Management Development Unlocked - Management & Leadership Training
Eric Girard
Management Development Unlocked is a global top 5% podcast for new managers and leaders who want to transform from high-performing individual contributors to great people managers. As the saying goes, “What got you here won’t get you there.” The skills that made you a great employee are almost completely opposite from the skills that will make you a great manager and leader. Eric Girard is your guide during this key transition. Experienced managers and leaders will also benefit from the tips and tricks shared on the show.
Eric interviews guests from around the world with expertise in leadership, management, empathy, emotional intelligence, productivity, feedback, cultural competence, coaching, storytelling, engagement, and other management and leadership and management topics. Eric’s guests include authors and experts with decades of real-world experience who will help you smoothly make the transition into management and leadership.
About your host: Eric Girard is the CEO of Girard Training Solutions LLC, a management development firm focused on helping new managers and leaders transition into their role. Eric has over 30 years of experience helping improve the performance of managers, leaders, and employees, including 20 years in Silicon Valley at companies like Apple, Applied Materials, and Symantec. His superpower is facilitation, and he’s led programs around the world with his high-energy and engaging facilitation and speaking style.
Eric is a passionate, lifelong learner. As a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, he is pursuing the rating of IDC Staff Instructor. When he’s not hosting a podcast or designing and or delivering training, he enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and twin 15-year-old daughters.
Eric interviews guests from around the world with expertise in leadership, management, empathy, emotional intelligence, productivity, feedback, cultural competence, coaching, storytelling, engagement, and other management and leadership and management topics. Eric’s guests include authors and experts with decades of real-world experience who will help you smoothly make the transition into management and leadership.
About your host: Eric Girard is the CEO of Girard Training Solutions LLC, a management development firm focused on helping new managers and leaders transition into their role. Eric has over 30 years of experience helping improve the performance of managers, leaders, and employees, including 20 years in Silicon Valley at companies like Apple, Applied Materials, and Symantec. His superpower is facilitation, and he’s led programs around the world with his high-energy and engaging facilitation and speaking style.
Eric is a passionate, lifelong learner. As a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, he is pursuing the rating of IDC Staff Instructor. When he’s not hosting a podcast or designing and or delivering training, he enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and twin 15-year-old daughters.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 20, 2023 • 30min
Becoming a Great Leader with Brian Washburn
Today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked features Brian Washburn, owner of an instructional design and training company called Endurance Learning. He is the CEO and serves as the face of the company, but he has a team of eight working behind the scenes that he credits with amazing work.In this episode, you’ll hear:How Brian became CEO of his own company and what his product, Soapboxify, does.His transition into management following a position working to create a GED curriculum and GED students and what he learned from that experience.Why Brian’s approach to his next leadership role was different and how recognizing the human component made all the difference.His philosophy on management development today and why it takes practice and humility.The SMART goals model and why it’s a great place to start when developing a management structure.The SBI model and how it relates to SMART goals.Brian’s answers to Eric’s lightning round.Connect with Brian Washburn:LinkedInWebsiteSoapboxifyPodcastTwitterEmail Brian---Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to get a free copy of my eBook, "Advice for a New Manager."Connect with me on LinkedIn.Please subscribe and comment!
Jun 13, 2023 • 37min
Leading with Empathy with Jimmy Burroughes
In today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric speaks with Jimmy Burroughes, a consultant and leadership executive advisor who works with organizations to help them build high-performance cultures. He focuses on the human side of development, which boils down to helping leaders build trust, connection, and clarity of purpose with their teams. Jimmy is also a nomadic globetrotter who’s spent the last 40+ years on a journey of exploration and has visited 69 counties. His home base is in Mexico.In this episode, you’ll hear:Jimmy’s version of a high-performance culture and how that applies to new managers.What leaders often get wrong and why it’s difficult to let go of being a high-performing individual contributor.Two common challenges managers face and how they can address them head-on.The three consequences of getting the concept of high-performance culture wrong.Why Jimmy says new managers have to establish trust with their teams and his seven-point framework for doing that.The role of empathy in management and how it differs from sympathy.His responses to Eric’s lightning round questions.Connect with Jimmy Burroughes:LinkedInWebsiteInstagram“Who’s Got the Monkey?” article---Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to get a free copy of my eBook, "Advice for a New Manager."Connect with me on LinkedIn.Please subscribe and comment!
Jun 6, 2023 • 26min
How Feedback Helps Growth and Development with Kacie Walters
Today, on Management Development Unlocked, Kacie Walters, a solopreneur who coaches managers and leaders, joins Eric for a conversation on implementing tacts to deliver more effective feedback. Kacie is also an author and speaker with more than 20 years of experience working with global organizations.In this episode, you’ll hear:The need for delivering feedback and its importance to growth and development.What makes delivering feedback trepidatious for many people and the steps you can take to deliver it more effectively and constructively.Why sandwiching feedback can send mixed messages to employees and why bad feedback is usually vague feedback.The questions you should ask your team to get better feedback.The three different constituencies of feedback and the reason each should be addressed in a different way.Kacie’s answers to Eric’s lightning round of questions.Connect with Kacie Walters:LinkedInWebsiteBlogkaciejune@gmail.comSucceed From the MiddleCrucial Conversations“Who’s Got the Monkey” article---Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to get a free copy of my eBook, "Advice for a New Manager."Connect with me on LinkedIn.Please subscribe and comment!
May 30, 2023 • 33min
Building Engagement in a Virtual World with John Chen
In this episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric speaks with John Chen, CEO of Engaging Virtual Meetings. His company works hard to design and produce, speak at, and emcee the top and most engaging virtual meetings. John is originally from Stockton, California, where he was a skateboarding honor student at Tokay High School. He was a University of California Santa Barbara student and became an amateur skateboarder on his way to going pro when his left ACL went out. John pivoted, became a computer science major, took a position with Microsoft, where he had tremendous success, and became CEO of Geoteaming and founded Engaging Virtual Meetings.In this episode, you’ll hear:John’s journey as an amateur skateboarder to computer science student and now CEO.His best tips for managing teams remotely, what high-performing teams have in common, and the roles psychological safety and accountability play.How to avoid a disastrous virtual meeting and why having a plan can lead to more productive meetings.Some specific ideas for building engagement into your virtual meetings.The difference between managing a team virtually versus managing a team in person and how the theory of bandwidth applies.What brings John the most joy in life.Connect with John Chen:LinkedInjohn@engagingvirtualmeetings.com Engaging Virtual MeetingsConference---Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to get a free copy of my eBook, "Advice for a New Manager."Connect with me on LinkedIn.Please subscribe and comment!
May 23, 2023 • 30min
Flipping the Script in Leadership with Bill Gentry
Flipping the Script in Leadership with Bill GentryIn this episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric speaks with Bill Gentry, an industrial organizational psychologist who has studied and trained leaders for over 20 years. He also wrote the bestselling book, Be the Boss Everyone Wants to Work For: A Guide for New Leaders. After working for the Center for Creative Leadership for many years, he landed at High Point University and has worked as an adjunct faculty member at several colleges and universities in North Carolina. His passion is helping people lead better.In this episode, you’ll hear:What Bill’s book is about, what inspired him to write it, and how it can help you flip your script when it comes to leadership.What a “red thread” is and the six flips you can make to become a better leader.Why the two flips you should focus most on are relationships and a “do it all” attitude.Why you have to let go of the things you aren’t as good at to focus on the things you are good at.The cycle of life choice and how that applies to professional and personal relationships.Who Bill would interview if he could talk to anyone, and why.His favorite vacation spot and what brings him the most joy in life.Connect with Bill Gentry:LinkedInWebsiteBe the Boss Everyone Wants to Work For bookCenter for Creative LeadershipWhat Got You Here Won’t Get You There book---Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to get a free copy of my eBook, "Advice for a New Manager."Connect with me on LinkedIn.Please subscribe and comment!
May 16, 2023 • 28min
Managing Conflict at Work with Lorraine Segal
In this episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric welcomes Lorraine Segal. Lorraine owns a company called Conflict Remedy, which specializes in helping leaders navigate conflict more skillfully. She does that through coaching, training, and folding in clear communication along with feedback and releasing resentments. She is also an author and speaker.In this episode, you’ll hear:What managers should understand about conflict.How she helps leaders manage conflict, and why she loves training to prevent friction at work proactively.How managers can give and receive feedback that’s effective even for highly sensitive people.How to make negative or vague feedback useful without taking it personally.Why miscommunication plays a prominent role in conflict and how to communicate more clearly to avoid conflict.Some of Lorraine Segal’s most interesting management clients and how she helped them manage their conflicts at work.Connect with Lorraine Segal:LinkedInWebsiteBlogLorraine’s bookEmotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman---Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to get a free copy of my eBook, "Advice for a New Manager."Connect with me on LinkedIn.Please subscribe and comment!
May 9, 2023 • 25min
Creating Safety in Feedback with Joel Silverstone
On today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric welcomes Joel Silverstone to the show. Joel is a Senior Professional Skills Facilitator and Coach at The Great Canadian Training & Consulting Company. He joined the company about two years ago because there was a gap in soft skills for a lot of people, so Joel redesigned or created the new soft skills courses, which included everything from time management and delegation to new manager courses, and difficult conversations.Joel has more than 20 years of experience as a facilitator and speaker on communication skills. In his previous life, he was also a professional actor, and he uses that experience to bring some acting techniques into his training.In this episode, you’ll hear:Why giving feedback is important for new managers, why they need to be comfortable with it, and make it a new part of their behavior.How the terminology you use as a manager can create anxiety in your team, what you can do to make the feedback feel safe, and how you can frame it as growth.The communication skills managers can use to provide feedback and why listening to your team is crucial.The impact giving feedback can have on a team.Joel’s answers to Eric’s more personal questions.Connect with Joel Silverstone:LinkedInGreat Canadian Traininginfo@greatcanadiantraining.cajoel@greatcanadiantraining.ca---Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to get a free copy of my eBook, "Advice for a New Manager."Connect with me on LinkedIn.Please subscribe and comment!
May 2, 2023 • 26min
Inclusivity in Management Development with Mikaela Kiner
Today, on Management Development Unlocked, Eric is speaking with Mikaela Kiner. Mikaela is based in Seattle, mom to two young adults, and is currently planning a gap year in Costa Rica. She is also the founder and CEO of a people development firm called Reverb. In addition, Mikaela is a coach, which played a large part in founding Reverb.In this episode, you’ll hear:Mikaela’s approach to management development and how she approaches transitioning people from individual contributors to leadership.Why she values management development, what it does for her company, and how she approaches it at Reverb.How approachability and accessibility contribute to management development, why she ensures her materials and approach are inclusive, and the role storytelling plays.Where the management development space needs to go to achieve even more and what “remote fluency” is.Mikaela’s advice to new authors following the publication of her book Female Firebrands.Her answers to Eric’s lightning round questions.Connect with Mikaela Kiner:LinkedInReverbFemale FirebrandsMultipliers bookThe Leadership Pipeline bookThe First 90 Days book---Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to get a free copy of my eBook, "Advice for a New Manager."Connect with me on LinkedIn.Please subscribe and comment!
Apr 25, 2023 • 30min
Leading with Clarity with Deb Zahn
Today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked features Deb Zahn. Deb is a practicing consultant in the healthcare industry in the U.S. who primarily helps organizations at the leadership level make decisions, get unstuck, and move forward together. She also owns a company called the Craft of Consulting where she helps fabulous consultants figure out the business side so they can ultimately create the business and life they love.In this episode, you’ll hear:What Deb Zahn is seeing in organizations and what’s working versus what’s not working.The types of function and dysfunction she witnesses and how it most affects the doers in a company.Why you can’t throw everything at your team and expect them to adapt with context.The need for clarity at the leadership level about what performance means to them.How managers can use empathy to relate to their employees and work together to find solutions to their problems.Deb’s answers to Eric’s speed round questions.Connect with Deb Zahn:LinkedInWebsitePodcast---Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to get a free copy of my eBook, "Advice for a New Manager."Connect with me on LinkedIn.Please subscribe and comment!
Apr 18, 2023 • 25min
Leading with Stories with Mark Carpenter
Today on the Management Development Unlocked podcast, Eric is speaking with guest Mark Carpenter. Mark is the co-author of the book Master Storytelling and teaches a workshop about that topic. The book is designed to help us identify experiences in our lives that we can turn into stories to teach, lead, sell, and inspire. It’s all about taking real-life experiences and turning them into something where you can lead your team, teach important principles, or help inspire the actions that you want from your team in a more personal and impactful way.In this episode, you’ll hear:Why storytelling is a developed skill and why storytelling is important for connecting to people as a manager.How you could use storytelling to create a connection with your new team as a new manager and why new managers don’t tap into storytelling.Why storytelling helps build empathy and helps people remember what you’ve discussed better.How you can develop the ability to tell stories by looking at your everyday life.Eric’s speed round questions for Mark.Connect with Mark Carpenter:LinkedInWebsiteFree eBook - Master StorytellingTeam of Rivals book---Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to get a free copy of my eBook, "Advice for a New Manager."Connect with me on LinkedIn.Please subscribe and comment!
