The Harvard Business Review once published a damning report about middle managers, saying that the very title “evokes mediocrity”. Was that fair? And what does it take to be a good middle manager? Host Isabel Berwick, the FT’s work and careers editor, discusses with Andrew Hill, the FT’s senior business writer and former management editor. This is a repeat of an episode published on October 18, 2022.
Want more? Andrew Hill on why being a manager matters more than ever  How demands on team leaders are intensifying  Forget the toxic boss - meet the toxic underlings
FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.  We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter  Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review! Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Best of: Why we love to hate the middle manager

Whether you’re the boss, the deputy or on your way up, we’re shaking up the way the world works. This is the podcast about doing work differently. Join host Isabel Berwick every Wednesday for expert analysis and watercooler chat about ahead-of-the-curve workplace trends, the big ideas shaping work today - and the old habits we need to leave behind. Brought to you by the Financial Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Self-Improvement

Many managers hate giving feedback just as much as employees hate receiving it. So how can we give our colleagues pointers without upsetting them? Isabel speaks to Joe Hirsch, who helps CEOs and corporate clients design better feedback, to find out why a spirit of partnership is key to making the process more fluent. Later, she speaks to Kim Scott, a former Google and Apple executive, and author of ‘Radical Candor,’ one of the most influential business books of recent years. Kim explains why honest, straightforward feedback is so important – especially when issues of race and gender are involved.
Want to get in touch? Write to Isabel at isabel.berwick@ft.com
Want more? Free links:   Positive feedback: the science of criticism that actually works
Tesla’s Technoking gives lessons on performance reviews
The painful truth about feedback at work
FT subscriber? Sign up to get Isabel’s free Working It newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday: ft.com/newsletters
Credits:
Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to give honest feedback (even when it’s difficult)

The modern employee is overloaded. Alongside various projects, the average office worker has to deal with a huge administrative burden, responding to emails and instant messages, attending meetings, and trying to figure out which of their seemingly endless tasks is the most urgent. Academic, author and productivity expert Cal Newport thinks there’s a better way. In this episode, he explains how white-collar jobs put an emphasis on looking busy, rather than getting stuff done – and how to fight back. Cal also gives practical tips for better managing your workflow, how to tell your boss your work will take twice as long, and why you should go to the cinema – on a workday.
Want more? Free links:
Slow Productivity by Cal Newport — when less means more
How Cal Newport rewrote the productivity gospel
Train yourself to concentrate with ‘pull-ups for the brain’
Credits:
Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s global head of audio.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to slow down but achieve more, with Cal Newport

Isabel Berwick has spent the last year writing The Future-Proof Career, a book about how to thrive at work, now and in the future. Last month, she held a launch event at Daunt Books, where she spoke to her friend and colleague Claer Barrett, the FT’s consumer editor, about what she learned in the process.
Want more? Free links:
Five secrets of workplace success
Can AI make brainstorming less mind-numbing?
Credits:
Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Working It Live: How to future-proof your career

More than 30mn Americans are subject to non-compete agreements, which temporarily bar them from working for rival companies if they leave their jobs. These clauses were meant to protect trade secrets and client relationships at banks, tech companies, and similarly flashy organisations – but they now affect tens of millions of Americans, including in low-paid jobs. The US Federal Trade Commission last week voted to ban non-compete agreements – but will its decision stick? Isabel Berwick speaks to Amelia Pollard and Anjli Raval, who have covered the issue for the FT, to find out.
Want more? Free links: Millions of workers are caught in a ‘non-compete’ trap Employee non-compete agreements barred by US regulator Ban on non-compete agreements sends shockwave across Wall Street
Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s global head of audio.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What the US non-compete ban could mean for workers

Most people think of loyalty as a good thing, but in a professional context, being too devoted to an employer can have damaging consequences. Disengaged workers who don’t leave their jobs will hardly make the best ambassadors for a company; longstanding employees might run out of fresh ideas; and some research shows loyal employees are less likely to cover up wrongdoing at their firms. Isabel Berwick speaks to Jeremie Brecheisen, Gallup’s managing partner for the Emea region, about the company’s annual ‘State of the Workplace’ report, which showed more than half of employees worldwide are looking to change jobs. Isabel also speaks to FT management editor Anjli Raval, about the downsides of workplace loyalty.
Want more? Free links: Why staff loyalty is not always a good thing Too much loyalty does neither the company nor the employee much good
Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Best of: Why we love to hate the middle manager

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