For the final episode of our first season, we’re doing something a little bit different. I asked you to send me questions, and now I'm sharing my best answers regarding: How managers can help you increase your visibility and build your reputation Why doing boring work doesn't mean you're doomed to never get a better job than the one you have now How to become a better presenter, even if you feel like you've already tried everything How to handle an overworked and understaffed team when there's no relief in sight Thank you so much for listening to this season of the Management Detox podcast. I'll be back soon with Season 2! If there's anything you want me to cover in the new season, DM me on LinkedIn. I look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, follow me: Instagram TikTok

Brian Walch is a coach, consultant, and speaker who helps organizations develop their managers and build best-in-class management cultures. He is the owner of Shiftfocus Coaching and Consulting, where he provides services to help empower managers to lead themselves, their teams, and their organizations.  In this episode, Brian and Tosca talk about management culture and what to do when organizations don't support managers, as well as how easing new managers into their roles is like getting into a kayak. Brian shares why he's passionate about ensuring that managers get the support they need to succeed, including his iterative approach to helping managers and their teams deliver better work over time.  Brian also reveals an unexpected source of inspiration for him: death. And he shares the concept of the "modern elder," as coined by Chip Conley and what that means for second acts in life, for managers or otherwise.  Connect with Brian on LinkedIn Resources: Modern Elder Academy - Chip Conley Brian's consultancy: Shiftfocus.com          

The #1 barrier to productivity isn't remote work, or RTO policies, or even mass layoffs. It's meetings. As more and more employees struggle to complete their actual work, why is the tyranny of meetings not just tolerated but expected in Corporate America?  The recent Atlassian Workplace Woes survey about meetings validated everything I had been feeling about meetings before I left my corporate job: they're largely ineffective, they waste time and energy, and they make it hard to complete the work that is supposed to matter. They're also a symptom of a larger problem: control and fear of making mistakes. I know we can't do away with meetings completely, and I don't think we have to. But we can't go on like this. Besides sharing key insights from the Atlassian survey, in this episode I offer my own additional insights into why meetings have gone so wrong, guidelines for improving them, and ideas for alternatives to putting another meeting on everyone's calendar. Want to continue the conversation? Connect with me on LinkedIn 

Dina Berman is a 30 year agency veteran, San Francisco native, and recovering ‘good girl’ who leveraged her mastery as a middle child and her love of commercials into a career in advertising with a focus in Account Management. She is Head of Account and Project Management at wello, Wells Fargo’s creative agency where she’s also a member of the Leadership Team. For the past 6 years Dina has been working on her own transformation as a leader, with a focus on mindful leadership.  In this episode, Dina and Tosca talk about the differences between toxic positivity and influential positivity, the power of mindset, and Dina’s Energized Leadership Program. They have a little debate about “feedback,” and share their beliefs about how leaders need to earn the right to ask employees to turn on their cameras on Zoom.  Dina explains the two parts of her career: the first part, which was dedicated to output, and this second part as a leader, which is about impact in helping others develop and grow in their own career journeys. Dina’s word of the year is “connection,” and she welcomes listeners connecting with her. You can find her on LinkedIn.   Other resources Dina and Tosca discuss:   Kelly McGonigal’s TED talk: How to Make Stress Your Friend Author and inspirational speaker Simon Sinek Researcher and storyteller Brene Brown Organizational psychologist and author Adam Grant  The Energy Bus book  

Promotions and progress are the lanugage of success in Corporate America. But promotions can be notoriously difficult to get, or at least difficult to understand. Some companies keep the process shrouded in mystery and very tightly controlled. But when prospective employers want to see progress, advancement, and forward movement - and current employers are reluctant to provide it - what’s an employee to do? We answer that question in this podcast. As someone who spent most of their adult life moving up the corporate ladder and then helping my team members to do the same, I can help demystify the process. In this episode, we walk through how promotions work at different types of companies, how to play the politics game (or not), and the annoying truth that you need to be doing the job you want before you're formally recognized for it. We also cover why promotion scarcity is built-in at American companies, and what you can do about it.  Even if we can't fix everything about how corporations promote, knowledge is power - and that's what I'm sharing here with you, including tips for how managers can help their team members show progress when the company you work for doesn't make it easy to do so, and even how to know when it's time for you or your team members to get what you deserve - by taking a job somewhere else.  

Jess Walker has spent over 20 years as a manager and organizational leader at some of the top creative agencies in New York City, working with Fortune 10 trailblazers, long-standing companies, and fast-growing brands. She now applies her dedication to creating value and growth to what she cares about most: people. She recently founded Wondering Forward, a coaching practice for individuals and teams, focused on helping people and organizations prevent and recover from burnout.  In this episode, Tosca and Jess discuss how managers can care for people, be of service to their teams, respect and honor individual personalities and work styles, and still produce business results. They share ways they've fostered human connection, their 16 Personalities styles, and the "mountains" they've moved through.  Jess believes in the power of slowing down and that good energy in creates good energy out, and she shares her coaching philosophy that leans heavily on the healing power of movement, wonder, and possibility - yes, even for the corporate world.    How to connect with Jess: Her website wonderingforward.com Her LinkedIn profile   More resources Jess and Tosca shared:  Arthur Brook's curve/mountain Freudenberger's 12 Stages of Burnout 16 Personalities SYP Superpowers cards and app User Manual Reference  Vitaly Friedman's post with "How to Work With Me" templates Marcia Reynolds Cleo Wade Mr. Rogers on Instagram and YouTube  One of many articles about Georgia O'Keeffe Maya Angelou's Phenomenal Woman Tosca's New Manager Guide

Our first interview episode features Jod Kaftan, Head of Product Design & Research at Oracle. Jod has over 20 years of experience in product, UX, and strategy, and as a trailblazer and leader in the industry, he is an advocate for a people-centered approach to management.  Having recently branched out into coaching, Jod has been reflecting on his evolution as a manager who now believes his job as a leader is to "obsolete himself," and build the next generation of managers. Tosca and Jod discuss the perils (and temptations) of "falling on every grenade for your team," possible futures for UX you've probably never heard of before, and advice for people who want fulfilling careers (that's you, right?) We also discuss Jod's journey from Luke Skywalker to Yoda. If that sounds intriguing to you you're going to have to give this one a listen.  Find out more about Jod's coaching practice, Design-Led Futures here. You can also follow Jod on LinkedIn here.  Note: this is a re-release of an episode that was truncated originally on the same date.

RTO, or "Return to Office," edicts swept corporate America in 2023. After a year or two of sweet-talking, strongly suggesting, and guilting employees to come back to the office, it seemed like CEOs of major companies had returned from a League of Doom meeting in which they unanimously decided it was time to end this ridiculous remote work fantasy once and for all - and RTO was born. The question I have - and I bet you have too is, Why? Why would companies want to re-commit to the overhead of physical office locations, at least at the same scale they had pre-pandemic? Why, if corporate America is all about productivity - and we were productive at record levels - wouldn’t businesses want to take a close look at what was happening and try to capitalize on it? Or improve on it? In this episode we try to answer that question. Commercial real estate? Stock prices? Sure, those are probably part of it, but I think there's something else, and you're probably not going to like it.  We also cover the positive things about remote work, as well as the history of it. And finally, we look at how managers can help employees who may be struggling with RTO. Even if you can't change the policy, you can still support your people and make a difference in their day-to-day.