The Cranky Middle Manager Show #316 The Final Cranky Show and the Future of Work with John Blackwell
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #305 The Approachable Manager Nametag Scott Ginsburg
Posted on 01. Dec, 2011 by Wayne in General, Podcast
Today Wayne Turmel talks to the odd but very smart “Nametag” Scott Ginsberg about being more approachable as a manager and why it matters. We also discuss Lady Godiva, the Gospel of St Thomas and other things you won’t hear on any other management podcast. That’s a promise.
If you’re going to use WebEx, GoToMeeting or any of those tools, don’t you want to use them well? At GreatWebMeetings.com we teach you the skills to present, sell, train or manage your team using web presentation tools. We offer programs in How to Create and Manage Remote Teams, Web Presentation Basics and Leading Effective Virtual Meetings. Drop us a line for pricing and more information.
If you manage remote teams, don’t forget to check out the ConnectedManager.com blog. New content twice a week!
Show Notes
0:00 Hello and welcome to the 305th Cranky Middle Manager show. Scott Ginsberg’s new book is The Nametag Principle, Today we are talking with someone who took a silly gimmick and made it his life’s work. This might sound strange but have you ever done anything weird just to make a point? And THAT leads us to Lady Godiva. Trust me, it makes sense.
5:00 The quote of the week is actually from the Gospel of St Thomas…. which you may or may not have heard of… but have you ever written a report that didn’t make the final version? Do you bring forth what’s inside you? Can you help others bring forth what’s inside them? Just askin’
6:10 Welcome “Nametag” Scott Ginsberg to the program. What started as a desperate attempt to meet girls in college has turned into a decade-long social experiment. What can managers learn from some schlub wearing a nametag all day? Approachability matters.
8:13 Why are managers often seen as unapproachable even though we’re good human beings? It’s all in what people see and perceive and so much to do with the messages (tacit and explicit) that we send. What’s the first word out of your mouth?
11:32 Does being approachable mean you have to be available 24/7 and never get your own work done? How to set boundaries without cutting people off completely.
13:42 What’s the role of humor in being approachable? Why do so many of us fear being lighthearted about serious work? We also discuss Orthodoxy vs. Orthopraxy.Never say you don’t learn anything on this show.
15:46 Part of being an approachable leader is leaving people better than they were before they communicated with you. Do they feel smarter? More appreciated? Relieved? Beaten to a bloody pulp? Do you leave them disturbed? That might actually be a good thing.
18:44 It sounds like we’re doing all the giving. What do managers need to stop doing? We need to stop making people feel important, we need to make them feel essential. The difference matters. We also discuss the difference between empathy and owning other people’s feelings.
22:44 How do you help your team approach each other on meetings and at work? Why do you always hear from the same people, and how can you help your introverts and polite types get their point across? Why are the ones coming to you are the ones you least want to hear from?
25:10 The key to approachability is to be proactive, and it’s hard. What ritual can you build into your routine?
26:10 Believe it or not, the book, The Nametag Principle- 366 Daily Practices to Make Your Brand More Engaged, More Joinable, More Human and More Approachable is your COMPLETELY FREE. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE EBOOK AT NO COST TO YOU
Scott also suggests you check out Rajesh Setty’s blog
You can also check out Rajesh Setty on The Cranky Middle Manager
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #304 Plugged-In Managers Terri Griffith
Posted on 23. Nov, 2011 by Wayne in General, Podcast
Today Wayne Turmel talks to Terri Griffith about her book, “The Plugged-In Manager”. How plugged in are you to your organization, your team and your customers? We also discuss Samurai spy masters and the pain of reading John Locke, even if he is a smart guy. Just another eclectic day at the office here in Crankyland.
If you’re going to use WebEx, GoToMeeting or any of those tools, don’t you want to use them well? At GreatWebMeetings.com we teach you the skills to present, sell, train or manage your team using web presentation tools. We offer programs in How to Create and Manage Remote Teams, Web Presentation Basics and Leading Effective Virtual Meetings. Drop us a line for pricing and more information.
If you manage remote teams, don’t forget to check out the ConnectedManager.com blog. New content twice a week!
Show Notes
0:00 No matter how you say hello, howdy.Today we’re talking about being plugged in, which is more about human connections than technology. To that end we dedicate the show to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, warlord and spymaster, but not a samurai. He reminds us that every job that doesn’t end in voluntary retirement ends in firing or death. Just saying.
4:12 The quote of the week is from John Locke (who you can read about in my first book, A Philistine’s Journal). A tough read but a very smart guy. Who are you plugged into? Does it make you smarter?
5:02 Welcome Terri Griffith, author of “The Plugged-In Manager: Get in Tune With Your People, Technology and Organization to Thrive”. Aren’t we already over-connected and too plugged in? Connection and plugging in isn’t about technology alone.
8:09 How do you plug in to the organization? How can managers be properly connected to their employers?What about companies that don’t make it easy to connect to it?
13:20 The three practices of the plugged-in manager are: Stop- look- listen, Mixing, and Sharing. First of all, you have to take stock of where you, your company, your employees and your customers actually are. Be a little reflective before buying the latest toys. What are you trying to do, and what do you have at your disposal?
18:26 Most of us do a pretty bad job of gathering and sharing information. It’s not that we’re not willing to share, we just don’t do it proactively. Terri uses the concept of “thinking out loud”, and finding ways to share those thoughts. Terri shares the idea of the Management Innovation Exchange. Click here to learn more.
22:34 I learn about the concept of the “Hackathon”. The trick is that it uses technology but requires really good human facilitation. How are your skills in that area?
27:34 Terri’s Resources
Her blog www.thepluggedinmanager.com
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #300 It’s Not About You Bob Burg
Posted on 20. Oct, 2011 by Wayne in General, Podcast
Today we present our 300th episode and who better to share it with than Bob Burg. He’s the author of “It’s Not About You- a Little Story About What Matters Most in Business”. Leadership and influencing is not about you. Seriously. Oh, and we talk about Pandora (the unfortunate Greek woman, not the music channel) and Oscar Wilde. In the words of Maurice Sendak- let the wild rumpus begin!
If you’re going to use WebEx, GoToMeeting or any of those tools, don’t you want to use them well? At GreatWebMeetings.com we teach you the skills to present, sell, train or manage your team using web presentation tools. We offer programs in How to Create and Manage Remote Teams, Web Presentation Basics and Leading Effective Virtual Meetings. Drop us a line for pricing and more information.
If you manage remote teams, don’t forget to check out the ConnectedManager.com blog. New content twice a week!
Show Notes
0:00 Welcome to the 300th edition of the show. If you can’t find something to like in 150 hours of interviews, well we’re both doing something wrong. Today we dedicate the show to Pandora. Despite delivering all manner of evil to the world, there’s always hope. Somewhere in there is a metaphor, people.
5:44 The quote of the week is from Oscar Wilde, who said it in a much snippier, snootier way than I do. Selfishness isn’t doing what you want….it’s assuming everyone else wants what you want. Did we mention it’s not about you?
6:30 Welcome Bob Burg back to the show. If you’re the boss, and you want to get stuff done, it’s about you….. or is it? This is not to say that you have to be a martyr or doormat. Putting others first is a good way to build relationships and hit your goals. Of course, you have to actually care.
9:40 We all have to persuade people, and being right has nothing to do with out arguing the other person and being right means nothing. What we’re talking about here is influencing skills.You need to make your reason, their reason.
11:14 The first thing to do is respond, rather than react. Then understand their motivation. Why do they think what they think? Why don’t they just get on board? You have to walk in their shoes.
13:03 We attribute people’s resistance to things and attitudes that might not be true. (Warning, use of paradigm occurs here). This doesn’t mean you agree with them, only that you’ve heard them and respect their opinion.
16:00 Do you really know what you have to offer? Why should they do what you want? The overused acronym is WIIFM, What’s in it for me? Of course, what do you do when the only thing in it is “be glad you have a job”?
18:41 Bob’s five keys for legendary leadership:
- Hold the vision
- Build your people
- Do the work
- Stand for something
- Share the mantle
Bob’s resources
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #299 Liftoff Leadership with Betty Shotton
Posted on 11. Oct, 2011 by Wayne in General, Podcast
Do you have the courage to be a leader? If not, can you develop it? Today Wayne Turmel talks to Betty Shotton, author of “Liftoff Leadership, 10 Principles For Exceptional Leadership”.
If you’re going to use WebEx, GoToMeeting or any of those tools, don’t you want to use them well? At GreatWebMeetings.com we teach you the skills to present, sell, train or manage your team using web presentation tools. We offer programs in How to Create and Manage Remote Teams, Web Presentation Basics and Leading Effective Virtual Meetings. Drop us a line for pricing and more information.
If you manage remote teams, don’t forget to check out the ConnectedManager.com blog. New content twice a week!
Show Notes
0:00 Welcome one and all. Today we’re talking about a book that uses piloting aircraft as its central metaphor. For that reason we salute Chesley Sullenberger. He’s the pilot that landed in the Hudson river. What’s so amazing is that everyone is so amazed by what he did….and he’s not. Nor should he be, and there’s a lesson there for all of us. When did competence and leadership become something besides our default position?
5:15 The quote of the week is from the over-rated but often right Antoine de Sainte-Exupery. Are you assigning tasks or painting a vision for your team?
6:00 Welcome Betty Shotton to the show. Pilot, entrepeneur, and author of “Liftoff Leadership, 10 Principles For Exceptional Leadership”. Leaders have a significant influence on the lives of the people they lead. Feeling the pressure yet? Isn’t it enough to just get the work done?
12:00 There are a number of questions we have to ask ourselves before we can get on with the job of leading others. Who are you? What gives meaning to your work, your life and your actions? If you don’t know this, you have no basis for your actions going forward.
16:00 Betty has listed 10 components of leadership (as all consultants do), but the one that stands out is courage. Betty talks about why courage matters, but more importantly, how you can build and strengthen it. This is a new look.
18:20 Leading is fine, but what do you do when someone doesn’t want to follow? Courage is a big part. Betty is also a big believer in at some point telliing them to get on board or letting them go if they can’t.
25:52 One thing Betty wants you to take away is that who you are as a leader has great impact on those who follow you. People are watching and using you as an example..be aware of what they’re seeing.
Betty’s Resources