Amazon!
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Promotions and progress are the lanugage of success in Corporate America. But promotions can be notoriously difficult to get, or at least difficult to understand. Some companies keep the process shrouded in mystery and very tightly controlled. But when prospective employers want to see progress, advancement, and forward movement - and current employers are reluctant to provide it - what’s an employee to do?
We answer that question in this podcast. As someone who spent most of their adult life moving up the corporate ladder and then helping my team members to do the same, I can help demystify the process. In this episode, we walk through how promotions work at different types of companies, how to play the politics game (or not), and the annoying truth that you need to be doing the job you want before you're formally recognized for it. We also cover why promotion scarcity is built-in at American companies, and what you can do about it.
Even if we can't fix everything about how corporations promote, knowledge is power - and that's what I'm sharing here with you, including tips for how managers can help their team members show progress when the company you work for doesn't make it easy to do so, and even how to know when it's time for you or your team members to get what you deserve - by taking a job somewhere else.
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Jess Walker has spent over 20 years as a manager and organizational leader at some of the top creative agencies in New York City, working with Fortune 10 trailblazers, long-standing companies, and fast-growing brands. She now applies her dedication to creating value and growth to what she cares about most: people. She recently founded Wondering Forward, a coaching practice for individuals and teams, focused on helping people and organizations prevent and recover from burnout.
In this episode, Tosca and Jess discuss how managers can care for people, be of service to their teams, respect and honor individual personalities and work styles, and still produce business results. They share ways they've fostered human connection, their 16 Personalities styles, and the "mountains" they've moved through.
Jess believes in the power of slowing down and that good energy in creates good energy out, and she shares her coaching philosophy that leans heavily on the healing power of movement, wonder, and possibility - yes, even for the corporate world.
How to connect with Jess:
Her website wonderingforward.comHer LinkedIn profileMore resources Jess and Tosca shared:
Arthur Brook's curve/mountainFreudenberger's 12 Stages of Burnout16 PersonalitiesSYP Superpowers cards and appUser Manual Reference Vitaly Friedman's post with "How to Work With Me" templatesMarcia ReynoldsCleo WadeMr. Rogers on Instagram and YouTube One of many articles about Georgia O'KeeffeMaya Angelou's Phenomenal WomanGet my book on Barnes & Noble or Amazon!
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Our first interview episode features Jod Kaftan, Head of Product Design & Research at Oracle. Jod has over 20 years of experience in product, UX, and strategy, and as a trailblazer and leader in the industry, he is an advocate for a people-centered approach to management.
Having recently branched out into coaching, Jod has been reflecting on his evolution as a manager who now believes his job as a leader is to "obsolete himself," and build the next generation of managers.
Tosca and Jod discuss the perils (and temptations) of "falling on every grenade for your team," possible futures for UX you've probably never heard of before, and advice for people who want fulfilling careers (that's you, right?)
We also discuss Jod's journey from Luke Skywalker to Yoda. If that sounds intriguing to you you're going to have to give this one a listen.
Find out more about Jod's coaching practice, Design-Led Futures here.
You can also follow Jod on LinkedIn here.
Get my book on Barnes & Noble or Amazon!
- Visa fler
