The Manager's Mic With Paul Leon

Hosted by Paul Leon, MBA

Business Entrepreneurship

Website RSS feed

Episodes

128

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

About the show

The Manager’s Mic is a leadership podcast designed to help middle managers. Covering topics on strategy and communication that build stronger teams. Hosted by Paul Leon, MBA, a trainer and strategist on leadership, who has trained more than 500 teams. Each episode delivers valuable lessons from Paul or experienced leaders who share what worked, what did not, and what they learned to help you speed-run to success. Whether you are leading your first team or your fiftieth, you will learn strategies to navigate difficult conversations, develop employees, and make decisions that develop high-performing teams. Do you want to focus on insights to become the effective manager you want to be? If yes, The Manager’s Mic is your helpful resource. Visit our podcast website for more help https://www.themanagersmic.com/

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 14, 2026Episode 211 hr 1 min

How High Performers Overcome Burnout

In this episode of The Manager’s Mic, I sit down with Melissa Coloton, a commercial leadership expert with 20 years of experience and more than $1 billion in new business generated throughout her career.Melissa shares how high performers, sales leaders, executives, and entrepreneurs can pursue success without burning out, abandoning themselves, or sacrificing their health, energy, and relationships. We talk about purpose at work, career identity, self-compassion, sales success, personal connection, and how to stay grounded when life or work becomes unsustainable.This conversation covers burnout, purpose, sales leadership, high-performance habits, emotional resilience, career setbacks, self-leadership, and what it means to honor yourself while still pursuing meaningful results.You will learn how to:Redefine purpose beyond one title, job, or achievementStay connected to yourself during career pressure and uncertaintyPractice self-compassion when success starts to feel heavyRecognize when ambition is being driven by fearBuild sales success through belief, relationships, and personal connectionNavigate change without losing your health, energy, or identityThe goal is simple: build success without losing yourself in the process.Chapters 00:00 Melissa Coloton on Success Without Burnout 02:21 What Purpose Means in Business 05:12 Men, Women, Family, and Purpose at Work 08:34 Career Setbacks, Identity, and Losing Purpose 13:23 Self-Compassion During Hard Seasons 18:01 How to Stay Connected to Purpose 24:31 Practical Ways to Honor Yourself 31:23 The Law of Whatever 34:16 Humor, Improv, and Real Conversations 37:18 How Purpose Drives Sales Success 39:20 Selling With Belief and Personal Connection 43:25 What Baby Biotechs Teach Us About Purpose 50:12 Reverse Engineering $1B in Sales Success 56:38 Burnout, AI Disruption, and Career IdentityFollow MelissaWebsite: https://melissacoloton.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissacolton/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissa_coloton/ For more tips on leadership, visit The Manager’s Mic: https://www.themanagersmic.com/Legal DisclaimerLeonsolutions, LLC, and the content it produces are for educational purposes; your results may vary. No guarantee of results is claimed. The publisher of this content is not responsible for any actions taken or not taken as a result of reading, watching, or listening to our content.

June 4, 2026Episode 2041 min

AI Is Coming for Managers, Not Leaders

I sit down with Sean Patton, MBA ACC, a former U.S. Army Ranger and Special Forces Green Beret. Sean is also an executive performance coach, keynote speaker, author, and host of the popular podcast No Limit Leadership. His experience in building trust in teams, creating a compelling vision, and leading through uncertainty will empower you to lead better.Do you want to level up your leadership skills by connecting the principles of military leadership with those of business ownership to shape organizational culture for the better?If yes, then we invite you to join our conversation as we discuss how to:✅ Build trust across teams with different goals and competing priorities✅ Create a leadership vision that inspires high performers✅ Lead through conflict, friction points, and uncertainty✅ Strengthen workplace culture through communication and feedback✅ Develop employees so they stay engaged, grow, and perform at a higher level✅ Understand why human leadership matters more as AI changes managementChapters 00:00 Trailer and Newsletter Plug01:02 Meet Sean Patton02:14 Understanding Special Forces and Leadership Dynamics 6:23 Leadership Challenges in Complex Environments 12:01 Building Trust And Relationships in Leadership17:28 The Importance of Vision and Intensity in Leadership21:04 Navigating Leadership Transitions 23:36 Lessons From Business Ventures27:40 Sean Patton’s Journey to Self-Discovery30:06 The Leadership Trinity Framework35:53 The Future of Leadership in a Tech-Driven WorldFollow Sean Patton, MBA:Website: https://SeanPatton.meCoaching: https://Novus.Global/seanpattonBook (A Warrior’s Mindset: The 6 Keys to Greatness): https://amzn.to/4a6W4r4Podcast (No Limit Leadership): https://nolimitleadership.buzzsprout.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolimitleadershipInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nolimitleadershipYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NoLimitLeadershipFor more practical tips on communication, sales enablement, team building, workplace culture, and leadership development, follow The Manager’s Mic Podcast.Legal DisclaimerLeonsolutions, LLC, and the content it produces are for educational purposes; your results may vary. No guarantee of results is claimed. The publisher of this content is not responsible for any actions taken or not taken as a result of reading, watching, or listening to our content.

May 28, 2026Episode 1945 min

Why Teams Underperform (and How to Fix It)

This leadership conversation features coaches Brian Powell and Tom Reynolds exploring how effective leadership, coaching, and intentional team development drive organizational effectiveness. They explain how to build high-performing teams through psychological safety, honest communication, and strong collaboration in real workplace conditions.About Bryan PowellBryan Powell is the co-author of The Efficient Frontier of Teaming™, a number one Amazon Best Seller in three leadership categories. The book offers a practical framework for understanding why capable teams underperform and what it takes to move beyond high performance toward Optimal Performance™. It was built inside real teams operating under real accountability pressure.Alongside Brian’s coaching practice, he is finalizing his doctoral research in performance psychology focused on how psychological safety shapes team performance in results-driven environments.Tom Reynolds Tom Reynolds is the co-author of The Efficient Frontier of Teaming™ with Brian Powell, where he contributes his expertise around psychological safety and agile goal setting. Specifically, his chapters help teams to see how the right kind of conflict can build psychological safety, and that you can hit a moving target if you plan as though your plan will break down. With a background in business and clinical psychology, Tom uses a practitioner-scholar approach to design leadership solutions that bridge the divide between research and practical application. He holds a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Widener University, the only program in the United States to provide integrated training across those two disciplines.Ask about their free team-building tool, the team contract!https://www.theefficientfrontierofteaming.com/contact-usBuy Their Bookhttps://amzn.to/4fJ7R2i Chapters00:00 Trailer00:50 Meet Bryan Powell & Tom Reynolds04:04 The Challenge of Team Alignment and Development05:44 The Role of Authenticity and Disagreement in Teams07:28 Building Trust Through Tough Conversations08:56 Frameworks for Psychological Safety Across Industries12:34 The Team Contract Tool for Engagement14:10 Workplace Changes and Future Skills with AI16:06 Essential Competencies for the Next Decade19:44 Reflections on Using AI in Education and Work22:03 The Power of Human Judgment in the Age of AI24:23 Building Authentic Teams and Leadership Mindsets28:16 The Impact of Authenticity and Engagement on Performance33:19 Research Insights on High-Performing Teams36:13 The Partnership and Journey of the Authors41:02 Final Advice for Leadership Teams Seeking EffectivenessLegal DisclaimerLeonsolutions, LLC, and the content it produces are for educational purposes; your results may vary. No guarantee of results is claimed. The publisher of this content is not responsible for any actions taken or not taken as a result of reading, watching, or listening to our content.

May 20, 2026Episode 189 min

The ADDIE Framework Step Most Companies Miss

The ADDIE model helps managers, trainers, and content creators build training that is structured, useful, and easier to improve. In this video, Paul Leon walks through the five stages of ADDIE and explains the step that many teams underuse after launch.Many organizations analyze, design, develop, and implement training, but stop at rollout or at basic participant feedback, rather than measuring whether people learned, applied the skill, and improved results. This video shows how to use the ADDIE model to strengthen training content, sales enablement, team development, and learning outcomes.You will learn how to:Analyze learner and performance needs before building contentDesign training with clear objectives, structure, assessments, and brand consistencyDevelop better content with AI and stakeholder reviewImplement training with teams or field repsEvaluate results through feedback, application, and business-impact dataThe goal is simple: build training content your team can actually use.Chapters00:00 Why the ADDIE Model Matters00:24 Analyze: Start With Learner and Performance Data02:08 Design: Build With Objectives and Structure03:01 Develop: Use AI With Stakeholder Review05:01 Implement: Launch the Training05:28 Evaluate: The Step Most Teams UnderuseFor more practical tips on management, training, sales enablement, leadership communication, and building better teams, visit The Manager’s Mic:https://www.themanagersmic.com/Legal DisclaimerLeonsolutions, LLC, and the content it produces are for educational purposes; your results may vary. No guarantee of results is claimed. The publisher of this content is not responsible for any actions taken or not taken as a result of reading, watching, or listening to our content.

May 14, 2026Episode 1713 min

What I’ve Learned Managing 17 Direct Reports | Tips for New Managers

Bad feedback can quietly damage team trust, even when a manager has good intentions. In this episode of The Manager’s Mic, Paul Leon shares lessons from managing 17 direct reports and explains how new managers can give feedback that builds rapport instead of breaking it.This conversation covers why self-awareness matters, how intention and impact are not the same, and why psychological safety is critical when giving feedback.Paul Leon also breaks down a simple feedback framework for managers: be timely, be specific, and stay forward-looking. For new managers, feedback is not just about correcting behavior. It is an opportunity to build trust, improve communication, and create a safer team culture where employees feel comfortable speaking up.Chapters00:00 Why Bad Feedback Damages Team Trust03:13 Self-Awareness for Better Manager Feedback04:23 Fast Feedback Loop: Timely, Specific, Forward-Looking06:29 Three Feedback Rules for New Managers07:32 Building Rapport Through Difficult ConversationsWatch or listen to more from The Manager’s Mic on tips for new managershttps://www.themanagersmic.com/Legal DisclaimerLeonsolutions, LLC, and the content it produces are for educational purposes; your results may vary. No guarantee of results is claimed. The publisher of this content is not responsible for any actions taken or not taken as a result of reading, watching, or listening to our content.

May 6, 2026Episode 1639 min

Burnout Is Not Your Real Problem (feat. Dr. Heather Kidwell) | Tips for New Managers

In my conversation with Dr. Heather Kidwell, she shared her expertise in strategic leadership. Her insights will help newer managers avoid burnout. Learn strategies to reconnect with your purpose to overcome a challenging work environment.Follow Dr. Heather KidwellAn Article to Overcome Burnouthttps://humanitydrivenleadership.substack.com/p/its-not-just-burnout-its-somethingLearn About The BurnUP Programhttps://www.humanitydrivenleadership.com/the-burnup-sm-method LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherkidwell/ Chapters00:00 Introduction to Dr. Heather Kidwell01:53 Defining Strategic Leadership04:46 Management vs. Leadership07:32 Trends in Young Professionals and Management09:21 Personal Experiences in Corporate Leadership11:07 Defining Your 'Why'13:48 Navigating Career Transitions16:30 Understanding Shame20:18 Finding Happiness and Purpose25:18 Future Focus: Convergent Depletion Syndrome26:33 Understanding Burnout and Exhaustion28:25 Convergent Depletion Syndrome Explained30:27 Exploring Solutions and Support Systems33:59 The Role of Spirituality in Leadership34:49 The Performative Nature of Corporate EnvironmentsLegal DisclaimerLeonsolutions, LLC, and the content it produces are for educational purposes; your results may vary. No guarantee of results is claimed. The publisher of this content is not responsible for any actions taken or not taken as a result of reading, watching, or listening to our content.

April 30, 2026Episode 1537 min

How to Create a Community That Sees You (feat. Emily Green) | Tips for Managers

Emily Green shares how she created a community for those seeking speaking opportunities. She shares her journey of owning a marketing agency, which she later sold. If you are a new manager looking to create engagement, this episode is for you.Follow Emily GreenWebsite https://emily-green.com/ Join The Love Means Business Communityhttps://emily-s-site-eec1.thinkific.com/products/communities/my-community-speaker-support Chapters00:00 Introduction to Emily Green02:49 Lessons from Selling a Business04:13 Understanding Marketing Agency Dynamics05:09 Client Success Stories and Growth Strategies06:55 Building a Brand and Agency Culture09:37 The Decision to Sell and Transitioning to New Ventures12:01 Challenges Women Face in Business14:41 The Importance of Support and Community20:12 Exploring Love Means Business Community21:02 Tips for Building a Community23:46 Creating Value through Networking and Opportunities26:30 The Art of Writing for Engagement32:02 An Important Lesson from Emily’s Career JourneyFollow the podcast that helps new managers avoid the habits that kill rapporthttps://www.themanagersmic.com/Legal DisclaimerLeonsolutions, LLC, and the content it produces are for educational purposes; your results may vary. No guarantee of results is claimed. The publisher of this content is not responsible for any actions taken or not taken as a result of reading, watching, or listening to our content.#ThoughtLeadership #LoveMeansBusiness #WomenInBusiness #ManagersMic

April 23, 2026Episode 1420 min

Everything I Have Learned From Closing 5,000+ Sales | Tips For Sales Managers

Can sales skills improve in just 13 days? In this episode of The Manager’s Mic, I break down practical sales training principles that help sales professionals improve communication, sharpen their value proposition, understand buyer psychology, build a stronger sales pipeline, handle rejection, and follow up with purpose.Follow me online for more sales management tipshttps://www.themanagersmic.com/In this video, you will learn:How to improve sales skills through consistent actionWhy a strong value proposition matters in every sales conversationHow buyer psychology affects sales outcomesWhy tone and communication style shape trustHow to build and protect a healthy sales pipelineHow to handle rejection without losing momentumWhy persistence and follow-up drive more closed dealsHow relationship-based selling creates long-term successChapters00:00 Introduction to Sales Mastery04:12 Understanding the Sales Process09:36 Effective Communication Techniques14:25 The Role of Follow-Up in Sales#Sales #Management #Tips #ManagersMic

April 15, 2026Episode 1336 min

Future-Proof Your Personal Brand Before AI Replaces You With Melanie Borden

AI is changing how leaders are discovered, evaluated, and hired — and your personal brand may already be falling behind.In this episode of The Manager's Mic Podcast, personal branding expert Melanie Borden (founder of Borden Group) breaks down exactly how to build a personal brand strategy that AI can not erase. From searchable leadership to digital visibility tactics that get you found, this is the AI personal branding conversation every manager needs to hear.What You'll Learn:• How AI is reshaping how buyers and hiring managers evaluate leaders• What "searchable leadership" means and how to make it work for you• Practical personal brand strategy to future-proof your career in the AI era• The most common AI personal branding mistakes leaders make• How to build real digital visibility as a manager or executiveAbout Melanie Borden: Melanie Borden is the founder of Borden Group, a personal branding agency helping executives and entrepreneurs build powerful, searchable digital identities.Follow Melanie BordenWebsite - https://humantobrand.com/Book- https://amzn.to/3OhUL0Y LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanieborden/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thebordengroup/ ---Chapters00:00 Introduction to Melanie Borden and Her Expertise 01:24 The Impact of AI on Buyer Evaluation 04:46 Embracing AI: Skills for the Future 08:25 Defining Searchable Leadership 11:02 Strategies for Enhancing Searchability 16:56 Common Mistakes in AI Personal Branding 22:01 Melanie's Personal Journey and Lessons Learned 32:29 Future-Proofing Visibility in Leadership---Legal DisclaimerThis content is for educational purposes; your results may vary. No guarantee of results is claimed. The publisher of this content is not responsible for any actions taken or not taken as a result of watching or listening to this content.

April 9, 2026Episode 1242 min

Why Most Sales Compensation Plans Fail | Tips for Sales Managers

Most sales managers inherit broken compensation plans and wonder why their best reps keep leaving. In this episode, compensation expert Scott Trumpolt breaks down exactly why most sales compensation plans fail and what you can do to fix it.Scott shares his experience in designing pay structures that actually motivate your team, reduce sales turnover, and create clear career pathways for your salespeople if you're a new sales manager trying to understand why your top performers keep walking out the door.This one is for you.What you'll learn:Why most compensation plans backfire (and the psychology behind it).How to build a career roadmap that keeps your best reps engaged.The real difference between base + commission vs. commission-only roles.How market-based pay reduces sales turnover and boosts retention.Why transparency and simplicity are the foundation of sales performance management.Follow Scott TrumpolttBook: https://amzn.to/4vf9XfNWebsite: https://hrcompensationconsulting.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-trumpolt-m-a-g-r-p-257a6b317/ Chapters00:00 Introduction to Scott Trompolt 02:00 Plug to The Defragmented Consultant 04:58 Sales Compensation Structures and Their Importance 12:20 Understanding Sales Turnover Rates 17:10 Creating a Career Roadmap for Sales Professionals 24:16 Career Architecture and Growth Paths 28:54 The Importance of Compensation Clarity 34:48 Challenges in Commission-Only Sales Roles 41:31 Key Takeaways on Transparency and Simplicity#SalesManagement #SalesTurnover #SalesPerformance #Tips #ManagersMic