The Modern Manager

By Mamie Kanfer Stewart

Business

What's The Modern Manager about?

Host Mamie Kanfer Stewart shares practical approaches to help you be a great manager. Learn more at: https://themodernmanager.com/

Solo episodes are like mini-courses, providing actionable tips based on experience and research. Guest episodes are engaging conversations that elicit insights and suggestions for how to apply the ideas.

Learn more about effective meeting practices, communication skills, managing conflict, team building, time management, group dynamics, goal setting and accountability, team competencies, productivity and collaboration technologies, organizational culture, and more.

Be sure to follow the podcast on your favorite platform so you never miss a new episode!

Download our free app to listen on your phone

LAST EPISODE

273: How Radical Acceptance...

09.19.2023

We don’t come into this world with particular biases. We pick them up from our experiences with the people and world around us over time. And these biases affect how we show up every day (and not in a good ...

The Modern Manager episodes:

09.19.2023 273: How Radical Acceptance Creates an Inclusive Workplace Culture with Risha Grant We don’t come into this world with particular biases. We pick them up from our experiences with the people and world around us over time. And these biases affect how we show up every day (and not in a good ...
09.12.2023 272: Why Psychological Safety at Work Matters and How to Establish It Is your team safe enough at work? Just like physical safety in the workplace, we also need psychological safety if we want people to do their best at work. Psychological safety is about creating a safe space where team members ...
09.05.2023 271: How Accountability Helps Managers and Their Teams Achieve Goals Do you ever wish you could accomplish more of your goals personally and professionally? Many people believe that accomplishing goals is about time management when, in fact, it’s about holding yourself accountable. But why is it hard for people to ...
08.29.2023 270: 6 Types of Bad Bosses and How Not to Be One Are you becoming a bad boss? What are the signs that you’re turning into one? Bad boss behaviors can range from micromanagement and poor communication to lack of appreciation and unreasonably high expectations for their employees. The good thing is ...
08.22.2023 269: How Managers Can Improve Their Communication Skills Using AI Technology Have you had the opportunity to use ChatGPT or other AI tools in your work yet? Have you considered harnessing these tools to improve your communication skills? This conversation might convince you to do so. Today’s guest is Helen Dayen. ...
08.15.2023 268: 5 Critical Work Skills to Help You Thrive and Succeed Throughout millions of years of evolution, our brains became formidable tools of innovation, helping us transcend from agricultural to industrial. However, as the world of work underwent radical changes, we mostly found ourselves facing new challenges that our brains were ...
08.08.2023 267: How to be an Excellent Digital Communicator with Ty Hoesgen For decades, the office served as the central hub of the business ecosystem until the pandemic. Remote work became a trend, and virtual meetings became the standard for collaboration with our teams and facilitating communication. However, along with the convenience ...
08.01.2023 266: The Truth About Perfectionism (And What To Do About It) with Thomas Curran Many of us fall into the perfectionist trap. Whether it’s because of strict bosses, high academic standards, or just self-motivation, perfectionism is more common than you’d think. While it’s important and healthy to strive to do our best work, at ...
07.25.2023 265: The True Value of Middle Managers with Emily Field Do you ever feel stuck in the middle? Middle managers have a unique opportunity to understand the high-level objectives of an organization and touch the day-to-day activities that accomplish those goals. However, middle managers can often feel pulled in two ...
07.18.2023 264: How to be a Good Teammate with Lance Loya Teams are the backbone of all workplaces. When teams are functioning properly, organizations can thrive; and in order for teams to function properly, people must be good teammates. Success often comes down to the ability of individuals to work together ...
07.11.2023 263: Navigate Emotions in the Workplace with Jen Hope EPISODE 263: NAVIGATE EMOTIONS IN THE WORKPLACE WITH JEN HOPE Whether you find yourself grappling with stress, loneliness, or irritation—or simply seeking to cultivate a more positive and productive work environment—managers must learn to navigate the intricate landscape of emotional ...
07.04.2023 262: Creative Problem Solving with Dr. Sam Adeyemi EPISODE 262: CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING WITH DR. SAM ADEYEMI Decision-making has been somewhat of a hot topic for leaders lately, and for good reason. Each decision we make, whether big or small, plays a role in either accomplishing our goals ...
06.27.2023 261: Establish Strong Team Infrastructure with Racheal Allen Do you ever feel like you can see the end in sight, but you don’t know how to get there? Having a vision is important—having clear processes and procedures to accomplish your goals is just as important. In fact, creating ...
06.20.2023 260: The Leadership Success Mindset with Dr. Stephen Barden Do you ever feel like the world is against you? Many leaders have risen to the top of their industries by working hard, trying to prove themselves against all odds. But surprisingly, those who have found the greatest success have ...
06.13.2023 259: How to Build a Strong Network with Megan Burke Roudebush Have you ever heard the phrase, "It's not what you know, it's who you know"? The people in our circles can have a large impact on the work we do and the career decisions we make. But how do we ...
06.06.2023 258: Establish Powerful Mentorship Relationships with Scott Jeffrey Miller Of all the learning resources available, sometimes the best one is another person. No matter how much we know about a certain topic or industry, there is likely someone who knows a bit more. Mentorship allows people to grow and ...
05.30.2023 257: How to Have Better Conversations with Chuck Wisner While we may not realize it, stories are constantly underlying our thinking. We formed stories about ourselves when we were younger, we interpret messages through our pre-existing stories, and we tell ourselves stories to help us understand the world around ...
05.23.2023 256: Embrace ‘Both-And’ Thinking to Optimize Polarities with Ronni Hendel Each person brings their values and perspectives to group decision-making. But what happens when those perspectives seem to be conflicting? We need to be cost conscious, and we also need high quality. We need honesty, and we also need kindness ...
05.16.2023 255: The Benefits of and Processes for Great One-on-Ones with Jason Wick How can a manager help their team members grow if they aren’t aware of their skillsets, dreams, and roadblocks? Managers play a critical role in supporting their people’s growth, and in order to do this, they need a better understanding ...
05.09.2023 254: Shifting Expectations of Work with Mia Baytop Russell The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the way we work. From hybrid work to workplace culture; from motivation to burnout; from work-life balance to communication; the pandemic changed nearly everything about the workforce. Not only did employees ...
05.02.2023 253: From Overwhelmed to High Performing with Byron Morrison Setting healthy productivity habits is crucial for our overall well-being. When we are productive, we feel good about ourselves and our accomplishments; we are also more likely to achieve our goals. However, if we are not careful, an excessive emphasis ...
04.25.2023 252: Facilitate Powerful Collaborations with Deb Mashek Collaboration is essential for success in today's workplace. No matter how much intelligence and creativity any individual possesses, collaboration between team members always leads to better results. Collaboration allows team members to pool their ideas and expertise, leading to more ...
04.18.2023 251: Align Your Productivity Approach and Your Work Style with Sandra Halling Being productive is a skill that comes naturally to some people, but it can be more difficult for others, especially those with learning differences or other challenges. Depending on your attention span, level of motivation, executive functioning skills, and environment, ...
04.11.2023 250: Lessons Learned from 250 Episodes Welcome to episode 250 of The Modern Manager! Phew! I’m so excited to reach this milestone, and I’m so grateful for everyone who has listened to and supported the podcast along the way. Thank you for being here; here’s to ...
04.03.2023 249: Use a Strengths-Based Approach to Develop Your Team Members with Scott Whiteford 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 ...
03.28.2023 248: How to Fix Common Mindset Mistakes with Dre Baldwin 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 ...
03.21.2023 247: The Power of Meditation for Managers with Shai Tubali 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 ...
03.14.2023 246: What Managers Can Learn From Generational Differences with Vivek Iyyani 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 ...
03.07.2023 245: Elements of Team Effectiveness with Dave Gloss 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 ...
02.28.2023 244: Inspire Employees Through Deep Purpose with Ranjay Gulati 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 ...
02.21.2023 243: Lessons Learned from Building a Strong Team Environment with Abhishek Nayak 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, ...
02.14.2023 242: Develop Self-Awareness and Self-Regulation with Robin Hills 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 ...
02.07.2023 241: Support Your Team Members During a Tragedy with Holly Welch Stubbing 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 ...
01.31.2023 240: Change Your Questions with Marilee Adams 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 ...
01.24.2023 239: Optimize Your Team for Remote Work with Kapil Kale 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 ...
01.17.2023 238: How to Talk About the Hard Things with David Wood 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 ...
01.10.2023 237: Create the Conditions for Joy in the Workplace with Akaya Windwood 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 ...
01.03.2023 236: Say What Needs To Be Said with Kim Scott 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 ...
12.20.2022 235: Get Your Team Working From Their Inner Genius with Catherine Mattiske 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 ...
12.13.2022 234: Work Environments That Work for Everyone with Genie Love 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 ...
12.06.2022 233: Don’t Bring Home Stress to Work with Andrea Liebross 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 ...
11.29.2022 232: Goal Setting and Goal Accomplishing with Hilary DeCesare 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 ...
11.22.2022 231: Being Thoughtful about the End of Year Holidays with Jen O’Ryan 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 ...
11.15.2022 230: Hack Your Brain with Dr. Jon Finn 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 ...
11.08.2022 229: Overcoming Obstacles with Joel Green Obstacles come in many forms. They can be physical (withholding us from being somewhere or doing something we want to do), mental (making us believe we're not capable of achieving), or emotional (adding undue stress, fatigue, or other burdens to ...
11.01.2022 228: Keep Calm and Address Conflicts with Hesha Abrams In my years of working with managers, one of most frequent questions I get is this: How do I deal with conflict in my team? This dilemma can be approached from two perspectives. First, there are practices a team can ...
10.25.2022 227: Discover Your FABS Leadership Style with Robert Jordan Look in any organization and you'll see a variety of leadership styles. One crucial aspect of leadership is staying true to yourself and what feels most natural to you as a leader, which means not trying to be all things ...
10.18.2022 226: Focus on the Big Things with Erik Qualman Focus: It’s an important skill for the success of any organization or individual. While it's natural for anyone to get distracted by new ideas, potential projects, overwhelming to-do lists, and ongoing problems, learning how to focus can save us time ...
10.11.2022 225: Establish a Bold Vision with Lisa McCarthy Whether you want to develop new products, update internal processes, or make sure that every client is satisfied with your service, one thing is true: you need to be clear about your goals. Without direction, you will lose your way. ...
10.04.2022 224: Proven Strategies to Unleash Your Team’s Potential with Russ Laraway Management is about helping other people achieve greatness - in the results they produce and the career path they take. However, if you've had any experience as a manager, you know how difficult it can be to help a variety ...

Older episodes