The Manager Track

Hosted by Ramona Shaw

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319

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Jun 2026

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About the show

If you’re in you're a new manager and want to become a confident and competent leader people love to work with, then join leadership expert Ramona Shaw in this podcast. Each week, Ramona shares inspiring new perspectives and practical tips you can use right away to successfully transition into your first leadership role and to think, act, and communicate like the leader you know you can be.

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June 16, 202623 min

Leading an Inherited Team: The First 90 Days (Ep 317)

You walk in on day one and the team is already a fully formed thing. They have inside jokes you don't get, a process you didn't design, and a read on you that started forming before you said a word. You didn't choose them. They didn't choose you. And every one of them is quietly deciding whether you are about to make their work life better or worse.Here is the trap almost every new manager falls into. You try to prove you belong. You look at how the team operates, you spot the things you would do differently, and you start changing them fast to show value. That move feels like leadership. It usually reads as arrogance, and it costs you the one thing you cannot get back: the team's trust in your first few weeks.In this episode, Ramona breaks down how to take over a team you didn't build and earn the right to lead it, instead of spending your first year digging out of a hole. You will learn:Why inheriting a team is a completely different job from building oneThe quick gut-check that tells you how fast you are actually allowed to moveHow to run a listening tour that surfaces what is really going onThe direct way to handle the person who wanted your jobHow to time your first real change so it builds trust instead of breaking itWhether you were just promoted over your peers, hired in from outside, or handed a team in a reorg, this episode gives you the playbook for the first 90 days.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VGOvul9YI0IResources mentioned in this episodeFree New Manager Masterclass: archova.org/masterclassThe Confident & Competent New Manager (Ramona's book): archova.org/books The Leadership Accelerator (12-week program for new managers): archova.org/leadership-acceleratorLinksSchedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona: https://calendly.com/ramonashaw/leadership-strategy-sessionGrab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkitsTurn your 1-on-1 meetings into your most valuable meeting of the week. Learn more at: archova.org/1on1-courseGrab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcPOther episodes you might likeEpisode 298 – https://www.ramonashaw.com/new-managers-build-trust/Episode 300 – https://www.ramonashaw.com/new-managers-roundtable/* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

June 9, 202641 min

AI in the Workplace: The Problem No One Names - With David Dean (Ep 316)

In this episode, Ramona sits down with David Dean, a technologist with close to two decades inside complex organizations and the author of a new book, An Inbox Between Us. David calls himself a business AI realist. His core idea is that every company runs on two versions of itself: the official version in your job descriptions, SOPs, and leadership decks, and the unwritten contract, the side conversations and quiet workarounds where the job actually gets done. Most of that second version lives in your inbox, your chats, and your meeting transcripts, and most managers never get to see it clearly.David and Ramona get into what changes when you stop asking AI to solve the problem and start using it to find the problem first.In this conversation, we cover:Why the work that matters most is the work no one documentsHow silence, follow-ups, and stalled approvals are signals you can actually readThe difference between a technical problem and a behavioral one, and why we keep confusing the twoWhat makes a person irreplaceable when AI can mimic almost everything elseThe messaging that decides whether your team sees AI as a threat or a reliefIf you have ever rolled out a new tool and watched the same dysfunction show up wearing a new outfit, this episode is for you.Watch on YouTube: The Manager Track on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mVWHPqdKRdUResources Mentioned in This EpisodeAn Inbox Between Us by David Dean: https://a.co/d/04RrQknzDavid Dean’s website: davidchristopherdean.comLinksSchedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona HERE.Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkitsTurn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters into your most valuable meeting of the week. Learn more at: archova.org/1on1-courseGrab Ramona’s best-selling book, The Confident & Competent New Manager: amzn.to/3TuOdcPOther Episodes You Might LikeEpisode 312, Why Team-Level AI Integration Should Be Your #1 Job Right Now: ramonashaw.com/managers-ai-changeEpisode 296, AI for Managers in 2026: ramonashaw.com/ai-for-managers-in-2026What’s Next?Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.orgDiscover your Manager Archetype with our free quiz: archova.org/quizWatch our FREE Masterclass on the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclassLove the podcast? Leave an honest review at ramonashaw.com/itunes and on our Spotify page. Thanks for your support of this show.Take a screenshot listening and tag @ramona.shaw.leadership on Instagram, or DM Ramona on linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

June 2, 202631 min

The 5 Mental Models New Managers Should Borrow from Charlie Munger (Ep 315)

Most leadership advice tells you what to think. Be more decisive, be more empathetic, give better feedback, and so on. Charlie Munger spent his life paying attention to the layer underneath all of that, which is how to think.He never wrote a leadership book. He never gave a TED Talk on management. And yet his thinking tools hold up better in a real team meeting than most material on the leadership shelf.In this episode, Ramona pulls five of Munger's mental models out of Poor Charlie's Almanack and shows where each one lands inside the actual week of a manager.A few of the threads she pulls on:Why "How do I build a great team?" is the wrong question, and what to ask insteadThe pattern hiding behind the people problem on your teamThe cost of staying inside your circle of competence, and the higher cost of pretending you're outside itThe favorite tool quietly editing what you're able to see in your direct reportsWhy a logically airtight rollout still hits a wall, and the second track you're missingIf you've ever made a clean, rational call as a manager and watched it land badly anyway, this episode is for you.Watch on YouTube: The Manager Track on YouTubeLinksPoor Charlie's Almanack (the collection of Charlie Munger's talks and writings referenced in the episode): https://a.co/d/03nCgIP8Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona: https://calendly.com/ramonashaw/leadership-strategy-sessionGrab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkitsTurn your 1-on-1 meetings into your most valuable meeting of the week: http://archova.org/1on1-courseGrab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book, The Confident & Competent New Manager: amzn.to/3TuOdcPOther Episodes You Might LikeEpisode 105 – Train Your Thinking to Become a Better Leader: https://www.ramonashaw.com/105-train-your-thinking-to-become-a-better-leaderEpisode 169 – Dual Models Leaders Have to Navigate: https://www.ramonashaw.com/169-dual-modelsWhat's Next?Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.orgGrab Ramona's best-selling book, The Confident & Competent New Manager: amzn.to/3TuOdcPWant to better understand your leadership style? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype: archova.org/quizAre you in your first manager role? Watch our FREE Masterclass: archova.org/masterclassLove the podcast? Leave a review at ramonashaw.com/itunes and on our Spotify PageIf this episode inspired you, screenshot it on your device, post to your Instagram Stories, and tag @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM Ramona on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

May 26, 202632 min

Letting Go of Control: Why Your Best Intentions Are Stifling Your Team (with Glen Galaich) (E 314)

Here is something most managers do not realize about themselves.The way you respond when someone gives you feedback is the clearest signal of how much control you are quietly exerting on your team.If you find yourself explaining, defending, or clarifying what you really meant the next time a direct report or peer pushes back on something, that defensiveness is not a personality quirk. It is control showing up in real time.And if you are doing it with the people who report to you, the dynamic playing out on their team is even more concentrated.This episode is about the quiet, well-intentioned forms of control that smart, capable leaders run on autopilot, and how to start unwinding them before they cost you the team you built.In Episode 314 of The Manager Track, Ramona sits down with Glen Galaich, CEO of the Stupski Foundation and author of "Control: Why Big Giving Falls Short," to cover:- The Vision vs. Control Distinction: why a strong vision is not the same as a controlling style, and where most leaders blur the line- The Growth Mindset Test: what to do if you suspect you are more controlling than you think, and the one practice that actually tells you- The Identity Trap: how leaders unconsciously bring their personal brand into roles where it does not fit, and what happens when they do- The Slow-to-Act Problem: Glen's honest take on when conflict avoidance becomes a leadership liability, and the signal that finally moves him to act- The Downstream Effect: what your team is experiencing when you resist feedback from your own managerWhether you have been told you are too hands-on, you have started to wonder why your team keeps bringing decisions back to you, or you are ready to test where your version of "high standards" might actually be control, this conversation gives you the language and the diagnostic to start.— Resources Mentioned in This Episode —Control: Why Big Giving Falls Short by Glen Galaich. https://www.amazon.com/Control-Why-Giving-Falls-Short/dp/1394352425/ref=sr_1_1The Stupski Foundation: stupski.orgTIME100 Most Influential People in Philanthropy: the list Glen was named to. https://time.com/collection/time100-philanthropy/2026/— Links —• Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona: https://calendly.com/ramonashaw/leadership-strategy-session• Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkits• Learn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: http://archova.org/1on1-course• Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP— Other Episodes You Might Like —• Episode 105 — Train Your Thinking to Become a Better Leaderhttps://www.ramonashaw.com/105-train-your-thinking-to-become-a-better-leader• Episode 213 — Executive Mindsethttps://www.ramonashaw.com/213-executive-mindset— What's Next? —Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcPWant to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quizAre you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclassLove the podcast and haven't left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

May 19, 202630 min

Why Your One-on-Ones Turned Into Status Meetings (And How to Fix It) (Ep 313)

You schedule the one-on-ones. You show up. You take notes. You walk out feeling like a good manager, and your direct report walks out without having mentioned the thing they actually came to talk about.Most managers do not have a "I am not doing one-on-ones" problem. They have a "my one-on-ones quietly turned into status meetings and I do not like it" problem. The meeting that should be the most important hour of your week starts to feel like something a Slack message could have handled.In this episode of The Manager Track, Ramona breaks down why this drift happens, what is actually broken, and how to reset the meeting in real time. In this episode we cover:The three diagnostic patterns that turn every one-on-one into two status reports stacked on top of each otherWhy most managers fix the wrong problem when their one-on-ones stop workingFour specific changes you can apply in your next one-on-one this weekThe closing technique that builds continuity between meetings, so nothing you discuss disappears the moment the call endsWhat 70 percent of employee engagement variance actually comes down to, and why one meeting on your calendar carries more weight than you might thinkIf your one-on-ones have started to feel productive but somehow hollow, this is the reset.Listen to the episode: The Manager Track Podcast – Episode 313Watch on YouTube or visit the episode page— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE —Making the Most of One-on-One Meetings (60-minute on-demand course, includes agenda templates, curated questions, and a remote one-on-ones section): archova.org/1on1-courseGallup State of the Global Workplace research (the 70 percent engagement variance finding)Center for Creative Leadership research on employee-led development conversationsAmy Edmondson’s research on psychological safety and team learningThe Leadership Accelerator (90-day manager readiness program): archova.org/leadership-accelerator— LINKS —Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona HERE.Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkitsLearn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: https://archova.org/1on1-courseGrab your copy of Ramona’s best-selling book “The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role”: amzn.to/3TuOdcP— OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE —Episode 108 – 3 Mistakes Managers Make During 1-on-1 Meetings — https://www.ramonashaw.com/108-3-mistakes-managers-make-during-1-on-1-meetingsEpisode 42 – How to Run 1-on-1 Meetings Your Direct Reports Actually Enjoy — https://www.ramonashaw.com/42-how-to-run-1-on-1-meetings— WHAT’S NEXT? —Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.Grab your copy of Ramona’s best-selling book “The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role”: amzn.to/3TuOdcPWant to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quizAre you in your first manager role and don’t want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclassLove the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

May 12, 202629 min

Why Team-Level AI Integration Should Be Your #1 Job Right Now (Ep 312)

You might think your team is using AI well. Everyone has access to the tools. People are experimenting. The meeting notes get cleaned up faster. The emails go out a little quicker. On the surface, progress.But there's a pattern most teams don't notice until someone names it: all of that activity is still individual. One person's calculator on one person's desk. The AI is making individual tasks faster, but the underlying workflows, processes, and the way the team actually operates together have not changed.That's the gap. And if your team stays in Stage 1 much longer, the cost starts to compound.In this episode, Ramona walks through the difference between Stage 1 and Stage 2 AI adoption and why the shift is a leadership responsibility, not an IT one. She uses meetings as the clearest illustration of what Stage 2 actually looks like in practice, and then breaks down five concrete moves leaders can make right now.What you'll hear in this episode:Why the "everyone has AI tools" moment is actually just the starting line, not the finishWhat McKinsey and MIT Sloan research say about the productivity gap between Stage 1 and Stage 2How to redesign a meeting end to end as an AI-integrated system -- without changing the meeting itselfWhy shared standards matter more than who has the best individual promptIf your team is using AI in a dozen different ways with no coordination, no shared standards, and no one asking whether the process itself still makes sense, then this episode is for you.-> The Manager Track on YouTube-- RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE --* McKinsey Global Institute - 60-70% of today's work tasks are automatable with existing technology: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/tech-and-ai/our-insights/the-economic-potential-of-generative-ai-the-next-productivity-frontier* MIT Sloan Management Review and Deloitte - workflow-level AI produces 2.5x higher productivity gains vs. individual use: https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/talent/human-capital-trends/2026/human-ai-interaction-design.html* Episode 311: Delegating - It's Actually About Managing Yourself: https://themanagertrackpodcast.com/delegation-for-managers/* Team Workflow Audit Framework: https://bit.ly/42ixUWr* Free Masterclass: archova.org/masterclass* The Confident and Competent New Manager (book): archova.org/books -- LINKS --* Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona HERE.* Grab the free New Manager Toolkit: archova.org/freetoolkits* 1-on-1 meeting course: http://archova.org/1on1-course* Book: amzn.to/3TuOdcP-- OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE --* Episode 210 - Your Future Role With AI: https://www.ramonashaw.com/210-artificial-intelligence* Episode 218 - GenAI for Managers: https://www.ramonashaw.com/218-genai-for-managers* Episode 296 - AI For Managers in 2026: https://www.ramonashaw.com/ai-for-managers-in-2026* Episode 307 - The ‘AI vs Human Skills’ Managers Must Pay Attention to: https://www.ramonashaw.com/ai-human-leadership-management-- WHAT'S NEXT? --Learn more at archova.org.Book: amzn.to/3TuOdcPManager Archetype Quiz: archova.org/quizFree Masterclass: archova.org/masterclassLeave a review: ramonashaw.com/itunes and SpotifyTag us: @ramona.shaw.leadership on Instagram or linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

May 5, 202626 min

Delegating: When Stepping In Becomes Stepping On (E 311)

There is a specific kind of manager who reads everything about delegation, agrees with all of it, and still ends up working late on Tuesday redoing a deck someone else was supposed to own. The intentions are right but the math is what's broken.If you got promoted because you were fast and reliable and you figured things out, that exact skill set is now the thing capping your team. Every time you absorb a problem, edit a draft, or quietly redo something, the short-term math feels like it works. The long-term math is building you a ceiling you cannot see yet.This is not a control problem. It is a calculation problem dressed up as helpfulness.In Episode 311, we cover:The Efficiency Calculus Trap and why "I can do it in 10 minutes" is the wrong measure of costThe Delegation Scale (Levels 1, 2, and 3) and the exact language for each oneThree responses to use instead of taking work back when someone brings a problem to youThe 4-question checklist to run before any meaningful delegationIf you are working late while your team logs off on time, getting work routed back to you that you already handed off, or starting to wonder why your team needs you for everything, this episode gives you the language and the structure to change the pattern this week.— Resources Mentioned in This Episode —The Leadership Accelerator: Archova's 12-week cohort program for new and early-stage managers. Goes deep on delegation, accountability, and breaking over-functioning patterns. archova.org/leadership-acceleratorMartin Seligman's research on learned helplessness and its application to teams : https://ppc.sas.upenn.edu/sites/default/files/learnedhelplessness.pdf— Links —Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona HERE.Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkitsLearn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: archova.org/1on1-courseGrab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP— Other Episodes You Might Like —Sourced from the Podcast Publication Schedule spreadsheet in Google Drive. Both episodes thematically extend Episode 311's territory: the over-functioning trap and the leadership identity shift.Episode 274 — The Self-Sacrificing Manager: Breaking the Cycle of Doing Everyone's Work  /  ramonashaw.com/274-leadership-boundariesEpisode 256 — The Leadership Identity Shift: From Executor to Influencer  /  ramonashaw.com/256-leadership-shift— What's Next? —Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcPWant to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quizAre you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclassLove the podcast and haven't left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

April 28, 202618 min

The First 6 Months in a New Leadership Role: 3 Shifts You Need to Make (Ep 310)

Most managers know the first 90 days matter. There are books about it, frameworks for it, and a built-in understanding that you are allowed to ask questions and make mistakes early on. What almost nobody talks about is what happens after that window closes.Somewhere around the six-month mark, something shifts. Your boss is no longer evaluating your potential. They are evaluating your patterns. Your team has stopped wondering who you are and started noticing how you operate. Your peers are making decisions about whether you are someone who owns things or someone who needs approval before moving. And most managers are still running the playbook from month two.In working with hundreds of leaders through their first year and beyond, Ramona has noticed three specific shifts that get overlooked or delayed past the six-month mark. These are the behaviors that separate leaders who are growing from leaders who are stalling, and none of them involve working harder.In Episode 310 of The Manager Track, Ramona breaks down:How checking in with your boss can quietly erode your authority, and how to tell the difference between collaboration and needing permission to move.What strategic thinking actually looks like in daily practice during the first six months, and why waiting for someone to tell you to think bigger is a mistake.Why being vague about how you lead costs you credibility, and a 4-question framework to make your expectations explicit.YThe behind-the-scenes version of validation seeking that looks like smart stakeholder management but functions as a safety net.If you have been in your role for a few months and you can feel the expectations shifting around you but you are not sure what to do differently, this episode gives you the moves.Listen now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.RESOURCES MENTIONEDSchedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona https://calendly.com/ramonashaw/leadership-strategy-sessionThe Leadership Accelerator – 12-week cohort program for new and early-stage managers: archova.org/leadership-acceleratorGrab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkitsLearn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: http://archova.org/1on1-courseGrab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcPOTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKEEpisode 298 - How to Build Trust Fast as a New Leader https://www.ramonashaw.com/new-managers-build-trustEpisode 106 - What Is Your Leadership Philosophy? https://www.ramonashaw.com/106-what-is-your-leadership-philosophy/— WHAT’S NEXT? — Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org. Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show! If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

April 20, 202615 min

From Executor to Strategist: How to Talk About Your Work at the Right Altitude (Ep.309)

Here is a test that comes up in almost every senior leadership conversation. Someone asks a manager, “What are you building?” And the answer goes straight into a to-do list: “We are migrating to a new platform. We are rolling out a new process. We are updating the tech stack.”It sounds productive. It sounds like proof of effort.What actually happens in that moment is that you shrink yourself in the room. The CEO, the cross-functional peer, the senior leader on the other side of the table was not asking for your task list. They were asking where you are taking this. And the longer you stay in the tactical lane, the more they file you as an executor, not a strategic leader.This gap between what you are doing and what you are building is one of the biggest reasons capable managers get passed over for the next level, especially right now when everything inside the organization is in motion.In Episode 309 of The Manager Track, we cover:The Route vs. Destination framingThe “Continue” TrapThe 3-Step Destination StatementIf you have ever walked out of a senior leadership meeting wondering why your work did not land the way it should have, or if you know you are thinking strategically but your communication keeps landing tactically, this episode gives you the exact language to close that gap starting this week.Listen now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE —Executive Presence Intensive: 8-week cohort program for mid- and senior-level leaders. Next cohort kicks off May 4th. Learn more at https://archova.org/executive-presence-program— LINKS —Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona https://calendly.com/ramonashaw/leadership-strategy-sessionGrab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkitsLearn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: http://archova.org/1on1-courseGrab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcPOTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKEEpisode 256 — The Leadership Identity Shift: From Executor to InfluencerEpisode 228 — How to Actually Connect & Build Relationships at Work - With Moe Carrick— WHAT’S NEXT? —Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org. Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show! If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

April 14, 202631 min

When You Regret Hiring Someone: What to Do Before It Gets Worse (Ep.308)

Do you know that moment when you realize that a new hire is not working out? Maybe it is a performance observation you made yourself over the past few weeks, or maybe someone pulls you aside (a senior leader, a peer) and shares their impression. Either way, a thought crosses your mind: Darn, maybe I should not have hired them.What happens next is where things go sideways. Most managers either go quiet such as privately deciding something is off but not saying anything while slowly pulling back their coaching, their attention, their investment. Or they move too fast, making a call before they have enough information to make it well.Both of those responses erode your leadership credibility. 'Maybe I should not have hired them' is not a conclusion. It is a signal and this episode is about what to do with it.In Episode 308 of The Manager Track, we cover: The 4 Diagnostic Questions: the framework to run before doing anythingThe 3 Categories: how to distinguish a skill gap (coachable), a behavioral pattern (addressable with specificity), and a role-strength misalignment (the most underdiagnosed category)The 2 Key Conversations: what those are, including how to open each and what to listen forWhether you are three weeks in and already second-guessing a new hire, navigating feedback from above, or simply trying to get better at turning difficult situations into clearer decisions, this episode gives you a repeatable process to use every time.Listen now on our Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE —Leadership Accelerator: Archova's 12-week manager readiness program for new and early-stage leaders: archova.org/leadership-accelerator— LINKS —Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona https://calendly.com/ramonashaw/leadership-strategy-sessionGrab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkitsLearn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: http://archova.org/1on1-courseGrab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcPOTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKEEpisode 292 — Performance vs. Potential: A Better Approach to Assessing Your PeopleEpisode 301 — Why Good Managers Still Lose Great People— WHAT’S NEXT? —Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org. Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quiz Are you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclass Love the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show! If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw* Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.