On this episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric welcomes Anca Enache, founder of 3P Impact Consulting. Anca helps purpose-driven small- and medium-sized companies create a competitive advantage by revealing the environmental, social, and governance risks and opportunities that may impact their business.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Anca Enache’s work in sustainability alongside purpose-driven companies.
2. The definition of a business continuity plan at the team level and how it can help a company.
3. A real-life example of the benefits of a continuity plan.
4. The six components of an effective team-level business continuity plan.
5. The steps required to implement a continuity plan.
6. Anca’s work as a consultant.

Connect with Anca Enache:

LinkedIn

Website

Email

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Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to take a look at the 20+ courses I offer for new and experienced managers! Get your copy of the Amazon #1 Bestseller and #1 New Release Lead Like a Pro - The Essential Guide for New Managers while you’re there!

Connect with me on LinkedIn.

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On today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric shares part three of this six-part series from his book, Lead Like a Pro: The Essential Guide for New Managers. Featuring chapters three and four, you’ll hear why it’s important to set SMART goals for your team, Eric’s brainstorming guidelines for setting team goals, and why you should be performing weekly one-on-one meetings with team members. Eric also shares why you must learn how to delegate effectively and how it can improve your relationship with your team. You’ll also hear about the six levels of initiative that can help bring out the best in everyone, along with Eric’s tips for helping you decide what to delegate.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Creating clear goals for your team and how you benefit from them.
2. Understanding the purpose behind a goal and the four components behind a good goal.
3. SMART goals: specific, measurable, achievable (or aligned), relevant (or resourced), and time-bound (or trackable).
4. The benefits of SMART goals for new managers and how to set them in three simple steps.
5. Questions you can ask to identify a SMART goal.
6. Eric’s eight brainstorming guidelines for setting team goals.
7. Setting one-on-one weekly meetings with team members to make progress toward goals.
8. Altering SMART goals to fit your organization’s needs.
9. Learning to delegate tasks to your team effectively and how it can improve your relationship with your team.
10. The benefits of effective delegation and some reasons managers fail to delegate.
11. The ten commandments for effective delegation.
12. Delegating the right tasks to the right people and how to determine if a team member is ready for the task at hand.
13. The six levels of initiative, encouraging higher-level thinking from team members, and bringing out the best in everyone.
14. Eric’s tips for deciding what could be delegated to your team.

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Knowing what motivates you and your team members can be a huge advantage as a manager.

On this episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric sits down with Will Goldstein-Mahon to discuss the differences between engagement and motivation and why leaders have to know what motivates and demotivates their teams. Will is the Director of Learning and Organization Development at Jordan’s Furniture. He has been in the L&D space for 20 years, focusing on leadership development and new hires.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. The differences between engagement and motivation and how they overlap.
2. Why leaders need to understand what motivates and demotivates their teams.
3. How the interview process can help new managers address motivation with their employees.
4. The discomfort of discussing what demotivates each employee individually.
5. Creating an environment where a leader can assign tasks motivating each team member.
6. How effective leaders can find ways to bring more positives to a team member’s role and offer creative solutions to avoid demotivating environments.
7. The seven dimensions of motivation and how they relate to the roles we pursue at work.
8. Applying your natural motivators in your personal and professional lives.
9. Resisting the urge to attempt to motivate others with what motivates you.
10. Developing individualized follow-ups to ensure everyone on the team is on the same page.

Connect with Will Goldstein-Mahon:

LinkedIn

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On today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric welcomes guest Tammy Alvarez to the show to talk about her new book, Escaping the Career Trap. Tammy is the founder and CEO of Career Winners Circle, where they empower business leaders to make a big impact and love every Monday again. They focus on helping people navigate a career step into leadership roles, run businesses in a way that energizes them, and get back to loving getting started on Monday.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Tammy’s book, which was written for those who have lost their ambition, and what she wants you to take away from it.
2. The change in perspectives over the past five years and why there is always opportunity in times of chaos.
3. Small, incremental changes to move forward faster.
4. The mid-career funk and how to transform it into something that’s thriving and energizes you.
5. Why Tammy Alvarez is emphatic in her book about never hating Mondays again.
6. The struggles new leaders experience and the impact finding your joy and playing to your strengths can have on your performance at work.
7. Her reasoning for being raw and honest in the book and keeping it approachable.
8. Becoming the CEO of your career and why that changes everything.
9. Tammy’s speaking engagements and what her focus is.

Connect with Tammy Alvarez:

Get the Escaping the Career Trap book

Career Winners Circle website

LinkedIn

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Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to take a look at the 20+ courses I offer for new and experienced managers! Get your copy of the Amazon #1 Bestseller and #1 New Release Lead Like a Pro - The Essential Guide for New Managers while you’re there!

Connect with me on LinkedIn.

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On today’s Management Development Unlocked, Eric interviews his former colleague Melissa Sheehan, a marketing expert based in San Francisco, California. Melissa currently works in the talent marketing and employer brand space for a global technology company, where she helps attract and engage employees. Melissa’s background spans various areas of marketing, ranging from brand to communications, demand generation, and talent marketing. She is passionate about building brands from the inside out and making work meaningful and enjoyable for teams.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Why communication is a crucial skill for managers and the foundation of strong, productive relationships at work.
2. Examples of missteps managers often make in communication—especially with their teams—and the impact of the power dynamic at play.
3. Melissa Sheehan’s tips for gauging how your team is feeling in a situation.
4. The impact missteps can make on relationships with your team and the potential implications they can have.
5. The characteristics of a leader who is also a successful communicator.
6. Humanizing your communications by embracing your unique voice and tone.
7. Communicating with an inclusive lens and listening to and getting to know communities you are not a part of.

Connect with Melissa Sheehan:

LinkedIn

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Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to take a look at the 20+ courses I offer for new and experienced managers! Get your copy of the Amazon #1 Bestseller and #1 New Release Lead Like a Pro - The Essential Guide for New Managers while you’re there!

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Today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked features Mamie Kanfer Stewart. Mamie is an expert on meetings, including when and how to make them effective, engaging, and enjoyable. Mamie hosts The Modern Manager podcast and is the author of Momentum: Creating Effective, Engaging, and Enjoyable Meetings. She is a coach and hosts trainings and workshops on meetings. She also has a membership and courses to help managers become their best selves and do their best work.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. The number one thing to do before holding a meeting and why its outcome must be clear.
2. Questions to ask before scheduling a meeting and deciding whether a different communication method might be more effective.
3. The seven reasons to hold a meeting and one reason not to.
4. Best practices for starting a meeting and completing it early or on time.
5. The three things you can do to end a meeting on a high note.
6. Why consistency matters for meeting notes and can be used as an active tool in your work.
7. The challenges of using transcription services to take meeting notes.
8. Debunking two common myths about meetings.
9. Some questions to ask if you’re struggling with meeting attendees multitasking during meetings.
10. Mamie Kanfer Stewart’s Modern Manager Skills Accelerator program to help develop your skills as a manager.

Connect with Mamie Kanfer Stewart:

The Modern Manager

Meeteor

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Today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked features Alexa Chilcutt, a professor of executive education at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and Texas Christian University. Alexa is also an executive coach who works one-on-one with professionals and is an expert on executive presence.

Eric and Alexa focus on executive presence (EP) in this episode, defining it and naming some of its personality traits. They also cover what it means to believe someone has EP, the importance of a great first impression, and why a lack of executive presence can prevent your career from progressing. Alexa explains the importance of self-awareness surrounding your non-verbal communication, ten character qualities of someone with executive presence, and her tips for developing a positive EP.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. The definition of executive presence and the personality traits it consists of.
2. Identifying who you believe has executive presence and why a great first impression and authenticity matter.
3. Aligning who you are with what’s important to the organization or the position you seek.
4. How a lack of executive presence can prevent you from advancing your career.
5. The initial first impressions you might have of someone who has executive presence.
6. Having self-awareness about your non-verbal communication and learning how to improve them.
7. Ten characteristics of executive presence, why those qualities aren’t necessarily positive, and shifting perceptions of your executive presence.
8. Alexa Chilcutt’s tips for developing an executive presence.
9. Her questions for Eric about the biggest challenges new managers face as they shift into leadership roles.

Connect with Alexa Chilcutt:

LinkedIn

Joe Navarro on Confidence

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Today, on Management Development Unlocked, Eric sits down with Jimmy Burroughes, founder and CEO of Jimmy Burroughes Leadership. His company focuses on turning busy, overworked, and overwhelmed managers into high-impact leaders. Jimmy achieves this using his books, a podcast, and 400-500 workshops annually. Those workshops include facilitated conversations, seminars, and webinars that allow people to learn in the flow of work. Jimmy’s team consists of around 460 associates and facilitators.

Eric and Jimmy’s conversation focuses on why we’re working so much harder in today’s corporate world, the three factors contributing to a leadership perfect storm in the post-COVID world, tips for overcoming burnout, and the enormous costs of multitasking. You won't want to miss this episode if you’re a manager experiencing a lack of engagement on your team.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Jimmy Burroughes’ leadership development company and its mission to help overwhelmed and overworked managers become high-impact leaders.
2. Jimmy’s theory on why we’re working much harder today than our parents did and the impact of being bombarded with all this information.
3. The three factors creating a perfect leadership storm in the post-COVID world.
4. Two reasons leaders are struggling to lead in the hybrid work and remote work environment.
5. Lack of engagement from employees and the critical mass point they’re reaching.
6. Increasing burnout, why just “working harder” doesn’t resolve the issue, and how it impacts aspects of your entire life.
7. The huge costs of multitasking.
8. Jimmy’s podcast, The High Performance Leader, his upcoming new book, “Escape the Multi-tasking Trap,” and his first book, “Beat Burnout, Ignite Performance.”

Connect with Jimmy Burroughes:

Website

LinkedIn

Beat Burnout, Ignite Performance

Escape the Multi-tasking Trap

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On this episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric sits down with Heli Nehama Ozery, founder and CEO of Artemis OD, a management consulting firm based in Silicon Valley. For the past 15 years, Heli has been working with global companies to help them elevate performance and productivity while fostering employee growth. Heli is passionate about making learning experiential and creating “aha” moments. She also trains trainers and learning experts on how to do the same thing.

Eric and Heli’s conversation encompasses several topics, including navigating friendships at work when you become a manager, setting boundaries between work and your personal life, and creating a harmonious environment amid competition.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Heli Nehama Ozery’s work with global companies to elevate performance and productivity and her passion for making learning experiential.
2. Her experience navigating friendships at work after moving into a leadership role.
3. Some of the common challenges new managers face when they manage their peers or friends and why people pleasers struggle more.
4. The two main things required for managers to be most effective in dealing with a friend at work without losing the friendship.
5. Setting clear boundaries between work and friendship.
6. Immediately addressing issues to achieve resolution instead of letting them fester.
7. Fostering a positive and collaborative team culture when there is competition at work and empathy’s role in smoothing things over.
8. Avoiding resentment at work, building trust, and gaining support from others.
9. Some successful strategies and best practices for overcoming conflict and creating a harmonious environment.
10. Heli’s leadership development program for organizations and how it can help.

Connect with Heli Nehama Ozery:

LinkedIn

Artemis Organizational Development

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On this episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric explores the five key habits of winning leaders with guest Rusty Fulling. Rusty is the founder and CEO of Fulling Management & Accounting, based in Olathe, Kansas. Fulling Management & Accounting serves business leaders around the country in the accounting space, helping them gain clarity, grow profits, and gain peace of mind.

Eric and Rusty start their conversation by exploring how consistency in leadership and being “boring” can create a more positive impact. They cover the three values consistency can produce, why managers should practice curiosity with their teams, and the differences between mentors, influencers, and coaches. You’ll also hear why setting boundaries is important as a mentor or mentee, the role effective listening plays in boosting a team’s morale, and Rusty’s advice for people who believe their companies aren’t pouring into or helping them grow.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Consistency in leadership and why the “boring” can help create a more positive impact.
2. Three values that consistency can produce: respect, integrity, and authenticity.
3. Why managers should practice curiosity with their teams and the results it can produce.
4. How you can apply curiosity to leadership, your business, and your community.
5. The differences between a mentor, influencer, and coach.
6. Where to look for a great mentor in personal, business, and spiritual.
7. Becoming a mentor or a mentee as a manager, its benefits, and setting boundaries around those relationships.
8. Effective listening and the role it plays in boosting a team’s morale.
9. Recognizing a team member’s accomplishments based on their personality.
10. Rusty Fulling’s advice for people whose companies aren’t pouring into or helping them grow.
11. Resources Rusty recommends for working on personal and professional growth.

Connect with Rusty Fulling:

LinkedIn

Fulling Management & Accounting website

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On this episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric sits down with Ethan Nash. Ethan is the CEO and a leadership consultant at Nash Consulting in the Seattle, Washington, area. Eric and Ethan dig into his background in management, consulting, and leadership development and training, the one thing managers should know to be successful, and what it means to create a psychological contract between a manager and their team. They also discuss the importance of psychological safety in the workplace, some practical tips for implementing skills and behaviors to develop psychological safety, and how to repair the psychological contract when it breaks.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Ethan Nash’s background in management, consulting, and leadership development and training and his dad’s influence on his career choice.
2. Why Ethan went into business with his dad early in his career.
3. The one thing managers should know to be successful in their positions.
4. The concept of a psychological contract between a manager and their team creates a sense of psychological safety.
5. Employee engagement when they feel care and respect in their workplace.
6. The skills and behaviors managers can implement to develop psychological safety at work.
7. Making one-on-one meetings sacred and the questions you can use in them to build on the psychological contract.
8. How to repair the psychological contract when it breaks.
9. Ethan’s Managing with Mind and Heart program.

Connect with Eric Girard here:

Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to take a look at the 20+ courses I offer for new and experienced managers! Get your copy of the Amazon #1 Bestseller and #1 New Release Lead Like a Pro - The Essential Guide for New Managers while you’re there!

Connect with me on LinkedIn.

Please subscribe and comment!

Connect with Ethan Nash:

LinkedIn

Website - Use code MUPOD24 for a 24% discount!

Podcast

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On this episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric sits down with Kristin Cummings, founder of Virtual COO. Virtual COO helps small and midsize businesses strategize to help their businesses grow. Eric and Kristin dig into how virtual or fractional C-suite team members can help businesses, what a COO’s job entails, and Kristin offers some helpful tips on forming relationships with the C-suite as a new manager.

Kristin, her husband, and their five-year-old son are traveling the world while they work as digital nomads. They’re currently spending several months in Europe.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. What a COO is and what they do for businesses of all sizes and types.
2. Fractional and virtual COOs and the benefits having someone in this position can offer to a small or midsize business.
3. Kristin’s tips for interacting with the C-suite as a new manager and why being clear about what you’re asking for is crucial.
4. Getting buy-in from key stakeholders and how preparedness can help.
5. Making an impact in your company as someone in operations.
6. Creating a trusting relationship with visionaries as someone in operations and knowing when to shut ideas down.
7. Kristin Cummings’s answers to Eric’s lightning round.

Connect with Kristin Cummings:

LinkedIn

Virtual COO on LinkedIn

Website

Management Time: Who’s Got the Monkey?

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Today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked features Stacey Caster, co-founder and CEO of North Executive Advisors. Stacey specializes in leadership development and executive coaching. She is also a speaker, podcast host, and author.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Stacey Caster’s background in senior leadership and her role today as the CEO and co-founder of North Executive Advisors.
2. What’s different about leading leaders versus leading individual contributors.
3. The leadership skills required to lead leaders and why it requires forecasting farther into the future.
4. Building a network outside of your four walls to understand what your competitors are doing.
5. The importance of emotional intelligence in leadership.
6. Leveling up your career development from becoming a leader to becoming a leader of leaders.
7. Marketing your personal brand inside your company to position yourself for leadership roles.
8. What good leaders can do to strengthen a business.
9. The mistakes a leader can make that will crash a business.
10. Stacey’s upcoming book, “The Leadership Navigator: Chart Your Course to Leadership Mastery.”

Connect with Stacey Caster:

Website

Book

North Executive Advisors

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This episode of Management Development Unlocked features Jason Dreyer, a training and development professional with 18 years of experience in the field. Jason works for a midsize engineering firm, helping their leaders across the country to be better. Eric sits down with him to talk about the DISC personality assessment, how it can help you better understand your team and communicate more effectively, and some of the pitfalls that can come with this powerful tool.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Jason Dreyer’s foray into learning and development 18 years ago and why it stuck.
2. What DISC is (dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness).
3. How DISC helps people understand their preferences surrounding work and relationships.
4. The first activity Jason’s leadership development program does when they come together as a group.
5. His first exposure to DISC and the characteristics that made it so attractive.
6. Using DISC as a manager to support team communication and better understand what they need.
7. Why managers should understand their own DISC profile in order for their team to understand them.
8. Some of the pitfalls of DISC profiles and how to overcome those.
9. The importance behind a leader flexing their style to the team rather than expecting everyone else to flex theirs.

Connect with Jason Dreyer:

LinkedIn

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Connect with me on LinkedIn.

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On this episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric sits down with Stephen Davis, the Director of Learning and Development at ArchKey Solutions. ArchKey is one of the nation’s leading electrical contractor and service suppliers. Stephen has been in the learning and development industry for more than 20 years and has experience in various industries, including healthcare and retail. He is also a proud husband and father.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Stephen Davis’s 20+ years of experience in the learning and development space in various industries.
2. Keeping it simple when it comes to developing new leaders and why you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
3. What Stephen believes new leaders struggle with the most.
4. The differences between management and leaders and how to become a leader by managing the process.
5. Why the process is unique to each individual and a firsthand example from Stephen.
6. Incorporating empathy into your leadership style and having your team’s back when they need it.
7. Learning to filter through the noise of leadership development and its dependence on your background, position, experience, etc.
8. The assignment Stephen Davis creates for his leadership training sessions and why it applies more to your manager than you.
9. An explanation of the Kirkpatrick Model levels of evaluation.
10. His experience at Target and what made it a phenomenal leadership learning experience.
11. Why the return on training has to be apparent to leadership.

Connect with Stephen Davis:

LinkedIn

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On this episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric sits down with Matt Gjertsen, the founder and Chief Learning Officer of Better Every Day Studios. Better Every Day Studios aims to transform how companies view talent development by building custom training solutions that deliver business results for organizations. Matt uses what he learned as an instructor pilot in the U.S. Air Force and a SpaceX manager as a foundation for his training and development solutions. 

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Matt Gjertsen’s background in the U.S. Air Force and SpaceX, which laid the foundation for how he thinks about training and development.
2. How Matt defines behavior-based training and the four levels of training evaluation using the Kirkpatrick Model.
3. Why culture is just an accumulation of behaviors within an organization.
4. The differences between behavior-based training and “normal” training and coaching.
5. The three realms of practice: naive, purposeful, and deliberate, and why they are critical elements for a manager.
6. How managers can apply behavior-based training with their teams.
7. Identifying the gap between desired performance and current performance to focus your training.
8. What Matt Gjertsen’s company does and the new products they offer help hiring managers and interviewers.

Connect with Matt Gjertsen:

LinkedIn

Website

Podcast

Peak by Anders Ericsson

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Today’s Management Development Unlocked features Wendy Pfeiffer, an executive in technology roles for the past 30 years. Wendy’s career focus is on the intersection of technology and business operations. Her goal has always been to help companies and people use technology for all their purposes. She primarily focuses on assisting mid-level and senior executives in developing and learning how to master the tech they operate.

Eric and Wendy explore the mistakes she made in her first management role, the three lessons she learned about being a good leader, how she implements Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People in guiding teams, and why leaders should strive to create long-term relationships with their teams.

This episode is all about establishing good leadership habits--advice new managers won’t want to miss.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Wendy Pfeiffer’s background working at the intersection of technology and business and teaching mid-level and senior executives to master the tech they operate.
2. The mistakes Wendy made in her first management role and how she handled devastating criticism from an employee.
3. Three lessons she learned about being a good leader from that first management role.
4. Why you should strive to advance to higher levels of management and the changing goals as you move up the ranks.
5. Wendy Pfeiffer’s use of Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People to guide teams.
6. Empathy’s role in management success and the loyalty it encourages from your team.
7. Creating long-term relationships with your team and why they’re the secret sauce to your success recipe.
8. What Wendy loves about the Great British Baking Show and humility as a superpower.

Connect with Wendy Pfeiffer:

LinkedIn

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On this episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric sits down with Asian American inclusivity expert Jolene Jang. Jolene is a fourth-generation American with Japanese, Chinese, and Swedish heritage. As an Asian American, she recognizes that Asian Americans are left out of many conversations and is working to change that. During her career in organizational development, she’s spent a lot of time building teams and performing motivational speaking, and she will soon release a podcast. 

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Jolene Jang’s background as a fourth-generation Asian-American, building teams, and motivational speaking.
2. Eric’s response to Jolene’s question: Why does diversity matter to Girard Training Solutions?
3. Why it’s valuable to companies to recognize diversity and expand their markets beyond their traditional customer profiles.
4. Current demographics in the United States and how those statistics will change by 2045.
5.  The companies finding success by marketing to Asian Americans and how they’re doing it.
6. Jolene’s advice for new managers who want to be more respectful to their employees and customers.

Connect with Jolene Jang:

LinkedIn

Website

YouTube

Become an Asian Ally

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On today’s Management Development Unlocked, Eric speaks with Matt Abrahams. Matt is a lecturer at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, where he teaches strategic communication. He is also an author with a new book called Think Faster, Talk Smarter, and the host of a podcast by the same name. Matt is passionate about communication and helping others find their confidence and voice to speak up without freaking out.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Matt Abrahams’ explanation of the impact of effective communication on personal and professional success and how it affects new managers.
2. The goal for new managers should be to connect, no matter who their audience is.
3. Matt’s three-question structure to make communication more effective.
4. The three steps to becoming a better listener.
5. Two curses we all suffer from and the antidote to both.
6. How having good boundaries can help you manage FOMO (fear of missing out).
7. Steps new managers can take to write better for busy readers, according to Matt Abrahams.
8. Matt’s new book, Think Faster, Talk Smarter, and what you can expect to learn from it.
9. Some fun facts about Matt.

Connect with Matt Abrahams:

Website

LinkedIn

YouTube

Think Faster, Talk Smarter book

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Today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked features Gerardo Segat. Gerardo spent 20 years as the Chairman and CEO of a family office business before starting a leadership coaching business in 2017. Over the past decade, he has been a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, the world’s largest community of leaders and CEOs. He has served as a serial chapter chair and founder of YPO. In his current business, Gerardo created a corporate leadership program, a magazine interview format, and a decisional debate format for a postgraduate training program. His latest creation is a performing arts show to humanize authentic leaders.

A fun fact to know about Gerardo is that he is a heli-skier and a DJ.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Gerardo Segat’s background as a CEO and entrepreneur and his move into the leadership space in 2017.
2. The two approaches leaders can use to flip a fear into a pinnacle of strength.
3. The value of self-awareness in leadership and recognizing your triggers for reacting in a particular way.
4. Why AI can’t out-human a human and Gerardo’s thoughts on AI’s future.
5. How deep authenticity and human connection impact a leader’s behavior and performance, and leading by example.
6. The steps leaders can take to move away from harmful, defensive behaviors and toward a state of courage and fulfillment.
7. What Gerardo says leaders need to captivate and inspire other leaders to be the best versions of themselves.

Connect with Gerardo Segat:

LinkedIn

Website

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Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to take a look at the 20+ courses I offer for new and experienced managers! Get your copy of the Amazon #1 Bestseller and #1 New Release Lead Like a Pro - The Essential Guide for New Managers while you’re there!

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Eric sits down with Cath Song, Human Resources Business Partner at Baidu, on this episode of Management Development Unlocked. Cath has more than six years of experience in the HR world and is a results-driven strategic thinker with a global background. Her company, Baidu, is a Google competitor emphasizing AI and is one of the biggest search engines in the world.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Cath Song’s position with Baidu USA and what Baidu does.
2. What a human resources business partner is and how she became an HRBP.
3. The role of an HRBP at Baidu and what new managers should know about working with an HRBP.
4. How new managers engage with human resources business partners during day-to-day business and the expertise they can provide.
5. Why you should form a relationship with your HRBP as soon as you step into your new management role and the coaching you can receive from them.
6. The most important things a new manager should know about hiring in tech.
7. Some considerations when hiring an expat manager including their finances and benefits that the job could impact.

Connect with Cath Song:

LinkedIn

Instagram

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Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to take a look at the 20+ courses I offer for new and experienced managers! Get your copy of the Amazon #1 Bestseller and #1 New Release Lead Like a Pro - The Essential Guide for New Managers while you’re there!

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On today’s Management Development Unlocked, Eric interviews Roger Martin, co-founder and CEO of ThriveMore Brands. ThriveMore is a platform company with franchise brands under its umbrella, including RockBox Fitness and beem® Light Sauna. They also have a nutrition company and are discussing bringing an overseas franchise concept to America. The company employs 27 people in its home office.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Roger Martin’s company, ThriveMore Brands, and an overview of what it does.
2. His tips for overcoming imposter syndrome and why you’re probably not growing if you haven’t experienced it.
3. What competency-selective interviewing tactics are, and how they contrast with just using your gut to hire.
4. The impact of AI in the workplace and what makes it a powerful tool.
5. How managers deal with failure, take responsibility for it, and work to fix the problem at the speed of trust.
6. Psychological safety and the value of feeling safe to make mistakes and grow.
7. The franchise brands that make up ThriveMore Brands and the goal of those brands.

Connect with Roger Martin:

LinkedIn

ThriveMore Brands

Instagram

TikTok

Twitter/X

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Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to take a look at the 20+ courses I offer for new and experienced managers! Get your copy of the Amazon #1 Bestseller and #1 New Release Lead Like a Pro - The Essential Guide for New Managers while you’re there!

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Today, on Management Development Unlocked, Eric interviews success coach Nathalie Pincham. Nathalie specializes in coaching ambitious, vision-driven founders and leaders. She is also the host of the Your Success Tonic podcast and founder of Story Tonic. As a high achiever herself, Nathalie helps her clients redefine success on their own terms instead of with a set of traditional achievements.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. How Nathalie Pincham defines a high achiever and its impact on her personal and professional journeys.
2. Nathalie’s process for helping her clients define success on their own terms instead of with a set of traditional achievements.
3. Overcoming self-doubt and imposter syndrome as high achievers transitioning into leadership roles.
4. Why sharing your experience can help others connect and empathize with you.
5. What energy leadership is and why Nathalie believes it can increase your personal and leadership potential.
6. The value of emotional intelligence in the workplace.
7. Her advice for avoiding burnout at work even as you maintain high performance.
8. Why good time management plays a vital role in preventing burnout.
9. Having people you can turn to in your life who offer support in different ways.
10. Nathalie’s success advantage quiz.

Connect with Nathalie Pincham:

Website

Podcast

LinkedIn

Instagram

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Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to take a look at the 20+ courses I offer for new and experienced managers! Get your copy of the Amazon #1 Bestseller and #1 New Release Lead Like a Pro - The Essential Guide for New Managers while you’re there!

Connect with me on LinkedIn.

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On today’s Management Development Unlocked, Eric interviews Eloisa Marquez-Gonzalez, an operation strategist and advisor to green tech organizations. Eloisa helps them design their operations, and once they’ve grown, she helps those companies streamline to ensure their impact is growing along with their company. Another fun fact about Eloisa is that she is a former professional tennis player who eventually left that career to pursue an engineering degree.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Eloisa Marquez-Gonzalez’s position as an operation strategist and advisor focused on green tech organizations.
2. Her career in professional tennis, a pivot to engineering, and finally to the climate space.
3. The differences between innovation and continuous improvement.
4. What the green tech sector encompasses, and what green tech operations are.
5. The metrics that differentiate green tech ops from traditional ops.
6. Creating an environment of collaboration where people feel comfortable bringing new ideas to leadership.
7. The steps managers in any industry can take to integrate sustainability practices into existing operations.
8. Eloisa’s green tech operations roundtable and what she hopes to accomplish with it.
9. How to foster curiosity and creativity within your team.

Connect with Eloisa Marquz-Gonzalez:

LinkedIn

Walking Tree

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On this episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric sits down with guest Deb Harrison. Deb is a kindness advocate as well as a catalyst for growth and change. She is a consultant, coach, speaker, and author. Deb’s goal is to help others optimize every opportunity and every person they interact with. She helps people find the gifts they have within themselves and recognize the gifts other people possess, which can make great things happen.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. The importance of making kindness a priority in your day-to-day life.
2. Deb Harrison’s perspective on being a growth and change catalyst and getting people to embrace them in various circumstances.
3. Curiosity’s role in helping us be the best version of ourselves.
4. The two biggest misconceptions new managers have about leadership.
5. How adjusting your approach to individual team members can make work run more smoothly.
6. Deb’s approach to coaching new managers and helping them feel more comfortable in their roles.
7. Setting expectations with your team and modeling them to hold yourself and your team accountable.
8. Mindfulness and its impact on the work environment.
9. A personal story from Deb Harrison on driving change in a difficult situation.
10. Her coaching and consulting business and her upcoming book of poetry.

Connect with Deb Harrison:

Website

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIn

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Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to take a look at the 20+ courses I offer for new and experienced managers! Get your copy of the Amazon #1 Bestseller and #1 New Release Lead Like a Pro - The Essential Guide for New Managers while you’re there!

Connect with me on LinkedIn.

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Eric welcomes guest Kamaria Scott to the show on today's Management Development Unlocked. Kamaria is the owner of Enetic, which is a boutique consulting firm that helps organizations leverage their people leaders as partners during times of change. Her goal is to ensure that leaders can lead engaged, healthy, and high-performing teams and can do that when their organizations are going through dynamic changes. Kamaria is also the host of the Manager to Manager podcast. Her varied career background allows her to draw from her experiences in various industries to help managers succeed.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. The one skill Kamaria Scott believes new managers need to master for success.
2. Curiosity’s influence on how a manager leads a team and flexing yourself to adapt to the specific needs of a team member.
3. Influencing engagement and performance on a team and how to get your team to lean in and give a little bit more.
4. Why curiosity shows up in everything you do and can allow you to gauge multiple components of a project.
5. Some practical ways managers can learn about their team members aside from just asking questions.
6. Why Kamaria started her podcast and what she wants people to take away from it.

Connect with Kamaria Scott:

LinkedIn

Enetic

kamaria@eneticlps.com

Manager to Manager podcast

Humble Inquiry by Edgar H. Schein

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On today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric interviews Nick Smith. Nick specializes in helping leaders and teams deal well with people to remove stress and increase profitability. He is certified in using The GameChanger Index, DISC-based personality instruments, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming techniques. Nick’s varied background enables him to understand how to coach leaders. He prefers to spend much of his time outdoors and coaches outdoors as well.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Why Nick Smith sees leading outdoors as similar to leading in business and the importance of feeling like you are in a safe space before producing work.
2. Motivating people who want to be involved and the three things that encourage people.
3. How to handle people on your team who don’t want to be involved and find the why behind it.
4. The power of giving agency to a team.
5. The twin roles of leader and manager and how they play out in an outdoor context.
6. The amount of emphasis you need to place on leading yourself and why looking after yourself first allows you to be in a good place to care for your team.
7. The GameChanger Index, what it does, and how it can benefit your workplace.

Connect with Nick Smith:

LinkedIn

Square Pegs Coaching

The GC Index

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Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to take a look at the 20+ courses I offer for new and experienced managers! Get your copy of the Amazon #1 Bestseller and #1 New Release Lead Like a Pro - The Essential Guide for New Managers while you’re there!

Connect with me on LinkedIn.

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Eric welcomes guest Minette Norman on today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked. Minette is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, and after 30 years in the software industry in Silicon Valley, she became a speaker, author, and leadership consultant. Today, her focus area is inclusive leadership.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Minette Norman’s path from studying at the Sorbonne and a degree in drama and French to the tech industry in Silicon Valley.
2. How she defines a great high-performing team and diversity’s vital part in that definition.
3. A manager’s role in fostering a team culture where everyone can do their best work and set an expectation of curiosity.
4. The most challenging aspects of managing people and the importance of asking yourself how you’re showing up for your team.
5. Why managers should love people and become good listeners for their teams.
6. The reason we should focus on inclusive leadership in today’s workplace.
7. Minette’s book, The Boldly Inclusive Leader, and its focus on helping all leaders do better in creating inclusive cultures.
8. Her answers for Eric’s lightning round.

Connect with Minette Norman:

LinkedIn

Website

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Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to take a look at the 20+ courses I offer for new and experienced managers! Get your copy of the Amazon #1 Bestseller and #1 New Release Lead Like a Pro - The Essential Guide for New Managers while you’re there!

Connect with me on LinkedIn.

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On today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric interviews Christy Freddo. Christy has a background as a trainer in Corporate America and also developed training curriculums. A few years later, she became a marketing manager and director of international marketing, which involved a lot of travel. Ultimately, Christy left her career in international marketing to become an entrepreneur. She purchased a spa about ten years ago and has been a business owner since then.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Christy’s varied business background and why it gave her deep experience in management.
2. How new managers can create a positive mindset for themselves whether they’re in Corporate America or a spa.
3. The role of wellness programs and taking time off in promoting a positive mindset.
4. The definition of manifesting, what it means, and how it can benefit managers.
5. How positive affirmations can help new managers without getting too “woo-woo” with them.
6. A manager’s role in leading change for their team and how to keep it positive for the team.
7. The catalyst that led Christy to develop her coaching business, roadmap, and e-book.
8. Eric’s lightning round questions for Christy.

Connect with Christy Freddo:

Instagram

For your free “Create Your Best Life” e-book, go to keap.app/contact-us/6430519435464693

To download your free “Reinvention Roadmap” guided workbook, go to: Bestlifemindset.com

Contact Christy directly at Christy@bestlifemindset.com

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Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to take a look at the 20+ courses I offer for new and experienced managers! Get your copy of the Amazon #1 Bestseller and #1 New Release Lead Like a Pro - The Essential Guide for New Managers while you’re there!

Connect with me on LinkedIn.

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On today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric welcomes Roberta Ndlela to the show. Roberta is a member of the Zulu tribe in South Africa and grew up under the apartheid system. Apartheid ended when she was 18, and at 19, she began her corporate career in the transportation industry, where she honed her communication skills. Later, as she taught English in South Korea, Roberta recognized the value of adaptability.  She credits her communication and adaptability skills for her success today.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. How Roberta Ndlela defines “soft skills” as human skills.
2. Why you need soft skills in addition to technical knowledge.
3. The top eight behaviors that successful managers or leaders possess.
4. The data behind soft skills, why CEOs spend 20% more time learning soft skills than the average person, and the increased productivity rates of their teams.
5. Quiet quitting and workers’ reluctance to do more than the minimum at work.
6. Roberta Ndlela’s free 30-minute call to assist listeners with speaking or leading people.

Connect with Roberta Ndlela:

LinkedIn

Instagram

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On today’s Management Development Unlocked, Eric welcomes Mark Panciera to the show. Mark is CEO of The Pacific Institute, where he is committed to providing people tools to think about what they think about and help them think in a way that illuminates their potential to drive greater personal and professional performance than ever before. Throughout his career, Mark has specialized in accelerating growth in companies, teams, and individuals while wearing many hats--from business owner and community leader to executive and entrepreneur.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. How Mark Panciera defines mindset and how you can transform it into a skillset.
2. Awareness, acceptance, and action and then celebrating the achievement.
3. Some practical steps you can take to begin overcoming unhelpful beliefs about yourself and recast how you view yourself.
4. Why repetition is the mother of learning and the role of stamina in creating new habits.
5. The crucial mindset new leaders and managers need to have.
6. How managers can take small steps to help your team create a productive mindset by modeling, mentoring, and monitoring.
7. Mark’s answers to Eric’s lightning round.

Connect with Mark Panciera:

LinkedIn

Mark’s website

The Pacific Institute

Invent Your Future

Breathing Life Into People: The View from an Undertaker’s Chair

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Today, on Management Development Unlocked, Eric welcomes Stephen Morris to the show. Stephen is a retired Army veteran turned entrepreneur. After leaving the Army, Stephen joined the corporate world and hated every second of it. Upon reflection, he determined that he hated it because he wasn’t pleased with the lack of leadership development in the corporations he worked with. Rather than complain about it, he decided to try to find a solution.

Stephen Morris is the CEO of Renowned Leadership and has more than 21 years of experience in leadership roles. He is passionate about sharing everything he’s learned as a Leadership Development and Career Coach.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Some of the most important lessons Stephen’s learned about leadership.
2. Why the worst decisions you’ll ever make are the ones you make quickly and the value in taking a tactical pause.
3. What Stephen wants new managers to know as they move into leadership.
4. Why getting to know your team on a personal level and working alongside them can increase your team’s trust and performance.
5. The secret to becoming a good leader when you’re new to management.
6. The three books Stephen Morris recommends for new managers.
7. What his new product is and where you can find it.

Connect with Stephen Morris:

LinkedIn

Renowned Leadership

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Today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked marks the 50th episode! Eric’s guest is Tom Applegarth. Tom’s entire career has been spent in human resources at multiple companies, both big and small. Today, he is the Vice President of Human Resources for Preferred CFO, which works with about 150 companies to offer outsourced finance, accounting, HR, and payroll for smaller companies.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. The compensation issues new managers should consider when hiring or contemplating merit increases for their employees.
2. The most common financial mistakes new managers make.
3. Terminating employees, the issues that can arise in those situations, and one of Tom’s best examples of it.
4. The limitations of offering references for a candidate and Tom Applegarth’s advice for who you should really be speaking to about someone.
5. Why the best managers are always recruiting.
6. What Tom’s company does and makes it unique.
7. Eric’s lightning round questions for Tom.

Connect with Tom Applegarth:

LinkedIn

Preferred CFO

tom@preferredcfo.com

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Eric welcomes Lisa Alvarez on today’s Management Development Unlocked. Lisa is a leadership development manager, guide, facilitator, and teacher. She helps leaders develop their skills, EQ, and feedback conflict management. She helps leaders engage feelings and emotions and bring them back into the work environment.

Lisa is the founder of The EMOTIVE lab and helps businesses achieve results by creating an environment where their employees can thrive and perform at their highest potential.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. How Lisa Alvarez says leaders can improve their EQ and empathy’s role in influencing others.
2. Defining self-awareness, learning to be with how you’re feeling, and why it’s the first step toward empathizing with others.
3. What managers can do to become more self-aware.
4. The importance of centering yourself to relax and focus to handle a situation in a responsive rather than reactive manner.
5. The biggest challenges new managers face when it comes to empathy.
6. Why exposure to people who are different from you can help you develop empathy.
7. Lisa’s EQ workshops for leaders and what you can learn from The EMOTIVE Lab.
8. Her final thoughts on developing empathy.

Connect with Lisa Alvarez:

LinkedIn

The EMOTIVE Lab

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Today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked features Kerri Burchill, author of “Leading Out of the ASKhole™ Trap.” Kerri is a leadership consultant who started her career in education. She specializes in helping leaders and teams in messy, dynamic situations.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Kerri Burchill’s role as a leadership consultant and how her first career in education led her to where she is today.
2. The definition of an askhole and how an askhole can trap you.
3. The importance of active listening and why senior leaders and experienced managers need to actively listen to their teams.
4. Her advice for avoiding the constant spin and getting stuck which leads to more issues that need to be resolved.
5. Kerri’s favorite part of being a leadership consultant.
6. What you can expect from Kerri’s book, “Leading Out of the ASKhole™ Trap.”
7. The one leadership skill everyone should have.

Connect with Kerri Burchill:

Kerri Burchill’s website

Leading Out of the ASKhole™ Trap

LinkedIn

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

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Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to take a look at the 20+ courses I offer for new and experienced managers! Get your copy of the Amazon #1 Bestseller and #1 New Release Lead Like a Pro - The Essential Guide for New Managers while you’re there!

Connect with me on LinkedIn.

Please subscribe and comment!

On today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric is speaking with Eric Stone, a business consultant who helps organizations build a unique, high-performing culture. He is also a speaker and a coach who helps newly promoted managers get their bearings. Eric’s new book is Jumpstart Your Workplace Culture: A Road Map for Igniting High Performance.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. The five key factors of employee engagement, according to Eric Stone, including trust, clear communication, tools, encouragement, and rewards.
2. What new managers can do to hone their time management skills and implement scheduling with precision.
3. The four Ds of emails: delete, defer, do, and delegate.
4. Eric’s tips for effectively communicating with your team.
5. How you can create a high-performance culture in your organization using Eric Stone’s framework.
6. The biggest myth about workplace culture.
7. His new book and what makes it stand out.

Connect with Eric Stone:

LinkedIn

Website

Clear Path Ventures

Instagram

YouTube

Facebook

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On today’s Management Development Unlocked, Eric interviews Paul Teasdale. Paul is a father of two, a husband, and a friend to many, but ultimately, he loves to connect people. In his day-to-day job, he helps people accelerate their performance, primarily using lessons from the high-performance world of Formula One, where Paul had the privilege of working for seven years.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Paul’s background in manufacturing and consulting, how that eventually led to a position at a dairy company’s headquarters in New Zealand, his transition into banking, and how he ultimately landed in the Formula One racing industry.
2. What it was like to work at the McLaren Technology Centre, why it’s built to inspire, and how Paul kept high performers engaged.
3. The key leadership lessons he learned from working at McLaren and how to identify the leaders on your team.
4. The pitfalls to be aware of and avoid as a new manager, along with the role of influence in a leadership role.
5. Paul’s online course that teaches you to determine what you want to achieve, the actions that impact results, who the team is, what insights your team needs to make the best decisions, and the data you need to drive those insights.
6. RAPID Performance = Results, Actions, People Insights + Data
7. Paul’s responses to Eric’s lightning round and his surprising answer to the person he’d most like to interview.

Connect with Paul Teasdale:

LinkedIn

Website

paul@paulteasdale.co.uk

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Today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked features Colby Morris. Colby has spent the last several years developing leaders and leadership teams. He is also a consultant, a dad, and a husband--not necessarily in that order.

Colby Morris is an experienced Chief Operating Officer with a proven track record of driving revenue growth and operational excellence. He is a strong leader passionate about developing highly engaged, high-performing teams. A strategic thinker, he has a proven ability to execute complex plans. Colby is the founder and president of NXT Step Advisors, a consulting firm based in Austin, Texas.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Why developing yourself is one of the most important first steps of leadership development for a new manager, and recognizing that leadership is about the people.
2. The aspects of leadership development that new managers should avoid.
3. Colby’s take on the fallacy that a new manager can’t develop leadership skills.
4. Where new managers can discover resources to develop their leadership skills and why it’s well worth making the budget and time investment.
5. Colby’s consulting business with his wife, their roles as a fractional CFO and fractional COO, and his podcast.
6. Eric’s lightning round questions for Colby.

Connect with Colby Morris:

LinkedIn

NXT Step Advisors

Things Leaders Do podcast

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Did you know that one in four managers were promoted to leadership positions with no formal training? Unsurprisingly, this trend negatively impacts employee performance. Research proves that “accidental managers” make team members feel less satisfied, valued, and motivated in their jobs.

If you don’t know how to support your new managers in their transition to their new position, my upcoming FREE Masterclass: Lead Like a Pro, is for you! In this special session, I will give you an executive overview of a new course I have developed to help new managers thrive in their new leadership roles.

Save the date: November 8, 2023, at 10 am PT.

Register here

Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to get a free copy of my eBook, "Advice for a New Manager."

Connect with me on LinkedIn.

Please subscribe and comment!

This episode of Management Development Unlocked features Vidal Graupera. Vidal is an entrepreneur who is currently building an AI coaching platform. Initially, his AI platform is focused on job interviewing. He also runs a website and a podcast called ManagersClub and served as an engineering manager in the past. Vidal is also an author.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. What makes one-on-ones a manager’s superpower, and why they can help build trust and connection as well as offer valuable feedback to team members.
2. The purpose of a one-on-one and the opportunities they provide your team members.
3. The three-step structure of a great one-on-one and how to ensure you’re getting the information you need while the team member is receiving value from the meeting.
4. Vidal’s suggestions for questions you can ask to make sure your one-on-ones aren’t rote or boring and where you can find his entire list of questions.
5. What the outcome should be after a good one-on-one session.
6. Why you should be taking notes in your one-on-ones as a manager and Vidal’s advice for creating a successful one-on-one meeting.
7. Eric’s lightning round for Vidal.

Connect with Vidal Graupera:

LinkedIn

ManagersClub

Interview Igniter

Website

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Did you know that one in four managers were promoted to leadership positions with no formal training? Unsurprisingly, this trend negatively impacts employee performance. Research proves that “accidental managers” make team members feel less satisfied, valued, and motivated in their jobs.

If you don’t know how to support your new managers in their transition to their new position, my upcoming FREE Masterclass: Lead Like a Pro, is for you! In this special session, I will give you an executive overview of a new course I have developed to help new managers thrive in their new leadership roles.

Save the date: November 8, 2023, at 10 am PT.

Register here

Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to get a free copy of my eBook, "Advice for a New Manager."

Connect with me on LinkedIn.

Please subscribe and comment!

On this episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric interviews Wayne Mullins. Wayne is a husband, father, entrepreneur, leader, and manager who always tries to learn and grow. He is the founder of Ugly Mug Marketing, where most of his management and leadership takes place today. He is passionate about helping others develop and become better versions of themselves.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. How Wayne manages self-accountable, high-performing teams and what being self-accountable means.
2. Self-accountability’s role in leadership and management, why leaders have to create a clear vision for where they want to go for their teams, and the three components of a clear vision.
3. The most important person you need to manage (hint: yourself!), how to do that gracefully, and what the concept of “when furious, get curious” means.
4. Wayne Mullins’ recommendations for dealing with team members who don’t fit the company culture and why cultures are self-selecting.
5. How you can fix a company culture that isn’t in line with company offerings and an example of that concept in play.
6. The value in having mentors, coaches, therapists, etc., in your corner as a leader.
7. The story behind  Ugly Mug Marketing’s name.

Connect with Wayne Mullins:

LinkedIn

Ugly Mug Marketing

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Did you know that one in four managers were promoted to leadership positions with no formal training? Unsurprisingly, this trend negatively impacts employee performance. Research proves that “accidental managers” make team members feel less satisfied, valued, and motivated in their jobs.

If you don’t know how to support your new managers in their transition to their new position, my upcoming FREE Masterclass: Lead Like a Pro, is for you! In this special session, I will give you an executive overview of a new course I have developed to help new managers thrive in their new leadership roles.

Save the date: November 8, 2023, at 10 am PT.

Register here

Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to get a free copy of my eBook, "Advice for a New Manager."

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Eric’s guest on Management Development Unlocked this week is Felicia Shakiba. Felicia is the founder, podcast host, and global leadership and HR consultant for CPO Playbook Consultancy. She previously held the role of Global Head of Performance Management at WPP. Felicia has more than 20 years of HR leadership experience.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. The definition of performance management and its four pillars: goal creation, measurement, conversation, and rewards and recognition.
2. Why high performers should be rewarded accordingly.
3. The primary goal of performance management and how it can help align employees' efforts with the organization's goals.
4. The importance of having ongoing conversations about performance expectations so that employees aren’t blindsided in a performance review.
5. How managers can actively participate in effective performance management, and the three questions you can ask team members to structure these dialogues.
6. Some of Felicia’s suggestions for building rapport and trust during a one-on-one.
7. The questions you need to ask to get your team member to take ownership of an issue with your support.
8. The steps managers can take to measure their own performance within the performance management framework.

Connect with Felicia Shakiba:

LinkedIn

CPO Playbook

Podcast

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Today, on Management Development Unlocked, Eric welcomes Brian Nelson-Palmer as a special co-host. Brian is the mastermind behind Productivity Gladiator, where he helps project managers and soon-to-be project managers with specific tools and tactics they can use to handle overwhelm and burnout.

In this episode, you’ll hear ten time management hacks for up-and-coming managers, with Eric and Brian sharing their best tips and their thoughts on figuring out what will work best for you.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Why everything needs to go on your calendar.
2. Estimate the time a task will take on your calendar.
3. The best system is the one you’ll actually use and what that could look like.
4. How Eric implements his multiple-calendar system.
5. Eric’s “do it, delegate it, or delete it” philosophy.
6. Why Brian says up-and-coming managers need to stop running errands.
7. Use Subscribe and Save for subscriptions to automate part of your life.
8. How you can implement AI to increase your productivity at home and work.
9. Why Brian insists that you need to stop emailing back and forth to schedule meetings.
10. Try dictation instead of typing.
11. Some final thoughts from Eric and Brian.

Connect with Brian Nelson-Palmer:

LinkedIn

Productivity Gladiator

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On today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric welcomes guest Vasily Malyshev to the show. Vasily is the CEO and Founder of Intelogos, an employee well-being recognition and performance management software. He’s been in the software entrepreneurship startup industry for the last 15 years and started three companies during that time.

Through his experience with these companies, Vasily partnered with New York University’s Stern School of Business, where he taught at a partnership that created a contest for the best idea. He taught students everything from how to design software to development to marketing. He was also invited to speak at the United Nations about his immigrant entrepreneurship experience.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Vasily Malyshev’s experience at the United Nations and how it all began with an appearance on a podcast.
2. Some of the biggest problems managers face with remote teams and how they can be addressed.
3. The three ways Vasily keeps remote teams productive and engaged.
4. Why finding a way to be together virtually creates collaboration and relationships and makes it easier to handle conflict when it arises.
5. What Intelogos’ mission is, and how the app implements feedback.

Connect with Vasily Malyshev:

LinkedIn

Intelogos

Website

“When Something Goes Wrong--Always Blame Yourself” podcast episode

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On today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric welcomes special guest Brent Kostiw. Brent was Eric’s first manager in Silicon Valley as well as his first remote manager. He is a prominent figure in Eric’s upcoming book and has been a friend and mentor for over 20 years.

Brent Kostiw has been in HR since 1983, spending 23 years specifically in HR doing everything you can imagine. His primary emphasis has been on training and organizational development, which is what his consulting practice, Corridor Business Consulting, focuses on. Those skills also spilled over into the UPS Store franchises he and his wife run in Central California.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. The value of sincerity and care in management and who Brent’s role model for management was.
2. Why getting people involved and inviting them to participate in the solution encourages employee buy-in.
3. How building a culture of care and flexibility builds trust with your team and reduces turnover.
4. What new managers can do to establish a relationship with their teams right away, including:
5. Clear vision, clear direction, and clear mission
6. Get objectives set, and do it
7. Adjust as needed
8. Communicate and be present
9. Listen to the players who are already there
10. Brent’s tips for managing people who have different needs, including:
11. Adjust to the person and how they are
12. Understand that people respond similarly
13. Don’t make it too complicated
14. Offer positive feedback
15. Be empathetic to your team’s emotions, both personally and professionally
16. Offer genuine gratitude
17. The difference positive reinforcement can make in management, along with a genuine “thank you.”

Connect with Brent Kostiw:

LinkedIn

Website

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Today on Management Development Unlocked, Eric speaks with Brenden Kumarasamy. Brenden shares how he changed his career path from accounting when he discovered his talent for coaching others how to speak. In college, Brenden presented competitively, which taught him how to speak, but then he began coaching other students how to speak, which helped them win competitions. In January 2019, Brenden started to create YouTube videos on public speaking on his channel, MasterTalk, which is also the name of his company.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. The most important part of communication a new manager should master.
2. How new managers can run effective meetings that stay on track and get things done.
3. The action steps you can take to project confidence when presenting in a meeting or a larger venue.
4. What new managers can do to present themselves well and overcome intimidation in front of senior executives.
5. Eric’s lightning round questions for Brenden.

Connect with Brenden Kumarasamy:

Take Brenden's free workshop

LinkedIn

Website

YouTube

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On today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric shares part two of his book, Lead Like a Pro. This section focuses on what it takes to successfully transition into management from a role as a contributing team member. You’ll hear the benefits you can reap by preparing for this transition, the five common misconceptions about people who move into management, the six mindset shifts you need for a smooth transition, and how you can expand your influence to manage your boss, peers, and team. Eric shares some of his personal experiences, tips from Forbes, and the differences between power and influence.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Why being a successful manager is different than becoming a successful team member.
2. Eric’s move into a management position and his initial mistakes with a problem team member.
3. The benefits you’ll reap by preparing for a transition into management.
4. Five common misconceptions about people who move into management roles.
5. Six mindset shifts for making a smoother transition into management.
6. Expanding your influence to manage your boss, your team, and your peers and its positive impact on your career.
7. What it means to “manage up.”
8. “Managing down,” getting the right people on the bus, and creating psychological safety at work.
9. Building a collaborative culture with your peers to “manage sideways” and create a better understanding of your organization and corporate goals.
10. Some ideas for putting managing up, down, and sideways into practice.
11. The Forbes 14 tips for transitioning into a management role.
12. Some tips from Eric for making a successful transition into a manager based on his experiences.
13. Power versus influence in management.
14. Eric’s favorite pieces of advice for new managers.

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Today, on Management Development Unlocked, Eric interviews Christopher Lind. Christopher is a husband and father of seven children as well as the Chief Learning Officer for a large healthcare company in Miami. He also participates in a lot of industry work to help shape and influence the intersection of business technology and the human experience.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. How new managers can use technology to become better managers, why it should free up more time to spend with your teams, and how AI can help.
2. What prompt engineering is, and how you can think of AI as a brilliant intern to adjust its usage to your needs.
3. Why your job isn’t at risk to AI but rather to someone doing your job with AI, and how understanding this new technology can help you remain relevant at work.
4. How you can successfully manage a team remotely and the reason it requires more intentionality.
5. AI’s capability to make us more human and more effective if used correctly.
6. Building effective relationships digitally and how you can leverage technology to strengthen relationships.
7. Some of Christopher’s must-have tools and tech for managers including Fellow, Marco Polo, and ChatGPT.
8. Christopher’s responses to Eric’s lightning round.

Connect with Christopher Lind:

LinkedIn

Website

YouTube

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Today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked features Janet Livingstone. Janet is an executive coach, team performance coach, trainer, and consultant. She is a global multi-potential, multilingual leadership development practitioner who coaches folks worldwide. She has lived and worked in several different countries on several continents and has empathy and experience that lends itself well to people from other cultures and people transitioning from one culture to another. She is based in Seattle and sometimes in Bratislava, Slovakia.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Why life doesn’t stop at a promotion and there is still so much to learn even at the management level.
2. The impact of bad coaching and the benefits of grooming someone for management beforehand so they understand what to expect.
3. The difference between listening well and fully focusing on someone and paying attention to their cues and just being quiet,
4. Cultural variances, how they impact team interactions, and why they can efficiently push you out of your comfort zone.
5. How an attempt to speak the local language is received with gratitude and interest and the value in educating yourself about other cultures.
6. Janet’s intercultural focus in her coaching business and her Team Elements coaching methodology based on iterative dialogue.

Connect with Janet Livingstone:

LinkedIn

Website

janet@cultureiskey.coach

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Head over to girardtrainingsolutions.com to get a free copy of my eBook, "Advice for a New Manager."

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In today’s episode of Management Development Unlocked, Eric is speaking with Gary Ross. Gary is a workplace communication, trainer, coach, and consultant who helps people communicate better at work. He is a former FORTUNE 500 corporate executive, Emmy-nominated broadcast journalist, and current stadium and arena public address announcer who knows you don’t always need a booming sound system to get your message across. He provides actionable tips and advice that people can use to inform, persuade and influence others.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Why first-time managers have difficulty communicating effectively and how they can improve their communication skills.
2. The fragility of trust and the reason it takes time to build it.
3. Gary’s three number-one rules of communication and how to evaluate your communication goals.
4. The four questions you should be asking yourself about what you’re trying to communicate.
5. What new managers can do to build confidence in their ability to communicate with their new teams.
6. How practice and preparation can make all the difference in your communication.
7. Gary’s tips for new managers who need to build their confidence in their ability to communicate to leadership and manage up to them.

Connect with Gary Ross:

LinkedIn

INSIDE COMMS

INSIDE COMMS Plus

info@insidecomms.com

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Today, on Management Development Unlocked, Eric welcomes guest Russell Sweep. Russell is a content development manager for Goodwill Industries International. He oversees a team that works on developing new learning strategies, adopting content, populating LMSs, and more. Russell is new to learning and development as well as management. Eric was recently a guest on Russell's podcast, The L&D Hot Seat.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Russell’s experience transitioning into L&D and why it’s been a positive experience for him so far.
2. The two books he recommends and the advice he’d give to someone new to L&D or any other field.
3. What it’s like to manage a team when you don’t have deep domain expertise and why listening can be a game-changer in a new role.
4. How Russell builds relationships with his team and why listening collaboratively is crucial when leading a team.
5. The importance of connection with your team members and how it can influence communication with them.
6. What Russell would tell a new manager managing a team where they’re not an expert in the team’s field.
7. Eric’s lightning round for Russell.

Connect with Russell Sweep:

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram

GLDC

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