Manage Smarter Podcast

In this captivating episode, we sit down with Tom Beener, author of "It's Better to March in Circles Than Not March at All." As a former securities attorney with deep ties to organized crime, Tom shares riveting personal stories and offers actionable tips on high-stakes decision-making, leadership under pressure, and maintaining a moral compass in business.

John Marvin, CEO of Texas State Optical, discusses the transformative power of mindset and the role of AI in healthcare. He shares how he grew Texas State Optical into a leading brand by adapting to industry changes and embracing AI technology. Marvin emphasizes the importance of a growth mindset in overcoming challenges and achieving success, offering valuable insights for entrepreneurs and healthcare professionals.

Grace Gavin, co-founder of Know Honesty and author of the book by the same name. In this episode, we talk about: how open communication can reduce anxiety, ease aggression, and limit indecision in the workplace; practical exercises for enhancing communication skills; the impact of AI on communication, and how to assess your own communication style.

Andrew Barry is a seasoned expert in learning and development. He is the founder and CEO of Curious Lion, a company dedicated to high-performance leadership and learning. In this episode, we talk about: transformative learning and leadership; the role of curiosity, adaptive intelligence, and AI in training programs; and practical tips for managers to foster continuous learning and align personal growth with business objectives.

In this episode, we dive into the unique challenges of managing and leading a remote-first team with Marjorie Hook, Vice President of People and Culture at Openly. Marjorie shares her insights on building a cohesive remote culture, the importance of clear communication, and strategies for maintaining employee engagement. Discover how to handle difficult conversations over Zoom, the significance of setting clear goals, and the benefits of creating social hubs. Whether you're transitioning to a remote environment or looking to enhance your existing remote team management, Marjorie's expertise offers valuable guidance. Tune in to learn more about sustaining a world-class remote culture and overcoming the hurdles of remote leadership.

In this episode, we dive deep into the world of negotiation with Andres Lares, managing partner at Shapiro Negotiations Institute and co-author of 'Persuade: The 4‑Step Process to Influence People and Decisions.' Andres shares invaluable insights on how to effectively negotiate salaries, contracts, and business deals. Learn about the importance of credibility, engaging emotion, and facilitating action in negotiations. Whether you're negotiating a salary increase or a major business deal, these strategies will help you achieve better outcomes. Tune in to discover practical tips and techniques that can elevate your negotiation skills to the next level.

Brian Tracy has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and is the top selling author of more than 80 books on business and personal success. As a popular keynote speaker and seminar leader, he has addressed more than five million people in 5,000 talks and seminars throughout the U.S., Canada and 82 other countries worldwide. In episode 05, we discuss: the most important quality that a manager should have, the three most common mistakes leaders make, how to set better goals and the importance of the work culture.

Tom Peters is a best-selling author and world renowned expert on business management practices. Peters is co-author of In Search of Excellence—the book that changed the way the world does business, and often tagged as the best business book ever. In episode 19, we discuss: Tom's new book — The Excellence Dividend, how to avoid being replaced by technology, the characteristics of a successful team and the critical need for soft skills mastery by managers at all levels.

Cy Wakeman is a drama researcher, global thought-leader, and New York Times best-selling author who is recognized for cultivating a counter-intuitive, reality-based approach to leadership. In episode 32, we discuss: Cy's definition of drama, and the effects on the workplace, acceptable ways to react to drama that has been created and how to hire low drama employees.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The New York Times best seller The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude — which has just been published a new edition with many new tips to help you find, build and keep a winning attitude. In episode 13, we discuss: why attitude is critical to management and leadership; countering negative attitudes and how to change your attitude by changing what you think about.

Neil Sahota is an IBM Master Inventor, United Nations (UN) artificial intelligence (AI) Advisor, author of the book Own the A.I. Revolution, and Professor at UC Irvine. In this episode, we discuss: what artificial intelligence actually is, and what it isn't; ways you can use AI and your resources for social good; why promoting incompetent people is a common leadership mistake; how to tell when a product is legitimately AI or just an inflated marketing claim; and organizations that facilitate you getting involved in using AI for social good.

Dr. Christine Porath is an Associate Professor and Researcher at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and an expert in workplace incivility, its costs and remedies. She is author of Mastering Civility: A Manifesto for the Workplace and co-author of The Cost of Bad Behavior. In episode 28, we discuss her research on the decline of civility, how it affects productivity and what managers can do about it.

Jeffrey Hayzlett is a primetime television host of C‑Suite with Jeffrey Hayzlett and Executive Perspectives on C‑Suite TV, and business podcast host of All Business with Jeffrey Hayzlett on C‑Suite Radio. Hayzlett is the author of three best-selling business books: Think Big, Act Bigger: The Rewards of Being Relentless, Running the Gauntlet and The Mirror Test. In episode 15, we discuss how the C‑Suite thinks, how to talk to them and how to become one of them.

Jennifer Gluckow is an author and founder of Sales in a New York Minute as well as host of a YouTube Channel of the same name. In episode 16, Jennifer discusses how age plays a role in the workplace and uses her professional experience to share her advice for young managers and first-time managers.

Kevin Maney is a bestselling author, award-winning columnist, and partner at Category Design Advisors (CDA). His critically-acclaimed book, Play Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers and Innovators Create and Dominate Markets, introduced business to the idea of category design and has sold more than 150,000 copies worldwide. In this episode, we discuss: the role of artificial intelligence/AI and how it can help define your category; why AI is the new electricity of creating new categories of products and services; concerns about AI and opportunities for growth; class category design and how it defines what the new problem is that you are trying to solve; and the hottest new business categories for growth.