The Modern Manager

Do you know your team members’ unique talents? Every member of a workplace possesses a unique set of talents and skills that can be valuable to a team. By utilizing these diverse abilities, teams can become more efficient, innovative, and successful. Even more, when team members feel valued for their contributions, it fosters a positive and collaborative work environment. Today’s guest is Scott Whiteford. As Director of Leadership Analytics, Scott is a leading authority on The Science of Talent and has coached over 1,700 leaders on how to develop talent. His primary analytical focus is on utilizing Talent Plus’ Executive Interview to help companies select and coach leaders and their teams based on their strengths. He thoughtfully uses talent solutions such as the Team Retreat, TeamView, Leadership 360s, Collaborative Coaching, and Progression & Succession Planning to develop leaders and build effective teams through a strengths-management approach. Scott and I talk about taking a strengths-based approach to management and talent development. We discuss what it means to focus on talents, how to figure out what those strengths are, how to lean into the strengths of your team members and how to do so in ways that feel fair. Members of the Modern Manager community get a free talent assessment and customized report. Take it yourself or give it to your team members as a tool to guide professional development. Get it when you join the Modern Manager community.   Get FREE mini-sketchnotes with the big idea from the week’s episode delivered to your inbox when you subscribe to my weekly email.   Read the related blog article: Focus On Developing Your Team Members’ Strengths (Instead of Their Weaknesses!)   KEEP UP WITH SCOTT: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TalentPlusInc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TalentPlusInc/ Scott LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottwhiteford/ Talent Plus LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/talent-plus-inc/   Timestamps & Topics: 0:00 Introductions 1:54 What is strengths-based management? (Mercedes Benz analogy) 5:46 How do leaders recognize what people’s strengths are? 7:17 Examples of strengths Scott has encountered, and how he helped develop them 10:12 How to have conversations with team members about shaping their job to better suit their strengths 14:01 What if someone wants to do a particular job, but you don’t think it fits their strengths? 17:26 Examples of a strengths-based assessment at work 19:00 What to do if you realize you don’t have particular talents that are needed (compensatory strategies) 23:04 How do we shift jobs based on strengths while staying fair and equitable? 26:36 About a great manager that Scott worked for 28:00 Keep up with Scott [Extended episode only] 29:00 Addressing strengths as an element of DEI [Extended episode only] 31:20 Shifting roles on a full-scale vs. team-wide level [Extended episode only] 35:00 Tips on reorienting our thinking to be strengths-based Get the extended episode by joining The Modern Manager community for just $5 per month.  Additional Resources: https://go.talentplus.com/makeitagreatday mamie@mamieks.com instagram.com/mamieks

At some point, we’ve all been told to “Work smarter, not harder.” But what does that actually mean? Working smarter often means recognizing the importance of mindset in our work. The way we approach tasks, challenges, and even successes can have a significant impact on our team. Recognizing when your mindset isn’t serving you can help you overcome obstacles and achieve your goals. Today’s guest is Dre Baldwin. Dre is CEO and Founder of Work On Your Game Inc. He has given 4 TEDxTalks and has authored 33 books. Dre had a 9-year professional basketball career, playing in 8 countries. His framework is the "roadmap in reverse" for professional mindset, strategy, systems, and execution. Dre and I talk about one of his chapters from his book Work On Your Game where he lays out mental mistakes that good people make that can inhibit you and your team from accomplishing your goals. Members of the Modern Manager community get a chance to win one copy of Dre’s book, Work On Your Game. Get it when you join the Modern Manager community.   Get FREE mini-sketchnotes with the big idea from the week’s episode delivered to your inbox when you subscribe to my weekly email.   Read the related blog article: Four Common Mental Mistakes That Trip Managers Up   KEEP UP WITH DRE LinkedIn: http://LinkedIn.com/in/DreAllDay Facebook: http://Facebook.com/WorkOnYourGame  Twitter: http://Twitter.com/DreAllDay Instagram: http://Instagram.com/DreBaldwin YouTube: http://YouTube.com/Dreupt Website: http://DreAllDay.com   Key Takeaways: Mindset impacts success. Unhealthy ways of thinking can block us from our goals.  Replaying negative memories/worries in our head robs us of the potential energy of the present moment. Acknowledge the mistake and move on, so your brain doesn’t habitually get stuck in negativity.  Cover the basic principles and don’t assume what people know. Thinking bigger may get you off track, so return to the fundamentals often.  Remember to focus on “being” as much as “doing”. Consider who you need to be to reach your goal. Bringing new energy can bring different results.  Being important is about making an impact. It’s possible to be nice by doing the hard things that ultimately benefit everyone instead of trying to please people in the moment.  Model approaching goals with a healthy mindset and keep communication open.  Additional Resources: Dre’s Free book, The Third Day Work On Your Game University Free training to increase business without working harder Dre’s number to get his free #DailyMotivation text: 1.305.384.6894 mamie@mamieks.com instagram.com/mamieks

You’ve probably heard of meditation as a personal practice, but did you know it can have benefits to your professional life? Regular meditation practice can help reduce stress, improve focus, and increase emotional regulation. In addition, it can spark increased creativity, better decision-making, and improved relationships. Imagine how our workplaces would be if all of these benefits became reality!   Today’s guest is Shai Tubali. Shai is a happiness history expert and a PhD researcher at the University of Leeds in the UK. His numerous books published over the last two decades have won awards, become bestsellers and been published in 11 languages. His newest book, "Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Meditation,” was published in January 2023 and explores 35 meditation techniques from all over the world. Shai’s postgraduate expertise in science fiction film and pop culture enables him to share common principles that can help modern humans struggling with trauma, fear, uncertainty, depression, anxiety, and screen addiction.  Shai and I talk about why it’s helpful to meditate, the benefits you can expect to feel, how to get started with meditating and the various different techniques, and how meditation can improve how you show up as a manager and engage with your colleagues. Members of the Modern Manager community get a 50% discount on Shai’s 21-Day Challenges. These challenges are an invitation to tap into a new potential and to bring the light and clarity of consciousness to your everyday life. Get it when you join the Modern Manager community.   Get FREE mini-sketchnotes with the big idea from the week’s episode delivered to your inbox when you subscribe to my weekly email.   Read the related blog article: How a 5 Minute Meditation Routine Can Make You a Better Manager   KEEP UP WITH SHAI Website: https://shaitubali.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sevenawakenings https://twitter.com/STubali  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shaitubali/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ShaiTubali Book: https://www.amazon.com/Llewellyns-Complete-Book-Meditation-Comprehensive-ebook/dp/B0B1XSGF8D/    Key Takeaways: Meditation is about learning to focus our attention rather than being controlled by our emotions.  We learn to recognize our thoughts through meditation and not identify so strongly with them.  Meditation builds our brain’s ability to calm ourselves down when stressed.  Like with physical exercise, the more we build our mental muscles, the stronger they are.  Meditation helps high performers stop over-identifying with their “doing”, and learn to enjoy just “being”.  Meditation is the best preparation for action because it helps you think clearly.  There are all different ways to meditate, including standing, walking, or dance meditations. Use different techniques to achieve different results or meet your personal preference.  Start small, with only two minutes a day of meditation, and build up. It shouldn’t be a burden, but a pleasure. See what feels good.  Meditation can be done at any time of day, but most people are successful when they build it into a daily routine. Consider adding meditation first thing after waking up or last thing before going to bed.  mamie@mamieks.com instagram.com/mamieks

While everyone approaches their work with a different mindset, there’s one factor that can heavily influence the mindset you bring to work: your generation. From Gen X, to Millennials, to Gen Z, different generations can bring unique perspectives to a workplace that can lead to communication and cultural differences. To work together effectively, it’s important for individuals to recognize and respect each other’s experiences and strengths, and share their unique knowledge with each other. Today’s guest is Vivek Iyyani. Vivek is a professional speaker and author. He's written 3 books on Millennials and consults to Fortune 500 organizations to bridge the generational gap within their teams. We talk about what managers can learn from Millenials and Gen Z, and what those generations can learn from older generations, too, all in service of making the workplace healthier and stronger for all of us. Members of the Modern Manager community can win 1 giveaway copy of Vivek’s book, The Millennial Leader. In a new age of leadership, millennial leaders face the ultimate challenge of overcoming generational differences, reverse ageism, motivating an isolated, remote, gig and burnt-out workforce, while juggling all the responsibilities and expectations as a leader. This book is the ultimate guide for any Millennial who’s moving into management. Get it when you join the Modern Manager community.   Get FREE mini-sketchnotes with the big idea from the week’s episode delivered to your inbox when you subscribe to my weekly email.   Read the related blog article: What Boomers and Millennials Can Learn From Each Other at Work   KEEP UP WITH VIVEK LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/millennialexpertasia Website: https://www.vivekiyyani.com/    Key Takeaways: Millennials prefer new technology and focus on doing things more efficiently. This may be mislabeled as being “lazy”. Incorporating new technology or learning new processes (even if more efficient) can slow down Boomers, which is often why they resist new methods.  Balance new technology with helping everyone master it at their own pace. Ask with curiosity why processes or workflows are the way they are. Millennials text more than talk, which can cause communication breakdowns. They can learn from Boomers the soft skills of having difficult conversations. Ghosting at work happens when uncomfortable conversations are avoided. Conflict-avoidant behavior negatively impacts team culture because it stops constructive feedback.  Blue Tick Anxiety happens when two blue check marks show that a text message has been received and read, but there is no response. The sender may waste time worrying what they did wrong instead of being patient or just picking up the phone.  Be clear about norms and expectations for communication, including response times. Older generations may have a “Toxic Badge of Honor” where they discount workplace complaints because they felt they had it so much worse when they were younger. All problems should be heard and honored. Always strive towards better work conditions.  mamie@mamieks.com instagram.com/mamieks

Teams are the backbone of organizations. When functioning well, team members feel a sense of belonging, while maximizing their collective resources and skills to accomplish the organizations’ goals. In addition, effective teams will enable organizations to become more efficient and productive. Therefore, the leader of every team must ask: Is my team performing effectively? If not, where do they need to improve, and how can I guide them to success? Today’s guest is Dave Gloss. Dave is the Head of Team Effectiveness at AIIR Consulting, leading a global practice dedicated to building high-performing and inclusive company cultures. As an expert Team Consultant, Dave has worked with hundreds of Senior Leadership Teams to assess their companies and identify the root causes of underperformance and low engagement. As such, he is the go-to partner when you need to integrate cultures following complex mergers & acquisitions, design thriving hybrid workforces and cascade new "ways of working" across your teams.  Dave and I talk about team effectiveness - what it is, the components of what makes for strong team performance, how you can use operating principles to help your team more quickly adopt better behaviors and so much more.  Members of the Modern Manager community get access to 2 bonuses this week. The first is a free assessment: AIIR Team Effectiveness Survey. This assessment will help you get a better understanding of your team’s strengths, weaknesses, and ways of working. The second bonus is 50% off the AIIR Team Effectiveness Certification, where you will learn to quickly diagnose the root causes of any team challenge. Get these when you join the Modern Manager community.   Get FREE mini-sketchnotes with the big idea from the week’s episode delivered to your inbox when you subscribe to my weekly email.   Read the related blog article: How to Improve Your Team’s Effectiveness   KEEP UP WITH DAVE LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkgloss/ Website: https://aiirconsulting.com/   Key Takeaways: Team Productivity + Team Culture = Team Performance.  Team productivity measures how efficiently and effectively the team gets work done. Team culture measures how team members interact and relate to one another. Team performance is a team’s ability to maximize its potential and fulfill its purpose. Strong culture + high productivity = high performing team. Strong culture + low productivity = comfortable (but not as effective) team. Weak culture + high productivity = a team with high turnover and burnout.  There are six components to team performance, three in each category of productivity and culture. Teams need shared clarity and alignment on why they specifically exist. This sets the stage for everything else.  To build a stronger culture, consider goals of trust and belonging before strategy and tactics (events).  Get collective and individual feedback via assessments to see how everyone feels about the team’s effectiveness. Often there isn’t a shared experience across the board. Include personality assessments to gain insight into why things might not be working. Boil insights  from assessments into manageable, actionable steps.  Create shared shorthand language - terms or phrases - to disrupt old, ineffective ways of working and quickly shift into more productive habits.  Clarity of purpose and culture will build a strong foundation for when team dynamics shift after losing/adding people.  mamie@mamieks.com instagram.com/mamieks

Why does your team exist? What is the deeper purpose behind the list of tasks you accomplish each day? Without a clear, defined purpose, teams will lack inspiration and focus. This can lead to team members feeling unmotivated, reducing productivity and morale. Furthermore, how can you set goals and develop strategies to achieve them when you don’t have a vision for your work?  Today’s guest is Ranjay Gulati. He is the author of the book Deep Purpose: The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies. As an educator and researcher, he is passionate about how to unlock organizational and individual potential. Ranjay and I talk about Purpose. What organizational purpose is and isn’t, why it's so powerful when done right, how to connect individual purpose to the organization and the magic that happens when you go from satisfied employees to truly inspired ones. Members of the Modern Manager community get a chance to win 1 of 3 free copies of Ranjay’s book, Deep Purpose: The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies. A revolutionary approach to business exists, one that delivers game-changing results for companies of all sizes: the serious and deep pursuit of purpose. This book shows the possibility of embedding purpose as a radically new operating system for your business. 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: What It Really Means To Have a Company Purpose   KEEP UP WITH RANJAY Website: Deeppurpose.net LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ranjay-gulati   Key Takeaways: A purpose is an intention to accomplish something meaningful to the self that has consequences for the world beyond the self. While the idea of individual purpose has been around for thousands of years, company purpose is a relatively new concept.  A company purpose is the “why” behind your mission statement: why you exist, who you’re impacting, and the strategy to accomplish it.  A deep company purpose trickles down to all areas of the office, including strategies, resource allocation, hiring and promotion, DEI, and measuring success.  Purpose is not “charity”, but a long term value that should include profitability. Make sure all your stakeholders benefit from your purpose.  By making decisions aligned with your purpose, you may have to make short term trade-offs that will lead to long term success.  Your team needs to understand how what they’re doing matters and contributes to the company purpose.  To help your team understand their own purpose and how it connects to the company’s, you first need to know them. Focus on “caring leadership” by building trust and connection over time.  mamie@mamieks.com instagram.com/mamieks

A positive workplace culture can be the difference between a thriving and barely surviving team; between people staying because they love their job and people eagerly searching to work somewhere else. When managers create an environment that is welcoming, trusting, and encourages creativity and feedback, people will find more overall satisfaction in their work. But how does a manager actually create this type of culture, especially on remote teams?  Today’s guest is Abhishek Nayak. As a co-founder and CEO of four startups, one of which was funded by Sequoia Capital, Abhishek is well-versed in the art of starting and scaling a business. But during a stint as an entrepreneur-in-residence at Accel, he discovered how much time engineers spend building internal applications, so he and two co-founders created Appsmith to put customizable app tools directly into developers’ hands. The once-small, open-source project is now used by over 10,000 teams, employs people in sixteen countries, and has raised over $51 million in capital. Abishek and I talk about how he’s built an incredible team and culture for his fully remote business. He shares the lessons he’s learned and steps he’s taken to support his people along the journey from a small co-located team, through the disruption of COVID, to a fully remote, global company with over 120 employees. Members of the Modern Manager community get a Template and Guidelines for Requesting Feedback. This internal document is used by Appsmith to guide employee feedback. Outlining feedback guidelines and questions for specific feedback outcomes, this resource can help any manager give and receive more valuable feedback. 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: Do These Five Things to Effectively Manage a Remote Team   KEEP UP WITH ABHISHEK Website: Appsmith.com Twitter: twitter.com/arey_abhishek LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/abhisheknayak/ Email: abhishek@appsmith.com    Key Takeaways: Know the advantages of remote work, including more focus time, a larger talent pool, and better customer service availability. Invest in technology that provides the ability to virtually collaborate and takes advantage of the benefits of virtual work such as anonymous input and democratized participation in meetings.  If possible, help your team members set up a home office or provide a stipend for an office co-working space.  Give your team members autonomy, and hire for self-directedness.  Let your staff choose projects they enjoy and set their own deadlines. Review their plans and check in regularly to ensure accountability. Discuss post-project what could have been done differently to foster additional accountability and long-term continuous improvement.  Create an atmosphere of honesty by being receptive to your team’s dissenting or critical feedback. Share publicly when feedback has changed your mind.  Your organization is an organism that is constantly evolving. With each new team member, expect the dynamics to shift. Observe your teammates' communication and cultural style to understand ways to create a more accepting culture.  mamie@mamieks.com instagram.com/mamieks

As managers, emotional intelligence plays an important role in how you interact with your team and make decisions. Being aware of your capabilities, motivations and emotions, and knowing how to act on them, enables you to connect with your colleagues and build a trusting relationship. High emotional intelligence enables managers to more easily accomplish those goals, helping both you and your people thrive at work. Today’s guest is Robin Hill. Robin is the director of Ei4Change, a company specializing in educational training, coaching and personal development focused around emotional intelligence, positive psychology and neuroscience. He has taught over 300,000 people in more than 195 countries how to build resilience, increased self-awareness and understanding of others. Robin and I talk about emotional intelligence. He breaks down the components of EQ, including how to better understand yourself so you can develop your emotional intelligence skill set. Members of the Modern Manager community get Robin’s ‘Working with Mindfulness’ Course, typically $49, for free. The ‘Working with Mindfulness’ course supports the development of a manager’s emotional intelligence by helping them to work more effectively with mindfulness. 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 Build Their Emotional Intelligence Skill Set   KEEP UP WITH ROBIN Website: https://ei4change.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EI4Change/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ei4Change LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinhills/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ei4change/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBBxGskYxL0wnRfuyz_wHZA/feed   Key Takeaways: Emotional intelligence is the ability to use your thoughts and emotions to make quality decisions and build relationships.  The five elements to emotional intelligence are self awareness, self regulation, empathy, communication, and motivation.  Self awareness is understanding your strengths and weaknesses. Use an assessment tool like Myers Briggs to learn what you bring to the table and become more aware of how others may differ from you.  New managers need to be patient with themselves as they gain the skills of EQ over time. Don’t be afraid of reaching out for support along the way.  Self regulation is working with and managing emotions, so that you can make informed choices about how to behave.  Anger and frustration are the most common emotions in the workplace. They tend to arise when one of our core values is being transgressed or when confronted with our limitations. Understand your hot button issues to address and reset situations. Become aware of your physical cues for anger so you can employ strategies in those moments to calm yourself down.  Empathy is seeing things from others’ perspectives, and communication is combining empathy with social skills to connect effectively with others.  Happiness is not the goal; we want people to feel challenged and appreciated. Communicate how pleased and grateful you are for their work.  Motivation is the most overlooked element of EQ. Motivation can come internally and externally, and may change depending on many factors, including the time of day. We need to motivate ourselves to develop and use EQ to work most effectively with others.  Additional Resources: Work with Mamie to understand your personality and preferences with the Type-Coach Myers Briggs assessment. Email mamie@mamieks.com to learn more and for pricing. mamie@mamieks.com instagram.com/mamieks

When a crisis hits someone’s life, the effects aren’t limited to home. Personal, communal, or even global crises can have a significant impact on someone’s stress levels. In situations where a crisis or tragedy has occurred, there’s likely little you can do to ‘fix’ the situation; however, there are steps every manager can take to help support their team members during these difficult and uncertain times. Today’s guest is Holly Welch Stubbing. Holly currently serves as President and CEO of E4E Relief. She has over 25 years of experience in HR, endowment investments and disaster relief. Her organization E4E Relief is an employee relief fund that works with global companies like Salesforce and Wells Fargo to relieve employees when it’s needed most. Holly also serves on the Forbes Human Resources Council and shares her philanthropic vision with fellow executives. She is a thought leader in ESG, philanthropy, and corporate social responsibility and speaks on ESG investment portfolios and strategies, CSR strategies, philanthropy, social enterprise and tax-exempt legal matters. Holly and I talk about how we as managers can best support our colleagues when a tragedy occurs - this could be a natural disaster, a death in the family, political upheaval in their city. She shares what employees care about, what we can do, and why it’s important to support people through these difficult moments.  Members of the Modern Manager community get a Free Disaster Worksheet, “Things to Consider When Responding to a Crisis.” This worksheet will lay out the stakeholders (employees, communities, etc.) to consider, partners to establish, and funding to set aside for navigating an unforeseen event impacting your people or your business. 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 Support Your Team in Times of Crisis   KEEP UP WITH HOLLY Website: https://employeerelieffund.org/   Key Takeaways: Since the pandemic, managers are taking on more responsibility to support their teams during times of crisis. Personal, local, national, and global crises can have a significant impact on people. This includes a death in the family, political unrest, natural disasters (flooding, fires, hurricanes, etc), violence in a community, and more.  Update or create a comprehensive benefits plan that includes crisis support, mental health, and hybrid/flexibility needs.  Make sure employees in all locations receive benefits they need to navigate a crisis. One size doesn’t fit all.  Keep tabs on local crises affecting teammates, possibly as an HR role. Schedule weekly team meetings to learn about teammates’ issues.  Brainstorm with teammates how you can lean in and support each other during difficult times. Words and tokens of support help vulnerable teammates feel less alone and wanting to stay in the company. Go to HR to see what relief grants and other resources are available. When a colleague is overwhelmed dealing with a crisis, help out by filling out paperwork or doing research to ensure they get the needed assistance.  Additional Resources: Get an extended free 30-day trial of Sunsama. Learn more about Sunsama and why I love it in episode 217: Plan Your Day with Ashutosh Priyadarshy mamie@mamieks.cominstagram.com/mamieks

Of all the mindset tips and tricks, there is one aspect that is often overlooked: the questions we ask ourselves. Questions have the potential to shift conversations, open new ideas, and broaden understanding. The thoughts we have are in response to the questions we ask ourselves, often without conscious thought. Managers can learn how to use these internal questions as a tool to transform difficult relationships, spark creativity, reduce stress, and much more.  Today’s guest is Dr. Marilee Adams. Marilee is an award-winning author and pioneer in the fields of inquiry-based coaching, leadership and organizational culture. She is CEO/Founder of the Inquiry Institute, a solutions and performance-focused company providing consulting, coaching, training, keynotes and eLearning. She is the author of the best selling book Change Your Questions, Change Your Life: 12 Powerful Tools for Leadership, Coaching and Results. Marilee and I talk about the powerful questions we ask (without even realizing it) that shape our thoughts and actions. We get into what you can do to recognize these questions and start to change them, so you can truly transform your relationships and really, your life. Members of the Modern Manager community get a $10 Discount on The Choice Map Course. The Choice Map is your roadmap to creating a foundational awareness of your mindsets and questions. It will help you to live predominantly on the Learner mindset path, or ‘Learner Living’. Get it when you join the Modern Manager community or become a member of the Skills Accelerator.   Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.    Read the related blog article: How to Ask Yourself the Right Questions   KEEP UP WITH MARILEE Website: https://inquiryinstitute.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/marileeadams Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/questionthinking Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marileeadams Institute LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inquiryinstitute/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/InquiryInst   Key Takeaways: Our inner dialogue is a series of responses to questions we ask ourselves. We are either in Learner or Judger mindset. The Learner Mindset thinks win-win. It is open to possibilities. It asks “What’s my responsibility?” and “What would help my team thrive?” and “What is possible right now?” The Judger Mindset thinks win-lose. It is critical of the self and others, seeing few possibilities. It asks “Who’s to blame?” and “What’s wrong with me (them)?” We all have Learner and Judger mindsets and will flow back and forth between them all day. To switch from Judger to Learner, start with awareness of how you’re thinking. Ask ‘switching questions’ such as “Is this what I want?” and “How else might I approach this?” Fear or denial of your Judger will be counterproductive. Listen to how it shows up in you—what questions it asks and how your body responds. It helps to calm down your body before switching to Learner.  These techniques work for all aspects of our lives: at home and work, to improve relationships, creativity and problem solving, to reduce stress and more. mamie@mamieks.cominstagram.com/mamieks