Conversation With a Manager
Steve King
Hi. This is Steve King, and this is Conversation with a Manager: Stories from the Frontline.
Along with my colleague Betsy Hagan and our producer David Blindauer, our podcast explores the common and sometimes uncommon challenges facing today’s managers in the workplace.
Our proposition is simple. Managers, particularly frontline managers, play an oversized role in the productivity of an organization and the engagement of team members. So, a manager’s successful performance makes a ton of difference.
We are defining managers as anyone with responsibilities to look after the performance of others. It is an evolving role … impacted by new technologies, hybrid work arrangements, and generational differences. While some might find the notion of management a bit old fashion, it remains and integral part of the business landscape. There are plenty of managers out there and plenty of new ones every day.
This is a podcast for managers, by managers. Betsy and I have over fifty years of experience as managers between us. We have written extensively on the topic of management, and we have taught literally thousands of managers in classroom, online, and seminar settings. And I can assure you we have learned as much in those settings from managers as we have shared.
In each episode we will visit with a successful manager we have met and hear their stories and the lessons they have learned from their years of experience. We expect you’ll find their stories and insights useful and applicable right away back on the job.
We intend to keep the podcast short and sweet, around 20 minutes, so you can fit them into your commute, lunch break, or while you’re making dinner.
So, please join us in a … conversation with a manager.
Along with my colleague Betsy Hagan and our producer David Blindauer, our podcast explores the common and sometimes uncommon challenges facing today’s managers in the workplace.
Our proposition is simple. Managers, particularly frontline managers, play an oversized role in the productivity of an organization and the engagement of team members. So, a manager’s successful performance makes a ton of difference.
We are defining managers as anyone with responsibilities to look after the performance of others. It is an evolving role … impacted by new technologies, hybrid work arrangements, and generational differences. While some might find the notion of management a bit old fashion, it remains and integral part of the business landscape. There are plenty of managers out there and plenty of new ones every day.
This is a podcast for managers, by managers. Betsy and I have over fifty years of experience as managers between us. We have written extensively on the topic of management, and we have taught literally thousands of managers in classroom, online, and seminar settings. And I can assure you we have learned as much in those settings from managers as we have shared.
In each episode we will visit with a successful manager we have met and hear their stories and the lessons they have learned from their years of experience. We expect you’ll find their stories and insights useful and applicable right away back on the job.
We intend to keep the podcast short and sweet, around 20 minutes, so you can fit them into your commute, lunch break, or while you’re making dinner.
So, please join us in a … conversation with a manager.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 26, 2023 • 10min
Bonus Episode: Managing Team Members Differently or the Same?
Managers are often challenged with a kind of paradox ... manage teams members the same [without favor] or manage team members differently [acknowledging everyone unique capabilities]. In this unheard outtake from my interview with April Gingras [S1:E4], April offers us some insights via a great story on how she has managed this paradox. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm
Jun 12, 2023 • 22min
Season One Recap ... Steve King, Betsy Hagan, and guest Artell Smith discuss highlights and insights from season one the podcast.
Season One is a wrap! In this last episode of the podcast Steve and Betsy have invited their friend and author Artell Smith to offer their collective perspectives on this first season. Four specific episodes from this first season are discussed in depth with some references here and there to other episodes as well. We hope these additional insights will add a few new ideas and techniques to our listener's managerial tool box.Season Two of our podcast will return later this year. In the meantime we will be publishing bonus episodes starting June 26th and dropping every other week. This bonus material is drawn from the interviews with our season one guests ... previously unheard segments from those interviews. These bonus episodes will be shorter than our regular episodes, with no commentary at the end of episode. But we hope these bonus episodes will continue to whet your appetite for valuable advice on how to be a great manager.Our friend Artell Smith's new book is titled "No Time to Waste: Microbehaviors: Leverging the Little Things to Become a Better Leader" ... available on Amazon and plenty of other book distributors. Its a great book. Go out and get yourself one. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm
Jun 5, 2023 • 22min
Managers and Team Member Engagement ... Binnu Palta Hill speaks with Betsy Hagan about how to create a work environment that is engaging and inclusive.
Evidence suggests that employee engagement, on the whole, is on the decline in our workplaces. But this in not necessarily true where managers are equiped with perspectives, behaviors, and techniques that create psychologically safe and inclusive environments. Binnu and Betsy explore what it takes to create this kind of environment and reap the benefits of not only engaged team members but improved performance and productivity.Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm
May 29, 2023 • 19min
Managers and Authenticity ... Nathan Plenshek speaks with Steve King about the challenge of being authentic when confidentiality is required.
Managers can find themselves in situations where they know something that their members are not yet expected to know. How does a manager handle this delicate balance between being authentic and holding a confidence ... particularly when rumors are flying. Nathan Plenshek discusses this difficult situation and offers valuable perspective on how to handle it. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm
May 22, 2023 • 15min
Managers and Staff Development ... Ivy Mantua speaks with Steve King about the how to approach the development of new team members.
What happens when a new team member is given a collection of complex responsibilities? This can be a formula for frustration and worry on part of a new team member unless their manager has a thoughtful way of easing the team member into mastering the complexity. Our guest Ivy Mantua shares her approach to this challenge which she calls "gradual development". And along the way she also offers some thoughts on the mastery of technical or functional skills. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm
May 15, 2023 • 17min
Managers and Feedback ... Kathleen Finis speaks with Betsy Hagan about the challenges of receiving/giving feedback
What is a like to receive difficult feedback?Our guest Kathleen Finis lays out the impact receiving difficult feedback has on individuals and how managers can use this insight to craft feedback that is both heard and acted on. Our Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm
May 8, 2023 • 20min
Managing Intercultural Teams ... Shelley Clinger speaks with Steve King about managing multiple global teams.
What is it like to manage multiple intercultural teams at the same time?Our guest Shelley Clinger has successfully navigated this tricky challenge and offers her perspectives on how not only to coordinate global team activities, but actually integrate global team activities to leverage the best from every team.Two assessments were mentioned in this episode. Here are the websites where you can find more information about both assessents.IDI Inventory: https://idiinventory.com/Thomas Kilmann conflict mode Instrument: https://www.themyersbriggs.com/en-US/Products-and-Services/TKIOur website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm
4 snips
May 1, 2023 • 24min
Managers and Accountability ... Lawrence Henderson speaks with Steve King about managers holding team members accountable for their agreed upon performance.
Lawrence Henderson, founder of BOSS and faculty at Morehouse College, shares his insights on the need for personal accountability in professional settings. He expresses concern over team members shifting blame instead of owning their shortcomings. Joining him, Jennifer Wilson, author and consultant, discusses imposter syndrome and its role in deflecting responsibility. Together, they emphasize the importance of fostering a culture of ownership, purposeful communication, and compassionate leadership to enhance team dynamics and performance.
Apr 24, 2023 • 18min
Managers and Underperforming Team Members ... April Gingras speaks with Steve King about dealing with an underperforming team member.
Our guest April Gingras tells the story of being a new manager and having to deal with an underperforming team member. The story is complete with multiple lessons learned by April about how to best deal with this kind of situation and how best not to.Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm
Apr 17, 2023 • 25min
Managers and Coping with Change ... Becky Kirgan speaks with Betsy Hagan about helping her team deal cope with significant organization change.
Our guest Becky Kirgan worries about the impact of change fatigue on teams facing uncertain, ill-defined change. Becky shares some strategies for minimizing this fatigue and helping those kinds of change efforts along.Website: https://conversation-with-a-manager.captivate.fm
