Happy New year, Todays episode looks at the top 5 leaders resolutions you should be thinking about to help kick start your year.

I examine how you need to focus on patterns not problems, how you need to have the conversation you have been putting off and how to be consistant not intense in 2026.

So before you hit quit day have alisten to the show and start your managment year off the right way.

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Top 5 Manager Matt Episodes of 2025

As we wrap up 2025, this special episode of the Manager Matt Podcast takes a step back to reflect on the conversations that resonated most with managers this year — the episodes that sparked messages, shares, and real “I used this with my team on Monday” moments.

Hosted by Matthew Haddock, this episode ranks the top five Manager Matt episodes of 2025, highlighting the ideas, tools, and leadership lessons that made the biggest impact across the year.

From cutting through management fads and trends, to hard-earned lessons from senior leadership, embedding procedures that actually stick, leading people through redundancy with humanity, and making training deliver real value — these episodes reflect what the podcast is all about: practical, human, real-world leadership.

Featured Episodes

1. Top 5 Management Fads of the Past Decade (and What’s Next for 2025)
   A strategic look at what truly adds value in leadership — and what doesn’t.
2. What I’ve Learned as a Senior Manager: The Do’s, Don’ts & the Hard Truths
   Candid lessons from experience that resonate with both aspiring and established leaders.
3. How to Make Real Procedures Stick For Good
   Practical frameworks to help managers move from intention to consistency.
4. When Pizza’s Not Enough to Motivate Through Redundancy
   A human-centred approach to leading teams through difficult change.
5. How to Stop Training Becoming a Waste of Time
   Why training fails — and how to make it stick in the real world.

The episode also gives a nod to honourable mentions that delivered strong niche value throughout the year, including leadership under pressure, empathy-driven management, and lean improvement in practice.

If you’re looking for a clear snapshot of the ideas that mattered most to managers in 2025 — and why they worked — this episode brings it all together.

🎙️ Manager Matt Podcast — making leadership practical, human, and real.

Please send any feedback or questions to [email protected]

A quick cast to look back at 2025 and say a big thank you for all my listener. Also a thank you for sharing the cast with others who can hopefully learn and grow as leaders

Please send any feedback or questions to [email protected]

Cross-department tension. Competing priorities. “Us vs them” thinking.

If you’re a manager who needs results without burning bridges, this episode is for you.

In this practical, no-nonsense episode of the Manager Matt Podcast, Matt breaks down five powerful questions that help you build trust, influence peers, and turn strained inter-department relationships into genuine partnerships.

Instead of pushing harder or escalating issues, these questions shift the dynamic from “I need something from you” to “How do we win together?”

You’ll learn:

• Why most peer conflict isn’t personal — it’s structural
• How the right questions instantly lower defensiveness
• What to say to uncover hidden pressures and priorities
• How to surface friction points without blame
• The one leadership question that builds trust faster than any process or meeting

Each question is explained with real-world examples, simple psychology, and language you can use immediately in your next conversation.

If you want to:
 ✔ Break down silos
 ✔ Get support without forcing it
 ✔ Be seen as a collaborative, credible leader
 ✔ Build influence across departments

This episode gives you tools you can use today.

Because great leadership isn’t about authority — it’s about alignment.

Please send any feedback or questions to [email protected]

Top Ways a Stoic Mindset Supports Effective Management & Leadership — The Positives and the Pitfalls

In this episode, we dive deep into how a stoic mindset can transform modern leadership — helping managers stay calm, make better decisions, and inspire trust. But we also explore the lesser-known pitfalls: where stoicism, taken too far, can create barriers, reduce empathy, or slow progress.

We break down the top 10 ways stoicism influences leadership, looking at both sides of the coin:

1. Emotional Control Under Pressure
How staying calm boosts confidence and clarity — and how appearing too detached can damage connection.

2. Focusing on What You Can Control
Why directing energy toward the controllable improves results — but can also lead to passive acceptance if misapplied.

3. Consistency and Reliability
The power of predictability in fast-moving environments — and the risk of slipping into rigidity.

4. Improved Decision-Making
How stoic analysis cuts through noise — and why over-thinking can signal a lack of urgency.

5. Resilience to Setbacks
Using adversity as fuel for growth — while avoiding the trap of seeming emotionally unaffected.

6. Strong Personal Accountability
How owning your actions creates integrity — but may tip into burnout if leaders take on too much.

7. Values-Driven Leadership
Why wisdom, courage, fairness, and humility build strong cultures — and why rigid moral ideals can slow collaboration.

8. Better Conflict Management
Staying objective to de-escalate tension — without drifting into emotional neutrality that feels dismissive.

9. Reduced Stress and Burnout
Stoic acceptance helps leaders stay centred — yet can stop them from asking for help when needed.

10. Long-Term Thinking
Strategic clarity for the future — balanced against the need for quick wins that energise teams.

In Summary

A stoic mindset can be a powerful foundation for leadership — promoting calmness, clarity, resilience, and rational decision-making. But like any approach, it has a shadow side. Effective leaders blend stoicism with empathy, communication, and adaptability to build strong, human-centred teams.

Please send any feedback or questions to [email protected]

Its sounds a little strange to say you need to sell your ideas, if your the leader you tell them to do it and it happens right? Wrong you need to get people to buy in and understand your ideas especially if they are not your direct reports. This episode explore how to best sell your ideas to get the team on board.

Please send any feedback or questions to [email protected]

Its always hard to get the balance right when you start a new role, you dont want to be to laid back and your dont want to change the world over night. In this weeks cast I look at the top 10 priorities in anew role, how you can make an impact without blowing your credibility. It tackles the hard questions about been visible and adding value in the first 90 days 

Please send any feedback or questions to [email protected]

There are some things that get under the skin of your directs, they make you a poor leader and a bad manager. They are also behaviours which will not deliver results and will lead to poor performance. But all is not lost, have a listen to this weeks show on how you can spot the top 5 worst management behaviours. I will also give you tips how to reduce your bad habits.

Please send any feedback or questions to [email protected]

Why You Should Speak Up as a Leader — Finding Your Confidence and Your Voice

In this episode of The Manager Matt Podcast, host Matt Haddock explores one of the most common challenges leaders face — finding the confidence to speak up.

Whether it’s in a boardroom, team meeting, or one-to-one, too many capable leaders hold back valuable thoughts and ideas. Matt breaks down why this happens — from fear of being wrong to imposter syndrome — and shows you how to find your voice, build your confidence, and make your input count.

You’ll learn:
 ✅ Why silence costs more than mistakes
 ✅ How to speak up with confidence — without being loud
 ✅ Simple techniques to make sure your ideas are heard and respected
 ✅ How quiet leaders can turn listening into influence
 ✅ Why confidence comes from competence — not ego

If you’ve ever hesitated in a meeting or second-guessed your value, this episode will help you step forward, speak up, and lead with impact.

Because if you don’t speak up… you can’t lead up.

🎧 Tune in, grab a brew, and start building your leadership voice today.

Please send any feedback or questions to [email protected]

“Traditional Management vs Coaching Management: Why the Coaching Model Often Fails”

In this episode of The Manager Matt Podcast, Matt dives deep into one of the most debated leadership topics in modern workplaces — Traditional Management vs Coaching Management.

We’ve all heard that coaching is the “future of leadership,” but if that’s true, why do so many coaching initiatives fall flat? Matt breaks it down with his usual no-nonsense insight — exploring what each management style really looks like in practice, where they work best, and why the coaching model often struggles in the fast-paced, results-driven world of real business.

💡 You’ll learn:

• The strengths and limits of traditional management
• Why coaching managers often fail to make impact — and how to fix it
• How to find the right balance between direction and development
• Practical ways to bring effective coaching into your daily leadership

Whether you lead on the factory floor, in an office, or across multiple sites — this episode will help you adapt your management style, get the best from your team, and grow as a leader people want to work for.

🎧 Tune in, grab a brew, and discover why the best managers don’t pick a side — they blend both.

Please send any feedback or questions to [email protected]