The Manager Track

What's Compassionate Leadership?

31 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week’s episode, we’re going to talk about compassionate leadership and how it might help you elevate your own leadership and create better...

3 Mistakes Managers Make During 1-on-1 Meetings

24 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week’s episode of The Manager Track podcast, we’re going to talk about some of the most common mistakes that I see with people running one...

Stop The Advice Trap (Book Excerpt)

17 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Coinciding with the launch of Ramona's book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role',...

What Is Your Leadership Philosophy?

10 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week’s episode of The Manager Track podcast, we’re going to talk about what your leadership philosophy is, why you should have one, and ho...

Train Your Thinking to Become a Better Leader

03 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I love helping my clients with tactical, practical changes. But what we can't ignore is that the way we think has a huge impact on how well we lead. ...

Protect Your Confidence as a Leader

26 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Protecting your confidence is a topic dear to my heart, and over the years I’ve noticed what are the most common confidence-hindering challenges lea...

How to Handle Criticism at Work

19 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever been in a situation when you received criticism at work and it was hard to take? Maybe you got defensive or maybe you felt resentful or ...

Become Great at Hiring - With Tatiyana Cure

12 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week’s episode of The Manager Track podcast, you’ll hear a conversation with Tatiyana Cure on how to become great at hiring. Tatiyana is a...

People-Pleasing Leaders: An Oxymoron

05 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Do you find it hard to say no to people? Do you struggle to meet people’s needs all the time? Do you often avoid conflict or confrontation? If yo...

What It Was Like to Be a New Manager - with Lisa, Susan, and Dave

29 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 100 is here!! 🎉 Reaching episode 100 is worth celebrating... but for sure not alone! For this reason, I invited 3 former students of the L...

Stop Asking for Direction

22 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most exciting parts about your new role is that you get to have a greater say on the direction and focus of your team’s work. You’re...

Leading a Hybrid Team

15 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Many of my clients' employers are currently getting ready to or are already in the process of moving back to the office. But for most, it won't be as ...

How to Get Approval for a Professional Development Budget

08 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One of my top 3 values is growth. And based on the fact that you're reading this right now, I'm guessing growth and learning are pretty important to y...

What Makes Us Feel Fulfilled at Work - With Bruna De Palo

01 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How fulfilled are you in your job? And how fulfilled do you think your team members are? If these questions sound worth thinking about some more then...

Do You Validate or Elevate Your Directs?

22 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What do you say to direct reports who vent to you about things that aren't going well or decisions they disagree with? Do you feed into it and maybe e...

The Power of Questions

15 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Are you an 'answer person' or are you a 'question person'? As a student and early on in your career as an Individual Contributor, you likely had to g...

The Shadow Sides of Being a "Type A" Leader

08 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you're a leader and you relate to being "Type A", then there's no doubt that this is influencing the way your lead. And it's likely that these tr...

How Men Can Become Effective Allies in the Workplace

01 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's talk about masculinity in the workplace. According to Ray Arata (the guest on the podcast this week), there is healthy and unhealthy or toxic...

How Coaching Helped This Director of Engineering - With Joshua Samberg

25 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is a conversation between Joshua Samberg, a Director of Engineering at productboard and a leadership coaching client, and Ramona. This ep...

Leading Older People

18 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

4 in 10 US employees work for a younger boss and it's been said that in many industries and professions 30 is the new 50. If you find yourself in a ...

The Entry Interview

11 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I'll share what an Entry Interview is and how it can help you ignite strong relationships with your new hires. The Entry Interview...

The 3 Steps to Achieving Your Career Goals in 2022

04 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As we're kicking off 2022, I thought it would be the perfect time to talk about goals and goal setting. But don't you worry.. I'm not gonna go down ...

Re-Release: The First 30 Days as a New Manager

29 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This is a re-release of one of the most popular episodes of The Manager Track podcast. And if you were recently promoted into your first leadership ro...

Re-Release: How To Negotiate Your Pay Raise

21 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This is a re-release of one of the most popular episodes of The Manager Track podcast. Whether you just got a pay raise or you feel deflated after a f...

How Stoicism Can Inspire Mindful Leadership - With CIO Michael McGill

14 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I'm thrilled to share this interview with Michael McGill, CIO at Medical Service Company, with you.  Michael has successfully led his department ...

12 Unspoken Rules of Management

07 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Being in a leadership role comes with a lot of unspoken rules. Things that are not written in your job description, yet are critical for you to know i...

Having High Standards

30 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How high do you set the bar for yourself and for others? If you're anything like most of my clients then your answer is probably "pretty high." The ...

Leaders' Exhaustion

23 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine this: you’re a high-performing manager taking your career seriously. Lately, though, you've been feeling exhausted and worn out. You know...

How to Overcome Your Brain's Fixation on Bad Things

16 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Do you sometimes ruminate for hours over a critical comment from a co-worker or from your boss? Or when you evaluate your team member, do you find it...

How to Change Behaviors and Grow as a Leader

09 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Have you been trying to be more confident or assertive at work? Or have you been wanting to block out more time for strategic thinking? Or maybe you'v...

How to Create a Strategy for Your Team

02 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Get this... 96% of leaders say they lack the time for strategic thinking and 43% of managers cannot stat their own strategy (HBR). That's crazy, righ...

Being Caught In The Middle of Vax Mandates

26 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Whether we like it or not, the discussion on vax mandates will become more prominent over the next few months as companies who aim to return employees...

Curiosity: Your Doorway to Positive Relationships and Collaborative Leadership with Dr. Alison Horstmeyer

19 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Could it be that your "expert mindset" is what got into your first leadership but now actually gets in the way of your leadership effectiveness? I he...

Is It Me or Is It Them?

12 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Is it me or is it them?" This is a question that I hear so often from new managers.  So, let's peel the onion on this one in this week's episode...

6 Often-Overlooked Traits That Separate Great Leaders From The Rest

05 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What do you think makes a great leader? Intelligence, confidence, charisma, or expertise? These all sound reasonable, right? But over the many ye...

How My APS Method Helps (New) Managers Succeed

28 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today, I want to take you behind the scenes of my coaching practice and introduce you to my proprietary APS Method. Here is the thing... If you wan...

How Great Leaders Control Their Egos

21 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here is the thing when it comes to our egos... It is a lot easier to see someone else’s than it is to see your own. It’s like that little piece...

Manage Your Mind Before You Manage People

14 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The responsibility of leading other people comes with the responsibility to lead yourself - and this is what we call Self-Leadership. A big component...

How to Fast Track Your Leadership Without Extra Stress & Long Hours

07 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Join Stacey Ashley and me in this conversation as we discuss how leaders can increase their effectiveness and expand their impact without adding more ...

How to Deal With "Toxic" People at Work

31 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The vast majority, let's say 95% of people are good, caring people who have no intentions to hurt anyone. But then there are a few people who demonstr...

Why Coach When Giving Advice Is So Much Easier?

24 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Although giving advice could be so much easier and faster, when you apply a coach-like approach as a manager, you increase self-responsibility and sel...

Stop Feeling Responsible For How Other People Feel

17 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I got a question for you... How do you feel when someone else is having a negative emotional reaction because of something you did or said? If you f...

How Do You Measure Your Own Performance?

10 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How do you know if you're doing a good job at work? Is it praise and recognition from others? A promotion? A bonus? Or a good performance review? ...

The Attitudes & Principles of Leadership

03 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to leadership development, I take a hard stance against simple plug & play kinda playbooks that completely leave out awareness build...

Managing a High-Performer

27 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Managing an ambitious high-performer who is maybe even more knowledgable than you or who wants to become a people leader and have your job one day is ...

New Managers: Being "Productive" Means Something Different Now

20 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Do you ever end your day wondering where all the hours went? Your to-do list is longer than it was in the morning, and it feels you got nothing import...

3 Tips to Influence Other People's Decisions

13 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ever been super convinced that your idea was the best but then to your complete surprise your boss decided to take a different route? The reason for...

4 Stoic Principles That Will Make You a Better Leader

06 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“No random actions, none not based on underlying principles.” — Marcus Aurelius (Roman emperor and one of the main Stoic philosophers) Stoicis...

From IC to Manager - 4 Main Shifts

29 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

40-60% of new managers fail or underperform within their first 2 years on the job! It's shocking, and it hurts! If you're new to leadership then you ...

Building Confidence

22 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Most of us aren't born with rock-solid, bulletproof confidence. Instead, we have to build it, rebuild it, and protect it as we go through life a...

6 Warning Signs That Your New Hire Won't Work Out

15 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Does this sound familiar?... You‘re excited about a new employee you hired. They start, you introduce them to co-workers, clients, and leadership a...

The First 30 Days as a New Manager

08 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

During these first few weeks as a new manager, everyone will be watching you - from your team members to your boss, and to your new peers. All eyes a...

Attitude & Leadership

01 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Attitude is (almost) everything! The pressure of leadership, personal issues, and life, in general, can impact your mood, energy, and attitude. And...

Busting 3 Myths of Leadership (for New Managers)

25 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A couple of years ago, I heard Melanie Perkins, 34-year old co-founder and CEO of Canva, say that she doesn’t think that the employees work for her ...

Hiring Best Practices for Managers

16 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Interviewing isn't easy and with the added pressure to find the right match quickly, this process is a common challenge so many of my clients have. ...

3 Big Mistakes New Managers Make & How to Avoid Them

11 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Becoming a new manager can be both exciting and overwhelming. The biggest challenge is that most new managers don't receive any leadership training. ...

How Not To Micromanage

04 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Please micromanage me!"... said NO employee, EVER! Yet, 60-80% of employees (depending on the study) say that they've been micromanaged at least on...

5 Strategies to Be More Present as a Leader

27 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You'll walk away from this episode with actionable tips on how to increase your presence as a leader. Bain & Company found that among 33 leaders...

Leaders: Commit to Yourself! - An Interview with Ela Staniak

20 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

...How committed are you to yourself? To your personal growth, your happiness, and your contentment? So committed you would stop WHAT you are doing an...

Great Leaders Unlearn These 3 Lessons Once Learned In School

13 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What if things that you've learned in school are actually more hurtful than helpful now that you're in a leadership role? This episode will spark you...

Dealing With Failure

06 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Do you know what Dr. Seuss, Oprah Winfrey, JK Rowlings, Elvis Presley, and Walt Disney have in common? They all FAILED epically early on in their car...

Uncovering Blindspots & The Johari Window

30 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, you'll learn how you can use the Johari Window as a tool to help you uncover blindspot and build better relationships with others and...

How The Myers-Briggs Assessment Can Help You Lead

23 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Great leadership begins with great self-awareness. Successful leaders understand their natural preferences and they know how to flex their style to...

What Causes Imposter Syndrome?

16 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Think of your greatest achievements. Do you feel proud of what you've accomplished? Or do you feel like a fraud and think your success was either luck...

Want to be Liked or Respected? Why it's the Wrong Question to Ask

09 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this short but powerful episode, we explore why effective leaders people love to work for are both liked and respected. - WHAT YOU'LL WALK AWAY WI...

How to Be More Focused and Get Less Distracted

02 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How often do you find yourself distracted or interrupted at work? Maybe you keep checking Slack, or you walk to the fridge more often you should, or m...

Is Your Thinking Helping or Hurting You?

23 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When we think something over and over again, they quickly become patterns and those patterns then turn into beliefs.  Now believes can either be...

How to Run 1-on-1 Meetings Your Direct Reports Actually Enjoy

16 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You’ve probably heard about the benefits of 1-on-1s but you’re not sure how you should run them effectively and not turn them into simple status u...

From Bud to Boss - A Coaching Conversation with Jen

09 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This is a live coaching conversation about transitioning from being a peer to being the new manager. Jen got promoted into her first leadership role ...

Three Ways to Learn From Mistakes and Failure (and Not Get Knocked Down)

02 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Failures and mistakes... We all make them. You might have bombed an interview, dropped the ball on a high-stake project, missed a deadline, wrote bug...

The 3 Steps to Reach Your Next Career Goal in 2021

26 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's the perfect time to start thinking about pursuing that next goal in your career or to finally achieve a goal you may have been forced to put on h...

How to Have Difficult Conversations that Inspire and Motivate - An Interview with Aleta Maxwell

19 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In December, I checked out my podcast stats to see which topics seemed to resonate most with all of you.  Here are the top 3 episodes of 2020: ...

Own Your Leadership - A Coaching Call with Sue

12 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Listen in to this insightful coaching call with Sue. Yes, you kinda get to be a fly on the wall :-) We cover three main questions: What makes you ...

Become a Strategic Thinker

05 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When we look at research about 96%. of leaders say they lack time for strategic thinking. Even though most leaders know that they need to be more st...

Holiday Edition: Gift Ideas for Professional Growth

15 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Recently, someone reached out to me on LinkedIn and asked if he could purchase one of my training programs as a Christmas gift for his girlfriend.&nbs...

Creating a Social Contract as a Team

08 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we discuss the importance of a year-end review and reflection with your team and how to create a social contract as a team. A social...

Should I Stay or Should I Go? - A Coaching Conversation With Elaine

01 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This is a live coaching conversation about making a career decision. Elaine is currently in a good role at a good company and working with a good tea...

Accelerating Careers for Women in Data - An Interview with Sadie St. Lawrence

24 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Join me in this episode as I speak with Sadie St. Lawrence, the founder and Executive Director of Women in Data. We talk about her mission to increase...

Master Any Conflict Situation

17 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Being nice and kind doesn't mean that you'll be spared from conflict. Facing conflict and opposition is part of being human and part of work...

How to Support your Team Post Election

10 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Biden won the race but the election-related anxiety and the stress won't dissipate as political conversations, disputes, and POTUS tweets will continu...

The Two Common Blindspots Managers Have and How to Overcome Them

03 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

One of the biggest mistakes that I see managers make is to ignore their blindspots. We all have them but there are specific ways to uncover and overco...

Why Having a Sponsor at Work Will Help You Get Ahead

27 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to getting ahead you need more than a manager and a mentor; you need someone who advocates for you when you’re not in the room. That t...

How to Negotiate a Pay Raise

20 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tell me if this sounds familiar... You're a high-performer and are doing great work for your company. You're constantly exceeding expectations, are ...

How to confidently speak and present yourself online or offline - with Ravi Rajani

13 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

I'm thrilled to bring Ravi Rajani to you and to pick his brain, on your and my behalf, about how to confidently speak and present ourselves onlin...

The Reason Why You're Feeling Stuck

06 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We first focus on building hard skills, then we invest in strengthening our soft skills.. but when do we actually spend time in up-leveling our mindse...

"Can I Be Friends With My Direct Reports?"

29 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"Can I Be Friends With My Direct Reports?" This is a question I often get asked when I do management trainings in organizations. I'd l...

How to Become a Better Leader with DISC

22 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Do you work with someone who you just don’t get or who just doesn’t get you? Each day, most of us wake up in the morning and interact with other ...

Using LinkedIn To Attract Job Opportunities - With Chris Villanueva

15 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Studies show that 70-85% of jobs (especially the good ones) are filled through internal candidates or employees' networks. That's a staggeri...

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

08 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If you doubt yourself, feel like you don't belong or like you're a fraud or if you think that your success is due to luck then this episode is for you...

Moving into Leadership - With Phil Burgess

30 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ramona and Phil Burgess host of the IT Career Energizer podcast discuss successful leadership, remote working, and the importance of ...

The Importance of Trust in Leadership - With Brian Harman

25 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

About two years ago, I went through training by a company called Landmark. During the training, I learned about the concept of Integrity. In Lan...

How to Ask for Feedback

18 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine an athlete who never receives feedback on their performance. You'd probably agree that chances for this person to make it to the Olympic games...

Embrace & Express Your True Self With De'Nicea Hilton

11 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In today’s episode, I’m joined by De’Nicea Hilton. De’Nicea helps women embrace, embody, and express their perfect authentic self. Gentlemen, ...

How to Navigate Negative Emotions at Work

04 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We all have moments when we feel angry or emotional at work and that's not a bad thing. In fact, those emotional moments are signals and often present...

Coping With The Crisis - How to use your body intelligence to make faster & better decisions

26 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I'm joined by Marie-Jeanne Juilland, an executive coach and mindfulness expert. We discuss how to tap into your "gut feelin...

How to Eliminate Distractions

21 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If you find it challenging to stay focused during the day and to get your most important work done in a productive way, then this episode is for you.&...

Unconscious Biases in The Workplace - An Interview

14 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Yes, I'm biased... and you are, too.Ouch, I know!Just like you, I wished that I could say I'm free of biases... be these biases on race, gen...

Why Telling People What To Do Often Doesn't Work

07 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Does this here sound familiar? Your direct report is making little progress on a project. You know how to do it, so you try to help by telling her w...

A Powerful Perspective From a Black Woman

30 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This is part 2 of a series of honest, real, and unscripted conversations with Black professionals about their experiences with racism and discriminati...

How To Win In Office Politics

23 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What's your first reaction when you hear the words OFFICE POLITICS?Do you dread it? Do you prefer to ignore it? Do you think it's about bein...