We've all heard of the open door policy, a concept that encourages accessibility and open communication between leaders and their teams. On this episode of the Managing with Mind and Heart, Ethan and Mike Nash discuss the "half open door policy," where leaders balance approachability with boundaries.

Text the word "LEADING" to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting's monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

Unclear timelines don't just slow work, they damage trust. This episode explores why naming a "by-when" is essential for reliability, accountability, and healthy workplace relationships, and how to start establishing a culture of clear expectations with your team.

Text the word "LEADING" to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting's monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

Interest in pursuing management positions is declining. This episode makes the case for why that's not all bad, and why some people should think again before opting out.

Text the word "LEADING" to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting's monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

In this episode of Managing with Mind and Heart, Nash Consulting CEO Ethan Nash explores the Systems Thinking model, which emphasizes that improving structures and processes is often more effective—and more sustainable—than trying to fix people. While some challenges may still require personal intervention from managers, tools like the "Five Why" technique show how a Systems Thinking approach helps leaders address conflict with clarity and purpose.

Enroll in our Managing with Mind and Heart workshop series here! Use the code MINDANDHEARTPOD for a discount.

Text the word "LEADING" to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting's monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

How are you supposed to respond when an employee comes to you with a concern? In this episode, Mike and Ethan explain that It all comes down to how you answer these two questions:

1. Does this issue impact the employee's ability to do their job?
2. Does this issue impact the organization?

Depending on how you answer these, managers have five options for how to address the concern. Tune in to learn more!

Note: in this episode, we mentioned this blog post.

Text the word "LEADING" to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting's monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

In this episode, host Ethan Nash reintroduces the concept of assigning a Single Point of Accountability on every single project. He reminds listeners that all too often, project or team dysfunction can be accredited to one simple miss: the lack of an SPA. Tune in to discover how to prevent chaos and keep your projects on track.

Text the word "LEADING" to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting's monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

In this episode, Nash Consulting's CEO Ethan Nash discusses why emotional IQ skills matter for leaders, oftentimes more than solid processes. Nash defines these skills as "repeatable behaviors often complemented with repeatable mindsets that produce consistent outcomes." Tune in to learn more about the top three skills to keep in mind to increase your effectiveness as a leader.

In this episode, we mentioned:

• Episode on listening with care and respect
• Episode on receiving feedback non defensively
• Episode on giving feedback with clarity and respect, and engineered in a way to lower defenses

Text the word "LEADING" to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting's monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

In this episode of the Managing with Mind and Heart podcast, Nash Consulting's Anna Gibson rejoins Ethan Nash in a follow-up to our September discussion on Team Effectiveness.

Drawing from the research-backed framework from Teams That Work by Eduardo Salas and Scott Tannenbaum, which explores the "Seven Cs" that drive team success (Capability, Coordination, Cooperation, Communication, Cognition, Conditions, and Coaching), they explore how to assess whether your team is truly hitting the mark.

Text the word "LEADING" to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting's monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

In this episode of the Managing with Mind and Heart Podcast, host Ethan Nash breaks down the beginning of the book, The Culture Code, where author Daniel Coyle explores why psychological safety, rather than talent, is the foundation of great teams. By diving into some of Nash Consulting's favorite excerpts, we unpack the signals that say "you belong here" and explore best practices for leaders.

In this episode we mentioned the following episodes:

• Awareness of and Moderating your Power Differential
• Healthy Conflict, parts one, two, three, and four
• Creating Psychological Safety
• Best practice listening skills (episode 53 and episode 71)
• Mindsets for Receiving Feedback
• Tell Your Employees You Appreciate Them (Categories & Strategies Of Recognition)

Text the word "LEADING" to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting's monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

What do you do when the same negative behavior keeps showing up from an employee? This episode explores the concept of progressive conversations, a respectful, relational approach to coaching that builds accountability without breaking trust. Instead of repeating yourself or jumping straight to discipline, you gradually increase the intensity of each conversation, from a casual "by the way" chat to more structured steps when needed. It's a framework that helps leaders stay fair, consistent, and human while guiding performance change.

Here are two previous episodes on how to give feedback.

Text the word "LEADING" to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting's monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.