Management Muse

Ep 55 - What Makes Family Businesses Succeed or Fail

What really makes a family business succeed? In this episode, Cindi Baldi and Geoff Tumlin sit down with Kip Wilson, a third-generation family business owner, to explore the realities of working with relatives and maintaining business success across generations. Whether you’re thinking about joining a family firm, working in one currently, or thinking about bringing your kids into your business, this episode uncovers what it really takes to make family businesses work.
Kip shares the key lessons from his journey which started as an outsider in his wife’s family business and how he grew, over time, into an insider with legitimate respect. Kip honestly talks about the challenges of earning credibility, building a business, and maintaining strong relationships when home and work are deeply connected. From navigating family dynamics to preparing the next generation for success and succession, Kip shares what it takes to lead a family business.
Join us to learn how to lead with intention, avoid common family business pitfalls, and lay the foundation for lasting success in a multigenerational company.
 
Episode Highlights:
What to consider before joining a family business
How to move from outsider to valued insider
Why trust and shared values matter more than equity positions
Tips for succession planning across generations
How to keep your business strong and your family stronger
Watch this episode on You Tube: https://youtu.be/ZSTHJwCsIk8
 
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Ep 54 - The Surprisingly Positive Power of Gossip at Work

From whispered conversations in the hall to after-hours Slack messages, gossip is everywhere at work. But is it just drama or is all this informal communication trying to tell us something more? While gossip often gets a bad rap, it turns out to play a powerful role in how we build relationships, share values, and navigate uncertainty.
In this episode, Cindi Baldi and Geoff Tumlin dig into the psychology of workplace gossip and reveal what it says about your organization’s culture. They unpack how gossip can be a tool for social bonding, moral signaling, and surfacing unspoken issues and they explain what separates healthy chatter from harmful rumor mills.
Join us to rethink gossip at work and lead with more curiosity, clarity, and confidence.
Episode Highlights:
Why gossip is a natural part of how we make sense at work
The difference between toxic talk and useful social signals
How leaders can learn from what’s being whispered
Why shutting down gossip can backfire and what to do instead
Practical ways to foster transparency, trust, and accountability
 
Watch this episode on You Tube: https://youtu.be/lMSiAgy8WN4
 
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Ep 53 - How to Avoid the Trap of Hero Worship at Work

From ancient myths to Hollywood to modern boardrooms, we’ve been captivated by the idea of the “great leader,” often casting them as visionaries, heroes, or saviors. But do leaders really ride up on a white horse and save the day like in the movies? Why are we so quick to romanticize leadership, and how does that impact the way we function at work?
In this episode, Cindi and Geoff unpack the psychology of leadership myths and explore how charisma, storytelling, and perception shape our understanding of power and influence at work. They reveal the hidden risks of idolizing workplace leaders and what we lose when we confuse confidence with competence.
Join us to rethink what leadership looks like, to avoid the trap of hero worship, and influence with greater clarity, intention, and authenticity.
Episode Highlights:
Why we overvalue leaders and undervalue systems
The hidden consequences of idealizing leadership
How charisma distorts our judgment of competence
What storytelling has to do with power and influence
How to make smarter choices about who you follow and how you lead
 
Watch this episode on You Tube: https://youtu.be/OLfZBnGNA4w
 
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Ep 52 - How to Rethink Risk and Make Smarter Decisions

Are you taking smart risks or are you gambling when you should be hanging on to your precious chips? In this episode, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin dive into the psychology of risk and loss aversion and explore why we often make irrational decisions when faced with uncertainty. Whether it’s staying in an unfulfilling job, avoiding tough conversations, or making questionable business bets, our perception of risk shapes our careers and lives more than we realize.
Cindi and Geoff break down the hidden forces that drive our appetite for risk (or lack thereof) and offer practical strategies to make smarter choices. They discuss why we cling to bad decisions, how loss aversion influences workplace dynamics, and the difference between reckless risks and strategic moves.
Tune in to learn how to rethink risk, avoid costly mistakes, and make smart bets on yourself.
 
Episode Highlights:
Why we notice losses more than gains—and how that impacts our decision-making
The hidden psychological traps that cause us take bad risks
How to improve our risk assessments
Why leaders and employees reflexively think change is risky and how to overcome the belief
A simple framework to make more confident, calculated decisions
 
Watch this episode on You Tube: https://youtu.be/mRdTOfpVCmQ
 
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Ep 51 - How to Break Free from Either/Or Thinking and Make Better Decisions

Are you unknowingly limiting your choices when making important decisions? In this episode, Cindi and Geoff uncover the dangers of narrow framing, a mental shortcut that causes us to reflexively limit our decisions. Whether it’s choosing between two job offers, deciding whether to take a promotion, or making high-stakes business choices, the way we frame our options can show us new possibilities or potentially limit us with narrow alternatives.
Cindi and Geoff break down common decision-making pitfalls and offer practical strategies to help leaders, managers, and employees expand their thinking. They discuss how to spot when you’re falling into the trap of "this or that" thinking, how to generate better alternatives, and why the best decisions often come from broadening your perspective.
Tune in to learn how to think bigger, make better choices, and create opportunities you didn’t realize were possible.
 
Episode Highlights:
The dangers of narrow framing in decision making and how it limits your choices
The three types of narrow framing and how to quickly recognize them
How to break free from the "this or that" thinking trap
A mindset shift that helps you expand your options and find better alternatives
How leaders and teams can make better decisions by broadening their perspectives
How to use broader thinking to improve decision making in promotions, hiring, and business strategy
 
Watch this episode on You Tube: https://youtu.be/vSvW4Jq6dNg
 
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Ep 50 - The Secret to Saying No Without Harming Your Career

Saying no at work can feel impossible, but saying yes too often can squander your precious time and energy and possibly lead to frustration and burnout. In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi and Geoff explore the reasons why saying no is often hard, and they introduce the WPN method (Warmth, Priority, Nugget) to help you say no with clarity and confidence while maintaining relational goodwill.
Cindi and Geoff also tackle special cases like when your boss keeps piling on work or when colleagues won’t take no for an answer. Whether you’re a manager struggling to push back on overflowing tasks or an employee swamped with requests, this episode will equip you with the tools you need to protect your time, set boundaries, and say no without unnecessary guilt.
Tune in to learn how to say no the right way and gain more control of your work.
 
Episode Highlights:
Why saying no is so hard 
The WPN framework for saying no without damaging relationships
How to set boundaries when your boss keeps asking for more
What to do when people won’t take no for an answer
Why workplace culture plays a big role in your willingness to say no
How saying no effectively can build stronger long-term relationships
 
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Ep 49 - Feedback That Works

Why is giving feedback so difficult? And why do so many managers avoid it? In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin break down why people resist criticism and how leaders unintentionally dilute their messages. They uncover common feedback mistakes, like sugar coating, delaying, or failing to provide a path for improvement.
Cindi and Geoff share strategies to help managers deliver feedback that drives real change without triggering defensiveness. They explore the importance of follow-up, provide tips on timing, and give strategies to foster a workplace culture where constructive feedback feels natural and productive.
Tune in to learn how to make feedback a powerful tool for growth and success.
 
Episode Highlights:
Why feedback feels uncomfortable—and why most people avoid it
The biggest mistakes managers make when delivering feedback
How sugarcoating weakens feedback and leads to confusion
Simple strategies to make feedback more constructive, effective, and actionable.
 
Watch this episode on You Tube: https://youtu.be/zCVe9sM80TU
 
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Ep 48 - Why Endings Really Matter at Work and How They Shape Your Success

What if the way something ends matters more than almost everything that came before it? In this episode, hosts Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin explore the peak-end effect, a cognitive shortcut that explains why we overemphasize endings and why that matters. Whether it’s a performance review, a job departure, or a major project, people don’t remember the details, they hang on to the standout moments, high or low, and they remember the end.
Cindi and Geoff break down how the peak-end effect impacts performance evaluations, employee retention, workplace culture, leadership decisions, and more. They discuss why companies often misjudge performance, how final impressions can make or break opportunities and relationships, and why organizations must focus on generating consistently positive experiences and recovering from service lapses.
If you want to better influence how your management and your work are remembered, this episode will show you how to do it.
 
Episode Highlights:
Why endings shape how people remember experiences and decisions
The peak-end effect and how it impacts careers and relationships
How companies may unintentionally rewrite an employee’s legacy based on their exit
Strategies for leaders to improve employee evaluations and retention
The surprising ways people misremember their workplace experiences
 
Watch this episode on You Tube: https://youtu.be/HffpqOdRH5M
 
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Ep 47 Preventing Burnout: Keeping Your Company in Sync with Your People

Are you worried about burnout in your people or yourself? Does it feel like your organization is always changing and never catching its breath? In this episode, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin explore an idea you’ve probably never heard of—punctuated equilibrium—which describes the natural rhythms of companies that sometimes get out-of-sync. They discuss why constant transformation can lead to burnout, how to time major undertakings more effectively, and why planning for some stability is essential for lasting success.
Cindi and Geoff share practical strategies to help leaders manage change, prevent fatigue, and keep teams engaged while keeping up with a fast-moving world. Tune in to learn how to create a resilient organization that avoids systemic burnout.
Episode Highlights:
How continuous change almost always leads to burnout.
Why surge-pause is the secret to balancing change with stability.
How industry shifts and company life cycles impact employees.
Strategies to prevent burnout in fast-moving workplaces.
What to watch for when timing big organizational changes.
Watch this episode on You Tube: https://youtu.be/y4P36ry6yvE?si=do9argOnvHU92zxm
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Ep 46 Why Your PTO Policies Might Burn People Out and What to Do About It

Is your company’s paid time off (PTO) policy actually burning out the very employees it’s designed to reward and renew? In this episode of Management Muse, hosts Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin discuss the unintended consequences of paid time off policies, from employees banking PTO instead of using it to overly complicated PTO systems that encourage people to abuse the system and discourage others from taking their well-deserved vacations. They break down common PTO errors, discuss why cashing out unused time can be harmful, and share strategies for creating a vacation system that benefits both employees and the organization. Cindi and Geoff emphasize the importance of clear, simple policies that minimize the unintended consequences that unfortunately follow many PTO systems.
Tune in to learn how to design a PTO policy that encourages real rest, prevents burnout, and aligns with your company’s long-term success.
 
Episode Highlights:
Why many PTO policies unintentionally prevent employees from taking time off.
The risks of PTO banking and buyout programs and why they often backfire.
How to simplify your PTO system to increase fairness and effectiveness.
The importance of senior leaders and managers taking time off and encouraging  their people to do the same.
Practical steps to create a PTO policy that supports employee well-being and company success.
 
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