1 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:07,320 Welcome to the new Manager podcast. 2 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:16,160 I'm your host, Kim Nichol. Hello and welcome. 3 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:18,880 I'm glad you're here and I hope you're doing well. 4 00:00:19,240 --> 00:00:23,160 I can't believe that September is just around the corner. 5 00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:28,760 It always gives me those back to school vibes of getting ready to 6 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:33,040 start a new year, getting ready to meet new people, learn new 7 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:36,240 things, get a new notebook, get a new pen. 8 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:44,120 There's a very kind of embedded feeling of what September means 9 00:00:44,480 --> 00:00:48,120 in terms of refocusing, resetting, and also feeling a 10 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:52,920 little bit of a fresh start. So if that's true for you, then 11 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:56,600 we are on the same page. If it's true for kids in your 12 00:00:56,600 --> 00:00:59,440 family, you might be feeling that right now as you're getting 13 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:03,280 ready or you have even started already that school year. 14 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:06,360 It starts in August now for so many schools and for so many 15 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:09,560 kids. And so anyways, I'm excited that 16 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:12,480 it's coming into September. I definitely am a person who 17 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:16,280 likes getting a clean new notebook, a brand new pen. 18 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:18,240 So that's going to be happening in my world. 19 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:22,800 And also today I have some news for you. 20 00:01:23,320 --> 00:01:30,320 My next group program is now open for enrollment and it's a 21 00:01:30,320 --> 00:01:34,400 little bit different this time. I have been learning so much as 22 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:38,040 I have been teaching this material and coaching 23 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:44,240 individuals and also watching what you are listening for. 24 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:48,640 I've now published over 100. I think I'm at like 180 25 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:53,880 something episodes of this show. And can you guess what is the 26 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:59,560 most listened to topic? Not the most listened to 27 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:03,000 episode, but of all the different things that I talk 28 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:08,880 about and share here, can you guess which is the most popular, 29 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:12,120 the most requested and most listened to topic? 30 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:17,680 It's all about communication, whether it's how to have a tough 31 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:22,720 conversation, how to give feedback, what to say when you 32 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:25,560 find yourself in a situation and you're not really sure what to 33 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:31,560 do, how to be direct conversation and communication 34 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:35,360 skills when you are an introvert, or how to communicate 35 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:40,120 with people who have different styles of communication or 36 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:44,480 different priorities. Even the teachings that I share 37 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:50,960 with you on advocacy, how to speak up on behalf of yourself 38 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:55,920 or of others, or how to establish boundaries, all of 39 00:02:55,920 --> 00:02:59,000 that are all parts of communication. 40 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:07,160 And when you think about it, so much of how work is done is 41 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:10,880 through the way that you communicate with others. 42 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:15,640 This includes your verbal communication, so either giving 43 00:03:15,640 --> 00:03:21,520 a presentation or contributing in a meeting or, you know, 44 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:24,040 setting the agenda and leading a meeting yourself. 45 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:27,760 It also includes the written communication. 46 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:31,960 That's your emails, that's your direct messages or chat 47 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:35,360 messages. That's the way that you respond 48 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:39,160 in the chat when someone writes something and you think, what 49 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:42,320 the heck are they doing? Like, why would they say that? 50 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:48,520 The way that you choose to respond in your written 51 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:55,080 communication is part of how things get done and not just the 52 00:03:55,080 --> 00:04:01,560 specific act of speaking or the specific act of writing. 53 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:06,720 But importantly, you know, when I talk about the strategy of 54 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:10,120 communication, what we're looking at is what are the 55 00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:16,200 ideas, thoughts and intentions behind the actions that you're 56 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:19,399 taking? So one thing I, you know, you 57 00:04:19,399 --> 00:04:21,640 might know if you've listened to this show for a while is when I 58 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:25,880 talk about feedback, I talk about it from a very strategic 59 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:29,120 perspective. So one of the first questions is 60 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:32,560 what is it that you want this feedback to do? 61 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:36,840 What is the change you want to see as a result of giving this 62 00:04:36,840 --> 00:04:39,480 feedback? And very often, and this was 63 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:42,200 true for me when I first became a manager and I thought, oh, my 64 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:44,800 job is to give feedback. I want to be good at this. 65 00:04:44,840 --> 00:04:48,280 So I'll just be really thorough and some, sometimes we think, 66 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:52,680 oh, I want to be good at this. I don't know how to think about 67 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:56,920 what that means. So I know I'll just be thorough, 68 00:04:56,920 --> 00:04:59,560 I'll be comprehensive. I'll give them everything. 69 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:03,040 And then it ends up not having the effect we want. 70 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:06,840 And people might feel picked on, or they might feel 71 00:05:06,840 --> 00:05:10,360 unappreciated, or they might feel just overwhelmed, like they 72 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:13,440 don't know where to start with the feedback you've given 73 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:20,680 because there wasn't a clear, grounded strategy behind why you 74 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:23,600 were doing that. And this I think is important 75 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:26,760 because, you know, every organization is different in 76 00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:32,680 terms of their formal and informal communication styles 77 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:37,360 and also in their formal and informal processes for how you 78 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:42,600 get work done, for how you do feedback, for how you do 79 00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:45,440 meetings. And so there's so much value 80 00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:49,960 that I see when we take the time to step back for a moment and 81 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:54,760 ask these bigger and foundational questions around 82 00:05:55,360 --> 00:05:59,840 how am I communicating? How would I like to communicate? 83 00:05:59,840 --> 00:06:03,000 What is the effect I want this communication to have? 84 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:08,440 And when we start to have a little more of that space and we 85 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:13,840 start to cultivate the perspective that brings like a 86 00:06:13,840 --> 00:06:18,000 strategic lens to what your choices are and what your 87 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:23,120 desired outcomes are, it then equips you to become more 88 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:29,000 adaptive in dynamic environments that includes with dynamic 89 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:31,920 personalities. So a variety of different 90 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:35,640 personalities, preferences and styles, but also in an 91 00:06:35,640 --> 00:06:38,160 organization that might be going through change. 92 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:43,520 And honestly, you know, whether you are in a small startup, a 93 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:49,000 global nonprofit, a government agency, you know, an institution 94 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:53,000 of higher learning or of, you know, or of healthcare, like 95 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:57,120 every organization is going through change. 96 00:06:57,800 --> 00:07:01,240 This is something that I think we have all seen over the last 97 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:05,000 four years, whether you know, whether you are a, you know, a 98 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:07,240 startup or a legacy organization. 99 00:07:07,720 --> 00:07:12,800 And so, you know, rather than trying to solve for each little 100 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:17,280 challenge separately, when we start to take a more systems 101 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:20,080 level look, and that's what we're doing when we're thinking 102 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:23,400 about strategy, we're asking about like, how does the system 103 00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:25,520 work? And how do all these different, 104 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:29,280 you know, people and forces and constraints and opportunities, 105 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:32,440 How do they connect? What's the relationship here? 106 00:07:32,760 --> 00:07:37,640 And then what will I choose in order to facilitate the outcome 107 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:42,240 that I want to see happen? It's really hard to, you know, 108 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:45,920 get that level of thinking when we're, you know, sort of keeping 109 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:48,720 our head above water and just trying to get everything done. 110 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:52,280 And this is one of the reasons why I love coaching and why I 111 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:57,080 love group learning is sometimes it's nice to have a community of 112 00:07:57,080 --> 00:08:02,680 people who are all wanting to get better, who all care about 113 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:06,000 doing a good job and, you know, being very human centered. 114 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:08,760 And they want to be kind, but they also want to get things 115 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:13,720 done to have that place where you can share what you're 116 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:16,920 dealing with and what you're working on and learn how to get 117 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:20,440 better with others. So number one, you realize, OK, 118 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:23,360 I'm not alone. This is not some kind of, you 119 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:25,960 know, deficit that I have. I'm just, I'm learning and this 120 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:27,400 is the thing I'm learning right now. 121 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:31,040 That alone can create so much relief. 122 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:34,240 And just let the pressure that we often put on ourselves when 123 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:37,400 we're high achievers, it can let that pressure ease up a little 124 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:40,400 bit when you realize, no, this is just part of the learning 125 00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:42,320 journey and the leadership journey. 126 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:44,840 And I'm in really good company here. 127 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:49,440 It's also wonderful to learn with people who don't know you, 128 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:53,320 who don't work with you, who maybe work in different 129 00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:56,360 industries or in different kinds of organizations. 130 00:08:56,760 --> 00:08:58,960 I think of it as cross pollination. 131 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:03,240 Like there's so much that you learn about how to work with 132 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:07,480 humans when you're talking with humans who have some different 133 00:09:07,480 --> 00:09:10,280 circumstances but some similar themes. 134 00:09:10,560 --> 00:09:14,320 So there's a lot of shared learning and a lot of like aha 135 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:19,600 moments when you start to talk to other folks about some of the 136 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,560 challenges that you're facing. And especially noting that it's 137 00:09:22,560 --> 00:09:24,920 a private space, it's a confidential space. 138 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:28,760 And so, you know, unless you sign up with your manager, like 139 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:32,120 your manager's not going to be overseeing how you're doing 140 00:09:32,120 --> 00:09:35,280 there, you really have the safety to learn. 141 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:38,760 And that's a thing I've learned too in my years as a teacher and 142 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:42,000 a coach and a facilitator. It's that when we feel more 143 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:46,520 safe, we learn faster. When we're feeling worried or 144 00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:51,360 when we're perceiving high risk or threat, we tend to learn 145 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:55,440 slower because our brain is worried about keeping us safe. 146 00:09:55,920 --> 00:10:00,280 So I really want to, you know, like name that to you and also 147 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:03,520 invite you in because that's also part of what is happening 148 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:07,240 in this in the group cohort and why I love teaching in Group 149 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:10,000 settings. And then finally, the other 150 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:14,840 great thing about learning in a group with people that work in 151 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:17,760 other companies, other industries, other kinds of 152 00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:25,800 organizations is it also begins to cultivate and expand your 153 00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:30,920 professional ecosystem. I mean, that is one of the best 154 00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:35,240 things ever is you never know who you will meet, whether that 155 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:40,280 becomes the next person that you end up hiring for something else 156 00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:43,760 or maybe they know somebody that when you're looking for another 157 00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:46,480 job or you're looking to hire someone onto your team. 158 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:54,800 By having a diverse professional network, by basically knowing 159 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:59,440 other people and letting other people know you who are in 160 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:03,920 different organizations, different industries, you now 161 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:08,320 enrich your professional ecosystem as well as your 162 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:10,720 personal relationships. And you know what? 163 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:14,240 By you being a part of that community, you're doing the same 164 00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:16,680 for them. There's so much value in who you 165 00:11:16,680 --> 00:11:22,360 are as a person, in your specific perspective and 166 00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:26,600 background as you've, you know, lived your years on the planet 167 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:29,880 and have had different kinds of experiences working with 168 00:11:29,880 --> 00:11:31,880 different kinds of people and different kinds of 169 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:35,480 organizations. So I am very excited about all 170 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:39,760 of this and I'm glad that you are here because you are invited 171 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:42,680 to join as well. A couple things that are going 172 00:11:42,680 --> 00:11:45,520 to be new this round. If you've been following me for 173 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:49,880 a while, this round we're focusing on communication 174 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:55,960 strategies as I mentioned, and I'm also using a new platform to 175 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:58,960 deliver this course. And I'm excited about it because 176 00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:02,200 it's going to provide us with so much support. 177 00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:05,760 It's going to create a very streamlined experience for you 178 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:09,640 and it's, you'll see it. I will, I will put the link to 179 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:14,400 the enrollment page into the chat because I, I want you to 180 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:16,600 see this for yourself. And when you go to the 181 00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:20,160 enrollment page, you're going to also see the syllabus, You're 182 00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:23,160 going to see the projects that are part of this. 183 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:27,240 I want this to be bite sized, but engaging so that you're 184 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:29,840 actually taking the learning and applying it. 185 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:34,720 And as a result, like you're going to come away with more 186 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:38,600 clarity about what it means for you to be a good manager and a 187 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:41,440 great leader. You're going to get more time 188 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:44,560 for that strategic thinking because we're going to take the 189 00:12:44,560 --> 00:12:47,240 time together. And I'll walk you through that. 190 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:51,320 You'll be more prepared for the tough conversations that 191 00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:56,160 inevitably show up in the course of one's career, and you're 192 00:12:56,160 --> 00:12:58,680 going to feel more confident in speaking up. 193 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:01,680 One of the things I love coaching my clients on is 194 00:13:01,680 --> 00:13:05,480 identifying the source of their own authentic confidence and 195 00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:10,320 also identifying the blocks so that we can then eliminate and 196 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:13,920 reduce them. You'll also learn about managing 197 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:17,960 up such an important topic at every stage of your career. 198 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:21,440 Even if you're the CEO or the executive director, you're 199 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:24,320 probably still managing up to the board. 200 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:27,320 So managing up, that's a great skill. 201 00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:30,200 We want to talk about that and communication strategies for 202 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:33,960 that as well. So I want to invite you to come. 203 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:39,600 We are going to start our first class on September 17th. 204 00:13:40,480 --> 00:13:45,040 You will be able to sign up now because that registration page 205 00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:48,440 is open. Go into the show notes and click 206 00:13:48,440 --> 00:13:51,760 on the link and you will see everything that's included in 207 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:55,200 the course and you'll be able to sign up right away. 208 00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:59,320 If you have any questions, just send me a message and I'll put a 209 00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:01,880 note for how to do that too into the chat. 210 00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:04,840 But I really am excited about this. 211 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:09,200 You know, I think that by improving communication skills 212 00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:14,480 and by having that space to think strategically, it allows 213 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:17,920 us to use our time better. It allows us to show up with 214 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:22,480 greater confidence, ease and calm, and to be that leader 215 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:24,800 that, you know you want to be, right? 216 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:30,680 The person who can help to bring calm and groundedness into your 217 00:14:30,680 --> 00:14:34,560 organization and can inspire people to work well together, 218 00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:37,360 even if those people are all kind of different. 219 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:41,560 You know, I have sometimes said in the in when I'm teaching my 220 00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:44,760 classes, you know, we always think like, if only everyone was 221 00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:50,920 like me, it'd be so easy because we don't realize just the 222 00:14:50,920 --> 00:14:54,800 variety of how people are motivated, how people 223 00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:58,880 communicate differently, how people have different desires 224 00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:01,760 and sometimes competing priorities and interests. 225 00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:05,280 So when you learn and feel better about the way you're 226 00:15:05,280 --> 00:15:09,480 communicating and the strategies behind it, you'll be able to 227 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:14,720 have a little more ease and a little more just like a little 228 00:15:14,720 --> 00:15:16,720 more joy in the way that you work. 229 00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:20,120 And then you'll have a little more ease and a little more joy 230 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:23,320 outside of work because you won't be feeling as stressed 231 00:15:23,320 --> 00:15:25,720 about it. So anyway, that's what I wanted 232 00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:28,000 to share with you today. I do hope you join us. 233 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:31,960 It's going to be amazing and I will talk to you next time. 234 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:39,360 When you're more effective at work, you're happier in your 235 00:15:39,360 --> 00:15:43,120 life, and when you're happier in your life, you're more effective 236 00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:44,960 at work. I can help. 237 00:15:45,120 --> 00:15:49,520 Go to my website, kimnickel.com and sign up for a coaching 238 00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:51,960 consult. It can get better.