Working Conversations

Hosted by Dr. Janel Anderson

Episodes

Language

EN-US

About the show

Join Dr. Janel Anderson for actionable insights on leadership, workplace dynamics, and the future of work. Rooted in UX Thinking, these episodes help you lead by design—not default—with practical strategies to boost your clarity, effectiveness, and influence in today’s fast-changing, tech-driven workplace. Tune in for practical strategies, cutting-edge trends, and fresh perspectives that help you lead better, work smarter, and stay ahead in a rapidly changing world.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

26 min

#285: Why We Miscommunicate at Work

Think about the last person at work you quietly labeled as difficult. What if it was never about their personality? Dr. Janel Anderson breaks down the four core communication styles at work: Director, Motivator, Analyzer, and Collaborator. She explains the two-axis framework behind each style, how to read someone's style in real time, and why small adjustments in how you open a conversation can completely change the dynamic. Two real client stories show how style awareness can flip frustration into genuine connection. If you've ever clashed with a coworker and couldn't explain why, this episode gives you the language and the lens to change that. Find show notes at https://janelanderson.com/285

28 min

#284: Remote Work Gives You Back Time. But at What Cost?

You might be getting more done working from home than you ever did in an office. But the research raises a harder question: is being more productive the same as being more visible, more connected, and more likely to advance? In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson breaks down what four significant studies found about remote work and career advancement, introduces the concept of career capital, and shares a practical framework for running both sides of the ledger on your own work arrangement. If you work remotely or manage people who do, this episode gives you something real to think about. Find show notes at https://janelanderson.com/284

24 min

#283: AI Is Changing My Work. What Do I Do Now?

When AI can write faster than you can, analyze more than you can, and draft more efficiently than you thought possible, the real question isn't whether it will change your job. It already has. The harder question is what to do about it. In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson shares a practical framework for deciding what to hand off to AI, where to stay in the loop, and what to protect as distinctly human. If you're figuring this out without clear guidance from your organization, this episode gives you a framework that works. Find show notes at https://janelanderson.com/283

26 min

#282: The Sandwich Generation Is Carrying a Heavy Load

The person across from you this morning may have argued with Medicare, scheduled an MRI, and gotten a teenager to driver's ed -- all before sitting down at their desk. Dr. Janel Anderson breaks down what the Care.com 2026 Sandwich Generation Report reveals about the 53 million Americans managing aging parents and children simultaneously. She covers the career cost of the invisible caregiving load, why 87% of these caregivers feel unseen at work, and the reframe that makes this hard season worth paying attention to. Whether you are in the sandwich or leading someone who is, this episode gives you five concrete takeaways. Find show notes at https://janelanderson.com/282

22 min

#281: How to Stop Getting Pulled Into the Weeds

If you have ever gotten to Friday and realized your strategic priorities sat untouched while you answered quick questions and jumped on calls all week, this one is for you. Dr. Janel Anderson reframes this as a supply and demand problem, not a time management problem. Urgent work always asks for your attention; strategic work never does. She identifies two types of pull that keep leaders in the weeds and walks through five concrete steps to engineer a system where strategy demands your time the way urgency does. If you are ready to stop waiting for strategy to ask, this episode gives you the structure. Find show notes at https://janelanderson.com/281

23 min

#280: Why Great Leaders Notice What Others Miss

If you have ever said 'I should have seen that coming,' the problem probably isn't that you weren't paying attention. You were looking in the wrong places. In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson breaks down three shifts that separate leaders with strategic foresight from those who are always catching up. She walks through real examples of signals that were hiding in plain sight for decades and gives you a practical 20-minute assignment to start building the habit. Whether you lead a team or a company, this episode sharpens how you see. Find show notes at https://janelanderson.com/280

25 min

#279: How to Manage Your Former Peers

Getting promoted and managing your former peers is one of the toughest identity shifts a new manager faces. Dr. Janel Anderson breaks down why managing former peers after promotion is less of a tactics problem and more of an identity problem, and what to do about it. She walks through the four-step Peer-to-Boss Reset, covering how to mourn the old relationship, have the explicit conversation about what changes now, build authority through behavior, and redefine loyalty to protect the whole team. If you were recently promoted and are navigating this exact situation, this episode gives you a real framework for making the shift. Find show notes at https://janelanderson.com/279

26 min

#278: What to Do When an Employee Won't Change

You have coached, redirected, tried every approach you know. Your employee says they will change. Then they don't. At some point, the question is no longer which technique you haven't tried: it is whether you can stop. In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson shares the Paper Doll Tool, a framework she uses with her clients to help them discover when they have reached the limit of trying to change or help others. She walks through four steps: naming the ceiling on what you can influence, running an audit of what you've tried, drawing the line, and radical acceptance. If you are exhausted from coaching someone who won't change, this episode gives you the structure and the permission to lead differently. Find show notes at https://janelanderson.com/278

17 min

#277: The Ripple Effect: Why Every Conversation Changes More Than You Think

Every conversation leaves a ripple, and most of us have no idea how far it travels. You might have forgotten the offhanded comment you made last week. The person who heard it hasn't. In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson shares two conversations from her own college years that shaped her career for decades: one that held her back as a writer, and one question that propelled her forward. She introduces the Ripple Effect Framework, three questions to ask before any important conversation that shift your posture from reactive to intentional. If you've ever avoided a hard conversation or said something without thinking about its weight, this episode is for you. Find show notes at https://janelanderson.com/277

31 min

#276: When a Coworker's Kids Are Affecting Your Work: How to Address It

When a coworker working from home with young kids is affecting the team, most managers and peers sit on it. They feel too guilty to name it. Dr. Janel Anderson tackles the discomfort directly: this is not a conversation about someone's parenting. It is a conversation about the work. She walks through a four-step framework for addressing this head-on, with distinct paths for managers and peers, covering how to lead with observable work impact, how to define what workable looks like, and why compassion and accountability are not mutually exclusive. If your team is dealing with this right now, this episode gives you the language to address it. Find show notes at https://janelanderson.com/276