In this episode of the Manager Lab, host Greg Gillum explores a Harvard Business Review finding that middle managers report the lowest levels of psychological safety—hindering learning, innovation, and communication across organizations.We define psychological safety, explain why middle managers are uniquely squeezed between senior leadership and their teams, and share four quick takeaways about how safety differs from comfort, the bridge-or-bottleneck role of middle managers, the impact of leader behavior, and the value of small consistent actions.The episode offers practical steps for senior leaders (model vulnerability, create direct channels, reward candor) and middle managers (ask open questions, admit uncertainty, build peer networks, treat mistakes as learning), plus HR tips to measure and support psychological safety.Try one simple step this week: ask your team, "What’s one thing we’re not talking about that we should be?" and listen without judgment to spark openness.

In this episode of Manager Lab, Greg Gillum explains how busy managers can coach effectively without long sessions by using Monique Valcour's approach: practice strategic silence, use a simple bridge structure (ask, guide, commit), and focus on high-impact micro-coaching moments.The episode includes five practical actions managers can try this week to build coaching into everyday work and develop a stronger, more autonomous team.

In this episode of Manager Lab we explore why a feedback-rich culture matters, drawing on the HBR article “Building a Feedback‑Rich Culture.” You’ll learn how feedback drives trust, learning, and better performance, plus the four cultural elements that make feedback safe and effective.The episode also gives five practical tips managers can use today—modeling feedback, micro-checkins, balancing positive and developmental comments, preparing conversations with SBI, and creating peer/upward rituals—and how to overcome common obstacles so feedback becomes a sustainable rhythm.

In this episode of the Manager Lab, Greg Gillum explores four organizational red flags that make top candidates decline offers: lack of role clarity, poor hiring practices, disengaged employees, and damaged reputation.Greg explains how to spot these signals during recruiting and offers clear, actionable tips managers can use to refine job profiles, streamline the candidate journey, audit candidate-facing culture, and communicate transparently to improve hiring and retention.

In this episode of Manager Lab we explore Ron Carucci’s Harvard Business Review article on the emotional strengths required to lead through change, focusing on five key tensions leaders must hold: agency vs. ambivalence, belonging vs. disruption, confidence vs. humility, patience vs. impatience, and consistency vs. adaptability.Practical takeaways include building emotional awareness, being transparent about inner conflicts, recalibrating often, keeping a coherent change story, and protecting recovery time—plus simple actions you can try this week to practice holding tension more effectively.

In this episode of Manager Lab, Greg Gillum explains why clarifying your personal core values improves decision-making, builds trust, and guides leaders through complex trade-offs.Learn a four-step process—reflect on pivotal stories, distill recurring themes, test your values, and make them visible—and five practical actions you can try this week: journal, run a values mirror meeting, frame trade-offs, anchor performance conversations, and run values retrospectives.Lead with clarity and act with intention: use your values as a compass to make consistent, credible choices that compound trust over time.

In this episode of Manager Lab we explore Katie Best's Harvard Business Review article on self-coaching and walk through the SOLVE framework to lead yourself through high‑stakes problems when an executive coach isn't available.Learn the five steps—State the problem, Open the box, Lay out the solution, Venture forth, and Elevate your learning—and how to apply them to diagnose root causes, design practical plans, act carefully, and reflect to strengthen your leadership over time.

In this episode of Manager Lab, we explore Rebecca Knight's HBR article "When Managing Your Team Becomes Too Much" and outline five practical strategies to reclaim time and refocus on strategic leadership. Learn how to segment your team, align work upfront, turn meetings into problem-solving sessions, empower your people, and have candid conversations about capacity.Discover actionable tips—like subgrouping direct reports, creating one-page briefs, setting rescue thresholds, and redesigning meeting agendas—that you can apply immediately to reduce overload and scale your leadership effectively.

Music. Welcome to the Manager Lab. This episode explores how loneliness is reshaping workplaces, driven by hybrid work, technology, and broader social shifts, and how that erosion of trust and belonging harms innovation, engagement, and retention.It highlights surprising insights—connection is part of the work, weak ties matter, and vulnerability builds trust—and offers practical strategies: build rituals and shared identity, design space for authentic connection, role-model vulnerability, create opportunities for weak ties, measure loneliness, and embed connection into hybrid policies.Leaders and employees can start small—one ritual, one personal check-in—to strengthen connection, resilience, and creativity in their teams.

In this episode of Manager Lab, host Greg Gillum breaks down decision-making and delegation using Cheryl Strauss Einhorn’s HBR framework: "Should You Delegate That Decision? Ask These Four Questions."Learn the four questions to determine when to delegate—who’s closest to the action, whether a decision can be routinized, whose perspective will improve the outcome, and where momentum is stalled—plus a real-world example involving minor design approvals.Greg shares practical tools (decision audits, decision matrices, clear decision rights), common pitfalls to avoid, and a simple weekly challenge to help you start delegating effectively and grow leadership across your team.

Music. Welcome to the Manager Lab, where we delve into the increasingly dynamic world of talent management. In this episode Greg Gillum breaks down the HBR article "The Secret to Building a High‑Performing Team," highlighting two foundational capabilities—open, structured communication and the courage to speak up and take risks—that drive trust, innovation, and lasting performance. Learn the culture map (connection vs. courage), see where your team sits, and get practical steps: lead with vulnerability, invite honest conversations, set three commitments, and move toward the "Last 8%" culture of high care and high accountability.

In this episode of Manager Lab, Greg Gillum breaks down Paul Ingram’s HBR article "Who Are You as a Leader?" and introduces the identity map — a simple visual tool to list, connect, and curate the roles and traits that shape your leadership.Learn practical steps to build your identity map, choose situational leadership selves, and use context-aware leadership to boost authenticity, trust, and performance. Try the quick exercise: sketch your map, highlight one identity in your next meeting, and reflect on the results.

Greg Gillum breaks down why managers struggle to delegate and how to make delegation work, drawing on Elsbeth Johnson’s HBR insights.Discover the four hidden barriers—task-driven dopamine, difficulty saying no, unclear expectations, and confusing doing with leading—and simple fixes: create routines, reframe delegation, clarify outcomes, practice small handoffs, and schedule reflection.Walk away with practical steps to free your time for strategic work and help your team grow.

In this episode Greg Gillum breaks down a new HBR study showing that foundational "soft" skills—like communication, adaptability, teamwork and basic numeracy—form the backbone of long-term career success. The researchers map a nested skill structure and find that roughly 80% of the wage benefits from advanced skills depend on these core capabilities.The episode explains skill entrapment and its role in persistent inequities, and gives five practical steps you can use today: audit your foundational skills, practice nested learning, integrate soft skills into daily routines, mentor early-career colleagues, and advocate for systemic training that prioritizes fundamentals.

In this episode of the Manager Lab, Greg Gillum explores Harvard Business Review author Peter T. Coleman’s concept of Conflict Intelligence (CIQ) — an emotional-intelligence-plus framework that combines self-awareness, social conflict skills, adaptivity, and systemic wisdom to turn workplace friction into clarity and innovation.Listeners learn why conflict matters, how leaders can embed CIQ across teams, and three practical steps to start cultivating conflict intelligence today: reflect on triggers, invite safe tension, and use quick pulse tools to surface microtensions.

In this episode of The Manager Lab, Greg Gillum breaks down Jamil Zaki’s Harvard Business Review piece on the “super facilitator” — a role that integrates diverse expertise, ensures equitable contributions, and builds trust to boost team collective intelligence.Learn three practical practices — attunement (reading the room), communication (affirming others), and distribution (balancing participation) — plus a simple meeting exercise: a one-word emotional check-in, public acknowledgment of recent contributions, and rotating who speaks first.The episode explains why super facilitation matters, how anyone can develop it, and how these habits turn meetings into engines of inclusion, trust, and higher team performance.

In this episode of Manager Lab we unpack the HBR article "Job Interviews Aren't Evaluating the Right Skills" and explain why interviews often miss critical, role-specific competencies—especially emerging areas like AI.You'll get three practical tactics to improve hiring: audit and expand skill coverage, probe depth with structured follow-ups, and add skill-based assessments (simulations, work samples, case studies). Finish with a quick action plan: audit open roles, update interview guides, and gather feedback to build fairer, higher-performing hiring processes.

In this episode of Manager Lab we explore why kindness is not optional but essential for trust, psychological safety, and high performance. Drawing on HBR research and practical examples, we explain how respectful listening, thoughtful feedback, and inclusive practices improve engagement, retention, and business outcomes.Managers will learn concrete ways to embed kindness into routines and policies and leave with a simple action: ask your team what one thing you can do to make their work easier or more supportive.

Music. Welcome to the Manager Lab, where we delve into the increasingly dynamic world of talent management. In this episode we summarize Ranjie Gulati’s Harvard Business Review piece "Now Is the Time for Courage," exploring why bold leadership matters when uncertainty is high.The episode breaks down five actionable practices—crafting a purpose-driven narrative, preparing thoroughly, deconstructing complex problems, leaning on allies and mentors, and prioritizing calm and self-care—to help leaders balance risk and opportunity and act decisively when it counts.Listen for practical tips to cultivate courage, make strategic bold moves, and unlock your team’s full potential in volatile times.

Welcome to the Manager Lab, where we explore the dynamic world of talent management. In this episode, we dive into a data-driven approach to delegating, inspired by a July 2025 Harvard Business Review article. Learn how to effectively track, categorize, and delegate tasks to unleash your leadership potential.Discover the power of a time log, a simple yet effective tool for capturing how your workday is spent. By dividing your day into 15-minute intervals and tracking all activities, you gain valuable insights into tasks that can be delegated or automated. With practical examples and actionable steps, this episode guides you through the process of refining your delegation strategy and maximizing your efficiency for better team and personal growth.