Following on from coffee #71 about the impact of technology on our leadership practice, Pilar and Tim talk about emoji as a communications tool for managers. Tiny and ubiquitous, it’s easy to underestimate their importance. But when used skilfully, emoji give us a visual language that can provide faster and more concise communication. Within the… Continue reading #72 Managing by Emoji

We hear a lot about tech. Tech disrupts businesses and creates unicorns. Tech changes workplaces and creates new ways to interact. But what about the impact of technology on our management practices? Our hosts talk about the difficulties that come if we allow technology to dictate how we manage. And the unintended consequences if we… Continue reading #71 The influence of technology on management practices: How tools and tech are changing the way we lead

The wonderful Morgan Legge, founder of Pivot Your Work and Head of Organizational Change at Convert.com, joins the Management Cafe! Morgan, Pilar and Tim met through online communities and podcasting, a great example of what we discussed in #65 “Building a network outside your organisation”. You might need 2 coffees for this wide ranging conversation… Continue reading #70 Self-Leadership is the Foundation of Management with special guest Morgan Legge.

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?