Middle Management Videos

Today Wayne Turmel talks to Christopher Edgar, author of Inner Productivity: A Mindful Approach to Efficiency and Enjoyment in Your Work . I also try to spit out a couple of words of Mandarin, we salute a prolific writer who couldn t pass a simple test, and quote Robert Browning. Not a bad day s work. Chris Edgar looking mindful. Show Notes 0:00 Welcome to the show and  a big ni hao to our friends in China. I have no idea how or why, but our audience has grown a lot there and it s now our second biggest audience. Anyway today we are talking productivity and mindfulness. As a result, we dedicate this show to the prolific Feng Meng Lung who wrote productively yet couldn t pass his civil service exams which suggests his head wasn t really in the game.  Do you procrastinate? This is the show for you because the problem is all in your mind. 3:00 The quote of the week is from Robert Browning. Do you know your search? 4:34 Welcome to Chris Edgar. This show treads some lines  we don t normally tread but as Dr Phil would say you know what you should be doing and how s that working for ya? What does he mean by mindfulness and it has an awful lot to do with procrastination because we love to get distracted and aren t always hip to why. 7:24 Many of us know the systems and have every tool we need to get the work done, so why is procrastination such a problem? The problem is a wandering mind. He comes from the legal profession which would seem an odd path to trod for someone in this field. 11:57 This isn t about religion, but about practice and exercise. A lot of people have a knee-jerk reaction to meditation or other touchy feely ideas but the benefits are real. 12:50 It s important to understand the difference between Response and Reaction. Reaction is automatic and unconscious. Response is how we CHOOSE to respond to the stimulus. Misery (or procrastinating)  is optional.The trick is to slow down and find out WHY you re feeling like procrastinating. 15:30 A practical example of how this works . 17:00 What s the difference between INTENTION and ATTENTION? Attention is putting our mental focus on something. Intention is taking a big-picture view of what we re trying to achieve. You can put a lot of attention into playing Solitaire on the computer but are you achieving your Intention? 20:00 Being mindful can be as simple as askingAdd New Post ‹ TPN :: The Cranky Middle Manager Show — WordPress yourself why am I doing what I m doing right now? . Physical symptoms can be a sign we ought to ask those questions. Tension, discomfort and stomach pain are all clues. 23:00 What is breathing through a situation? You think by now I d know what breathing is. 25:00 Chris takes us through a couple of simple mindfulness exercises. When you re thinking about NOW you can t think about anything else. CHRIS RESOURCES

Jeff Klein and Kathy Hines from the Sunday Business Networking Brunch interview Carolann Jacobs, founder of Vivid Epiphany Brain Based Coaching, about challenges and triumphs of the Managewhich.

Today Wayne Turmel talks to Rick Smith, Author of The Leap- How 3 Simple Changes Can Propel Your Career From Good to Great . We also shamelessly plug some upcoming webinars, salute King David s career plan and take a new assessment tool. Just another typical Cranky Middle Manager Show. Rick Smith, author of The Leap joins us. Don t forget our upcoming webinar workshop: How to Create and Manage Remote Teams September 30, North American version click here for info and to register October 1, Asia/Pacific version click here for info and to register New Webinar Workshop: How to Conduct Great Web Demos and Sales Calls Click here to register and get more information. Show Notes 0:00 Welcome to the show. Today we dedicate this episode to King David of Judah and later of Israel Shepherd to King might seem a bit of a career leap but if you plan it right, anything is possible. 4:19 The quote of the week is from Ella Wheeler Wilcox who said that nothing can hinder the firm resolve of a determined soul. With poetry like hers, she should know. 4:50 Welcome Rick Smith to the show. Before we talk about our careers, we should define the difference between a job and a career. The job is the list of activities, the career is the longer journey. Clear now? Some of us set out to be managers, some have managership thrust upon them. Rick is one of them so he can relate. 8:54 So often the logical path might lead somewhere you don t want to go, but you can leap to something else. Rick gives us his own story. Volunteer for things they d never consider you for is a good start. 12:15 A good example of someone who embodies this is Silvia Lagnado who started Dove s Campaign for Real Beauty. 16:28 So what are the three myths that hold people back? I have to fix myself that I have to change inside. What you really have to do is become more of who you really are You don t need to go it alone . Big selfless ideas attract a supportive team that will help you You don t need to take dramatic risks .. 18:03 Rick talks about finding your Primary Color it s kind of a fun assessment tool You can take that test here. For the record I m a Purple Mountain Majesty (Far left top corner) Big on curiosity and leadership, not so much with the execution. 24:40 Why is Curiosity such an important part of making The Leap ? Rick s Resources Tim Ferris   Four Hour Workweek Blog Penelope Trunk s Brazen Careerist Blog Leapbuilder.com for all Rick s stuff

Cranky Middle Manager Wayne Turmel talks to Rob Goffee about his book Clever- Leading Your Smartest, Most Creative People. Of course, I m supremely unqualified to do so, but we have fun anyway. Also, how the Trojan War makes the same point, and watch for a new How to Create and Manage Remote Teams webinar workshop coming next month. Rob Goffee, looking awfully clever himself There are two Greatwebmeetings.com webinars coming up. September 1 at 2 PM Central Time: Webinar 101 presented by Netbriefings. Click here for more information and to register FREE September 23        How Speakers and Meeting Planners Can Use Webinars to Boost Their Business, presented by Telenect. Click here for more information and to register FREE Show Notes 0:00 Welcome to the show, gang. Today we look at managing the really smartest, most talented people we have.  They add value, but they can be a real pain. Our dedication is to King Menelaus, who knew a thing or two about that problem during the Trojan War. 2:30 The quote of the week is from Naquib Mahfouz - clever is one thing, wise is another. Few people are both. 3:08 Welcome Rob Goffee to the show. He and his co-author Gareth Jones have written about managing clever people what do we mean by clever and how is that different from just plain smart? They tend to add more value than most employees, tend to smarter and expect to be treated differently. They can also be a management nightmare if mishandled. The good news is that most of them need organizations, even if they act like they don t. 6:18 There s a business case to be made for handling these people differently than most , and most of that handling means leaving them alone to do what they do. Less management is more. 9:34 How do you keep your clevers motivated while not hurting the rest of the team. The term benevlolent guardian is appropriate. Rob explains it better than I do. 14:58 Why do so many superstars make lousy managers and why do companies insist on trying to make them fit that role? We mention Donato Bramante trying to manage Michelangelo. You can learn more back in Episode 35 if you re so inclined. 19:45 How do managers keep their own heads and deal with their own insecurities in dealing with these people who might be smarter than they are? Start by acknowledging what they re good at. And now you have to put together a team of Superstars which is it s own nightmare. Rob s Resources

Building an innovation culture might be one of the least discussed challenges facing executives. But, says InnoCentive CEO Dwayne Spradlin, it's also one of the most pressing. Spradlin offers tips and advice for fostering internal innovation

Cranky Middle Manager Wayne Turmel welcomes Bob Rosen back to discuss how middle managers can be catalysts for long-lasting growth in their companies.  Also, torturing your children and not torturing your remote team mates just another day here in Cranky land. Bob Rosen comes back for more. Nice to have im Don t forget our How to Create and Manage Remote Teams webinar workshops on June 26th. Learn why it s critical we create human relationships even when we re not close by, and free and low-cost tools to accomplish that. For Europe and North America, click here to learn more and register. For India/Asia/Australia, click here to learn more and register. Show Notes 0:00 Today we are talking about becoming a catalyst- a true change agent to help drive growth in your company. It s from a book Bob has co-authored called, The Catalyst-How You Can Become an Extraordinary Growth Leader . Oh, and speaking of catalysts, how about we dedicate the show to Peter the I of Russia? There was a catalyst. A badass, but a catalyst. 3:00 The quote of the week is from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. You re not an insomniac, you re a catalyst. Repeat as necessary. 4:00 Welcome back Bob Rosen (sorry about the sibilance blame his phone). What is the role of middle managers in growing companies. Isn t that the CEO s job?  Catalysts have 3 things in common: They think differently They see things differently They act differently 7:00 Catalysts are risk takers, chronic learners and have a bias for action. 10:26 The monkey is not on your back it s in your head. Are you observing yourself while you act? Are you acting like an entrepeneur or an employee? 13:14 How do you develop the confidence to take something like this on? Growth leaders think of their business as a hypothesis: place small bets fast, do experiments, and kill the project if it ain t working. They also view constraints as opportunities not road blocks. Really. 17:14 How do you teach someone to see opportunities?  It won t involve traditional market research, that s for sure. Part of the confusion is that managers are usually hired for their ability to follow the rules, not break them. 21:50 Did we mention their bias for action? Just get out there and do it small experiments, act fact, kill bad ideas faster. There is no security anyway .. go for it. And you gotta be tough. Bob s Resources

Wayne Turmel takes on multi-tasking middle managers, among other things, with Dave Crenshaw, author of The Myth of Multitasking- How Doing It All Gets Nothing Done. Also, is managing hermits an oxymoron? Oh, and an engineer talks about concentration. Dave Crenshaw- how does someone who does everything he does decry multitasking????? Don t forget, if you want tools, templates and advice to run better meetings, order the ebook Meet Like You Mean It- The Cranky Middle Manager s Guide to Productive and Painless Meetings . Only $7.99 Also there s a FREE Cranky Middle Manager Webinar on February 26th, 2009 at 1 PM Eastern Time (US), brought to you in cooperation with Dimdim. Register here and get a free copy of my white paper Team Communication and Training in the Workplace Diaspora . Show Notes- 0:00 Welcome to the show. This episode is dedicated to Macarius of Egypt. We re not suggesting you become a hermit, but he was on to something. Also, when you can manage hermits you ll understand how many middle managers feel. 3:52 The quote of the week is from Michael Farraday who suggests that the ability to concentrate is the first of many things a business person (or manager!) needs to be successful. 4:30 Welcome Dave Crenshaw to the show. Multitasking is in many of our job descriptions, so what s the problem with multitasking? It doesn t exist. I ll let Dave explain we re switch tasking . 9:15 You have to differentiate between switch tasking and background tasking . You can do multiple things at the same time if you are doing something mindless or mundane. 11:10 What is in our control? Technology is a great place to start and we re starting with email . check at a set time. He s serious, stop laughing. 15:50 How do you handle interruptions???? That quick question she has can kill your day plan one on one time . don t tell me you don t have the time cause you wind up spending it anyway? Keeping a running list and training your people to do the same will save your sanity. 20:45 How do you distinguish between important and urgent? We blaspheme Stephen Covey s work i love doing that on this show . priority is a matter of time, not definition. 23:00 Set up filters and get control of your life .which is great if you are functionally computer literate. I m an idiot .. 27:00 Dave s Resources: Check out the Multitasking Assessment if you dare. Click here to take the assessment Check out The Advenutes of Johnny Bunko by Dan Pink Don t let the weasels get you down!

Today Wayne Turmel talks to Nick Jefferson about 360 degree feedback, how people rated leaders in Britain, and King John, one Brit who didn t take the feedback as well as he might have. Support the Podcast Network, click here to pledge Nick Jefferson    And don t forget our latest book! Show Notes 0:00 Welcome to The Cranky Middle Manager Show. Today we re talking 360 degree feedback, why some people love it, why some hate it and why it matters. We re talking to Nick Jefferson of Couraud.com in the UK. We dedicate this episode to King John of England who didn t really understand the whole idea of feedback and could have used a visit from the nice lady in HR. 3:30 Our quote of the week is from Socrates: your reputation matters, and it s like a fire, easy to build, but once it s extinguished . well you know the drill. 4:30 Okay 360 feedback is something that is badly done most of the time but is valuable when it is done correctly. He did a cool experiment by asking for 360 feedback on the three party leaders in the UK. You can get the full report here along with a sample of a good 360. What is 360, why does it matter and why should you need to get drunk and sing karaoke before you get honest feedback? 8:45 Feedback is most useful when you actually do something about your weaknesses-  and a cool new thing called Johari Window. I love new stuff. 10:30 Where did the idea of getting feedback on politicians come from and what did he find out? He used Jack Welch s 6 Traits of Leadership as a base. Download the reports from us and learn more. 16:45 Why is it that when you re out of power for a while you tend to surround yourself by more passionate, visionary people? What does that mean for people who ve been in the job for a while and what does it mean for David Cameron and the Tories? 20:11 What are the things that a company needs to do to ensure a good, positive 360? Keep it simple. We don t want to pick on HR folks .but it s so darned easy. It s about performance, not personality. Stop, Start, Continue is a great format. John Ingham s Strategic Human Capital blog Dan O Shea at Couraud s blog Life s a Pitch Don t let the weasels get you down!

Today Wayne Turmel talks software and creating middle management from scratch with  Inc. Magazine columnist and Fog Creek s President, Joel Spolsky. We also ask how the title of Satrap would look on your resume. Help keep Cranky Middle Manager free to listen and on the air! Please help The Podcast Network Pledge Drive or go to the Cranky Middle Manager Store. Show Notes 0:00 Welcome to the 168th episode. Today we talk to Joel Spolsky as well as dedicate this show to Cyrus the Great of Persia, who gave us the cool job title Satrap. Beats Middle Manager doesn t it (even if that s basically what it is)? A couple of quick announcements: Don t forget the TPN Pledge Drive. If you haven t heard the explanation, you can listen here. We are doing the pilot test of our new training program Management 2.0: Become the kind of leader you d follow on December 15 and 16 in Chicago. Click here for more details. 3:34 The quote of the week is from that barrel of laughs Albert Camus who said that all great ideas have ridiculous beginnings everyone who works at a startup, especially the founders, know that s true. 4:45 Welcome Joel Spolsky of Joel on Software and about a dozen other things, including Fog Creek Software.  He has finally come to the conclusion that managers are important, but it came slowly.  he prefers management to be administration and not authority (and the word is connote.) His own management style was formed between the Israeli army and Microsoft. 9:45 His management style was formed in the Israeli Army and by Microsoft. The military is NO help whatsoever when managing software geeks. Still, running through a minefield while shooting is a metaphor we won t dwell on. 15:50 A couple of columns ago, Joel wrote that he finally has come to conclude he needs managers... blame Fast Company for that (read the article here). Still, what kind of management is he looking to create? How is Seth Godin to blame and what is a Purple Cow? 20:00 Even when senior management has an open door policy, people want someone a bit lower to be the mediator. Joel tells the story of what happened at Fog Creek. 24:45 Career Path is a strange thing at software companies because being a manager and being a great programmer aren t the same thing. How do you increase pay and rewards without making people managers who shouldn t be managers? Listen to Joel squirm while explaining not all programmers have great people skills . just say it, Joel, we ve been saying it for years on this show. And by the way, I m not crazy about the term wetware . 28:28 What does Joel read? Pretty much everything Seth Godin s blog (with or without a purple cow). Read everything and become literarily promiscuous (copyright pending on the term, thank you) Don t forget to join us at www.crankymiddlemanager.com and get our newsletter! Don t let the weasels get you down!

Today Wayne Turmel talks with author Don Schmincke about what leaders can learn from people who climb the world s most dangerous peaks.  We re talking High Altitude Leadership. We also talk about a French physicist and a chance for listeners in Chicago to meet up in December. Don Schmincke, author of High Altitude Leadership And don t forget our new book: Show Notes: 0:00 Welcome to the 166th episode of the show. Today we re talking about scaling the heights of more than the org chart. Don Schmincke is co-author of an exciting book, High Altitude Leadership- What the World s Most Forbidding Peaks Teach Us About Success and the brains behind the SAGA Leadership Institute. We also talk about the mountaineer and physics genius Jean Buridan and the genius behind the Theory of Impetus and Buridan s Ass remember if you don t write it down, it s your . 2:24 Our quote of the week is from Victor Hugo- anything truly mountainous has a sacred horror to it. 2 Quick Announcements: 1) The first Cranky Middle Manager Course is in pilot stages and will be held December 15 and 16. Read more about it here or drop me a line. 2) Since a bunch of us will be together on December 15th, we re thinking of holding a meetup at Shoeless Joe s Sports Bar near Chicago s O Hare Airport. Want to attend? Drop me a line for more details... local listeners and guests will get together to meet and just hoist a frosty beverage together. It ll be fun! 5:09 Today we re talking mountains. How did a consultant meet a mountain climber and what did they learn from each other? By the way, co-author Chris Warner is a very cool guy in his own right. I m not usually a big fan of drawing equations between sports and the real world we all face, but this is frickin amazing!. 9:49 He didn t discover new principles, but he did discover leadership DANGERS that can create havoc at best, and violent plummeting death at worst. This is no time to flip through a book. The death-to- summit ratio on K2 is 1 to 7 don t whine about your job ever again. 12:32 The first danger is Fear. Watching your guide drop 20,000 feet will put your reptilian brain in charge. 15:00 Don t get caught up in tool seduction technology is no replacement for common sense. 19:39 Since we run on instinct why do trainers and consultants even bother? 90% of training doesn t work worth a darn. 26:00 Don describes the Gravity Effect . stuff will happen no matter what you do. Some things are out of your control. Get comfortable with that. Don s Resources The Halo Effect and 8 Other Business Delusions That Deceive Managers Read outside your discipline anthropology, history, biology tell us as much as Tom Peters can. Don t let the weasels get you down!!!

Wayne Turmel dives in way over his head to talk to Dr. Tor Dahl for the second time. Sir Tor talks about how nothing great can be established with baby steps. No more incrementalism! Also, a look at the emperor Constantine and how he can help your next product launch. Tor was made a Knight First Class of the Norwegian Royal Order of Merit the day he spoke to me. Drop us a line it might be good luck! Show Notes 0:00 Welcome to the Cranky Middle Manager Show. Today we talk productivity and bold steps with Tor Dahl. Dr. Dahl was with us last year and he s way too smart to hang with the likes of me but he spoke to us anyway. Also we dedicate the show to the Roman Emperor Constantine. No small steps. Love it or hate it, that s how you change the world. 2:15 We have dueling quotes of the week. Should we remember that all good change is slow or do we get fired up and just go for it? If you love quotes, don t forget to support the show by getting a copy or ten of my new book, 125 Quotes for Whacking Weasels- Centuries of Wisdom, Motivation and Snappy Comebacks From the Cranky Middle Manager Show . It will be available on Amazon in the US and UK in mid-October but you can get your signed copy today! And while we re doing shameless plugs, if your company does webinars or web demos, check out www.greatwebmeetings.com and get $200 off a webinar review. 5:00 Tor Dahl is throwing around the word incrementalism what the heck is it and why do we care? American productivity grows at about 2% per person per year. How do you take what s in Old Joe s head and implant it in the next person? You need to ask a lot of questions but the results are exponential. 8:30 Some simple questions what do you do that no one on earth should be doing? What causes delays? What do you do that could have been planned better? Answer those and you re on your way. 12:33 Is it easier to take big leaps when you re starting from scratch? Doesn t matter if you re a country or a corporation . 16:13 If you can t measure or guarantee success, which is more dangerous- to take a risk or to do nothing? Tor is no big fan of Six Sigma variation is what drives progress. Warning, we are going seriously into the weeds and you may need to listen twice. 20:37 At what point do you realize you can t operate any better and you have to change WHAT it is you do? Can you pull a Kennedy-to-the-moon project in your company? 26:45 Can countries or companies do this when they are democracies? Sure China can do it, but what about Western countries? For more information you have got to check out Tor s newsletters Don t let the weasels get you down!!!