There is a phrase that I have been hearing over the last few weeks that has left me a bit mind-boggled… “Process for process’s sake.” This phrase actually came up in a workshop I was leading for a corporate client around optimizing time. I heard teams saying, “I don’t want there to be process for process’s sake,” or, “It feels like this is just us thinking of new processes for process’s sake.” I was sitting in this workshop like, “What the actual beep do people mean by this?” And after...

Let me see if this story sounds familiar... We hire great people. We pay them well. We inspire them to do great work... And yet, more often than not, they come in and do the bare minimum expected of them. This isn’t the same as neglecting their responsibilities—they’re accomplishing their tasks, kind of—but we often know that they have more potential than that. So how do we get them from just showing up to showing up at their absolute best? Today, I want to talk about three ways to turn...

Spoiler alert, my beloved business owner friends...   If you're a business owner with people working under your supervision...guess what? You're a manager. Congratulations on your new (well, new-ISH) title! In all seriousness...this is actually something I see a lot of business owners run into. They don't realize that when they have a team, they're not just a business owner who happens to have a team...they're a business owner who is MANAGING a team. And that means that oftentimes, the...

This week, I want to equip you with a tool you can use to simplify your team operations almost immediately: the Thriving Team Checklist! As managers, it's easy for small things (or big things that don't necessarily fall into the realm of our day-to-day responsibilities!) to slip through the cracks. This doesn't mean we're doing a poor job, or that we're bad managers—it just means we need a little help keeping track of these tasks. It's no different than how we need calendars to keep track of...

What better time to talk about the importance of gratitude than on Thanksgiving week (for those of us based in the US) - but the truth is, we should be appreciating our team members ALL of the time.  In episode 90 of Managing Made Simple, I talk about what happens on our teams without a regular practice of recognition, appreciation, and gratitude, and share three simple strategies for appreciating our team members.  And - if you're feeling stuck when it comes to managing your team, you are...

There is one simple, easy-to-implement tool you can use to reduce turnover, streamline workflows, and boost team morale... One-on-one meetings. If you didn't know that one-on-ones are a necessity for a thriving team, that's all right—not many do! But after an experience I had with a mentee, I came to realize just how crucial one-on-one meetings with our team members are...and just how much grief we can save ourselves and our team members by having them. If you think that one-on-ones aren't...

There's one question that I know you've probably asked yourself at least once... "Why can't my team members just read my mind?" No, I haven't been reading YOUR mind - I've just been there! In fact, I'd hazard a guess that EVERY manager has been there at one time or another. We all sometimes wish that we could hire a clone of ourselves to work on our team and ensure everything is done the way WE want it to be done. Unfortunately, that's not possible...but there IS a way we can help our...

With 2024 rushing toward us at breakneck speed, it's time to start deciding what we're going to prioritize in our businesses to finish out the end of the year. As managers and business owners, we have a very unique skill: we can see dire importance in EVERY task we set in front of our teams, no matter how small. But this skill can also cause a bit of a problem: because we see everything as important, we can struggle to narrow down our list of tasks to what we ACTUALLY need to...

What if I told you that it only takes one simple mindset reframe to save you a heap of time, money, and stress? Reframing people's perspectives is my jam. I'm obsessed with reworking your view on certain things to reveal the opportunities that have always been there...you just couldn't see them. Today, I'm going to help you reframe your view around delegation. When we delegate, we can reduce stress, build trust with our team, and save ourselves hours of time and a shocking amount of money....

When it comes to being a manager it can feel like there are so many things you have to get right. But when you cover off on the basics, you've laid such strong foundation to have a high functioning team.  In this episode of Managing Made Simple, I'm joined by Jackie Koch, Founder/CEO of People Principles and HR expert, where dive into simple strategies for nailing your 1:1s, onboarding, work tracking, and beyond to make it easier for folks to get their work done, and reduce the "people...

There's a reason that onboarding is the very first thing we talk about inside my Ops Playbook. When we don't onboard our employees thoughtfully - both new and new to their role - we can accidentally prevent them from achieving the kind of success and creating the kind of impact they're capable of while working on our team. There are two common beliefs surrounding onboarding that I'm going to DEBUNK today. Because when we don't fully utilize onboarding to our advantage, it can cost us a lot...

Having innovative and creative teams is something we all strive for, but we don't always know how to foster these qualities on our teams - especially when we're running from one deadline to the next. But when we think in terms of story, expectations, and learning, we're able to weave this into every fiber of our work.  In this episode of Managing Made Simple, I'm joined by Andrew Barry, Learning & Development expert and Founder/CEO of Curious Lion, where we discuss how to fuel innovation...

Here's what it feels like to be stuck in a rut as a manager or business owner: You feel like work follows you everywhere - even at home. You feel like you have too much work and not enough support. If you're a business owner, you might feel like you're not getting what you need from your team. You can't remember the last time you took any time for yourself without worrying about work or your team or your business. You're so desperate to get unstuck that you want to cut and run. Before you...

When we hear the word “productivity,” we often think about getting more done, but that definition is incomplete. In this episode of Managing Made Simple, I’m joined by Tamara Myles, Author, Speaker, Instructor at UPenn where we discuss reframing our definition of “productivity” to include meaningful work, explore the link between meaning and wellbeing, and how leaders can help employees find meaning in their work in any role or organization. About Tamara: Tamara Myles is a speaker and...

When we try to ignore the small issues in our team operations, they WILL grow into huge disasters...and at that point, it's going to be ten times harder to actually SOLVE them. Trust me, I get it. I get why people shy away from taking a close look at what could be changed in their operations. It can feel too complicated. It can be frustrating. It can disrupt your team, which can then result in disgruntled employees and reduced productivity... IF you're doing it alone. The best time to pop...

What is one of the biggest leadership lessons that applies both to managers in the corporate world and entrepreneur space? Investing in your people. When we lead with authenticity and demonstrate to our teams that we are invested in them and their growth, they not only will stay, but do better work.  In this episode of Managing Made Simple, I'm joined by Jillian Murphy, Sales & Business Coach and 22 year corporate veteran where we talk about leading with authenticity, lessons from...

We've all had those days when it feels like nothing is going right on your team. I mean "come on people!" But before you write off your team members and go down the path of thinking you need all new people, try a perspective shift.  In this episode I share ways to reframe this stuck feeling into one of opportunity but taking responsibility for how you're showing up, setting clearer expectations, and building more trust. It's wayyy easier and more cost effective than hiring all new...

Being a manager comes with a whole set of challenges - but is there anything harder than managing a former friend or even family member? Especially when you have to deliver some tough feedback? In this episode of Managing Made Simple, I'm joined by Robyn Rapp, Leadership Development Coach & Facilitator, where we dig into some of the stickiest of situations as a manager. Fom managing a former friend or family member, delegating effectively, and navigating performance conversations,...

Ah meetings. Love them or hate them, they're a part of working life. Depending on what industry you work in, you might even find yourself spending MOST of your week in meetings, making it paramount to ensure the time is being spent effectively.  That is why in this episode of Managing Made Simple, I talk about three simple shifts to make to your meetings to prevent them from going over, resulting in saving an average of 5 hours a month to reinvest in your business.  Referenced in this...

We know conceptually that inefficiencies in our team can cost us money, but we don’t always dive into see what this really looks like. But as fractional CFO Bridgette Boucha calls out in this episode of Managing Made Simple, “minutes are money.” In this conversation, we dive into how streamlining your team operations improves your bottom line as a business, the power of knowing your money story to achieve your financial goals, and the reality that “no revenue goal is ever worth your...

We know we can't do *everything* ourselves in our teams and in our businesses, but sometimes doesn't it just feel like things would go faster if we could? Spoiler, not only does this belief actually slow us down, it makes our team members think we don't trust them, which leads to low morale and even lower productivity.  In this episode of Managing Made Simple, I talk about the reasons why we fall into the trap of wanting to do everything ourselves, and how to break free of it. -- Ready to...

To track or not to track? That is the question so many business owners and team leaders ask me when wrestling with how to have a better sense of the status of work on their team.  In a word: yes, track your work. But it's more nuanced than that, especially if we want it to save us time and money. In this episode of Managing Made Simple, I talk about WHY we need to track work, and how to do it in a way that doesn't overburden your team.  -- Ready to become a better manager THIS MONTH?! Get...

Remember that time when you got super frustrated about something that happened on your team that had NOTHING to do with that situation? We've all been there.  In this episode of Managing Made Simple, I'm joined by Danya Douglass Hunt, money mindset coach for entrepreneurs, where we talk about how mindset impacts your behaviors and actions; and strategies for reprogramming your subconscious in order to reach your full potential as a leader.  About Danya:  Danya is a Mindset Performance...

Ah the performance review. It means well, but in reality it often created a whole lot of stress for both managers and team members without a ton of benefit. That is unless you build or deploy a system with more intention around the behaviors you want to track and measure. In this episode of Managing Made Simple, I talk about just that. How to build a performance system that incentivizes the behaviors you want to see, or align your company's performance system around this; and how to relieve...

When someone is new to a role, you’re catching them at their most excited and engaged. Your role as a manager is to keep them there. In this episode of managing made simple, I’m joined by Jess Heller, Executive & Leadership coach specializing in onboarding, where we discuss the ins and outs of onboarding in building a high performance team. We dive into how onboarding is an extension of recruiting, the time and money savings you gain by having a great onboarding experience, the...