Jeff Bezos called the one-pager the “smartest thing we ever did at Amazon“. And everywhere we look there are best practices and frameworks which worked wonders for big & successful organisations. So why do they often fail when we apply them in our organisations? We propose that best practices are not something to “lift and… Continue reading #52 The problem with adopting “Amazon’s one-pagers” and other best practices

A quick voice note to let you know that we’ll be back in a couple of weeks. Until then, let us know if you have any questions you’d like us to answer on the show, or any topics you’d like us to tackle. Get in touch through our Contact Form https://managementcafepodcast.com/contact/ 

The notion of a manager as a protector of the team is deeply embedded. After all, a primary part of any manager’s job is to remove roadblocks and distractions so their team can stay focussed on their objectives. But it’s not always easy to decide what will distract the team versus what might be helpful… Continue reading #51 Manager as umbrella: Protecting the team from the storm

We tend to miss the smaller moments of achievement. Our focus is often on big organisational or team goals, huge milestones where we come together to celebrate (like the 50th episode of Management Cafe!). But in today’s coffee catchup we are talking about more personal achievements. The sort of things which seem less consequential on… Continue reading #50 Celebrating big or small

Is it just us, or does it feel like the last few years have been a particularly torrid time for managers? Managers have always been the interface between employees and their organisation. They act as a kind of translator between the two. In recent years there have been extraordinary challenges in both directions of those… Continue reading #49 Manager burnout

Many leadership journeys start with a natural career progression: we get promoted to manager and leadership is viewed as just another work task. Over time this evolves into a broader understanding. It’s a challenging job. We will get tested in all sorts of ways. And it can be an opportunity to learn so much about… Continue reading #48 Developing your leadership style

Following on from episode #44 where we discussed vulnerability and authenticity, today in the café we go deeper on how much of our true character should we show at work. Is it entirely our choice? Are there parts of ourself that shouldn’t be in our workplace? This is such a nuanced topic as we have… Continue reading #47 Can you be “too authentic”?

The pandemic changed workplace awareness of physical and mental wellbeing. So what does it look like in 2023? We discuss what managers can do to pro-actively improve wellbeing for their workers. This can be a challenge for leaders as wellbeing is something we experience at an individual level, but it is influenced by factors inside… Continue reading #46 Proactive Wellbeing

Metrics are very alluring for managers. Our software tools are full of data and reporting… with just a few clicks we might get the magic mix of numbers that will give us control. But for staff it’s a different story. Too often metrics are used as a kind of straight jacket. Work becomes narrowly defined,… Continue reading #45 The dangers of focusing on productivity and metrics

For a long time the dominant narrative of leadership has been of fearless leaders who move from triumph to triumph without serious flaws or doubt. But in recent years there has been a move towards authentic leadership. Leaders who show vulnerability and who share their weaknesses as well as their strengths. Over coffee Pilar and… Continue reading #44 The value of being an authentic leader