“Can I give you some feedback?” Six words that when uttered, send our stomachs turning like we’re on the Drop Zone ride at Great America. But when it comes to becoming the best in our work, besides the need to demystify feedback by sharing recognition and appreciation… it’s also ok

There’s a particular type of insomnia that only leaders experience. It’s that bolt-upright-at-3am moment when you suddenly wonder: “Wait… did that project get done?” “Is that team member even coming to work tomorrow?” “Did my instructions reach the right person?” In this week’s episode of The New Manager Playbook podcast,

“We can’t afford team development right now—costs are rising everywhere.” It’s the most expensive sentence in business, and I hear it almost daily. In this week’s episode of The New Manager Playbook podcast, I tackle the seemingly counterintuitive truth that’s costing organizations millions: cutting team development to “save money” is

I’m bursting with excitement to finally share that my new book, The New Manager Playbook, is officially out in the world! 🎉 Over the course of my years training and developing managers, time and again I’d see the same challenges again and again: overwhelm with all there is on your

Have you ever found yourself managing a team where you don’t have direct experience in their specific field? Maybe you’re a sales manager with a marketing background, or an engineering manager without a computer science degree. It happens more often than you think! And it can feel pretty intimidating. 🎧

We’ve all heard the infamous quote: “People leave managers, not companies” (said by Marcus Buckingham, co-founder of StrengthFinders). While it’s become a workplace cliché, it’s rooted in truth. The relationships we have with our managers significantly impact our work experience, job satisfaction, and career trajectory. If you’ve ever had a

Have you ever wondered why your to-do list never seems to get shorter, no matter how hard you work? For managers, the culprit is often context switching—constantly jumping between tasks without fully completing any of them. Not only does this waste time, but it also drains your mental energy and

Ever had a team member so focused on their next promotion that they stop delivering on what they were hired to do? I’ve seen this happen many times, and it’s always a tricky spot for managers. It’s something I dive into in Episode 157 of Managing Made Simple. When your

How often do you feel like you’re caught in a pressure cooker, balancing the demands from your team and the expectations from your higher-ups? Trust me, you’re not alone, but when we let the stress of the situation get the best of us, it can make our own managers lose

As we near the end of the year, you might be thinking about how to ensure your team enters the new year strong, motivated, and ready to tackle whatever comes next. But here’s the secret: success in 2025 starts now, with proactive leadership. Too often, leaders wait until problems arise—team