The Indigo Podcast

Bosses can be bad for many reasons. One reason is that they were promoted based upon technical expertise yet lack leadership and interpersonal skills. In this episode, we discuss that situation. Specifically, we address:

- How being a technical expert who fails at leadership is one of many ways in which a manager can be a bad boss

- What we can learn from the research on abusive supervision

- Dealing with this particular type of bad boss: Tips if you're in this situation

Links and Other Information

Tepper, B. J., Simon, L., & Park, H. M. (2017). Abusive supervision. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4, 123-152. Click here

Harvey, P., Stoner, J., Hochwarter, W., & Kacmar, C. (2007). Coping with abusive supervision: The neutralizing effects of ingratiation and positive affect on negative employee outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 18(3), 264-280. Click here

Bad bosses: Dealing with Abusive Supervisors (article)

All episodes of The Indigo Podcast

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Forrest Faison is a retired vice admiral in the United States Navy who served as its 38th Surgeon General. He is now the senior vice president for research and innovation and chief healthcare strategy officer at Cleveland State University. He joined us to talk about the future of health care and much more. We discussed:

- Major trends in the future of health care

- Managing health emergencies at a large scale

- Lessons learned from being the 38th surgeon general of the U.S. Navy

Links and Other Information

All episodes of The Indigo Podcast

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

What would it look like if every time someone wronged us, we responded with our most basic instincts: avoidance or revenge? This is one of the most critical types of situations in which we find ourselves torn between what we want to do and what makes the world a better place. In this episode, we explore the science of forgiveness, including:

- What is forgiveness and ways to think about it

- How forgiveness develops and its links with well-being

- Implications for all of us

Links and Other Information

McCullough, M. E., & Witvliet, C. V. (2002). The psychology of forgiveness. Handbook of Positive Psychology, 2, 446-455.

All episodes of The Indigo Podcast

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Going off to college is an exciting time for both parents and students. It's a time that marks the end of childhood in some ways and the launch into adulthood in other ways. It's also a time that's fraught with uncertainty and ambiguity. So in this episode, we explore how new college students can approach their first year, and how parents can support their child's new foray into college.

Links and Other Information

- Parent resources: Cleveland State University and University of Michigan

- We're No. 1 Article on higher education in the United States

- John Kroger on Learning, the Military, Higher Education, and American Society: podcast episode

- All episodes of The Indigo Podcast

- Like us on Facebook

- Follow us on Twitter

Cheryl Gray studies unhelpful help, which refers to those times when a supervisor or coworker does something that others perceive as being intended as helpful but actually is unhelpful or even harmful. In this episode, Cheryl joined us to discuss unhelpful help, and we explore:

- What is unhelpful help and why does it matter

- Cutting-edge emerging research on unhelpful help

- Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

Gray, C. E., Spector, P. E., Lacey, K. N., Young, B. G., Jacobsen, S. T., & Taylor, M. R. (2020). Helping may be Harming: Unintended negative consequences of providing social support. Work & Stress, 34(4), 359-385. Click here

Paul Spector's blog post on unhelpful help

All episodes of The Indigo Podcast

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

In some workplaces, foul language seems to spew forth from people nonstop. In others, the slightest off-color remark would turn heads and raise eyebrows with astonishment. Given these differences, how should we think about swearing at work? And what research might help guide us? We discuss:

- An introduction to ways to think about swearing at work

- A survey of some of the research on swearing at work

- Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

Baruch, Y., Prouska, R., Ollier-Malaterre, A., & Bunk, J. (2017). Swearing at work: the mixed outcomes of profanity. Journal of Managerial Psychology. Click here

Baruch, Y., & Jenkins, S. (2007). Swearing at work and permissive leadership culture: When anti‐social becomes social and incivility is acceptable. Leadership & Organization Development Journal. Click here

Johnson, D. I., & Lewis, N. (2010). Perceptions of swearing in the work setting: An expectancy violations theory perspective. Communication Reports, 23(2), 106-118. Click here

Pinker, Steven. The Stuff of Thought: Language As a Window into Human Nature. New York: Viking, 2007.

All episodes of The Indigo Podcast

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

If you ask a person to do something, why would he or she say yes and comply? It has to do with the power you hold and the influence you wield. This holds true regardless of whether you're working with your boss, your direct reports, your coworkers, or even with friends or members of your family. We discuss:

- What is power and what are the primary sources of power

- What is influence and what are the primary different influence tactics

- Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

Elias, S. (2008). Fifty years of influence in the workplace: The evolution of the French and Raven power taxonomy. Journal of Management History. Click here

All episodes of The Indigo Podcast

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Dave Smith is a professor of sociology in the College of Leadership and Ethics at the U.S. Naval War College. Brad Johnson is a professor of psychology at the U.S. Naval Academy. Their most recent book--and the topic of this episode--is Good Guys: How Men can be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace. In particular, we discuss:

- What does it mean to be an "ally" for women at work and why does it matter

- Different types of allyship

- Practical steps for leaders and the world of work

Links and Other Information

Books: Good Guys and Athena Rising

More about Dave, Brad, and their work: www.workplaceallies.com

More about Dave Smith: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram

More about Brad Johnson: website, LinkedIn

All episodes of The Indigo Podcast

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

The data are clear about the benefits of having a sense of purpose and meaning in life. And one big piece of that for many people is their work. But what makes work meaningful? How might we make our work more meaningful, and what might we do if that's just not possible? In this episode, we discuss:

- What is meaningful work and why does it matter

- How to make work more meaningful or what to do if that's unlikely

- Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

Berg, J. M., Dutton, J. E., & Wrzesniewski, A. (2013). Job crafting and meaningful work. In B.J. Dik, Z. S. Byrne & M. F. Steger (Eds.), Purpose and meaning in the workplace (pp. 81-104). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Click here

Bunderson, J. S., & Thompson, J. A. (2009). The call of the wild: Zookeepers, callings, and the double-edged sword of deeply meaningful work. Administrative Science Quarterly, 54(1), 32-57. Click here

The Indigo Manifesto

All episodes of The Indigo Podcast

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Imagine an "executive." What do you picture in your mind? If you're like most of us, some characteristics likely come to mind, and these characteristics are part of something called "executive presence." It's an important idea, but it's also one that can get people and leaders into trouble. In this episode, we discuss.

- What is the popular understanding of executive presence? - Research findings about executive presence and related concepts - Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

- Dagley, G. R., & Gaskin, C. J. (2014). Understanding executive presence: Perspectives of business professionals. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 66(3), 197. Click here

- All episodes of The Indigo Podcast

- Like us on Facebook

- Follow us on Twitter