The Management Coach

Both new and more seasoned managers often fear difficult conversations because we worry about damaging our relationships or saying the wrong thing. This fear can lead to avoidance, which has a tendency to lead to even bigger problems down the line. This is human nature, by the way - very few of us love difficult conversations. 1. Timing is important when it comes to conversations we'd rather not be having. Plan ahead. If you’re both under the influence of the cortisol stress hormone you’re not going to be in the ideal chemical space for a connecting conversation which is going to require you tapping into your executive functioning. Or, if either of you is rushed, you're simply not going to get to an optimal outcome - these conversations require time and space and quite possibly some silence. 2. Privacy is critical! Please don't have this conversation in a coffee shop, for example. 3. What's your mindset? Some questions to ask yourself in advance: What is my purpose in having this conversation? What is my desired outcome? In a perfect world, I would like us to ... Lots more ideas where this comes from, but this will get the wheels turning for you. Once we've started finding our way in navigating some of our more challenging conversations, stay tuned for our next challenge - how communication (tip! communicate, communicate and overcommunicate) is essential for managing change - because all management is change management. #difficultconversations #communicationtips #newmanager

Who’s the best manager you’ve ever had? And what made them the best? We all have that one manager who really left a mark - and if we're lucky, more than one! Maybe they had your back during tough times, had a great ability to listen, ask the right questions, pushed you to grow, or just made work feel like a place where you actually wanted to be. Was it because they trusted you? Made you feel like a partner and not a subordinate? Did they give feedback that helped you level up? Bring out the best in you? I'll go first - I've had 3! Way back in the early 1990s I worked at The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television where I had the pleasure of reporting to Sean Kiely. He always knew when to give me kudos - and never over the top. But one "by the way you're doing a great job" from Sean was enough to power me through many late nights. Next up is great boss #2 - Daniella Dimitrov, BA, LLB, EMBA, NACD.DC, GCB.D. She treated me like a partner and was (and I imagine still is) the hardest working person I've ever met. She's smart and doesn't suffer fools gladly. Could be tough but was always fair, and never asked anyone to do anything she wasn't willing to do herself. I just wish I needed less sleep just like her! I really started to learn about #service from Daniella... Great boss #3 was Jeffrey Hauswirth. Again - trusted me to do my job and always treated me as a partner in his executive search practice. Kicked my understanding of service up another notch. And just a lovely human being in general. And now it's time to hear from you! Drop a comment and let’s talk about what makes a manager truly unforgettable - for all the right reasons. #Leadership #Managers #CareerGrowth #Teamwork #LeadershipDevelopment

It's been a hot minute since I last posted on here about my LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® team building work. While I navigated my way through my initial year of ownership of The Management Coach this piece of my work took a bit of a backseat, but I'm looking forward to bringing it to the fore again - starting now! To that end, earlier this year I worked with the lovely and talented Merrill Matthews to update my video introducing newbies to the awesomeness that is LEGO SERIOUS PLAY. The approach is quite legit, I assure you - and based on the idea that our hands connect to 70-80% of our brains which means anytime we're using our hands we're leveraging the human superpower of creativity. I've had the very great privilege to collaborate with a wide array of clients over the years, including Heart & Stroke, Mohawk College, McMaster University, University of Toronto, Little Canada, the Central Ontario division of Optimist International, FortisOntario Inc. (thank you Liza Provenzano for the opportunity to jump in) and Keyser Mason Ball, LLP. I invite you to check it out here on The Management Coach's YouTube channel here: https://lnkd.in/dUy27uaq If you'd like to learn more, I'll point you to my website here for ways in which a LEGO SERIOUS PLAY workshop can be used to bring out the best in your team and your organization: https://lnkd.in/dQW27NZV. And I'd welcome the opportunity to chat with you directly - simply book a time to chat with me here: https://lnkd.in/dU7icxf9 Kevin Fernandes Anna Aceto-Guerin, CHRL John Brewer - The Conference Bard Jennifer King, CHRL Denise Nacev #teambuilding #communication #workshop #letsdoworkbetter #legoseriousplay

Ready to practice conscious leadership? It comes down to asking yourself 4 simple questions throughout the day. 1. "Where am I?" Are you above the line or below the line? Meaning: Are you threatened, in a state of fear, caught up in drama (below the line)? Or are you in a place of love, presence, and trust (above the line)? 2. Then ask, "Can I accept myself for being where I am?" Now that you are aware of where you are, can you accept this reality? We invite you to pause and take a full breath of acceptance, welcoming yourself right where you are. 3. Next ask, "Am I willing to shift?" Being WILLING to shift is different than WANTING to. Of course, you "want" to make a change, but are you now willing to? "No" is a perfectly wonderful answer. This is a game about awareness; not a game about shifting. 4. Then simply ask, "How will I shift?" If you are fully willing and rooted in a space of acceptance, you can now productively evaluate solutions. If you've found you're NOT willing to shift, you might still choose to take a few conscious breathes, or find a way to play with whatever drama you're caught in. *** Check out this article to learn more about working with these questions: https://lnkd.in/gtGDHWJR Or sign up for our next Taste or Intro event to start practicing them with a group. What have you discovered as you've integrated these questions in your life? #consciousleadership #consciousleadershipgroup #theconsciousleadershipgroup

Yes, yes a thousand times - yes. The Great Exhaustion - I'm seeing it with my clients, and I'm not immune either. Enough with the Slack and Teams messaging, the "everything is urgent" emails. In 2024, how about we experiment with slowing down to speed up? This New Yorker piece from Cal Newport hits the nail on the head... https://lnkd.in/g7UYEaXi #thegreatexhaustion #nomoreslack #slowdown