The Modern Manager

Latest Episodes:

15: Invest In Your Team Aug 28, 2018

Show notes

The decision to invest in your employees can be one of the smartest decisions you make as a manager. When you allocate money, time, or energy to an employee’s growth, the benefits for them, for you, and for your business can be profound. Learn ways to invest in people individually and as a team.

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Read the article based on this episode: Invest in Employees for Growth and Success

Key Takeaways:

Investment means you deal with the cost now in order to reap the benefit later.
Everyone benefits when you invest in your team members. Employees feel more engaged and grow their capabilities. This, in turn, makes your job easier as a manager, freeing you to do other work.
There are multiple ways to invest in people. Leadership consultants Mike Figliuolo and Victor Prince created a great framework.
Talk with your employees about growth. There is greater buy-in when you decide together what to focus on and how.
Consider the employee's learning preferences when deciding on investment approaches.
Be sure to invest in your team as a whole and in yourself too!

Get it touch! Email me at mamie@mamieks.com

14: Personality and Preferences with Rob Toomey Aug 21, 2018

Show notes

Diversity in the workplace is getting a lot of attention these days. As we build awareness of and increase the range of diversity in its many forms, one we mustn’t overlook is personality. Our workplaces are already quite diverse in this respect and as managers, we must be capable of working with people who have different preferences than we do.

Todays guest, Rob Toomey is President at TypeCoach. TypeCoach helps companies improve communication and achieve goals through the application of personality type, specifically the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). To get free access to TypeCoach's tools, join the Modern Manager community on Patreon.

Key Takeaways:

Most of the time, we function in our default mode which means we communicate and collaborate in ways that feel most natural to us.
Great communicators and collaborators are able to adjust to work in ways that are most effective for those they are engaging with.
Make space for introverts in meetings. Give them time to process the information prior to the meeting. Use a 'check-out' at the end of the meeting for final thoughts.
If you're a big-picture manager but you have team members who need more details, spend extra time time clarifying the end goal, processes and any detailed information even if it feels tedious to you.
Feedback will resonate more when it speaks to people's primary motivations.
Pause before you give feedback or respond. Ask yourself: What is the best approach to take in light of this particular person?
Personality and preferences appears in teams and can cause conflict when not addressed.
Some people prefer to think in light-bulb innovation (brand new ideas) and others pre to think of process innovation (improving on what exists). Neither is better or worse, but they can create conflict amongst the group when doing both at the same time.
Set time in a brainstorm meeting for each type of thinking rather than combining them into one.

Read the article based on this episode: How to Manage and Leverage Personality Types for Greater Success

Join the Modern Manager community to get free access to the Type-Coach Verifier and additional resources to support your learning journey.

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KEEP UP WITH ROB

Website: www.Typecoach.com
Twitter: @rvtoomey

13: Essential Communication Skills Aug 14, 2018

Show notes

As managers, we’re constantly communicating with others by email, chat, phone, and in meetings. We share instructions, feedback, praise, and gratitude. We provide information, ask questions, and offer suggestions. In this episode, we discuss the communication skills every manager (not leader) needs.

Get the free mini-guide to help you improve your communication.

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Read the article based on this episode: 5 Communication Skills to Make You a Rockstar Manager

Key Takeaways:

Share the right information at the right time.
Provide clarity and be direct. What actions should the person take? What should they do with this information?
Provide context so the person understand 'why' not just 'what'.
Check for understanding. Avoid asking 'yes or no' questions like 'does that make sense?' which can make someone feel embarrassed that they don't understand.
Listen actively, respond to cues from the other person.
Match the medium to the content. Consider which mode of communication - email, chat, meetings, etc - will be the most efficient and effective at delivering the message.
Say what needs to be said, even if it's hard. Give feedback, share unpopular opinions and speak up.

Get it touch! Email me at mamie@mamieks.com

12: Designing Conversations with Daniel Stillman Aug 07, 2018

Show notes

We have conversations every day. We have them with our family and friends, our colleagues at work, and strangers at the grocery store. We have them online. We have them in our heads. Most conversations happen organically, but what happens when you approach a conversation with the mindset that it is an experience which can be designed, and how does it transform the conversation and the outcomes? Daniel Stillman, conversation designer, and I discuss the ins and outs of designing a conversation in ways that build deeper human connections and achieve outcomes.

Key Takeaways:

A conversation should begin before you get together. Find a way to entice people to join you so that they want to be in the conversation.
Avoid being vague about the purpose of the conversation. Few people feel good about attending a meeting when they don't know what's going to be discussed.
End a conversation with intention. Reiterate the positive outcomes to elevate the mood.
Engage participants in giving feedback using the Rose-Thorn-Bud technique in which people need to share 2 things they like (rose), two that could be improved (thorn) and 2 ideas they have (bud).
Use drawing (instead of writing) to elicit new information and spark creativity. Drawing often relaxes people and lowers barriers.
Cultivate and sustain your internal conversation through a practice such as mediation.

Read the article based on this episode: How to Use Conversation Design to Transform Your Team

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KEEP UP WITH DANIEL

Daniel's podcast: www.theconversationfactory.com

9 Conversations book: https://publishizer.com/nine-conversations/

Book giveaway: http://theconversationfactory.com/giveaway

11: The Enjoyment Equation Jul 31, 2018

Show notes

Enjoyment may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about work, but it’s a critical ingredient to building a thriving team. In order for each person to flourish, they need feel a bit of joy in the work they do, the team they do it with and the environment in which they do it.

Get the free mini-guide to increasing the enjoyment in your team.

Join the Modern Manager community to get the full guide to bring more joy into your workplace and many more resources to support your learning journey.

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Read the article based on this episode: A New Recipe for Success: Enjoyment at Work

Key Takeaways:

Help people find the right balance their skills with the amount of challenge in their work.
Kim Scott, in her book, Radical Candor, defines 'rockstars' and 'superstars' as two different mindsets on what a person wants out of their job and career growth. Matching the role's demands to the person's desires will increase their enjoyment.
Help each person see the meaning and purpose of their work. Link the individual's work to the team's success and the organization's success and mission.
Encourage more fun in the workplace. Having moments of fun can build bonds, lighten the mood, and reduce stress.
Provide autonomy and generate buy-in. It's funny how we can enjoy or dread the same activity based on whether it feels like our choice to do it.

Get it touch! Email me at mamie@mamieks.com

10: Effective Meetings with Elise Keith Jul 24, 2018

Show notes

Meetings have a bad rap, but they're critical to how work gets done. Today's guest, Elise Keith is the co-Founder of Lucid Meetings, which helps organizations run day-to-day meetings to power their organizational success. Elise and I discuss the 'bad meeting doom loop', different types of meetings and how to string together a series to optimize how the team collaborates, and the most important thing to do when planning a meeting.

Key Takeaways:

Stop the bad meetings doom loop in which we expect meetings to be a waste of time so we don't prepare for them properly which leads them to being unproductive which reinforces our belief that meetings are a waste of time.
Try this mindset instead: Meetings are a place where people come together to get work done.
The word meeting is loaded. Try reframing your meetings by calling them something else like a weekly huddle or team crush.
Keith identifies 16 types of meetings which she discusses in depth in her book.
Separate meetings by their work purpose. Rather than compound meeting types, create a sequence of meetings that work together.
In general, the more frequently you meet, the shorter the meetings can be and they are likely to be more productive. In contrast, the less frequent you meet, the longer the meetings need to be, and the less productive they typically are.

Read the article based on this episode: Effective Meetings = Effective Business

Join the Modern Manager community for additional resources to support your learning journey.

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Get my book, Momentum: Creating Effective, Engaging, and Enjoyable Meetings at: www.meeteor.com/momentum

KEEP UP WITH ELISE

Where the Action Is: https://www.lucidmeetings.com/book

Website: www.lucidmeetings.com

Twitter: @lucidmeetings

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

Goodreads Booklist on Improving Meetings: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/117713.Better_Meetings_Better_Business

Check out Episode 21 - Managing Meeting Follow-Through - for more on effective meetings.

Get the free mini-guide for episode 21 to help improve your meeting follow-through.

9: Show Meaningful and Authentic Appreciation Jul 17, 2018

Show notes

Expressing appreciation - a “thankful recognition” of the contribution of those around you - is part of the wave of positive psychology that has become mainstream in recent years. But how do we do this effectively in a work setting? Consider three facets of appreciation: gratitude, praise and recognition. Rockstar managers use all three and build appreciation into their daily or weekly routine.

Get the free mini-guide to help you show meaningful appreciation.

Join the Modern Manager community to get the full guide to meaningful appreciation and many more resources to support your learning journey.

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Read the article based on this episode: How to Express Meaningful Appreciation at Work

Key Takeaways:

Employees who feel appreciated are more productive and more successful in their roles.
Establish a regular practice of gratitude for yourself. It's easier to show appreciation when you have a habit of doing so.
Appreciation can be shown as:
- Gratitude (saying thank you)
- Praise (showing admiration)
- Recognition (sharing in public)
Make your gratitude and praise as specific as possible. A simple "thanks!" or "nice job" isn't meaningful. It feels automatic.
Include how the person's actions positively impacted you.
Both gratitude and praise should often be given in private, but on occasion, public recognition is welcomed.
Use recognition as a way to encourage new norms and behaviors in meetings. Acknowledge the person who identified 'the most critical watch-out' as a way to encourage people to share their concerns.
Set time on your calendar each week to 'express appreciation.' Reflect on what happened the past week and write a note, send an email, or speak directly to the person to show you care.

Get it touch! Email me at mamie@mamieks.com

For additional resources on appreciation in the workplace:
http://blog.meeteor.com/blog/appreciation-in-virtual-teams/
http://www.appreciationatwork.com/learn/

8: Optimize Your Time with Dorie Clark Jul 10, 2018

Show notes

Is it possible that prevailing perceptions about productivity don’t work for everyone? This week's guest Dorie Clark, productivity expert, strategy consultant, author, and professional speaker decided to put them to the test. Through her month-long time-tracking experiment, she was able to further optimize her time, and what she learned might surprise you. Dorie and I discuss misconceptions about multitasking, methods for better email management, and getting out of meetings you don’t need to attend.

Key Takeaways:

Start by actually understanding how you're spending your time. Do a time-tracker for 1-2 weeks (see below for a free version).
Traditional definitions of multi-tasking is really task-switching, which is not productive.
Strategic multi-tasking is when you can truly do two (or more) things at once, like exercise while listening to a podcast or eating a meal with friends.
Strategic multi-tasking can increase the amount of things you get done within the same 24 hours.
Standardize how you deal with email. Avoid letting 'dealing with email' become a go-to activity periodically during your day.
Email is less of a problem because of the time it takes but because of the stress it causes.
Say no to meetings you don't need to be in. Ask for other ways to engage before agreeing to participate in a meeting.

Grab a free time-tracker.

Read the article based on this episode: 3 Unexpected Ways to Optimize Your Time

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KEEP UP WITH DORIE

website:https://dorieclark.com/
twitter: @dorieclark
instagram: @ericakeswi
linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/doriec

Check out episode 19 - Time Management Methods, Mindsets and Approaches - for more on this topic.

Get the free mini-guide for episode 19 to help you manage your time more effectively.

7: Strengthening Connections and Building Relationships Jun 26, 2018

Show notes

Connections at work provide a sense of cohesion, which is essential for cultivating teamwork and collaboration. When there are strong relationships, many interpersonal dynamics become less stressful. Conflicts are reduced and those that do arise are often easier to resolve. People are more willing to ask or help and share their ideas. As a manager, your job is to connect with each of your team members and to foster connections among them.

Get the free mini-guide to help you strengthen the relationships on your team.

Join the Modern Manager community to get the full guide to building connections and strengthening relationships, and many more resources to support your learning journey.

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Read the article based on this episode: Connections at Work Can Make Your Team More Successful

Key Takeaways:

We are social beings. Human connection is critical to our wellbeing and our collaboration capabilities.
When you have a strong relationship, it's easier to move past bumps like a mis-communication. You're more likely to give the benefit of the doubt to someone and take risks in front of them.
Your job as a manager is to build relationships with and among your team members.
Celebrate work-related and personal occasions as a team.
Share personal stories and photos e.g. from vacations, weekend activities, etc.
Take time out of the office for team-building.
Bring people together over non-work topics. Try a lunch-n-learn or book/article/movie club.
Surprise your team with occasional special somethings like food or time off.

Get it touch! Email me at mamie@mamieks.com

6: The Importance of Heathy Workplace Culture w/ Fran Sepler Jun 19, 2018

Show notes

Does your work environment provide respect, fairness, and safety? Those are the three key attributes of a healthy workplace culture in which people contribute their best ideas and efforts.

Too often we overlook the small behaviors that can have a major negative impact. When people perceive that they're unsafe or undervalued at work, they engage in unhealthy coping mechanisms such as gossip, battling for territory, and disengagement.

Today's guest, Fran Sepler, an expert in building respectful workplaces free from harassment, shares the perils of an unhealthy culture, the benefits of a truly respectful one, and what we can do as managers to help create a workplace environment in which everyone thrives.

Key Takeaways:

Safety (physical and psychological) and fairness are two critical aspects of a respectful workplace.
When people perceive that they are unsafe or undervalued at work, they may engage in unhealthy coping mechanisms like gossiping, creating alliances to claim territory or status, withdrawing, and disengaging.
When you feel disrespected, your whole attitude can be impacted, making you more likely to be disrespectful to others.
We generally have the same definition of what it looks and feels like to be respected and disrespected.
Once you've recognized that disrespectful behavior is an issue, you can create ground rules to address it.
Ask for feedback on how you're doing. View feedback as a gift. Even if you don't like what you hear, say 'thank you.'
If a high performer who accomplishes great work treats others poorly, stop considering them a high performer.
You must take into consideration the negative effects of someone's behavior on other people = they are depressing or inhibiting other people's performance.
Managers must address even the 'little things' that you may be inclined to let slide. Other people see them and are counting on you to role model.

Read the article based on this episode: Why Respectful Workplaces are More Important than You Think

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KEEP UP WITH FRAN

website: www.sepler.com

email:fransepler@sepler.com

Check out episode 3 - Building a Culture of Respect - for more on this topic. Get the guide to building a culture of respect.

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