The Cranky Middle Manager Show #316 The Final Cranky Show and the Future of Work with John Blackwell
The Cranky Middle Manager Show 115- First Time Managers with Gary Topchik
Posted on 11. Oct, 2007 by Wayne in Podcast
The Cranky Middle Manager show #115
Welcome to the show, especially you first time managers or wannabes. It’s not too late to turn back…. okay now it is. You had your chance. Today we’re speaking to one of the authors of the classic, The First Time Manager, Gary Topchik
Show Notes
0:00 Welcome to first time managers everywhere. Today’s show is dedicated to Vasco Nunez de Balboa. Sometimes you have to be careful what you ask for, and when you get your chance, you’d better step up. Fortunately we have shows like this one to help. We also have my two e-books, and you can find them in the Cranky Middle Manager Store.
2:40 The quote of the week is from Demosthenes: you never know what that first gig is going to lead to. Cliche I know but true none the less.
3:35 Welcome Gary Topchik, author of The First Time Manager . What is it about first time managers that they need special attention? Some of it is that many first time managers learn from THEIR managers…scary huh? And there’s plenty of fear to go around.
6:24 Why don’t people want to be managers? There’s some prestige, and money…. oh but it’s hard work and other people make it harder. Managing former peers is one of their biggest fears. Managing strangers would be easier.
9:31 What can you do the first week on the job to get your feet under you? First, breathe……your current technical skills have no connection to your role as manager. Then have one on ones with every member of your team. Share your philosophy and get to know them.
12:30 What are some of the pitfalls young managers fall into? Badmouthing other managers and the organization ain’t gonna work. You are now them. Trying to do too much too fast is another.
16:19 As managers, you’re largely in charge of your own learning and development. What are some of the things a manager can do…. besides read Gary’s book of course. There are a ton of books, podcasts and other things. Take outside programs.
19:22 If Gary had the magic wand, most first time managers would be better communicators. The other thing is to learn to delegate, and not just to the very top performers. You don’t want to punish your best performers or let poor performers get away with murder.
24:32 Gary’s resources include:
- Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner…hey that name sounds familiar. The new edition of The Leadership Challenge. You can hear our latest conversation with Jim Kouzes here….
- Daniel Goleman on Primal Leadership
- Launching a Leadership Revolution by Brady and Woodward
- Leadership is an Art
Hey everyone, don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter- just drop me an email and put Subscribe in the subject line. You can also send Gary Topchik an email by clicking here.
We Get a Little Link Love From BusinessWeek.com
Posted on 08. Oct, 2007 by Wayne in General
Is the Cranky Middle Manager Show destined for respectability???
We found this link to us from the Management IQ blog at www.businessweek.com
I’m happy to be in the company of our good friend The Evil HR Lady. (You can hear our interview with her here). Thanks to Michele Conlin for exhibiting such good taste. Now if she’ll only remove the stigma of being thought of as an HR blog…….I feel so dirty.
Business Casual…or Business REALLY Casual
Posted on 05. Oct, 2007 by Wayne in General
Boy, you write one silly little article and strange things happen. (Read what started it here.)
First, Lisa Haneberg takes me to task in this blog post- but then she lives in Seattle where business attire means your Birkenstocks have laces.
Finally, Greg, head Gringo at The Mad Gringo went so far as to throw an intervention. He sent me one of his great tropical shirts and dared me to try it on…. Here’s proof. It’s a great shirt… only problem is I got too relaxed…. I started playing my Jimmy Buffet music (yes I do listen habitually) too loud. Then it was margaritas in the break room….. and a nice visit with someone from HR about that…. think I’ll stick to my shirt and tie. I leave less chaos in my wake.
Still, if I were going to chuck it all, it would be while wearing a Mad Gringo shirt.
Thanks, Greg. It’s a killer shirt- a great addition to my collection (I wear them when I’m not at work, after all) and Mad Gringo is a “run away and join the new economy” dream come true.
I urge all CMM listeners to visit the Mad Gringo blog and check him out for yourself…… Crankiness has a cure- and it’s probably available in Rayon.
The Cranky Middle Manager #114 Preparing Our Kids for Work- Tim Irwin
Posted on 02. Oct, 2007 by Wayne in Podcast
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #114 (MP3 12.9MB 28:42 Min)
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Welcome to the show everyone. Today we’re talking to Tim Irwin about his book “Run With the Bulls Without Getting Trampled”. I know I did the unforgiveable and called it the wrong name in the intro but it’s the right book I swear. It’s all about preparing our kids for the working world and I think it’s well worth your 28 minutes.
By the way, since this is the first official show of the month, I”m begging for votes on Podcast Alley. Please go to the site and vote for TPN:The Cranky Middle Manager Show.
You can also get our monthly newsletter, just drop me an email and put “Subscribe” in the subject line.
Show Notes
0:00 Welcome to the show. Today we’re talking about kids, maturity and the workplace. Speaking of maturity, I have gone back to wearing a tie at work. You can read the Management Issues article here. That brings us to the Chinese Emperor Shih Huang Ti, the first guy to make all his employees tie silk around their necks. Now you know who to blame.
2:30 Our quote of the week is about getting smarter as we get older…. or whatever you have to tell yourself to stay sane. Marie Von Ebner Eschenbach is the quotee.
3:45 Welcome Dr Tim Irwin- and the right book title- to the show. The inspiration for the book came when his son decided to run with the bulls at Pamplona. I give you 30 seconds to come up with at least 10 ways that’s a metaphor for the work place. The book is for those young people who need to know what they’re getting into.
6:40 Okay, so what’s so special about this generation and isn’t this just the usual old guy whining? Turns out all that self-esteem they got from us took hold. There are some hard landings coming I suspect.
10:27 The three areas Tim thinks we need to focus our kids:
- Thoughtful commitment
- Authentic character
- Exceptional competence
Thoughtful commitment seems to be the biggest lack. When GE can’t get people to move for their jobs, what hope do you have?
15:00 Authentic character is obvious, but what kind of model have we been to our kids? Arrogance, volatility and lack of interpersonal skills is the biggest issue.
18:00 Is competence really an issue for this most talented of all generations? It has to do with the factors that make people thrive like self-management and delayed gratification. We rehash the famous but scary Marshmallow Test.
21:36 Probably the biggest shock for young workers is the amount of politics. Welcome to the real world kids.
25:42 Tim’s resources:
Check out his website and take the online assessment.