Published in Better Humans·Apr 18On Facilitation and CohortsPeople are hard; groups of people are harder. After teaching 22 cohorts of new managers, here’s what I’ve learned… — Since launching So Now You’re a Manager in 2017, I’ve taught 300+ new managers how to step into their new identities, how to own power and how to perform foundational skills like listening and building trust. …Leadership Development5 min read
Apr 7Six Years post-opTomorrow, at 12pm ET, I will be hosting a Zoom meeting to teach the latest cohort of Plucky’s manager training. Six years ago at that exact moment, my phone was buzzing. It was a neurologist. He was calling to tell me that I had a brain tumor. When April 8…Personal Growth4 min read
Apr 6On RecoveryIn 2016, I had brain surgery to remove a (thankfully) benign brain tumor from my left temporal lobe. The story leading up to diagnosis, the experience of brain surgery and the massive evolution that happened inside me during that period is the subject of a book I’m writing (… in…Recovery5 min read
Apr 6Quick Tool for Perspective ShiftsYou are not going to like everything you’re doing all day. You won’t like all the meetings, you won’t like all the tasks and you sure won’t like all the people you’re assigned to work with. This is real because nothing in life is perfect; even dream jobs have wrinkles. …Professional Development3 min read
Apr 6“Unblock Me” MeetingsSo you report to someone who is always very busy. Welcome to a very large club! Today’s tool aims to focus your conversation with your manager or project lead so you can get the information you need. …Coaching2 min read
Apr 6Disruptions.Here is a thing I know about people: worrying what others think about your evolution threatens to keep you small and unchanged. Let me give you an example: On Day 1 of So Now You’re a Manager (virtual edition), I say “Hey, so you’ve got about 2 weeks after our last class to try new things. …Coaching3 min read
Apr 6Plucky Fulfillment TheoryI have a theory about healthy, fulfilled, working adults. I use this often in coaching, particularly when someone is struggling to figure out the current purpose of work in their lives. Imagine your life split in two halves: work and non-work. Generally, non-work refers to home but it includes other…Professional Development4 min read
Apr 6Cross-training at workEven if you are not a fitness expert, you have probably heard the term “leg day.” Cross-training is the idea that you’re going to exercise in a variety of ways in order to improve performance. To that end, one day you’ll focus on legs, another on arms. Maybe another on core. How can this metaphor relate to work? Who hasn’t emerged from a performance review with…Professional Development2 min read
Apr 6Everything is Fine: an online experienceHere’s how I want you to feel: … like even if you are in a low, even if the world around us is bad, even if Dave in accounting is pissing you off, you want to feel better. I want you to feel better. By mid-January, I was ending almost…Professional Development2 min read
Apr 4So you’ve taken a new manager job. Here’s how to meet the team…Whenever you take a new job, there’s a poignant moment where past, present and future meet. You are building atop your previous experience. You’re making first impressions. And you’re setting up for a future with a new team. What a time! If you’re a manager, these moments are even more…Management4 min read
