The Modern Manager

Is it possible that prevailing perceptions about productivity don’t work for everyone? This week's guest Dorie Clark, productivity expert, strategy consultant, author, and professional speaker decided to put them to the test. Through her month-long time-tracking experiment, she was able to further optimize her time, and what she learned might surprise you. Dorie and I discuss misconceptions about multitasking, methods for better email management, and getting out of meetings you don’t need to attend.

Key Takeaways:

• Start by actually understanding how you're spending your time. Do a time-tracker for 1-2 weeks (see below for a free version).
• Traditional definitions of multi-tasking is really task-switching, which is not productive.
• Strategic multi-tasking is when you can truly do two (or more) things at once, like exercise while listening to a podcast or eating a meal with friends. 
• Strategic multi-tasking can increase the amount of things you get done within the same 24 hours. 
• Standardize how you deal with email. Avoid letting 'dealing with email' become a go-to activity periodically during your day.
• Email is less of a problem because of the time it takes but because of the stress it causes. 
• Say no to meetings you don't need to be in. Ask for other ways to engage before agreeing to participate in a meeting. 

Grab a free time-tracker.

Read the article based on this episode: 3 Unexpected Ways to Optimize Your Time

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KEEP UP WITH DORIE

website:https://dorieclark.com/
twitter: @dorieclark
instagram: @ericakeswi
linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/doriec

Check out episode 19 - Time Management Methods, Mindsets and Approaches - for more on this topic. 

Get the free mini-guide for episode 19 to help you manage your time more effectively.

Connections at work provide a sense of cohesion, which is essential for cultivating teamwork and collaboration. When there are strong relationships, many interpersonal dynamics become less stressful. Conflicts are reduced and those that do arise are often easier to resolve. People are more willing to ask or help and share their ideas. As a manager, your job is to connect with each of your team members and to foster connections among them.

Get the free mini-guide to help you strengthen the relationships on your team.

Join the Modern Manager community to get the full guide to building connections and strengthening relationships, and many more resources to support your learning journey.

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Read the article based on this episode:  Connections at Work Can Make Your Team More Successful

Key Takeaways:

• We are social beings. Human connection is critical to our wellbeing and our collaboration capabilities.  
• When you have a strong relationship, it's easier to move past bumps like a mis-communication. You're more likely to give the benefit of the doubt to someone and take risks in front of them.
• Your job as a manager is to build relationships with and among your team members.
• Celebrate work-related and personal occasions as a team.
• Share personal stories and photos e.g. from vacations, weekend activities, etc.
• Take time out of the office for team-building.
• Bring people together over non-work topics. Try a lunch-n-learn or book/article/movie club.
• Surprise your team with occasional special somethings like food or time off.

Get it touch! Email me at [email protected]

Does your work environment provide respect, fairness, and safety? Those are the three key attributes of a healthy workplace culture in which people contribute their best ideas and efforts.

Too often we overlook the small behaviors that can have a major negative impact. When people perceive that they're unsafe or undervalued at work, they engage in unhealthy coping mechanisms such as gossip, battling for territory, and disengagement.

Today's guest, Fran Sepler, an expert in building respectful workplaces free from harassment, shares the perils of an unhealthy culture, the benefits of a truly respectful one, and what we can do as managers to help create a workplace environment in which everyone thrives.

Key Takeaways:

• Safety (physical and psychological) and fairness are two critical aspects of a respectful workplace.
• When people perceive that they are unsafe or undervalued at work, they may engage in unhealthy coping mechanisms like gossiping, creating alliances to claim territory or status, withdrawing, and disengaging.
• When you feel disrespected, your whole attitude can be impacted, making you more likely to be disrespectful to others.
• We generally have the same definition of what it looks and feels like to be respected and disrespected.
• Once you've recognized that disrespectful behavior is an issue, you can create ground rules to address it. 
• Ask for feedback on how you're doing. View feedback as a gift. Even if you don't like what you hear, say 'thank you.'
• If a high performer who accomplishes great work treats others poorly, stop considering them a high performer. 
• You must take into consideration the negative effects of someone's behavior on other people = they are depressing or inhibiting other people's performance.
• Managers must address even the 'little things' that you may be inclined to let slide. Other people see them and are counting on you to role model.

Read the article based on this episode: Why Respectful Workplaces are More Important than You Think

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KEEP UP WITH FRAN

website: www.sepler.com

email:[email protected]

Check out episode 3 - Building a Culture of Respect - for more on this topic. Get the guide to building a culture of respect.

Flexibility is a growing concern (or demand) of many employees. As a manager, you have the ability to increase the autonomy of your team, thereby enabling greater engagement, dedication and even performance. But how do you do it in ways that are meaningful while also ensuring high quality work performance?

Get the free mini-guide to help you implement greater autonomy in your team.

Join the Modern Manager community to get the full guide to increasing the autonomy of your team and many more resources to support your learning journey.

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Read the article based on this episode:  Increasing the Autonomy of Your Team

Key Takeaways:

• Autonomy comes in different forms: 
  • How you do your work
  • When you work
  • Where you work from
  • Who you work with
  • What you work on
• Autonomy is not one size fits all. Different people value different forms of autonomy and can manage different forms of autonomy.
• Create the conditions for each person to thrive. Provide appropriate guidance and support.
• Start by experimenting with greater autonomy for each of your team members. Set clear boundaries and expectations and have regular check-ins. Then determine if the experiment is working or if additional changes are needed.

Get it touch! Email me at [email protected]

Who is the best manager you ever had?  How did they make you feel?

There are a million different answers to this question, but none of them involve some variation of saying, “They made me feel like a number.  Like a cog in the wheel.” That’s because we value human interactions. We value when people take their time with us, get to know us, and actually act like human beings around us.

In this episode of The Modern Manager, I speak with Erica Keswin, author of Bring Your Human to Work to learn how we all can become better human beings at work!

Key Takeaways:

• Use the 3 Ps of Meetings: Purpose, Presence, and Protocols. Know your desired outcome, engage people in the conversation and follow standard practices like using an agenda.
• Invest in professional development. It's important to most people, but especially millennials.
• Design work practices with human sustainability in mind. Flexible work schedules and other policies allow people to stay with you for the long run.

Read the article based on this episode: Being a 'Human' Manager

Join the Modern Manager community for additional resources to support your learning journey.

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KEEP UP WITH ERICA

Bring Your Human to Work: order on Amazon

website: ericakeswin.com

twitter: @erica_keswin

instagram: @ericakeswin

linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericakeswin/

Forbes contributor page: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericakeswin/#1c1910b31a83#1c1910b31a83

Huffpo contributor page: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/erica-169

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EricaKeswinWorkplaceStrategist/

When you have a culture of respect, people are less stressed and there’s less conflict, which often translates into many positive outcomes, including greater productivity.

A culture of respect creates what experts call “psychological safety.” Simply put, it is being able to show your full self and share your ideas without fear of negative consequences.

Get the free mini-guide to help you build a culture of respect.

Join the Modern Manager community to get the full guide to building a culture of respect and many more resources to support your learning journey.

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

Read the article based on this episode: Building a Culture of Respect

Key Takeaways:

• You need to role model respect. Listen first, then ask questions before jumping in.
• Beware of how you communicate in email. Tone can be misinterpreted. 
• Make it a team effort by encouraging everyone to co-create and abide by shared norms.
• Use your meetings practice respectful behavior e.g. no more interrupting, include all voices, etc.

Get it touch! Email me at [email protected]

Being an intentional manager is a great start, but what does it take to be a rockstar manager? How can you build a culture in which people flourish and accomplish extraordinary results? In this episode, I discuss 8 characteristics of a rockstar manager.

Get the free mini-guide to being a rockstar manager.

Join the Modern Manager community to get the full guide to becoming a rockstar manager and many more resources to support your learning journey.

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

Read the article based on this episode:  8 Characteristics of a Rockstar Manager

Key Takeaways:

• Cultivate and demonstrate respect
• Provide autonomy
• Build connections
• Show appreciation
• Foster enjoyment
• Communicate effectively
• Invest in your people
• Put the team first

Get it touch! Email me at [email protected] 

What does it mean to be an unintentional manager? If you’re an unintentional manager, you likely don’t even realize the frustrating things that you may be doing. Here are 6 signs of an unintentional manager. Luckily, they’re easily identifiable and quickly correctable.

• unclear expectations
• the wrong or not enough feedback
• not asking for feedback
• not showing appreciation
• separation from the team
• letting things go that should be addressed

Get the guide that accompanies this episode.

Read the article based on this episode:  Are You an Unintentional Manager?

Join the Modern Manager community to get additional resources.

In this intro episode of The Modern Manager, host Mamie Kanfer Stewart shares what listeners can expect to hear from the show.

Get ready for a podcast that will help you optimize your time, cultivate your team, and achieve your goals.

Check out the Myers-Briggs test here.