
Modern Mentor
Rachel Cooke is your guide to leadership and communication, helping you craft a workplace environment you can feel good about. She’ll share tips to help you balance your work and personal life, effectively invest your time, and be mindful about where you’re devoting your energy. Let Rachel help you navigate your path to success—however you define it.
Latest episodes

5 snips
Oct 10, 2023 • 39min
Move Fast and Fix Things with Frances Frei
Frances Frei, Professor at Harvard Business School, shares insights on moving fast, building trust, and accelerating excellence at work. Topics include trust as a driver of success, pitfalls of 'bring me solutions' mentality, collaborative problem-solving, talent engagement and inclusion, and embracing humanity for business success.

9 snips
Oct 3, 2023 • 8min
Golden circle your way to a winning Q4
Learn how to use the Golden Circle concept to align goals, prioritize actions, and understand purpose for success in your team's final quarter. Hear about the consequences of disconnected goals and the significance of focus and alignment. Explore the 'how' and 'why' aspects of achieving goals, and discover the importance of a purpose statement.

6 snips
Sep 26, 2023 • 9min
How to have meetings that shouldn’t have been emails
Learn how to have effective meetings that serve a purpose and make the most of everyone's time. Discover the importance of communicating objectives, roles, and norms, managing different personalities, and capturing key next steps, owners, and timelines. Avoid inviting the wrong people to meetings and practice 'generous exclusion' for better outcomes.

Sep 19, 2023 • 8min
How stinky fish drive great team conversations at work
Learn how to use the 'Stinky Fish' canvas to spark essential conversations and address unspoken concerns in the workplace. Discover the positive impact of open dialogue on productivity and team performance. Explore how expressing uncertainties and letting go of past issues can lead to important conversations.

Sep 12, 2023 • 7min
6 ways to influence without authority
Sometimes the success of your work depends on someone else’s contribution. If you’re the boss, it’s easy to ask for what you need. But when you’re not in charge, how can you lovingly compel someone to do a thing you need? Today we have some tips on doing this well.Modern Mentor is hosted by Rachel Cooke. A transcript is available at Simplecast.Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email us at modernmentor@quickanddirtytips.com.Find Modern Mentor on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or subscribe to the newsletter to get more tips to fuel your professional success.Modern Mentor is a part of Quick and Dirty Tips.Links: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/modern-mentor-newsletterhttps://www.facebook.com/QDTModernMentorhttps://twitter.com/QDTModernMentorhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-mentor-podcast/https://www.leadabovenoise.com/
Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email us at modernmentor@quickanddirtytips.com.Find Modern Mentor on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or subscribe to the newsletter to get more tips to fuel your professional success.Modern Mentor is a part of Quick and Dirty Tips.Links: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/modern-mentor-newsletterhttps://www.facebook.com/QDTModernMentorhttps://twitter.com/QDTModernMentorhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-mentor-podcast/

Sep 5, 2023 • 7min
How to keep up when everything is changing
Change, as they say, has become the new normal. But old ways of working—setting goals, building skills—are hard to maintain in the face of so many switches and pivots. How can we feel momentum at work in the face of so much change?Modern Mentor is hosted by Rachel Cooke. A transcript is available at Simplecast.Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email us at modernmentor@quickanddirtytips.com.Find Modern Mentor on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or subscribe to the newsletter to get more tips to fuel your professional success.Modern Mentor is a part of Quick and Dirty Tips.Links: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/modern-mentor-newsletterhttps://www.facebook.com/QDTModernMentorhttps://twitter.com/QDTModernMentorhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-mentor-podcast/https://www.leadabovenoise.com/
Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email us at modernmentor@quickanddirtytips.com.Find Modern Mentor on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or subscribe to the newsletter to get more tips to fuel your professional success.Modern Mentor is a part of Quick and Dirty Tips.Links: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/modern-mentor-newsletterhttps://www.facebook.com/QDTModernMentorhttps://twitter.com/QDTModernMentorhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-mentor-podcast/

9 snips
Aug 29, 2023 • 8min
How—and why—to be a great facilitator at work
Explore the significance of strong facilitation skills in the workplace for fostering valuable discussions and collaborations. Learn how to enhance productivity through effective meeting rules, insightful questions, and utilizing a 'parking lot' for ideas. Connect on LinkedIn and express gratitude for valuable tips.

Aug 22, 2023 • 8min
How to build better relationships at work
Learn how to build better relationships at work by focusing on one-on-one connections, finding shared interests, and asking meaningful questions. Get essential tips like assuming positive intent, prioritizing people time, and active listening to improve your work relationships today.

4 snips
Aug 15, 2023 • 7min
How to stop secretly procrastinating
Learn how to overcome secret procrastination traps, such as procrastal learning and saying yes to all meetings. Discover the three habits that contribute to secret procrastination and learn how to overcome them through efficiency and speed.

Aug 8, 2023 • 8min
How to stay positive-ish in tough times
Let’s talk today about some of the gifts you might offer your brain which, in turn, may help lift your spirit if you’re in a tough season.Modern Mentor is hosted by Rachel Cooke. A transcript is available at Simplecast.Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email us at modernmentor@quickanddirtytips.com.Find Modern Mentor on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or subscribe to the newsletter to get more tips to fuel your professional success.Modern Mentor is a part of Quick and Dirty Tips.Links: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/modern-mentor-newsletterhttps://www.facebook.com/QDTModernMentorhttps://twitter.com/QDTModernMentorhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-mentor-podcast/https://www.leadabovenoise.com/
Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email us at modernmentor@quickanddirtytips.com.Find Modern Mentor on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or subscribe to the newsletter to get more tips to fuel your professional success.Modern Mentor is a part of Quick and Dirty Tips.Links: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/modern-mentor-newsletterhttps://www.facebook.com/QDTModernMentorhttps://twitter.com/QDTModernMentorhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-mentor-podcast/