How much of your week is spent "firefighting"?

If you’re like most managers, you start the week with a strategy, but by Tuesday afternoon, a "drop everything" request from senior leadership has derailed your entire team.

The result? Change Fatigue. Your best people are drained, silos are hardening, and "alignment" feels like a corporate buzzword rather than a reality.

In this week’s episode of the Manager Track Podcast, I sit down with executive coach and organizational strategist Betsy Kauffman. Betsy has spent decades in the C-suite helping leaders cut through the noise to build what she calls an "Execution Rhythm."

We dive deep into:

• The 3-Priority Rule: Why having 5+ priorities is the same as having zero.
• The "First Team" Mindset: Why your peers are actually more important than your direct reports.
• The Tiny Book of Questions: Why you need to stop asking "How can I help?" and start asking the 3 questions that actually unblock your team.
• The Negotiation of "Urgent": How to push back on senior leaders without sounding like a bottleneck.

If you’re tired of the "reorg of the month" and want to get your team rowing in the same direction, this conversation is a must-listen.

Listen now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

— RESOURCES MENTIONED —

• Betsy Kauffman's website: https://crossimpact.co/ 
• Connect with Betsy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/betsykauffman/ 
• Check out her TedTalk: https://www.ted.com/talks/betsy_kauffman_4_tips_to_kickstart_honest_conversations_at_work
• Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona HERE. 
• Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkits
• Learn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: http://archova.org/1on1-course
• Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
• Link to video by Patrick Lencioni: https://youtu.be/BjE_mPoZPSg?si=Z-I_T8ETpqNUTnYT
• More about team building based on Patrick Lencioni's work: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ou9nrWEMwQc6Y7wX6p41ZwbmuZT2uPju/view?usp=drive_link

— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —

• Episode 282 - Leadership Lessons from a CEO Who Built Cultures by Design - With Lawrence R. Armstrong
• Episode 132 - How to Increase Employee Engagement & Team Alignment - With Steve Curtin

— WHAT’S NEXT? —

Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.

Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP

Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz

Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass

Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!

If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw

* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

You’ve heard it a thousand times. It’s practically gospel in leadership circles:

“People don’t leave jobs, they leave managers.”

It’s a catchy phrase. It makes for a great headline. But there’s one major problem: The data doesn't fully back it up.

When a high performer hands in their resignation, most good managers immediately spiral into self-doubt. They ask, “What did I do wrong? How did I fail them?”

But according to the latest research, you might be taking the blame for things entirely out of your control, like company-wide toxic culture, stagnant compensation, or the simple "pull" of a better opportunity.

In this week's episode of The Manager Track podcast, we’re flipping the script. I’m sharing the raw data on why people actually quit in 2024 and 2025, and how you can use these departures as fuel for your growth instead of fuel for your insecurity.

• Push vs. Pull Factors: Understanding why employees actually leave jobs
• The "Shadow Job Description": A Harvard-backed concept to ensure your next hire actually fits the reality of the role.
• Stay Interviews: The proactive tool you need to use before the two-week notice lands on your desk.
• Post-Mortem: How to run a real postmortem when someone leaves, including the timing, questions, and mindset that turn an exit into actionable insight instead of noise.

If you’ve recently lost a team member and felt like it was a personal failure, you need to hear this. It’s time to stop the guilt and start leading with a more accurate map.

Listen or watch now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

— RESOURCES MENTIONED —

• Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona HERE. 
• Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkits
• Learn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: http://archova.org/1on1-course
• Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP

— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —

• Episode 241 - Why Leaders Should Rethink Employee Departures - With Robert Glazer
• Episode 120 - When a Direct Resigns, What's Your Responsibility?

— WHAT’S NEXT? —

Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.

Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP

Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz

Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass

Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!

If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw

* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

Most people think moving into leadership is about a title, a pay raise, and reaching that next career step of finally "leading a team."

But as anyone who has actually done it knows... it’s usually a rude awakening.

To celebrate our 300th episode of The Manager Track, we brought together 3 incredible leaders who recently took on their first official leadership roles. They represent completely different worlds: running a team of nurses, building up a marketing agency, and leading an engineering team.

We talked about the stuff no one likes to admit: the jealousy of seeing others shine in what you used to do, the fear of making a mistake, and the moment you realize you don't have to know everything.

They didn't give me the "corporate" answers. They gave me the truth.

In this special 300th episode roundtable, we dive into:

• The "Knowledge Trap": Why being the technical expert is actually your biggest hurdle to becoming a great leader.
• Managing Up: The "aha" moment when you realize your most important relationship is the one with your manager.
• The Jealousy Factor: How to handle the internal "niggle" when someone else gets the credit for your idea.
• Redefining "Good": How their definition of a manager shifted from "organized and knowledgable" to "open and self-aware."

Whether you’re a new manager, a seasoned leader, or someone eyeing that next promotion, this conversation is relatable and inspiring!

Listen or watch now on our Website, Spotify,Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

To the next 300 episodes 🎊

— RESOURCES MENTIONED —

• Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona HERE. 
• Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkits
• Learn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: http://archova.org/1on1-course
• Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP

— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —

• Episode 262 - The First-Time Manager Experience
• Episode 61 - From IC to Manager - 4 Main Shifts

— WHAT’S NEXT? —

Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.

Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP

Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz

Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass

Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!

If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw

* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

Once a reputation sticks at work, it can feel impossible to change.

You’re trying to do better and you’re showing up differently.

But people still see the old you:

• The "difficult" one
• The "not a team player"
• The "abrasive" manager
• The person who "messed up that one time" and never lived it down

You can’t outwork a bad story that’s still circulating about you in rooms you’re not in.

What you need is a strategy, not just more effort.

In this episode, Ramona breaks down a clear, practical framework to rebuild a damaged work reputation and actually make your growth visible to others.

You’ll learn:

• Why quietly "doing better" isn’t enough to change how people see you
• The psychology behind how reputations form and get stuck at work
• Scripts to use when you need to own past mistakes without over‑apologizing
• How to redirect gossip and old narratives without sounding defensive

If you feel like your past at work keeps dragging your present (and future) down, this episode will show you how to take back control of the narrative.

Listen now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

— RESOURCES MENTIONED —

• Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona HERE. 
• Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkits
• Learn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: http://archova.org/1on1-course
• Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP

— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —

• Episode 248 - Mental Traps That Keep Leaders Stuck
• Episode 203 - Current-Day Lessons From Historical Leaders - with Moshik Temkin

— WHAT’S NEXT? —

Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.

Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP

Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz

Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass

Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!

If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw

* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

Here's what they told you: "Trust takes time. Keep your head down, prove yourself, and eventually they'll trust you."

Wrong.

Research shows that a good part of your perceived effectiveness as a leader is locked in within the first 90 days and most of that perception forms in the first two weeks.

While you're busy "listening and learning," here's what's actually happening behind your back:

• Your team is deciding if you're weak or strong
• The old guard is calculating how to box you in
• Your boss is trying to figure out whether they made the right hire

The clock is ticking. And the game isn't about earning trust over time. It's about trust velocity: How fast can you establish credibility, predictability, and authority before that window closes?

In Episode 298 of The Manager Track, we break down:

• The 2 Asymmetries that explain why new leaders struggle when trust isn't there
• The Frame Control Rule that flips power dynamics in your first conversations
• The 4-Level Trust Response Ladder to foster an environment for mutual trust to form without people pleasing or defensiveness
• The Trust Investor Strategy: How giving trust before it's earned triggers a powerful reciprocity reflex
• This isn't theory. This is what actually works behind closed doors at high-performing companies backed by behavioral science and real leadership wins.

If you've ever walked into a new role and felt like you were on trial, this episode is for you.

Listen now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

— RESOURCES MENTIONED —

• Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona HERE. 
• Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkits
• Learn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: http://archova.org/1on1-course
• Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP

— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —

• Episode 234 - Trusting Your Team & Your Team Trusting You - With Charles Feltman
• Episode 19 - The Importance of Trust in Leadership - With Brian Harman

— WHAT’S NEXT? —

Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.

Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP

Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz

Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass

Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!

If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw

* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

You know that sinking feeling when you find out your boss grabbed coffee with one of your team members and you had no idea it was happening?

Yeah. Not great.

Or maybe you've been on the other side: invited to meet with your skip-level leader and wondering, "Wait... what am I supposed to talk about?"

Skip-level meetings are one of those leadership practices that can be incredibly powerful or spectacularly messy. And honestly? Most organizations and leaders are underestimating the cost and downside of ineffective skip-level meetings.

When done right, skip levels give senior leaders unfiltered insight into what's actually happening on the ground. They help spot patterns early, make leadership feel accessible, and surface hidden talent that might otherwise go unnoticed.

But when done poorly? They destroy trust, create political chaos, and teach people that the fastest way to get something done is to go around their manager.

So in this week's episode of The Managed Track Podcast, we're breaking down everything you need to know about skip-level meetings:

• Why they exist (and what problem they're actually solving)
• The five biggest ways they go wrong (triangulation, anyone?)
• Practical playbooks for all three roles: the senior leader running them, the manager whose team is involved, and the employee being invited

I also reached out to 14 HR leaders to get their take on best practices, and I'm sharing all of that consolidated wisdom with you.

Whether you're a senior leader trying to stay connected to the work, a manager navigating these conversations with your team, or an individual contributor preparing for your first skip-level meeting, this episode will help you make the most of them while avoiding the common pitfalls.

Listen now on Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

— RESOURCES MENTIONED —

• Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona HERE. 
• Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkits
• Learn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: http://archova.org/1on1-course
• Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP

— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —

• Episode 183 - Creating Effective, Engaging, and Enjoyable Meetings - Interview with Mamie Kanfer Stewart
• Episode 42 - How to Run 1-on-1 Meetings Your Direct Reports Actually Enjoy

— WHAT’S NEXT? —

Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.

Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP

Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz

Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass

Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!

If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw

* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

If you’re a manager, you’ve probably seen this play out. One person on your team is trying every new tool. Another hasn’t touched it. 

Meanwhile, you’re too busy to figure out how to actually boost team productivity with AI in a coordinated and effective way.

In this week’s episode of The Manager Track, Ramona talks about what AI adoption actually looks like for managers in non-technical roles, where it’s easy to delay and even easier to get left behind.

She shares a clear and practical approach to integrating AI into your team’s work without creating overwhelm or eroding your team’s thinking skills.

Key takeaways from the episode:

• Run small, low-risk experiments tied to real work. Measure the result and share learnings.
• Shift from task-based thinking to workflows so automation can scale and repeat.
• Build team-wide learning loops to avoid knowledge silos and uneven adoption.
• Don’t outsource your judgment. Prompt AI in ways that sharpen, not replace, your thinking.

This isn’t theory. It’s a hands-on approach for managers who want to learn how to work with AI and lead a team through technological change. 

Listen now on Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

— RESOURCES MENTIONED —

• Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona HERE. 
• Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkits
• Learn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: http://archova.org/1on1-course
• Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP

— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —

• Episode 240 - AI-Powered People Leadership
• Episode 218 - GenAI for Managers

— WHAT’S NEXT? —

Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.

Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP

Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz

Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass

Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!

If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw

* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

Many capable leaders hit a ceiling not because they lack skill or experience, but because their thinking lives only in their heads.

In this episode of The Manager Track, Ramona breaks down one of the most overlooked strategies for leaders who want to increase their impact, improve how they’re perceived, and position themselves for a promotion. 

This is all about building your own framework.

You’ll learn why relying on individual examples, opinions, or ad hoc explanations limits your influence, and how frameworks turn experience into something scalable, teachable, and repeatable. 

Ramona explains what a framework really is, how it’s different from opinions or corporate jargon, and why the ability to simplify complex thinking is often what separates competent managers from leaders who advance.

The episode walks through:

• real examples, 
• common mistakes leaders make when trying to codify their thinking, 
• and a practical step-by-step approach to creating a framework that others can actually use. 

This isn’t about personal branding or LinkedIn thought leadership. It’s about translating discernment, pattern recognition, and experience into clarity that helps others make better decisions, even when you’re not in the room. If you want to stop over-explaining, scale your expertise, and be seen as a leader who defines problems rather than just reacts to them, this episode is for you.

Listen now on Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

— RESOURCES MENTIONED —

- Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona HERE. 

- Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkits

- Learn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: http://archova.org/1on1-course

- Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP

— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —

- Episode 259 - Resilience at Work: The Leadership Skill You Can’t Ignore

- Episode 247 - Beyond Values - Creating Explicit Leadership Expectations

— WHAT’S NEXT? —

Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.

Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP

Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz

Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass

Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!

If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw

* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

Setting big goals feels productive. It gives you a hit of clarity and a sense of control.

But most goals don’t fail because you lacked clarity or motivation. They fail because you built them on the wrong foundation.

This week on The Manager Track, we’re unpacking two practices that change the entire goal-setting game: identity-driven goal setting and the pre-mortem. 

One helps you stop relying on mood and willpower by anchoring your goals to who you are becoming. The other helps you get ahead of predictable derailers before they cost you the year.

In this episode, we cover:

• Identity-Driven Goal Setting: Why “who you want to be” is more powerful than “what you want to do”
• Proof Goals: How to set goals that build evidence and momentum, not just outcomes you hope for
• The Pre-Mortem Method: how to assume the plan fails and map the most likely reasons

If you want to pursue goals this year that actually survive busy weeks, shifting priorities, and imperfect energy, this episode will give you a practical system to do so. 

Listen now on Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

— RESOURCES MENTIONED —

- Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkits

- Learn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: http://archova.org/1on1-course

- Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona HERE. 

- Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP

— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —

- Episode 235 - How to Set Growth Goals That Actually Drive Results

- Episode 196 - Changing Behaviors & Achieving Goals

— WHAT’S NEXT? —

Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.

Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP

Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz

Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass

Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!

If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw

* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

This episode is a re-release of Ep 274, one of the most popular episodes of The Manager Track podcast. We'll be back with a new episode on January 6, 2025.

But when you’re the one staying late, fixing mistakes, and picking up the slack, that “helpfulness” becomes a leadership trap.

And if you don’t catch it early, it’ll quietly sabotage your team’s growth.

In this episode of The Manager Track podcast, Ramona dives into the sneaky habit of self-sacrificing managers who end up doing everyone’s work under the disguise of being “helpful” or “collaborative.” 

It might feel like you’re being a servant leader, but really, you’re becoming an overused safety net for everyone else.

What we’ll unpack:

- Why doing your team’s work isn’t helping them (or you)

- The real reason you cave when people push back 

- How to stop trading respect for temporary approval

- Why being seen as “nice” isn’t the same as being an effective leader

- The four habits to break the self-sacrificing cycle for good

If you’re tired of staying late, fixing things that shouldn’t be yours, and wondering why you’re the only one drowning, this episode will hit home. You’ll learn how to lead without over-functioning, set better boundaries, and actually develop your team. 

— RESOURCES MENTIONED —

- Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkits

- Executive Presence Intensive: archova.org/executive-presence-program 

- Learn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: http://archova.org/1on1-course

- Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona HERE. 

- Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP

— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —

- Episode 250 - Why “Figure It Out” Doesn’t Work: The Cost of Untrained Managers

- Episode 225- Optimizing Work Dynamics - With Lotus Buckner

— WHAT’S NEXT? —

Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.

Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP

Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz

Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass

Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!

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