The Modern Manager

As managers, we have a responsibility to help our employees find stability in a time of chaos. To do this most effectively, we need to understand how the brain functions best—and most importantly, how it can go wrong. Understanding the neuroscience of change will give us unparalleled insight into managing moments of uncertainty and times of change so that our team members remain productive, engaged, and loving their work.   Today’s guest is Russ Linden. Russ is a management consultant, leadership instructor, and author who's worked with public and nonprofit organizations for 36 years. He specializes in change management, collaboration, and the use of influence (when formal authority won't cut it).   Russ and I talk about the experience of navigating change, how to better deal with ambiguity, the phenomenon called loss aversion, the relationship between change and learning, and so much more.   Members of the Modern Manager community at the Sprout level and above get 30% off all of Russ’s books, including his latest, Loss and Discovery: What the Torah Can Teach Us about Leading Change. Get it when you join the Modern Manager community.   Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.   Read the related blog article: How Managers Can Create Stability In Unpredictable Times   KEEP UP WITH RUSS: Website: www.loss-discovery.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/russ.linden.9/    Key Takeaways: Our brains are wired to perceive a lack of control, predictability, and certainty as threats. Create stability for your team by building steady, predictable relationships.  Be an honest, trustworthy leader they can depend on.  Define and implement your company’s core values so your team knows what to expect and how the organization operates.  Loss aversion is the brain’s way of avoiding the pain of loss which is stronger than the desire for winning. Honestly address the potential losses that arise with any change. Give your employees space to mourn these losses. Our brains continue growing new cells and neural pathways throughout our life, called neuroplasticity. Shrink the overwhelm of change by reminding your team what’s not changing. Assure them that the changes are not their fault and compliment them on their past work. People value what they make themselves, the IKEA Effect. Give them choices so they feel more a sense of control over the changes. Build on your team’s strength while minimizing weaknesses, so they don’t lose their sense of competency. Additional Resources: Book: Leadership On The Line Book: In Search Of Excellence Episode 149: Planning a (Virtual) Retreat with Seth Linden mamie@mamieks.com

The brain is an amazing thing. Its capacity to learn is almost endless. But too often the process of learning can feel boring, difficult, stressful, and even painful. In order for the brain to retain what we’ve learned, we need to deploy the right strategies. These simple approaches make learning efficient and enjoyable.  Today’s guest is Collin Jewett. Collin is an industrial engineer, author, coach, and adventurer. He loves helping others rediscover the joy of learning and partnering with their brains to unlock limitless memory, boundless creativity, and unshakeable focus. Collin and I  talk about the process of learning, how to remember better, the relationship between learning and creativity, and so much more. Members of the Modern Manager community get access to Collin’s 7-part video series titled “Unlock your 3 Brain States” to help you discover the 3 critical brain states and unlock hyperfocus and endless creative potential. Get this guest bonus and dozens more when you join the Modern Manager community. Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.    Read the related blog article: Unlock Your Brain’s Ability To Learn   KEEP UP WITH COLLIN Website: https://curiosityjump.com/ Course: maven.com/curiosityjump/superlearner     Key Takeaways: We are born with the desire to learn about the world and ourselves.  Curiosity is the innate desire to ask questions. Creativity is the innate desire to answer questions and solve problems. Creativity isn’t a “have it or you don’t” thing. Creativity is the process of combining existing ideas in new ways. Memory works by associating and comparing old knowledge with new information.  Analogies and metaphors are powerful because they take new ideas and put them in a familiar context.  Learning that is relevant to our lives is more enjoyable and stickier. Clarify how and why this information or skill is relevant. Use the observation and visualization to get brain neurons to fire as if you were going through the motions.  Use as many kinds of VARK learning methods (visual, auditory, reading/writing, kinesthetic) as possible for ultimate knowledge retention. Reward and punishment don’t motivate real learning or creativity. In fact, they often result in the opposite.    Additional Resources: Video on motivation [Quiz] What’s your delegation downfall? mamieKS on Instagram   mamie@mamieks.com

It’s easy to get caught in the whirlwind of work. We can get carried along by the hundreds of things that need to get done, never stepping back to consider if it’s actually working or whether the path is even the right one. Taking time to prioritize, reflect, or set boundaries that actually get followed can feel like a luxury we just can’t afford given the fires that keep popping up, the ever-growing to-do list, and wanting to be there for our team members when they need us. But imagine what work and life could be, if we did.   Today’s guest is Lisa Marie Platske. Lisa Marie is an award-winning leadership expert in human behavior and recognized as one of the top 100 women making a difference in the world. She left her Federal law enforcement career after 9/11 to build Upside Thinking, Inc. She is also a member of the Forbes Coaches Council, and Lisa has trained or coached over 100,000 leaders around the globe.   Lisa and I talk about the Leadership Blueprint. She shared the three principles of the Leadership Blueprint which can help you up your management game and unleash your full potential as a people leader.    Members of the Modern Manager community get the Influential Leadership Blueprint, a simple, step-by-step workbook that allows you to create clear next steps for your journey.   Get it when you join the Modern Manager community.   Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.    Read the related blog article: How To Become A Leader Worth Following   KEEP UP WITH LISA MARIE LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisamarieplatske/ Facebook business: https://www.facebook.com/UpsideThinking Facebook personal: https://www.facebook.com/lisa.marie.platske   Key Takeaways: Courage is more important than expertise. Courageous leadership comes from making and acting on difficult decisions. Consider the knowledge and experience you have from all aspects of your life, not only professional ones.  Prioritize the goals that will make the greatest impact. Decide these based on personal and/or organizational values.  It’s more important to move one important thing a mile than 10 things only three steps. Set your priority goals and then reassess during the day by using SNAP at random intervals; Stop, Notice, Ask, Pause, Pray, and Pivot.  Focusing on priorities leaves wiggle room for when unexpected issues arise and prevents overload. Be present by focusing on less.  Discuss with your team how they can focus and prioritize. Learn what times of day are best for each person to both collaborate and work alone.  We are filled with unconscious beliefs of what we “should” be doing. Examine what you really want and why it matters. Do what is right for you, not what you “should” according to other people’s ideas. Be honest about what roles, responsibilities, and requirements you don’t want. Create nonnegotiables and set boundaries for what you can’t and won’t do.  Discuss with your team what they do and don’t want. Be aware these may change.  mamie@mamieks.com

Influencing others is a key part of most managerial positions. Too often we conflate authority with influence. Authority is an exercise in power while influence is about encouraging people to join you in a shared mission.  Whether it's getting a team member to change their behavior, generating buy-in from your supervisor, or getting a colleague in a different department to help out, we are often in positions where we don’t have (or don’t want to use) positional power to get what we need. This is where we rely on our ability to influence. In this episode, I walk through 5 approaches to influencing without authority so that you can gain support in ways that both deliver results and feel good along the way. The full episode guide includes tips and suggestions for each of the five approaches. Get it when you join the Modern Manager community or purchase the full guide at www.themodernmanager.com/shop.     Get the free mini-guide at themodernnmanager.com/miniguides.   Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.    Read the related blog article: 5 Approaches to Influencing Without Authority   Key Takeaways: Influencing without authority happens by building relationships not through exercising power. Start with curiosity. Learn who they are and what they care about. When you ask for their involvement, align your project or request with their values. Figure out what barriers are stopping people from saying yes. Address concerns and find ways to help remove obstacles. Being willing to help will make a strong positive impression.  Cultivate an authentic relationship before making any asks. Use the “3 Touches Before An Ask” strategy to reduce the likelihood that the person will feel they’re being used..  If you struggle with building authentic relationships, think about what someone skilled in this would do in such a situation. Then take those steps.  Include others in the decision making process. People support what they help create. Listen to ideas and be open to reshaping your vision.  Craft compelling personal narratives to increase interest in your cause. People give when their emotions are aroused.  mamie@mamieks.com

It’s easy to get caught up in the “us versus them” mentality. Our brains naturally like to categorize people and then bond with those who are “on our team” while alienating those who are not. This can happen within an organization “marketing vs sales” or by identity “men vs other gender identities” or geography “London HQ vs remote team members” and many other factors. When cultural divides separate colleagues, it inhibits effective communication and collaboration. Instead, we need to find ways to bring people together that honors our cultural differences while building bridges.   Laura Kriska is the author of The Business of WE and a leading cross-cultural consultant with more than thirty years of experience bridging gaps in diverse workplaces. She has worked with Fortune 500 companies on four continents helping thousands of professionals build trust across Us versus Them differences based on nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, age or any factor of identity. Her WE-building framework provides practical and actionable insights for creating a more inclusive and productive world.   Laura and I talk about how to understand cultural differences from norms and behaviors, to mindsets, and how to bring people together across the ‘us vs them’ divide.   Be one of the first two members to request a free audiobook copy of The Business of We: The Proven Three-Step Process for Closing the Gap Between Us and Them in Your Workplace. This offer is available only to members of The Modern Manager. Join at themodernmanager.com/join.  Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.    Read the related blog article: Go From “Us Vs Them” To “WE” At Work   KEEP UP WITH LAURA Book: The Business of We Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurakriska_author/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraKriskaauthor Twitter: https://twitter.com/LauraKriska LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-kriska-0a93902a/   Key Takeaways: When teams separate because of diverse identities, it can create divisive “insider/outsider” dynamics that break down trust and communication. “Us vs Them” dynamics can show up between departments, hierarchies, and geographic locations, in addition to various individual identities. Visible culture norms are things like dress or language. Invisible cultural norms are unspoken rules about how people are expected to act. These are learned through involvement in the culture.  Invisible cultural norms that aren’t working for your team need to be addressed.  Look at missed outcomes or HR complaints. They may point to breakdowns in cohesion amongst your team.  Have open conversations with your team about what’s not working. Model self-reflection and commitment to change to encourage others to open up.  Measure your level of integration with diverse groups and commit to increasing your knowledge of various cultures/backgrounds.  Have everyone share a personal experience of feeling like an outsider to highlight the importance of a feeling of belonging.  Those with a scarcity mindset might worry they will lose power if they bring others up. Explain how everyone benefits from greater inclusion and a “WE” culture.  Additional Resources: Book: The Sum Of Us Free Assessment mamie@mamieks.com

Some managers worry that hiring a freelancer means you will have to take a leap of faith. You won’t know that person’s work ethic or professional personality. But in reality, hiring and managing a freelancer doesn’t need to be scary. Instead, it can transform your team’s work.   Today’s guest is Matthew Mottola. Matthew is a leader in ethically creating the remote freelance economy. He is CEO of Venture L, Author of The Human Cloud and a Forbes Contributor.   Matthew and I talk about working with freelancers - how the Pandemic has changed things, how to overcome common challenges of working with freelancers, and how to optimize the entire lifecycle of hiring, onboarding, collaborating and more.   Members of the Modern Manager community get Matthew’s Leadership Deck To Hire Freelancers and his Worksheets To Identify The Work And Hire Your First Freelancer. Get these bonuses when you join the Modern Manager community.   Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.    Read the related blog article: 6 Essential Things To Know About Managing Freelancers   KEEP UP WITH MATTHEW LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewmottola/ Resources: https://humancloud.substack.com/ Book:https://www.amazon.com/Human-Cloud-Changemakers-Artificial-Intelligence/dp/1400219736 Twitter:https://twitter.com/matthewrmottola   Key Takeaways: Freelancers are a good alternative to an expensive agency or hiring a full-time employee. They specialize in a specific skill set for a set amount of time.  Freelancers don’t have to be temporary. If you like them, you can take them on to future projects for years to come. Because they don’t feel as fearful of losing their job, freelancers may be more forthright with critical, helpful feedback about your work culture.  Give freelancers feedback; everyone enjoys growth opportunities. Involve them in your team; everyone benefits from a sense of belonging. The number one mistake managers make with freelancers is micromanaging. They are the experts. Be honest about what you don’t know and give them space to do what they do best. Begin with small projects first instead of everything at once, so you can check in early and ensure you’re on the same page.  Don’t spend as much time onboarding. Build trust and teach them the culture by working together.  Don’t worry if they don’t fit into the team culture. Innovation comes from the outside. Cherish their outside perspective.  Let them pitch ideas. Freelancers can bypass HR red tape that often slows down salaried employees and try out new roles and ideas.  mamie@mamieks.com

Like any field, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion continues to evolve. As managers, we need to continue to grow and develop our skills. While it may seem hard to keep up with the newest concepts, it may very well be one of the most important components to being a rockstar manager now and in the future.    Today’s guest is Perrine Farque. Perrine is an author, entrepreneur, keynote speaker and diversity and inclusion expert who empowers leaders to leverage diversity and inclusion as their competitive advantage. Nominated in the Top 50 Most Influential UK Tech Women, Perrine continues to be recognized for her contributions. Perrine drove the strategy at companies such as Facebook and is on a mission to make the workplace more inclusive and diverse.   Perrine and I talk about the experiences of feeling depreciated and rejected and what we can do to continue to develop our people management skills as the world of DEI continues to evolve. We get into the use of language, anti-bias training, and how to engage your team in the process of creating an inclusive culture so that all team members feel included and appreciated.   Members of the Modern Manager community get my 5 easy actions to become a more inclusive leader. Get it when you join the Modern Manager community.   Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.    Read the related blog article: Top Diversity Skills For A Rockstar Manager in 2022   KEEP UP WITH PERRINE Personal   Twitter: https://twitter.com/PerrineFarqueUK Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/perrinefarque/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerrineFarque Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perrinefarqueofficial/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmYKgD9mNq80PJshb8PZjsg   Business    Twitter: https://twitter.com/Iminspiredhuman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspired-human/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inspiredhumanconsulting     Key Takeaways: Employees who feel devalued/depreciated are less productive/engaged. Unconscious bias training can work when it’s part of a larger diversity, equity and inclusion program. Begin explaining why D&I is important. Set goals for diversity and inclusions, and track progress. Be cognizant of how you and your team use language. Use more inclusive gender terms and avoid ableist language that is insensitive to those with mental/physical disabilities.  Create a greater understanding of the cultures your colleagues come from. What communication and gender dynamics are they used to? How do they like to be addressed? Small efforts make a big impact. Talk with your team about why D&I matters to you personally. Create a slack channel or email chain for your team to share relevant articles/podcasts/books.  Address those skeptical of the benefits of increasing diversity and inclusion. Share research on how diversity leads to more innovation and success. Explore their personal story of being excluded to understand their resistance.  Additional Resources: Harvard Business Review: Why Diverse Teams Are Smarter McKinsey: Diversity Wins: How Inclusion Matters             Episode 150: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Allyship mamie@mamieks.com

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 variety of approaches to professional development ranging from none at all to reserving Individual Development Plans (IDPs) for only high potentials or those struggling the most. So where does that leave everyone else?   This episode is all about taking control over your individual development plan. I walk through the process of crafting an IDP for yourself and how to work with your team members so they can own their professional growth.   The full episode guide includes a detailed process for developing an IDP as well as how to work with your team members to create and manage their IDP. It also includes the template I use with my clients for documenting and tracking goals, measures of success and actions. Get it when you join the Modern Manager community or purchase the full guide at www.themodernmanager.com/shop.     Get the free mini-guide at themodernnmanager.com/miniguides.   Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.    Read the related blog article: Own Your Professional Development   Key Takeaways: Individual Development Plans work for short and long term goals.  Make goals based on where you want to be in the future or what you need to feel more satisfied at work.  Figure out what knowledge, behavioral skills, or real life experience will help you achieve your goals. Get feedback from colleagues about what could help you succeed.  Consider what measures of success would mean you’ve achieved your dreams. These are either externally-based from a colleague or through passing a test or internally-based on your sense of achievement.  Keep between 1-3 goals at a time. One goal often feels too slow and more than 3 goals can be distracting. IDPs are living documents that should be revised and updated. Check in monthly to update actions taken, measure goals, and add new ones. Your teammates need to take ownership of their success and make their own IDPs. Brainstorm with your team about their goals and offer them feedback, accountability, and securing funds for these goals.  mamie@mamieks.com

The summer of 2021 saw a staggering increase in resignations and the trend has remained. Management professor Anthony Klotz called this phenomenon the "Great Resignation." In response to the pandemic, people are rethinking their job, career, and lifestyle. What can we do, as managers, to keep our best people from leaving us?   Today’s guest is Christine Comaford. Christine is a Leadership and Culture Coach, Serial Entrepreneur, and New York Times bestselling author. For over 30 years Christine has helped leaders navigate growth and change. She specializes in applied neuroscience, which helps her clients achieve tremendous results in record time. As an entrepreneur she built and sold five companies with an average ROI of 700%, and she was a software engineer in the early days of Microsoft and Apple. Christine is a human behavior expert, a leadership columnist for Forbes.com, and the New York Times bestselling author of Power Your Tribe, SmartTribes, and Rules for Renegades.   Christine and I talk about this great migration that is happening and how to get your people to stay, how to help them know how to succeed and developing them in meaningful ways, how to conduct a “stay interview”, and more.   Christine is offering Members of the Modern Manager community her Leadership Tools Infographic and a discount for Coaching. Get both of these guest bonuses when you join the Modern Manager community.   Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.    Read the related blog article: How to Conduct “Stay Interviews”   KEEP UP WITH CHRISTINE:   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Comaford/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/comaford?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/comaford/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/christinecomaford Spotify Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cyyjQbIf4vK8tu8tLJuvB?si=-YuYbF7xQJSa1hJom8s88w&nd=1     Key Takeaways: In response to the pandemic, many people are questioning what they want out of their job, career and life in general.We’re at a moment where you should assume everyone is looking for better job offers. Don’t wait until the exit interview to find out what you could have done differently. Instead, conduct Stay Interviews to keep your staff and learn what they want.  Do Stay Interviews on a quarterly basis to find out what employees love/dread about their work and what they want changed.  Employees want opportunities to grow at work. Work with each person on their Individual Development Plan to guide their professional growth and track progress.  Chart how an employee shows up at work by using a system like Leadership Levels. Use this system to develop a common language of expectations and goals.  Have employees self-assess themselves, and discuss any inconsistencies with how you view them. If an employee has another offer with better pay, discuss with them the pros and cons of the offer. Provide all the ways you offer benefits beyond compensation so the employee has a clear idea of everything you offer. This way, they can make a fully informed decision.   The decision to leave is not solely for better pay. Help guide them through a decision that will best benefit their life. Sometimes this means helping them move on from this role.  Additional Resources: Book: Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay Episode 186: Individual Development Plans (airing January 11, 2022) mamie@mamieks.com

What do you think of when you hear the word velocity? Speed? Direction? While we’re busy running quickly from one thing to another, it's important that we always have a clear vision for where we’re headed. Working effectively isn’t just about getting to the future quickly. It’s knowing where you’re going so that your speed is meaningful.    Today’s guest is Ron Karr. Ron has worked with leaders on six continents to eliminate risk, gain buy-in and achieve better results faster with the Velocity Mindset®. His presentations and advisory services have generated over a billion dollars in incremental revenues for his clients. Ron is the author of five books including his latest, The Velocity Mindset® and the bestselling Lead, Sell or Get Out of the Way. Ron facilitates the Chief Revenue Officer Mastermind Group made up of CEO's and VP's building high-performance sales cultures.   Ron and I talk about lessons from his book Velocity Mindset. We talk about getting clarity, asking questions, engaging your team in the process, the importance of pausing and a whole lot more.   Members of the Modern Manager community can get one of three available audiobooks of The Velocity Mindset - How Leaders Eliminate Risk, Gain Buy-In, and Achieve Better Results-Faster!. Get it when you join the Modern Manager community.   Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.    Read the related blog article: Embrace a Velocity Mindset with Your Team   KEEP UP WITH RON Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rokarr/ Youtube: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ronkarr1 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronkarr/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ronkarr Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ronkarr1   Key Takeaways: Velocity, in physics, is multiplying speed with direction. In business, that means we need to have a purpose and a destination or else moving at high speeds will lead to burn out.  Instead of being tethered to old ideas, think about where you really want to go and envision a bold future.  You don’t need to be able to map out how you’re going to get there. Ruminate on ideas, ask questions, collect information, and experiment as you go.  Involve your team in co-creating the plan. Ask them to brainstorm ideas, strategies, and for getting to the goal as well as question-storm to identify questions that need to be answered in order to move forward. Get buy-in by learning what each person on your team values. State the goal in context with what’s important to them.  Learn the ‘art of the pause’ by making time to stop and consider what’s not working. Set personal meetings with yourself and team meetings to reflect and recommit to future actions.  Starting with what’s not working in team meetings will lead to blaming and negativity. Instead, begin with what you want, where you are, what’s working and what you could do differently to reach your goal.   Additional Resources: Book: The Science of Getting Rich Book: Enlightened Leadership mamie@mamieks.com