Shows
Management MuseEp 87 - The Overlooked Power of Work RelationshipsWe often treat work as a necessary evil, but it might be doing more for your happiness than you think.
In this episode, Cindi and Geoff dig into the power of workplace relationships, and how easily they’re overlooked. They challenge assumptions about loneliness, connection, and meaning, unpacking why the daily rhythms of work life can be so hard to lose. From first jobs to the so-called freedom of retirement, Cindi and Geoff reconsider what work actually gives us, and why it matters.
If you're looking for ways to build stronger bonds and shared purpose on...
2025-12-0232 minManagement MuseEp 86 - Why Failure Might Be Your Best Strategy with Spencer FraseurThis Thanksgiving, we’re serving up a second helping of one of our favorite episodes featuring Cindi’s nephew, academic and author Spencer Fraseur.
In a world chasing perfectionism, Spencer makes a provocative case: failure is actually a competitive advantage. Drawing from his research and book Failing Upward, he lays out how resilience, reflection, and smarter pivots fuel success.
Packed with practical tools for turning missteps into momentum, this episode will change how you think about failure–and why embracing it can put you ahead.
About Spencer:
Spencer Fraseur is an academic...
2025-11-2550 minManagement MuseEp 85 - How AI Is Stretching Managers Too Thin—and What It’s Costing OrganizationsAs AI and automation reshape the workplace, companies everywhere are trimming management layers in the name of efficiency. But how lean is too lean?
In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi and Geoff examine what happens when managers take on too many direct reports, what AI can (and can’t) replace, and the long-term costs of organizational flattening.
Discover the key dynamics that predict performance and retention, and the simple managerial practice that could safeguard them both. If you’re evaluating how to restructure around AI, this episode will help you strike the balance between effi...
2025-11-1835 minManagement MuseEp 84 - Developing Your Team Starts with the Right NarrativeTo be a better manager, start telling a better story.
In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi and Geoff dig into the science behind oscillating narratives and how honest, full-spectrum storytelling builds resilience and helps employees develop. Leaders who acknowledge both setbacks and successes don’t just help their teams handle adversity better, they actually appear more credible.
You’ll learn why always-upward or always-downward narratives distort reality, how to model reflection without losing authority, and why the stories you share shape identity and culture. If you want a smarter approach to leadership narratives that trad...
2025-11-1136 minManagement MuseEp 83 - Wellness That Works: Leading with Calm in High-Pressure JobsWhat if the key to workplace wellness isn’t what you do, but how you respond?
In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi talks with management coach Belinda Block about embedding well-being into high-performing work. From collapse to clarity, Belinda shares how nervous system regulation, small behavioral shifts, and smarter boundaries can help managers lead with more presence and less pressure.
This episode spotlights the invisible skills that steady a team: emotional regulation, responsive leadership, and staying present under pressure. Whether you’re quietly burning out or guiding a team through a heavy lift, you...
2025-11-0437 minManagement MuseEp 82 - Chameleons at Work: The Science of Self-Monitoring and SuccessSelf-monitoring, when wielded well, is one of the most powerful personality traits in the workplace. In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin explore what it means to be a high or low self-monitor, and how that affects everything from career trajectory to team dynamics.
Are you a social chameleon who adapts easily to any room? Or someone who always says what they think, no matter the context? Both approaches have advantages—and pitfalls. The key is knowing how to work with both types.
Drawing on foundational research by psychologist Mark Snyder an...
2025-10-2833 minManagement MuseEp 81 - Company Culture that Leads Itself: AI, Alignment & Shared Leadership with Torben Nørby, Part 2Want less micromanagement and more momentum? Start with culture.
In Part 2 of our conversation with leadership expert Torben Nørby, we shift from diagnosing cultural drift to designing companies to thrive in a changing world. This episode dives into shared leadership, the role of AI in shaping behavior, and the power of culture to reduce friction and unlock performance.
Cindi and Torben explore what it takes to build aligned and adaptive organizations when change comes fast and complexity is high. From the pitfalls of control-based management to the possibilities of contextual AI application, they chart a...
2025-10-2136 minManagement MuseEp 80 - Culture Doesn’t Have to Crawl: Torben Nørby on Changing Fast and Getting it Right, Part 1Think culture change has to be slow and painful? Think again.
In this episode, Cindi Baldi is joined by leadership strategist Torben N rby to challenge the belief that culture change is a long, uphill crawl. Spoiler: it doesn’t have to be, if you get the context right.
Torben explains how most organizations don’t explode—they erode, slowly sliding out of alignment as they grow and the world shifts around them. Cindi and Torben break down the anatomy of culture change and introduce a smart framework leaders can use to shift culture without wrecki...
2025-10-1444 minManagement MuseEp 79 - The Authenticity Trap: When Real Goes Wrong in LeadershipAuthentic leadership is a hot topic. But what if bringing your whole self to work is a terrible idea? In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin tackle the tension between being real and being reckless. What if being authentic doesn’t make you a better manager, just a more difficult one?
From the importance of self-monitoring to the paradox of power, Cindi and Geoff unpack what it means to show up at work without blowing up. You’ll learn why awareness matters more than rawness, how emotional regulation helps you meet the moment, and w...
2025-10-0744 minManagement MuseEp 78 - AI, Healthcare, and Getting Your Mindset Right for Disruptive TimesWhat if AI didn’t replace employees but instead became their most powerful partner?
In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi continues her conversation with Stacy Edgar, co-founder of Venteur, to examine how AI may positively disrupt our lives. Their discussion moves from personalized medicine and easier work to the pivotal choices leaders face when technology sparks systemic change.
At the center is a necessary mindset shift toward embracing what’s possible. Leaders who invest in employees and use AI to amplify human capability grow the pie; those who don’t risk shrinking it.
...
2025-10-0128 minManagement MuseEp 77 - Rethinking Employee Healthcare: Why Better Benefits Equals Better BusinessWhat if the way you structure your employee healthcare benefits could become one of your strongest management tools?
In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi talks with founder Stacy Edgar about why the dominant employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI) model is increasingly misaligned with today’s workforce, and how leaders can reimagine benefits as a driver of culture, loyalty, and performance.
They unpack the history of how U.S. employers became the primary providers of health insurance, the risks of sticking with outdated “one-size-fits-all” plans, and the emerging opportunities in flexible, employee-centered models of coverage. Stacy...
2025-09-2354 minManagement MuseEp 76 - Why Hiring Your Friends Can Be a Great Idea — Or a Terrible OneMost of us have been told not to mix friends and business but friendship can make work great with built-in trust, loyalty, and an easy rapport. Other times, it can go sideways fast, straining the business and the relationship.
In this episode, Cindi Baldi digs into the upsides and downsides of hiring friends. Through stories of businesses that flourished with friendships and others that fractured under the weight of blurred boundaries, Cindi explores the key questions you should ask before bringing a friend onto your payroll. Along the way, she unpacks how to spot red flags, set t...
2025-09-1625 minManagement MuseEp 75 - Everything Is a Negotiation: Lessons on Getting What You Want Without Ruining RelationshipsMost people don’t think of themselves as negotiators, but the truth is that we negotiate all the time. Whether you’re navigating salary talks, agreeing on deadlines with your team, or trying to convince a toddler to leave Target without a meltdown, the tools of bargaining and negotiation are at work.
In this episode, Cindi Baldi talks with negotiation expert Jen Burris about mistakes people make when bargaining and how to prevent them. Through stories of salary negotiations, car deals, and high-stakes bargaining, they explore what it means to negotiate with confidence and purpose. Along the way...
2025-09-0950 minManagement MuseEp 74 - Why Good Managers Sometimes Resent Their Customers — and How to Stop ItMost customers are great, but it only takes a few bad ones to wear you down. In little time, these difficult interactions can color your perspective, leaving even the most dedicated managers feeling drained, avoidant, or even resentful. This week on the podcast, Cindi Baldi explores how bad customers and clients can wear people down , why it’s more common than we admit, and how we can keep our sanity even in the face of difficult interactions.
In this episode, Cindi reveals how negativity bias and identity protection can cause managers to lose sight of the vast ma...
2025-09-0227 minManagement MuseEp 73 - Why Great Managers Listen Closely and What Happens When They Don’t with Darrin Griffin, Ph.D.Great managers listen as much—or more than—they talk.
In this episode, Cindi Baldi is joined by Darrin Griffin, a communication and listening expert and faculty member at the University of Alabama. Darrin shares why listening is one of the most overlooked yet powerful leadership skills and how leaders at every level can use it to build trust and improve decision-making.
Cindi and Darrin unpack the common traps leaders fall into when they confuse authority with insight, and talk about why curiosity and humility are essential management skills. They also share practical strategies for aski...
2025-08-2639 minManagement MuseEp 71 - Creating a Sense of UrgencyMost leaders know they need to motivate their teams but creating genuine urgency is tricky because too much burns people out and too little does nothing. In this episode, Cindi Baldi and Geoff Tumlin explore why urgency can be a powerful catalyst for performance or a recipe for trouble when it’s overdone.
Cindi and Geoff break down how to recognize when urgency is lacking, what happens when there’s too much, and the leadership behaviors that help teams focus without depleting their energy reserves. From cranking up urgency without burning people out to getting everyone aligned on p...
2025-08-1241 minManagement MuseEp 72 - What to Do When Trusty Old Behaviors Stop WorkingTrusty old habits that are no longer working are one of the hardest things to change. In this episode, Cindi Baldi and Geoff Tumlin explore why it’s so difficult to let go of ingrained behaviors, especially when they’re tied to our identity. From hard-charging leaders learning to slow down to founders blinded by past wins, Cindi and Geoff share the subtle but vital signals that it’s time to change. Cindi and Geoff explain why success often makes change much harder, and they share practical ways to try new approaches before old habits derail progress.
If you...
2025-08-1236 minManagement MuseEp 70 - Why Great Teams ArgueArguing gets a bad reputation at work, but not arguing is even worse. In this episode, Cindi Baldi and Geoff Tumlin unpack why arguing—which can be productive—isn’t the problem, fighting—which is never productive and is sometimes harmful—is. From boardrooms to break rooms, learning to disagree without derailing a conversation is one of the most valuable and underrated leadership skills.
Cindi and Geoff explore the surprising science behind healthy disagreement, they talk about why groups that avoid conflict underperform, and they describe how to build teams that can handle tough conversations without damaging relationsh...
2025-08-0534 minManagement MuseEp 69 - Restoring Trust in Your CompanyWhat happens when trust starts to slip inside an organization?
In this episode, Cindi Baldi and Geoff Tumlin unpack the powerful signals that shape how people feel about fairness at work and why perceived injustice can quietly undermine morale, loyalty, and performance. They examine how a lack of clarity around decisions and communication often leaves teams feeling unsettled, even when leaders have good intentions.
Cindi and Geoff also explore what managers can do to strengthen organizational trust, create transparency without over explaining, and respond to tough moments in ways that preserve connection and culture. Tune...
2025-07-2929 minManagement MuseEp 68 - Why Organizational Change Often FailsWhy do organizational change efforts so often fail despite good intentions and careful planning? In this episode, Cindi Baldi and Geoff Tumlin explore the real reasons why change efforts often stall or backfire.
They explore why timing really matters, how energy and momentum often get overlooked, and what it takes to avoid the death-spiral of sustained change resistance. From getting early traction to building a critical mass, Cindi and Geoff offer a fresh perspective on how to lead organizational change that lasts.
Whether you’re launching a new initiative or trying to shift long-standing patterns of...
2025-07-2243 minManagement MuseEp 67 - How to Create a Company People Don’t Want to LeaveWhy do some companies keep their people forever, while others struggle with constant turnover? In this episode, Cindi Baldi and Geoff Tumlin explore the qualities that make organizations “sticky,” that is, the kind of workplaces where people feel invested, energized, and committed for the long haul.
Cindi and Geoff discuss what makes a culture magnetic, from strong identity and a clear purpose to how leaders create connection, opportunity, and growth. This conversation challenges the common belief that perks and pay mostly keep people around, and instead focuses on what other drivers of long-term loyalty.
If you’...
2025-07-1546 minManagement MuseEp 66 - Improv Secrets to Make You a Better Manager with Joel ZeffHow can the principles of improvisational comedy help you become a more effective manager? In this episode, Cindi Baldi is joined by keynote speaker and improv humorist Joel Zeff to explore how spontaneity, presence, and play fuel better leadership and teams.
Joel explains how improv principles like saying “yes, and” can create more open, collaborative workplace cultures. He explores the role of fun in building trust and engagement and offers a fresh take on what it means to lead with intention. In addition, Joel shares insights from his book Make the Right Choice, where he emphasizes how ever...
2025-07-0856 minManagement MuseEp 65 - The Biggest HR Mistakes That Companies Make with Greg WaechterHR departments are often misunderstood, underestimated, or ignored, but great HR can accelerate company growth. In this episode, Cindi Baldi sits down with HR expert Greg Waechter to explore the critical role HR should play in helping companies scale, support their people, and build better workplaces.
Cindi and Greg talk about the reasons HR often gets a bad rap and explore what effective HR looks like. Greg explains how HR can become more strategic and less bureaucratic, and why it’s essential to align HR with the pace and goals of the business. The conversation explains how co...
2025-07-0151 minManagement MuseEp 64 - Mistakes Leaders Make When Things Get StressfulHow you respond to work stress can make or break you as a manager. In this episode, Cindi Baldi and Geoff Tumlin explore what it takes to lead effectively when the stakes are high. They explain why pressure changes how we think, communicate, and behave and how self-awareness and preparation can help you avoid costly missteps.
Cindi and Geoff unpack the science of stress, discuss why experience doesn’t always protect you from its effects, and explain how to train your brain to focus when things get tough. They share practical strategies for handling stress, supporting your te...
2025-06-2451 minManagement MuseEp 63 - How Great Leaders Adapt to Any SituationEffective leadership isn’t about following a formula, in spite of dozens of books endorsing one style over another. In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoff Tumlin challenge the myths around leadership styles and explain why the most impactful leaders prioritize results, adapt to the situation, and deeply understand their people.
Geoff and Cindi explore why popular frameworks oversimplify what leadership really requires and how adhering to a leadership style can narrow your ability to manage effectively. Cindi and Geoff share what the science tells us about leadership that gets results and why self-awareness, fle...
2025-06-1741 minManagement MuseEp 62 - How to Beat Impostor Syndrome Without Faking ConfidenceWe’ve all had moments of doubt, feeling like we don’t truly belong or aren’t as capable as others think. This is often called imposter syndrome, but what if that’s not the real issue?
In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoff Tumlin explore what’s really behind your fraudulent feelings and why the concept of impostor syndrome does more harm than good. They explain how confidence dips are often a normal part of learning and growth, not a personal flaw, and why thinking you have a syndrome can hold you back.
Cind...
2025-06-1045 minManagement MuseEp 61 - What to Do When You’ve Outgrown Your Job, Your Boss or Your CompanyIn this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoff Tumlin examine what happens when your job no longer fits you and how to recognize the signs that it may be time to shift roles or change jobs. They also talk about what to do when you feel like you’ve outgrown your boss.
In this episode, Cindi and Geoff discuss what to do when you feel stuck and how to move forward without a minimum of collateral damage. They offer strategies for reframing your role, for engaging in constructive conversations with your supervisors, and making smart dec...
2025-06-0353 minManagement MuseEP 60 - How to Find and Access the Mentors You Really NeedPowerful mentorship starts with recognizing the people who are already in your corner.
In this episode, Cindi Baldi and Geoff Tumlin unpack the surprising truth about mentorship and explain why most of us already have the support we need around us. They challenge the myth of the unicorn mentor and explore how guidance and support often comes from people you already know but aren’t asking. From navigating complex career decisions to finding your way through personal transitions, Cindi and Geoff explain how to recognize and access your mentors hiding in plain sight.
Tune in to...
2025-05-2744 minManagement MuseEp 59 - Why Most PTO Policies are Messed Up and What to do About ItAre your days off helping you recover or just adding to your stress when you come back to a mountain of work? In this episode, Cindi Baldi and Geoff Tumlin unpack the reasons why time off policies often don’t provide real rest. From outdated PTO systems to managers who accidentally undermine vacation and rest, Cindi and Geoff explore how workplace norms and habits can quietly sabotage the rejuvenating value of time off.
Cindi and Geoff discuss why unplugging is difficult for most people, how on-call policies drive down productivity, and what leaders can do to make ti...
2025-05-2044 minManagement MuseEp 58 - The Surprising Power of People You Barely Know in SuccessWhat if the most overlooked part of your network might be the most powerful? In this episode, Cindi Baldi and Geoff Tumlin explore the surprising influence of weak ties, that is, people you barely know. These weak ties include acquaintances, former colleagues, and people you don’t spend much time with at work and at home. Weak ties often bring fresh ideas, new opportunities, and unexpected support. While these weak ties aren’t part of your inner circle, they can play a critical role in your personal and professional growth.
Cindi and Geoff explain why these weak conn...
2025-05-1332 minManagement MuseEp 57 - Dealing with Difficult People (Live Special)Why are difficult people so darned frustrating and what can you do about it?
In this special live episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoff Tumlin tackle a common workplace challenge, navigating tough personalities. Whether you’re dealing with a stubborn coworker, an emotionally unpredictable teammate, or a drama-prone peer, this episode explores practical strategies for making progress even in these thorny situations.
Cindi and Geoff break down the most common types of difficult people and what makes them so draining. They explain how to regulate your own reactions, respond constructively, and avoid common traps th...
2025-05-091h 01Management MuseEp 56 - Why Resilient Leaders Think Big Under Pressure with Adam WillmanWhat does it take to lead an organization through adversity and come out stronger? In this episode, Cindi Baldi and Geoff Tumlin sit down with Adam Willmann, CEO of Goodall-Witcher Healthcare, to talk about leading during uncertain times and how bold decisions can create long-term stability.
Adam explores the pressure of making high-stakes decisions, the importance of widespread trust, and how to rally people when they are anxious and concerned. Cindi, Geoff, and Adam also discuss how resilient companies approach uncertainty, turn setbacks into momentum, and increase the odds of long-term success.
Join us to l...
2025-04-291h 07Management MuseEp 55 - What Makes Family Businesses Succeed or FailWhat really makes a family business succeed? In this episode, Cindi Baldi and Geoff Tumlin sit down with Kip Wilson, a third-generation family business owner, to explore the realities of working with relatives and maintaining business success across generations. Whether you’re thinking about joining a family firm, working in one currently, or thinking about bringing your kids into your business, this episode uncovers what it really takes to make family businesses work.
Kip shares the key lessons from his journey which started as an outsider in his wife’s family business and how he grew, over time...
2025-04-221h 01Management MuseEp 54 - The Surprisingly Positive Power of Gossip at WorkFrom whispered conversations in the hall to after-hours Slack messages, gossip is everywhere at work. But is it just drama or is all this informal communication trying to tell us something more? While gossip often gets a bad rap, it turns out to play a powerful role in how we build relationships, share values, and navigate uncertainty.
In this episode, Cindi Baldi and Geoff Tumlin dig into the psychology of workplace gossip and reveal what it says about your organization’s culture. They unpack how gossip can be a tool for social bonding, moral signaling, and surfacing un...
2025-04-1540 minManagement MuseEp 53 - How to Avoid the Trap of Hero Worship at WorkFrom ancient myths to Hollywood to modern boardrooms, we’ve been captivated by the idea of the “great leader,” often casting them as visionaries, heroes, or saviors. But do leaders really ride up on a white horse and save the day like in the movies? Why are we so quick to romanticize leadership, and how does that impact the way we function at work?
In this episode, Cindi and Geoff unpack the psychology of leadership myths and explore how charisma, storytelling, and perception shape our understanding of power and influence at work. They reveal the hidden risks of ido...
2025-04-0841 minManagement MuseEp 52 - How to Rethink Risk and Make Smarter DecisionsAre you taking smart risks or are you gambling when you should be hanging on to your precious chips? In this episode, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin dive into the psychology of risk and loss aversion and explore why we often make irrational decisions when faced with uncertainty. Whether it’s staying in an unfulfilling job, avoiding tough conversations, or making questionable business bets, our perception of risk shapes our careers and lives more than we realize.
Cindi and Geoff break down the hidden forces that drive our appetite for risk (or lack thereof) and offer practical st...
2025-04-0154 minManagement MuseEp 51 - How to Break Free from Either/Or Thinking and Make Better DecisionsAre you unknowingly limiting your choices when making important decisions? In this episode, Cindi and Geoff uncover the dangers of narrow framing, a mental shortcut that causes us to reflexively limit our decisions. Whether it’s choosing between two job offers, deciding whether to take a promotion, or making high-stakes business choices, the way we frame our options can show us new possibilities or potentially limit us with narrow alternatives.
Cindi and Geoff break down common decision-making pitfalls and offer practical strategies to help leaders, managers, and employees expand their thinking. They discuss how to spot when yo...
2025-03-2543 minManagement MuseEp 50 - The Secret to Saying No Without Harming Your CareerSaying no at work can feel impossible, but saying yes too often can squander your precious time and energy and possibly lead to frustration and burnout. In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi and Geoff explore the reasons why saying no is often hard, and they introduce the WPN method (Warmth, Priority, Nugget) to help you say no with clarity and confidence while maintaining relational goodwill.
Cindi and Geoff also tackle special cases like when your boss keeps piling on work or when colleagues won’t take no for an answer. Whether you’re a manager struggling to p...
2025-03-1846 minManagement MuseEp 49 - Feedback That WorksWhy is giving feedback so difficult? And why do so many managers avoid it? In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin break down why people resist criticism and how leaders unintentionally dilute their messages. They uncover common feedback mistakes, like sugar coating, delaying, or failing to provide a path for improvement.
Cindi and Geoff share strategies to help managers deliver feedback that drives real change without triggering defensiveness. They explore the importance of follow-up, provide tips on timing, and give strategies to foster a workplace culture where constructive feedback feels natural and productive.
2025-03-1144 minManagement MuseEp 48 - Why Endings Really Matter at Work and How They Shape Your SuccessWhat if the way something ends matters more than almost everything that came before it? In this episode, hosts Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin explore the peak-end effect, a cognitive shortcut that explains why we overemphasize endings and why that matters. Whether it’s a performance review, a job departure, or a major project, people don’t remember the details, they hang on to the standout moments, high or low, and they remember the end.
Cindi and Geoff break down how the peak-end effect impacts performance evaluations, employee retention, workplace culture, leadership decisions, and more. They discuss why...
2025-03-0441 minManagement MuseEp 47 Preventing Burnout: Keeping Your Company in Sync with Your PeopleAre you worried about burnout in your people or yourself? Does it feel like your organization is always changing and never catching its breath? In this episode, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin explore an idea you’ve probably never heard of—punctuated equilibrium—which describes the natural rhythms of companies that sometimes get out-of-sync. They discuss why constant transformation can lead to burnout, how to time major undertakings more effectively, and why planning for some stability is essential for lasting success.
Cindi and Geoff share practical strategies to help leaders manage change, prevent fatigue, and keep teams engage...
2025-02-2543 minManagement MuseEp 46 Why Your PTO Policies Might Burn People Out and What to Do About ItIs your company’s paid time off (PTO) policy actually burning out the very employees it’s designed to reward and renew? In this episode of Management Muse, hosts Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin discuss the unintended consequences of paid time off policies, from employees banking PTO instead of using it to overly complicated PTO systems that encourage people to abuse the system and discourage others from taking their well-deserved vacations. They break down common PTO errors, discuss why cashing out unused time can be harmful, and share strategies for creating a vacation system that benefits both employees and the...
2025-02-1846 minManagement MuseEp 45 Why You are Comparing Yourself Against the Wrong People and What to Do About ItDo you ever feel like you’re falling behind because you’re constantly measuring yourself against others? Is FOMO causing you to do dumb stuff? In this episode of Management Muse, hosts Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin dive into the hidden power of reference points—the mental benchmarks we use to measure our success. Spoiler alert: we often have inaccurate comparisons that degrade our work performance, impair our financial decisions, and reduce our overall satisfaction and quality of life in ways we don’t realize. Cindi and Geoff discuss why traditional incentives, like money and titles, don’t always motivate p...
2025-02-1133 minManagement MuseEp 44 The Surprising Causes and Cures of Midlife CrisesWhat really drives midlife crises and how can you navigate one without it upending your life?
In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin talk about the psychology of midlife crises, from the unexpected sadness that can follow major achievements to the dissonance that arises when life feels out of sync. They explore common triggers behind midlife crises like career plateaus and, counterintuitively, achieving key goals. They also discuss why moments like these often lead to big and bad decisions. Cindi and Geoff share strategies to help you avoid—or at least minimize—midlife crise...
2025-02-0432 minManagement MuseEp 43 Why It’s So Hard to Evaluate Employees Accurately and What to Do About ItIn this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin explore why it’s so challenging for managers to evaluate their team members accurately. From early impressions that stick to hidden biases we don’t even realize are at play, Cindi and Geoff reveal the unseen forces that influence how we judge performance, assign feedback, and make decisions.
Cindi and Geoff offer strategies to help managers identify and overcome these biases, creating fairer evaluations and a stronger and more accurate foundation for employee development. Whether you're navigating tricky personnel decisions or seeking to your team, this epis...
2025-01-2831 minManagement MuseEp 42 The Limitations of Leading by ExampleIn this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin explore the pitfalls of leading by example, a simple and popular leadership style that is more problematic than it seems. They discuss the potential for misinterpretations and confusion when managers believe that leadership by example is all they need to motivate their people. They also talk about the difficulty in people understanding exactly what lessons they should take from a leader’s behavior. Finally, Cindi and Geoff emphasize the importance of pairing exemplary behavior with formal systems to build a high-performing organizational culture.
Tune in to di...
2025-01-2142 minManagement MuseEp 41 The Hidden Power of Praise at WorkIn this episode, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin explore the art of giving meaningful and effective praise in the workplace. They discuss the transformative power of specific, personalized recognition and explain how well-timed praise can deepen work relationships and encourage better performance.
Cindi and Geoff also tackle the common pitfalls of recognition, from overly general compliments to the painful predictability of formal programs like employee-of-the-month awards. With practical strategies to help busy leaders maintain a culture of timely and authentic appreciation, this episode is packed with actionable tips to give your praise a lasting impact.
...
2025-01-1435 minManagement MuseEp 40 How to Start a Successful Side Hustle Without Quitting Your JobHave you ever wondered about starting a side hustle? In this episode of Management Muse, hosts Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin dive into the world of side hustles, exploring their potential to provide financial stability, personal growth, and career transformation. Cindi and Geoff discuss how side hustles can be a launchpad for entrepreneurship, a way to rediscover joy in work, or a vital release valve when a full-time job feels stagnant. They also examine the challenges of balancing side hustles with full-time responsibilities and share practical tips for making side hustles work without becoming overwhelming.
J...
2025-01-0738 minManagement MuseEp 39 How to Get Paid What You’re Worth and Avoid Salary PitfallsAre you leaving money on the table when it comes to your salary? In this episode of Management Muse, hosts Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin discuss the pitfalls of salary negotiation and why so many people are underpaid. Cindi and Geoff share examples of underpaid managers and give practical advice on how to most effectively advocate for yourself and make more money by avoiding the most common compensation mistakes.
Whether you’re negotiating a new job or asking for a raise in your current one, this episode equips you with tools to more effectively navigate pay...
2024-12-1742 minManagement MuseEp 38 Preventing Burnout: Keeping People Productive for the Long HaulIs burnout silently draining the energy and productivity of your team? In this episode of Management Muse, hosts Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin tackle the challenges of workplace burnout and its impact on even—and perhaps especially—your most loyal employees. Cindi and Geoff explore burnout’s three-part progression, discuss ways to recognize the early warning signs of exhaustion, and talk about the role managers play in fostering a healthier, more balanced workplace.
Tune in to gain practical insights to recognize and reduce burnout early, support your team effectively, and build a workplace culture that include...
2024-12-1042 minManagement MuseEp 37 Why Prestigious Organizations Sometimes Breed Toxic Work CulturesIn this episode of Management Muse, hosts Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin dive into the complex dynamics of high-status organizations and their potential to create toxic workplace cultures. They explore how a steady influx of eager talent can lead to exploitative practices, why instability at the leadership level often creates fear and distrust, and how unchecked competition undermines collaboration. Drawing insights from diverse industries like tech, entertainment, and the military, this episode reveals the hidden costs of prestige and provides actionable strategies to build healthier, more supportive workplaces.
Tune in to learn how to recognize and address...
2024-12-0332 minManagement MuseEp 36 When Empathy Backfires at Work and How to Fix ItIn this episode of Management Muse, hosts Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin dive into the complexities and unexpected challenges of empathy in the workplace. They explore how empathy, while important to connect people during challenging times, can sometimes backfire. EMpathy’s errors include unintentionally sidelining an employee’s concerns, downplaying the true pain of our experiences, and jumping too quickly into problem-solving mode. Through compelling stories and examples, Cindi and Geoff talk about how well-intentioned empathy can go astray and they offer practical strategies to get our empathy back on track.
Episode Highlights:
Understanding when s...
2024-11-1934 minManagement MuseEp 35 Ethically Sensitive People at WorkIn this episode, hosts Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin delve into the challenges of having ethically sensitive individuals at work and the impact they have on teams. Through an engaging story about a friend who almost blew-up an important work relationship over a perceived ethical breach, Cindi and Geoff illustrate the challenges that come with highly ethically sensitive people. They explore why ethically sensitive people are important for maintaining organizational integrity, but they also require extra patience and consideration.
Tune in to this episode for actionable insights on managing ethically sensitive people and for tips on building...
2024-11-1234 minManagement MuseEp 34 The Dark Side of Similarity and How Hiring for “Likeness” Can Hurt Team SuccessIn this episode of Management Muse, hosts Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin explore the dark side of similarity and its surprising impact on team dynamics and workplace culture. They reveal how hiring for similarity can sometimes backfire, creating unexpected obstacles to growth, trust, and innovation. Through thought-provoking insights and real-world examples, Cindi and Geoff unpack the importance of balancing shared values with diverse perspectives to drive creativity and problem-solving.
Tune in to this episode to learn how to build a culture that thrives on both unity and diversity, setting the stage for organizational growth and resilience.
2024-11-0541 minManagement MuseEp 33 Too Many Cooks: The Chaos of Co-CEOsIn this episode of Management Muse, hosts Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin dive into the challenges of co-leadership, where two bosses manage the same people or department. With insights from their 19 years of consulting, they share real-life stories of co-CEO arrangements gone wrong, revealing how role conflict, ambiguity, and lack of clear responsibilities create inefficiency and division. Learn why these setups rarely work, how they lead to inefficiency, and why employees often end up placating the more demanding boss.
Whether you're an organizational leader or part of a team, this episode offers valuable advice on navigating and i...
2024-10-2933 minManagement MuseEp 32 Navigating Family Dynamics in Business with Barry CouchIn this episode of Management Muse, hosts Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin dive into the challenges of running a family business with management legend Barry Couch. Barry shares his experience of building a company with his son, Brant, and his lessons learned from blending family and work. From setting boundaries to earning respect and managing different leadership styles, Barry offers practical insights for navigating the complex dynamics of family in a professional setting.
Whether you’re part of a family business or interested in leadership, this episode provides valuable takeaways for balancing personal relationships with business success....
2024-10-2215 minManagement MuseEp 31 Beyond Likability: Expert Tips for Effective Management with Barry CouchIn this episode of Management Muse, hosts Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin explore the essentials of people skills with their friend and people guru, Barry Couch. Barry, an experienced business leader and entrepreneur, shares his expertise on navigating interpersonal dynamics, emphasizing trust-building, personal connections, and managing complex people issues. He also discusses the critical role of communication and adapting your management style to meet your team's evolving needs. Whether you're an experienced manager, a new supervisor, or are just aiming to improve your people skills, this episode offers actionable strategies for fostering an inclusive, growth-oriented work culture.
T...
2024-10-1546 minManagement MuseEp 30 Innovation Through Diversity: How Women Are Reshaping the Investment Landscape with Marla ShapiroIn this episode of Management Muse, hosts Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin explore the crucial role of innovation, diversity, and women in entrepreneurship with Marla Shapiro, the visionary founder of HERmesa. Marla shares her inspiring journey from the corporate world to startups, where she launched an angel investment group to support women-owned businesses. Marla highlights how diversity fuels successful innovation in all companies and addresses complex challenges, stressing the need for more women in early-stage investing to break the male-dominated status quo. This episode offers valuable insights and practical advice for managers and entrepreneurs on fostering a culture of...
2024-10-0854 minManagement MuseEP 29 Why Failing Is the Secret Ingredient to Winning BigIn this episode of Management Muse, hosts Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin explore the value of failure with academic and author Spencer Fraseur. Spencer shares insights from his book Failing Upward and his dissertation research, emphasizing how failure is a crucial part of success and the significance of resilience, passion, and continuous learning. He offers actionable strategies for reframing failure as an iterative process, much like engineers approach problem-solving. Whether you're navigating setbacks in work or life, this episode provides tools for using failure as a stepping stone to growth and innovation.
Tune in for actionable strategies...
2024-10-0151 min
Management MuseEP27 Meaning and Performance: The Story of the Paradoxical Commandments with Kent KeithWhat does a meaningful career and a fulfilling life look like? Kent Keith is an author, a university president, and a businessman who has thought deeply about what makes a meaningful life. In this episode of the Management Muse podcast, Kent helps us build a more fulfilling life, one decision at a time.
Episode Highlights:
• As a college student who wanted to encourage his peers, Kent wrote the Paradoxical Commandments, which went viral long before the Internet age.
• Success involves identifying how your work matters and finding the personal meaning in what you do.
...
2023-06-2741 min
Management MuseEP28 Meaning and Performance: People are Unruly. Manage them Anyway with Kent KeithIn this episode, we continue our conversation with Renaissance man Kent Keith, exploring the relationship between meaning, motivation, and performance.
Managers can often help their employees find meaning in the work they do and should take time to help others see the bigger picture or reimagine their work, when possible, as meaningful. This matters because people are usually more motivated and better when they feel connected to their work.
In this discussion, Kent also encourages managers to share the meaning they find in their work as an example for others to do the same.
...
2023-06-2741 min
Management MuseEP26 Confidence: Legal Legend Lynne Liberato Helps us Get in Over our HeadsSuper-lawyer Lynne Liberato talks with Management Muse about the importance of expertise and genuineness in building our confidence. In this discussion, we explore overconfidence, bluffing, and how confirmation bias can impact confidence.
Managers build confidence in their employees through feedback and mentorship. By walking them through situations and highlighting how key decisions were made, staff can build their own confidence through the acquisition of knowledge.
This episode also covers the importance of body language, speech patterns, and appearance, as well as the crucial difference between confidence and arrogance.
Episode Highlights:
• Your confidence bu...
2023-06-2044 min
Management MuseEP25 Unwinding Stress: No Edibles RequiredIn this episode, Cindi and Geoff dive into the myth that a little bit of stress helps your performance. The conversation touches on the idea of procrastination and deadlines, where the stress of a time constraint can encourage task completion but may degrade performance. Cindi and Geoff also look at individual stress sensitivity and expertise as intervening variables that allow people to handle challenges without flipping out.
Finally, the hosts play a parlor game to see if they can track every habit back to a stressor and talk through strategies for managers to help employees unwind performance-draining work...
2023-06-1351 min
Management MuseEP24 Strong Families: Superguru Larry Allman Blows up the Wall between Work and HomeOn this episode of Management Muse we talk to the extraordinary family therapist Larry Allman. Since no one can fully separate home from work, it’s important for managers to know strategies for building strong families.
Home problems create work issues and vice versa, so it’s prudent to think through pitfalls and obstacles to building resilient, thriving families. Master mentor Larry Allman helps us maintain families that last.
Episode Highlights:
• Larry proposes that organizations are not only hiring the individual but should provide something for the family so they feel nurtured by the instit...
2023-06-0637 min
Management MuseEP23 Risk: Moonshots and Smart Gambles with Space Cowboy Joe GuzmanIn this episode of Management Muse, outer space expert and Earthling extraordinaire Joe Guzman shares his unique perspective on managerial risk and decision making. Uncertainty looms large in risk taking, since decisions with certain outcomes aren’t risky at all. The good news is that managers can often take risks incrementally by experimenting with small decisions and running pilot studies to see what happens before going all in. Risk, reward, and failure are usually interconnected, but with some forethought and wisdom from experiences managers can learn when to most appropriately turn smart risk on. Strap into your chair because in th...
2023-05-3050 min
Management MuseEP22 Ideas: Good Idea Machine Dan Schmisseur Helps Us Create New ThingsWhere do good ideas come from? In this episode, entrepreneur Dan Schmisseur shares his experience generating and exploring ideas to find gems worth pursuing. Dan shares how the best ideas often come from connecting the dots to what may seem like unrelated information. The ability to create the space to think, explore, and learn broadly all aid in coming up with unique and valuable ideas. Additionally, relationships are key to bringing your ideas to life. In this episode, managers will learn to foster a culture of idea generation by encouraging employees to deeply explore their industry, share their interests and...
2023-05-2346 min
Management MuseEP21 Habits: Cindi and Geoff Help Us Dump Bad Habits Like a Nasty ExIn this episode of Management Muse, Cindi and Geoff discusses habits and how to change the ones that are not serving you well. They discuss the trigger-action-reward habit loop and then dive into the power of feelings as a way to encourage habit change. Managers care about habit loops because they care about focusing energy where the greatest contributions can be made. And habits can inhibit or enhance focus and energy. Cindi and Geoff discuss common issues managers face with daily habits and the ways those habits impact productivity. In order to break a habit, it’s necessary to update th...
2023-05-1646 min
Management MuseEP20 Work-Life Balance: Pacing Ourselves with CEO and Triathlete Jon CalvinHow do you slay your to-do list and knock out key priorities? In this episode on work-life balance, Jon Calvin, the CEO of Lone Star Circle of Care, joins Cindi and Geoff and gets real about a balanced life. Importantly, Jon notes that everyone's path to balance is different. What may seem unbalanced to others may enable someone to live the life they love. And sometimes, we need the help and support of others to pull off a balanced life. To help us strike a balance, managers can periodically log their time and write down priorities. Lifetime learning and maintaining...
2023-05-0941 min
Management MuseEP19 Nonverbal Communication: Stop Staring at My Mustache with Darrin GriffinWhat you say and how you say it matters. In this episode of Management Muse, author and researcher Darrin Griffin discusses the importance of nonverbal communication. As managers, we should be master noticers and to pay attention to how nonverbal cues like dominance behaviors, body language, and timing impact those around you. This episode also covers importance of perception checks to reduce miscommunication.
Episode Highlights:
• Paying attention nonverbal behavior can help identify others’ interests and conversational goals and aid in better communication.
• Nonverbal communication varies significantly from person to person. Translation: people are often quirky...
2023-05-0347 min
Management MuseEP18: Resilience Part Two: Building Bouncy People with Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey TumlinWhat do you do after adversity to manage the challenge and build reserves for the future? Geoff and Cindi talk through strategies for deploying resilient responses and decreasing the incidence of adverse events becoming trauma. In this episode, Cindi and Geoff discuss cooling our emotions, how to reflect and not ruminate on adversity, and finding meaning in the hand life deals us. Episode
Highlights:
CRM = three strategies for building resilience: Cool the emotions, Reframe adversity as an opportunity for growth, and find Meaning in the challenge.
Cindi shares a story about escalating emotions and...
2023-04-2530 min
Management MuseEP17 Resilience Part One: The Art and Science of Getting the Dings OutIn life, we get dinged up by things that happen to us. Resiliency is the science and art of getting the dings out and continuing on. In this episode on resilience, Cindi and Geoff share strategies on keeping perspective, reframing situations, and taking action to get through challenging hard times. One current management challenge is change fatigue, which can lead to more dings. In adversity, managers can benefit from the 3A’s by acknowledging what the current situation is, adjusting their thinking and taking action.
Episode Highlights:
Three big insights from resilience research: 1. Resiliency isn't a st...
2023-04-2536 min
Management MuseMini Episode 16: What Do Tom Cruise and the King of Jordan Have in Common? With Jefferson HowellIn this mini episode, retired Marine Corps Lieutenant General Jefferson “Beak” Howell shares a few fun stories from his life and relates some lessons on leadership. If you missed his earlier episodes, check out our 3-part series on Crisis Management, episodes 4-6.Timestamps[00:50] General Howell shares a story about Tom Cruise coming over for dinner during a visit to the Johnson Space Center.[06:59] General Howell talks about his surprise promotion to General.[11:43] General Howell shares a story from his time as an infantryman.[22:27] General Howell shares an important leadership less...
2022-05-3138 min
Management MuseEP16: What Do Tom Cruise and the King of Jordan Have in Common? With Jefferson HowellIn this mini episode, retired Marine Corps Lieutenant General Jefferson “Beak” Howell shares a few fun stories from his life and relates some lessons on leadership. If you missed his earlier episodes, check out our 3-part series on Crisis Management, episodes 4-6.
Timestamps
[00:50] General Howell shares a story about Tom Cruise coming over for dinner during a visit to the Johnson Space Center.
[06:59] General Howell talks about his surprise promotion to General.
[11:43] General Howell shares a story from his time as an infantryman.
[22:27] General Howell shares an important leadership lesson.
...
2022-05-3138 minManagement MuseMini Episode: Thoughts on American Healthcare with Rhonda MundhenkThis mini episode is a standalone conversation that occurred during turnaround episode 12 with Rhonda Mundhenk, Chief Executive Officer of Clinical Health Network for Transformation (CHN). In this mini episode, Rhonda discusses what she would do if given the chance to turn around American healthcare.Episode Highlights· The ways in which social investments and preventative care are central to successful healthcare.· Differences in attitudes about healthcare between the United States and other developed countries.· How America’s focus on treating disease rather than creating health shapes our approach to healthcare.Times...
2022-05-3108 min
Management MuseEP15: Thoughts on American Healthcare with Rhonda MundhenkThis mini episode is a standalone conversation that occurred during turnaround episode 12 with Rhonda Mundhenk, Chief Executive Officer of Clinical Health Network for Transformation (CHN). In this mini episode, Rhonda discusses what she would do if given the chance to turn around American healthcare.
Episode Highlights
· The ways in which social investments and preventative care are central to successful healthcare.
· Differences in attitudes about healthcare between the United States and other developed countries.
· How America’s focus on treating disease rather than creating health shapes our approach to healthcare.
Timestamps
2022-05-3108 minManagement MuseMini Episode 14: The Tooth Fairy Entrepreneur with Nate SelfNote: Not recommended for kids who still believe.This mini-episode of Management Muse is a great story from Nate Self’s Transitions episode 8. We loved the story so much, that we didn’t want it to die during editing. So, here it lives.In this mini-episode, Nate talks about a time his youngest child, Griffin, caused him to suffer an involuntary and abrupt transition.About Nate SelfNate is a former U.S. Army officer and founder of the Praevius Group. Nate graduated from West Point with honors and served on acti...
2022-05-3108 min
Management MuseEP14: The Tooth Fairy Entrepreneur with Nate SelfNote: Not recommended for kids who still believe. This mini-episode of Management Muse is a great story from Nate Self’s Transitions episode 8. We loved the story so much, that we didn’t want it to die during editing. So, here it lives. In this mini-episode, Nate talks about a time his youngest child, Griffin, caused him to suffer an involuntary and abrupt transition. About Nate Self Nate is a former U.S. Army officer and founder of the Praevius Group. Nate graduated from West Point with honors and served on active duty in Germany, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Nate trav...
2022-05-3108 minManagement MuseMini Episode 13: Inequality In Healthcare with Welela TereffeThis mini episode is a standalone conversation from the culture episode 2 with Welela Tereffe, M.D., the Chief Medical Executive of the University of Texas’ M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. In this mini episode, Welela shares important lessons about healthcare inequality, and discusses ways to improve the American healthcare system.Episode Highlights· Why there is a massive racial disparity in U.S. healthcare.· Implicit biases affect the quality of healthcare people of color receive.· How stress and aging take a disproportionate toll on African Americans.· How minority representation in health...
2022-05-3126 min
Management MuseEP13: Inequality In Healthcare with Welela TereffeThis mini episode is a standalone conversation from the culture episode 2 with Welela Tereffe, M.D., the Chief Medical Executive of the University of Texas’ M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. In this mini episode, Welela shares important lessons about healthcare inequality, and discusses ways to improve the American healthcare system.
Episode Highlights
· Why there is a massive racial disparity in U.S. healthcare.
· Implicit biases affect the quality of healthcare people of color receive.
· How stress and aging take a disproportionate toll on African Americans.
· How minority representation in healthcare plays...
2022-05-3126 min
Management MuseEP12: Rhonda Mundhenk Tells Us to Run with The WildebeestManagers are often decent at waging bets, but what if you had to take over a losing hand? Management is hard on a good day, but leading an organizational turnaround takes special skills and a willingness to persist in the face of imposing obstacles. How do you condition yourself to lead an organization when the odds are stacked against you? That’s what we cover on this episode of Management Muse. In this episode, we discuss Organizational Turnarounds with Rhonda Mundhenk. Rhonda is the Chief Executive Officer at Clinical Health Network for Transformation (CHN), and former Chief Executive Officer at Lo...
2022-05-2449 minManagement MuseTurnarounds: Rhonda Mundhenk Tells Us to Run with The WildebeestManagers are often decent at waging bets, but what if you had to take over a losing hand? Management is hard on a good day, but leading an organizational turnaround takes special skills and a willingness to persist in the face of imposing obstacles. How do you condition yourself to lead an organization when the odds are stacked against you? That’s what we cover on this episode of Management Muse.In this episode, we discuss Organizational Turnarounds with Rhonda Mundhenk. Rhonda is the Chief Executive Officer at Clinical Health Network for Transformation (CHN), and former Chief Ex...
2022-05-2449 min
Management MuseEP11 Organizational Change: Solutions In the DumpsterOrganizations move slowly, until they don’t. They resist change, until they can’t. Why? On this episode of Management Musewe discuss an unusual—and unusually powerful—way of thinking about organizations…like they are trash cans! Hosts Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin talk about one of the greatest management papers you’ve never read: "A Garbage Can Model of Organizational Choice," the classic article written by Michael D. Cohen, James G. March, and Johan P. Olsen. As crazy as it sounds, the trashcan model of organizations makes a lot of sense: Organizations are messy and chaotic. There’s a lot of differe...
2022-05-1744 minManagement MuseOrganizational Change: Solutions In the DumpsterOrganizations move slowly, until they don’t. They resist change, until they can’t. Why? On this episode of Management Musewe discuss an unusual—and unusually powerful—way of thinking about organizations…like they are trash cans! Hosts Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin talk about one of the greatest management papers you’ve never read: "A Garbage Can Model of Organizational Choice," the classic article written by Michael D. Cohen, James G. March, and Johan P. Olsen.As crazy as it sounds, the trashcan model of organizations makes a lot of sense: Organizations are messy and chaotic. There’s a lo...
2022-05-1744 min
Management MuseEP10 Deception: Can Lying Be Good? Matt McGlone Makes the CaseTo lie or not to lie, that is today’s question. Deception isn’t always a bad thing—you probably don’t tell your significant other everything.There’s a difference between outright lies—almost always counterproductive and bad—and selective deception, which is not saying something. Sometimes, a little selective deception is a smart management strategy. After all, that’s what having trade secrets is all about. Today's guest on Management Muse, Professor Matthew McGlone, is here to tell us more.
The key to leveraging deception in business is to focus on the good, like your good reviews, your su...
2022-05-1051 minManagement MuseDeception: Can Lying Be Good? Matt McGlone Makes the CaseTo lie or not to lie, that is today’s question. Deception isn’t always a bad thing—you probably don’t tell your significant other everything.There’s a difference between outright lies—almost always counterproductive and bad—and selective deception, which is not saying something. Sometimes, a little selective deception is a smart management strategy. After all, that’s what having trade secrets is all about. Today's guest on Management Muse, Professor Matthew McGlone, is here to tell us more.The key to leveraging deception in business is to focus on the good, like your good reviews, yo...
2022-05-1051 minManagement MuseIncentives: Dodging CarrotsOrganizational incentives are tricky, in at least eight counterproductive ways. This episode of Management Muse is inspired by "On the Folly of Rewarding A, While Hoping for B," a timeless article written by Steven Kerr in the 1970s, this episode provides eight classic examples of incentives that frequently are either misplaced, distorted or internally inconsistent:1. Demanding teamwork but rewarding individual achievement.2. Valuing diversity but continuing to hire the same types of people.3. Encouraging merit and excellence, but doling out paltry, across-the-board increases that reward no one.4. Rallying employees to show customer l...
2022-05-0353 min
Management MuseEP9 Incentives: Dodging CarrotsOrganizational incentives are tricky, in at least eight counterproductive ways. This episode of Management Muse is inspired by "On the Folly of Rewarding A, While Hoping for B," a timeless article written by Steven Kerr in the 1970s, this episode provides eight classic examples of incentives that frequently are either misplaced, distorted or internally inconsistent:
Demanding teamwork but rewarding individual achievement.
Valuing diversity but continuing to hire the same types of people.
Encouraging merit and excellence, but doling out paltry, across-the-board increases that reward no one.
Rallying employees to show customer love, but internally communicating dismissiveness or disrespect towards...
2022-05-0353 minManagement MuseTransitions With Nate Self: Finding Yourself Is So YesterdayTransitions are tough, even if you are a war hero. In this episode of Management Muse, former U.S. Army Special Operations (Ranger) officer and founder of the management consulting firm Praevius Group, Nate Self, talks about the most challenging transitions in his life, and shares his advice for more smoothly navigating work and home transitions.Episode Highlights Transitions can be: Structured or unstructured, abrupt or deliberate, and voluntary or involuntary. When possible, try to consider the complexities of transitions before making them. Abrupt and involuntary transitions are often particularly jarring. Group membership and other external...
2022-04-2643 min
Management MuseEP8 Transitions With Nate Self: Finding Yourself Is So YesterdayTransitions are tough, even if you are a war hero. In this episode of Management Muse, former U.S. Army Special Operations (Ranger) officer and founder of the management consulting firm Praevius Group, Nate Self, talks about the most challenging transitions in his life, and shares his advice for more smoothly navigating work and home transitions. Episode Highlights
Transitions can be: Structured or unstructured, abrupt or deliberate, and voluntary or involuntary.
When possible, try to consider the complexities of transitions before making them.
Abrupt and involuntary transitions are often particularly jarring.
Group membership and other external resources, such as...
2022-04-2643 minManagement MuseManagement Errors: The Shortcut That Is Under ConstructionMistakes are a part of life, but when they happen in business, they can be costly. That's why Management Muse brought you this episode, to help you identify a common management mistake—question substitution error—and to improve your own decision-making skills.Today, Cindi and Geoff discuss substitution error, which happens when our brains unconsciously replace the tougher questions in our day-to-day lives with simpler ones, because our brains are constantly trying to help us find shortcuts.The substitution error occurs at work and at home, and almost happened to Cindi and Geoff as a very...
2022-04-1946 min
Management MuseEP7 Management Errors: The Shortcut That Is Under ConstructionMistakes are a part of life, but when they happen in business, they can be costly. That's why Management Muse brought you this episode, to help you identify a common management mistake—question substitution error—and to improve your own decision-making skills. Today, Cindi and Geoff discuss substitution error, which happens when our brains unconsciously replace the tougher questions in our day-to-day lives with simpler ones, because our brains are constantly trying to help us find shortcuts. The substitution error occurs at work and at home, and almost happened to Cindi and Geoff as a very costly mistake on vacation. This...
2022-04-1946 minManagement MuseCrisis Management: The Columbia Disaster with Jefferson HowellEncountering crisis as a leader comes with profound challenges. Having the right plan in place can mitigate the hardships that inevitably arise from crisis.In this episode of Management Muse, retired Marine Corps Lieutenant General Jefferson “Beak” Howell shares his experience leading through crisis and tragedy while Director of the Johnson Space Center during the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.Episode Highlights Clear crisis communication plans with well-defined job responsibilities are integral for efficient crisis management. The failures and successes of previous crisis responses should inform responses to future crises. In addition to the increased job...
2022-04-1248 min
Management MuseEP6 Crisis Management: The Columbia Disaster with Jefferson HowellEncountering crisis as a leader comes with profound challenges. Having the right plan in place can mitigate the hardships that inevitably arise from crisis. In this episode of Management Muse, retired Marine Corps Lieutenant General Jefferson “Beak” Howell shares his experience leading through crisis and tragedy while Director of the Johnson Space Center during the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. Episode Highlights
Clear crisis communication plans with well-defined job responsibilities are integral for efficient crisis management.
The failures and successes of previous crisis responses should inform responses to future crises.
In addition to the increased job responsibilities of a team faci...
2022-04-1248 minManagement MuseCrisis Management: Noses In Collision with Jefferson HowellGenerations of Marine Corps leaders have been inspired by ethos of honor and respect. But what happens when aspirational maxims crash—in a fraction of a second—with a potentially career-ending collision over the Sea of Japan? The answer, according to Lieutenant General (retired) Jeff Howell, is it gets real, because “the farther you go up the flagpole, the easier it is to get shot down.”Our guest on this episode of the Management Muse, Ret. USMC Lt. Gen. Jefferson Howell, takes us on the roller-coaster ride he experienced when a joint exercise he was leading with Japanese...
2022-04-1237 minManagement MuseCrisis Management: Who Slashed My Tires? with Jefferson HowellIn this episode of Management Muse, we’re joined by retired Marine Corps Lieutenant General Jefferson “Beak” Howell. Beak Howell has managerial experience at all levels of organizations, and he has handled a number of significant crises throughout his distinguished careers in and out of uniform.In this episode, Beak talks about the first crisis he navigated as a squadron commander in the Marines. Beak talks about admitting when you’re wrong and owning up to your mistakes, and he also shares why he believes transparent communication, even in times of crisis, and even when painful, is essentia...
2022-04-1229 min
Management MuseEP3 Leader Development Inspired by Howard Prince: One Flame, Many CandlesIn today's episode, our topic is leadership development in honor of our mentor Howard T. Prince II, a pioneer in leadership education, who passed away last year. We reflect on Howard’s life and contribution to our understanding of leadership. We talk about three myths that Howard disrupted, about his life in the army and in academia, and what a great person he was to know. Howard was a leader who created thousands of other leaders—a light to many candles. He is deeply missed. Episode Highlights
The crucial difference between experience, reflection, and wisdom
Building better organizations
Leaving a pe...
2022-04-0548 minManagement MuseLeader Development Inspired by Howard Prince: One Flame, Many CandlesIn today's episode, our topic is leadership development in honor of our mentor Howard T. Prince II, a pioneer in leadership education, who passed away last year. We reflect on Howard’s life and contribution to our understanding of leadership. We talk about three myths that Howard disrupted, about his life in the army and in academia, and what a great person he was to know. Howard was a leader who created thousands of other leaders—a light to many candles. He is deeply missed.Episode Highlights The crucial difference between experience, reflection, and wisdom Building bett...
2022-04-0548 minManagement MuseOrganizational Culture: Values Unmasked with Welela TereffeIn this episode of Management Muse, we’re joined by Welela Tereffe, the Chief Medical Executive at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Welela talks about strengthening culture in a large organization and what a healthy work culture looks like. Welela also shares how the pandemic taught her the importance of narrative in bringing together people and improving work culture.Finally, Welela shares how COVID caused people to reprioritize their life’s goals and strengthen their gratitude practices. Welela explains that by openly and consistently communicating with employees in times of uncertainty, you build trust and...
2022-04-0548 min
Management MuseEP1 Decision Making: Know Who Shouldn’t Hold the Remote Control With Spencer FraseurAre you the kind of person who tries to optimize your decisions, but then often ends up regretting your choice because you might have missed something better? This means you are probably a maximizer. Or are you the kind of person who decides quickly and confidently, and then seldom looks back on decisions with regret? You are probably a satisficer. In this episode of Management Muse, we're joined by Spencer Fraseur, Cindi and Geoff’s nephew, and a doctoral candidate in management at the University of Texas at Arlington. In this episode, the Muse dives into the difference between maximizers an...
2022-04-0545 minManagement MuseDecision Making: Know Who Shouldn’t Hold the Remote Control With Spencer FraseurAre you the kind of person who tries to optimize your decisions, but then often ends up regretting your choice because you might have missed something better? This means you are probably a maximizer. Or are you the kind of person who decides quickly and confidently, and then seldom looks back on decisions with regret? You are probably a satisficer.In this episode of Management Muse, we're joined by Spencer Fraseur, Cindi and Geoff’s nephew, and a doctoral candidate in management at the University of Texas at Arlington. In this episode, the Muse dives into the di...
2022-04-0545 min