Managers sit at the crux of organisational transparency and discretion. They need their employees and organisations to share information with them and are regularly deciding what to pass on and what to keep confidential. It’s a tough balance. People need the right information to feel secure and do their job, but too much information can… Continue reading #69 Transparency in management: Balancing openness and discretion.

This week our hosts (both Gen X) dig into the differences between generations of workers. There have been endless articles and presentations on topics like “How to work with Millennials”. But for Pilar and Tim there are inherent dangers in assigning behaviours to an entire group of people based on the year they were born.… Continue reading #68 Generational differences in the workplace

Pilar and Tim are back having a conversation about conversations. Following on from #66 which covered 1:1 conversations, in this episode they dive into group discussions. Facilitating a group adds another layer of complexity – for example giving more time to one person means less time for everyone else. And people behave differently in group… Continue reading #67 Managing the dynamics of group conversations

Pilar and Tim have a meta conversation about conversations. Participating in a good conversation means we listen, we get to talk, we feel heard, we deepen our understanding of a topic and we build connection with the other person. However not all conversations are created equal. Sometimes we are in a glorious free flowing exchange… Continue reading #66 Managing the dynamics of individual conversations.

As managers we will normally have a peer network within our company. But occasionally we might experience problems that our in-house peer network can’t help us with. For example, when the issue is with those same colleagues or our organisation itself. At times like this an external professional network can be invaluable. In this conversation… Continue reading #65 Building a network outside your organisation

Our hosts discuss the recent research by Jindi Mann into men’s emotional experiences at work. It is easily downloaded as a pdf and it’s freely available – no email signup or any hoops to jump through. They surveyed 55 male managers, primarily British and working in a mid to senior management role. The results show… Continue reading #64 Men’s mental health at work

Pilar and Tim discuss the fascinating article 3 Ways Our Brains Undermine Our Ability to Be a Good Leader by Cian McEnroe and David Rock at the Neuroleadership Institute. David’s book “Your Brain at Work” was one of the first to bring brain science into leadership. In this latest research they argue that our basic… Continue reading #63 Are our brains wired for modern leadership?

Action-centred leadership asks managers to juggle three priorities: the team, the task and the individual. and in this conversation Pilar and Tim discuss one-on-one meetings, one of the best tools that managers have to work on their relationship with an individual employee. Over coffee we talk about the nuances of this style of meeting and… Continue reading #62 Getting the most out of one on ones as a manager

Going deeper into their exploration of different leadership styles, and inspired by this article on the MindTools blog, Pilar and Tim look at the Emotional Leadership Theory pioneered by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee. It ends up being another therapy session in the café as Pilar and Tim talk about their own preferences,… Continue reading #61 Emotional Leadership Theory

There are far too many leaders who don’t really want to be managers. Given most workers cite their manager as their main reason for leaving a company, this is a big problem. It’s hard to love your job when your boss hates theirs. How do so many people end up as managers when they shouldn’t?… Continue reading #60 Who ends up in management positions?