A Case of the Mondays

By TWC Media Group

Ever wonder how to combine meaning and work? Ever feel like a rebel in your own company? Have you looked at other companies and thought 'Why can't we innovate like them?' Join your host, Chris Thie

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FAQs about A Case of the Mondays:

How many episodes does A Case of the Mondays have?

The podcast currently has 45 episodes available.

A Case of the Mondays episodes:

March 13, 2023 I have some feedback for you...
Note: The original version of this podcast was music-less! Hey, we're all just trying our best over here at A Case of the Mondays. Refresh and try it again.

Today, we're talking reviews! Your review, specifically, and how to be more proactive and use the skills of leading without authority to drive your boss in the direction you want them to go: namely to be an advocate for you inside the organization.

We'll also check in with the Mondaypod Manager's Book Club Book of March: King of the Mississippi by Mike Freedman
Writer, Host: Chris Thierfelder
Producers: Sarah and Max Warman
Art: Jennie Jacobs
Music: Kevin MacLeod
IG: @mondaypod
LinkedIn: A Case of the Mondays
Site: A Case of the Mondays

Copyright 2023 TWC Media Group All Rights Reserved
...more
23min
March 06, 2023 No One Does it Alone
Hell might be other people, but other people are how you're going to be successful in your career so you better start making some friends. Today we talk about networking! Why you need a network at every stage of your career, what sort of people you should have in your network and how to go about getting them.

Not even the GOATs were successful without their networks, and the same will hold true for you you. Time to pop a mint, stick your hand out and start making connections.
Writer, Host: Chris Thierfelder
Producers: Sarah and Max Warman
Art: Jennie Jacobs
Music: Kevin MacLeod
IG: @mondaypod
LinkedIn: A Case of the Mondays
Site: A Case of the Mondays

Copyright 2023 TWC Media Group All Rights Reserved
...more
36min
February 27, 2023 Talkin' Book-Readin!
Today, Chris talks about the state of Leadership and Management books and why despite their being a lot of books, there isn't a lot of readily-useful ones. He gives his short stack of nonfiction books for new- and middle-managers to read, and gets in to a discussion about Severance by Ling Ma, the Mondaypod Manager's Book Club Pick of February.

Chris' (Practical) Nonfiction Picks for Leaders:
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
Dare to Lead by Brene Brown
The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins
Radical Candor by Kim Scott
True North by Bill George (tied with Leading with Gratitude by Adrian Gostick)
Bravespace Workplace by previous ACotM guest, Moe Carrick.

Mondaypod Manager's Book Club pick for March: King of the Mississippi by Mike Freedman
Writer, Host: Chris Thierfelder
Producers: Sarah and Max Warman
Art: Jennie Jacobs
Music: Kevin MacLeod
IG: @mondaypod
LinkedIn: A Case of the Mondays
Site: A Case of the Mondays

Copyright 2023 TWC Media Group All Rights Reserved
...more
35min
February 20, 2023 Maybe You're Not a Morning Person
Today, Chris gives you a sample of the tips and tricks he gives Project Managers wanting to take their practice to the next level. He also talks a bit more about Severance by Ling Ma, the Mondaypod Manager's Book Club February Book.

ACotM on LinkedIn
ACotM on Instagram

Writer, Host: Chris Thierfelder
Producers: Sarah and Max Warman
Art: Jennie Jacobs
Music: Kevin MacLeod
IG: @mondaypod
LinkedIn: A Case of the Mondays
Site: A Case of the Mondays

Copyright 2023 TWC Media Group All Rights Reserved
...more
37min
February 13, 2023 Not Being an Asshole Isn't Enough (on Emotional Intelligence)
Today Chris opens the discussion up on Emotional Intelligence and why leaders need to develop it and keep developing it through out their careers. We get in to the first pillar of Emotional Intelligence: Self-Awareness, and talk about why knowing yourself is the first step in knowing and understanding how to lead others.

We then get in to another aspect of Emotional Intelligence: Social Awareness, and Empathy as a key element of that.

That brings us to a short chat introducing the Mondaypod Manager's Book Club Book of the Month: Severance, by Ling Ma, and how following the heroine, Candace, is a great way to discover a perspective many of us have never had.

Self-aware leaders and why they matter
What Self-Awareness Really Is (and How to Cultivate It)
This trait is a manager’s superpower. Here’s how to develop it

Buy Severance by Ling Ma
Writer, Host: Chris Thierfelder
Producers: Sarah and Max Warman
Art: Jennie Jacobs
Music: Kevin MacLeod
IG: @mondaypod
LinkedIn: A Case of the Mondays
Site: A Case of the Mondays

Copyright 2023 TWC Media Group All Rights Reserved
...more
37min
February 06, 2023 You aren't working hard enough
In this episode, Chris talks about Informal Governance, or the network of relationships that influence you, your team, and the people who govern your projects. We talk about empathy, getting in to the heads of these people and, despite some unpleasantness, what they're being told about you and your colleagues.

Also! Chris launches the Mondaypod Book Club! We'll be reading a series of fiction books that will help expand our minds to encompass the perspectives of people who are different than us, and may be representative of people whom we call our colleagues and friends.

Mondaypod's Books for Managers #1: Severance, by Ling Ma

"America's Fever of Workaholism is Finally Breaking" (Except, no; it's not)

"America’s Work Ethic Is Under Assault" (Also no)

"The Hidden Link Between Workaholism and Mental Health"

"ChatGPT is about to dump more work on everyone"

If you want to find the LinkedIn post that got Chris so incensed, he's not linking it here. That dude got too much traction as it was. I'm sure your CEO read it. Go ask him.
Writer, Host: Chris Thierfelder
Producers: Sarah and Max Warman
Art: Jennie Jacobs
Music: Kevin MacLeod
IG: @mondaypod
LinkedIn: A Case of the Mondays
Site: A Case of the Mondays

Copyright 2023 TWC Media Group All Rights Reserved
...more
37min
January 30, 2023 It's Dangerous to Go Alone!
Today, we're talking about risk! Why it's hard for people to understand and assess, how to make it easier (or less risky) to evaluate risk, and why being good at risk is a practice that scales with you along your entire career so the risks you take can be handled better and smarter than some examples in industry.

Link to the article Chris mentioned:

ChatGPT is 'Down all the time' and it's a good thing...

Check out the Project Management Masterclass and other offerings to help you or your enterprise improve leadership and management: TWC Group
Writer, Host: Chris Thierfelder
Producers: Sarah and Max Warman
Art: Jennie Jacobs
Music: Kevin MacLeod
IG: @mondaypod
LinkedIn: A Case of the Mondays
Site: A Case of the Mondays

Copyright 2023 TWC Media Group All Rights Reserved
...more
27min
January 23, 2023 Stakeholders: At Least they Aren't Your In-Laws
On today's episode we talk about the recent spate of layoff, and how they aren't good for anyone, including the company doing the layoffs. We talk about empathy, treating people like the human sacks of emotional baggage they are, and how all that relates to today's topic of Stakeholder Management!

That's a terrible phrase. We'll really talking about how you, as the Project Manager, need to create relationships with the people who have interest in, and influence over your project and your team.

Additional Reading and References
Why are there so many layoffs? An interview with Stanford Graduate School of Business Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer

How Apple Has (So Far) Avoided Layoffs

List of the Latest Companies Making Cuts (LinkedIn)

The American Prospect: Tech Workers Should Unionize Immediately

What is Stakeholder Management? (Good article, but they are trying to sell you something.)

Project Stakeholder Management, Engineering Management Journal
Writer, Host: Chris Thierfelder
Producers: Sarah and Max Warman
Art: Jennie Jacobs
Music: Kevin MacLeod
IG: @mondaypod
LinkedIn: A Case of the Mondays
Site: A Case of the Mondays

Copyright 2023 TWC Media Group All Rights Reserved
...more
30min
January 16, 2023 The Accidental Profession
Today, we're talking about Project Management as an "Accidental Profession." The fact that despite its proliferation (16 million NEW PM gigs in the last decade!) companies still seem to think of it as a nuisance and a "necessary evil."

What to do to understand how YOUR company views project management and, by extension, project managers is going to be your first step at making your current reality a stepping stone to your long-term career goals.

Oh, and we also check in with our pals at Southwest Airlines because no matter what's going on in your career, at least you're not them.

Some articles from the show:

NY Times: Southwest CEO Bob Jordan on "What Went Wrong."
Business Horizons: Lessons for an Accidental Profession
PMI: The Accidental Project Manager
University of Minnesota Press: Creating a Project Culture
Writer, Host: Chris Thierfelder
Producers: Sarah and Max Warman
Art: Jennie Jacobs
Music: Kevin MacLeod
IG: @mondaypod
LinkedIn: A Case of the Mondays
Site: A Case of the Mondays

Copyright 2023 TWC Media Group All Rights Reserved
...more
34min
January 09, 2023 What You Need is a New Shirt
Welcome back to A Case of the Mondays!

This episode, Chris introduces the concept for Season 3: a series of mini-pods designed to give Team Leaders a little something useful every week.

We'll talk a little about why front-line or "middle" managers are so important, how they don't get the love they need, and why investing in them can save your company from massive headaches down the road.

Sit back, tune in, and enjoy while wearing your corporate-branded t-shirt.
Writer, Host: Chris Thierfelder
Producers: Sarah and Max Warman
Art: Jennie Jacobs
Music: Kevin MacLeod
IG: @mondaypod
LinkedIn: A Case of the Mondays
Site: A Case of the Mondays

Copyright 2023 TWC Media Group All Rights Reserved
...more
22min

FAQs about A Case of the Mondays:

How many episodes does A Case of the Mondays have?

The podcast currently has 45 episodes available.