The Modern Manager

Developing a remote work culture is a crucial step for businesses to take in today’s workplace landscape. However, developing a remote work culture requires different skills and practices than an in-person culture. The majority of people working remotely report struggling to maintain their work friendships and feeling distant from their work. It’s up to managers to cultivate a remote culture that is inclusive and engaging—despite the distance. Today’s guest is Kapil Kale. Kapil is the co-founder and COO of Tremendous. Kapil previously co-founded GiftRocket, an online gift card company that went through Y Combinator and became profitable. Prior to that, he worked as a Senior Associate Consultant at Bain & Company and also worked as a Portfolio Team member at Insight Venture Partners.  Kapil and I talk about building a remote-first culture. We get into ways to build trust, foster deep relationships, manage accountability, and so much more. Members of the Modern Manager community get a $100 reward for a $1,000 Tremendous purchase. Tremendous is the simplest way for businesses to send money to people. Managers can offer employees more than 800 redemption options, from gift cards to donations to cash. Get this bonus when you join the Modern Manager community or The Modern Manager Skills Accelerator.    Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.    Read the related blog article: Strengthen Your Team’s Capability for Remote Work   KEEP UP WITH KAPIL Website: https://www.tremendous.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/gotremendous LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tremendous-rewards/   Key Takeaways: Explain to your team the reasons why you’re choosing a remote work setup. Think through the skillsets your team members need for remote workers including good written communication and self management. With remote work, we lose the opportunity to organically build casual relationships, like those ‘watercooler’ conversations.  Supercharge work relationships by engineering offsite events. Make sure these retreats focus only on having fun and not anything work-related. Encourage teammates who struggle with remote work to spend part of their time in a shared office setting.  Those who haven’t developed the skills needed to effectively complete a task or responsibility, such as those new to a role, might benefit from being in person early on.  Find creative ways to celebrate and recognize employees, whether through in person events or virtual channels.  mamie@mamieks.com instagram.com/mamieks

You probably know the feeling of ‘there’s an elephant in the room’ and no one wants to address it. But letting things go unspoken creates problems in the workplace. This is true of the large and small things. Are you letting the ‘mice in the room’ go unaddressed because they’re just not a big deal? By raising small issues, we are able to address potential areas of concern before they become bigger problems. Plus, by acknowledging these small things, we’re able to better understand one another. Today’s guest is David Wood. After life as a consulting actuary to Fortune 100 Companies, David built the world’s largest coaching business, becoming #1 on Google for “life coaching”. He believes the tough conversations we avoid are our doorways to confidence, success and even love - in both work and life. David coaches high performing entrepreneurs, executives and teams - and even prison inmates - to amazing results AND connection. One conversation at a time. David and I talk about the lessons in his book Mouse in the Room. He explains the concept, shares some of the common mice we experience and how to raise small issues so that we can have meaningful conversations. Members of the Modern Manager community get a free, personalized gift basket from David that includes a 15-minute Double Your Revenue Strategy call for qualifying businesses, the Online Double Your Revenue Replay, a cheat sheet, and the Mouse in the Room minibook. 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 Have Those Conversations Everyone Prefers To Avoid   KEEP UP WITH DAVID Website: https://focus.ceo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/focus-ceo YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ExtraordinaryFocuswithDavidWood Twitter: https://twitter.com/_focusceo Extraordinary Focus Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/extraordinaryfocus Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playforrealll   Key Takeaways: We learn to avoid honesty as we grow up.  The conversations we’re afraid to have are the ones necessary to deepen our relationships.  We need to name the more subtle “mice in the room”. Unlike elephants that both parties are aware of, mice are the little issues that get in the way, but only one person is aware of. The ‘Storytelling Mouse’ makes assumptions about how others are acting. Check if these beliefs are true before taking them personally. Acknowledge your ‘Desire Mouse’ by asking, what do I really want?  What are you tolerating that’s quietly driving you crazy? This is your ‘Toleration Mouse’. Our ‘Mirror Mouse’ gives us insights into who we are and why we react in certain ways due to past experiences. When deciding whether to share a mouse in the room, go through the 3D’s of Discover, Decide, and Disarm. Discover what you feel. Decide if you can tolerate possible negative outcomes and if the potential positives are worth it. Disarm a defensive response by getting consent first. Share your worries and hopes and ask if it’s a good time to talk. mamie@mamieks.com instagram.com/mamieks

Managers often focus on creating work environments that cultivate inclusivity, productivity, and innovation - which are all important. However, when was the last time you intentionally created an environment for… joy? Turns out, when employees are joyful at work, they are more likely to be productive and work harder to achieve their goals. In fact, joy in the workplace can lead to a more successful team and a better working experience for everyone involved - and it’s up to the manager to create the conditions to make that happen. Today’s guest is. Akaya Windwood. Akaya advises, trains, and consults on how change happens individually, organizationally, and societally. She is on the faculty for the RSF Social Finance Integrated Capital Fellowship and is the founder of the New Universal, which centers human wisdom in the wisdom of Brown women. She was the president of Rockwood Leadership Institute for many years and directed the Mycelium Fund. Akaya and I talk about the bits of wisdom she and her co-author collected over the years on what it means to foster joy in the workplace and how you can too.   Members of the Modern Manager community get a chance to win 1 free copy of Akaya’s book, Leading with Joy. Sharing vignettes about the authors’ insights and stories and discussion questions to go along, Leading with Joy promotes a courageous and compassionate approach to leadership that can sustain purposeful action and social 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 to Create a Joyful Work Atmosphere   KEEP UP WITH AKAYA Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeadingWithJoy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leadingwithjoy/ Website: https://leadingwithjoybook.com/   Key Takeaways: We can’t force our team members to feel joy (nor is our responsibility to), but we can (and should) create the conditions for people to find joy.  Happiness is an emotion from an external experience while joy is a bodily sense from within.  We need to practice experiencing and discovering joy intentionally and mindfully.  Set aside time for conversations with colleagues about what joy means to them and how you might help foster joy in the workplace.  Micromanaging destroys trust and joy. Managers micromanage due to their own anxieties.  Remember to only do what is yours and trust others to do theirs. You don’t need to do it all. Approach colleagues first with what you appreciate of them. Then ask what support they need from you. This creates a culture of gratitude.  Imagine what it would feel like if people left interactions with you feeling appreciated and affirmed. Be intentional about the seeds you are sowing now. You never know what they will lead to in the future. mamie@mamieks.com instagram.com/mamieks

We've all heard it a million times, especially as kids: "Be nice!" Most people have been taught that if you don't have something kind to say, don't say anything at all. However, what do you do when you have necessary feedback to give, but it's not positive? This is where radical candor comes into play. The goal is to always speak with both love AND truth - at the same time. Today’s guest is Kim Scott. Kim is the author of Just Work and Radical Candor. Kim was a CEO coach at Dropbox, Qualtrics, Twitter, and other tech companies. She was a member of the faculty at Apple University and before that led AdSense, YouTube, and DoubleClick teams at Google. Kim and I talk about how to give productive feedback using her famous Radical Candor model. We talk about why giving feedback is so important even if it's uncomfortable, and how to solicit feedback most effectively. Members of the Modern Manager community get 10% Off The Feedback Loop Course. Starring David Alan Grier, Kim Scott, and a cast of eccentric characters, The Feedback Loop workplace comedy series and e-course teach Radical Candor’s proven feedback framework in a way that's fresh, fun, and effective to improve your communication skills at work and in life. 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: Give Your Team Members the Gift of Feedback   KEEP UP WITH KIM Radical Candor Website: www.radicalcandor.com Just Work Website: www.justworktogether.com Radical Candor Twitter: https://twitter.com/candor  Just Work Twitter: https://twitter.com/JustWorkBook Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/KimballScott    Key Takeaways: The idea of radical candor is that you care personally and challenge directly at the same time. This means saying what needs to be said in a way that demonstrates caring while ensuring the other person clearly gets the message. Obnoxious aggression (being direct without caring), manipulative insincerity (being indirect without caring), and ruinous empathy (being indirect with caring) each fail to help someone receive the feedback they need to be successful in their role.  If you avoid giving feedback when things are small, they often snowball and then it’s much harder to give the feedback because it’s become huge. When you don’t give feedback, you are doing the other person a disservice. You are inhibiting them from the opportunity to grow, improve or change. If someone doesnt get the message, keep saying it in new ways that become more direct until they get it. You don't have to build this deep relationship with someone before you can offer radical candor. Caring personally just looks like noticing someone's humanity in the moment.  Ask for feedback by coming up with one specific question that you can regularly ask your people. Then pause long enough for them to answer. Then listen with the intent to understand, not respond. mamie@mamieks.com instagram.com/mamieks

Each person on the planet has a way of being and thinking that when tapped into feels both natural and fulfilling. This is called your inner genius. The goal for each person is to find their inner genius; the goal for each manager is to help people leverage this knowledge, to help them bring forth the genius that lies within each of us. Today’s guest is Catherine Mattiske. Catherine is a leading global business educator and author with 30 years of experience across industries, including banking, insurance, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and retail. She is the founder of TPC — The Performance Company, an international training and consulting organization that has worked with Fortune 100 companies worldwide. Catherine has authored more than 30 books, her latest being “Unlock Inner Genius: Power Your Path to Extraordinary Success”. Catherine and I talk about the inner genius concept. We get into how to find your inner genius, how to connect what you love to do outside of work and get the same state of flow while at work, the different genius archetypes, building a team that optimizes for inner genius, and much more.   Members of the Modern Manager community get 50% Off the Inner Genius Profile. Take the Inner Genius Profile to discover how you learn and communicate. The profile takes 10 minutes and will make the way you work, study, and communicate more efficient and effective. Get it when you join the Modern Manager community. Or, check out The Modern Manager Skills Accelerator. Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.    Read the related blog article: Unlock the Power of the Inner Genius   KEEP UP WITH CATHERINE Inner Genius LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/discover-your-inner-genius- Inner Genius Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/geniusquotient/ Inner Genius Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/innergeniusnow Inner Genius Insta: https://www.instagram.com/innergeniusnow/ Catherine Linkedin: https://au.linkedin.com/in/catherinemattiske The Performance Company Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePerformanceCompany/ Catherine Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/public/Catherine-Mattiske Catherine Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catherinemattiske/?hl=en   Key Takeaways: When doing activities that align with our inner genius, we light up and get into a state of flow.  There are 12 different archetypes that fall into four categories of inner genius; the Big Whys, The Detailers, The Constructors, and the Inventors.  The Big Whys love working with people and asking inquisitive questions.  The Detailers are practical and efficient.  The Constructors take ideas and start building. The Inventors love dreaming up new ideas. They are cheerleaders pushing their team along.  Discover what your inner genius archetype is by reflecting on the activities that bring you to life. Deconstruct these activities and look for themes. Map out what different archetypes you have on your team. Consider how you might bring on advisors or new team members with different archetypes so that your team can benefit from the full range of genius types. Ask your team members what or how they want to contribute to a project rather than them assigning tasks.  We use language that mirrors how we process the world. Use language that corresponds to the archetype you are communicating with to better connect with them..  mamie@mamieks.com instagram.com/mamieks

Many studies have shown that the best and most innovative companies are those who embrace diversity and make an effort to recruit people with different personalities and different strengths. While some areas of diversity are visible, one in particular is not: neurodiversity. People who are neurodivergent have brain differences that affect how their brains work. As managers, it's up to us to be knowledgeable about neurodiversity and create work environments where neurodivergent people can be their truest and best selves.  Today’s guest is Genie Love. Genie has been trying to figure out how to stay focused and attentive, how to decrease procrastination, how to manage “to do” lists, and generally how to get things done her entire adult life. As an executive functioning coach, she brings her personal trial and error experience as well as 20 years of experience teaching high school students with ADD and Autism to help adults take control of their time and attention. Genie and I talk about what neurodiversity means and how our work environments help or hinder different ways people’s brains work. We get into strategies to help yourself and your team members to create workplaces that work for all different brains. One member of the Modern Manager community can get a 1.5-hour consulting session focused on simple strategies to support underutilized human assets in your organization. She will provide tips on the use of physical space, training in executive functioning, and strategies in recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, and retention in order to increase productivity and job satisfaction. Get this bonus and 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: How to Support Neurodivergent Team Members   KEEP UP WITH GENIE: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genie-love-4b13451b8/ Website: https://genielove.coach/    Key Takeaways: Neuordivergent thinking is a spectrum of different ways of processing, communicating, and thinking. It includes ADHD, autism, and dyslexia among others.  Neurodivergent teammates may have trouble creating a work plan, getting ideas across verbally or in writing, or sitting still for long periods of time.  Consider how space impacts a person's ability to focus. Some people are sensitive to noise, lighting, visual distractions and furniture. Invest in seating options. When possible, provide options of a rigid chair, reclining chair, ball chair, or standing desk, each of which may be a good fit for an individual or can help at different energy levels or with types of work.  Create a time for colleagues to share what their needs are or what might help them engage more fully.  mamie@mamieks.com instagram.com/mamieks

Work and home life are not two distinct worlds. Despite the concept of work-life balance, they are inextricably intertwined. What’s happening at home often affects us at work, and vice versa. While we can’t close off those two worlds from each other, there are practices we can put in place to help us process personal situations and still show up to work as our best selves. Today’s guest is Andrea Liebross. Andrea is a coach, speaker, podcast host, and soon to be published author who is known for helping bold, ambitious women make clear, confident decisions, so that they get exactly what they want, every time, and not just add another thing to their to-do list. Over the last few decades, Andrea has started three successful businesses and ultimately became a certified business and life coach. Andrea and I talk about how to leave the stress of home at home. We get into strategies for helping yourself and your team better manage through stressful times, collaborate and support each other, and show up as your best selves. Members of the Modern Manager community get $100 off Full Focus coaching AND free access to the 5 Days to Clear Thinking challenge. In 30 days, Full Focus coaching will give you the tools and thinking you need to become fully focused and stop procrastinating. The 5 Days to Clear Thinking Challenge will help you clean up your mind so you can be truly ready and able to plan and organize. Get them 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 Manage Stress From Home While at Work   KEEP UP WITH ANDREA Website: www.andreaslinks.com Podcast: https://pod.link/timetolevelup   Key Takeaways: Just as work stress comes home with us, the stress of home life impacts our work life.  To shift from ‘Stuck Stress’ to ‘Productive Stress’, become solution focused. Stop worrying about what might happen that you don’t have control over and instead focus on what you can do. Share the facts and frame your experience by including the negative and positive parts of the stressful situation.  Sharing what’s going on for us takes out the drama of coworkers guessing what’s going on. We tend to make up stories or assumptions to explain behavior which often is incorrect and has negative consequences. Coworkers will feel more compassionate and generous towards you if they know what’s happening.  We all have manuals for how we expect work life to be. When our individual expectations conflict, problems arise. Sharing how you respond to stress gives colleagues insight into how you work so they can best support you.  mamie@mamieks.com instagram.com/mamieks

Goals are the backbone of our teams. Around this time of year, businesses and individuals often set goals for themselves, but not all goals are created equally. Truly effective goals are strategic plans for the entire year that guide us in the direction of our dreams; they help managers focus a team’s efforts and achieve maximum success.  Today’s guest is Hilary DeCesare. Hilary is an award-winning business expert, esteemed author, and pioneer of female powerhouses in Silicon Valley. As a sought-after speaker, founder of The Relaunch Co., and one of the first women to create a quarter of a billion dollars in revenue for the tech giant Oracle, Hilary brings fresh energy to industry leaders, CEOs, and solopreneurs. She is widely recognized for her work in neuropsychology as it relates to business and life, and holds several certifications from top practitioners in the field.  Hilary and I talk about her ROCK-IT goal setting process. She shares how to work backwards to make goals manageable, the mindset needed to accomplish big goals, and basically all things goals related. Members of the Modern Manager community get access to Hilary’s free webinar, Rock-it Your Way to Success in 2023. In this 60-minute workshop, you'll get the goal setting framework that has been proven to work for over 25+ years, without adding more to your already overflowing plate. 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 Set Goals That You Actually Achieve   KEEP UP WITH HILARY Website: https://therelaunchco.com/ Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheReLaunchCo/ Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hilary.howarddecesare Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therelaunchco/?hl=en Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hilarydecesare/?hl=en LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilarydecesare Twitter https://twitter.com/hilarydecesare?lang=en   Key Takeaways: Know your endpoint. Consider scary and crazy (scazy) dreams and make goals for them.  Think ahead to your goal in 12 months. Then work backwards to first quarter goals based on your year goal. Break this down further into monthly, weekly, and daily goals.  Empowering beliefs help us reach goals. What we believe about ourselves impacts what we believe we can accomplish and therefore what we actually accomplish. Those with an empowered identity operate at a higher energy that others resonate with. For each goal, brainstorm actions you could take to accomplish it and focus on implementing what pops out at you. You don’t have to do everything! Consider the answer (where you want to go) before the question (what you need to get there, including self beliefs).  To avoid burnout, don’t take on too much too soon. Prioritize no more than three goals at a time. mamie@mamieks.com instagram.com/mamieks

It's that time of year again. Holidays are coming up, and while some messages and practices will be perfect for your team members' individual needs, others won't match up with their values, beliefs, or lifestyles. Despite the busyness of this season, it's crucial for managers to consider how all people may be experiencing the upcoming holidays. With intentionality, managers can create an environment where people of all beliefs and practices can feel seen and included. Today’s guest is Dr. Jen O’Ryan. Jen is a consulting editor specializing in Inclusion, Diversity, and Representation. She works with organizations to design content, culture, and processes that are welcoming and inclusive. Jen has a PhD in Human Behavior and her background in tech includes designing new experiences for customers, launching global initiatives, and leading organizational change. Jen and I talk about the hidden places that bias shows up and how we may be unintentionally setting up barriers or making things challenging for our colleagues, and of course, what to do about it. We also go deep on how to be thoughtful about the end of year holidays which can have religious undertones and bring up lots of feelings for folks.  Members of the Modern Manager community can get 1 of 3 copies of Jen’s book, Inclusive AF: A Field Guide for “Accidental” Diversity Experts. Designed for anyone thinking about Inclusion and Diversity, AF outlines a roadmap to safely introduce meaningful and lasting 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: Design an Inclusive Holiday Party (or Anything, Really!)   KEEP UP WITH JEN LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenoryan/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pagingdrjen/ Website: https://www.pagingdrjen.com/    Key Takeaways: Create an atmosphere of psychological safety so that your team willingly gives honest feedback. Be vulnerable and admit mistakes. Keep your door open for questions or input. Ask if things work for them. When designing a party (or product, marketing materials, etc), consider how different people would experience it. Imagine different ways of being in the world and what people would need.  Invite your team to share what holidays they celebrate and what they need to feel supported, either with time off, language used, or anything else.  Educate yourself on the different holidays. Bring in experts for objective knowledge and don’t make assumptions about how people practice or observe various holidays. The holiday season may bring up grief or difficult emotions for those estranged from loved ones. Some people may be less celebratory and need extra support during this time. Ask your team what accomplishments they are celebrating at the end of the year. Make this the focus, imagery, and language associated with your party rather than a religious lens. mamie@mamieks.cominstagram.com/mamieks

Human beings are creatures of habit. Just watch a child or animal go through their daily routines and you can see that habits are deeply ingrained in our biology. While we’re often aware of some habits, others happen regularly without us ever realizing them. Maintaining good habits, identifying bad habits, and building new ones all take determination and perseverance. Today’s guest is Dr. Jon Finn. Dr. Jon founded the award-winning Tougher Minds consultancy and has three psychology-related degrees, including a PhD. He has worked in performance psychology, resilience, and leadership science for over 20 years. Dr. Finn wrote his best-selling book ‘The Habit Mechanic’ (which took him over 20 years to compose) because his life’s mission is to help people to be their best in the challenging modern world. Dr. Finn and I speak about what it is to be a habit mechanic, why habits are so important, the role of social acceptance in driving our habits, how to manage your super habits and destructive habits, and a lot more.   Members of the Modern Manager community can win a free 12 month ‘At Your Best’ premium subscription membership. You will quickly learn how to feel better, do better and lead better. To learn more access the free version of the app here: https://www.tougherminds.co.uk/habit-mechanic-app/. Get this bonus and many 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: Understand Your Brain to be Successful at Work   KEEP UP WITH DR. FINN Website: https://www.tougherminds.co.uk/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dr-jon-finn Get 'The Habit Mechanic' book here: https://geni.us/TheHabitMechanic   Key Takeaways: A manager’s most important resource is their team’s habits. Habits account for 98% of our thoughts and actions. Neuroplasticity teaches that our brains are always changing based on what we think and do. We need at least a 3:1 ratio of positive to negative feedback for psychological safety, or even more positive if the negative feels extra heavy.  We procrastinate with big tasks because we’re hardwired to conserve energy, and thinking takes energy.  The part of our brain related to thirst and hunger also relates to social status. Social acceptance is a primary need.  Super habits are habits that have a disproportionately positive impact while destructive habits lead to disproportionately negative impact. Self monitor behavior to determine what action to build up individually. Monitor your progress by creating a SWAP, Self Watching Action Plan. mamie@mamieks.com instagram.com/mamieks