The Modern Manager

Most AI tools promise to make you more productive, but few actually remove the friction hiding in your daily grind. This episode breaks down four AI tools used every single day, not for the novelty, but for the real bottlenecks they eliminate: typing, email triage, meeting notes, and building the small tool you always wished existed. If you want less busywork and more bandwidth for the parts of management that actually matter, this one's for you.

Conversation Topics
(00:00) Introduction: Becoming Obsessed with AI Tools
(00:44) The Core Idea: Removing Friction, Not Just Adding Features
(01:59) Wispr Flow: Ditching Typing for Dictation
(02:53) Shortwave: Taming Email Overload with AI Sorting
(04:18) Granola: Meeting Notes That Write Themselves
(05:30) Replit: Building Custom Apps Without Coding
(07:12) What These Four Tools Have in Common
(07:33) Your Challenge This Week & Closing Thoughts

Additional Resources
✨ Read the full transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u3xuVepkPpSSdju0--Kgu4M8U4qetYczr1h7MmCKGrY/edit?usp=sharing
✨ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipwithmamie/
✨ Visit my website for more: https://www.themodernmanager.com/
✨ Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7jhYz8b16g1SsLia4EhO5w?sub_confirmation=1
✨ Check out Wispr Flow: https://wisprflow.ai/r?MAMIE12
✨ Check out Granola: https://join.granola.ai/t/e74nryr4pc
✨ Check out Shortwave: https://www.shortwave.com/
✨ Check out Replit: https://replit.com/refer/mamieks

Join my newsletter to get episodes delivered directly to your inbox: https://www.themoddernmanager.com

The Modern Manager is a leadership podcast that helps you close the gap between knowing what good management is and actually doing it. Follow The Modern Manager on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode! 

#Leadership #ManagementTips #AIforManagers #Productivity #ArtificialIntelligence #WorkSmarter #ManagementSkills #FutureOfWork #TechTools #TimeManagement

Most leaders pour all their energy into managing the people who report to them and forget the other two-thirds of the job: managing up to their boss and across to the peers who can make or break a project. Skip those relationships and you end up stuck in silos, guessing what your boss actually wants, and wondering why cross-functional projects keep stalling. Here's the mindset shift and the exact moves that fix all three.
Guest Bio

For almost 20 years, Kristen Harcourt has been a trusted partner to executives and emerging leaders across hundreds of organizations around the globe, helping them unlock extraordinary, sustainable results through the power of self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and conscious leadership. A sought-after speaker and facilitator, she's a professionally accredited coach who empowers leaders to uncover their strengths, challenge their blind spots, and lead with purpose and impact. She hosts the Inspirational Leadership Podcast.

Conversation Topics
(00:00) Introduction: The Art of Managing Up, Down, and Across
(01:28) Defining the Three Directions of Management
(05:53) How to Open Up the Conversation When Managing Up
(10:11) A Prioritization Tool — and Protecting Your Work-Life Balance
(14:22) Managing Across: Why Curiosity Beats Assumptions
(21:39) Building Trust With Cross-Functional Teams You Don't Manage
(27:52) When (and How) to Advocate for an Overloaded Teammate
(31:07) What Makes a Great Boss — Closing Thoughts

Additional Resources
✨ Read the full transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ynqnot4_ewNELrzpTs6bCT1Kq7qa0jSDdfp68rBF1PI/edit?usp=sharing
✨ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipwithmamie/
✨ Visit my website for more: https://www.themodernmanager.com/
✨ Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7jhYz8b16g1SsLia4EhO5w?sub_confirmation=1

Guest Links
Website: https://kristenharcourt.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristenharcourt/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristenharcourt/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristenharcourt/
Email: kristen@kristenharcourt.com

Join my newsletter to get episodes and the key takeaways guides delivered directly to your inbox: https://www.themoddernmanager.com

The Modern Manager is a leadership podcast that helps you close the gap between knowing what good management is and actually doing it. Follow The Modern Manager on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode!

#Leadership #ManagingUp #EmotionalIntelligence #TeamCommunication #WorkplaceCulture #Management #EQinLeadership #CrossFunctionalTeams #LeadershipDevelopment #TrustAtWork

Most of us have an instinctual positive response to great work.“This is amazing, thank you so much.” It feels warm and authentic, but could have been said about anyone or any work. The lack of specificity means those words are cheap and the positive impact they make is short-lived. Here's how to show authentic appreciation, using AI as a thinking partner (not a ghost writer) to pinpoint exactly what you appreciate so you can convey a truly meaningful message of thanks.

Conversation Topics
(00:00) Introduction: A Team Member's Effort and My Weak “Great Job”
(00:34) Welcome to the Show, Plus a Confession
(01:23) The Real Cost of Vague Appreciation
(02:21) Turning to Claude to Find the Specific Words
(03:17) Own It, Then Say It: Turning the Draft Into Real Appreciation
(04:21) The Right Way to Use AI: Thinking Partner, Not Ghostwriter
(05:31) This Week's Exercise and Free Resources

Additional Resources
✨ Read the full transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ft_fJZsu_cNReD1sjjPuSVaOo-u8hxu7G6fa2wp0yiU/edit?usp=sharing
✨ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipwithmamie/
✨ Visit my website for more: https://www.themodernmanager.com/
✨ Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7jhYz8b16g1SsLia4EhO5w?sub_confirmation=1

Join my newsletter to get episodes delivered directly to your inbox: https://www.themoddernmanager.com

The Modern Manager is a leadership podcast that helps you close the gap between knowing what good management is and actually doing it. Follow The Modern Manager on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode!

#Leadership #ManagementTips #EmployeeAppreciation #AIforManagers #TeamLeadership #FeedbackMatters #WorkplaceCulture #EmployeeRecognition #ManagerLife

That stomach-drop feeling before a hard conversation? It's not weakness. It's your brain doing exactly what it was designed to do. Emotional intelligence expert Amy Jacobson breaks down the neuroscience of avoidance, the exact questions to ask before you say anything difficult, and why the conversation you've been dreading might be the most important one you ever have.
Guest Bio
Amy Jacobson is an emotional intelligence and human behavior specialist delivering programs, keynotes, and workshops across Australia and internationally. She is a twice Wiley-published author of Emotional Intelligence: A Simple and Actionable Guide to Increasing Performance, Engagement and Ownership and The Emotional Intelligence Advantage: Mastering Change and Difficult Conversations.

Conversation Topics
(00:00) Why humans are wired to avoid difficult conversations
(02:32) The role of the amygdala and fear of the unknown
(06:00) How our brain deprioritizes hard conversations to protect us
(07:12) What actually counts as a "difficult conversation"
(08:18) The difference between a difficult conversation and a difficult delivery
(09:38) Why curiosity is the most important tool in a first conversation
(10:21) Why you should never over-prepare for a first conversation
(15:16) The Ask, Ask, Tell framework
(16:41) How to remove emotion and get factual when someone won't own it
(19:29) Separating the person from the role
(21:27) Real-world story: a leader in the wrong role
(27:45) What a follow-up conversation must include: the consequence
(29:42) Great manager shoutout: Tina Fisher

Additional Resources

✨ Read the full transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AK1zgeJoKYqMWkNmGM-p-QkWz27Sd_p8_QxFqoRTf8U/edit?usp=sharing
✨ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipwithmamie/
✨ Visit my website for more: https://www.themodernmanager.com/
✨ Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7jhYz8b16g1SsLia4EhO5w?sub_confirmation=1

Keep up with Amy Jacobson
Website: https://amyjacobson.com.au/
Book: The Emotional Intelligence Advantage — https://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Intelligence-Advantage-Mastering-Conversations/dp/1394337949
Free eBook: https://app.box.com/s/0yjaellmagoc8dyceu5bdyndk4uoku6x
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-jacobson-emotional-intelligence/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amyjacobson_ei
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/findingyoury/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3tV1e6qV8EHqmA7_RFnPTw

Join my newsletter to get episodes and my one page episode guides with the key takeaways delivered directly to your inbox: https://www.themodernmanager.com
The Modern Manager is a leadership podcast that helps you close the gap between knowing what good management is and actually doing it. Follow The Modern Manager on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode!
#Leadership #EmotionalIntelligence #DifficultConversations #ManagementTips #WorkplaceConflict #TeamLeadership #PeopleManagement #ManagerSkills #EQ

Picture a room stuck for three weeks on one sentence for a new policy. Half the team wants a rule tight enough to enforce, the other half wants it loose enough to survive real life. Nobody's wrong, and nobody's moving. This episode breaks down why chasing full agreement kills decisions, why forcing a vote kills them slowly in the background, and the three questions that get a group to something everyone can actually stand behind.

Conversation Topics
(00:00) Introduction
(01:39) Redefining Consensus: It's Not About Full Agreement
(02:27) The Two Traps: Endless Debate vs. Forced Votes
(03:57) The Three Questions That Break the Deadlock
(05:19) Why Silence Isn't the Same as Consent
(06:13) How to Apply This in Your Next Tough Decision

Additional Resources
✨ Read the full transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1khG9LS-iuWW5Re14TuclvVFKzx8FSdo7xlFiWGsf_JI/edit?usp=sharing

✨ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipwithmamie/

✨ Visit my website for more: https://www.themodernmanager.com/

✨ Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7jhYz8b16g1SsLia4EhO5w?sub_confirmation=1

Join my newsletter to get episodes and key takeaways delivered directly to your inbox: https://www.themoddernmanager.com
The Modern Manager is a leadership podcast that helps you close the gap between knowing what good management is and actually doing it. Follow The Modern Manager on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode!
#Leadership #TeamCommunication #Consensus #DecisionMaking #ManagementTips #WorkplaceCulture #TeamLeadership #ConflictResolution