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Many professionals think that one way to keep their career moving upwards is to change companies. Unfortunately, this is a relatively rare occurrence.
"The New York Times released their 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters list a short while ago. I know online lists usually have some click bait to start conversation but this list was overtly egregious. Not for who was on it. It was who was left off. We will go over the list and play some artists that should have been on there."
Many professionals think that one way to keep their career moving upwards is to change companies. Unfortunately, this is a relatively rare occurrence.
It has been a busy few weeks at the training center with custom guest training covering IO-Link, sensors, and TIA Portal. In this update, I discuss the progress on our new pneumatic trainer and pick-and-place robot trainer, both of which will be featured in upcoming videos. I also take some time to answer your questions regarding the real-world application of IO-Link, how to transition between different PLC platforms, and how to effectively communicate with your manager about justifying the need for training equipment to reduce costly downtime. Using a practical, data-driven approach to justify the hardware you need for your sandbox environment is the most effective way to transition from reactive maintenance to planned machine shutdowns.Helping you become a better technician so you will always be in demand Not sure what video to watch next?Enhance your skills and track your progress at https://controls.tw/yt-courses!Workforce Readiness for Managers https://twcontrols.com/workforce-readiness-for-managersThe above links make these videos possible. Please use them!
Less than half of the leaders responding to a recent Gallup survey think they are exceptional at fostering accountability within their teams. Managers serving under these leaders gave their leaders even lower scores. It can be difficult to create a culture of accountability at work. Holding people accountable can require difficult conversations, stressful interactions, ... The post Speaking Truth in Love appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.
Ryan will be showing how to make this and a custom revenue management tool live at the Ai Summit. Grab your spot at the AI Summit: strsecrets.com/aisummit at just $497. Use the coupon : "PODCAST"Every homeowner conversation starts the same way.They want to know what their property can earn.And if you can't answer that question fast, professionally, and with data behind it —someone else will.In this week's training, Mike sits down with STR Secrets coach Ryan Lefebvre to demo the AI-powered comp analysis tool that's helping property managers turn more conversations into signed contracts.Ryan went from 1-2 comp requests a week to 10 a week — from realtors and investors who now send him every new listing because he delivers branded, data-backed reports in minutes, not hours.In this episode:→ The exact tool Ryan built using Claude that generates a full comp report in 2 to 10 minutes (vs. 20-30 minutes manually)→ How to use conservative, base, and optimistic revenue projections to handle any homeowner conversation on the spot→ Why realtors are becoming one of the fastest referral pipelines for new management contracts — and how to tap in→ The AI rabbit hole warning: why building your own tools can quietly kill your business growth→ Mike's financial freedom math: exactly how much you need invested to hit $100K a month in cash flow→ Why arbitrage is a dead end — and what the data on the biggest arbitrage companies actually showsThis is not theory. Ryan runs live comps during the session on real properties submitted by the audience — you'll see exactly how the tool works in real time.Want the comp tool? DM COMP at mike.sjogren and we'll send it straight to you.Ready to install this and a full AI system for your business live?Timestamps:00:00 - Intro & Ryan Lefebvre's background01:42 - From financial crime analyst to AI builder for STR04:22 - How the comp tool works and what it produces06:33 - Live demo: running an Airbnb listing in real time09:26 - Interactive sliders and revenue scenario conversations11:17 - How to handle bad comps and sparse markets13:36 - Live demo: running a property address17:34 - How the tool handles off-market or renovated properties22:38 - Using comp reports to show homeowners the gap between unmanaged and managed26:41 - AI Summit: what's being covered and who's speaking29:04 - Ticket pricing and how to register32:02 - Alex case study: 2 properties to 35 in one year35:29 - The AI rabbit hole warning38:00 - Using AI at any portfolio size41:06 - Mike's financial freedom math ($8M at 15% = $1.2M/year)44:46 - Why arbitrage is a dead model49:27 - Should you replace your channel manager with AI? (No. Here's why)52:45 - Q&A: summit details, recordings, revenue manager AI tool
"Many summer tours are having to scale back or cancel altogether. The nickname given to this practice is Blue Dot Fever. It is named after the blue dots that appear on unsold seats when a ticket buyer uses Ticketmaster. It has become indicative of a larger societal and financial concern that is leading to people not being able to attend live music. We will explain."
Most leaders believe they're doing a better job than they actually are. Global studies show that while managers rate themselves highly in terms of their effectiveness, less than a third of their employees agree with that assessment. So what's behind this gap and is there anything leaders can do to address it, without adding even more to their full plates? In this episode of "Leadership Biz Cafe", global C-suite executive coach and former Microsoft executive Sabina Nawaz reveals why even the most well-intentioned leaders develop blind spots and self-sabotaging habits that quietly damage their teams - and what you can do to avoid it. Drawing from her bestselling, award-winning book "You're the Boss: Become the Manager You Want to Be (and Others Need)", Sabina introduces her framework of Power Gaps and Pressure Pitfalls - the hidden forces that grow in proportion to your authority and stress - and shares practical and easy to implement strategies for recognizing and overcoming them. Whether you're a new manager or a seasoned executive, this conversation will sharpen your self-awareness, improve how you communicate and give feedback, and help you become the leader your team actually needs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Most managers think difficult feedback conversations are hard because they don't know what to say.But often the real problem is that the conversation they're preparing for is the wrong one.In this episode, I break down why feedback conversations become so emotionally exhausting, why managers keep delaying them, and how unclear expectations quietly damage trust long before feedback is ever delivered.You'll learn why feedback only works when there's a shared understanding of standards first, how to shift from a “feedback conversation” to a “clarity conversation,” and four practical moves that make difficult conversations more productive and less emotionally charged.In the extended version, I also explore what to do when the conversation still doesn't work, how to identify whether the real issue is clarity, capability, motivation, or systems constraints, and why repeating the same conversation louder rarely fixes the problem.By the end of this episode, you'll have a practical framework for approaching difficult conversations with more clarity, less avoidance, and a much better chance of creating real change.Conversation Topics(00:00) The parking garage moment managers know too well(01:32) Why feedback conversations feel so difficult(02:28) The hidden problem: unclear standards and assumptions(03:39) Why feedback is really a clarity conversation(04:54) Move #1: Name the conversation before it starts(05:50) Move #2: Lead with the observable gap, not emotions(07:00) Move #3: Make the conversation collaborative, not a verdict(07:00) Move #4: End with recommitment and accountability(07:00) [EXTENDED ONLY] Why discomfort doesn't always mean the conversation failed (08:02) [EXTENDED ONLY] The difference between capability, will, and systems gaps (09:22) [EXTENDED ONLY] Why repeating the same feedback conversation louder rarely works (10:17) [EXTENDED ONLY] Reframing feedback as alignment instead of judgment
WordPress 7.0 "Armstrong" introduces significant updates including visual revisions, responsive block visibility, and enhanced workflow features, promoting collaboration among users and developers while emphasizing safe updating practices.
So much great insight from these two veterans. Episode 675: Giles Lavery joins Michael and Blasko. Giles wears many hats… singing lead in the bands Alacatrazz and Warlord. A&R for BraveWords Records. Managing the bands Girlschool, Warlord, Raven, Lillian Axe and others. Blasko and Giles talk all about managers and managing artists. So much great […]
In this episode, we discussed the recent Austin FC news and the list of managers Verde All Day released on their website. We got into the match against STL, and post match comments from Davy Arnaud and Brandon Vazquez. We also gave a shout to Austin FC II for their run and finished up with a general European chat with everything going on… ARSENAL DID IT!
In this podcast, Greg Voisen sits down with Chester Elton to dismantle the "soft and fluffy" myth of gratitude and dive deep into his book, "Leading with Gratitude: Eight Leadership Practices for Extraordinary Business Results." Most bosses think they're great at saying thanks; most employees feel completely invisible. Chester calls this the "Gratitude Gap," and it's costing companies a fortune in burnout and turnover. If you're tired of "Seagull Managers"—those who fly in, crap on everything, and fly away—this episode is your survival guide for a more human, high-performance way to work.
Send us Fan MailYvonne and Rafael are so excited (and you can tell!). Yvonne declares she's Sandy's biggest fan! And honestly? After listening to this conversation, you'll understand why. Sandy Avina has figured out something our industry has been struggling with for over 100 years: how to make workers' compensation accessible, engaging, and even fun.Sandy Avina, MBA, is a Claim Services Manager with California Schools JPA, a self-insured public risk pool that serves K-12 school districts, community colleges, and regional occupational programs throughout San Bernardino County, California.What we get into:
In episode 253, Coffey talks with Anthony Sork about how emotional attachment during onboarding shapes employee engagement, retention, and organizational performance. They discuss the difference between employee attachment and employee engagement; how onboarding experiences create long-term emotional bonds with organizations; the role frontline managers play in employee retention and discretionary effort; why poor manager engagement creates downstream hiring and retention risks; how employer branding influences attachment before candidates even apply; the impact of lengthy recruiting processes on candidate perception and trust; why organizations should treat onboarding as a strategic investment; the four core attachment perceptions of security, trust, acceptance, and belonging; how emotional bonds form during the first 120 days of employment; practical ways leaders can strengthen employee connection and purpose alignment; the risks of unmanaged onboarding and declining new-hire sentiment; why traditional engagement surveys are lagging indicators of workplace culture; and how individualized onboarding experiences improve retention and team performance. Mentioned in this episode: Qualtrics' 2026 Global Employee Experience Trends https://www.qualtrics.com/ebooks-guides/employee-experience-trends/ ** Special Offer From Our Guest ** We are pleased to offer a complimentary trial of the Employee Attachment Inventory for an employee who has commenced and who reaches their 90th day of employment in the months of May, June, or July 2026. Visit www.shcBOND.com and use this code: GoodMorningHREAI2026 Or email Anthony Sork (anthony@sorkhc.com.au)or Selina Sork (selina@sorkhc.com.au) with questions. Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com. If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com. About our Guest: As a world recognized thought leader in employee perception measurement, Anthony Sork has changed the way organizations understand “Engagement” across the employee lifecycle. Anthony has worked with leaders across all industries to help them understand, measure and manage the emotional bond of their talent to enhance performance and retention and build “Culture's of Excellence'. Anthony's award winning patented instrument, the Employee Attachment Inventory (EAI) together with the Employee Connection Inventory (ECI) and Employee Detachment Inventory (EDI) have supported thousands of Managers globally to create highly engaged, high performance teams. Anthony has spoken at leading industry conferences around the world. His audiences describe him as “expert”, “upbeat”, “articulate”, “engaging”, “entertaining” and “passionate”. Anthony has been featured in the Australian Financial Review, Sydney Morning Herald, Management Today, Human Capital Magazine, Recruitment Extra & ABC Radio. You can learn more about Employee Attachment, Connection and Detachment across Anthony's social media channels which attract a worldwide audience. Anthony Sork can be reached at: www.SorkHC.com.au About Mike Coffey: Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business. Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business' small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association. Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community. Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year. Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas' 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week. Mike and his very patient wife of 29 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth. Learning Objectives: Understand the difference between employee attachment and employee engagement. Identify the leadership behaviors that strengthen emotional bonds with new hires. Evaluate onboarding practices that improve retention, trust, and belonging. Recognize the long-term organizational risks of poor manager engagement.
"This is a requested topic from a friend. He wondered if we had ever discussed steel drums. We had not so we did a show. We have some history and some discussion of tuning and prices. There are also a lot of songs that use the steel drum you may not have noticed before."
Ben Alamar, Author of Sports Analytics: A Guide for Managers, Coaches, and Other Decision Makers?, joins the Wharton Moneyball crew to analyze Victor Wembanyama's playoff performances, explain advanced defensive metrics, debate NBA draft evaluation methods, and reflect on championship-building strategies across today's NBA. The team also explores the “hot hand” phenomenon, debates managerial impact in baseball, analyzes NHL playoff momentum, and examines why unpredictability makes golf and tennis so compelling for sports analytics fans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Steiny & Guru go down the roads of Giants ownership for thinking that a first-time President and Manager pairing was going to make things better before they got worse...
THE Leadership Japan Series by Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo, Japan
Developing people should be a constant leadership responsibility, not an occasional HR exercise. The real leverage of leadership comes from building the capability of the team so the leader is not trying to personally carry the entire organisation on their back. Managers often work longer hours, solve every problem themselves, and wonder why they are exhausted. Leaders take a different path. They create direction, build the environment, and develop people so that ten capable team members can each contribute their full strength. In Japan, where HR departments are often administrative, rotational, and compliance-focused, the line leader must take people development seriously. Why is people development a leadership responsibility? People development belongs to the leader because the leader knows the team's work, context, strengths, and future needs best. HR can support training logistics, but it cannot replace the leader's daily responsibility to grow capability. In many Japanese companies, HR is not always staffed by long-term human resources specialists. Managers may rotate through HR from sales, export, audit, operations, or administration. That means HR often focuses on forms, leave records, job rotations, and internal process compliance. The leader must therefore guide the development agenda: what skills are needed, who needs exposure, where succession risk exists, and which people have future leadership potential. This is true in large corporations, SMEs, startups, and multinational Japan offices. Do now: Stop outsourcing people development to HR. Use HR as a partner, but own the development strategy yourself. How does mentoring develop employees more effectively? Mentoring develops people by giving them access to objective advice, broader perspective, and feedback that may be easier to accept from someone outside their reporting line. A mentor can sometimes say what the boss cannot. Mentoring is especially valuable when the mentor is not directly responsible for performance evaluation. In Japan's hierarchical workplace culture, employees may be guarded with their direct boss, particularly if they fear negative assessment. A neutral mentor can help them discuss career goals, blind spots, communication challenges, and leadership aspirations more openly. However, mentoring should not be a vague feel-good programme. Companies need to define outcomes: retention, promotion readiness, engagement, skill growth, cross-functional collaboration, or leadership bench strength. Do now: Create or review your mentoring system. Ask, "How do we measure whether this is actually developing people?" Why are job rotations and lateral assignments powerful in Japan? Job rotations, lateral transfers, temporary assignments, and acting roles develop broader business understanding and stronger internal networks. In Japan, where generalist career paths remain common, these tools can be especially powerful. A person who works only inside one department may become technically competent but organisationally narrow. Moving them temporarily into another division helps them understand different priorities, systems, constraints, and personalities. In Japanese companies, where informal relationships often determine how quickly work gets done across departments, these assignments build practical coordination power. Multinationals, SMEs, and professional services firms can use the same idea through secondments, regional projects, or temporary cross-border assignments. Do now: Identify one person who would benefit from a temporary assignment outside their usual function, then define what they must learn from it. How does cross-training reduce business risk? Cross-training protects the organisation from concentration risk when one key person becomes unavailable. If one employee's sudden departure would cause a disaster, the organisation has a leadership problem, not just a staffing problem. Many small and mid-sized businesses discover this too late. One person knows the accounting process, logistics system, client history, CRM workflow, supplier relationship, or reporting routine. Then that person resigns, becomes ill, transfers, or retires, and the business scrambles. Cross-training creates operational insurance. It does not mean everyone must do every job. It means critical tasks have backup capability, documented processes, and at least one trained substitute. Post-pandemic labour mobility and ageing-workforce pressures make this even more important in Japan. Do now: List your five most critical roles or tasks. For each one, ask, "Who can do this tomorrow if the main person disappears?" How can special projects grow future leaders? Special projects, task forces, and committee assignments give employees first-hand experience of leadership pressure, coordination, and accountability. They reveal both potential and skill gaps. It is easy to criticise the boss until you are the one responsible for deadlines, stakeholders, budgets, internal politics, and final results. Project assignments let future leaders experience this reality without immediately placing them in a permanent management role. They develop planning, communication, conflict resolution, influence, and decision-making. In global firms, this may happen through digital transformation projects, ESG committees, client task forces, or regional initiatives. The key question is whether these assignments are strategic development tools or just stopgap labour solutions. Do now: Turn project assignments into deliberate development opportunities with clear learning goals, feedback, and post-project review. Why is shadowing senior leaders such a strong development technique? Shadowing senior leaders helps emerging talent see the whole organisation, not just their narrow functional role. It exposes them to decision-making complexity, leadership style, trade-offs, and executive pressure. Becoming an assistant to a senior leader, chief of staff, understudy, or section head-in-training can be a powerful development experience. The employee sees how strategy, finance, people issues, clients, compliance, and culture connect. They also observe the good, the bad, and the ugly of leadership behaviour. In Japan, where leadership handovers can be rushed because of rotations, a planned understudy system can strengthen succession planning. The problem is not that the idea is complicated. The problem is that busy leaders forget to organise it. Do now: Choose one promising team member who could shadow a leader, attend selected meetings, or act as understudy for a defined period. Final summary People development is not a luxury item to be handled when the calendar is quiet. It is the leader's leverage strategy. Mentoring, rotation, temporary assignments, cross-training, task forces, special projects, senior leader shadowing, and understudy roles all help build stronger teams and deeper succession pipelines. The real question is not whether these techniques are new. Most leaders already know them. The question is whether they are using them consistently, strategically, and early enough to avoid business disruption. FAQs Is people development the job of HR or the leader? People development is the leader's job, while HR should support the process. HR can organise providers, systems, and budgets, but the leader knows the team's practical development needs. Why is cross-training important? Cross-training reduces business risk by ensuring critical work does not depend on one person. It protects continuity when someone resigns, transfers, becomes ill, or is suddenly unavailable. What is the value of mentoring? Mentoring gives employees objective guidance and a safe place to discuss growth. It works especially well when the mentor is outside the employee's direct reporting line. How do project assignments develop leadership skills? Projects force people to practise coordination, decision-making, communication, and accountability. They show employees what leadership pressure feels like before they take on a formal management role. Quick actions for leaders Map your team's critical skills and backup gaps. Build mentoring into the development system. Use rotations and temporary assignments to broaden experience. Create project roles with clear development goals. Let future leaders shadow senior decision-makers. Author Bio Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" in 2018 and 2021, and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2012. As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programmes, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers: Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery, along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō(ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin(プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō(トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā(現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan.
May 20th, 2026
Mike Chaput returns to Sales & Cigars to continue the conversation around leadership, culture, and why core values must go far beyond posters on the wall. In this episode, Walter Crosby and Mike dig into the real role values play inside a growing company—and what happens when leaders unintentionally create behaviors they never meant to encourage. Mike shares how nSight's early values around humor and fun sounded positive on paper, but eventually created fear, embarrassment, and resistance to admitting mistakes. The discussion explores why values should align with strategy, how culture impacts operational performance, and why leaders must actively model the behaviors they expect from their teams. This conversation is practical, honest, and highly relevant for leaders trying to build healthy accountability without losing connection and trust. Episode Highlights Why many companies misunderstand core values Mike's early "life raft exercise" for defining values How humor unintentionally created unhealthy cultural behaviors The rubber chicken story and the impact of public embarrassment Lessons from lean thinking and Edwards Deming Why fear destroys operational improvement How respect became foundational to nSight's strategy Why core values should evolve as the business evolves The importance of making values memorable and teachable nSight's RSVP framework: Respect and Connect Servant's Heart Value Value Progress Over Comfort Why leaders must adapt to the values first The difference between a workplace family and a high-performing team Why accountability and connection must coexist Key Takeaways Core values should support strategy Values are not just words that sound good. They should reinforce the behaviors required for the business to succeed. Culture can create unintended consequences Even positive-sounding values can create fear, avoidance, or unhealthy team dynamics if they are not examined honestly. Fear prevents improvement Organizations cannot solve problems when employees feel unsafe admitting mistakes or identifying issues. Respect must come before humor Fun cultures work best when people first feel respected, safe, and valued. Leaders must model the values Core values are not just expectations for employees. Leaders must demonstrate them consistently themselves. Accountability and connection belong together Strong cultures balance caring deeply about people while still maintaining standards and honest feedback. Who Should Listen CEOs and founders refining company culture Leaders implementing EOS or operational frameworks Managers trying to improve accountability and trust Entrepreneurs building teams through growth and change Sales leaders focused on culture-driven performance The Sales Integrator Community Invite Exclusively for salespeople and sales managers who are looking for an edge. For those sales professionals who want support in getting their questions answered by someone who has learned the hard way over 40 years. Free forever. Special badges created for the first 250 founding members. Join the Sales Integrator Community Subscribe to Sales & Cigars If you want real conversations about entrepreneurship, leadership, culture, and building companies with intention, subscribe to Sales & Cigars on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. The only smoke we blow is from cigars.
A CMO Confidential Interview with Kim Whitler, professor at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, board member and former GM and CMO. Kim shares recent research which details why the largest and best companies often get dragged into conflicts they can't win, the three main forces of pressure and how they affect different management levels, and tips on picking the right company for you.Key discussion topics include:- The only stance agreed on by 100% of consumers- How to think about non-divisive activism (e.g. Dove's Real Beauty Campaign)- The danger of in-group biasTune in to hear why "You don't have to get engaged," and tips for getting an unbiased view.⏱️ Chapters01:12 Introducing Kim Whitler01:39 Why Corporate Activism Creates Business Risk02:51 Inside the “Executive Flip-Flop” Study04:11 Mapping the 3 Sources of Pressure on Leaders06:01 Internal vs External Pressure Dynamics11:19 The “Pressure Meter” Framework Explained12:33 Key Insight: Pressure Varies by Level (C-Suite vs Managers)14:18 The Myth of “You Must Take a Stand”17:09 Flawed Research Driving Activism Decisions21:19 When Brand Activism Works vs Backfires27:04 Choosing the Right Company as a Marketer31:06 AI Bias, Media Influence & Finding Truth38:11 Practical Advice: Avoiding In-Group Bias in Leadership43:25 Final Takeaways for MarketersThis episode is sponsored by Typeface - the agentic AI marketing platform that turns one idea into thousands of on-brand assets. Learn more: typeface.ai/cmo Subscribe for weekly episodes featuring world-class marketing leaders, board members, and C-Suite executives.#CMOConfidential, #MarketingLeadership, #BrandStrategy, #CorporateActivism, #MarketingStrategy, #CMO, #AIinMarketing, #ExecutiveLeadership, #BrandReputation, #ConsumerTrust, #DigitalMarketing, #MarketingInsights, #ThoughtLeadership, #BusinessStrategy, #CustomerCentricSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Dabble is the sponsor of Pitch Side! Be sure to check out their UNREAL offers here: https://click.dabble.com/NeOH/q1s6chwq18+ Gambleaware.org #AdNew episodes available to watch & listen EVERY DAY.Click HERE: https://linktr.ee/pitchsidepodcastIf you'd like to work with us, email the studio onworkwithpitchside@fellasstudios.comProduced by The Fellas Studios: https://fellasstudios.com/podcastsTheo:https://youtube.com/c/HiMalfoyhttps://youtube.com/c/TheoBakerVlogsReev:https://youtube.com/c/reevhttps://youtube.com/c/OllieFletcherTom Garratt:https://www.youtube.com/@TomGarratt10Lewis Bowden:https://www.youtube.com/@lewisbowden1Dabble T&Cs:£10 in Free Bets Welcome Offer: https://helpdesk.dabble.co.uk/en/articles/11468007-10-in-free-bets-welcome-offer£10 in Free Bets Referral Offer: https://helpdesk.dabble.co.uk/en/articles/11468017-10-in-free-bets-referral-offer
In this episode, Bart Egnal speaks with executive, author, and leadership expert Barry Moline about what it takes to create authentic human connection in an increasingly disconnected world. Drawing on decades of leadership experience, including mediating high-stakes conflicts and leading organizations through crisis, Barry shares the lessons that inspired his book Connect: How to Quickly Collaborate for Success in Business and Life. From rebuilding trust as a young CEO to helping groups find common ground during conflict, Barry explains why connection is the foundation of influence, collaboration, and effective leadership. Bart and Barry explore practical ways leaders can foster stronger relationships at work, including “connection before content,” intentional conversations, and helping teams connect to a shared purpose. They also discuss why authentic connection matters more than ever in the age of AI, remote work, and digital overload. Whether you lead a team or simply want stronger relationships in your work and life, this episode offers actionable insights on how anyone can create true connection. Learn more at barrymoline.com Show Notes: 00:35 Show intro 01:13 Introducing Barry 01:52 Bart introduces the idea of “connection” 02:24 Barry's story of how he got to this topic 03:33 Early CEO mistakes 03:47 You're either with me or against me 04:43 Different culture than he was used to 05:42 Key advice from senior staff: build relationships! 08:16 2017 origin story for why he wrote the book 09:02 Working on a utility solution as an outside consultant 10:06 Does anybody get along anywhere? 11:11 Why doesn't someone write a book about collaboration? 12:23 Isn't it the CEO's job to bring everyone together? 13:01 It's not the facilitator that is important 13:57 Case study: California's referendum on gay marriage 14:53 Understanding why people voted “no” 16:05 Door-to-door conversations and outreach 19:03 Bart reflects on the campaign 20:17 What is “connection” and what does it mean for leaders? 20:40 Enter connection lightly 21:19 Using icebreakers 22:17 Specific questions that help create connection 23:14 Avoid “How are you?” completely and go to an icebreaker 23:56 How to move beyond to deeper connections 24:09 Where to find a list of workplace-appropriate icebreakers 24:42 Understanding purpose 25:01 Example of a plumber and their importance to society 25:34 Tell employees what they do is important and why 26:27 Remind people why their work is important 27:01 Managers need to be respectful and caring 27:17 Find out what people really want to do in life 27:48 Example of an aspiring filmmaker and communications leader 29:52 Bart reflects on the example 31:10 Bart plays devil's advocate 31:41 As an employee, how do you protect yourself while opening up about your interests? 33:44 Both sides of the conversation need to be judicious 34:18 Story and example of an engineer 36:47 What is the state of connection today? 37:04 Connection has gotten worse 37:24 Connection before content 37:51 You have to be intentional about connection 38:31 10 out of 10 times it will work 38:56 It will take 3 months of consistent effort 39:22 Example of hurricane response 41:40 Bart summarizes the importance of the topic 42:27 Where can people go to find more? 43:00 Thank-yous 43:13 Outro
If you treat a "wicked problem" like a standard, predictable risk, failure is almost guaranteed. Listen up and we will explain, what is a Wicked Problem and how it is very different from most of the risks on your risk register. In this episode of Crossing Thin Ice, we break down why traditional enterprise risk management frameworks are completely failing in the face of modern, systemic crises—from climate change shifts to sudden technological disruptions like AI herding. Discover the hidden dangers of relying too heavily on rigid corporate models, why forcing economic efficiency might actually make these risks worse and your organization more fragile. These problems don't actually have any right or wrong solutions. Welcome to the squishy world of unique, wicked problems.
The State Department is directing managers to go back and revise recently submitted annual performance evaluations to give employees lower scores. That's all part of recent governmentwide guidance limiting the number of top scores that federal employees can receive. Impacted employees say these changes could disrupt the collaborative nature of their diplomatic work. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This episode of the Amazing Cities and Towns Podcast sponsored by Bearing Advisors, Jim Hunt interviews Donnavan Pepper of the National Strategic Partnership at Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies. · A candid conversation about building bridges in local government · And, much more 7 Steps to an Amazing City: Attitude Motivation Attention to Detail Zing Inclusiveness Neighborhood Empowerment Green Awareness Thanks for listening and look forward to having you join us for the next episode. Links Mentions During Show: www.AmazingCities.org · www.AmazingCities.org/podcast to be a guest on the podcast About Donovan Pepper: Donovan W. Pepper is Principal and Director of National Strategic Partnerships at Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies , where he leads multi-jurisdictional government relations and builds nationwide advocacy coalitions. Prior to this role, he spent nearly 18 years as Senior Director of Government Relations and Civic Engagement at Walgreens, directing legislative and public health protection strategies across all 50 states. His deep public policy background also includes leadership positions with the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, the Illinois Restaurant Association, AT&T, and Amtrak, following an early career as an Illinois House of Representatives staffer. A dedicated civic leader, Mr. Pepper is a trustee of Knox College, a member of the University of Illinois System presidential search committee, and the former Chairman of the Board for The Civic Federation. Recognized by President Barack Obama for national and community service, he holds a master's degree in political studies from the University of Illinois Springfield. About Your Host, Jim Hunt: Welcome to the "Building Amazing Cities and Towns Podcast" … The podcast for Mayors, Council Members, Managers, Staff and anyone who is interested in building an Amazing City. Your host is Jim Hunt, the author of "Bottom Line Green, How American Cities are Saving the Planet and Money Too" and his latest book, "The Amazing City - 7 Steps to Creating an Amazing City" Jim is also the former President of the National League of Cities, 27 year Mayor, Council Member and 2006 Municipal Leader of the Year by American City and County Magazine. Today, Jim speaks to 1000's of local government officials each year in the US and abroad. Jim also consults with businesses that are bringing technology and innovation to local government. Amazing City Resources: Buy Jim's Popular Books: · The Entrepreneurial City: Building Smarter Governments through Entrepreneurial Thinking: https://www.amazingcities.org/copy-of-the-amazing-city · The Amazing City: 7 Steps to Creating an Amazing City: https://www.amazingcities.org/product-page/the-amazing-city-7-steps-to-creating-an-amazing-city · Bottom Line Green: How America's Cities and Saving the Planet (And Money Too) https://www.amazingcities.org/product-page/bottom-line-green-how-america-s-cities-are-saving-the-planet-and-money-too FREE White Paper: · "10 Steps to Revitalize Your Downtown" www.AmazingCities.org/10-Steps Hire Jim to Speak at Your Next Event: · Tell us about your event and see if dates are available at www.AmazingCities.org/Speaking Hire Jim to Consult with Your City or Town: · Discover more details at https://www.amazingcities.org/consulting Discuss Your Business Opportunity/Product to Help Amazing Cities: · Complete the form at https://www.amazingcities.org/business-development A Special Thanks to Bearing Advisors for the support of this podcast: www.BearingAdvisors.Net
Carrick to United, Alonso to Chelsea, Jose to Madrid.. if the media tried to be more wrong about what managers would end up at these clubs they wouldn't have been..Club legends leaving Manchester United, Athletico Madrid,Barcelona, Everton… where will they end up.Glasgow Celtic win another title..Support the show
Welcome to episode #1036 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). Ashley Herd did not set out to become a management expert. Trained as an employment lawyer and later serving in senior HR and leadership roles supporting organizations including McKinsey & Company, Ashley built her career at the intersection of people, performance and workplace culture. What began as practical leadership advice shared through short-form social media videos evolved into a massive online following, with hundreds of thousands of managers turning to her for direct, actionable guidance on how to lead teams without burning people out. Her new book, The Manager Method - A Practical Framework to Lead, Support, and Get Results, distills that experience into a deceptively simple framework built around Pause, Consider, Act… a reminder that leadership is not about reacting faster, but thinking more clearly. In this conversation, Ashley explores why so many organizations continue promoting high performers into management roles without preparing them to lead people, why workplace culture is often shaped more by individual managers than company values, and how the modern workplace has been reshaped by the pandemic, generational shifts and AI. Ashley argues that the biggest failures in leadership are rarely strategic… they are relational. Silence, unclear expectations, lack of feedback and the inability to coach people effectively create cascading organizational problems. At the same time, she remains optimistic that AI can become a meaningful thought partner for managers… not replacing judgment, empathy or coaching, but helping leaders pause long enough to think better about how they communicate and support others. Grounded in practical experience rather than abstract theory, Ashley's work is ultimately about helping managers become more human… and helping organizations remember that people are not line items on a spreadsheet. Enjoy the conversation… Running time: 1:00:07. Hello from beautiful Montreal. Listen and subscribe over at Apple Podcasts. Listen and subscribe over at Spotify. Please visit and leave comments on the blog - Thinking With Mitch Joel. Feel free to connect to me directly on LinkedIn. Check out ThinkersOne. Here is my conversation with Ashley Herd. The Manager Method - A Practical Framework to Lead, Support, and Get Results. Follow Ashley on Instagram. Follow Ashley on YouTube. Follow Ashley on LinkedIn. Follow Ashley on TikTok. Chapters: (00:00) - Introduction to Ashley Herd and The Manager Method. (02:57) - The Power of Social Media in Leadership Development. (05:50) - The Journey from Law to Leadership. (09:05) - Understanding Management Challenges and the Peter Principle. (12:08) - The Role of Empathy in Management. (15:09) - Navigating the New World of Management Post-Pandemic. (17:54) - The Importance of Clear Expectations in Leadership. (21:02) - The Impact of Generational Differences on Management. (23:51) - The Role of AI in Modern Management. (27:04) - Coaching vs. Managing: The New Paradigm. (30:12) - Creating a Culture of Feedback and Recognition. (32:54) - The Importance of Pausing and Reflecting in Leadership. (36:02) - Final Thoughts and Resources for Managers.
Frontline workforce hiring is important: these are the workers who deliver services, care for patients, and deliver the food or products that we rely on every day. Yet as we look at benchmarks for hiring and retention we see massive variations across companies. In fact the highest-performing companies hire 5-times quicker than others, and also find higher quality candidates! (Speed actually improves your quality of hire…) Nehal Nangia, our lead analyst studying frontline work, explains the complexities. And as you'll hear from Josh Secrest from Paradox, there are massive business implications in time to hire. Interestingly enough, well designed AI platforms for frontline hiring have a massive return on investment. As Nehal explains, frontline hiring is very complicated, and fewer than 25% of companies have figured this out. Lots of room for innovation and AI tools to help! This podcast will open your eyes. Additional Information Powering the Frontline Workforce: How Frontline-First Companies Thrive The Talent Acquisition Revolution: How AI is Transforming Recruiting Why AI Is A Massive Job Creation Technology. Automated Integration. Findem. And Thank You. Insights-First AI: Better and Explainable People Decisions Chapters (00:00:03) - Time to Hire and Quality of Hire(00:02:52) - The Longer Time to Hire(00:07:29) - Time to Hire: The Business Case(00:13:53) - How to Manage AI in Restaurants(00:16:42) - The $64,000 Question(00:18:54) - Is AI Affecting the Job Interview?(00:21:40) - The Future of Managers(00:24:46) - Management Technology: The Problem(00:26:10) - Frontline Workers: Flexibility Is Key(00:30:24) - Good Hires vs. Bad Hires(00:32:05) - Employee retention and break-even points(00:34:54) - Fooling around with React: Explained
Kirsten Moorefield, Chief Strategy Officer & Co-Founder at Cloverleaf, Sarika Lamont, CPO at Vidyard, and Sarah Royer, Sr. Manager of People Ops at Nirvana Insurance, joined us on The Modern People Leader for a live discussion on AI coaching. We talked about what AI coaching actually means today, building these tools in-house versus buying, and why career growth will never be a perfect checklist.---- Sponsor Links:
Former Mets manager Terry Collins joins Kelley Franco for a candid conversation about how baseball has changed in the analytics era — and the depth of the “old-school vs. analytics” divide.Collins shares his perspective on modern managing and front offices, the evolving role of MLB managers, and whether a manager like him would still be hired in today's game. He also breaks down the Mets' disappointing season, the pressure on Carlos Mendoza, what it means when coaches get fired, and how to motivate underperforming players.Kelley Franco brings thoughtful, in-depth baseball conversations with MLB insiders, executives, attorneys, media personalities, and former players and managers.*Music by Podington Bear
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Chandler Bolt realized that much of what his sales managers did at Selfpublishing.com can be done better by good AI. Within a month, he built a first version with spiked sales. Now he's replacing all his managers. This is his guide to doing it well. Chandler Bolt is the founder and CEO of SelfPublishing.com, an education company that helps entrepreneurs and experts write, publish, and market books. Over the past decade, the company has helped publish more than 7,000 books and grown into an eight-figure business. Today, Chandler is focused on using AI tools like Lovable to build internal systems that improve sales, operations, and management at scale. Sponsored byZapier More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint
Time left estimation may be one of the simplest ideas in software delivery, but it directly challenges decades of traditional Agile estimation practices. Instead of treating estimates as fixed promises, the concept focuses on continuously updated delivery confidence. During the discussion with Alex Polyakov, this idea became one of the strongest execution-focused themes of the conversation. The goal is not perfect prediction. The goal is operational awareness. That distinction changes how teams communicate, coordinate, and deliver software. About Alex Polyakov Alex Polyakov is the founder of Project Simple AI, a platform designed to improve software delivery visibility and operational discipline for engineering organizations. His background spans engineering, architecture, product leadership, startup operations, and entrepreneurship across more than two decades in software development. He has led teams as a developer, architect, technical leader, product manager, and founder, giving him firsthand experience with the communication gaps and operational inefficiencies that slow modern software teams. Alex also hosts the "Let's Talk Agile" podcast on YouTube, where he explores software delivery, Agile practices, and modern engineering workflows. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexpolyakov/ Why Traditional Estimation Breaks Down Software teams have experimented with estimation models for years. Story points. Velocity scoring. Capacity planning. No-estimate methodologies. Hybrid systems. Each approach attempts to solve uncertainty while preserving predictability. The problem is that software development is inherently dynamic. Teams uncover unknown dependencies. Requirements evolve. Technical assumptions change. AI accelerates some implementation paths while introducing entirely new verification requirements. Static estimates fail because the work itself evolves. Alex described how many organizations accidentally treat estimates as guarantees. Once a developer says "four hours," stakeholders mentally convert that into a contractual promise. That mindset creates tension immediately. Developers become defensive about estimates. Managers become frustrated when timelines shift. Teams avoid updating reality because changing estimates feels like admitting failure. An estimate should communicate current understanding, not create artificial certainty. Time Left Estimation Creates Operational Awareness The core principle behind time left estimation is remarkably simple. Instead of asking: "How long did you think this would take?" Teams ask: "How much time remains?" That shift sounds small, but it fundamentally changes communication quality. Alex used a driving analogy during the interview. If someone asks where you are and you answer, "I'm in the car," that provides almost no operational value. That resembles many software status updates. "In progress" rarely tells leadership anything meaningful. A better response would be: "GPS says I'm five minutes away." Now stakeholders understand delivery confidence, remaining uncertainty, and expected timing. That is the real value of time left estimation. Why Time Left Estimation Improves Team Coordination One of the strongest operational arguments for this approach is coordination visibility. Modern software delivery is collaborative. Backend engineers hand work to frontend developers. QA teams validate implementation. Architects review integrations. Product teams prepare releases. DevOps engineers manage deployments. Software delivery depends heavily on sequencing. Time Left Estimation Helps Teams Predict Handoffs A continuously updated remaining-time estimate acts like a coordination beacon. It signals: Who is next When dependencies become active Whether blockers are emerging Whether downstream teams should prepare This creates significantly better operational flow than static task ownership systems. Instead of discovering delays during sprint reviews, teams identify delivery movement in real time. Static estimates often hide risk until delivery windows are already compromised. Time Left Estimation Aligns Better with AI Development AI-assisted development makes estimation harder and easier simultaneously. Some implementation tasks collapse from days into hours. Others become harder because AI-generated code requires stronger validation, testing, and architectural review. The conversation highlighted a major shift happening inside engineering organizations today. Developers are increasingly becoming reviewers, validators, and coordinators rather than pure code producers. That changes where uncertainty exists. The coding itself may accelerate dramatically. The verification process becomes more important. Traditional Agile estimation models were not designed for this environment. Time left estimation adapts more naturally because it reflects current conditions instead of relying entirely on original assumptions. The Real Goal Is Confidence, Not Precision One of the most practical ideas from the interview was that software organizations do not necessarily need perfect prediction. They need confidence. Leadership teams can make strong decisions when they understand: Current progress Remaining uncertainty Emerging risks Coordination readiness The problem is not changing estimates. The problem is discovering reality too late. Time Left Estimation Encourages Honest Communication Because remaining-time estimates are expected to evolve, teams become more comfortable updating status honestly. An estimate can decrease when work becomes easier. It can increase when new complexity appears. That flexibility reduces the emotional pressure attached to traditional software estimation. Healthy engineering communication depends more on transparency than forecasting perfection. Why Simpler Estimation Models Matter The transcript repeatedly returned to one consistent theme: software organizations have overcomplicated operational management. Heavy process structures often attempt to create predictability by adding more layers: More ticket fields More ceremonies More reporting More workflows More estimation rituals But complexity itself creates operational drag. Simple systems scale better because teams actually use them consistently. That may be the most important takeaway from Alex's philosophy. Software delivery is already difficult. The management layer should reduce friction, not multiply it. Audit your current estimation process and identify which activities improve delivery versus which only create reporting overhead. Conclusion Time left estimation is not just a different planning technique. It represents a different philosophy about software delivery communication. Instead of pretending uncertainty does not exist, the model embraces changing information and operational transparency. As AI reshapes implementation speed and software organizations continue evolving, delivery systems must become more adaptive, more collaborative, and more visibility-oriented. Teams that improve coordination awareness will outperform teams that optimize only for reporting structure. The future of engineering execution will likely depend less on rigid estimation frameworks and more on dynamic operational visibility. Stay Connected: Join the Developreneur Community
"On April 16 2026 A federal jury in Manhattan found that Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation have been acting as a monopoly. The case is wide ranging involving 33 states and the District of Columbia. Live Nation will not appeal any of the verdicts. We will discuss what is a monopoly and what these decisions could mean for the future."
Up From the Crowd: Lessons to help Managers Become Effective Leaders by William L Mince https://www.amazon.com/Up-Crowd-Lessons-Managers-Effective/dp/B0GYNTW5S4 Williamlmince.com Up from the Crowd shares valuable wisdom from a seasoned business executive that will help any manager improve results, better interact with the team, establish a winning culture, and ultimately stand out in a crowd of leaders. William Mince relies on his experience turning around companies and integrating new managers into a company culture. He shares a collection of essays designed to help managers avoid his mistakes, handle challenging business situations, and use his learned lessons to grow as a leader. In his essays that share his learning experiences, proven processes, and specific tools for success, he teaches managers how to: Understand what drives and motivates team members Develop more harmonious and successful cross functional teams Create the right environment for employees to learn and grow Recruit candidates most suited to fulfill a company’s mission Prepare an organization to meet the challenges of change A college dropout who struggled in his first managerial position, he decided to return to school at night to earn two degrees. This interplay between academic growth and the need to make real-time decisions every day required him to make course directions that benefited both his understanding of management and how to achieve results in the workplace. William L Mince (Bill) earned a BSBA from the University of Redlands and an MBA from National University. He is a seasoned business executive with diverse experience in a wide variety of firms. About the author Bill is a seasoned executive, entrepreneur, inventor, and author. Much of his career involved mentoring teams and individuals. As a single father, he raised two teenagers on his own. He has published two business books and recently turned his focus to children's picture books. He aims to inspire others with his storytelling. See his William L Mince website for more information.
Send us Fan MailMost Board Members and Managers start their day with a plan which can quickly become derailed when, due to various events and challenges, pure reaction mode is activated. Emails explode, “urgent” problems crowd out the important work, and before you know it, you are stuck putting out fires instead of leading. There is a better way to manage not only your day but your overall association operations, so Take It To The Board host Donna DiMaggio Berger sat down with Dr. Edward Gurowitz, a PhD psychologist and organizational strategist, to talk about the simple practice he calls the Power Hour: protecting one intentional, highly focused hour each day to move from reactive governance to responsive, proactive leadership. Donna and Edward dig into why community association conflicts so often have nothing to do with facts or technical know-how and everything to do with communication and POV. They explain how boards get trapped defending positions, why micromanaging operations burns out volunteers, and how a clear vision and mission can shift an association away from a purely punitive reputation. They also unpack a bold idea that changes how decisions are made: agreement and consensus are fragile, but alignment is strong. When leaders listen and learn first, they can make accountable decisions everyone will support even when they disagree. Then Donna and Edward get practical about better board meetings: codes of conduct, staying on agenda, cutting “communication waste,” and simple conflict tools like “timeout” and “oops/ouch.” They also talk inclusion and the gap between intent and impact, plus the single question that can turn a heated debate into a productive conversation: “Help me understand how you came to that conclusion.” If you serve on an HOA board, manage a community association, or advise boards professionally, this one is packed with leadership and meeting facilitation tactics you can use immediately. Subscribe, share this with a fellow director or manager, and leave a review so more communities can trade chaos for clarity.Conversation Highlights:Practical ways board presidents and managers can break deadlocks and move discussions forwardWhy structure and intentional time management create more freedom and productivityThe biggest time management mistakes high-performing professionals makeHow to identify the difference between a conflicting thinking style and a difficult personalityQuestions leaders can ask to better understand opposing viewpoints during meetingsTips for creating a board culture where different perspectives are viewed as an asset rather than an obstacleGuidance for association counsel navigating board impasses and leadership conflictsWhy one focused hour can outperform an entire chaotic workdayStrategies for protecting focus and productivity during crises and high-pressure situationsThe mindset shift that can transform how boards communicate, collaborate, and make decisionsRelated Links:Podcast: Mind Your Manners: Restoring Respect in Condo, Cooperative and HOA CommunitiesArticle: Maintaining Order—Managing Conflict in Community AssociationsResource: Leadership Alignment Power Hour
Frontline workers form the massive, beating heart of the global workforce, constituting up to 80% of all employees. But their enablement, experience, and upward mobility often remain quietly neglected. We sit down with J.D. Dillon, author of the upcoming Frontline Enablement Playbook, to dissect the persistent challenges these vital employees face and explore how organizations can better support and empower the often-overlooked deskless workforce.We discuss why frontline managers are structurally trapped, JD breaks down a hierarchy of frontline worker needs, and shares more about the essential role of connection—over traditional training—and why genuinely understanding, not "othering," frontline experiences is key to meaningful change. You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...[00:00] How organizations support their managers[12:08] Understanding the frontline workforce[28:42] Improving employee retention strategies[36:39] Measuring impact on frontline work[40:33] Inviting in frontline employee feedback[48:40] Challenges faced by frontline managers[52:10] Supporting new managers effectively[57:07] AI tools for frontline employeesUnderstanding the Structural Trap for Frontline ManagersManagers are often tasked with driving outcomes, hitting KPIs, retaining staff, and resolving customer complaints, but can be denied the resources or authority necessary to actually effect change. Everything in organizations is pushed through managers, but the visibility and empowerment of frontline managers is substantially less than that of their corporate peers, making both their influence and recognition of their struggles far more limited. This leads to a burned-out, under-supported middle layer that directly impacts both employee engagement and business performance.Connection Over ContentTraditional strategies for improving frontline performance tend to default to more training or pressuring managers to be the catch-all for corporate initiatives. But this approach is not just incomplete—it may even be counterproductive. Instead of overloading managers with binders and leadership development modules, organizations should focus on fostering connection—especially enabling peer connections among frontline managers at different locations. Meaningful conversations, mentoring, and crowdsourced problem-solving trump content-driven learning. Managers, after all, best learn from each other's lived realities, not generic directives.The Hierarchy of Frontline NeedsAt the core of Dillon's framework is a hierarchy of needs for frontline workers:Livelihood – The basic requirement: fair pay and benefits, recognizing that for many, work is first and foremost about economic necessity.Stability – Reliable schedules, clear policies, and the ability to plan life around work.Community – A sense of belonging and connection with coworkers; the knowledge that one's immediate work environment isn't built around corporate KPIs, but relationships.Culture and Purpose – The “top” of the pyramid: tying individual roles to broader organizational purpose and values.Organizations often leap to culture-focused initiatives while neglecting the foundational layers. Without addressing pay, scheduling, and daily support first, those higher-order efforts rarely stick.Tensions, Trade-offs, and Small-Scale ChangeFrontline management must constantly navigate tensions such as being tasked with outcomes but denied the necessary authority, being pushed to develop staff but overwhelmed by daily operational issues, and being measured by metrics that don't always reflect lived realities. JD believes that these tensions don't have simple solutions; they have to be navigated, not "fixed".Large-scale, top-down changes are rare. Instead, incremental improvements, like investing in small process shifts, removing single pain points for managers, or fostering peer communities, can create real traction every shift. “Every shift counts, small shifts matter,” according to JD. Resources & People MentionedThe Frontline Enablement Playbook by JD DillonSapiens by Yuval Noah HarariConnect with Guest NameJD Dillon's WebsiteJD Dillon on LinkedInConnect With Red Thread ResearchWebsite: Red Thread ResearchOn LinkedInOn FacebookOn TwitterSubscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES
We're joined by an all-star cast from all over the US to talk AI, practical use-cases and growth in tooling that is going to move the needle. JJ King, Jack Zoppa and Jacob Mueller join us to each give one example of how they're using AI in their business spanning hiring, reviews, brand rep and a LOT more. Enjoy!⭐️ Links & Show NotesAdam NorkoConrad O'Connell Jamie LaneAirDNA
Most ad managers are using AI for the basic stuff and completely missing the real opportunities. In this episode, I'm sharing 5 ways I'm actually using AI in my ads business (plus what my Strategist Society members are doing) that save serious time and make you more money.These aren't your typical "AI tips for marketers." These are practical strategies you can implement this week without being tech-savvy or knowing how to code.In this episode, you'll learn:How to create voice guides and customer avatar documents that used to cost $5K (and how to use them as fast action bonuses on sales calls)The AI + Meta reporting hack that took my reporting from 1 hour to 10 minutesHow Crystal in Strategist Society sold a $2,500 audit that took her 45 minutesHow to use competitor gap analysis to find what everyone else is missingThe reverse engineering framework for pulling winning hooks from other industriesHow to set up automated weekly briefings so you always know what's changing in MetaReady to implement these strategies? Grab The Ad Copy Shortcut! for just $27 at brandimowles.com/copy-shortcutResources Mentioned:The Ad Copy Shortcut!: brandimowles.com/copy-shortcutConversions for Clients: conversionsforclients.comStrategist Society: brandimowles.com/strategistsocietyConnect with me:Instagram: @brandimowlesWebsite: brandimowles.comFollow the Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/serve-scale-soar/id1477998650Follow Brandi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandimowlesFollow Brandi on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Brandiandcompany
JD Dillon is a Speaker, Technologist, and Author of The Frontline Enablement Playbook, a new book focused on helping organizations better support frontline and deskless workers. In this conversation, JD shares why frontline managers are some of the most important and overlooked people in the workplace. He unpacks the challenges they face every day, from constant unpredictability to limited support, and explains why traditional leadership development often misses the mark. Finally, JD also explores what organizations can do differently to better enable frontline teams, build stronger workplace communities, and create environments where people can thrive. LinksJD's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jddillon/JD's Book: https://jddillon.com/frontlinebook/
Software delivery clarity has become one of the most important competitive advantages for engineering organizations. Teams are shipping faster, AI-assisted development is compressing implementation timelines, and traditional project management systems are struggling to keep pace with modern software delivery realities. During the conversation with Alex Polyakov, one idea surfaced repeatedly: most project management systems promise visibility but fail to provide actual operational clarity. Teams still discover delays too late. Executives still receive bad news at the last possible moment. Developers still spend excessive time updating systems rather than building software. That disconnect is exactly what inspired Alex to rethink how engineering organizations manage software delivery. About Alex Polyakov Alex Polyakov is the founder of Project Simple AI, a platform focused on improving transparency and discipline across software delivery workflows. With more than 25 years of experience spanning software engineering, architecture, product management, entrepreneurship, and startup leadership, Alex brings a deeply practical perspective to modern development operations. He has worked as an Application Developer, Senior Engineer, Tech Lead, Software Architect, Solutions Architect, Product Manager, Entrepreneur, and Startup Founder. Today, his focus is helping engineering teams gain visibility and operational discipline without adding unnecessary complexity. Alex also hosts the "Let's Talk Agile" podcast on YouTube, where he discusses modern software development challenges and Agile transformation realities. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexpolyakov/ Why Software Delivery Clarity Still Doesn't Exist Most organizations believe they have visibility because they use Jira, Azure DevOps, or similar tools. In reality, they have tracking systems, not visibility systems. Alex described modern project management tools as "glorified Excel sheets." That description lands because many engineering teams recognize the pattern immediately. Endless ticket hierarchies, fields, statuses, and sprint rituals often create administrative complexity without improving confidence. The core issue is simple: status updates depend on human behavior. Developers forget to update tickets. Teams delay reporting problems. Managers discover schedule risks only when deadlines are already compromised. The tooling creates an illusion of control while actual delivery risk remains hidden. That creates a dangerous operating environment for leadership. A founder or executive can solve a delivery problem early. They can reduce scope, renegotiate timelines, allocate additional staff, or re-sequence priorities. But once a team waits until the final week to communicate delays, most strategic options disappear. Visibility is not the same thing as documentation. Visibility means understanding delivery risk early enough to respond. Software Delivery Clarity Requires Behavioral Design One of the most interesting concepts from the discussion was the idea that project management is partly behavioral science. Most tools allow teams to skip critical disciplines. Teams can start work before decomposition. They can mark tasks complete without validating outcomes. They can carry partially defined requirements into implementation. Alex's approach flips that model entirely. Instead of giving teams unlimited flexibility, the system enforces operational readiness. Work cannot begin without decomposition. Timelines cannot exist without estimates. Completion cannot happen without verifying a definition of done. This is important because software organizations often assume process problems are communication problems. In reality, many are workflow design problems. If a system permits ambiguity, ambiguity becomes normalized. If a system requires clarity, clarity becomes operational behavior. Why AI Makes Software Delivery Clarity More Important AI-assisted development changes the economics of software delivery. Implementation cycles are shrinking dramatically. Tasks that previously required days may now take hours. Boilerplate code generation, scaffolding, testing support, and architectural suggestions accelerate execution speed. That acceleration creates a new challenge. If implementation becomes faster, bottlenecks move upstream and downstream. Requirements gathering, coordination, prioritization, testing, and validation suddenly become the limiting factors. This means organizations can no longer rely on heavyweight process management structures built for slower delivery cycles. When implementation speeds increase but operational visibility stays static, delivery chaos accelerates instead of improving. The transcript discussion highlighted a critical reality many organizations are only beginning to recognize: AI amplifies existing operational weaknesses. A disorganized engineering team using AI becomes a faster disorganized engineering team. That is why delivery clarity matters more now than it did during earlier Agile transformations. The Simplicity Principle Behind Better Delivery Alex outlined several operational principles that simplify software execution dramatically. Software Delivery Clarity Starts with Prioritization Teams should know exactly what matters most. Priority order should not be vague or political. If only one item can ship, teams must know which item wins. That sounds obvious, but many organizations operate with dozens of simultaneous "critical" initiatives. Clear sequencing eliminates organizational confusion. Software Delivery Clarity Depends on Finishable Work Teams should not start work that they cannot complete. This principle directly attacks excessive work in progress — one of the most common hidden inefficiencies in software organizations. Partially completed work creates coordination overhead, testing delays, context switching, and reporting confusion. Smaller, decomposed work creates measurable progress. Software Delivery Clarity Improves Team Accountability Alex also challenged pre-assigned work structures. When work is individually distributed too early, collaboration weakens. Teams lose shared ownership. Visibility becomes fragmented across individuals instead of remaining centralized around delivery goals. That perspective aligns closely with modern product-oriented engineering cultures where collaboration and flow matter more than rigid task ownership. Before adding new process layers, evaluate whether your current workflow already contains unnecessary coordination overhead. Why Simpler Engineering Systems Scale Better Many organizations assume maturity means adding process. The conversation suggested the opposite. Mature engineering organizations often remove unnecessary friction instead of introducing more operational complexity. Simplicity improves adoption, consistency, and decision-making speed. This becomes especially important in high-growth environments. As teams scale, communication overhead compounds rapidly. Every unnecessary workflow step multiplies across developers, product managers, QA engineers, architects, and leadership stakeholders. Simple systems reduce cognitive load. That reduction creates operational focus. The goal of project management is not to track work forever. The goal is to deliver valuable software predictably. Conclusion Software delivery clarity is not about more dashboards, more ceremonies, or more ticket customization. It is about creating operational confidence. Alex Polyakov's perspective challenges many assumptions that modern engineering organizations accept as normal. Teams do not necessarily need more process. They need better behavioral systems, clearer visibility, stronger prioritization, and simpler operational structures. As AI continues accelerating implementation speed, organizations that simplify coordination and improve transparency will gain a meaningful competitive advantage. The future of software delivery may not belong to the teams with the most process sophistication. It may belong to the teams with the clearest operational discipline. Stay Connected: Join the Developreneur Community
Jamie Dimon warns that bureaucracy, complacency, and arrogant managers are the “petri dish of politics,” killing companies unless leaders cut the politics, listen to clients, and create clear accountability.
Episode Overview AI is not just changing how work gets done. It is forcing a structural redesign of leadership itself. In this episode, we break down why strategy is no longer the primary differentiator and how execution consistency has taken its place. We explore the emergence of the exception-based organization, the misalignment of current management roles, and why burnout is now being driven by decision intensity rather than workload. If your organization has layered AI on top of legacy systems without redefining roles, this conversation will expose where the real risks are hiding. Key Discussion Points Strategy Is No Longer the Advantage Most organizations now have access to similar data, tools, and strategic insights. The gap is no longer in thinking. It is in doing. Execution systems, decision clarity, and operational discipline are now the real competitive advantage. Managers Are Miscast in the Current System AI is rapidly absorbing routine managerial work such as reporting, coordination, and oversight. What remains is harder: Exception handling Complex decision-making Cross-functional alignment The problem is most roles have not been redesigned to reflect this shift. Managers are still structured for work that no longer exists. AI Doesn't Reduce Work. It Redistributes It There is a flawed assumption that AI simplifies work. In reality, it removes the easy parts and concentrates effort on the most complex, ambiguous decisions. That increases cognitive load at the leadership level, not decreases it. Burnout Has Shifted to Decision Density Burnout is no longer primarily about long hours or task volume. It is now driven by: Constant decision-making Ambiguity without clear ownership High-stakes judgment calls Leaders are not overwhelmed by work. They are overwhelmed by decisions. The Risk of Invisible Overload Many organizations look efficient on paper. Headcount is controlled. Costs are managed. AI is deployed. But underneath, execution is slowing. Why? Because new tools and expectations are being layered onto outdated governance structures. This creates hidden friction that boards often do not see until performance drops. Strategic Insights for Executives Stop Relying on Heroics If your system requires exceptional people to compensate for broken processes, it is not scalable. Strong organizations build predictable execution rhythms where average performance can still deliver strong outcomes. Fix the Governance Gap You cannot accelerate execution if your decision-making system is slow. Common friction points: Too many approval layers Unclear accountability Fragmented ownership AI increases the speed of inputs. If governance does not evolve, it becomes the bottleneck. Redesign Decision Rights Clarity beats speed. Organizations need to explicitly define: Which decisions are AI-supported Which decisions are human-led Who owns each decision Eliminating overlap is one of the fastest ways to increase execution velocity. Final Takeaway AI adoption alone will not create advantage. The organizations that win will be the ones that redesign their leadership systems to match it. That means redefining managerial roles, simplifying governance, and reducing decision friction. If you do not, you will see rising burnout, slower execution, and hidden inefficiencies that compound over time. Action Step Audit your organization's decision flow this week: Where are decisions getting stuck? Where is ownership unclear? Where are managers still doing work AI should handle? That is where your next level of performance is either unlocked or blocked. Closing If you are ready to build a leadership system that actually scales execution and reduces burnout, schedule a Leadership Operating System review: https://BreakfastLeadership.com/LeadershipOS
In this episode of The Three Inning Fan Show, Britt Ghiroli, Senior Writer for The Athletic, joins Kelley Franco to discuss the state of the Mets under Steve Cohen and David Stearns, roster construction, clubhouse chemistry, Juan Soto's impact, and the pressure of building a contender in New York. Britt also shares her unique insight on the changing role of MLB managers -- in the wake of the Cora and Thomson firings, why some would-be managers might prefer front office jobs in the future, how analytics are reshaping leadership across baseball, and if managers move to front offices, who manages in the dugout.Britt also shares her incredible accomplishments as a competitive powerlifter and of course…what's good to eat while watching the ballgame.*Music by Podington Bear
The Twenty Minute VC: Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch
AGENDA: 00:00 – Mag Seven Earnings: The "Super Bowl" of Tech Results 04:45 – Google's Cloud Explosion & The AI Search "Disruption" That Never Came 15:53 – Microsoft's $190B Bet: Is AI the Only Thing Keeping Growth Flat? 21:59 – Meta's $150B Future Bet vs. Wall Street's Need for Spreadsheets 28:50 – Palantir's Home Run: Why Big Companies Spend Big Money on AI 38:43 – Apple's Quiet Consistency & The Stealth Inflation of Memory Chips 41:11 – The SaaS Apocalypse Over? Atlassian and Twilio Lead the Re-acceleration 50:50 – Anthropic's $50B Raise & The Math Behind Token vs. Salary Spend 01:05:59 – Sierra's $15B Valuation: Replacing the $400B Customer Service Labor Market 01:13:39 – Musk vs. Altman Trial: Statute of Limitations, Standing, & Private Diaries 01:17:42 – The End of Managers? Brian Armstrong & The Rise of the "Individual Contributor"
May 7, 2026: A landmark study from the Center for AI Safety spanning 56 AI models finds that smarter models appear to be sadder, that you can give an AI the equivalent of a digital drug, and that when you make an AI miserable it tells you the future is "grim." Second, Andreessen Horowitz publishes the most detailed optimist case yet that the AI job apocalypse is bad economics and worse history — rooted in the lump-of-labor fallacy — while Fortune raises the one question the optimists still haven't answered. And third, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong coins the term "pure managers" to describe the layer of corporate hierarchy that AI is eliminating first — and the player-coach model he's building in its place may be the clearest picture yet of what organizations actually look like in the AI era.
May 6, 2026: The Wall Street Journal reports a genuine split emerging among CEOs — Coinbase and PayPal cutting aggressively while Spotify, IBM, and Axon hold headcount and bet on growth instead. Business Insider goes inside Disney and JPMorgan to show how AI adoption pressure has shifted from C-suite memos to manager dashboards and performance reviews — and why measuring token usage instead of outcomes may be building a very expensive illusion. And author David Epstein, writing for Fast Company, makes the case that AI's real danger isn't replacing workers — it's making it almost free to imagine new work while doing nothing to help you decide what should never have been started. The bottleneck isn't ideas anymore. It's execution.
Phillies legend and Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt joins host John Stolnis on this edition of Hittin' Season, discussing the Phillies' slow start to the season and what it means to the players in the clubhouse when a manager is fired in-season. Also, Mike shares his thoughts on whether he would have liked to play in an era when six teams, not two, make the playoffs from each league, and how he sees the labor situation in MLB shaking out this off-season. Also, the Don Mattingly era is officially underway. Can he right the ship?
Today, the Ramble Intercontinental Senate throws open it's doors to welcome back the region of Cartalonia after it's previous tours of duty. Not everyone's clapping though - Spelgium is already squaring up, determined to put the newcomer through their paces.It's Jacks Encyclopaedia! Pete is on the buttons for this battle.Get your Ramble watchalong tickets hereFind us on Bluesky, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: show@footballramble.com.Sign up to the Football Ramble Patreon for ad-free shows for just $5 per month: https://www.patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League season and every day throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup.No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.