Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Manager Track
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Coaching Mistakes Managers Make and What to Do Instead (Ep 334) | 13 oct. 2026 | 00:19:55 | |
Free download: Get the cliff notes, including exact lines to use and a one-on-one prep worksheet here: resources.archova.org/334 You ask your direct report a handful of questions in a one-on-one and leave feeling like you coached them well. They leave wondering why you didn't just say what you wanted. That gap is common. In a Zenger Folkman study of 3,761 leaders, 24% rated their own coaching skills higher than the people around them did. On nearly every other skill, leaders tend to underrate themselves. In Episode 334 of The Manager Track, Ramona walks through 5 mistakes managers make when they try to coach. Each one is hard to spot from your own seat, since you did ask questions and you didn't give orders. In this episode, you'll hear about:
If you've ever had the same coaching conversation twice with nothing changing in between, this episode is for you. Watch on YouTube: The Manager Track on YouTube Resources Mentioned in This Episode
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Other Episodes You Might Like
What's Next? Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org. Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass Love the podcast and haven't left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show! If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| How Not to Sound Like ChatGPT as a Leader (Ep. 333) | 06 oct. 2026 | 00:22:46 | |
If you've ever read an email from someone on your team and caught yourself thinking they sound like ChatGPT, you probably took it a little less seriously. Your team does the same thing with your messages. Managers now use AI to draft feedback, prep difficult conversations, write performance reviews, and polish status updates. On paper, the output is often good. The trouble starts when the words arrive before the thinking. People pick up on that mismatch, and now they have a ready explanation for it. Research from Cornell found that people rated a chat partner as less cooperative when they only suspected AI-suggested replies, whether or not AI was involved. In this episode, Ramona looks at why scripted messages land as inauthentic even when the script is solid, what that costs a manager's credibility, and how to keep using AI without your team discounting what you say. In Episode 333, we cover:
Whether you use AI for every draft or only when a deadline hits at 8 p.m., this episode shows you how to keep your own judgment visible in what you send. Listen to the episode: The Manager Track Podcast, Episode 333: https://www.ramonashaw.com/how-not-to-sound-like-chatgpt Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/08uSGQIr0fE Time
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Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org. Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass Love the podcast and haven't left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show! If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| When Your Direct Report Has More Experience Than You Do (Ep 332) | 29 sept. 2026 | 00:21:15 | |
Starting this week, our episodes come with downloadable cliff notes, so you have the scripts and tools in front of you when you need them. Grab this week's here: https://resources.archova.org/episode-332/ ________ You got the job but now one person on your team has been doing this work longer than you've had a career, and you can feel them watching how you handle it. So you do one of two things. You start correcting details and pushing your ideas harder than they deserve, trying to show you know enough. Or you turn every decision into a polite question about what they think you should do. Both feel reasonable in the moment. Over a few months, the team figures out who actually runs things. And the survey data on younger managers is blunt about what bothers experienced employees: a boss who acts like they know more and gets defensive when questioned. Age barely comes into it. In this episode, Ramona separates the two kinds of authority that show up in these relationships and shows you how to hold yours while putting their experience to real use. In this episode:
If you've ever caught yourself explaining the same decision a third time to someone with more tenure than you, this episode is for you. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/f0Knz_suTTA Episode page: https://www.ramonashaw.com/managing-experienced-employees RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
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OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE
WHAT'S NEXT? Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org. Grab your copy of Ramona’s best-selling book ‘The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role’: amzn.to/3TuOdcP Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass Love the podcast and haven't left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show! If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Vocal Fry, Upspeak, and Nerves: The Habits That Undercut Your Presence - with Kathryn Janicek (Ep 331) | 22 sept. 2026 | 00:32:53 | |
When a senior leader handles a hard question at an all-hands and makes it look easy, it's natural to assume they were born comfortable in front of a room and you weren't. Kathryn Janicek has spent her career watching that assumption fall apart. As a 3-time Emmy-winning TV news producer, she put Fortune 500 CEOs on camera for 20 years and saw how many of them arrived unprepared. Today she coaches leaders for earnings calls, keynotes, and the move into the CEO seat, and she says the people at the top share an open secret: they all have a coach. In this episode, Ramona and Kathryn talk about what goes into looking effortless on a bigger stage, whether that stage is a keynote, a client pitch, or your next team meeting. In Episode 331, they cover:
If you've ever assumed your competence would be enough to carry you in the room, this conversation is for you. Listen to the episode: The Manager Track Podcast, Episode 331 Watch on YouTube: The Manager Track on YouTube Resources mentioned in this episode
Links
Other episodes you might like
What's next? Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org. Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass Love the podcast and haven't left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show! If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Written Presence: What Your Slack Messages Say About How Senior You Are (Ep 330) | 15 sept. 2026 | 00:29:19 | |
The perception of how senior you are gets built in rooms you are not in, using text you wrote in about forty seconds. A skip level reads three of your Slack messages. A peer forwards your email two levels up and never mentions it. None of those people hear your voice, catch the warmth you would bring in person, or hold the context you were carrying when you typed it. In writing you do not control the tone. The reader does, and they supply it from their own mood, their own week, and whatever they already assume about you. Most managers have never treated this as a skill worth learning. Ramona makes the case that it is one, and that the closer comparison is a consultant learning to write executive briefs or a lawyer learning to draft, not anything you picked up in school. In Episode 330, Ramona covers:
If you have ever written a careful, considerate message and then watched the decision get made without you, this episode is for you. Listen to the episode: The Manager Track Podcast, Episode 330 Watch on YouTube: The Manager Track on YouTube Resources mentioned in this episode
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* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Stop Overexplaining at Work: The Three-Beat Answer (Ep 329) | 08 sept. 2026 | 00:22:14 | |
You give a good answer. Clear, accurate, done in one sentence. Then you keep going. You add the context, the caveat, the option you considered and did not pick. All of it is true but together it tells the room something you never meant to say. The person who asked was not doubting you. By the end of your answer, they are. Not because the decision was weak, but because you spent ninety seconds defending something nobody attacked. Ramona calls this the difference between explaining and justifying, and often, even the most capable professionals cannot tell which one they are doing while they are doing it. This episode gives you the tell, the correction, and a protocol for people who use questions as a status instrument. In this episode:
If you have ever walked out of a meeting knowing you talked too much, this episode is for you. Listen to the episode: The Manager Track Podcast, Episode 329: ramonashaw.com/stop-overexplaining-at-work Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0mepS-bnejY Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Links
Other Episodes You Might Like
What’s Next? Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org. Grab your copy of Ramona’s best-selling book ‘The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role’: amzn.to/3TuOdcP Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz Are you in your first manager role and don’t want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show! If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| The Update Trap: Why Good Status Updates Cost You Authority (Ep. 328) | 01 sept. 2026 | 00:34:11 | |
You have done it a hundred times. Someone senior asks where things stand, and you give them the full picture: every work stream accounted for, clear timelines, nothing missed. Sure, you must have sounded competent and in control. But what if that type of response actually costs you authority? Most managers never catch this happening, because nothing about the update looked wrong. The cost shows up months later, in a promotion conversation, or in who gets pulled into the room where the decision actually gets made. In this episode, Ramona breaks down why an update and a briefing look identical on the surface while functioning as two completely different transactions, and what to change before your next meeting with anyone more senior than you. In this episode:
If you have ever walked out of a leadership meeting feeling like you did everything right and still lost the room, this episode is for you. Watch on YouTube: The Manager Track on YouTube. — RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE —
— LINKS —
— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —
— WHAT’S NEXT? — Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org. Grab your copy of Ramona’s best-selling book ‘The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role’: amzn.to/3TuOdcP Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz Are you in your first manager role and don’t want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show! If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Resistance to Coaching: What Leaders Area Really Protecting (Ep 327) | 25 août 2026 | 00:40:41 | |
Most resistance to growth never announces itself. It shows up as a calendar that will not cooperate, a quarter that is too full, a leadership program that would be a better fit next year. Maren Perry, founder and CEO of Arden Coaching, has spent twenty years working with senior leaders and executives. She can identify what usually lies beneath that scheduling problem. People reach senior roles because they were very good at something, and that gives them something to protect. Coaching asks them to set it down for an hour and look honestly (and vulnerably) at what is working and what is not. In this episode, Ramona and Maren get into the part of leadership growth that rarely gets said out loud: the distance between what a leader knows they should do and what they actually make room for. They dig into:
If you have a project, a conversation, or a development opportunity that has been sitting on your list for months, this conversation will help you understand why it is still sitting there even though you know you "should" tackle it now. Watch on YouTube: The Manager Track on YouTube — RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE —
— LINKS —
— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —
— WHAT'S NEXT? — Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org. Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass Love the podcast and haven't left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show! If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Giving Feedback as a Manager: The 3-Conversation Method (Ep 326) | 18 août 2026 | 00:28:47 | |
Someone on your team does something you do not like. It is small, so you let it go. It happens again a few weeks later, and you let that one go too. By the third time, you are irritated, and now you are carrying six weeks of unspoken frustration into a thirty-minute feedback conversation. Even if you keep your cool, that pressure goes somewhere. Into your tone, your body language, sometimes the words you pick. Ramona calls this the most reliable way managers turn a manageable issue into a performance problem. Silence is not neutral. Every week you notice something and say nothing, you are teaching your team member that it is acceptable. In this episode, Ramona breaks one feedback conversation into three and gives the exact language for each one.
If you have ever documented a problem privately for months and then watched someone say "this is the first I'm hearing of any of this," this episode is for you. Watch on YouTube: The Manager Track on YouTube — RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE —
— LINKS —
— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —
— WHAT'S NEXT? — Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org. Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass Love the podcast and haven't left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show! If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| How to Write a Leadership Philosophy (Ep 325) | 11 août 2026 | 00:32:01 | |
Sometime in the next few months, a decision will land on your desk that makes half the room unhappy. It will show up on an ordinary Tuesday, in a week that was already full, and you will have about a day to decide. Most managers meet that moment with instinct and hope. When the team performs and nothing breaks, principles never get tested. Ramona calls this sunshine leadership. Then a decision gets contentious, a strong performer starts to slip, or two people you like want incompatible things, and your team watches what you do next. They notice fast which of your stated principles are real and which ones are decoration. In this episode, Ramona walks through how to build a leadership philosophy that holds up in exactly those moments, including where it sits inside Archova’s APS method (awareness, principles, system). She covers:
If you have ever said one thing in a team meeting and done another under pressure, this episode is for you. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/H3HyT3aDRgw — RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE —
— LINKS —
— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —
— WHAT’S NEXT? —
* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Managing Former Peers? Have These 4 Conversations First (Ep 324) | 04 août 2026 | 00:27:36 | |
Six months ago you sat next to these people. You complained about leadership together, covered for each other when something slipped, and knew exactly what got said in the hallway versus in the meeting. Now you run the team, and every one of those unspoken rules is up for renegotiation. Most new managers handle this by saying nothing and hoping the awkwardness fades. Ramona did exactly that after her promotion into leadership. Within two years, she had damaged some of those relationships and felt more stressed than she ever had as an individual contributor. In this episode, Ramona walks through the conversations she wishes she had opened with, and why the manager who tries to stay liked ends up losing both the relationship and the team. She covers:
Whether you were just promoted over your peers, you can see that promotion coming, or you are two years in and still avoiding the elephant in the room, this episode gives you the words for the conversations you have been putting off. Watch on YouTube: The Manager Track on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LYlESAru-U0
* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Am I Ready to Be a Manager? The Four-Question Audit (Ep 323) | 28 juil. 2026 | 00:21:08 | |
Somewhere along the way, you picked up the idea that thoughtful ICs wait until they’re ready before going for the manager role. So you keep asking the question. Am I ready? And every time you ask it, it feels responsible. It feels like preparing. Ramona has watched that exact question stall talented ICs for years. It has no evidence standard and no end date, which means you can ask it forever while it quietly turns your next career move into a verdict someone else gets to hand down. In this episode, Ramona throws out the usual trait checklist (communicate well, put the team first, manage your time) and replaces it with a willingness audit: four questions you answer yes or no to, all testable this week, none requiring anyone’s permission. She covers:
Whether you’re circling the decision, hearing "not yet" on repeat, or quietly suspecting the manager track isn’t for you, this episode gets you to an honest answer faster. Watch on YouTube: The Manager Track on YouTube
* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| How to Read the Room: The 3 Questions Intuitive Leaders Ask (Ep 322) | 21 juil. 2026 | 00:33:38 | |
You walk into a meeting with senior people, and within seconds the internal questions start: Should I speak early or wait until I’m asked? Am I reading the mood right, or am I about to present data to a room that wants something else entirely? And when the energy shifts mid-meeting, someone influential goes quiet, the questions turn political, the doubt gets louder: do I name what’s happening, or do I keep going through my slides and hope it passes? Ramona doesn’t treat reading the room as charisma you’re born with. The managers who look intuitive in meetings are running a short list of questions in their heads, typically faster than everyone else, and adjusting what they say based on the answers. That list can be learned. In this episode, Ramona breaks down what reading the room actually involves and why so much of your credibility in a new room gets decided before you’ve said anything of substance. She covers:
Whether you’re walking into a room of unfamiliar stakeholders, presenting to executives, or watching a meeting drift away from you mid-slide, this episode gives you the questions to run and the language to use.
* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| From Doer to Leader: Redefining Competence in Your New Role (Ep 321) | 14 juil. 2026 | 00:16:04 | |
There is a thought a lot of managers carry around and almost never say out loud: “Honestly, my direct report is a stronger performer than I am.” If you have had some version of that thought, it usually shows up with a little shame attached. And the standard response, someone telling you that you are great and you do it better than your employee, tends to bounce right off. It does not fix anything, because it is aimed at the wrong problem. Here is what is actually going on. For your whole career, being good meant one thing: I know the most, I do it best, people come to me when the work is hard. Then you got promoted, and the definition of competence quietly changed. Nobody told you the new rules. So you are standing in a new role, still grading yourself with the old ruler, and of course you come up short. In Episode 321, Ramona breaks down:
If you have ever caught yourself diving back into the technical work because it is the one place you still feel sharp, this episode will show you what to do instead. Resources mentioned in this episode
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* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Why You Keep Handing Away Credit You Earned (Ep 320) | 07 juil. 2026 | 00:17:20 | |
There is a small flinch that happens when someone hands a high performer a compliment. A pause. A quiet thought of “I wonder if they really mean it,” followed by a fast handoff of the credit to the team, to luck, to timing, to anything other than themselves. Most people doing this have no idea it is a pattern. It reads as humility, so it hides in plain sight. Every time you move a win into the team’s column and a loss into your own, you are quietly editing your scorecard in one direction. Over months and years, that adds up to a distorted picture of your contribution, and it does not stay private. The systems that hand out promotions, scope, and pay reward the people whose work is visible. Deflect often enough and you file your best work under everyone else’s name. In this episode, Ramona breaks down why this happens, why it is a choice rather than a fixed trait, and exactly what to do instead. We cover:
If you have ever assumed good work speaks for itself, or felt a flicker of discomfort the last time someone praised you, this episode is for you. Resources Mentioned in This Episode
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* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Stop Doing Your Team's Work: The Over-Functioning Manager Trap (Ep 319) | 30 juin 2026 | 00:19:39 | |
It usually shows up disguised as one of your strengths. You are the manager who notices the gap before anyone else does and quietly fills it. The deck gets polished, the deadline gets saved, the client never sees the mess. From the outside, you look reliable. What no one sees is that you are carrying two or three people's work on top of your own and falling behind on the things only you can do. In this episode, Ramona names a pattern that almost never gets flagged in leadership training, because on the surface, it reads as conscientiousness. She walks through how the rescue reflex runs behind the scenes, why working harder only feeds it, and what it quietly does to accountability on a team. She also gets specific about the fix, including the exact language to hand a piece of work back so it does not land as a punishment. In Episode 319, Ramona digs into:
If you have ever redone a direct report's work late at night, felt resentment building while the work kept getting done, or wondered why your team needs you for everything, this episode gives you the language to change it. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jLbQNx9e5_E Resources Mentioned in This Episode
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* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| The Great Flattening: How to Lead a Team That Doubled Overnight (Ep 318) | 23 juin 2026 | 00:29:37 | |
You used to manage six people. Then a reorg, a hiring freeze, or a quiet round of cuts took out the layer above you, and now you are managing twelve. Same hours in the day, but double the team. Maybe a few dotted-line reports nobody else is covering, too. This is the Great Flattening, and the data is not subtle. Manager engagement has dropped to its lowest point in years, burnout among managers now ranks with the worst of any group at work, and the old advice to just work harder is exactly what tips people over the edge. Here is the part most stretched managers miss: the job did not get heavier, it changed shape. You cannot run a team of twelve the way you ran a team of six. In this episode, Ramona breaks down what actually works when your span of control doubles and your support disappears:
Whether your team just doubled, you are bracing for a reorg, or you simply want to be ready before the span widens, this episode gives you the playbook. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MdLKdcyk-2A RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
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OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE
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* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Leading an Inherited Team: The First 90 Days (Ep 317) | 16 juin 2026 | 00:23:14 | |
You walk in on day one and the team is already a fully formed thing. They have inside jokes you don't get, a process you didn't design, and a read on you that started forming before you said a word. You didn't choose them. They didn't choose you. And every one of them is quietly deciding whether you are about to make their work life better or worse. Here is the trap almost every new manager falls into. You try to prove you belong. You look at how the team operates, you spot the things you would do differently, and you start changing them fast to show value. That move feels like leadership. It usually reads as arrogance, and it costs you the one thing you cannot get back: the team's trust in your first few weeks. In this episode, Ramona breaks down how to take over a team you didn't build and earn the right to lead it, instead of spending your first year digging out of a hole. You will learn:
Whether you were just promoted over your peers, hired in from outside, or handed a team in a reorg, this episode gives you the playbook for the first 90 days. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VGOvul9YI0I Resources mentioned in this episode
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* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| AI in the Workplace: The Problem No One Names - With David Dean (Ep 316) | 09 juin 2026 | 00:41:23 | |
In this episode, Ramona sits down with David Dean, a technologist with close to two decades inside complex organizations and the author of a new book, An Inbox Between Us. David calls himself a business AI realist. His core idea is that every company runs on two versions of itself: the official version in your job descriptions, SOPs, and leadership decks, and the unwritten contract, the side conversations and quiet workarounds where the job actually gets done. Most of that second version lives in your inbox, your chats, and your meeting transcripts, and most managers never get to see it clearly. David and Ramona get into what changes when you stop asking AI to solve the problem and start using it to find the problem first. In this conversation, we cover:
If you have ever rolled out a new tool and watched the same dysfunction show up wearing a new outfit, this episode is for you. Watch on YouTube: The Manager Track on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mVWHPqdKRdU
Other Episodes You Might Like
What’s Next?
* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| The 5 Mental Models New Managers Should Borrow from Charlie Munger (Ep 315) | 02 juin 2026 | 00:31:35 | |
Most leadership advice tells you what to think. Be more decisive, be more empathetic, give better feedback, and so on. Charlie Munger spent his life paying attention to the layer underneath all of that, which is how to think. He never wrote a leadership book. He never gave a TED Talk on management. And yet his thinking tools hold up better in a real team meeting than most material on the leadership shelf. In this episode, Ramona pulls five of Munger's mental models out of Poor Charlie's Almanack and shows where each one lands inside the actual week of a manager. A few of the threads she pulls on:
If you've ever made a clean, rational call as a manager and watched it land badly anyway, this episode is for you. Watch on YouTube: The Manager Track on YouTube Links
Other Episodes You Might Like
What's Next?
* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Letting Go of Control: Why Your Best Intentions Are Stifling Your Team (with Glen Galaich) (E 314) | 26 mai 2026 | 00:32:49 | |
Here is something most managers do not realize about themselves. The way you respond when someone gives you feedback is the clearest signal of how much control you are quietly exerting on your team. If you find yourself explaining, defending, or clarifying what you really meant the next time a direct report or peer pushes back on something, that defensiveness is not a personality quirk. It is control showing up in real time. And if you are doing it with the people who report to you, the dynamic playing out on their team is even more concentrated. This episode is about the quiet, well-intentioned forms of control that smart, capable leaders run on autopilot, and how to start unwinding them before they cost you the team you built. In Episode 314 of The Manager Track, Ramona sits down with Glen Galaich, CEO of the Stupski Foundation and author of "Control: Why Big Giving Falls Short," to cover: - The Vision vs. Control Distinction: why a strong vision is not the same as a controlling style, and where most leaders blur the line - The Growth Mindset Test: what to do if you suspect you are more controlling than you think, and the one practice that actually tells you - The Identity Trap: how leaders unconsciously bring their personal brand into roles where it does not fit, and what happens when they do - The Slow-to-Act Problem: Glen's honest take on when conflict avoidance becomes a leadership liability, and the signal that finally moves him to act - The Downstream Effect: what your team is experiencing when you resist feedback from your own manager Whether you have been told you are too hands-on, you have started to wonder why your team keeps bringing decisions back to you, or you are ready to test where your version of "high standards" might actually be control, this conversation gives you the language and the diagnostic to start. — Resources Mentioned in This Episode — Control: Why Big Giving Falls Short by Glen Galaich. https://www.amazon.com/Control-Why-Giving-Falls-Short/dp/1394352425/ref=sr_1_1 The Stupski Foundation: stupski.org TIME100 Most Influential People in Philanthropy: the list Glen was named to. https://time.com/collection/time100-philanthropy/2026/ — Links — • Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona: https://calendly.com/ramonashaw/leadership-strategy-session • Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkits • Learn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: http://archova.org/1on1-course • Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP — Other Episodes You Might Like — • Episode 105 — Train Your Thinking to Become a Better Leader https://www.ramonashaw.com/105-train-your-thinking-to-become-a-better-leader • Episode 213 — Executive Mindset https://www.ramonashaw.com/213-executive-mindset — What's Next? — Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org. Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass Love the podcast and haven't left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show! If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Why Your One-on-Ones Turned Into Status Meetings (And How to Fix It) (Ep 313) | 19 mai 2026 | 00:30:23 | |
You schedule the one-on-ones. You show up. You take notes. You walk out feeling like a good manager, and your direct report walks out without having mentioned the thing they actually came to talk about. Most managers do not have a "I am not doing one-on-ones" problem. They have a "my one-on-ones quietly turned into status meetings and I do not like it" problem. The meeting that should be the most important hour of your week starts to feel like something a Slack message could have handled. In this episode of The Manager Track, Ramona breaks down why this drift happens, what is actually broken, and how to reset the meeting in real time. In this episode we cover:
If your one-on-ones have started to feel productive but somehow hollow, this is the reset. Listen to the episode: The Manager Track Podcast – Episode 313 Watch on YouTube or visit the episode page — RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE —
— LINKS —
— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —
— WHAT’S NEXT? — Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org. Grab your copy of Ramona’s best-selling book “The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role”: amzn.to/3TuOdcP Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz Are you in your first manager role and don’t want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show! If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Why Team-Level AI Integration Should Be Your #1 Job Right Now (Ep 312) | 12 mai 2026 | 00:29:58 | |
You might think your team is using AI well. Everyone has access to the tools. People are experimenting. The meeting notes get cleaned up faster. The emails go out a little quicker. On the surface, progress. But there's a pattern most teams don't notice until someone names it: all of that activity is still individual. One person's calculator on one person's desk. The AI is making individual tasks faster, but the underlying workflows, processes, and the way the team actually operates together have not changed. That's the gap. And if your team stays in Stage 1 much longer, the cost starts to compound. In this episode, Ramona walks through the difference between Stage 1 and Stage 2 AI adoption and why the shift is a leadership responsibility, not an IT one. She uses meetings as the clearest illustration of what Stage 2 actually looks like in practice, and then breaks down five concrete moves leaders can make right now. What you'll hear in this episode:
If your team is using AI in a dozen different ways with no coordination, no shared standards, and no one asking whether the process itself still makes sense, then this episode is for you. -> The Manager Track on YouTube -- RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE -- * McKinsey Global Institute - 60-70% of today's work tasks are automatable with existing technology: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/tech-and-ai/our-insights/the-economic-potential-of-generative-ai-the-next-productivity-frontier * MIT Sloan Management Review and Deloitte - workflow-level AI produces 2.5x higher productivity gains vs. individual use: https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/talent/human-capital-trends/2026/human-ai-interaction-design.html * Episode 311: Delegating - It's Actually About Managing Yourself: https://themanagertrackpodcast.com/delegation-for-managers/ * Team Workflow Audit Framework: https://bit.ly/42ixUWr * Free Masterclass: archova.org/masterclass * The Confident and Competent New Manager (book): archova.org/books -- LINKS -- * Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona HERE. * Grab the free New Manager Toolkit: archova.org/freetoolkits * 1-on-1 meeting course: http://archova.org/1on1-course * Book: amzn.to/3TuOdcP -- OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE -- * Episode 210 - Your Future Role With AI: https://www.ramonashaw.com/210-artificial-intelligence * Episode 218 - GenAI for Managers: https://www.ramonashaw.com/218-genai-for-managers * Episode 296 - AI For Managers in 2026: https://www.ramonashaw.com/ai-for-managers-in-2026 * Episode 307 - The ‘AI vs Human Skills’ Managers Must Pay Attention to: https://www.ramonashaw.com/ai-human-leadership-management -- WHAT'S NEXT? -- Learn more at archova.org. Book: amzn.to/3TuOdcP Manager Archetype Quiz: archova.org/quiz Free Masterclass: archova.org/masterclass Leave a review: ramonashaw.com/itunes and Spotify Tag us: @ramona.shaw.leadership on Instagram or linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Delegating: When Stepping In Becomes Stepping On (E 311) | 05 mai 2026 | 00:26:19 | |
There is a specific kind of manager who reads everything about delegation, agrees with all of it, and still ends up working late on Tuesday redoing a deck someone else was supposed to own. The intentions are right but the math is what's broken. If you got promoted because you were fast and reliable and you figured things out, that exact skill set is now the thing capping your team. Every time you absorb a problem, edit a draft, or quietly redo something, the short-term math feels like it works. The long-term math is building you a ceiling you cannot see yet. This is not a control problem. It is a calculation problem dressed up as helpfulness. In Episode 311, we cover:
If you are working late while your team logs off on time, getting work routed back to you that you already handed off, or starting to wonder why your team needs you for everything, this episode gives you the language and the structure to change the pattern this week.
Sourced from the Podcast Publication Schedule spreadsheet in Google Drive. Both episodes thematically extend Episode 311's territory: the over-functioning trap and the leadership identity shift.
* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| The First 6 Months in a New Leadership Role: 3 Shifts You Need to Make (Ep 310) | 28 avr. 2026 | 00:18:47 | |
Most managers know the first 90 days matter. There are books about it, frameworks for it, and a built-in understanding that you are allowed to ask questions and make mistakes early on. What almost nobody talks about is what happens after that window closes. Somewhere around the six-month mark, something shifts. Your boss is no longer evaluating your potential. They are evaluating your patterns. Your team has stopped wondering who you are and started noticing how you operate. Your peers are making decisions about whether you are someone who owns things or someone who needs approval before moving. And most managers are still running the playbook from month two. In working with hundreds of leaders through their first year and beyond, Ramona has noticed three specific shifts that get overlooked or delayed past the six-month mark. These are the behaviors that separate leaders who are growing from leaders who are stalling, and none of them involve working harder. In Episode 310 of The Manager Track, Ramona breaks down:
If you have been in your role for a few months and you can feel the expectations shifting around you but you are not sure what to do differently, this episode gives you the moves. Listen now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. RESOURCES MENTIONED
OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE
— WHAT’S NEXT? —
Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| From Executor to Strategist: How to Talk About Your Work at the Right Altitude (Ep.309) | 20 avr. 2026 | 00:15:25 | |
Here is a test that comes up in almost every senior leadership conversation. Someone asks a manager, “What are you building?” And the answer goes straight into a to-do list: “We are migrating to a new platform. We are rolling out a new process. We are updating the tech stack.” It sounds productive. It sounds like proof of effort. What actually happens in that moment is that you shrink yourself in the room. The CEO, the cross-functional peer, the senior leader on the other side of the table was not asking for your task list. They were asking where you are taking this. And the longer you stay in the tactical lane, the more they file you as an executor, not a strategic leader. This gap between what you are doing and what you are building is one of the biggest reasons capable managers get passed over for the next level, especially right now when everything inside the organization is in motion. In Episode 309 of The Manager Track, we cover:
If you have ever walked out of a senior leadership meeting wondering why your work did not land the way it should have, or if you know you are thinking strategically but your communication keeps landing tactically, this episode gives you the exact language to close that gap starting this week. Listen now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. — RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE —
— LINKS —
OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE
— WHAT’S NEXT? — Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| When You Regret Hiring Someone: What to Do Before It Gets Worse (Ep.308) | 14 avr. 2026 | 00:31:30 | |
Do you know that moment when you realize that a new hire is not working out? Maybe it is a performance observation you made yourself over the past few weeks, or maybe someone pulls you aside (a senior leader, a peer) and shares their impression. Either way, a thought crosses your mind: Darn, maybe I should not have hired them. What happens next is where things go sideways. Most managers either go quiet such as privately deciding something is off but not saying anything while slowly pulling back their coaching, their attention, their investment. Or they move too fast, making a call before they have enough information to make it well. Both of those responses erode your leadership credibility. 'Maybe I should not have hired them' is not a conclusion. It is a signal and this episode is about what to do with it. In Episode 308 of The Manager Track, we cover:
Whether you are three weeks in and already second-guessing a new hire, navigating feedback from above, or simply trying to get better at turning difficult situations into clearer decisions, this episode gives you a repeatable process to use every time. Listen now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. — RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE —
— LINKS —
OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE
— WHAT’S NEXT? — Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| The ‘AI vs Human Skills’ Managers Must Pay Attention to (Ep.307) | 07 avr. 2026 | 00:23:57 | |
Most managers adopted the AI tools their company rolled out. They've played around with a few prompts. They think that's enough. Meanwhile, a split is forming. On one side, AI is handling tasks, workflows, research, briefs, data synthesis, meeting prep, drafted communications, and reports at a speed and quality that keeps accelerating. On the other side, there is an increasing premium on genuinely skilled human leadership: trust, coaching, real feedback, empathy, navigating conflict, creating alignment, and helping people grow through change. The managers who stay in the middle, the ones who outsource their leadership halfway to AI without leaning deeper into either side, will find it harder and harder to justify their value. If all you do is relay what the tool produced, the organization will eventually ask why it needs you at all. In Episode 307 of The Manager Track, Ramona walks through both sides of this divide and introduces five specific skills (built as Claude Skills) that help managers lean into their human leadership while leveraging AI as a training and preparation tool. If you've been leaning into AI but haven't asked yourself what your team actually needs from you as a human leader, this episode will help you figure out both sides. Listen now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. — RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE —
— LINKS —
OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE
— WHAT’S NEXT? — Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| How to Tell If Your Boss Is Blocking Your Career (And What to Do) (Ep.306) | 31 mars 2026 | 00:27:12 | |
You’ve been told to work harder, be more patient, and wait your turn. So you did. You kept delivering strong results, volunteered for extra projects, asked for feedback, and acted on it. And nothing moved. The positive performance reviews kept coming, but so did the invisible wall. No meaningful scope change. No sponsorship. No advancement conversations that actually went anywhere. At some point, the quiet frustration sets in: if the problem isn’t my performance, then what is it? The answer, in many cases, is that your boss has quietly become the ceiling. Not always because of their character, but sometimes because of their psychology, their capability level, or the organizational system around them. In this episode of The Manager Track, Ramona walks through a diagnostic framework called TAPS to help you identify exactly which ceiling you’re dealing with and what to do about it: Ramona also shares specific scripts for each type, the research behind why these patterns are so hard to see from inside them (including the halo and horn effect), and the mindset shift that keeps you from becoming collateral damage in someone else’s limitations. If you’ve been stuck despite doing strong work and you can’t figure out why, this episode will give you a much clearer lens on what’s actually happening and what moves to make next. Listen now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. RESOURCES MENTIONED
OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE
— WHAT’S NEXT? —
Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| How to Give Your Manager Feedback (Without Damaging the Relationship) (Ep.305) | 24 mars 2026 | 00:24:31 | |
Most people calculate the risk of giving their boss feedback and decide that silence is safer. The math seems obvious: speak up and you might damage the relationship; stay quiet and nothing changes. So they keep their mouth shut when the meetings drag, when morale takes a hit, when a decision lands sideways. The thing nobody talks about is that the people who shape their boss's behavior most effectively are the ones who give the most feedback. Not because they are bolder. Because they understand the mechanics of how to frame a message when the power dynamic is uneven. In this episode of The Manager Track, Ramona walks through why upward feedback feels loaded, how trust changes the range of directness available to you, and the four communication principles that make feedback land when you are talking to someone above you in the hierarchy. Here is what you will take away from the episode:
If you have ever had feedback for your manager sitting in your head for weeks because you could not figure out how to say it without it going sideways, this episode gives you the structure to actually get it out and do it well. Listen now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. RESOURCES MENTIONED
OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE
— WHAT’S NEXT? —
Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| The 3 Identity Barriers Holding High-Performers Back (Ep. 304) | 17 mars 2026 | 00:33:30 | |
You work hard, you care about your team, and you’re good at your job, yet somehow you keep running into the same limits. Feedback repeats, your calendar is packed, and small changes in behavior never seem to stick for long. In this week’s episode of The Manager Track, we dig into a quiet but powerful reason this happens: your leadership identity. Not your personality, but the story you tell yourself about who you need to be at work. I break down three common identity “ceilings” that keep high performers stuck, share what the research says about why they are so persistent, and walk you through how to start shifting them in real life, even if you are busy and under pressure. Here is what you will take away from the episode:
If you have ever felt stuck in a role despite doing everything right, this episode gives you a clearer explanation on what might be going on that’s holding you back. Listen now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. RESOURCES MENTIONED
OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE
— WHAT’S NEXT? —
Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Exec Communication: How to Speak So Senior Leaders Actually Listen (Ep. 303) | 10 mars 2026 | 00:25:21 | |
Ramona opens this episode with a pattern she has observed across years of coaching leaders at every level: the most technically sharp person in the room often isn't the most influential one. She argues that communication problems are almost never vocabulary problems. They are frame problems. And she walks through a practical system for owning the architecture of any high-stakes conversation before it starts. Ramona introduces the CLAR Clarity Signal System, a four-part mental model covering certainty in delivery, leading with impact, anchoring to specifics, and redirecting under pressure without retreating. She also addresses one of the quieter traps in difficult conversations: the need for closure and why chasing it tends to make things worse. Key Takeaways
Try this this week: Before your next meeting where you expect to be put on the defensive, prepare two ways to reset the frame. Practice the line: "Happy to shed some light on this. Can I give you the two-sentence context that makes this a lot easier to follow?" Listen now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. RESOURCES MENTIONED
OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE
— WHAT’S NEXT? —
Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Creating Leadership Alignment When Priorities Are Unclear - With Betsy Kauffman (Ep. 302) | 03 mars 2026 | 00:41:26 | |
How much of your week is spent "firefighting"? If you’re like most managers, you start the week with a strategy, but by Tuesday afternoon, a "drop everything" request from senior leadership has derailed your entire team. The result? Change Fatigue. Your best people are drained, silos are hardening, and "alignment" feels like a corporate buzzword rather than a reality. In this week’s episode of the Manager Track Podcast, I sit down with executive coach and organizational strategist Betsy Kauffman. Betsy has spent decades in the C-suite helping leaders cut through the noise to build what she calls an "Execution Rhythm." We dive deep into:
If you’re tired of the "reorg of the month" and want to get your team rowing in the same direction, this conversation is a must-listen. Listen now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. — RESOURCES MENTIONED —
— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —
— WHAT’S NEXT? —
Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Why Good Managers Still Lose Great People (Ep. 301) | 24 févr. 2026 | 00:28:49 | |
You’ve heard it a thousand times. It’s practically gospel in leadership circles: “People don’t leave jobs, they leave managers.” It’s a catchy phrase. It makes for a great headline. But there’s one major problem: The data doesn't fully back it up. When a high performer hands in their resignation, most good managers immediately spiral into self-doubt. They ask, “What did I do wrong? How did I fail them?” But according to the latest research, you might be taking the blame for things entirely out of your control, like company-wide toxic culture, stagnant compensation, or the simple "pull" of a better opportunity. In this week's episode of The Manager Track podcast, we’re flipping the script. I’m sharing the raw data on why people actually quit in 2024 and 2025, and how you can use these departures as fuel for your growth instead of fuel for your insecurity.
If you’ve recently lost a team member and felt like it was a personal failure, you need to hear this. It’s time to stop the guilt and start leading with a more accurate map. Listen or watch now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. — RESOURCES MENTIONED —
— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —
— WHAT’S NEXT? —
Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| From IC to Manager: Hard Truths About First-Time Leadership (Ep. 300) | 17 févr. 2026 | 00:50:27 | |
Most people think moving into leadership is about a title, a pay raise, and reaching that next career step of finally "leading a team." But as anyone who has actually done it knows... it’s usually a rude awakening. To celebrate our 300th episode of The Manager Track, we brought together 3 incredible leaders who recently took on their first official leadership roles. They represent completely different worlds: running a team of nurses, building up a marketing agency, and leading an engineering team. We talked about the stuff no one likes to admit: the jealousy of seeing others shine in what you used to do, the fear of making a mistake, and the moment you realize you don't have to know everything. They didn't give me the "corporate" answers. They gave me the truth. In this special 300th episode roundtable, we dive into:
Whether you’re a new manager, a seasoned leader, or someone eyeing that next promotion, this conversation is relatable and inspiring! Listen or watch now on our Website, Spotify,Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. To the next 300 episodes 🎊 — RESOURCES MENTIONED —
— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —
— WHAT’S NEXT? —
Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| How to Rebuild a Bad Work Reputation (Ep. 299) | 10 févr. 2026 | 00:29:27 | |
Once a reputation sticks at work, it can feel impossible to change. You’re trying to do better and you’re showing up differently. But people still see the old you:
You can’t outwork a bad story that’s still circulating about you in rooms you’re not in. What you need is a strategy, not just more effort. In this episode, Ramona breaks down a clear, practical framework to rebuild a damaged work reputation and actually make your growth visible to others. You’ll learn:
If you feel like your past at work keeps dragging your present (and future) down, this episode will show you how to take back control of the narrative. Listen now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. — RESOURCES MENTIONED —
— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —
— WHAT’S NEXT? —
Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| How to Build Trust Fast as a New Leader (Ep. 298) | 03 févr. 2026 | 00:27:42 | |
Here's what they told you: "Trust takes time. Keep your head down, prove yourself, and eventually they'll trust you." Wrong. Research shows that a good part of your perceived effectiveness as a leader is locked in within the first 90 days and most of that perception forms in the first two weeks. While you're busy "listening and learning," here's what's actually happening behind your back:
The clock is ticking. And the game isn't about earning trust over time. It's about trust velocity: How fast can you establish credibility, predictability, and authority before that window closes? In Episode 298 of The Manager Track, we break down:
If you've ever walked into a new role and felt like you were on trial, this episode is for you. Listen now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. — RESOURCES MENTIONED —
— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —
— WHAT’S NEXT? —
Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Skip Level Meetings: Best Practices for Managers and Leaders (Ep. 297) | 27 janv. 2026 | 00:35:13 | |
You know that sinking feeling when you find out your boss grabbed coffee with one of your team members and you had no idea it was happening? Yeah. Not great. Or maybe you've been on the other side: invited to meet with your skip-level leader and wondering, "Wait... what am I supposed to talk about?" Skip-level meetings are one of those leadership practices that can be incredibly powerful or spectacularly messy. And honestly? Most organizations and leaders are underestimating the cost and downside of ineffective skip-level meetings. When done right, skip levels give senior leaders unfiltered insight into what's actually happening on the ground. They help spot patterns early, make leadership feel accessible, and surface hidden talent that might otherwise go unnoticed. But when done poorly? They destroy trust, create political chaos, and teach people that the fastest way to get something done is to go around their manager. So in this week's episode of The Managed Track Podcast, we're breaking down everything you need to know about skip-level meetings:
I also reached out to 14 HR leaders to get their take on best practices, and I'm sharing all of that consolidated wisdom with you. Whether you're a senior leader trying to stay connected to the work, a manager navigating these conversations with your team, or an individual contributor preparing for your first skip-level meeting, this episode will help you make the most of them while avoiding the common pitfalls. Listen now on Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. — RESOURCES MENTIONED —
— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —
— WHAT’S NEXT? —
Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| AI for Managers in 2026 (Ep.296) | 20 janv. 2026 | 00:19:52 | |
If you’re a manager, you’ve probably seen this play out. One person on your team is trying every new tool. Another hasn’t touched it. Meanwhile, you’re too busy to figure out how to actually boost team productivity with AI in a coordinated and effective way. In this week’s episode of The Manager Track, Ramona talks about what AI adoption actually looks like for managers in non-technical roles, where it’s easy to delay and even easier to get left behind. She shares a clear and practical approach to integrating AI into your team’s work without creating overwhelm or eroding your team’s thinking skills. Key takeaways from the episode:
This isn’t theory. It’s a hands-on approach for managers who want to learn how to work with AI and lead a team through technological change. Listen now on Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. — RESOURCES MENTIONED —
— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —
— WHAT’S NEXT? —
Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Why Leaders Must Build Their Own Frameworks to Scale Impact (Ep.295) | 13 janv. 2026 | 00:32:12 | |
Many capable leaders hit a ceiling not because they lack skill or experience, but because their thinking lives only in their heads. In this episode of The Manager Track, Ramona breaks down one of the most overlooked strategies for leaders who want to increase their impact, improve how they’re perceived, and position themselves for a promotion. This is all about building your own framework. You’ll learn why relying on individual examples, opinions, or ad hoc explanations limits your influence, and how frameworks turn experience into something scalable, teachable, and repeatable. Ramona explains what a framework really is, how it’s different from opinions or corporate jargon, and why the ability to simplify complex thinking is often what separates competent managers from leaders who advance. The episode walks through:
This isn’t about personal branding or LinkedIn thought leadership. It’s about translating discernment, pattern recognition, and experience into clarity that helps others make better decisions, even when you’re not in the room. If you want to stop over-explaining, scale your expertise, and be seen as a leader who defines problems rather than just reacts to them, this episode is for you. Listen now on Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. — RESOURCES MENTIONED —
- Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona HERE. - Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkits - Learn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: http://archova.org/1on1-course - Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE — - Episode 259 - Resilience at Work: The Leadership Skill You Can’t Ignore - Episode 247 - Beyond Values - Creating Explicit Leadership Expectations
— WHAT’S NEXT? —
Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw
* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Want to Achieve Big Goals? The Two Critical Factors Most People Miss | 05 janv. 2026 | 00:30:23 | |
Setting big goals feels productive. It gives you a hit of clarity and a sense of control. But most goals don’t fail because you lacked clarity or motivation. They fail because you built them on the wrong foundation. This week on The Manager Track, we’re unpacking two practices that change the entire goal-setting game: identity-driven goal setting and the pre-mortem. One helps you stop relying on mood and willpower by anchoring your goals to who you are becoming. The other helps you get ahead of predictable derailers before they cost you the year. In this episode, we cover:
If you want to pursue goals this year that actually survive busy weeks, shifting priorities, and imperfect energy, this episode will give you a practical system to do so. Listen now on Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. — RESOURCES MENTIONED —
- Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkits - Learn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: http://archova.org/1on1-course - Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona HERE. - Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE — - Episode 235 - How to Set Growth Goals That Actually Drive Results - Episode 196 - Changing Behaviors & Achieving Goals
— WHAT’S NEXT? —
Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw
* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| The Self-Sacrificing Manager: Breaking the Cycle of Doing Everyone's Work | 30 déc. 2025 | 00:26:12 | |
This episode is a re-release of Ep 274, one of the most popular episodes of The Manager Track podcast. We'll be back with a new episode on January 6, 2025. But when you’re the one staying late, fixing mistakes, and picking up the slack, that “helpfulness” becomes a leadership trap. And if you don’t catch it early, it’ll quietly sabotage your team’s growth. In this episode of The Manager Track podcast, Ramona dives into the sneaky habit of self-sacrificing managers who end up doing everyone’s work under the disguise of being “helpful” or “collaborative.” It might feel like you’re being a servant leader, but really, you’re becoming an overused safety net for everyone else. What we’ll unpack: - Why doing your team’s work isn’t helping them (or you) - The real reason you cave when people push back - How to stop trading respect for temporary approval - Why being seen as “nice” isn’t the same as being an effective leader - The four habits to break the self-sacrificing cycle for good If you’re tired of staying late, fixing things that shouldn’t be yours, and wondering why you’re the only one drowning, this episode will hit home. You’ll learn how to lead without over-functioning, set better boundaries, and actually develop your team.
— RESOURCES MENTIONED —
- Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkits - Executive Presence Intensive: archova.org/executive-presence-program - Learn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: http://archova.org/1on1-course - Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona HERE. - Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE — - Episode 250 - Why “Figure It Out” Doesn’t Work: The Cost of Untrained Managers - Episode 225- Optimizing Work Dynamics - With Lotus Buckner
— WHAT’S NEXT? —
Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw
* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Build a Team Culture You’re Proud Of - Even When the Company’s Isn’t | 23 déc. 2025 | 00:42:44 | |
This episode is a re-release of Ep 264, one of the most popular episodes of The Manager Track podcast. We'll be back with a new episode. Ever feel like you’re doing everything right as a manager, but the broader company culture is off and it impacts your team.
Maybe leadership talks about values, but what actually gets rewarded tells a different story. Or your team is caught in the middle of constant change and chaos.
This week, we're diving into a challenge so many leaders face but rarely talk about, how to create a strong, healthy team culture even when your company’s culture isn’t ideal.
✅ You’ll learn how to build a “culture bubble” ✅ We’ll explore the key ingredients of strong cultures ✅ We’ll share practical team exercises you can start using right away
If you’re leading a team and care about engagement, performance, and people actually wanting to stay, this one’s for you.
— RESOURCES MENTIONED —
- Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkits - Learn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: https://archova.org/1on1-course - Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona HERE. - Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE — - Episode 137- How to Create a Strong Team Culture - with Gustavo Razetti - Episode 129 - Creating a Feedback Culture - With Harrison Kim
— WHAT’S NEXT? —
Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: www.archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| What Leaders Can Learn From NASA’s Culture - With Brady Pyle.mp3 | 16 déc. 2025 | 00:27:42 | |
This week, I sat down with Brady Pyle, former HR leader at NASA and now CHRO at Space Center Houston. Brady spent nearly thirty years building teams, leading major organizational shifts, and shaping how one of the most high-stakes institutions in the world develops its people. He has lived through large-scale transformation, resistance to change, cultural resets, and the pressure of maintaining excellence in an environment where failure carries real consequences. What makes this episode stand out is how directly Brady speaks about what worked, what did not, and what leaders consistently underestimate about growth. In our conversation, we dig into one theme that runs through every successful organizational shift: the ability to stay aligned, learn fast, and adapt even when the change does not personally benefit you. We unpack:
If you want a grounded look at how leadership is developed in a complex environment, this episode will be well worth your time. Listen or watch now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. — RESOURCES MENTIONED — - Brady Pyle's website: https://bradypyle.com - Brady Pyle's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradyapyle - Brady Pyle's Book: Out of This World Leadership: https://www.outofthisworldleader.com - Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkits - Learn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: http://archova.org/1on1-course - Let us know what you think by sending an email to contact@archova.org - Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona: HERE - Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': https://amzn.to/3TuOdcP — OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE — - Episode 282 - Leadership Lessons from a CEO Who Built Cultures by Design - With Lawrence R. Armstrong - Episode 264 - Build a Team Culture You’re Proud Of Even When the Company’s Isn’t — WHAT’S NEXT? —
Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Performance vs. Potential: A Better Approach to Assessing Your People | 09 déc. 2025 | 00:44:30 | |
Review season can feel like another task on the calendar, but it’s actually one of the most valuable leadership moments of the year. When done well, it gives your team clarity, strengthens alignment, and it sets the tone for the next year. The real opportunity lies in how you approach it. Most leaders focus on the conversation itself, but the real impact comes from:
This sets a tone for fairness, raises the bar for your team, and gives people a sense of direction they can trust and act on. When it isn’t, the noise around ratings grows louder, development plans become vague, and calibration turns into a negotiation instead of objective decision-making. This week on The Manager Track, we’re digging into what a well-run review season actually makes possible and why this moment deserves more rigor and attention than it typically gets. In this episode, you'll hear both my take and the perspective of several HR leaders who added their point of view. With that, we cover:
Listen or watch now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. If you want to create more consistency and fairness across your team, or you’re supporting leaders who are heading into reviews, this is an episode worth sharing. — RESOURCES MENTIONED —
— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —
— WHAT’S NEXT? —
Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Promoted But Not Prepared: What You're Underestimating (And How to Prepare) | 01 déc. 2025 | 00:31:31 | |
The promotion feels like a win, and it certainly is. It means people see your potential. But it also kicks off one of the hardest transitions of your career. We often assume that because we were great individual contributors, leadership will come naturally. But being promoted doesn't mean you are prepared. In fact, statistics show that 60% of new managers underperform in their first two years. Why? Because most new leaders fall into one of two traps: they are either held back by insecurity ("I have no clue what I'm doing") or they charge forward with overconfidence ("I'm great at my job, this will be fine"). Both approaches can erode trust and slow down your team. This week on The Manager Track, we are breaking down what you might be underestimating about this transition-and why "trial and error" is the most expensive way to learn. In this episode, we cover:
You wouldn't tell an engineer to just "figure out coding" on the job. Leadership requires the same level of intentional study. If you want to lead well (or support someone who is just starting out), this is the episode to share. Listen or watch now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. — RESOURCES MENTIONED —
— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —
— WHAT’S NEXT? —
Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Beyond High Performance : What Are You Really Capable Of With Jason Jaggard | 25 nov. 2025 | 00:47:02 | |
Many leaders still treat high performance as the destination. They double down on output, visibility, and achievement, convinced that hitting those marks means they have arrived. The reality is different. And maybe you can relate. Maybe you, too, ask yourself what the achievement is really all about when you still don't seem satisfied despite all the success.. That's because for most of us, meaningful success today comes from shifting the focus inward, examining old habits, and being willing to reinvent the way we operate. This week on The Manager Track podcast, I'm joined by Jason Jaggard, CEO of Novus Global and USA Today bestselling author of Beyond High Performance. Jason explains why the real bottleneck is rarely skill. It is identity. Leaders cling to roles, habits, and assumptions that once helped them succeed, but now hold them back. When you focus on looking like a high performer, you miss the deeper work that creates reinvention and bigger contribution. You'll learn how to: - Use the Meta Performance question to unlock endless growth - Find the hidden "kernel" of value inside your judgments about peers and bosses - Apply the Athlete Mindset to your career and development - Understand the shift from paradoxical thinking to multiaxial thinking and why senior leaders rely on it This episode helps you look closely at how you show up in your role and what mindset shifts could help you reach the next level. Listen or watch now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. — RESOURCES MENTIONED — - Jason Jaggard's website: https://novus.global/ - Jason Jaggard's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonjaggard/ - Jason Jaggard's Book: Beyond High Performance: https://book.novus.global/ - Beyond High Performance Assessment by Novus Global: HERE - Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkits - Learn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: http://archova.org/1on1-course - Let us know what you think by sending an email to contact@archova.org - Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona: HERE - Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': https://amzn.to/3TuOdcP — OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE — - Episode 67 - How Do You Measure Your Own Performance? - Episode 279 - The Behaviors That Make or Break Team Performance — WHAT’S NEXT? —
Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| 5 Steps to Prepare for Your Year-End Review | 18 nov. 2025 | 00:14:30 | |
Too many managers walk into their year-end review hoping their work speaks for itself. But it rarely does. The meeting moves fast, details get lost, and much is about the past, not the future. When that happens, the conversation stays tactical instead of helping your manager understand the value you created this year and the direction you want to take next. This week’s episode of The Manager Track podcast breaks down how to prepare in a way that gives you a stronger footing in that conversation. A little structure can make the difference between a routine check-in and a discussion that actually moves your career forward. You’ll learn how to: - Present your impact with concrete examples - Link your work to themes your manager cares about - Ask for what you need to grow next year Listen now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. — RESOURCES MENTIONED —
— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE — - Episode 136 - Becoming the Boss & How to Lead in a Multigenerational Workplace - With Lindsey Pollak - Episode 121 - 5 Often Overlooked Steps When Onboarding a New Employee — WHAT’S NEXT? —
Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| The Business Mindset Managers Need But Rarely Learn | 11 nov. 2025 | 00:16:21 | |
This week on The Manager Track podcast, we're talking about one of the biggest role misunderstandings in management. Most managers think their job is to organize, divide, and execute the work. It feels productive and responsible, but it also keeps them stuck operating way below the level where real leadership value is created. Because the true job of a manager is not just delivering output. It is deciding which work is worth doing, why it matters, and when to change direction entirely based on evolving context and capability. This is the shift that separates managers who stay busy from managers who become strategic value creators. In this episode, you'll learn how to:
Listen now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. — RESOURCES MENTIONED —
— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —
— WHAT’S NEXT? —
Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||
| Walking on Eggshells What to Do When Your Boss Has a Fragile Ego | 04 nov. 2025 | 00:32:00 | |
If you've ever tiptoed around a leader's ego, reworded feedback ten different ways, or held back a good idea just to avoid a blow-up, this episode is for you. We're pulling back the curtain on executive ego fragility: what causes it, how to spot it, and how to deal with it without losing your mind (or your voice). Here's what you'll take away:
And if you're thinking, "Why do I have to adapt to their fragile ego? Why isn't it on them?"... yep, we cover that too. If you've ever said, "I can't say that, they'll take it the wrong way," this one's for you. And if you haven't and don't expect to ever run into ego-driven leaders, then just send it to a friend who has. They'll thank you. Listen now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. — RESOURCES MENTIONED —
— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —
— WHAT’S NEXT? —
Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.
Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP
Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz
Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass
Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!
If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you. | |||