Working Conversations

Episode 253: Hybrid Work Isn’t Broken. The Infrastructure Is.

In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson examines the true barriers to successful remote and hybrid work. Drawing on an opinion piece by Justin Harlan of Tulsa Remote, she argues that productivity and career stagnation aren’t failures of remote work itself, but rather the result of not intentionally designing for human connection. Dr. Janel explains how programs like Tulsa Remote succeed by treating community as infrastructure, not a perk. She encourages listeners to identify and redesign structural gaps in their own organizations, inspiring a more deliberate approach to connection, collaboration, and career growth in the modern workplace.

Find show notes at https://janelanderson.com/253

Episode 252: What a Coffee Spill Taught Me About Leadership

In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson explores how everyday mistakes, like forgetting a coffee cup under the Keurig, reveal deeper leadership lessons. She explains the difference between slips and mistakes, and why it’s important to design systems that can anticipate our human errors. Using relatable stories, Dr. Janel makes the case for building “reservoirs” in organizational life, like buffers and recovery systems that prevent small human errors from turning into disasters. With practical examples and a human-centered lens, this episode empowers listeners to rethink accountability and design workplaces where being human and making mistakes are expected and gracefully managed for better outcomes.

Find show notes at https://janelanderson.com/252

Episode 251: What Your Calendar Says About Your Values

In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson explores the connection between how we spend our time and what we truly value. She reveals that our calendars, as well as the daily routines outside of scheduled events, offer the clearest insight into our real priorities, often more so than mission statements or lists of stated values. Through personal stories and practical examples, she guides listeners in interpreting their calendars as “treasure maps” to their core values and offers gentle suggestions for recalibrating priorities. Whether in work or personal life, you’ll discover actionable ways to align your time with what matters most to you.

Find show notes at https://janelanderson.com/251

Episode 250: Make it Obvious: The Leadership Cost of Being Unclear

In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson explores the concept of affordances and how it applies to leadership. Affordances make the next action or purpose of something obvious. Through everyday examples like doors, curb cuts, captions, and kitchen tools, she highlights the power of affordances. Dr. Janel shares three key ways leaders can maximize affordances: through visibility, clear priorities, and structured one-on-one meetings to remove guesswork and boost team effectiveness. Listeners will discover how intentional clarity helps reduce confusion, speed up decision-making, and foster engagement. Regardless of your role, this episode offers practical advice for making your leadership style unmistakably clear and impactful.

Find show notes at https://janelanderson.com/250

Episode 249: Better Leadership by Design

In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson explores the parallels between great user experience design and effective leadership. Drawing on principles from UX and situational leadership, she explains how leaders can optimize their approach by considering the specific context, task, and developmental stage of each employee. Rather than relying on a fixed leadership style, she advocates making intentional leadership choices that respond to individual needs. With practical questions and real-world examples, Dr. Janel offers listeners a fresh perspective on adaptability and responsiveness in leadership, encouraging them to fine-tune their approach for maximum impact and minimal friction in any situation.

Find show notes at https://janelanderson.com/249

Episode 248: Leading Through Uncertainty: Three Bold Predictions for 2026

In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson shares her three bold predictions for 2026, focusing on the evolving landscape of leadership under uncertainty. She anticipates more frequent system outages in large cloud infrastructures, a greater need for partnerships with HR and legal teams as AI blurs the line between real and synthetic evidence, and a shift toward valuing slow, deliberate decision-making in leadership. Dr. Janel also recaps her accurate predictions for 2025 and offers practical advice for leaders who want to navigate complexity thoughtfully. This episode provides timely insights for anyone guiding teams through rapid change.

Find show notes at https://janelanderson.com/248

Episode 247: Unleashing Your Creativity with The Artist’s Way

In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson explores the transformative power of Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way. She walks listeners through its process aimed at unlocking creativity and designing a more intentional life and work experience. From the discipline of daily morning pages to the joy of weekly artist dates, she shares practical ways the book fosters creative breakthroughs, whether you’re an artist, leader, or simply seeking new ideas. Drawing on decades of personal experience, Dr. Janel Anderson illustrates how embracing creative maintenance can lead to greater fulfillment and innovation, both personally and professionally.

Find show notes at https://janelanderson.com/247

Episode 246: Culture Redesign: Instagram Eliminates Meetings and PowerPoint

In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson unpacks Instagram’s bold organizational redesign. Moving far beyond a simple return-to-office mandate, Instagram is canceling most meetings, ditching habitual PowerPoint use, and ramping up prototyping as a core driver of collaboration. Dr. Janel Anderson explores how these changes are designed not just to foster productivity but to create a truly engaging in-person work culture. Listeners will gain fresh insights into reimagining company culture, reclaiming creative time, and encouraging psychological safety, ideas leaders in any industry can use to build teams that thrive on collaboration and innovation in today’s evolving workplace.

Find show notes at https://janelanderson.com/246

Episode 245: The Best Email I Ever Wrote (Just Three Sentences)

In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson unpacks the art of crafting ultra-effective, ultra-brief emails that get rapid, thoughtful responses, even from the busiest executives. Sharing a real-life example from her executive coaching practice, she breaks down why her three-option, 10-second check-in email worked so well and how you can apply user experience principles to internal communication. Listeners will discover actionable strategies for reducing cognitive load, preserving politeness, creating psychological safety, and strengthening professional relationships. Whether you manage teams or communicate with overloaded colleagues, this episode offers practical tips to transform your emails into tools for clarity, kindness, and faster replies.

Find show notes at https://janelanderson.com/245

Episode 244: Late, Over-Budget, and Totally Worth It: Behind the Scenes on a Big Project

In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson takes listeners behind the scenes of her recent website and demo reel project, sharing three powerful lessons learned along the way. From scrapping an entire first draft to making tough choices for the sake of clarity and working with exceptional partners, she outlines how pursuing excellence often means embracing the messy middle. Dr. Janel applies her experience in user experience and design thinking, offering practical insights for anyone undertaking a major project. No matter your role or industry, this episode provides hard-earned wisdom to help you navigate challenges, make bold decisions, and create outstanding results.

Find show notes at https://janelanderson.com/244