You hired someone with potential. You believed in them. You invested in training, coaching, one-on-ones. And still — they struggled.
Most development fails not because people aren’t trying, but because we skip three critical assessments before we invest: Readiness, Capacity, and Desire.
In this episode, I share the story of a hire I failed — someone exceptional at relationships who couldn’t develop the technical skills the role required. I mistook belief for readiness, and both of us paid the price.
Prefer to read? Visit → The Manager’s Compass for the written guide and linked Trail Map tool.
You’ll learn• Why 80–90% of skills learned in training are lost within a year• The three assessments to run before any development plan• How to tell the difference between a skill gap and a mismatch• When to pivot from development to role adjustment• Why we promote people into management without assessing readiness, capacity, or desire
Free Trail Map
Development Readiness Assessment — Three-question framework with fill-in templates, red-flag list, and scripts for honest development talks.
→ subscribepage.io/fieldnotes or Trail Maps
Pro Toolkit
Reality-Based Employee Development Toolkit — Full system with tracking tools, scenario libraries, and cues for when development has failed.
→ Store Listing
Resources Mentioned• Free Trail Map → Development Readiness Assessment• Pro Toolkit → Reality-Based Employee Development Toolkit• Subscribe to Trail Maps → yourleadershipmap.com/trail-map
Sources & References• Bersin by Deloitte / Eduardo Salas, as cited in Cognota (2023). “Study: 90 Percent of New Skills Are Lost After Training.”• 24x7 Learning Survey, as cited in SHIFT eLearning (2015). “Statistics on Corporate Training and What They Mean for Your Company’s Future.”
Note: Figures are drawn from industry research and surveys; results vary by study and sector.
ConnectWebsite → yourleadershipmap.comEmail → hello@yourleadershipmap.comNewsletter → Field Notes from Your Leadership Map™
Related Episodes• Ep 19 — Why Performance Reviews Backfire (And How to Make Them Work)• Ep 18 — The Year-End Crunch: How to Deliver Without Burning Out Your Team
Music CreditsBackground Inspiring — Dmytro KuvalinPiano Classical Brand Motive Logo — Zakhar Valaha (via Pixabay)
© The Manager’s Mind Mapping Company™.Leadership Cartography™, Your Leadership Map™, Lead with Heart™, Lead with Support™, Lead with Purpose™, Lead Together™, and Lead with Precision™ are trademarks of The Manager’s Mind Mapping Company™. All rights reserved.
Performance reviews don’t have to be painful.
In this episode of The Manager’s Mind, Catherine shares why traditional reviews backfire, how they damage motivation, and what to do instead. You’ll hear a true story from her own career—when hard work went unseen—and the systems she built to make reviews meaningful again.
You’ll learn how to:• Build a steady feedback rhythm that keeps people seen year-round• Make performance reviews forward-looking instead of fear-based• Recognize work in real time so your team stays motivated
Whether you’re the one giving reviews or receiving them, this episode shows you how to replace anxiety with alignment and turn evaluation into growth.
Learn more and explore leadership tools at:
https://www.yourleadershipmap.com
Research Sources Cited in This Episode (available in full at YourLeadershipMap.com/trail-map)
All statistics and research mentioned in this episode come from the following sources:
Select Software Reviews (January 2025)"50 Must-Know Employee Recognition Statistics in 2025"
People Insight (August 2025)"Employee Engagement Statistics 2025"
Gallup (April 2025)"The Importance of Employee Recognition: Low Cost, High Impact"
Teamflect (July 2025)"Key People and Culture Statistics in Remote & Hybrid Organizations - 2025"
65% with weekly check-ins report feeling more productive and less isolated
Spill (2025)"53 Workplace Mental Health Statistics You Can't Ignore in 2025"
Mental Health America (May 2025)"2023 Workplace Wellness Research"
Music Credits:"Background Inspiring" by Dmytro Kuvalin – licensed via Pixabay (intro and outro music).
© The Manager’s Mind Mapping Company™
Leadership Mapping™, Your Leadership Map™, Lead with Heart™, Lead with Support™, Lead with Purpose™, Lead Together™, and Lead with Precision™ are trademarks of The Manager’s Mind Mapping Company™. All rights reserved.
Learn how to guide your team through the year-end push with calm, clarity, and sustainable pace using the Pre-Flight tool.
October brings the annual crunch — deadlines, reviews, and that voice saying “just one more project.”
But the best managers don’t sprint to the finish — they steady the pace.
In this episode of The Manager’s Mind | Trail Map, we unpack why managers confuse pressure with progress and how to lead your team through Q4 with calm, clarity, and a sustainable rhythm.
You’ll learn:• Why “powering through” backfires by November• How clarity creates capacity• The simple 15-minute Pre-Flight meeting that prevents chaos before it begins
Because the last two miles of a marathon shouldn’t be frantic — they should be reflective.
Trail Map Tool Mentioned🧭 Pre-Flight — Get it here: https://www.yourleadershipmap.comas a stand alone or here: https://subscribepage.io/fieldnotesto receive Trail Maps automatically when new episodes drop.
Music Credits• “Background Inspiring” by Dmytro Kuvalin — main intro & outro• “Trill Logo” by 9JackJack8 — transition sting• “Sad Guitar Beat” by Slicebeats — reflection underscoreAll tracks licensed via Pixabay.com
© The Manager’s Mind Mapping Company™Leadership Mapping™, Your Leadership Map™, Lead with Heart™, Lead with Support™, Lead with Purpose™, Lead Together™, and Lead with Precision™ are trademarks of The Manager’s Mind Mapping Company™. All rights reserved.
When high standards stall progress, Precision leaders need a reset. Learn the 90% rule to ship excellent work without losing momentum. in this episode we talk about Perfection vs Progress: How Precision Leaders Keep Work Moving.
For Results-Oriented leaders, high standards are a strength — but perfectionism can stall projects before they ever take off. We explore the Precision Trap: when control masquerades as excellence and collaboration breaks down.
You’ll hear a real story of a project that never shipped because “perfect” got in the way of progress, and learn how to reframe “done” so your work delivers both excellence and momentum.
What You’ll Learn
Why control feels safe — but secretly slows you down.
How to spot the Precision Trap in the moment.
A simple 90/10 practice for defining “done.”
How to keep excellence intact while still shipping on time.
Want more weekly guidance?Sign up for The Trail Map — free weekly notes with one story, one tool, and one shift you can use right away.
For past episode Trail Maps visit our Website: https://www.yourleadershipmap.com/
One Small Practice
Define the must-haves (the 90%) and let the rest flex. Share this definition out loud with your team so everyone knows when the work is truly ready to move.
Music Credits: “Background Inspiring” by Dmytro Kuvalin via Pixabay (intro/outro, every episode) and “lofi snowfall” by TheYumeCollective via Pixabay.
The Manager’s Mind Mapping Company™. All rights reserved.
Stop guessing your budget. Learn how to anchor numbers in real outcomes so your plans hold steady across departments.
Budget season often feels like gambling — managers guessing numbers in a tug-of-war between departments.
In this episode, we explore why precision without strategy becomes prediction, and how to anchor your budget in outcomes instead of opinions.
Insight: Precision without strategy is just prediction.
Tool: Outcome framing — “By [date], we’ll create [value] for [who], so that [impact].”
Resources:
Music Credits via Pixabay:
Host: Catherine Insler
The Manager’s Mind Mapping Company™. All rights reserved.
End endless meetings. Learn how to spot the consensus trap, reset your team, and pair collaboration with clarity so progress keeps moving.
Ever sat through a meeting where time ran out, but no decision landed? That’s the Consensus Trap — the moment when collaboration slips into endless circling. It drains trust, slows launches, and leaves your team wondering if progress will ever come.
What You’ll Learn
Resources Mentioned:
Leadership Style Explorer — confirm your pathway and see your map.
Lead Together — part of the Discovery Pathway Toolkit.
Sign up to receive the Trail Map this episodes companion.
Find the Trail Map archive Here.
Music Credits via Pixabay:
The Manager’s Mind Mapping Company™. All rights reserved.
Performance reviews are meant to be mile markers on your leadership map — a chance to pause, reflect, and reset direction. Too often, though, they trigger that familiar pit in your stomach. Why? Because they hold more than performance: they carry trust, value, and the future of your team’s journey.
In this episode of The Manager’s Mind, we’ll walk the terrain together:
Recognizing the emotional weight of reviews and what’s really under the surface.
Three landmarks to keep in sight: relationship, standard, next step.
The most common hazards — overpacking, avoidance, overcorrection, forgetting the map.
Tools for the path ahead: Clear Feedback Map™, 1:1 Compass™, and the 70/30 Balance.
One small practice this week: a pre-review check-in that shifts the terrain and lightens the weight.
Trail Map Download the free Trail Map for this episode — a companion guide with scripts, prompts, and reflection exercises to make your next review calmer and clearer. Get yours here: The Trail Map
Credits:
© The Manager’s Mind Mapping Company™. All rights reserved.
For new managers learning how to set clear standards without slowing down their teams.
Sharpen your map, speed your route.
Sign up for our free Trail Map and get a companion guide for this episode and every one that follows. Each Trail Map breaks the conversation into actionable scripts, templates, and reflection prompts — from definitions of done to flex-point guides — so you can deliver excellence without losing pace. Delivered straight to your inbox.
This episode charts the Lead with Precision™ pathway, designed for results-oriented leaders who navigate by exact coordinates and clear standards.
We’ll unpack the moments that define this style: pausing to check the trail marker for accuracy, publishing what “done” means before a journey begins, and building systems that make future routes faster and sharper.
You’ll learn why clarity and standards are not just habits but structural advantages. Managers who define expectations, simplify complexity, and build repeatable systems reduce waste and increase trust — making precision an organizational asset.
Tune in to discover how to lead with clarity and consistency while keeping flexibility alive for your team.
Discover your Leadership Style and confirm your Pathway with the Pathway Explorer™.
Music credits:
© The Manager’s Mind Mapping Company™. All rights reserved.
Make every connection count. Sign up for our free Podcast Trail Map and get the companion guide for this episode and every future one. Trail Maps help you turn bridges into productive pathways, balance consensus with clarity and ensure that collaboration drives progress—not congestion.
This episode unpacks the Lead Together™ pathway for collaborative leaders who view progress as a network of connected routes rather than a single straight trail.
You’ll learn about your landmarks of connection: being a bridge connector, coalition anchor, signal amplifier and conflict smoother and about the hazards of seeking consensus at the cost of forward motion or opening too many paths at once.
Join us to discover how to build bridges, align paths and keep the whole caravan moving forward together.
Learn more about your Leadership Style with the Pathway Explorer.
Music Credits: Similarity Music by Chil Vera; Background Inspiring byDmytro Kuvalin; via Pixabay
© The Manager’s Mind Mapping Company. All rights reserved.
Bring your purpose to life. Sign up for our free Podcast Field Notes and get a companion guide for this episode and every one that follows. Each Field Note turns big vision into clear, actionable steps and includes templates, prompts and space to record your own insights. Delivered straight to your inbox
This episode explores the Lead with Purpose™ pathway, the map for visionary leaders who see the pattern, name the direction and move people with clarity, care and confidence.
We’ll uncover the strengths that make you a horizon keeper, meaning maker, resilience well and clarity beacon and discuss the hazards of overlooking details, running ahead of your team or reframing challenges without addressing the root cause.
You’ll learn how to pace your vision so your team can keep up.
Listen in and find out how to lead with vision, integrity and foresight while staying grounded in the steps that get you there.
Discover your Leadership Style with the Pathway Explorer.
Music Credits: Background Inspiring by Dmytro Kuvalin; High On life Music by Chil Vera, Via pixbaby.
© The Manager’s Mind Mapping Company. All rights reserved.
Don’t just listen—bring the journey home. Sign up for the free Podcast Field Notes and get a companion guide for this episode and every one that follows. Each Field Note translates the conversation into simple, actionable steps so you can steady your team, set the cadence and share the load. Delivered straight to your inbox.
This episode explores the Lead with Support™ pathway, a leadership style built for those who steady the room and protect team rhythm. These operators provide structure from a place of steadiness, care and inner strength, setting the cadence, clarifying expectations and keeping the load shareable without absorbing it all.
We’ll unpack the strengths that make supportive leaders indispensable—steadiness, presence and care discussing common pitfalls like clinging to familiar routes or becoming a bottleneck.
You’ll learn practical strategies, including the “D‑3 Checkpoint,” “Passing the Compass” and the “70 % Go Principle,” to maintain momentum while empowering others.
Tune in to discover how to guide with clarity and confidence, without carrying the whole journey on your shoulders.
Discover your Leadership Style with the Pathway Explorer.
Music Credits: Background Inspiringby Dmytro Kuvalin; Upbeat Inspirational Music by Mykola Sosin, Via Pixbaby.
© The Manager’s Mind Mapping Company. All rights reserved.
Keep your light burning bright. Sign up for our free Podcast Field Notes and get a companion guide for this episode and every one that follows. Each Field Note breaks down the conversation into actionable scripts, prompts and reflection exercises so you can build trust and collaboration on your team while setting clear boundaries and maintaining momentum. Delivered straight to your inbox.
This episode charts the Lead with Heart™ pathway, designed for empathetic leaders who read the emotional terrain as easily as others read a spreadsheet.
We’ll unpack the moments that define this style: noticing subtle shifts in a meeting, staying late so no one walks alone and reworking feedback until it preserves both relationship and progress.
You’ll learn why leading from connection points is a structural advantage; managers who show empathy increase trust and collaboration, making empathetic leadership an organizational asset.
Tune in to discover how to lead with care and clarity without burning out yourself or your team.
Discover your Leadership Style and confirm your Pathway with the Pathway Explorer.
Music credits:
Background Inspiring (Dmytro Kuvalin), Moonstone (Dzianis Honczarow), via Pixabay.
© The Manager’s Mind Mapping Company. All rights reserved.
When a cash-flow crisis hit, the quiet got loud. I stabilized the org, carried decisions I didn’t create—and became the scapegoat. This is about the cost of being the “emotional backbone” and the moment you realize support ≠ self-sacrifice.
One insight: Telling the truth isn’t consent to carry the fallout. That’s not leadership; that’s martyrdom.
One tool: Name the load. List what you’re carrying that no one else is naming—budget, feelings, fallout. Circle what must be shared this week.
One shift: Ask for backup before you burn out.
Keep going: Subscribe to Field Notes (your weekly companion for new managers and emerging leaders): Field Notes
🧭 Want to understand how you lead under pressure?Take the free quiz to discover your natural management style:
👉 Here
📬 Subscribe to Field NotesGet weekly insights to help you lead with clarity and care:
🎶 Music Credits:“Background Inspiring” by Dmytro Kuvalin from Pixabay“Sad Guitar Beat” by Slicebeats from Pixabay“Trill Logo” by 9JackJack8 from Pixabay
There’s a moment every manager will face—when something feels off, but no one names it.
In this episode of The Manager’s Mind, we explore the emotional undercurrents at work—the quiet signals that often go unspoken, and the leadership it takes to name them.
You’ll hear a personal story about silence, safety, and the moment that changed everything for me—when one person asked the right question at the right time.
This one is for anyone who’s ever sat in a meeting and felt the tension… but said nothing.
🔗 Get the Field Notes: Subscribe to Field Notes
🎧 Music Credits:
- “Background Inspiring” by Dmytro Kuvalin via Pixabay (Main intro/outro)
- Music by Zakhar Valaha via Pixabay
- Music by TASFIQ UR RAHMAN NABIL via Pixabay
- Music by 9JackJack8 via Pixabay
Follow the show and sign up once to receive weekly Field Notes that accompany each episode.
#psychologicalsafety #difficultconversations #leadershippresence #newmanagers #emotionalintelligence #teammood
If you’re answering Slack pings at 9 p.m. and feeling guilty for signing off—this one’s for you.
In this episode of The Manager’s Mind, I share what happened when I opened my calendar and realized it didn’t belong to me anymore. It’s a story about urgency culture, guilt-driven availability, and the pressure to prove your worth by staying “on” after hours.
Together, we’ll unpack the quiet cost of always being reachable—and why protecting your time isn’t resistance, it’s leadership.
📬 Want the weekly NEW Field Note companion? 📓 Field Notes are a weekly companion to each episode of The Manager’s Mind—designed to help you reflect, reset, and return to your role with clarity.
Sign up once, and get every one automatically: Field Notes
🌐 Explore all leadership tools: Your Leadership Map
✨ Today’s shift: Protecting your time is not resistance. It’s leadership.
Tags: urgency culture, communication boundaries, emotional labor, first-time manager, team expectations
Graditude and Thanks to the following creators:
🎵 Music by Dmytro Kuvalin, Anastasia Chubarova, Dzianis Honczarow, TASFIQ UR RAHMAN NABIL, and Mykola Sosin via Pixabay
What happens when tension erupts—and no one speaks up?
In this episode of The Manager’s Mind, we step inside a moment of rupture: the conflict no one named, the support that vanished, and the leader who paid the price.
This is the story of what happens when a woman builds something too clear, too true—and gets quietly pushed out.
Not because she failed. But because she saw too much.
We explore what’s really happening when your team goes silent, when power moves in the background, and when being steady becomes your only defense.
This is Part 3 in our Difficult Conversations series—and it’s the most emotionally honest one yet.
📝 Want the Field Note that goes with this episode?
Sign up to get weekly companion guides straight to your inbox: https://subscribepage.io/fieldnotes
🎧 Music by Sergei Chetvertnykh via Pixabay
🌐 More at Your Leadership Map
—
Today’s shift: Leadership is sometimes naming what no one else will.
Tags: emotional labor, invisible conflict, difficult conversations, team silence, first-time manager
Ever avoided a conversation because it just felt… awkward? In this episode, we dive into the discomfort of giving real feedback—especially when you like someone or want them to succeed.
I’ll share the story of a high-performing team member whose missed deadlines left me silently frustrated—and how I finally found the courage to say the hard thing before things broke trust.
This episode kicks off our new mini-series:
Difficult Conversations Every Manager Avoids.
✅ Free Tool: Difficult Conversation Prep Sheet
📚 Referenced Research:
🌐 Want more leadership tools? Visit: Your Leadership Map
🎧 Subscribe to The Manager’s Mind for weekly 10-minute insights that help you lead with clarity, courage, and compassion.
You’re not failing — you’re performing. In this episode, we explore the quiet burnout caused by trying to *look* like a good manager instead of becoming one.
Catherine shares a story from her early management years, reflects on the pressure to appear confident, and names the quiet crisis of authority that happens when everyone is pretending. You’ll learn why it’s okay to not know everything — and what real leadership actually looks like when we drop the performance.
🎧 Need help stepping off the performance treadmill? Download the free Leadership Rhythm Builder™ — your companion tool for this episode.
✨ Learn more at YourLeadershipMap.com📩 Contact: Hello@yourleadershipmap.com
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The Manager’s Mind is a 10-minute podcast for leaders who want to manage with more clarity, compassion, and truth. New episodes every Monday.
You spend hours writing updates. But let’s be honest—no one’s reading them.
Most managers are stuck in a cycle of rewriting, overexplaining, and trying to sound competent. But those long, polished updates? They’re often ignored.
In this episode, we unpack why it happens—and how to communicate with the kind of clarity that actually builds trust.
🎯 This episode is for new and emerging managers who want to lead without performing💡 Learn the Clarity-Based Reporting™ sentence that changes how your team sees you
“Here’s what I’m focused on, why it matters, and what’s next.”
Use it in your next update—and feel what it’s like to lead clearly.
—
For free tools and upcoming resources, visit Your Leadership Map
Subscribe to The Manager’s Mind and share with someone who deserves better than the status update void.
Welcome to The Manager’s Mind, where we make leadership human again. In this short teaser, I share why this podcast exists, what you can expect, and how it will support you in your leadership journey.
Be sure to follow the show and join me every Monday as we map out your leadership journey — one clear step at a time.