The New Manager Podcast

As a manager, you make a lot of decisions. When you're in a situation where things aren't going to plan, how do you decide what to do? One way is to ask yourself: Where is my growth? That will help you pause, take a more strategic perspective, and make a grounded decision. Let's discuss!

**After the Episode**

Enroll in Communication Skills for Managers:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maven.com/kimnicol/communication-strategies⁠⁠⁠⁠

For private coaching:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kimnicol.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow me on LinkedIn:

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

Become a more calm and confident leader:

⁠⁠⁠https://insighttimer.com/meditation-courses/mindfulness-for-managers-at-work⁠⁠

When you're a manager, you might feel caught in the middle between leadership and your team.  I think of this as the "squeeze", when you feel like everyone is unhappy and you can't figure out how to solve it.  Your manager is pushing you for more, while your team is struggling with their workload, and you're hearing it from both sides.  What to do?  In this episode you'll learn more about what happens when you feel caught in the middle, and feel like a failure.  Let's discuss!

**After the Episode**

Enroll in Communication Skills for Managers:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maven.com/kimnicol/communication-strategies⁠⁠⁠⁠

For private coaching:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kimnicol.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow me on LinkedIn:

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

Become a more calm and confident leader:

⁠⁠⁠https://insighttimer.com/meditation-courses/mindfulness-for-managers-at-work⁠⁠

Ever been told you need to "toughen up" or be harder on yourself?  Have you noticed how that approach tends to create more self-judgment, resistance, and stress?  

When being hard stops working, go to Compassion.  

Managing people is hard enough without the extra pressure from an internal critic.  

When you call in Compassion, it makes things easier so you can move forward with more ease.  It's a more effective way to work, and more fulfilling way to live.  Let's discuss!

**After the Episode**

Enroll in Communication Skills for Managers:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maven.com/kimnicol/communication-strategies⁠⁠⁠⁠

For private coaching:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kimnicol.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow me on LinkedIn:

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

Become a more calm and confident leader:

⁠⁠⁠https://insighttimer.com/meditation-courses/mindfulness-for-managers-at-work⁠⁠

Being a great manager doesn't require you to be a hero.  But sometimes I see my clients slip into that mindset.  

It often looks like perfectionism, and anxiety about how others see you.  

It leads to overworking, isolating, and being overly responsible.  

It also creates a lot of pressure, feeling like everything is on your shoulders and it's up to you to keep everything together (no mistakes allowed!).  

In this episode, you'll learn more about why the hero mindset is easy to slip into, and how it will hold you back from being an effective leader.  You'll also learn why seeing yourself as a whole human is the key to managing yourself and your own wellbeing.  Let's discuss!The book referenced in this episode is Persephone Returns by Tanka Wilkinson

**After the Episode**

Enroll in Communication Skills for Managers:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maven.com/kimnicol/communication-strategies⁠⁠⁠⁠

For private coaching:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kimnicol.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow me on LinkedIn:

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

Become a more calm and confident leader:

⁠⁠⁠https://insighttimer.com/meditation-courses/mindfulness-for-managers-at-work⁠⁠

Ever feel like you need to "push back" but don't know how?  When you're a manager, there are a lot of times this comes up:  you might get a request from *your* leadership, or be in conversations with another team about who will do what.  If you've ever felt like you didn't know how to push back, or you are just highly conflict avoidant, this episode will help you.  A small shift makes a big difference.  Let's discuss!

**After the Episode**

Enroll in Communication Skills for Managers:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maven.com/kimnicol/communication-strategies⁠⁠⁠⁠

For private coaching:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kimnicol.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow me on LinkedIn:

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

Become a more calm and confident leader:

⁠⁠⁠https://insighttimer.com/meditation-courses/mindfulness-for-managers-at-work⁠⁠

When you feel frustrated, how you identify the problem is everything!  Because the way you see the problem will limit the solutions you find.  And when it comes to working with humans, it's important to not fall into the pattern of blaming people and personalities.  

It's easy to do, especially when it's a communication issue.  But doing so will keep you stuck and feeling helpless.  Instead, learn to think beyond your initial reaction -- and look at things in terms of process, system, and context.  

This will save you so much time and energy, and will build more trust and resilience into the team.  Let's discuss!

**After the Episode**

Enroll in Communication Skills for Managers:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maven.com/kimnicol/communication-strategies⁠⁠⁠⁠

For private coaching:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kimnicol.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow me on LinkedIn:

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

Become a more calm and confident leader:

⁠⁠⁠https://insighttimer.com/meditation-courses/mindfulness-for-managers-at-work⁠⁠

Feel like you're struggling as a manager?  Are you doubting yourself, feeling like maybe it's not a great fit?  

In this episode we look at three things that can be a factor:  your work environment, your sense of agency, and your autonomy.  

Work environment includes physical things (e.g., furniture, lighting, etc) as well as the culture of your organization.  

Agency is your capacity to take action in a situation.  

Autonomy is your bigger picture perspective on how much freedom you have to make decisions for your life.  

When you look at how these three elements relate in your own work life, you gain insight that will help you every day.  Let's discuss!

**After the Episode**

Enroll in Communication Skills for Managers:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maven.com/kimnicol/communication-strategies⁠⁠⁠⁠

For private coaching:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kimnicol.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow me on LinkedIn:

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

Become a more calm and confident leader:

⁠⁠⁠https://insighttimer.com/meditation-courses/mindfulness-for-managers-at-work⁠⁠

As you rise in leadership and managing people, you'll need to hone some specific communications skills.  

Advocacy (for self and others), speaking up, having tough conversations, being direct, giving feedback, and establishing boundaries.  

To do that, you need more than information about what to say -- you need to grow your mindset so that you will apply what you've learned in an authentic way.  

This has everything to do with understanding yourself, and recognizing the emotions that drive behaviors.  

For instance, if you are uncomfortable with confrontation, it will drive you to avoid and delay -- even if you know what to say and why it's important.  

Addressing the human emotion behind the scenes is key to growing your communication skills and ability to be an effective manager and leader.  

Let's discuss!

**After the Episode**

Enroll in Communication Skills for Managers:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maven.com/kimnicol/communication-strategies⁠⁠⁠⁠

For private coaching:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kimnicol.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow me on LinkedIn:

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

Become a more calm and confident leader:

⁠⁠⁠https://insighttimer.com/meditation-courses/mindfulness-for-managers-at-work⁠⁠

Ever heard the saying, "You don't get what you don't ask for."?  Many organizations are happy to pay for professional development for their people -- especially new managers.  After all, when you learn how to be more confident and do your job better. . . you do your job better, and the organization directly benefits.  

But how exactly do you make that ask?  

A lot of my students feel uncertain about how to do this, at first.  

In today's episode, I walk you though the framework I've shared for years, that my students and clients have successfully used to get their work to pay for professional development.  

It's worked in many kinds of organizations, and for a wide range of requests:  from a $36 workshop, to thousands of dollars in coaching.  

The best part?  When you become someone who can speak up for yourself and ask, you can access so much more.  

The other best part?  Your work might be *delighted* that you're taking the initiative.  Others benefit when you grow.  

Get ready to take notes!  

**After the Episode**

Enroll in Communication Skills for Managers:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maven.com/kimnicol/communication-strategies⁠⁠⁠⁠

For private coaching:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kimnicol.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow me on LinkedIn:

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

Become a more calm and confident leader:

⁠⁠⁠https://insighttimer.com/meditation-courses/mindfulness-for-managers-at-work⁠⁠

What do you do when you need to have a tough conversation, but you're afraid of conflict?  One of my listeners submitted this question, and it's something that many new managers struggle with.  Today I'll walk you through two steps to think about, so you can move forward.  Let's discuss!

**After the Episode**

Enroll in Communication Skills for Managers:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maven.com/kimnicol/communication-strategies⁠⁠⁠⁠

For private coaching:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kimnicol.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow me on LinkedIn:

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

Become a more calm and confident leader:

⁠⁠⁠https://insighttimer.com/meditation-courses/mindfulness-for-managers-at-work⁠⁠