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The Modern Manager

The Modern Manager

Written by: Mamie Kanfer Stewart
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Host Mamie Kanfer Stewart shares practical approaches to help you be a great manager. Learn more at: https://themodernmanager.com/ Solo episodes are like mini-courses, providing actionable tips based on experience and research. Guest episodes are engaging conversations that elicit insights and suggestions for how to apply the ideas. Learn more about effective meeting practices, communication skills, managing conflict, team building, time management, group dynamics, goal setting and accountability, team competencies, productivity and collaboration technologies, organizational culture, and more. Be sure to follow the podcast on your favorite platform so you never miss a new episode!© 2021 The Modern Manager Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • 410: The Simple Coaching Habit That Changes How Teams Think with Laura and Dominic Ashley-Timms

    410: The Simple Coaching Habit That Changes How Teams Think with Laura and Dominic Ashley-Timms
    Jun 2 2026
    Most managers think their job is to have the answers.But the managers who create the strongest teams often do the opposite: they ask better questions.The challenge is that under pressure, most of us default to fixing, advising, and jumping in with solutions. And while that may feel efficient in the moment, it can unintentionally shut down ownership, confidence, and independent thinking on our teams.Fortunately, this week’s guests explain why coaching doesn’t have to mean hour-long development conversations or formal mentoring sessions. Instead, they share how small “coachable moments” in everyday work conversations can transform the way people think, learn, and perform.Laura Ashley-Timms and Dominic Ashley-Timms are leadership experts, executive coaches, and authors of The Answer Is A Question. Their work focuses on helping managers use operational coaching techniques to develop more confident, capable, and engaged teams through the power of purposeful inquiry.In this conversation, we explore how to identify coachable moments, the kinds of questions that build confidence and critical thinking, and why managers who stop rushing to provide answers often unlock far greater performance from their teams.Conversation Topics(00:00) Introduction(02:14) Why managers default to giving answers instead of coaching(05:27) What makes a moment “coachable”(08:43) How operational coaching builds confidence and ownership(12:08) The difference between helpful questions and advice disguised as questions(14:31) The Ques-Gen framework for asking better questions(18:21) How purposeful inquiry creates new insights and learning(19:27) Questions that unintentionally shut people down(22:20) How to share your ideas without dominating the conversation(24:38) The leadership shift from problem-solver to talent developer(30:10) [Extended Episode Only] How to decide if a situation is truly coachable(33:36) [Extended Episode Only] Why small coaching moments create long-term team growth(35:17) [Extended Episode Only] The growing pressure managers face today(37:24) [Extended Episode Only] Why “accidental managers” are burning out(38:56) [Extended Episode Only] Reframing management as enabling others to succeed📚 Additional Resources:✨ Get the extended episode by joining The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community for just $15 per month✨ Read the full transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nDydcM3ozLY1UtVNN7O0AqMJr1rs5JkuWe8KDq6EdQE/edit?usp=sharing ✨Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipwithmamie/ ✨Visit my website for more: https://www.mamieks.com/ ✨Upskill your team: https://themodernmanager.com/replaybundle ✨ Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7jhYz8b16g1SsLia4EhO5w?sub_confirmation=1 Keep up with Laura Ashley-Timms and Dominic Ashley-Timms- Connect with Laura on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/laura-ashley-timms- Connect with Dominic on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/dominic-ashley-timms- Listen to the STAR® Manager Podcast: https://STARmanager.global/podcast- Check out their book The Answer Is A Question: https://www.amazon.com/Answer-Question-Superpower-Everything-Transform/dp/0117093912Guest Bonus: 10 Free Audiobooks of The Answer is A QuestionThis book provides a step-by-step walk-through of their ground-breaking STAR® model. Packed with invaluable insights, examples, and mini-missions, you’ll learn precisely how to make some immediate changes that will yield fast and exciting results and revolutionise how you manage forever.The first 10 members to sign up will receive the audiobook.To get this bonus and many other member benefits, become a member of The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community.---------------------The Modern Manager is a leadership podcast for rockstar managers who want to create a working environment where people thrive, and great work gets done.Follow The Modern Manager on your favorite podcast platform so you won’t miss an episode!#LeadershipDevelopment #ManagementSkills #CoachingSkills #PeopleManagement #LeadershipCommunication #ManagerTips #WorkplaceLeadership #EmotionalIntelligence #TeamLeadership #CoachingConversations #ManagerTraining #FutureOfWork #LeadershipGrowth #EmployeeDevelopment #OperationalCoaching
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    32 mins
  • 409: The Feedback Conversation Managers Avoid (And How to Finally Have It)

    409: The Feedback Conversation Managers Avoid (And How to Finally Have It)
    May 26 2026

    Most managers think difficult feedback conversations are hard because they don’t know what to say.


    But often the real problem is that the conversation they’re preparing for is the wrong one.


    In this episode, I break down why feedback conversations become so emotionally exhausting, why managers keep delaying them, and how unclear expectations quietly damage trust long before feedback is ever delivered.


    You’ll learn why feedback only works when there’s a shared understanding of standards first, how to shift from a “feedback conversation” to a “clarity conversation,” and four practical moves that make difficult conversations more productive and less emotionally charged.


    In the extended version, I also explore what to do when the conversation still doesn’t work, how to identify whether the real issue is clarity, capability, motivation, or systems constraints, and why repeating the same conversation louder rarely fixes the problem.


    By the end of this episode, you’ll have a practical framework for approaching difficult conversations with more clarity, less avoidance, and a much better chance of creating real change.


    Conversation Topics

    • (00:00) The parking garage moment managers know too well
    • (01:32) Why feedback conversations feel so difficult
    • (02:28) The hidden problem: unclear standards and assumptions
    • (03:39) Why feedback is really a clarity conversation
    • (04:54) Move #1: Name the conversation before it starts
    • (05:50) Move #2: Lead with the observable gap, not emotions
    • (07:00) Move #3: Make the conversation collaborative, not a verdict
    • (07:00) Move #4: End with recommitment and accountability
    • (07:00) [EXTENDED ONLY] Why discomfort doesn’t always mean the conversation failed
    • (08:02) [EXTENDED ONLY] The difference between capability, will, and systems gaps
    • (09:22) [EXTENDED ONLY] Why repeating the same feedback conversation louder rarely works
    • (10:17) [EXTENDED ONLY] Reframing feedback as alignment instead of judgment

    📚 Additional Resources


    ✨ Read the transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iw4Ci7hYzU-1kSC8biwCp7opAjCuXcJJSRH7oP69PGk/edit?usp=sharing


    ✨ Follow me on Instagram:

    https://www.instagram.com/leadershipwithmamie/


    ✨ Visit my website for more:

    https://www.mamieks.com/


    ✨ Level up your skills:

    https://themodernmanager.com/replaybundle


    ✨ Subscribe to my YouTube channel:

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7jhYz8b16g1SsLia4EhO5w?sub_confirmation=1

    The Modern Manager is a leadership podcast for rockstar managers who want to create a working environment where people thrive, and great work gets done.


    Follow The Modern Manager on your favorite podcast platform so you won’t miss an episode!

    #Leadership #Management #Feedback #CommunicationSkills #ManagerTools #WorkplaceCommunication #LeadershipDevelopment #TheModernManager
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    8 mins
  • 408: Why AI Makes Human Thinking More Valuable, Not Less with Dr. Vivienne Ming

    408: Why AI Makes Human Thinking More Valuable, Not Less with Dr. Vivienne Ming
    May 19 2026
    AI can now answer questions faster, cheaper, and sometimes better than humans. So where does that leave managers and teams?For many leaders, the instinct is to use AI to speed up execution and automate tasks. But the bigger challenge isn’t getting faster answers. It’s learning how to ask better questions, navigate uncertainty, and create environments where people are encouraged to think critically, experiment, and complement AI.Fortunately, this week’s guest explains why the future of work won’t belong to the people who always have the right answers but to the teams that know how to explore problems with AI as their partner.Dr. Vivienne Ming is a neuroscientist, entrepreneur, and author of Robot-Proof: When Machines Have All the Answers, Build Better People. Her work focuses on the intersection of artificial intelligence, human potential, and innovation, helping organizations understand which uniquely human skills become even more valuable in an AI-driven world.In this conversation, we explore the difference between well-posed and ill-posed problems, why curiosity and intellectual humility matter more than expertise, and how managers can build teams that think more creatively alongside AI instead of becoming dependent on it.Conversation Topics(00:00) Introduction(03:42) Why AI excels at “well-posed” problems(07:00) The kinds of problems humans still solve best(10:41) Why uncertainty makes managers uncomfortable(13:20) How AI can create the illusion of understanding(15:13) The human skills that become more valuable in an AI-driven world(19:37) What “hybrid intelligence” between humans and AI looks like(23:18) Why curiosity and intellectual humility outperform expertise alone(27:12) How productive disagreement improves team thinking(32:19) [Extended Episode Only] Building resilience, curiosity, and learning through failure(35:48) [Extended Episode Only] Why rewarding “productive mistakes” matters(40:56) [Extended Episode Only] Using constructive criticism to generate better ideas📚 Additional Resources:✨ Get the extended episode by joining The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community for just $15 per month✨ Read the full transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jDqGUcP6zMtset2bPAkMNxaa40MQc4yuhK8kcgY-8KU/edit?usp=sharing ✨Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipwithmamie/ ✨Visit my website for more: https://www.mamieks.com/ ✨Upskill your team: https://themodernmanager.com/replaybundle ✨ Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7jhYz8b16g1SsLia4EhO5w?sub_confirmation=1 Keep up with Dr. Vivienne Ming and SOCoS- Visit SOCoS here: https://socos.org/- Check out the book Robot-Proof: When Machines Have All the Answers, Build Better People: https://socos.org/robot-proof Guest Bonus: Book Giveaway: Robot-Proof: When Machines Have All the Answers, Build Better PeopleDr. Vivienne Ming helps readers grasp the ugly and the amazing of how individuals, companies, and societies will respond to the changes that are already taking hold due to the advent of AI. With poignant insight and delicate care to keep us grounded in the human perspective, Robot-Proof is an entertaining and thought-provoking read for all individuals seeking to understand the next steps in a new and completely unprecedented world.To get this bonus and many other member benefits, become a member of The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community.---------------------The Modern Manager is a leadership podcast for rockstar managers who want to create a working environment where people thrive and great work gets done.Follow The Modern Manager on your favorite podcast platform so you won’t miss an episode!#ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfWork #LeadershipDevelopment #AIatWork #CriticalThinking #InnovationCulture #Curiosity #WorkplaceLearning #LeadershipSkills #DigitalTransformation #CreativeThinking #ProblemSolving #HumanSkills #Management #AILeadership
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    34 mins
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