The Modern Manager

Latest Episodes:

428: How Grateful Leaders Build Teams No One Wants to Leave with TJ Sweet Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

Some days, gratitude feels like something for people with calmer inboxes. Someone dropped the ball, you're three meetings deep, and "thank you" is the last thing on your mind. But gratitude that only shows up on easy days never shows up at all. Learn what grateful leadership really looks like, how to appreciate the team member you struggle with, why a pizza party can backfire, and the one question that reveals how each person wants to be recognized.

We could all use a bit more gratitude, so this one’s for you.

Guest Bio

TJ Sweet is a keynote speaker, author, executive coach, and host of the Living The Sweet Life podcast. He helps leaders and high performers reconnect with what matters most so they can win at work without losing what matters at home. Through powerful storytelling and practical tools rooted in connection, gratitude, and purpose, TJ has impacted more than 10,000 leaders across 48 countries. His message is simple: connection changes everything.

Conversation Topics

(00:00) Introduction: Why Gratitude Feels Optional on Hard Days
(01:09) What Grateful Leadership Really Means
(04:47) How Gratitude Turns Scarcity into Ambition and Abundance
(11:50) Navigating Team Members You Struggle to Appreciate
(15:17) Building a Culture of Personalized Appreciation
(22:30) Taking Your Gratitude Practice to the Next Level
(26:47) Closing Stories: Gratitude in Action at Work and Home

Additional Resources

✨ Read the full transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pWCw68mo2xN5C6-fqN1gdk_g5eXumJzi7QEBSDQUwx0/edit?usp=sharing

✨ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipwithmamie/

✨ Visit my website for more: https://www.themodernmanager.com/

✨ Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7jhYz8b16g1SsLia4EhO5w?sub_confirmation=1

Keep up with TJ Sweet

Website: https://tjsweet.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thetjsweet/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetjsweet/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetjsweet

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetjsweet

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thetjsweet

Podcast: Living The Sweet Life with TJ Sweet: https://tjsweet.com/podcasts/

Email: tj@tjsweet.com

Join my newsletter to get episodes and key takeaways delivered directly to your inbox: https://www.themodernmanager.com

The Modern Manager is a leadership podcast that helps you close the gap between knowing what good management is and actually doing it. Follow The Modern Manager on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode!

#Leadership #GratefulLeadership #EmployeeAppreciation #WorkplaceCulture #ManagementTips #EmployeeEngagement #TeamCulture #PeopleFirstLeadership #Gratitude #TheModernManager

427: The Meeting Portfolio Every Manager Needs Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

Planning an agenda feels like it takes forever, so too often, we skip it or do it poorly at the last minute. But that’s often because we treat each meeting like we’re starting from scratch. Instead, what if you perfected your weekly team meeting, brainstorm session or any other type of meeting you hold regularly and then just used that same agenda structure again so meeting prep becomes fast and easy? That’s called creating a meeting portfolio. This episode breaks down exactly how to design a meeting once, so it works every single time you use it.

Conversation Topics

(00:00) Introduction: The Hidden Cost of Winging Your Meetings
(01:06) What Is a Meeting Portfolio? (Episode Overview)
(01:36) Why Most Managers Reinvent Every Meeting From Scratch
(02:23) Building the Core Template: Name, Purpose, and Structure
(03:57) Adding Pre-Work to Complete Your Template
(05:01) Iterating Until Your Meeting Design Actually Works
(05:38) Your Action Step: Build and Use Your First Template
(06:44) Closing Thoughts and Recap

Additional Resources

✨ Read the full transcript: 427-transcript
✨ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipwithmamie/
✨ Visit my website for more: https://www.themodernmanager.com/
✨ Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7jhYz8b16g1SsLia4EhO5w?sub_confirmation=1

Join my newsletter to get episodes and key takeaways delivered directly to your inbox: https://www.themodernmanager.com

#Leadership #ManagementTips #MeetingCulture #TeamManagement #Productivity #WorkplaceCulture #MeetingDesign #LeadershipDevelopment

426: How Tiny Habits Rewire Your Identity with BJ Fogg Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

Most of what happens in a workday, from how you open a meeting to how you respond to bad news, runs on autopilot. Habits, not decisions, are doing the heavy lifting. Behavior scientist BJ Fogg explains why willpower fails, why "bad habits" aren't really the enemy, and how one tiny action, done consistently, can quietly reshape how you see yourself as a leader, teammate, and person.

Guest Bio

BJ Fogg, PhD, is a behavior scientist at Stanford University, where he founded the Behavior Design Lab. In addition to his research, Fogg teaches industry innovators how human behavior really works. He created the Tiny Habits Academy to help people around the world. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything. Find out more at BJFogg.com and TinyHabits.com.

Conversation Topics

(00:00) Introduction: Meet BJ Fogg, Habit Design Expert
(01:06) How Habits Quietly Run Your Workday
(04:15) Building New Habits vs. Breaking Old Ones
(07:40) A Gratitude Habit in Action: BJ's Own Example
(11:23) How Small Habits Reshape Your Identity
(18:43) The Power of "Shine": Celebrating Small Wins to Make Habits Stick
(24:15) Coaching Your Team's Habits Through Specific Praise
(28:43) Closing Thoughts: Lessons from a Great Manager

Additional Resources

✨ Read the full transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_f7ADen1bpZN0FM21os0kTtb5GgQ_aSDAegwKCkNGA4/edit?usp=sharing
✨ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipwithmamie/
✨ Visit my website for more: https://www.themodernmanager.com/
✨ Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7jhYz8b16g1SsLia4EhO5w?sub_confirmation=1

Keep Up with BJ Fogg

Website: https://www.bjfogg.com
Tiny Habits: https://www.tinyhabits.com
Behavior Model: https://www.behaviormodel.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bjfogg/
Social: @bjfogg on most social platforms
Training: Learn Fogg Behavior Design directly from BJ at bjfogg.com/training

Join my newsletter to get episodes and the one page takeaways delivered directly to your inbox: https://www.themodernmanager.com

#Leadership #TinyHabits #BehaviorChange #ManagementTips #WorkplaceCulture #HabitFormation #TeamLeadership #PersonalDevelopment #ManagerLife #EmployeeEngagement

425: 4 AI Tools I Use Every Single Day (And the Friction They Remove) Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

Most AI tools promise to make you more productive, but few actually remove the friction hiding in your daily grind. This episode breaks down four AI tools used every single day, not for the novelty, but for the real bottlenecks they eliminate: typing, email triage, meeting notes, and building the small tool you always wished existed. If you want less busywork and more bandwidth for the parts of management that actually matter, this one's for you.

Conversation Topics

(00:00) Introduction: Becoming Obsessed with AI Tools
(00:44) The Core Idea: Removing Friction, Not Just Adding Features
(01:59) Wispr Flow: Ditching Typing for Dictation
(02:53) Shortwave: Taming Email Overload with AI Sorting
(04:18) Granola: Meeting Notes That Write Themselves
(05:30) Replit: Building Custom Apps Without Coding
(07:12) What These Four Tools Have in Common
(07:33) Your Challenge This Week & Closing Thoughts

Additional Resources

✨ Read the full transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u3xuVepkPpSSdju0--Kgu4M8U4qetYczr1h7MmCKGrY/edit?usp=sharing
✨ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipwithmamie/
✨ Visit my website for more: https://www.themodernmanager.com/
✨ Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7jhYz8b16g1SsLia4EhO5w?sub_confirmation=1
✨ Check out Wispr Flow: https://wisprflow.ai/r?MAMIE12
✨ Check out Granola: https://join.granola.ai/t/e74nryr4pc
✨ Check out Shortwave: https://www.shortwave.com/
✨ Check out Replit: https://replit.com/refer/mamieks

Join my newsletter to get episodes delivered directly to your inbox: https://www.themodernmanager.com

#Leadership #ManagementTips #AIforManagers #Productivity #ArtificialIntelligence #WorkSmarter #ManagementSkills #FutureOfWork #TechTools #TimeManagement

424: How to Manage Up, Down, and Across with Kristen Harcourt Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

Most leaders pour all their energy into managing the people who report to them and forget the other two-thirds of the job: managing up to their boss and across to the peers who can make or break a project. Skip those relationships and you end up stuck in silos, guessing what your boss actually wants, and wondering why cross-functional projects keep stalling. Here's the mindset shift and the exact moves that fix all three.

Guest Bio

For almost 20 years, Kristen Harcourt has been a trusted partner to executives and emerging leaders across hundreds of organizations around the globe, helping them unlock extraordinary, sustainable results through the power of self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and conscious leadership. A sought-after speaker and facilitator, she's a professionally accredited coach who empowers leaders to uncover their strengths, challenge their blind spots, and lead with purpose and impact. She hosts the Inspirational Leadership Podcast.

Conversation Topics

(00:00) Introduction: The Art of Managing Up, Down, and Across
(01:28) Defining the Three Directions of Management
(05:53) How to Open Up the Conversation When Managing Up
(10:11) A Prioritization Tool — and Protecting Your Work-Life Balance
(14:22) Managing Across: Why Curiosity Beats Assumptions
(21:39) Building Trust With Cross-Functional Teams You Don't Manage
(27:52) When (and How) to Advocate for an Overloaded Teammate
(31:07) What Makes a Great Boss — Closing Thoughts

Additional Resources

✨ Read the full transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ynqnot4_ewNELrzpTs6bCT1Kq7qa0jSDdfp68rBF1PI/edit?usp=sharing
✨ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipwithmamie/
✨ Visit my website for more: https://www.themodernmanager.com/
✨ Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7jhYz8b16g1SsLia4EhO5w?sub_confirmation=1

Guest Links

Website: https://kristenharcourt.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristenharcourt/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristenharcourt/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristenharcourt/
Email: kristen@kristenharcourt.com

Join my newsletter to get episodes and the key takeaways guides delivered directly to your inbox: https://www.themodernmanager.com

#Leadership #ManagingUp #EmotionalIntelligence #TeamCommunication #WorkplaceCulture #Management #EQinLeadership #CrossFunctionalTeams #LeadershipDevelopment #TrustAtWork

423: How AI Can Help Us Show Meaningful Appreciation (And Be More Human at Work) Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

Most of us have an instinctual positive response to great work.“This is amazing, thank you so much.” It feels warm and authentic, but could have been said about anyone or any work. The lack of specificity means those words are cheap and the positive impact they make is short-lived. Here's how to show authentic appreciation, using AI as a thinking partner (not a ghost writer) to pinpoint exactly what you appreciate so you can convey a truly meaningful message of thanks.

Conversation Topics

(00:00) Introduction: A Team Member's Effort and My Weak “Great Job”
(00:34) Welcome to the Show, Plus a Confession
(01:23) The Real Cost of Vague Appreciation
(02:21) Turning to Claude to Find the Specific Words
(03:17) Own It, Then Say It: Turning the Draft Into Real Appreciation
(04:21) The Right Way to Use AI: Thinking Partner, Not Ghostwriter
(05:31) This Week's Exercise and Free Resources

Additional Resources

✨ Read the full transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ft_fJZsu_cNReD1sjjPuSVaOo-u8hxu7G6fa2wp0yiU/edit?usp=sharing
✨ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipwithmamie/
✨ Visit my website for more: https://www.themodernmanager.com/
✨ Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7jhYz8b16g1SsLia4EhO5w?sub_confirmation=1

Join my newsletter to get episodes delivered directly to your inbox: https://www.themodernmanager.com

#Leadership #ManagementTips #EmployeeAppreciation #AIforManagers #TeamLeadership #FeedbackMatters #WorkplaceCulture #EmployeeRecognition #ManagerLife

422: Turn Uncomfortable Conversations into Just Conversations with Amy Jacobson Aug 25, 2026

Show notes

That stomach-drop feeling before a hard conversation? It's not weakness. It's your brain doing exactly what it was designed to do. Emotional intelligence expert Amy Jacobson breaks down the neuroscience of avoidance, the exact questions to ask before you say anything difficult, and why the conversation you've been dreading might be the most important one you ever have.

Guest Bio

Amy Jacobson is an emotional intelligence and human behavior specialist delivering programs, keynotes, and workshops across Australia and internationally. She is a twice Wiley-published author of Emotional Intelligence: A Simple and Actionable Guide to Increasing Performance, Engagement and Ownership and The Emotional Intelligence Advantage: Mastering Change and Difficult Conversations.

Conversation Topics

(00:00) Why humans are wired to avoid difficult conversations
(02:32) The role of the amygdala and fear of the unknown
(06:00) How our brain deprioritizes hard conversations to protect us
(07:12) What actually counts as a "difficult conversation"
(08:18) The difference between a difficult conversation and a difficult delivery
(09:38) Why curiosity is the most important tool in a first conversation
(10:21) Why you should never over-prepare for a first conversation
(15:16) The Ask, Ask, Tell framework
(16:41) How to remove emotion and get factual when someone won't own it
(19:29) Separating the person from the role
(21:27) Real-world story: a leader in the wrong role
(27:45) What a follow-up conversation must include: the consequence
(29:42) Great manager shoutout: Tina Fisher

Additional Resources

✨ Read the full transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AK1zgeJoKYqMWkNmGM-p-QkWz27Sd_p8_QxFqoRTf8U/edit?usp=sharing

✨ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipwithmamie/

✨ Visit my website for more: https://www.themodernmanager.com/

✨ Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7jhYz8b16g1SsLia4EhO5w?sub_confirmation=1

Keep up with Amy Jacobson

Website: https://amyjacobson.com.au/
Book: The Emotional Intelligence Advantage — https://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Intelligence-Advantage-Mastering-Conversations/dp/1394337949
Free eBook: https://app.box.com/s/0yjaellmagoc8dyceu5bdyndk4uoku6x
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-jacobson-emotional-intelligence/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amyjacobson_ei
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/findingyoury/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3tV1e6qV8EHqmA7_RFnPTw

Join my newsletter to get episodes and my one page episode guides with the key takeaways delivered directly to your inbox: https://www.themodernmanager.com

#Leadership #EmotionalIntelligence #DifficultConversations #ManagementTips #WorkplaceConflict #TeamLeadership #PeopleManagement #ManagerSkills #EQ

421: The Difference Between Consensus and Agreement That's Costing You Decisions Aug 18, 2026

Show notes

Picture a room stuck for three weeks on one sentence for a new policy. Half the team wants a rule tight enough to enforce, the other half wants it loose enough to survive real life. Nobody's wrong, and nobody's moving. This episode breaks down why chasing full agreement kills decisions, why forcing a vote kills them slowly in the background, and the three questions that get a group to something everyone can actually stand behind.

Conversation Topics

(00:00) Introduction
(01:39) Redefining Consensus: It's Not About Full Agreement
(02:27) The Two Traps: Endless Debate vs. Forced Votes
(03:57) The Three Questions That Break the Deadlock
(05:19) Why Silence Isn't the Same as Consent
(06:13) How to Apply This in Your Next Tough Decision

Additional Resources

✨ Read the full transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1khG9LS-iuWW5Re14TuclvVFKzx8FSdo7xlFiWGsf_JI/edit?usp=sharing
✨ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipwithmamie/
✨ Visit my website for more: https://www.themodernmanager.com/
✨ Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7jhYz8b16g1SsLia4EhO5w?sub_confirmation=1

Join my newsletter to get episodes and key takeaways delivered directly to your inbox: https://www.themodernmanager.com

#Leadership #TeamCommunication #Consensus #DecisionMaking #ManagementTips #WorkplaceCulture #TeamLeadership #ConflictResolution

420: The Hidden Force Pulling Your Team Apart (and How to Reverse It) with Matt Poepsel Aug 11, 2026

Show notes

Your team isn't falling apart because something went wrong. It's falling apart because that's what teams do by default, drifting toward disconnection unless someone actively counteracts it. Lucky for us, there are four forces that pull people back together. Discover the fast, free actions any manager can take this week to stop the drift before it costs you your best people.

Guest Bio

Matt Poepsel, PhD is the author of Expand the Circle: Enlightened Leadership for Our New World of Work and host of the Lead the People podcast. He serves as Vice President & Godfather of Talent Optimization at The Predictive Index. He holds a PhD in Psychology, an MBA, and a Harvard Business School Certificate of Management Excellence. Matt is a part-time faculty member at Boston College where he teaches in the areas of leadership, human resources, and business spirituality.

Conversation Topics

(00:00) Introduction: Why Teams Naturally Drift Apart
(01:19) Team Entropy: Why Cohesion Doesn't Happen by Accident
(09:46) Counterforce #1 — Creating Hope Through a Shared Future
(12:46) Counterforce #2 — Building Mutuality Through Fairness and Transparency
(17:17) Counterforce #3 — Strengthening Commitment by Investing in Team Identity
(24:43) Counterforce #4 — Creating Synchrony So Teams Work Together Smoothly
(27:55) The Manager Who Got It Right & Final Leadership Takeaways

Additional Resources

✨ Read the full transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qGzsoaFZ-5Dz7a8-X8AQEmYHxFrfqAj6q-pziO5kksg/edit?usp=sharing

✨ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipwithmamie/

✨ Visit my website for more: https://www.themodernmanager.com/

✨ Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7jhYz8b16g1SsLia4EhO5w?sub_confirmation=1

Keep Up with Matt Poepsel

Website: http://mattpoepsel.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattpoepsel/
Book: Expand the Circle: Enlightened Leadership for Our New World of Work: https://a.co/d/08N6iDTp
Podcast: Lead the People: https://www.mattpoepsel.com/podcasts/lead-the-people

Join my newsletter to get episodes and free guides delivered directly to your inbox: https://www.themodernmanager.com

The Modern Manager is a leadership podcast that helps you close the gap between knowing what good management is and actually doing it.

Follow The Modern Manager on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode!

#Leadership #TeamCohesion #ManagementTips #WorkplaceCulture #TeamBuilding #EmployeeEngagement #ModernManager #FutureOfWork

419: What It Really Means to Have Integrity Aug 04, 2026

Show notes

You say yes to the small stuff: the draft review, the book recommendation, the shampoo run. Then Thursday comes and none of it has happened. No one complains, but something quietly cracks. Every broken commitment, even the tiny ones, adds up to a trust tax you’re paying without realizing it. This episode breaks down the three-part structure that turns a yes into something people can actually count on.

Conversation Topics

(00:00) Introduction: The Three Small Promises I Broke
(01:31) Redefining Integrity: It’s About Keeping Commitments
(02:37) Why Good People Still Break Their Word
(03:04) The Hidden Cost: How Broken Commitments Erode Trust
(04:21) The Three-Part Structure of a Real Commitment
(06:08) How to Renegotiate and Repair a Broken Commitment
(07:11) Your 3-Step Challenge for This Week

Additional Resources

✨ Read the full transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10EkeUUQhCQ9ltwuunRuglPyNMBmQz8KTHkYC5MnYD7U/edit?usp=sharing

✨ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipwithmamie/

✨ Visit my website for more: https://www.themodernmanager.com/

✨ Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7jhYz8b16g1SsLia4EhO5w?sub_confirmation=1

✨ Get the book: The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, and Kaley Klemp - https://a.co/d/0hP0FUJr

Join my newsletter to get episodes delivered directly to your inbox: https://www.themodernmanager.com

#Leadership #Integrity #TrustAtWork #Commitment #ManagementTips #ConsciousLeadership #WorkplaceCulture #PersonalAccountability #TeamTrust

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