The Modern Manager

Goals. Such a small, yet powerful word. So much of our time and energy are spent in pursuit of our goals yet rarely do we pause to consider if we’ve established the right type of goal.

In this episode, I talk through three core types of goals and how to use them to help you write better goals for yourself, your team, and your organization.

The full episode guide includes an overview of each type of goal plus a 4th bonus goal type, how to write them and what they are best suited for. Get it when you join the Modern Manager community or purchase the full guide at www.themodernmanager.com/shop.  

Get the free mini-guide at www.themodernmanager.com/miniguides.

Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox. 

Have you worked for a rock star manager? Sign up to be interviewed for my next book: www.managerialgreatness.com

Learn more and register for  The Modern Manager Guide to Effective Delegation - course launches August 11, 2020. Get 10% off with code EARLY10! When you register by July 28.

Read the related blog article: How to Use the Three Types of Goals

Key Takeaways:

• Goals are critical to how an organization, team, and individual work. They guide significant aspects of how people think and behave.
• There are three basic types of goals: (1) Impact goals, (2) Output goals, (3) Process goals.
• Impact goals focus on the result that is achieved. They are often out of our direct control.
• Output goals focus on the deliverable or accomplishment. They tend to be short term.
• Process goals focus on behavior. They generally include an action and frequency.
• When writing goals, include any measures that describe success more fully. Often goals have a main focus, but many additional factors that must be met in order for the goal to be fully achieved.
• Include a timeline for all goals. Even arbitrary timelines are useful in that they help you negotiate how you’ll spend your time. Goals without any due date always fall to the bottom of the list.

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So much of what a manager does relies on good communication skills. Yet effective communication practices are not always obvious or intuitive. When managers become intentional about their communications, they can turbo-boost the effectiveness of their team members while strengthening relationships and trust. 

In this episode, I speak with Alisa Cohn. Alisa is the world's top startup coach. She has worked with clients such as Etsy, Venmo and Foursquare and others you haven't heard of yet....but you will! She also writes for Inc and Forbes and is an angel investor and Broadway investor.

Alisa and I talk about common mistakes managers make when communicating with their team members. We talk about power and authority, delegation, micro-management, chat tools and more. 

Get 10% off The Modern Manager’s Guide to Effective Delegation you register before July 28, 2020. Use code Early10! -- Members get 20% of this course. Learn more at  www.themodernmanager.com/courses/effective-delegation

Get free mini-guide at www.themodernmanager.com/miniguides.

Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox. 

Have you worked for a rock star manager? Be part of the research for my next book - schedule your 45 minute interview at www.managerialgreatness.com

Read the related blog article: Six Tips For Managers  From The World’s Leading Startup Coach

Key Takeaways:

• It’s easy to forget that you have positional authority (i.e. you are someone with power) so what you say carries a lot of weight even if it’s not intended to.
• To counteract the negative side of this positional power, you must build psychological safety. Demonstrate to your team that you listen and remove obstacles. Consider using phrases like “I’m wondering about” or “this is just a thought” to clarify and explicitly signal when you’re in brainstorm, not decision mode. Offer to have another conversation about it rather than move forward.
• Be thoughtful about how you delegate. What work, to which person, how you onboard them to it, etc. You must be clear about what finished looks like before you can ask someone else to take over.
• Talk with each team member about what the right forms of autonomy are for them - what they feel confident with, where they need help / want to grow. Make this a regular conversation so you can both continue to refine and evolve your oversight.
• Clarify decisions and next steps at the end of a meeting. Ensure people are on the same page to reduce confusion going forward.
• Make a plan with your team for how you’ll use each mode of communication (chat, email meetings, etc). Chat is great for engaging many people and quickly gathering responses. Email is great for longer information sharing and response time. Agree on document storage norms, too, so people can find what they need.
• Talk with each team member about their schedule and home-office setup, and work with them as needed to create the optimal working conditions. 
• Everyone should spend 1-3 hours per week on planning and strategic thinking. This is the time to organize your week/days so you can focus on the important (not just urgent) and streamline your productivity for the week. 
• As a manager, part of your strategic thinking time is to reflect on each team member and how you can best support them to make progress - what do they need from you to be successful? How can you help them grow? Are you fully utilizing their talents and capabilities?

Additional Resources:

• The Modern Manager’s Guide to Effective Delegation  www.themodernmanager.com/courses/effective-delegation -- Use code EARLY10! To get 10% off until July 20th.

KEEP UP WITH ALISA

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisacohn/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlisaCohn
• Website: https://www.alisacohn.com/

[email protected]

Shop the Modern Manager store: www.themodernmanager.com/shop -- Use code LAUNCH10 to get 10% off until August 1st

I love solving people’s problems to make their lives easier, but as a manager, that may be counter-productive. Coaching a team member is more powerful when you help understand their thoughts and find their own solutions. This helps them solve their future challenges in addition to the current struggle.

Today’s guest is Dr. Marcia Reynolds. Marcia is a world-renowned expert on inspiring change through conversations, delivering programs and coaching leaders in 41 countries while reaching thousands online. She has four award-winning books including the one she just released Coach the Person, Not the Problem: A Guide to Using Reflective Inquiry. Marcia is passionate about how coaching contributes to making our organizations and the world a better place for all.

Marcia and I talk about the difference between advising, questioning and true coaching. We get into the practicality of how to have a productive coaching conversation, and what happens when you actually help someone see their own thought patterns and choose to transform themselves. 

Get early access to a special page full of bonus resources from Marcia when you join the Modern Manager community 

Get free mini-guide at www.themodernmanager.com/miniguides.

Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox. 

Have you worked for a rock star manager? Be part of the research for my next book - schedule your 45 minute interview at www.managerialgreatness.com

Read the related blog article:  The Manager's Job Is To Be The Coach, Not The Expert

Key Takeaways:

• Coaching is being a thinking partner where you help someone take the stories out of their head so they can examine them.
• Giving advice, or telling people how to fix their problems, isn’t as effective as when the person generates the solution for themselves.  
• When we aren’t bought into a solution, we don’t take action. Even if we agree with an idea, if it’s not our idea, we’re less likely to follow through on it.
• Being a great coach isn’t about asking good questions. It’s about creating a safe space to reflect back what you’re hearing so the person can decide what it means to them.
• Good coaches let go of their own expertise and judgement. They focus on being good listeners and summarizing what they hear, picking up on emotions and thought patterns.
• Practice coaching with a buddy, friend, colleague or partner. Try coaching each other to get the benefit of experiencing reflexive inquiry as a coach and a coachee.
• When someone shifts their internal stories, it has a profound impact in how they show up as a person.

Additional Resources:

• Know Your Rights Camp COVID19 Relief Fund https://www.knowyourrightscamp.com/covid19
• Shop for Modern Manager gear at www.themodernmanager.co/shop -- Use code LAUNCH10 to get 10% off until August 1st

KEEP UP WITH MARCIA

• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marciareynolds/
• Twitter https://twitter.com/MarciaReynolds
• Website: https://covisioning.com

[email protected]

Shop the Modern Manager store: www.themodernmanager.com/shop

Disrespect in the workplace rarely begins with full blown harassment. Before it escalates, teams often see signs of demeaning behavior such as ignoring someone’s contributions, off-colored jokes, and intentional undermining. As a manager, and good human, it’s your responsibility to end these minor offenses before they become normalized, leading to much worse.

Today’s guest is Emily May. Emily is an international leader in the movement to end harassment — in all its forms. In 2005, at the age of 24, she co-founded Hollaback! in New York City, and in 2010 she became its first full-time executive director. Our executive director has also won many awards for her leadership, including the TEDCity 2.0 Prize. Emily has a Master’s Degree in Social Policy from the London School of Economics, is an Ashoka Fellow and a Prime Movers Fellow.

Emily shares the 5 Ds of bystander intervention, explaining various ways you can help when you notice disrespectful behaviors in your workplace. 

Get 10% off trainings with Hollaback! when you join the Modern Manager community 

Get free mini-guide at www.themodernmanager.co/miniguides.

Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox. 

Have you worked for a rock star manager? Be part of the research for my next book - schedule your 45 minute interview at www.managerialgreatness.com

Read the related blog article: What To Do When You Witness Disrespect In The Workplace

Key Takeaways:

• There is a spectrum of disrespectful behaviors ranging from mild - not listening to each other, intentional undermining, shaming via jokes - to severe - harassing comments, sexual innuendos, inappropriate touching.
• Cultures that accept mild behaviors tend to slowly accept more aggressive ones. It’s important to interrupt small behaviors so they don’t take root. 
• Don’t wait until it ‘qualifies’ as harassment and requires attention from HR. Use the 5 Ds to appropriately interrupt disrespectful behaviors.
• The 5 Ds of bystander intervention: Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay, Direct.
• Distract: create a distraction that redirects attention, giving both parties a chance to disengage. Try engaging the person experiencing the disrespect in a conversation or asking for their help. Or, make a commotion.
• Delegate: find the appropriate authority or someone else to help with the situation. This may be an HR team member or a nearby colleague who is more comfortable engaging.
• Document: capture the situation - who, what, when, where - and give the documentation to the person being disrespected so they can decide what to do with that information. Documenting is critical because memories are fallible and a paper-trail will be useful if further action is needed in the future.
• Delay: check in with the person being targeted after to see if they’re OK and what they need. Simply acknowledging what happened can reduce the impact of trauma. Ignoring it compounds the experience because you feel like no one has your back. 
• Direct: confront the initiator and let them know their behavior is not acceptable. If a comment is disrespectful, try asking the person to clarify what they mean. 
• Regardless of the in-the-moment tactic, as a manager, you need to follow up with the offender and let them know their behavior is not acceptable in the workplace.
• It’s normal to worry about your own safety or job security or consequence of engaging. That’s why you need to choose the D that feels best to you. Direct intervention is rarely the optimal approach. 
• Harassment and disrespectful behaviors show up in all kinds of teams - in person and virtual - and takes many forms - racism, sexism, ableism, etc. There is no place for any of it in a healthy workplace culture.

Additional Resources:

• Know Your Rights Camp COVID19 Relief Fund https://www.knowyourrightscamp.com/covid19
• Shop for Modern Manager gear at www.themodernmanager.co/shop -- Use code LAUNCH10 to get 10% off until August 1st

KEEP UP WITH EMILY

• Twitter: @ihollaback
• Instagram: @ihollagram
• Facebook: facebook.com/ihollaback
• Website: ihollaback.org

[email protected]

Shop the Modern Manager store: www.themodernmanager.co/shop

The brain works in mysterious ways, many of which were designed to help us survive in the wild thousands of years ago. Those same functions, though, can also get in the way of us being our best as managers.

Logistically, the most obvious way to make email more manageable is to just have fewer emails coming in. But in reality, this might actually be the hardest thing to make happen because we’re not totally in control of how many emails we receive every day.

This week I walk through 3 cognitive biases and 1 cognitive state that may be inhibiting you from achieving managerial greatness and building a healthy team environment. 

The full episode guide includes an overview of each topic, questions for reflection and actions you can take to overcome these unhelpful states. Get it when you join the Modern Manager community or purchase the full guide at  www.themodernmanager.co/shop.  

Get the free mini-guide at www.themodernmanager.co/miniguides.

Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox. 

Read the related blog article:  Don't Let Cognitive Biases Get in the Way of Being a Great Manager

Key Takeaways:

• Cognitive biases are the systematic ways in which the context and framing of information influence our judgment and decision-making.
• This Actor-Observer bias says that when something negative happens to me, I blame the situation or circumstances. But when that same negative thing happens to someone else, I blame the person - their choices, behaviors, values or personality.
• For managers, this may impact how you view a poor performer or when a mistake or failure occurs.
• To avoid mis-attributing something negative to the person, check in with them. Use the conversation to gather more information in order to have a more informed understanding of the context and the person.
• The Recency Effect says that we tend to remember or over-weigh the most recent information we have access to.
• For managers, this is particularly important when giving feedback or annual performance reviews. 
• To combat this, gather data across time so you can look for trends and have accurate information without relying on your memory.
• The Negativity Bias says we tend to register negative content more easily than positive, and we tend to dwell on the negative more than the positive.
• For managers, this may impact what feedback you provide, making it more likely to find criticisms and issues and not celebrating wins or sharing appreciation often enough.
• To counterbalance this, incorporate time for gratitude into your day or week and take time to celebrate the positives with your whole team.
• Cognitive Dissonance is the mental conflict of holding two conflicting beliefs or seeing the disconnect between two things that are true for you but don’t logically make sense together.
• For managers, this may appear when we receive feedback or discover that how we perceive ourselves is not how others perceive us, fostering defensiveness or dismissal of others’ opinions.
• When trying to reduce the uncomfortable state of cognitive dissonance, accept that your behavior may have been interpreted differently and that’s OK. Consider how you might adjust it to better match your beliefs and intentions.

Additional Resources:

• Know Your Rights Camp COVID19 Relief Fund https://www.knowyourrightscamp.com/covid19
• Shop for Modern Manager gear at www.themodernmanager.co/shop -- Use code LAUNCH10 to get 10% off until August 1st
• More on cognitive biases www.verywellmind.com

[email protected]

Shop the Modern Manager store: www.themodernmanager.co/shop

Almost everything is easier when we understand what really matters. That is true of ourselves and aligning how we show up with our values, and it’s true of others, so we can engage with them in ways that meet their needs. But knowing what actually is important (to us and them) is often easier said than done.

Today’s guest is Sue Salvemini. Sue is the Founder & President Focal Pointe Consulting Group and Executive and Leadership Coach - bringing over 20 years of real-world experience from leading as an officer in the army, to leading in corporate america in Sales & marketing in the fast paced medical device technology world.

Sue and I talk about leading yourself and others, aligning your leadership style with your core values, and how to talk with your team members in an authentic way to get them to give you honest feedback so that you can show up as a better manager.

Warning: Sue and I recorded this episode during the first week of March, before the Coronavirus pandemic hit the US in a serious way. At one point, Sue references an activity that involves imagining a funeral, which may be a sensitive subject or triggering for some listeners right now. If that feels like too much for you, I suggest you enjoy a different episode and come back to this another time.

Read the related blog article: How To Get Honest, Helpful Feedback From Your Team

Join the Modern Manager community (www.themodernmanager.co/join) for a free audio version of Sue’s book Leadership by Choice plus some additional resources. Plus, if you join by July 3, 2020, you will be entered in a drawing to win a copy of Be Kind: A Year of Kindness, One Week at a Time. 

If you work for a nonprofit or government agency, email me at [email protected] for 20% off any membership level.

Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Leadership is the ability to impact and influence other people, starting with yourself.
• Just because you don’t have a leadership title or position of authority, doesn’t mean you don’t need to display leadership behaviors. We are each responsible for how we show up in the moment.
• There is no single right way to lead. It’s important to be authentic in your leadership style and lead from your core values.
• Think deeply about what matters to you. Project your life into the future - what do you want your legacy to be? How do you want people to describe you?
• Key value for Managers: Be curious and genuinely interested in what motivates and inspires your people.
• Ask each of your team members directly: What do you like most about working with me? What do you find most frustrating about working with me? What do you find most meaningful about your job? What do you find most frustrating about your job? These questions help you learn and show you care.
• To help make the person comfortable with sharing honestly, set the stage that this information will help you better serve them. Acknowledge that this may be an uncomfortable conversation but you know you’re not showing up in the optimal way and want to improve, and need their help to do so.
• Talk to your manager and offer to share feedback that would help them work better with you. Position it as you know you can do better if they’re open to hearing what you need to be most successful.

KEEP UP WITH SUE

Book: leadershipbychoice.com [book - also on AMAZON]

Website: focalpointeinc.com [co. website for contact/gen info]

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/suesalvemini

[email protected]

Being productive often sounds easier than it actually is. It’s hard to make progress on the important things when you’re busy balancing various priorities, checking things off the endless to-do list, and responding to team members’ urgent needs. 

Today’s guest is Tonya Dalton. Tonya is a productivity expert, author, speaker and founder of inkWELL Press Productivity Co, a company centered around productivity tools and training. She released her book, The Joy of Missing Out, with Harper Collins in the fall of 2019, which has been named a top ten business book of the year by Fortune Magazine.

Tonya’s messages about business management, productivity, and the pursuit of passion have impacted thousands and inspired her to launch her podcast, Productivity Paradox which has surpassed more than a million downloads. Her podcast regularly ranks in the top 50 of all business management podcasts on Apple Podcasts.

Tonya and I talk about the difference between being busy and being productive and how to re-think the idea of work-life balance. We walk through the basics of the Live Well method, how to protect your time when it feels like it’s owned by your company or your team, and much more. 

Read the related blog article: How To Live A Less Busy, But More Productive, Life

Join the Modern Manager community (www.themodernmanager.co/join) to get 20% off at inkWELL Press until September 1, 2020. Plus, get the chance to win a copy of Be Kind: A Year of Kindness, One Week at a Time from prior guest Jaclyn Lindsey. You must be a member by July 3, 2020 to be eligible. 

If you work for a nonprofit or government agency, email me at [email protected] for 20% off any membership level.

Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Being productive is about doing what’s most important and what moves you forward.
• It’s better to do fewer, right things, than be busy with many things that don’t move the needle.
• There is no such thing as work-life balance. Instead, it’s a constant dance of leaning and counterbalancing. There are times when we need to spend more time, energy and focus at work and then times when we do at home, or on ourselves. The goal is not equal attention to all areas, but a healthy ebb and flow.
• The Live Well method has four stages: (1) Discovery - what matters to you; (2) Clarify - how do you design your life around your priorities; (3) Simplify - streamline, automate and simplify as much as possible (4) Harmony - make it manageable and embrace happiness.
• It’s important to think of your life holistically. You need work and home to both be running smoothly if you want to be your best self.
• Don’t forget about yourself. Our brains and bodies need rest, rejuvenation and investment. 
• The human brain has an ultradian rhythm which means it works hard for 90-120 minutes and then needs a break. It can’t work at full speed for 8 hours straight.
• Block time on your calendar to do your important work. This signals to colleagues that you’re not available.
• It’s OK to say no to a meeting or to ask for an agenda and decide if you should attend or what parts you should attend.
• Don’t let a 5 minute ‘quick question’ become a 30 minute conversation. If you’ve got other things to do, schedule a better time to discuss the topic or use a different mode of connection e.g. chat app or email.
• Put a sign on your door or on your chat availability that say you’re busy. Include what time you’ll be done so colleagues (or housemates) know when they can interrupt you again.
• Improve your habits. Use timers to set reminders, set routines for how you start and end your day.
• Share what matters to you with your team. Let them know of any time you’ve blocked for specific deep work. The more your team is aware of your goals and priorities, the more easily they can work in ways that allows you to focus. It also brings the team closer into alignment. 

KEEP UP WITH TONYA

Website: tonyadalton.com

Facebook: tonyadalton.com/fb

Book: joyofmissingout.com

Instagram: @tonya.i.dalton

RESOURCES

• Book: How To Be An Inclusive Leader
• Episode 89: Growing into an Inclusive Leader with Jennifer Brown
• Color of Change https://colorofchange.org/
• Equal Justice Initiative https://eji.org/racial-justice/

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Who doesn’t want more kindness in their life? Yet it’s not always easy to be kind, especially at work where tensions run high or we risk kindness being interpreted as weakness. Throw a pandemic on top of that and you’ve got an unbelievably stressful environment -- which is when kindness can matter most. 

Today’s guest is Jaclyn Lindsey, co-founder and CEO of kindness.org. Jaclyn believes that kindness is humanity's greatest asset. It was this ethos that inspired her to launch kindness.org, a global non-profit building evidence-based programs for kinder classrooms, communities and workplaces. 

Jaclyn and I talk about the science of kindness, the role kindness plays in our work experience, why being kind matters, how you can still show kindness even at a distance, and how to get your team on board with the idea of being kinder at work. Now here’s the conversation!

Read the related blog article: Simple Ways to Benefit from Kindness In The Workplace

Join the Modern Manager community (www.themodernmanager.co/join) for the chance to win a copy of Be Kind: A Year of Kindness, One Week at a Time. You must be a member by July 3, 2020 to be eligible. 

If you work for a nonprofit or government agency, email me at [email protected] for 20% off any membership level.

Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Kindness is a choice, it's an action.
• Kindness is not the same as being weak, fluffy, feminine or soft. 
• Research has proven that kindness has a significant effect on happiness and overall well being for the person who acts with kindness, the recipient of the kindness, and a person who witnesses the kindness. 
• Kindness does not need to be heroic actions. The small daily interactions and behaviors often matter more. For example, simply smiling and greeting someone or asking how they are doing with genuine curiosity.
• It often takes strength to choose kindness. There are times when we are hurt, betrayed, stressed or resentful and it seems easier to act out of negativity. But rising above and letting something go or confronting it with an open mind demonstrates you are willing to go to great lengths to seek to better yourself and the team.
• One of the most powerful acts of kindness a manager can do is consistently say good morning to their team members. It’s simply acknowledging the person.
• You can show kindness at a distance by sending an email, a message on Slack, a handwritten note, calling a team member to check in on them,  etc.
• Introduce kindness to your team by having a conversation about what kindness means to you. Talk about why kindness matters and what it looks like in a work setting. Let your team know that kindness is welcomed and encouraged. 
• Often people just need to know that it's acceptable to be kind, it’s expected that we care for each other. 
• Share stories in a meeting or via Slack of moments where kindness made a difference in your life, or, where you experienced a lack of kindness and how that impacted you. 
• Think about how you can put kindness at the forefront of all you do, recognizing that we can never fully understand or know someone else’s story, but we can approach each person and situation with a generosity of spirit. 

KEEP UP WITH JACLYN

Twitter: @jaclyndsey and @kindness_org

Website: https://kindness.org/

Facebook: @kindnessorg

Instagram: @kindnessorg

Email: [email protected]

[email protected]

Process can be a loaded word. For some, it elicits bureaucracy and micromanagement. For others it implies structure and organization. Regardless of how you feel about process, getting clear about what happens, by whom and in what order, can create clarity that instantly reduces friction and minimizes the need to re-do work.  

In this episode, I walk through my simplified version of process mapping. My approach is designed to generate the right conversations that enable clarity and alignment, resulting in a highly usable visual map. 

The full episode guide includes both a written overview of my version of process mapping along with a video tutorial. Get it when you join the Modern Manager community or purchase the full guide at www.mamieks.com/store.  

Get the free mini-guide at www.themodernmanager.co/miniguides.

 Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox. 

Read the related blog article: Streamline Your Teamwork with Simple Process Mapping

Key Takeaways:

• Process mapping is a simple and effective way to clarify any repeated workflow.
• Don’t worry about all the technical components of process mapping. Focus on producing a document that is usable by you and the team. 
• When mapping, consider the following elements: (1) what actions, tasks or steps need to happen in what order, (2) what decisions need to be made, (3) what tools, resources, templates, checklists, etc are needed for each step.
• Consider who (person or role) will take each action and who will be involved in which decisions. Use a RAPIDS or other decision model to further clarify how a decision will be made.
• Brainstorm and create a draft map as a starting point. Invite others involved in the process to enhance the map.
• Start by mapping a process or workflow that isn’t working well. Map one process at a time.
• It’s normal to spend 1-10 hours to complete a process map. Consider this an investment up front which will save you many hours and frustrations in the future.
• Decide how to best use your map - post it on a wall, store it in a digital document, print and put in a binder. Revisit the map as often as is needed to help you stay on track.
• Update the map with new learnings as you discover how to better streamline the work, need additional steps, etc.

Additional Resources:

• Lucid Chart free mapping tool www.lucidchart.com/‎
• Episode 88 Models and Methods of Decision-Making 

[email protected]

Most of us will never face a major crisis or tragedy, thank goodness. But for the few people who do, they often come out transformed, finding a greater sense of purpose, happiness and capability than they had before. Is it possible for the rest of us to experience such a transformation without the accompanying crisis?

Today’s guest is Michael O’Brien. Michael is the Chief Shift Officer at Peloton Coaching and Consulting. He elevates successful corporate leaders by preventing bad moments from turning into bad days. He has shared his inspirational story and transformation from human DOer to human BEing on the TEDx stage, with multiple Fortune 500 companies, Fast Company, Real Simple, ABC, and many wonderful podcasts like The Modern Manager.

Michael and I talk about how to show up every day as the leader or manager you want to be. He shares his major wake up call and what he’s learned about how to put an end to having bad days. We get into mindsets and intentionality and building yourself a peloton (tribe). 

Read the related blog article: The Two Support Systems Every Manager Needs

Join the Modern Manager community (www.themodernmanager.co/join) to get a discount on Michael’s book My Last Bad Day Shift. 

If you work for a nonprofit or government agency, email me at [email protected] for 20% off any membership level.

Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Nothing has meaning until you give it meaning. Nothing in your life is bad or good until you label it that way. You have a choice in how you look at life and any situation.
• We all have bad moments. The key is to not let those bad moments gain momentum and turn into bad days.
• It’s hard to press pause on life to really consider who you are and what you want. This moment of the pandemic is a pause for many of us. Take this time to really reflect on what matters to you and how you want to show up as person, as a leader.
• Be in the moment. Breath more and connect with your body. Set an intention for every day: How do you want to be? What do you need to do to be that way? What do you want to have in your life?
• We are in constant conversation with ourselves. If your mindset is holding you back, you need to shift your mindset in order to make real change.
• The four common mindset blocks are: (1) limiting belief - it can’t happen because it hasn’t happened before; (2) interpretation - we draw conclusions without investigation; (3) the inner critic - we’re just not good enough; (4) assumptions - because it’s happened before, it will happen again.
• To help recognize your inner dialogue and how it could be holding you back, you need to create quiet in your mind. Consider meditating as a way to give your mind space.
• Create a peloton (community or tribe) for yourself of people who can help us see what we can’t see or hear what we can’t yet hear. Let them be your trusted advisors.
• Consider whose peloton you’re in and how you’re showing up for them. 

KEEP UP WITH MICHAEL

LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/michaelobrienpelotoncoaching

Website: www.michaelobrienshift.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pelotoncoaching

[email protected]