We previously released this episode on September 5, 2024. We're excited to revisit some key ideas before we dive into fresh, exciting topics soon.

"Mindsets really, really matter because they set us up for learning. I don't know any leader or organization that doesn't want their employees to be engaged, to have high morale, to be learning and innovating."

In this episode of The Managing With Mind and Heart, Nash Consulting's own Hana Butler joins host Ethan Nash to explore the transformative power of a growth mindset. Coined by Carol Dweck in the 1980s, the term "growth mindset" highlights how our beliefs about learning and failure shape our personal and professional lives. Hana breaks down the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset, showing how each influences our ability to innovate and grow at work. She explains that in a fixed mindset, mistakes are seen as a reflection of who we are, while in a growth mindset, they’re opportunities for improvement.

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

We previously released this episode on August 15, 2024. We're excited to revisit some key ideas before we dive into fresh, exciting topics soon.

“In so many ways, we can’t be more of one thing without being less of another. The ability to recognize that I can't be everything -- and that there are tradeoffs for the best things that I bring to the table -- is really what the strengths based perspective is all about.” 

In this episode, Ethan sits down with leadership coach, consultant, and all-around cool dude Andy Thompson. Andy provides insights on identifying and leveraging strengths, and starts by explaining what a strength really is: a combination of talent, skills, and knowledge, which all exist in unison within a certain context. The duo discusses the importance and how-tos of helping teams discover and harness their strengths collectively. Individual "weaknesses" are inevitable, and the strongest teams tap into one another’s complementary strengths. 

Tune in to learn how to realistically balance strengths and weaknesses for personal and team growth.

Links and notes:

• Andy's podcast episode on strengths
• Clifton Strengths Finder

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

Ever wonder what our live leadership development workshops are like? This episode is a short clip of a live workshop we put on a couple of months ago. If you sign up for this online workshop series, use this code at checkout to get a 25% discount: MINDANDHEARTPOD

We edited out any voices of participants, plus all the group work, breakout rooms, and Q/A, so you'll just hear Ethan.

In this episode, Ethan discusses the power differential: what it is, what it's made of, and how to moderate it. 

Nash Consulting trainer and consultant Hana Butler joins Mike on the show for an enlightening conversation about group dynamics and how to get more out of your team. They discuss the nature of group dynamics in different environments, the different stages of team dynamics, developing healthy and productive team interactions, and so much more.

If you find value in this podcast and would like to support us, please leave us a review. It helps. Thank you for your support.

In this very special episode, Ethan brings on a former guest to hijack the studio while Mike is on vacation. Our guest today, Andy Thompson, is an organizational development consultant and family therapist. He also co-hosts a brilliant new show called The Thought Honey Podcast. (Available wherever you get your podcasts.) They discuss content from his show, including the 4 critical questions we are always asking, how to use vulnerability to build trust and why it matters, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and how we can apply it to live better lives. You’re in for a real sweet treat!

We referenced a number of The Thought Honey Podcast episodes. Check them out! Here are the links:

Episode 5: The 4 Critical Questions

Episode 8: Trust and Leading with Vulnerability

Episode 11: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Cognitive Distortions

“Change is hard, and we are creatures of predictability and consistency. And there is something comfortable about things being the same. And there is something frightening about change.”

Whether we know it or not, change triggers fear. It’s just human. That’s why we resist change. And that’s why systems tend to resist change. If an organization is to remain healthy, it has to understand the fundamentals of creating lasting change. Its ability to adapt and adjust is vital for its success. Ethan and Mike take on the topics of change, how to manage it, how to work through resistance, avoiding “flavor of the year,” sponsorship, and more. Go forth and create change.

Learn more about Prosci here, which we mention in the show.

If you find value in this podcast and would like to support us, please go to Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you listen to our show and give us a review. Reviews help other people find the show, plus it’s good feedback for us to have. Thank you for your support.

“All systems resist change. And it’s often unconscious.”

In this episode, Mike and Ethan bring on a special guest: Mr. Andy Thompson. Andy, an organizational development consultant, family therapist and all-around cool dude, joins the crew to discuss a fundamental pillar to understanding how to create change in organizations: Systems thinking. Like families, organizations are rooted in a web of interconnectedness. When change is applied to one part of the system, it tends to reverberate across the entire structure. The group discusses how to use this concept to create better and more lasting change in your organization…and in your family life.

If you find value in this podcast and would like to support us, please go to Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you listen to our show and give us a review. Reviews help other people find the show, plus it’s good feedback for us to have. Thank you for your support.

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

“Employees just want to know if they are influencing, deciding or neither. That’s the main principle here.”

Does it take your team 23 minutes to make a trivial decision that would take 15 minutes to actually do? Maybe not. But we all can get better at making decisions as a workgroup and as leaders. In this episode, Mike and Ethan discuss the six different decision making styles, how to choose the right style for the right moment, the importance of finding a balance using all the different styles, and how doing decision making right can lead to engagement and efficiency. Make a good decision and give this one a listen.

If you find value in this podcast and would like to support us, please go to Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you listen to our show and give us a review. Reviews help other people find the show, plus it’s good feedback for us to have. Thank you for your support.

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

“We can’t afford to not be in the pre-frontal cortex. In the information age, it’s exponentially important to be in that part of our brain.” – Scott Ummel

In this wide-ranging conversation, Ethan and Mike bring on another Nash Consulting trainer and consultant, Mr. Scott Ummel. Scott, our inhouse Wizkid on the social neuroscience of leadership, discusses the concept of S.C.A.R.F. and its impact on how we lead, manage, collaborate and operate in the workplace. S.C.A.R.F. is an acronym for the five things our brains are always scanning for in our environment: Status (our pecking order in a community), Certainty (our need for consistency in our environment), Autonomy (the perception of having control), Relatedness (having a sense of inclusion) and Fairness (the need to be treated equally). Tune in to learn more about how our brains work and how we can use that information to lead well and thrive in the workplace.

We mention several resources, so here they are for you to check out:

SCARF: a brain-based model for collaborating with and influencing others - paper by Dr. David Rock

Leading Well from Within – book by Daniel Friedland, MD

The Body Keeps the Score – book by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind – Book by Yuval Noah Harari

NeuroLeadership Institute – training on the neuroscience of leadership by Dr. David Rock

Goleman EI – classes and training on emotional intelligence by Daniel Goleman

“If you don’t intentionally engineer a workplace culture, it will go bad.”

When Person A has a problem with Person B and they go talk about that problem with Person C, that is what we call triangulation. If this is the way a culture handles angst in general, look out. In this episode, Ethan and Mike tackle the tough problem of workplace negativity and how to build a culture based on trust and respect. They discuss the problems with workplace negativity, why we triangulate, healthy strategies for handling issues with a colleague, and what to do if people are trying to draw you into their negativity. If workgroups all get on the same page with how to handle negativity, amazing things happen. Trust us. Please listen and share.

If you find value in this podcast and would like to support us, please go to Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you listen to our show and give us a review. Reviews help other people find the show, plus it’s good feedback for us to have. Thank you for your support.

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

“It’s your job as a manager that your employees know what they need to know….”

In this special episode, Mike Nash sits down with Eric Ummel, an Executive Vice President for CSAA Insurance Group (a AAA-affiliated company), as they discuss the nitty-gritties of successfully communicating with a remote workforce. When you don’t physically see your employees in the workplace, being a rock star communicator can be difficult. The two long-time friends discuss how to work around the communication barriers inherent in distributed teams, the advantages and disadvantages of digital communication, how information distribution is related to employee morale, how to be an information curator, creating a personalized communication plan with each employee, and much more. Enjoy!

Your teams need you. Maybe now more than ever. How can you stay engaged with your remote employees, enough for them to feel cared about and respected? In this episode, Mike and Ethan bring on a Nash Consulting coach and trainer to discuss the topic: Anna Gibson, Clinical Psychologist. The cohort discuss ways to show care and support, how to make sure you’re not overstepping with your communication (a tendency when teams shift to working remotely), how to set up systems to make sure your team is efficiently communicating about essential items, how to make one-on-ones worthwhile, and how to foster a healthy remote-working relationship with your team. 

If you find value in this podcast and would like to support us, please go to Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you listen to our show and give us a review. Reviews help other people find the show, plus it’s good feedback for us to have. Thank you for your support.

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

In this episode, we dive into a timely subject: running remote meetings. Remote meetings are tough, but when done right, you can still have effective (and enjoyable) meetings. Mike and Ethan touch on what technologies to use, how to foster an environment of connection, how to create a Virtual Meeting Code of Conduct with your team, and tools for effectively facilitating a remote meeting. If you are now like us and running all your meetings via an online platform, then tune in. (Special Bonus: Tune in to hear Ethan’s best impression of Gollum.)

If you find value in this podcast and would like to support us, please go to Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you listen to our show and give us a review. Reviews help other people find the show, plus it’s good feedback for us to have. Thank you for your support.

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

In this episode, Ethan Nash unpacks the idea of the "Trust Bank Account," where every act of integrity is a deposit. But the goal isn’t to save endlessly; it’s to spend that trust strategically. When you do, you actually strengthen the trust you've built, and build the foundation of a really strong team. 

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

During these times of uncertainty, it’s important that we keep things in perspective and take care of ourselves and our communities. In this special edition episode that was recorded on March 18th, 2020, Mike Nash shares 10 things he’ll be doing and thinking about during this challenging time to help manage his own wellbeing.  

If you find value in this podcast and would like to support us, please go to Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you listen to our show and give us a review. Reviews help other people find the show, plus it’s good feedback for us to have. Thank you for your support.

We are back for more on meetings! This time, Mike and Ethan Nash discuss tools that facilitators and leaders can use to create a healthy workplace meeting culture. First, they get into different ways a team can work collaboratively to create a meeting “code of conduct” that every team should have. They also discuss why it’s important to foster a culture of openness and safety and how to do it. Then, they dissect some of the skills needed to successfully facilitate a meeting (and why it’s such a hard job) and how to address bad behaviors. If you want better meetings, tune in.

If you find value in this podcast and would like to support us, please go to Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you listen to our show and give us a review. Reviews help other people find the show, plus it’s good feedback for us to have. Thank you for your support.

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

“We believe that in many ways, meetings are a microcosm of the workplace culture. You can watch a meeting and see so much about the health of the group. You see respect or lack thereof. You see decision making processes. You see efficiencies or lack thereof. You see how they collaborate. It’s all right there.”

Join Ethan and Mike Nash as they break down how to have effective and enjoyable meetings. They discuss the ingredients of effective meetings, why workplace meetings are creating a work-life balance problem, the roles of a meeting facilitator and notetaker, how to have a great meeting agenda, who to include in meetings, the four items you need to end every meeting with, and other helpful advice on how to have happy workplace meetings. Enjoy!

If you find value in this podcast and would like to support us, please go to Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you listen to our show and give us a review. Reviews help other people find the show, plus it’s good feedback for us to have. Thank you for your support.

Ethan and Mike wrap up our behavior styles series by discussing its relation to trust, stress, cultures, gender, society and more.

If you find value in this podcast and would like to support us, please go to Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you listen to our show and give us a review. Reviews help other people find the show, plus it’s good feedback for us to have. Thank you for your support.

Have topics you’d like for the Nash team to tackle? Drop us an email with your questions and they’ll take a stab at it! Contact@nashconsulting.com

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

We have reached our final behavior style of this series! Are you still with us? We hope so, because Listeners are sometimes the most misunderstood of the four styles, so listen up! (No pun intended.) Mike and Ethan break down the top 10 wants, need and expectations of Listeners, and also dive into some of their most common growth opportunities. There are more Listeners in the population than any of the other styles and thank god for that! We need them in our workplaces. They keep the peace, notice when people are treated unfairly, love to help where needed, show empathy towards others and so many more terrific qualities. But like all the styles, these qualities can be a double-edged sword if Listeners are not careful. For instance, it may be harder for them to let go of past wrong doings of others (whether real or perceived), and they might have trouble speaking their truth if it’s contentious. Please join us as we explore Listeners and how they tend to show up in the workplace.

Have topics you’d like for the Nash team to tackle? Drop us an email with your questions and they’ll take a stab at it! Contact@nashconsulting.com

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

In this episode, Mike and Ethan continue our series on behavior styles by trying to break the record for the shortest podcast ever.

In the fourth episode of our series on behavior styles, we explore the wants, needs and expectations of Conductors. Mike and Ethan open up about their own growth opportunities with the way they show up in the workplace (and in life) since they are both Conductors. We call Conductors our “air traffic controllers” – they have a knack for seeing the big picture, which allows them to charge ahead with a vision of the end result. Because of this, they get past obstacles, take on big challenges and make tough decisions. Due to these abilities, they often find themselves in leadership roles. But as you’ll see, these qualities don’t come without some challenges. If Conductors aren’t careful, they may end up making people feel like pieces on a chessboard, which can be especially damaging if you’re in a management role. Join in as the Nash team dissects all the great things Conductors bring to the workplace, as well as growth opportunities they see for this behavior style.

Have topics you’d like for the Nash team to tackle? Drop us an email with your questions and they’ll take a stab at it! Contact@nashconsulting.com

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

“If you have Promotors in the workplace with high morale, you’re golden. They can’t help but be influential. What we tell our promotors is ‘you have a superpower. Use it for good, not evil.’ ”

Welcome back! In the third installment of this behavior styles series, Ethan and Mike breakdown the wants, needs and expectations of the second of four styles: Promotors. Given that Mike is a Promoter himself, he takes the lead on this episode (in Promoter-like fashion). Promoters take the lead (see?), jump on new opportunities, get s*** done, help us not get stuck in old patterns and bring a sense of fun to the workplace. These are the kind of people who will be influential…no matter what. That means if you have a Promotor with high morale, that morale will be contagious throughout the workplace. But it’s a double-edged sword. If they aren’t careful, they may end up infecting the workplace with negativity. This episode will help Promoters understand the type of incredible characteristics they bring to the table and how to optimize them, and what some of their growth opportunities might be. Additionally, it will help those who work with Promoters to understand what these folks need to be successful and feel motivated in the workplace. Enjoy!

Have topics you’d like for the Nash team to tackle? Drop us an email with your questions and they’ll take a stab at it! Contact@nashconsulting.com

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

“When trust and respect are high, these differences attract, and they work really well together. And when trust and respect are low, these same differences can be really problematic.”

In the second installment of our series on behavior styles, the Nash team digs into the first of four styles: Analyzers. But before they get into that, they first discuss what behavior styles are and what they are not, and how they are different than other personality assessments.

In the workplace, we need Analyzers. They help us stay the course, make sure things are done right and help raise the bar for quality. At the same time, if they aren’t careful, they can give off an unsavory vibe that says, “you’re not good enough yet,” and they don’t even know they’re doing it. Ethan, an Analyzer himself, shares some of his mishaps when interacting with other styles and discusses some of his growth opportunities as someone with this style. If you access this style or work with someone who does, tune in!

Have topics you’d like for the Nash team to tackle? Drop us an email with your questions and they’ll take a stab at it! Contact@nashconsulting.com

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

“You don’t know what you don’t know about how you show up and how you impact those around you.”

Have you ever thought to yourself, “Why am I surrounded by idiots?” If you have (or if you happen to work with other human beings), you should tune in. Mike and Ethan discuss why understanding your own behavior style can improve relationships in the workplace, and how understanding the behavior styles of others will lead to greater business (and life) outcomes. They break down the four spectrums of human behavior: how we make decisions, how we like our environments, how we accomplish tasks and how we relate to others. 

Have topics you’d like for the Nash team to tackle? Drop us an email with your questions and they’ll take a stab at it! Contact@nashconsulting.com

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

Ever wonder what our live leadership development workshops are like? This episode is a short clip of a live workshop we put on a couple of months ago. If you sign up for this online workshop series, use this code at checkout to get a 25% discount: MINDANDHEARTPOD

We edited out any voices of participants, plus all the group work, breakout rooms, and Q/A, so you'll just hear Ethan.

In this episode, Ethan discusses the concept of psycological safety in the workplace. 

“This is just a huge systems piece. If this is on everybody’s radar, then the system is going to be better off. Things are going to get done. People are going to be more productive.”

This topic isn’t the sexiest, but it’s endlessly important. It’s all about creating a culture of reliability and trust in the workplace. If you’re a manager and give someone a task to complete, what happens if you don’t tell them when you need it by? Furthermore, if you receive a task and don’t ask when it’s needed by, what happens? It often doesn’t get done and people begin to lose trust with each other. Ethan and Mike Nash discuss a very simple, but key, systems piece that they’ve seen turn a culture from one of low trust and low reliability to one that flat out gets s*** done.

Have topics you’d like for the Nash team to tackle? Drop us an email with your questions and they’ll take a stab at it! Contact@nashconsulting.com

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

“All the time you’re taking with these regularly scheduled one-on-one meetings with your employees pays itself back with higher morale, more engaged employees, better relationships and more trust. So, a few in-depth conversations a week doesn’t seem like too much time to me.”

Running one-on-one meetings, without being hyperbolic, is probably the most important practice that a manager can take on. Don’t believe us? Tune into Ethan and Mike’s conversation and they’ll try to change your mind. In this episode, the boys discuss why running regularly scheduled one-on-one meetings with your employees is vital to your team’s success. Additionally, they get into the weeds about what questions you should (and shouldn’t) ask and how to ask them, how to keep a task-relationship balance in these meetings, why relationship building is different from friendship building, how to prepare for these meetings, how to make these meetings work if you have a ton of employees, and more nitty-gritties.

If you’d like a free e-book of great one-on-one questions to ask your employees, shoot us an email at contact@nashconsulting.com and we’ll send you one.

For more reading on running great, effective one-on-one meetings, check out this blog post.

Have topics you’d like for the Nash team to tackle? Drop us an email with your questions and they’ll take a stab at it! Contact@nashconsulting.com

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

“When you’re a leader, success is about helping other people grow. That’s really what we’re talking about here with these skills.”

Geekery is afoot as Mike and Ethan drop a few Lord of the Rings references while they help managers explore the skills they absolutely need to be practicing. The main message of part two of our series on the Top 15 Management Skills is that your job as a manager is to help your employees grow. As a manager, these 15 skills need to be on your radar if you expect to build and sustain morale, establish trust and respect with your employees, get s*** done and help create the workplaces we all want to be in.

Turn on, tune in and drop us a review if you have found any value in this show! Stitcher and Apple Podcasts is the best place to do that. (It helps other people find this show.)

The Top 15 Management Skills:

1.       Show caring & respect

2.       Advocate for your people

3.       Communicate, communicate, communicate

4.       Involve others in decision making…be collaborative

5.       Be consistent, fair & equitable

6.       Give autonomy and trust

7.       Ask for (and be open to) feedback

8.       Deal with issues…fix problems

9.       Be approachable

10.   Give recognition and thanks

11.   Hold employees accountable

12.   Be available and responsive

13.   Follow through and follow up

14.   Make your expectations clear

15.   Provide resources and training

Resources:

First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently – Book by Marcus Buckingham and the Gallup Press

"Some of these other skills you can be challenged in and still be alright, but this one you just have to have if you're a manager."

If you’re following the plot, you’ll remember that in episode #2 Mike got up on his soap box and proclaimed, “skilled managers equal high morale, which equals all those cool things you can’t pay for and you can’t punish for.”

What the hell was he talking about?

Tune into this episode where the overly caffeinated Nash team gives a quick and dirty look at some of the top skills that, according to research, are the biggest bang for your buck in terms of managing people effectively.

The Top 15 Management Skills:

1.       Show caring & respect

2.       Advocate for your people

3.       Communicate, communicate, communicate

4.       Involve others in decision making…be collaborative

5.       Be consistent, fair & equitable

6.       Give autonomy and trust

7.       Ask for (and be open to) feedback

8.       Deal with issues…fix problems

9.       Be approachable

10.   Give recognition and thanks

11.   Hold employees accountable

12.   Be available and responsive

13.   Follow through and follow up

14.   Make your expectations clear

15.   Provide resources and training

Have topics you’d like for the Nash team to tackle? Drop us an email with your questions and they’ll take a stab at it! Contact@nashconsulting.com

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

Resources:

First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently – Book by Marcus Buckingham and the Gallup Press

Robert Crosby – Founder of the Leadership Institute of Seattle (LIOS)

“Just saying ‘good job’ isn’t always enough – people need to really think about what they did right in order to create a road map for repeating the behavior in the future.”

The Nashes return to their regularly scheduled program in this third and final installment of the feedback series. This episode is all about the power of giving positive feedback! Giving positive feedback has nothing to do with warm-fuzzy feelings and kumbaya circles – it’s about human psychology. The bottom line is that your employees need to know when they’ve done good work and why their work is excellent, or they might not be your employees for much longer. But beware! Giving positive feedback isn’t as straightforward as it sounds: if used incorrectly, it can backfire on an unsuspecting manager. Mike and Ethan will teach you why positive feedback matters and how to use it correctly in order to build employee engagement, create a more productive workplace and get more s*** done.    

Have topics you’d like for the Nash team to tackle? Drop us an email with your questions and they’ll take a stab at it! Contact@nashconsulting.com

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

Resources:

The Feedback Fallacy – Harvard Business Review article by Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall

The Puzzle of Motivation – TED Talk by Daniel Pink

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us - Book by Daniel Pink

“There is only one thing, and one thing only, that you are allowed to give feedback about.”

In the last episode, Mike and Ethan Nash broke down the basics of delivering feedback in a way that actually communicates your truth while still keeping you connected relationally to the other person. Now it’s time to crank it up a notch. Welcome to the graduate-level course of giving feedback. In part 2, the Nash team explains why you can only give feedback about one thing: behavior. Not attitudes, not intentions, only behavior. They break down the three elements of good feedback: behavior, the impact of that behavior and replacement behavior. Additionally, they touch on the pitfalls of giving feedback via email or notes…a big no-no.

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter.

Resources:

The Power of Vulnerability – TED Talk by Dr. Brene Brown

CORRECTION: Please note that The Power of Vulnerability by Dr. Brene Brown was a TED Talk she gave, not a book as it was stated in this show.  Her 2010 TEDxHouston talk on the power of vulnerability is one of most watched talks on TED.com.

“The main principle here is that your tone and body language have to give the message that you’re in their corner.”

Ethan gives his dad some tough feedback as they discuss a seemingly trivial topic that many people receive bad advice on. This episode is on how to give feedback in a way that tells your truth while also keeping you connected relationally to the other person. In Nash Consulting’s 20+ years of working with all types of organizations, they often hear leaders proclaim that they “have a feedback rich culture.” Although this may be true, these feedback cultures are not always healthy ones. The father and son duo discuss the pitfalls of delivering poor feedback, why the feedback sandwich (AKA the s*** sandwich) can be problematic, and the fundamentals of successfully delivering tough feedback.

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter mailing list.

“As a manager, as a spouse, as a partner, as a parent, as a friend – the message of openness and non-defensiveness is what makes you approachable, it’s what builds trust and respect, it’s what allows you to hear the truth, it’s what allows you to grow.”

Join father and son duo, Mike and Ethan Nash, as they attempt to hack the evolutionary tendency to get defensive. Defensiveness is a fear response, and all our fearless ancestors were eaten by saber-tooth tigers. This episode is all about how to receive feedback non-defensively, even if the feedback is untrue. They discuss why defensiveness is built into us, why it’s not as useful today, how to stay connected with your colleagues so you can hear the truth, and why you simply cannot be an effective manager unless your employees know it’s “safe” to give you feedback.

By the way, if you have any feedback for us about this show, please email Ethan at ethan@nashconsulting.com. (And we won’t be defensive, we promise.)

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter.

Check out our YouTube page for management greatness: 

“This skill comes pretty naturally to about 30% of the population, and 90% of people think they’re within that 30%.”

In part 2 of adaptive skills, father and son duo, Mike and Ethan Nash, get down to the basics of how to grow and develop the most important skills for managerial (and personal) success. Adaptive skills are the skills that we brought with us from childhood, and they make or break our success as adults. You may be thinking, “Well, if I didn’t bring these skills with me from childhood, I guess I’m screwed.” Wrong! The Nash’s explain the formula for growing and developing skills and then dive into a specific adaptive skill that Mike is still working on (hint: it requires him to shut up every so often) to demonstrate the process.

NOTE: If you’ve already mastered every single adaptive skill known to humankind, feel free to skip this episode.

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter.

In this episode, host Ethan Nash discusses the four categories of feedback: feedback on ideas, on performance, on skills and competencies, and on style. A functioning team, he explains, is comfortable giving and receiving all types of feedback. 

Ethan wraps up the episode with some discussion questions for managers to gauge their teams’ comfortability with feedback, with the goal of creating a culture of feedback at work. 

We mentioned episode 96, "Coaching by Hypothesis" in this episode. 

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

“These are the skills that we brought with us from childhood, and they make or break our success as adults.”

Join father and son duo, Mike and Ethan Nash, as they sip on cheap wine and get vulnerable about their growth opportunities. In this episode, they explore one of Nash Consulting’s core principles: The importance of continually developing your adaptive skills. The elder and younger Nash dissect the three different types of skills, discuss the most vital type of skills for managerial and personal success, the relationship between adaptive skills and emotional IQ, and why we must always have one eye on growing and developing ourselves in order to be effective managers. Cheers!

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter.

“Many people spend nearly half their waking hours in relationship with this other person who has power over them, and that’s weird. It’s kind of unnatural, because most people, whether conscious or not, don’t feel comfortable with other people having power over them.”

Join father and son duo, Mike and Ethan Nash, as Mike steps up onto one of his favorite soapboxes and Ethan attempts to reconcile with the fact that his father is also his boss. This episode is about the Power Differential: the power managers have over their direct reports, and how to use it for good and not for evil. Having another adult in your life who has so much control over your time, tasks, and more is a bit…weird. So, how do we, as managers, wrestle with the fact that most people don’t like it when others have power over them, while still being responsible for running a productive workplace? They discuss how to avoid exaggerating the Power Differential without completely eliminating it, and why it’s vital for an organization’s health that managers understand this concept.

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter.

“Employees tend to get promoted until they reach their level of incompetence. This happens all over the place – the Peter Principle is alive and well in the vast majority of organizations.”

Join father and son duo, Mike and Ethan Nash, as they spend another 40 minutes attempting to help managers grow their skills. If you didn’t listen to episode 1, it is recommended that you start there before diving in here. In this episode, Mike and Ethan beat their favorite dead horse: a wild mustang named Morale. The two of them dissect the concept of the Peter Principle and why nearly every company falls victim to this dynamic, they explore the research-based Top 15 Management Skills, and they discuss why the skills of a manager is directly related to the morale of a workplace.

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter.

“You can pay employees for their back and their hands, but they volunteer their hearts and their brains.”   - Dr. Stephen R. Covey

Join father and son duo, Mike and Ethan Nash, as they discuss a topic that may cause you to say, “Come on, enough already. The subject of morale has been beaten into the ground.” The Nash’s response to that? No, it hasn’t, because they work with leaders all the time who really don’t get what morale really is, why it truly matters, and why they must never stop talking about it. In this episode, Mike and Ethan discuss the four sources of morale, why morale is your job as a manager, what you get when you have a low-morale workplace, all the really cool things you get with high-morale, tactics for assessing your workplace’s morale, and more. Their bottom line? High morale in the workplace is the only way you’ll get all the cool things you can’t pay for or punish for.

For more information on Nash Consulting, visit their website at www.nashconsulting.com

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter.

Ever wonder what our live leadership development workshops are like? This episode is a short clip of a live workshop we put on a couple of months ago. If you sign up for this online workshop series, use this code at checkout to get a 25% discount: MINDANDHEARTPOD

We edited out any voices of participants, plus all the group work, breakout rooms, and Q/A, so you'll just hear Ethan.

In this episode, Ethan discusses why adaptive skills are so important, and how to improve them. He then double-clicks on the skill of listening, and gives participants top tips on how to become a better listener and leader. 

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” -Maya Angelou

In this episode of the Managing with Mind and Heart, host Ethan Nash breaks down the core principles of coaching, a must-have skill for any manager. Listen in to sharpen your coaching game and lead with authenticity, curiousity, and care.

This episode referred to the following: 

1. Minisode: How to Really Listen
2. Authentic Conversations: Building a Cohesive Leadership Team

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

Join our upcoming online workshop series of our cornerstone program, "Managing with Mind & Heart."

“There is an inherent power to the nature of our work, and there’s a separation because of that.” 

In this episode of the Managing with Mind and Heart Podcast, hosts Ethan and Mike Nash discuss the concept of the inevitable “power differential” that exists between managers and employees. Taking advantage of the power is obviously harmful, but so is ignoring it. 

A great manager knows how to moderate the power differential — tune in to hear Nash Consulting’s tips on how to master this skill.

(Note: This episode is a follow up to a recent episode on becoming aware of your power differential.)

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

Ever wonder what our live leadership development workshops are like? This episode is a short clip of a live workshop we put on a couple of months ago. If you sign up for this online workshop series, use this code at checkout to get a 25% discount: MINDANDHEARTPOD

We edited out any voices of participants, plus all the group work, breakout rooms, and Q/A, so you'll just hear Ethan.

In this short episode, Ethan discusses the most important management skill in good leaders' toolboxes: how to show care and respect to their employees. 

Join our upcoming online workshop series of our cornerstone program, "Managing with Mind & Heart."

“We’re always more sensitive to the power differential looking up at those that have power over us, and we sometimes completely miss it looking down at those we have power over.“

The power differential is an inherent part of management — managers have power over their employees. 

In this episode of the Managing with Mind and Heart Podcast, hosts Ethan and Mike Nash explain that while this is not inherently a bad or a good thing, a failure to acknowledge the power differential — and be mindful of how it affects the ways your employees perceive your relationship — can harm the psychological safety of the team.

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

Ever wonder what our live leadership development workshops are like? This episode is a short clip of a live workshop we put on a couple of months ago. If you sign up for this online workshop series, use this code at checkout to get a 25% discount: MINDANDHEARTPOD

We edited out any voices of participants, plus all the group work, breakout rooms, and Q/A, so you'll just hear Ethan.

In this short episode, Ethan discusses a common issue in nearly every workplace, the Peter Principle, and how to overcome it with good leadership training. 

We previously released this episode on August 1, 2024. We're excited to revisit some key ideas before we dive into fresh, exciting topics soon.

In this episode, Ethan Nash is joined by MIT Sloan’s Deborah Ancona, founder of the MIT Leadership Center, author of the new book xTeams, and contributor at the Harvard Business Review.

They explore the concept of “family ghosts” — a term coined to describe the way familial dynamics influence an individual’s workplace behavior and leadership. Deborah also shares insights from her pioneering research on high-performing teams and innovative leadership. 

Resources:

• Family Ghosts in the Executive Suite
• Herminia Ibarra’s idea of provisional selves
• Immunity to Change model
• Lindy Greer's Hippo Theory of Leadership
• Course: Unlocking Your Leadership Signature via Executive Education at MIT
• "Discovering and Developing" picture cards at xlead.co

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

Join our upcoming online workshop series of our cornerstone program, "Managing with Mind & Heart."

Receiving feedback is a critical part of your job as manager. To keep  growing as a person and leader, understanding your management blindspots are critical. But receiving feedback is a skill, and a critical one - because doing so defensively shuts down any future feedback.

Tune into this episode to learn how proper mindsets for receiving feedback. 

In this show we mentioned the Coaching by Hypothesis episode.

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

Send an email to contact@nashconsulting.com to request the guide book of “350 One-on-One Questions.”

Ever wonder what our live leadership development workshops are like? This episode is a short clip of a live workshop we put on a couple of months ago. If you sign up for this online workshop series, use this code at checkout to get a 25% discount: MINDANDHEARTPOD

We edited out any voices of participants, plus all the group work, breakout rooms, and Q/A, so you'll just hear Ethan.

In this short episode, Ethan reminds listeners of a common saying on the Managing with Mind and Heart podcast: morale matters and it’s mostly your job as a manager. 

If the most common question surrounding 1-on-1 meetings in your workplace is “wanna skip this week?”, your team is missing out on a huge opportunity for connection and support. In this episode, Ethan and Mike share practical tips to revitalize your 1-on-1s and make them impactful.

Text the word “LEADING” to 66866 to be added to Nash Consulting’s monthly newsletter. Just practical management skills and tips. And just once a month. Pinky swear.

Send an email to contact@nashconsulting.com to request the guide book of “350 One-on-One Questions.”