The Modern Manager is a podcast dedicated to helping you be a rockstar manager with a thriving team. Whether you’re seeking to boost your effectiveness as a manager and communicator, want to foster a healthy team culture where people flourish and exceed their goals, or learn the skills to make the most of every single meeting, this podcast is for you. Each episode features topics like: effective meeting practices, communication skills, managing conflict, team building, time management, group ...
If your overwhelmed by your to-do list, your obligations, and all the hats you wear in your career and at home, listen and learn as Host Erik Fisher talks with real people who implement practical productivity strategies in their professional and personal lives. We explore all aspects of productivity, including getting the right work done, getting good work done, and the true end goal of productivity: living a meaningful life.
Questions are one of the most useful tools that managers can use. Questions can unlock new thinking, show support, strengthen relationships, and much more. Learning to ask the right questions can enhance any manager’s leadership capability. In this episode, I walk through different types of questions to ask and how to ask them so you cultivate trus…
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Eric Partaker on Identity, Purpose and Change
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Eric Partaker is a certified coach by the High Performance Institute. Eric coaches a limited number of entrepreneurs and leaders throughout the world, helping them reach peak levels of performance, in both their businesses and lives. He draws from his work experiences, cutting-edge research, and behavioral science from Stanford University, as well …
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141: Managing When Everything Is Urgent With Brandon Smith
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Like most things in life, moderation is key. This is particularly true of urgency. When everything is urgent, either we can’t distinguish what’s really urgent or we burn out trying to do it all. Today’s guest is Brandon Smith. Brandon is a leading expert in leadership communication and curer of workplace dysfunction. Known as “The Workplace Therapi…
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Jeffrey and Jami Downs on The Power of Streaking to Create Life Changing Results
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Jeffrey and Jami Downs of StreakingMastery.com are the authors of the new book Streaking: The Simple Practice of Conscious, Consistent Actions That Create Life-Changing Results. In this conversation they talk with Erik about the power of streaking, how streaks are different from habits, the rules of streaking, choosing the right streaks, and how to…
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140: Develop Your EQ - Emotional Intelligence With Ilana Zivkovich
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There are many forms of intelligence, but EQ, emotional intelligence, may be one of the most important for managers. Our ability to accurately “read” and interpret the emotional state of our colleagues gives us an advantage when it comes to motivating, supporting, and engaging with our team members. Additionally, our ability to recognize our own em…
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Chris Byers on Remote Teams, Remote Culture and OKRs
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Chris Byers, CEO of Formstack, an online form and data-collection platform. He has helped Formstack grow from 7 to 200 employees in the past 10 years and pioneered a highly relational remote culture. Formstack also produces the Ripple Effect Podcast. In this conversation Chris talks with Erik about building a remote culture, maintaining that cultur…
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Episode 139: Dealing With A Toxic Workplace With Dr. Paul White
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If you’re listening to this podcast, you likely are or aspire to be a great manager. But what if those around you don’t have the same appreciation for being a positive influence on the team? Sometimes, we find ourselves in the unlucky position of working with a toxic boss or employee. In these cases, it’s important to do what you can to manage the …
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Annie Duke on Making Better Decisions by Identifying and Dismantling Hidden Biases
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Annie Duke is a decision strategist, poker champion, and the bestselling author of Thinking in Bets. Her new book How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices. In this episode Annie talks about how to make better decisions, identifying and dismantling hidden biases, and making better choices. This episode is brought to you by: Vital Choice…
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138: Managing Four Types of Accountability
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For far too long accountability was measured by time in the office or goals met. As we’ve shifted to virtual work, “face-time” in the office has all but disappeared as a proxy for accountability. Focusing on goals is critical, but only part of the picture. As managers, we must consider the fuller scope of a person’s performance. Holding people acco…
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Allison Fallon on the Power of Writing for Clarity, Confidence and Purpose
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Allison Fallon is an award winning author, sought after public speaker, and nationally recognized writing coach. She has coached hundreds of thousands of writers - from NYT Bestselling authors to total beginners to help them finally get their books written and on shelves. Grab the first chapter free here. Her most recent book The Power of Writing T…
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137: Estimate Tasks and Projects with Greater Accuracy with Jessica Katz
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Most of us are terrible at estimating how long work will take. For any given task, that may not matter. But if you’re trying to plan your week or create a project plan with your team, the lack of accurate forecasting can become a major point of frustration and stress. In this episode I talk with Jessica Katz. Jessica’s organization, Liberated Eleph…
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Jon Acuff on Finishing, Fighting Perfectionism and Completing Your Goals
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Jon Acuff is the New York Times Bestselling author. In this conversation Jon talks with Erik about his book Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done about completing goals. Jon also has a new podcast called 'All It Takes Is A Goal'. This episode is brought to you by: Mint Mobile Brain.fmBy Erik Fisher
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136: Easily Document Processes and Procedures with Owen McGab Enaohwo
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Process documentation often feels like a burden. Who has time to write down all the steps, detailed instructions, with screenshots, no less. In reality, we often spend more time communicating and fixing process issues because of a lack of documentation. Sharing information verbally makes it hard to remember and leaves no path for future reference. …
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Dr. Samantha Brody on Overcoming Overwhelm
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For decades, Dr. Samantha has helped people to transform their lives with her innovative approach. Now you can use the same tested tools and guidance to experience the freedom of better health, greater resilience, and peace of mind. Samantha's new book is Overcoming Overwhelm: Dismantle Your Stress from the Inside Out. In this episode she and Erik …
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Cait Flanders on Opting Out of Expectations and Living With Intentionality
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Cait Flanders is the author of Wall Street Journal bestseller, The Year of Less. Her new book is Adventures in Opting Out: A Field Guide to Leading an Intentional Life. In this conversation Cait and Erik talk about how to opt-out of expectations and live a more intentional life. This episode is brought to you by: Textexpander Brain.fm…
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135: Daily Routines to Boost Productivity and Well-being
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Daily routines are a powerful way to increase productivity and improve overall well-being. When designed well, a routine will help us quickly get into the right mindset and achieve our goals, whether those be physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. In this episode, I share my four daily routines as examples of my goals and activities that help me…
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David Smith and Brad Johnson on How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace
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David G. Smith and W. Brad Johnson are gender-in-the-workplace experts. Their new book is Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace. In this conversation they talk about: How men can partner with their female colleagues to advance women's leadership and equality Overcoming unconscious biases Creating productive and respectf…
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134: How to Bless Your People with Mark S. Young
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In Genesis 12:2 God says, “You are blessed and you shall be a blessing.” This particular interpretation is a modern read, but one that is quite interesting to consider in the context of contemporary life regardless of your faith orientation, or lack thereof. What does it mean to be a blessing to your team members? How can we approach being a manage…
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David Shar on Identifying, Preventing and Dealing with Burnout
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David Shar is a keynote speaker, consultant, and trainer specializing in helping organizations improve their leadership and culture, combat burnout, and design meaningful work. In this conversation David talks with Erik about identifying the signs of burnout, ways to prevent it, and dealing with burnout when you have it. Make sure to check out Davi…
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133: Managing People to Become Their Best Self
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You might say that a manager’s central job is to help their team members become their best selves. When we help our colleagues live up to their potential and optimize their strengths, we can achieve the magic combination of high performance and satisfaction. Today’s guest is David Hassell. David is a serial entrepreneur, business columnist, and spe…
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Melissa Steginus on Mindfulness, Intention and Attention
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Melissa Steginus is a mindfulness teacher and productivity coach helping people structure their work and lives to be intentional, empowering, and fulfilling. With a background in social work and over a decade of experience as a counsellor, coach, yoga instructor, and world traveller, Melissa has helped thousands of people transform their personal a…
Emotions are useful information if only we know how to understand and navigate them. When we take the time to become ‘emotion scientists’ and explore what it really is that we, or our colleagues, are feeling, we open doors to stronger relationships, better decisions, and healthier lives. This week, I share what I learned from the book Permission to…
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John Jantsch on Resilience, Perseverance and Perspective
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John Jantsch is a marketing consultant, speaker and best selling author Duct Tape Marketing, Duct Tape Selling, The Commitment Engine, The Referral Engine and SEO for Growth. He is the creator of the Duct Tape Marketing System and Duct Tape Marketing Consulting Network that trains and licenses small business marketing consultants around the world. …
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131: Working With Friends and Family with Chris Prefontaine
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Working with family or close friends might seem like a recipe for disaster. But, when approached with clarity and open communications, it can be a highly rewarding experience for everyone. Today’s guest is Chris Prefontaine. Chris is the founder of Smart Real Estate Coach, host of the Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast and best selling author of 2017’…
In this episode, Erik runs through his top suggestions for holiday gifts to give or ask for in 2020. Kiwi Co - Promo code: beyond Fight Camp Setapp Textexpander X-Stand - Portable Standing Desk Ember Mug Oculus Quest 2 Swanwick Muse Brainfm AirPods Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones Top 5 Productivity Books…
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130: Make Your Team Feel Like Family with Dave Schramm
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We often refer to close knit or strong company cultures as families. In fact, research shows that lessons from effective family relationships can help us build healthier workplace relationships. Today’s guest is Dave Schramm. Known as “Dr. Dave” on campus and across the country, Dave is a professor and family life extension specialist at Utah State…
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Greg Audino on Control, Ownership, and Mindset
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Greg Audino is the host of the Optimal Living Advice podcast. In this conversation Greg talks with Erik about the concept of control, ownership, agency and mindset. This episode is brough to you by: NuCalm KiwiCo Use code 'beyond' to get 50% off your first month and free shipping!By Erik Fisher
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129: The Shifting Role of Men and Masculinity with Neal Conlon
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When most people think about gender in the workplace, they think about women. But men’s roles and expectations of behavior are quickly shifting, leaving some men confused or frustrated. Instead of focusing on the impact of gender on women, let’s consider preconceived notions about masculinity. When we open the conversation to include men, we create…
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Firdaus Kharas on Creativity as a Key to a Remarkable Life
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Firdaus Kharas is an Author, Speaker and Founder of Chocolate Moose Media. His new book is 'Creativity: The Key to a Remarkable Life'. In this conversation, Firdaus talks with Erik about what creativity is and is not, how to tap into it, how to use it through focus and distraction, and how to lead a creative life. This episode is brought to you by:…
It can feel almost impossible to plan for the future when we’re unsure how next week will be, let alone a year from now. Yet, our organizations and teams need to continue charging ahead, making progress toward future goals. How can we create useful plans during times of uncertainty? In this episode, I talk through various strategies to support team…
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Edward Hess on Hyper-Learning and Adapting to Change in the Workplace
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Ed Hess is a Professor of Business Administration, Batten Fellow and Batten Executive-in-Residence at the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia. He is the author of 13 books and over 150 practitioner articles and over 60 Darden cases, etc. dealing with growth, innovation and learning cultures, systems and processes. The c…
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127: Tips and Tricks for High Performers with Siimon Reynolds
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Many high performers have developed strategies that enable them to consistently work productively and effectively. We can all learn from these habits, tactics and approaches in order to enhance our own performance. Today’s guest is Siimon Reynolds. Siimon is a leading expert on high performance, in business and life, with more than 50 awards for ex…
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Bryan Falchuk on Building Better Relationships with The 50 75 100 Solution
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Bryan Falchuk is a Certified Personal Trainer and Behavior Change Specialist who has coached many people to improve their lives. In his professional career, Bryan has been a management consultant and executive in the Financial Services sector for nearly 20 years, having lead large teams, managed significant budgets, and turned around struggling ope…
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126: Energize and Empower Your Team with John Eades
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As managers, we’d do well to remember that we succeed when our people succeed. It’s not always easy to know how we need to adjust our behavior - by stepping in or getting out of the way - but when you get it right, your people can truly flourish and accomplish great things. Today’s guest is John Eades. John is the CEO of LearnLoft, Author of Buildi…
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Ashley Whillans on Being Time Smart, How to Reclaim Your Time and Live a Happier Life
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Ashley Whillans Is an assistant professor at Harvard Business School and author of TIME SMART: How to Reclaim Your Time and Live a Happier Life. In this conversation, Ashley talks about finding time, spending time, funding time, Happiness dollars and how we can reframe our decisions around time and money to make happier choices. This episode is bro…
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125: Dealing with Conflict with CrisMarie Campbell and Susan Clarke
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Inevitably you will experience moments of conflict among a team. Although most people are conflict avoidant, productive conflict enables a team to find new solutions and build stronger relationships. Learning to navigate conflict is a critical skill for every manager. In this episode, I speak with Susan Clarke, co-founder with her partner CrisMarie…
This week Erik counts down his top five personal productivity books! The Top 5 Personal Productivity Books: The Getting Things Done Workbook - David Allen Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less - Michael Hyatt Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life - Nir Eyal Atomic Habits: An Easy & Pro…
Every day we make thousands of decisions. Many of these are almost insignificant, but others can have major and long lasting impact on us, our teams, and our organizations. The ability to make high quality decisions as an individual and a team is an important competency for any manager. In this episode, I talk about the factors that inhibit us from…
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Rob Hatch on Time, Attention, Information Overload and Focus
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Rob Hatch is the co-founder and President of Owner Media Group, providing strategies and skills for the modern business. He is also a highly sought after business coach and advisor serving executives and owners of organizations large and small. Rob's new book is 'Attention!: The Power of Simple Decisions in a Distracted World'. In this conversation…
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Dave Delaney on Technology and Focus, Relationships and Networking
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Dave Delaney is a recognized leader, consultant and keynote speaker on digital marketing, social media strategy, and business networking. His book is New Business Networking and his Newsletter is The Nice Maker. Dave recently took two months off social media. In this conversation, Dave and Erik talk about the lead up to that, the steps he took, and…
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123: Addressing Race and Bias in the Workplace with Aaron Samuels
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Race, identity, bias...these are not easy topics for many Americans (or humans). For too long, we’ve allowed the status quo, which perpetuates inequity, to go unquestioned within our organizations - even when our hearts are in the right place. I, along with many other Americans, have only recently awakened to how racism undergirds our society and t…
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122: Growing Through Discomfort with Bill Eckstrom
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Discomfort is universally disliked, yet it is essential to growth. Just like a muscle can’t get stronger without the tension of lifting a weight, our skills and capabilities can’t develop without the tension and stress that come from stretching ourselves. In this episode, I speak with Bill Eckstrom. Bill is the founder and CEO of EcSell Institute, …
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Todd Henry on Motivation and Discovering the Hidden Forces That Drive Your Best Work
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Todd Henry write books, podcasts and speaks internationally on creativity, leadership, productivity, and passion for work, and help people and teams generate brilliant ideas. Todd has been on the show three times previously. In this conversation, Todd talks with Erik about his new book The Motivation Code: Discover the Hidden Forces That Drive Your…
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Julie Morgenstern on Productivity in Parenting and Relationships
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Julie Morgenstern is a well known expert on organization and time management. The author of five best-selling books, Morgenstern has appeared on Oprah, The Today Show, and helped thousands of people transform their homes, businesses, and attitudes about every kind of clutter. Her new book is called Time to Parent: Organizing Your Life to Bring Out …
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121: The Win-Win Approach to Politicking at Work with Chrisa Zindros Boyce
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Politicking often gets a bad rap, prompting feelings of disgust or unease. But when done right, politicking can actually benefit everyone involved and feel good at the same time. How? Because politicking at its core is all about building good relationships. In this episode, I speak with Chrisa Zindros Boyce. Chrisa has been a consultant, executive …
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120: How to Develop Effective Habits for Managers
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Habits dictate anywhere from 40-80% of our daily actions, according to the top habit researchers. These behaviors occur with minimal conscious thought, enabling us to focus precious brain power elsewhere. The challenge is that most of our habits have developed organically and were shaped by factors other than our values, knowledge and goals. In thi…
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Paul Casey on Time Management and Maximizing Every Minute
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Paul Casey is the owner of Growing Forward Services, and has partnered with his corporate and individual clients to transform their vision, their habits, and their lives. In this conversation Paul talks with Erik about time management as an aspect of productivity, make better use of our calendars and blocking out time. Make sure to check out Paul's…
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Andy Andrews on Having the Proper Focus, The Power of Thought and Being Truthful with Yourself
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Andy Andrews is an author of over 20 books and sought after corporate speaker. Andy Andrews is the author of the New York Times bestsellers How Do You Kill 11 Million People?, The Noticer, and The Traveler’s Gift, and is also an in-demand speaker for the world’s largest organizations. In this conversation, Andy talks about his New book Just Jones, …
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119: Quiet Your Imposter Syndrome with Todd Palmer
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We’ve all heard it before. That little voice telling you that any moment now everyone is going to realize you have no idea what you’re doing. Or maybe it’s saying they’ll figure out you don’t really know what you’re talking about. Whatever your imposter syndrome says to you, it’s time to tell it to be quiet. In this episode, I speak with Todd Palme…
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118: Ask for What You Want with AmyK Hutchens
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Asking for what you want or need is almost never easy. Whether it’s a raise, greater autonomy, more responsibility, or something else, it’s important to ask for what you want in order to do your best work. Plus,as managers,we need to enable our team members to ask us for what they need. In this episode, I speak with AmyK Hutchens. AmyK is an intern…