Management Muse

Ep 96 - Uncertainty Is Not the Problem. Your Response Is.

When the future gets blurry, people start making bad decisions.
In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin explore uncertainty from every angle: not just how leaders respond to it, but how they create it, how organizations amplify it, and how individuals shrink themselves because of it. From miscalibrated risk assessments to communication breakdowns, they unpack how ambiguity distorts decision making at every level.
You will hear why leaders often overreact to potential threats, how silence can unintentionally signal danger, and why high performers sometimes hold themselves back when outcomes feel unclear. Cindi and Geoff share practical ways managers can stabilize teams, communicate more effectively, and think more clearly when the future feels unsettled.
If you lead people, manage change, or simply want to stop playing small when things feel unclear, this episode will help you learn how to make uncertainty work for you.
Episode Highlights:
The hidden cost of fear-driven decision making
Why we overestimate risks and underestimate opportunities
A framework for calibrating your risk assessment skills
Why organizations overcorrect in the face of uncertainty
How to fix communication breakdowns during periods of change
What managers can do to create steadiness
Want to Go Deeper? 
Get your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook: 14 Strategies for Work Success in a Chaotic World here. 
→ Use code PLAYBOOK20 for 20% off.
Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wwHYN3edVqk 
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Ep 95 - Why 60% of Employees Would Fire Their Boss (and What Great Leaders Do Instead)

If your employees could fire you… would they?
This week Cindi is joined by author and CEO Dr. Keith Levick to discuss research that reveals 60% of employees would fire their boss if they could—and even more disturbingly, many would sacrifice salary, vacation, or promotions to make it happen. Why? Because too many workplaces lack psychological safety, flexibility, and real ownership.
The good news? Keith lays out how leaders can reverse this pattern by developing social and emotional intelligence. He breaks down the difference between the two, and offers a clear roadmap for reading the room, building trust, and leading with more awareness and empathy.
This episode is a must-listen for any manager brave enough to ask: Would my team keep me if they had the choice?
Episode Highlights:
What employees wish their boss understood
Why leadership failure is usually interpersonal, not technical
Emotional intelligence vs. social intelligence (and why both matter)
Easy steps to developing self awareness
The importance of empathy and flexibility 
About Dr. Keith Levick:
Keith Levick, PhD, or “Dr. Keith,” as many of his clients refer to him, holds a Master of Social Work and a Doctorate in Counseling from Detroit’s Wayne State University and has worked with large, medium, and small companies and corporations. Dr. Keith is the CEO of Goren and Associates, a professional development, executive coaching, and consulting firm in Farmington Hills, Michigan. He has spent many years in clinical practice as a psychologist and has since transitioned his clinical expertise into organizational psychology and business. Keith is an adjunct professor at Wayne State University and Lawrence Technological University.
* Purchase Keith’s book, The Insightful Leader: Discover Your Blind Spots Through the Eyes of Employees
* Connect with Keith: Linkedin | Insightful Leaders | Goren & Associates
Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/6HvROyp9h6E
*Purchase your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook here
*Sign up for our newsletter and our FREE guide to the 6 science-backed habits you NEED to level up your management skills in 2026!
Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:
Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013, https://a.co/d/0gsQLnWO 
Goleman, Daniel. Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships, Bantam, 2007, https://a.co/d/05ArEUkA 
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Ep 94 - Take Command of Your Habits in 2026

Habits aren’t just about willpower.
In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi and Geoff uncover a radical insight from behavioral science: most habits are powered by underlying anxiety. Willpower alone isn’t enough, because habits aren’t just actions, they’re emotional coping strategies.
From sleep routines to workplace distractions, Cindi and Geoff break down the surprising psychology of habits and offer practical ways to make real change stick. You’ll learn why starting small creates large payoffs, how to time your habit launches for success, and what it means to replace—not just remove—habitual behaviors.
Whether you're trying to lead better, live healthier, or stop doomscrolling before bed, this episode gives you a fresh framework for transforming habits with more clarity and control.
Episode Highlights:
The anxiety-habit connection
Why willpower alone sets you up to fail
The Fresh Start Effect
How starting smaller can lead to bigger wins
The trick to breaking bad habits
A gut-check for your organization
Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3xjk1xc55Ds
*Purchase your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook here
*Sign up for our newsletter and our FREE guide to the 6 science-backed habits you NEED to level up your management skills in 2026!
Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:
Brewer, Judson. Unwinding Anxiety, Avery, 2022. https://a.co/d/7pjMANH 
Dai, H., Milkman, K.L, and Riis, J. “The Fresh Start Effect: Temporal Landmarks Motivate Aspirational Behavior,” Management Science, 2014, 60(10), 2563-2582. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2204126& 
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Ep 93 - The New Rules of Customer Service: Making Work Better for Customers and Frontline Teams

Endless hold music. Clunky bots. Repeating your story five times.
We’ve all been there. But what if customer service didn’t have to feel like a test of patience?
In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi talks with Rick DeLisi, author and lead research analyst at Glia, about the new frontline of support: AI-enhanced service that puts results over sympathies.
Rick shares how smart systems now handle simple requests, route complex issues with full context, and tee up human reps to actually solve problems instead of just soothing frustration. Not only is the experience better for customers, it also makes frontline jobs more interesting, more humane, and a whole lot less stressful.
Whether you're designing customer experiences or just tired of bad ones, this episode offers a look into a more efficient, effortless future.
Episode Highlights:
Why human reps and phone support aren’t going anywhere
A new definition of empathy in support roles
The one metric that actually predicts customer loyalty
How new centralized systems create seamless customer experiences
The impact of AI on employee experience and retention
About Rick DeLisi:
Rick DeLisi is a leading voice in customer experience strategy and the co-author of two influential books: The Effortless Experience and Digital Customer Service. As Lead Research Analyst at Glia, Rick brings over two decades of expertise in the psychology of customer interactions and their impact on loyalty. A former Gartner VP and award-winning journalist, his insights have shaped how companies worldwide train service teams, measure success, and adapt to the digital-first landscape. His work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, and he’s delivered keynotes in more than 25 countries.
Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XKIMyY4G8Ho 
*Purchase your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook here
*Sign up for our newsletter and our FREE guide to the 6 science-backed habits you NEED to level up your management skills in 2026!
Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:
DeLisi, R, Dixon, M, and Ponomareff, L. “Kick-Ass Customer Service,” Harvard Business Review, Jan-Feb. 2017, https://hbr.org/2017/01/kick-ass-customer-service 
Rose, Todd. The End of Average: How We Succeed in a World That Values Sameness, HarperOne, 19 Jan. 2016, https://www.amazon.com/End-Average-Succeed-Values-Sameness/dp/0062358367 
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Ep 92 - Burnout Red Flags in Your Best People

They never complained. They always delivered. And then one day, they were just… gone. Burnout rarely announces itself, but there are early warning signs.
In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin explain the three stages of burnout and why your most committed, high-performing employees are the most at risk.
Instead of asking, “Are you burned out?” leaders need sharper tools and a better understanding of what burnout really looks like. Cindi and Geoff unpack the subtle signs and explore the cultural practices that cause them. They dig into the dangers of being perpetually “on,” the harm of poorly designed PTO policies, and the myth that key players can’t step away without everything falling apart.
If you manage high performers, this episode’s essential.
Episode Highlights:
The three stages of burnout
Why passion drives people toward burnout
Smarter ways to spot burnout before it’s too late
Organizational traps that fuel burnout
The psychological toll of always being “on call”
How to protect your most committed employees without lowering expectations
Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/e9a1vLG0CIQ
*Purchase your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook here
*Sign up for our newsletter and our FREE guide to the 6 science-backed habits you NEED to level up your management skills in 2026!
Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:
Valsania et al. “Burnout: A Review of Theory and Measurement,” Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 3 Feb. 2022, 19(3), 1780; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031780
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Ep 91 - Delegation Without Detonation: How to Preserve Your Sanity AND Develop Your Team

What if delegation wasn’t just a way to get work off your plate, but a strategy to grow your people, your impact, and your sanity?
This week, Cindi welcomes Mamie Kanfer Stewart, host of The Modern Manager, for a masterclass in smart delegation. Whether you’re struggling to let go, tired of redoing half-done tasks, or just don’t know what to hand off, Mamie offers a path forward. She shares a practical framework for tailoring delegation to the situation, aligning handoffs with career growth, and creating feedback loops that build trust, not stress.
If you’ve ever thought “it’s easier to just do it myself,” this one’s for you… and don’t miss Cindi’s guest appearance on The Modern Manager this week either!
Episode Highlights:
How to delegate in a way that actually saves you time
When delegation goes wrong, and how to fix it
The 5 levels of delegation and when to use each
How to use delegation to develop your team and boost productivity
The link between trust, autonomy, and performance
About Mamie:
Mamie Kanfer Stewart is passionate about helping people thrive at work. She is the host of The Modern Manager podcast, author of Momentum: Creating Effective, Engaging and Enjoyable Meetings and Founder of Meeteor, a training firm focused on productive meetings and team collaboration. In addition, Mamie is an executive coach and trainer who works with entrepreneurs and managers to build the mindset, skills and habits they need to successfully manage themselves and their teams so everyone can be their best selves and do their best work.
Connect with Mamie:
LinkedIn
YouTube
Instagram
MamieKS
TikTok
Facebook
Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/i_7yv0wYmhI
*Purchase your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook here
*Sign up for our newsletter and our FREE guide to the 6 science-backed habits you NEED to level up your management skills in 2026!
Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:
Johnson, Elsbeth. “Why Aren’t I Better at Delegating?”, Sep-Oct. 2025, https://hbr.org/2025/09/why-arent-i-better-at-delegating 
Kanfer Stewart, Mamie. “Prepare Your Mind to Delegate Successfully,” MamieKS, 2 Dec. 2019. https://www.mamieks.com/post/prepare-your-mind-to-delegate-successfully 
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Ep 90 - The Founder Effect: How Leaders Leave a Cultural Mark

What happens when the founder’s personality becomes the company’s culture? 
In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin explore the phenomenon of founder imprint: the lasting, often invisible fingerprints that founders leave on an organization’s values, behaviors, and decisions.
This episode complements our recent discussion on weak organizational cultures by diving into the special case of start-ups, which often have strong, founder-driven cultures. From Chick-fil-A’s Sundays off to Herb Kelleher’s wild-but-warm ethos at Southwest, Cindi and Geoff walk through iconic examples of founder imprint, and contrast them with stories from their own experience building a small business together.
You’ll learn how early team choices, value signaling, and founder preferences can shape a company’s identity long after the original leader has left the building. Tune in to hear how founder-led cultures can be both a strength and a stumbling block as organizations scale.
Episode Highlights:
Why founder values “imprint” early and persist over time
The surprising science behind why teams end up so similar
When founder-led cultures work, and when they get in the way
How cultural self-governance can be a gift or a trap
What Cindi and Geoff learned from building their own firm
Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xIcIyDg_rK0
*Purchase your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook here
*Get a Comprehensive Organizational Assessment with CulSure
*Sign up for our newsletter and let us know what topic you’d like to hear next!
Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:
Zook, Chris. “Founder-Led Companies Outperform the Rest – Here’s Why,” Harvard Business Review, 24 Mar. 2016. https://hbr.org/2016/03/founder-led-companies-outperform-the-rest-heres-why 
Gutterman, Alan S. “Founders and Organizational Culture”, Oct. 2023, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374695659_Founders_and_Organizational_Culture 
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Ep 89 - Three Mistakes That Stall Managers

You might be doing everything right as a manager on paper and still holding yourself back. In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi sits down with management coach Mel Cidado to unpack three common mistakes that derail manager growth.
Through client stories, they explore how great employees can falter in leadership roles when they try to do it all themselves, when they get stuck in expert mode, or when they assume results speak louder than actions. Each pattern looks like success from the outside but creates blind spots that limit advancement.
This conversation is for new managers, seasoned leaders, and the organizations that support them. Cindi and Mel share what it takes to course-correct early and why the path to growth starts with clarity, connection, and communication.
Episode Highlights:
Three common mistakes in manager development and how to avoid them
Why high-performing employees often struggle after promotion
How over-rewarding expertise can limit leadership potential
Why strong KPIs don’t always translate into advancement
The three 3 C’s of effective management
Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VG8GAchWIsE
About Mel Cidado:
Melissa (Mel) Cidado is an executive coach, leadership advisor, and former Fortune 100 Talent VP, who helps senior leaders grow into new, bigger, and more visible roles with clarity, confidence, and sustainability. With 25 years of experience advising and coaching hundreds of executives through disruptive change, Mel brings a unique blend of real-world executive insight and deeply human, no-fluff guidance.
Today, she helps executive leaders design careers that fuel them, so success feels sustainable and aligned from the inside out. She’s the founder of Breakthrough Coaching and a contributor to Forbes Coaches Council, where she writes about energy leadership, performative resilience, and how to thrive through disruption.
*Connect with Mel: Linkedin | Breakthrough Coaching
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*Purchase your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook here
*Want to understand your people better? Get a comprehensive organizational assessment at CULSURE
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Starting a Successful Side Hustle - From the Archives

Thinking about starting a side hustle?  In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin unpack why now might be the best time to build something of your own.
Whether you're dreaming of a creative outlet or a full-on escape hatch from your day job, side hustles offer more than just financial upside. Done right, they’re a smart way to test-drive new ideas, stay engaged, and future-proof your career (without blowing up your life in the process).
Cindi and Geoff share the science and strategy behind side gigs that energize, not exhaust. They break down how to avoid common traps like overinvesting or partnering with the wrong person. Tune in to learn how your side hustle can be your lab, your launchpad, and your life raft, all at once.
Episode Highlights:
How side hustles can foster creativity and lead to entrepreneurial opportunities
The hidden risks of side hustles and how to avoid burnout
Key strategies to ensure your side hustle aligns with your long-term career goals
How pursuing a side hustle can lead to unexpected career opportunities.
Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Xuf9iSghVLs
*Purchase your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook here
*Sign up for our newsletter and let us know what topic you’d like to hear next!
Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:
Scott, Shane. The Illusions of Entrepreneurship, Yale University Press, 26 Jan. 2010. https://www.amazon.com/Illusions-Entrepreneurship-Costly-Entrepreneurs-Investors/dp/0300158564
Grant, Adam. Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, Penguin Books, 7 Feb. 2017.https://www.amazon.com/Originals-How-Non-Conformists-Move-World/dp/014312885X 
Harroch, Dominique, “The Ultimate Guide to Side Hustles,” Forbes, 12 Jun. 2025. https://www.forbes.com/sites/allbusiness/2025/06/12/the-ultimate-guide-to-side-hustles/
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Ep 88 - Bet on Your People: The Power of Internal Promotions

A single promotion can shift the energy of an entire organization. In this episode, Cindi and Geoff sit down with Leticia Rodriguez, CEO of Ward Memorial Hospital, to talk about why internal promotions build stronger organizations and how to take smart chances on people who are still growing.
Leticia shares how someone once saw potential in her, and how she now pays that forward by developing talent from the inside. From intentional one-on-ones to strategic learning investments, she shows how internal hires create a culture where people stay, grow, and deliver.
This episode offers a framework for betting on your people, without setting them up to fail. Tune in for a fresh take on increasing retention, performance, and shared purpose.
Episode Highlights:
The ripple effects of well-placed internal promotions
How to spot potential before it announces itself
The tradeoffs between hiring internal versus external
How to course correct when a gamble doesn’t work
Why investing in development changes team dynamics over time
The leadership habit that keeps communication open and growth on track
About Leticia Rodriguez:
Leticia Rodriguez is the CEO for Ward Memorial Hospital, Monahans, TX and has held that role for the last 12 years. Professionally, Rodriguez serves on the board for The Texas Health Services Authority. Locally, she serves as the Vice President for the Monahans Economic Development and Board Member of the Chamber of Commerce. She is also a member of the Chamber of Commerce Women’s Division, Rotary and Ambassador’s Club.
Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/b0Px8zLApjU
*Purchase your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook here
*Want to understand your people better? Get a comprehensive organizational assessment at CULSURE
*Sign up for our newsletter and let us know what topic you’d like to hear next!
Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:
Minni, Virginia. “New Research on How the Best Managers Shape Employees’ Careers,” Harvard Business Review, 1 Oct. 2025. https://hbr.org/2025/10/new-research-on-how-the-best-managers-shape-employees-careers 
Benson, A and Rissing, B. “Strength from Within: Internal Mobility and the Retention of High Performers,” Organizational Science, 7 Dec. 2019. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3503708
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