In episode 2 of The Manager’s Field Guide, Wendy Loewen continues the conversation with Daniel Anthony Doerksen and Chris Downey as they continue their series on You Can Manage: A Practical Guide to Becoming the Manager Everyone Wants, focusing on Essential 1: “Start with You”. They discuss how strongly managers shape people’s workplace experience, citing research that 70% of engagement variance links to the direct manager and that a direct manager influences mental health and wellbeing as much as a spouse. The conversation emphasizes grounding management in “ways of being” before “ways of doing,” clarifying personal purpose and values, and creating a leadership charter to define the kind of manager you want to be. They highlight the intentions–impact gap, the need for feedback to reduce blind spots, and recommend self-care as an ethical responsibility.

Ready to make your workplace somewhere people actually want to be? ACHIEVE has everything you need to get there.

Try our free Culture Transformation Starter Kit!