Management Material

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Today’s topic is about real leadership that inspires people but is super hard on the manager. 

Taking the blame and lending the credit is a tough thing. That means taking the fall when a project doesn’t go well or your team doesn’t make its numbers AND talking your team up, giving the right person credit when your team does super well. 

Would you follow a leader if you thought they would badmouth you to their bosses? Even if you made a mistake, would you follow a leader who blamed you for it? I know I wouldn’t. 

Learn more about becoming a leader people want to follow in this episode.

Book a complimentary management coaching conversation at https://calendly.com/catherine-vanderlaan/free-60-minute-leadership-consultation

Email me at [email protected] to ask a question or get in touch.

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Find out more about Management and Leadership Coaching at https://managementmaterialcoaching.com/

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This topic came up because a career coaching client of mine got a new job recently as a manager. She has a team of people that she inherited from the company. That means that she didn’t get to hire her own people; they were a team the company gave her to lead. 

Now, she’s having some trouble with respect on her team. Some of her direct reports are questioning where she is, questioning her work ethic, and suggesting to her boss that she’s not available when they need her. 

Guys, she’s around and working 10-12 hour days right now. So let’s get to the bottom of this. 

First, I’d love to tell you that this is an easy fix, but it isn’t. This is going to take some time to fix. 

It'll take time because gaining the respect of your team, whether you’re a manager or aspiring manager, is all about doing the job of a leader: building trust with your team members, leading them to a common goal, and making decisions that are understood and that improve the company. 

But deeper than that, it all comes down to consistently showing that you care about your colleagues, customers, and company. 

But HOW?? How do you do that??

Book a complimentary management coaching conversation at https://calendly.com/catherine-vanderlaan/free-60-minute-leadership-consultation

Email me at [email protected] to ask a question or get in touch.

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Find out more about Management and Leadership Coaching at https://managementmaterialcoaching.com/

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If you're on your way to being known as the next up-and-coming manager or management material, you might have some haters.

The world is full of people who want to get credit and don't want to put in the effort. You'll probably find some of those on your way to a senior management or senior leadership position. 

Let's talk through how to handle it when someone else takes credit for your work. 

In this podcast episode, I talk through what I did in this situation, what could have gone better, and what you should do instead.

Let's make you management material.

Book a complimentary management coaching conversation at https://calendly.com/catherine-vanderlaan/free-60-minute-leadership-consultation

Email me at [email protected] to ask a question or get in touch.

Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/managementmaterialcoaching

Find out more about Management and Leadership Coaching at https://managementmaterialcoaching.com/

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OOPS! The right file is now uploaded. Sorry, everyone! I uploaded the next episode for my other podcast, The Money Minister, but now the right episode for Management Material is up. 
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Let’s talk about how to get promoted. 

Yes, I know we’re in a down market. When there’s a down market, there are reorganizations and layoffs. There’s a lot of job instability. If you’re concerned about getting laid off, listen to the last episode. This episode is about getting promoted. 

Promotions can still happen in a down market. You can still get that next job that you want. Let’s get to how.

I have a promotion framework. It’s literally worked for every single career coaching client that I’ve had. It works for promotions within the company and getting a better job outside of the company. Do you know why? Because this framework will PROVE with PROJECTS that you have the transferable skills for that next big promotion.

Every promotion starts with a person. You have to PROVE to a PERSON that you deserve the PROMOTION. So how do you do that?

Listen to the podcast to find out how!

Book a complimentary management coaching conversation at https://calendly.com/catherine-vanderlaan/free-60-minute-leadership-consultation

Email me at [email protected] to ask a question or get in touch.

Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/managementmaterialcoaching

Find out more about Management and Leadership Coaching at https://managementmaterialcoaching.com/

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The economy is in a little bit of trouble. When interest rates go up, businesses that rely on loans have to balance their budgets, so they tend to lay people off.  

Let’s take this episode to learn how to protect yourself from being laid off. 

Some signs of a looming layoff include:

• Heightened or more frequent budget tracking
• An announcement of a future reorganization
• Delayed payment terms with vendors
• Sudden budget restrictions
• A hiring freeze 

If you're seeing these signs, then let's make sure you have your defense all set, so that you can keep your job through the potential impending layoff. 

If you’ve been listening to this podcast for a while, you know that I’m not a leadership apologist. I don’t go around saying that every leader got there because of their hard work or intelligence. 

But I do think that most people in leadership are not stupid. They make the best decisions they can with the information they have, just like you and me. 

If you want to protect yourself from getting laid off, it’s NOT enough to be a hard worker and assume everyone will notice.

You HAVE to make sure people know what you do and what you bring to the table. Basically, senior leadership, or at least your boss’s boss, should know how amazing you are at your job. 

...And that you’re flexible enough to do any other role the company needs.

Let's get into the details in this podcast episode.

Book a complimentary management coaching conversation at https://calendly.com/catherine-vanderlaan/free-60-minute-leadership-consultation

Email me at [email protected] to ask a question or get in touch.

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A few years ago, I was a defacto leader on a team and I had a boss who was super indecisive. I’m not sure I blamed him, because his boss was indecisive as well and it was a VERY political company. 

Our guy in charge - our guy in the chief officer position at the time was very much a bully. People would leave meetings with him in TEARS and some would throw up from anxiety before meetings with him. In any case, my boss was twice removed and his boss was afraid of this guy. That paralyzed our whole department. We couldn’t make a decision because of fear.

That doesn’t sound like a good situation, right? 

Well – here’s a quick aside - I honestly didn’t care if I was fired, because my husband and I were totally out of debt and had what we called FU money. That’s money we could rely on to tide us over until I found another job.

If that sounds like something you want to build, go to saverstreet.com and book a complimentary consultation. Let’s build your FU money so you can leave your toxic workplace.

I decided that the toxic culture needed to change, I needed to get people to make a friggen decision and fund my projects… or don’t. I just needed to know. I’m still a little salty about it. Can you tell? It was a bit of an uphill battle and I made some mistakes.

Let me tell you what I learned about leading a team when management is indecisive.

Book a complimentary management coaching conversation at https://calendly.com/catherine-vanderlaan/free-60-minute-leadership-consultation

Email me at [email protected] to ask a question or get in touch.

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Find out more about Management and Leadership Coaching at https://managementmaterialcoaching.com/

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Someone recently asked me about being a leader or peer leader for a team that’s half in the office and half working from home. To be clear, he’s not their boss but is a kind of peer leader at work, and he wanted to get better at helping everyone feel included and part of the team. 

You see, the people working from home didn't feel included. They didn't have a voice and didn't feel like part of the team.

That's a problem. That's a BIG problem.

This guy wants to be a leader people want to follow. In order to be that person, he's trying to help other people feel included, listened to, heard, and like they're part of the team, even when they work from home.

This sounds exactly like the dynamic I had as a Product Manager - a sort of peer leader - when half my team was in the office and the other half worked from home from all over the United States and, at one point, around the world. We had people from all different time zones. 

After some tinkering, we had one of the most sought-after teams in the company. People asked to work on our team. So how did we create a thriving team dynamic that included everyone, in person and remote?

Find out in today's episode of Management Material!

Book a complimentary management coaching conversation at https://calendly.com/catherine-vanderlaan/free-60-minute-leadership-consultation

Email me at [email protected] to ask a question or get in touch.

Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/managementmaterialcoaching

Find out more about Management and Leadership Coaching at https://managementmaterialcoaching.com/

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At one point in my career, I started giving presentations to senior management - GMs, SVPs, and occasionally our Chief Product Officer. 

When I first started giving those presentations, I would present my data, decision-making process, and the whole story before getting to the potential options for how we could move forward. These were usually strategy presentations and I thought the leaders needed to know basically everything I knew before they could help make an informed decision. 

WRONG.

After a few months of this - and a few frustrated executives, some meetings that ended poorly, and complete confusion on my part - my boss took me aside and explained that executives think a little differently than someone on the ground. 

You see, they do a lot of homework - usually. They’re caught up on the high points of the strategy. They know or don’t need to know all the details. They can ask if they want to know the details, so let’s just get to the point first. 

Book a complimentary management coaching conversation at https://calendly.com/catherine-vanderlaan/free-60-minute-leadership-consultation

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Find out more about Management and Leadership Coaching at https://managementmaterialcoaching.com/

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Joining a new team can feel exciting, terrifying, inspiring, overwhelming, and stressful. 

Most people will focus on building relationships with their new team members... which can sometimes go wrong. 

In this podcast episode, we talk about how to get close with your new team members, how it can go wrong, and how it can go well.

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If you'd like to join the beta test for The Promotion Handbook, let me know by emailing me at [email protected]. I'd love to help you get promoted into a new role!

Book a complimentary management coaching conversation at https://calendly.com/catherine-vanderlaan/free-60-minute-leadership-consultation

Email me at [email protected] to ask a question or get in touch.

Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/managementmaterialcoaching

Find out more about Management and Leadership Coaching at https://managementmaterialcoaching.com/

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A friend of mine came up to me last Sunday at church and asked how I would answer an interview question since I’ve managed larger teams before. He was sitting in an interview for a senior-level position and was asked how he’d manage the team. Nothing more, nothing less. Just, “How would you manage the team?”

Well, that’s a curious question. How would you answer it? 

Take a moment and think about how you’d answer that very vague question. 

Now, when I ask vague questions - and I ask them all the time - I’m looking for the answer, but I’m also looking to see how the person is communicating their thought process. 

What do they come up with on the spot? 

What’s their answer off the top of their head?

So how did I answer? I thought out loud. 

Every piece of wisdom in action is grounded in something you’ve learned. You might have learned it from experience or from someone else, like from a mentor or a book. Site your source. Show how you think. Then walk them through your decision-making process and timeline.

Senior leaders are looking for you to prove a few things:

• That you’re a leader people want to follow
• That you can be decisive in the face of not enough information
• And that you make the right decisions for the company, your team, your customers, and yourself.

So show that. Show wisdom in action.
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If you'd like to beta test The Promotion Handbook, email me at [email protected]. I'd love to include you in the beta test!

Book a complimentary management coaching conversation at https://calendly.com/catherine-vanderlaan/free-60-minute-leadership-consultation

Email me at [email protected] to ask a question or get in touch.

Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/managementmaterialcoaching

Find out more about Management and Leadership Coaching at https://managementmaterialcoaching.com/