In this episode, Andy interviews Molly McGrath, author of the book Fix My Boss: A Simple Plan to Cultivate Respect, Risk Courageous Conversations, and Increase The Bottom Line. They discuss practical ways to improve the relationship between bosses and employees, including having courageous conversations, setting clear expectations, and implementing accountability measures.

Molly emphasizes the importance of focus management and prioritization to combat the feeling of being busy. She also shares insights on empowering women in the workplace and applying project management principles to family life. Overall, the conversation provides actionable strategies for both managers and employees to cultivate respect and increase productivity.

Sound Bites

  • “Blaming your boss fixes nothing. And by the way, it’s easy for bosses to do the same thing.”
  • “We don’t speak up because we’re afraid it’ll create conflict. And by not doing it, it creates conflict.”
  • “Busy is usually a focus problem. It might be lack of clarity or an unrealistic amount of workload. But it’s often a matter of focus.”

Chapters

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 01:36 Start of Interview
  • 02:09 Molly’s Backstory and Influences
  • 04:16 Understanding Fixed vs. Growth Mindset
  • 06:25 The Power of the Pause for Managers and Employees
  • 10:38 The Importance of Courageous Conversations
  • 15:04 Daily Progress Reports: Not Micromanaging, But Empowering
  • 22:11 Challenging the Concept of Being ‘Busy’
  • 25:11 Empowering Women in the Workplace
  • 28:39 Applying Project Management at Home
  • 30:30 Interview Wrap-Up
  • 31:00 Andy comments after the interview
  • 34:30 Outtakes

Learn More

You can learn more about Molly and her book at FixMyBossBook.com.

If you’d like more on this subject, check out:

  • Episode 410, with Ryan Hawk about his insightful book on excellence (I consider it a must-read)
  • Episode 366, with Michael Timms about his book on accountability, and
  • Episode 209, with Ron Lovett about his book on empowering your teams

AI for Project Managers and Leaders

With the constant stream of AI news, it’s sometimes hard to grasp how these advancements can benefit us as project managers and leaders in our day-to-day work. That’s why I developed our e-learning course: AI Made Simple: A Practical Guide to Using AI in Your Everyday Work.

This self-guided course is designed for project managers and leaders aiming to harness AI’s potential to enhance your work, streamline your workflow, and boost your productivity.

Go to ai.i-leadonline.com to learn more and join us. The feedback from the program has been fantastic. Take this opportunity to unlock the potential of AI for your team and projects.

Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast!

Talent Triangle: Power Skills

Topics: Project Management, Leadership, Management, Teambuilding, Accountability, Empowering Women

The following music was used for this episode:

Music: Echo by Alexander Nakarada
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Tropical Vibe by MinneTheMoog
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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