Management Muse

Ep 105 - Why Performance Management Is Broken (And 3 Tips to Fix It) with Collette Revere

Performance reviews eat up time, frustrate employees, and often fail to improve performance. So why are so many organizations still clinging to them?
In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi talks with Collette Revere, CEO of Open 360, about why traditional performance management is overdue for the trash heap. Collette explains how the model many organizations still use dates back to World War I. It made sense in a more rigid, hierarchical era, but work has changed.
Cindi and Collette unpack why performance reviews are often backward-looking, demotivating, and better at catching low performers than helping good people get better. Collette brings three simple shifts leaders can implement to improve performance management right now, even if their organization is not ready for a full system overhaul.
If you’ve ever sat through a review and thought, “What exactly is this helping?” this one’s for you.
Episode Highlights:
Why traditional performance reviews often fail to improve performance
The hidden time cost of performance reviews for leaders
Why past-focused feedback can demotivate instead of drive improvement
How better communication can improve employee performance
Three practical ways to improve performance management right now
What better performance conversations should actually focus on
About Collette Revere:
Collette Revere is the Founder and CEO of Open360™, a psychology-based leadership and development company helping organizations strengthen trust, alignment, and performance through feedback and communication. A mental health professional, certified change management practitioner, and organizational development consultant, she has spent nearly two decades helping leaders improve performance management, navigate change, and build healthier workplace culture using practical approaches grounded in behavioral science. 
Connect with Collette:
 Website | Linkedin
Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QL4q6cHDWB0
Get your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook: 14 Strategies for Work Success in a Chaotic World here. 
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Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:
Buckingham, Marcus and Goodall, Ashley. “The Feedback Fallacy,” Harvard Business Review, Apr. 2019, https://hbr.org/2019/03/the-feedback-fallacy 
Cappelli, Peter and Tavis, Anna. The Performance Management Revolution, Harvard Business Review Press, 1 Oct. 2016, https://store.hbr.org/product/the-performance-management-revolution/R1610D?srsltid=AfmBOoqCUszEt_FzkkBghohLl4BywwVmVSsCrO1XcgagCwntrjNNLnPJ& 
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Ep 104 - Can the Consultants Be Stumped? [Real Workplace Problems Solved Live]

Real workplace problems. No prep. No easy answers. Can the consultants be stumped?
In this special episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin put their management consulting instincts to the test with real workplace problems pulled from years of coaching leaders, managers, and organizations. One presents the dilemma, the other has to solve it on the spot before finding out what actually happened.
The dilemmas are messy yet highly relatable: a top performer aging out, a boss who refuses to respect work-life boundaries, and interpersonal drama that threatens operations. Cindi and Geoff reveal how executive coaches and organizational consultants think through leadership challenges in real time. Along the way, they explore one of the hardest truths in consulting: many workplace problems can be solved, but only if people are willing to have the tough conversations.
Fast-paced, funny, and packed with practical leadership advice, this episode is full of insights for managers, executives, HR leaders, and anyone navigating difficult people problems at work. Listen in and see whether the consultants crack the case—or get stumped.
Episode Highlights:
How experienced consultants diagnose messy workplace problems in real time
How to honor loyal employees without hurting performance
Why avoiding hard conversations creates bigger problems at work
Practical ways to set boundaries with an overreaching boss
Why a pay raise often fails to solve burnout
How leaders should manage personal conflict at the executive level
What David and Goliath teaches about disruption and business strategy
Why past success can blind organizations to future threats
Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lu7ImQV5feY
Get your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook: 14 Strategies for Work Success in a Chaotic World here. 
→ Use code PLAYBOOK20 for 20% off.
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Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:
Rumeult, Richard P. The Crux: How Leaders Become Strategists, PublicAffairs, 3 May 2022, https://a.co/d/0cFhIw35 
Christensen, Clayton. The Innovator’s Dilemma, Harper Business, 4 Oct. 2011, https://a.co/d/04tjyp7J 
Ury, William. The Power of a Positive No, Bantam, 26 Dec. 2007, https://a.co/d/04ZKtABx 
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Ep 103 - Why Change Management Is Failing in Today’s Disruptive World [And How Leaders Can Fix It] with Leslie Ellis

Your team agrees with you. They nod in meetings.And yet… nothing changes.
In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi sits down with Leslie Ellis, CEO of Meaningful Change Consulting, to unpack one of the most frustrating leadership challenges: when alignment in the room doesn’t translate into action.
The problem isn’t as simple as individual resistance, it’s also how organizations fundamentally think about change.
Most companies still treat change as a one-time event: something to roll out, push through, and move past. But in today’s environment, disruption is constant, and that model is breaking down.
Leslie introduces a more effective approach: shifting from “change” to continuous reinvention. More importantly, she argues that reinvention can’t just be an initiative, it has to be embedded into the culture. When reinvention becomes part of how an organization operates, teams become more resilient, and organizations stay on the cutting edge amidst ongoing disruption.
Together, they explore why evolution beats revolution, how to build reinvention into your organization’s rhythm, and why leaders must model this shift before expecting it from anyone else.
If your change efforts aren’t sticking, this conversation will help you understand why, and how to build an organization that can actually keep up.
Episode Highlights:
The reason alignment doesn’t translate into action
Why big “change pushes” often create more resistance than progress and how to fix it
The hidden risk of treating long-term plans as fixed commitments
How to normalize revisiting decisions without triggering ego or ownership issues
What it looks like to build adaptability into your organization’s rhythm
The leadership behaviors that signals “it’s safe to evolve here”
About Leslie Ellis:
Leslie Ellis is an executive change advisor and CEO of Meaningful Change Consulting, helping leaders succeed in complex, high-stakes transformation. She works with senior teams navigating enterprise change, culture shifts, and reinvention. She focuses on what most organizations miss: leadership alignment, decision-making, and setting the right conditions before execution. With 20+ years of experience, Leslie has supported 55+ organizations across 42 countries, impacting over 900,000 stakeholders. She’s often brought in when change is stalled or at risk—or to prevent those outcomes entirely. Leslie is a Forbes Business Council member, Certified Change Management Professional, and Certified Reinvention Practitioner.
Connect with Leslie:
 Website | Linkedin | Instagram | Facebook
Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/J4ZZNBntXGE
Get your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook: 14 Strategies for Work Success in a Chaotic World here. 
→ Use code PLAYBOOK20 for 20% off.
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Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:
Sonenshein, Scott. "We're Changing--Or Are We? Untangling the Role of Progressive, Regressive, and Stability Narratives During Strategic Change Implementation," Academy of Management Journal, 53 (3), 30 Nov. 2017, https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2010.51467638 
 McGrath, Rita Gunther and Gourlay, Alex. The End of Competitive Advantage: How to Keep Your Strategy Moving as Fast as Your Business, Harvard Business Review Press, 4 Jun. 2013, https://a.co/d/06GdXTAg 
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Ep 102 - How Demographic Shifts Are Changing Business Strategy [Why Your Customers Are Disappearing]

What happens when your customers don’t just change… they disappear?
In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin unpack how demographic shifts are rewriting business strategy, often long before leaders realize what is happening. From aging populations and labor shortages to dropping birth rates and school closures, they explore how changes in population, behavior, and generational preferences can disrupt entire industries right under your nose.
And here’s the catch: too often, brands don’t realize the shift until it hits them over the head.
Using examples from healthcare, education, hospitality, and live events, Cindi and Geoff show why strategy cannot stay static when the people you serve are evolving. They tackle a key leadership challenge: how to adapt to new markets without abandoning the customers you already have.
If you lead people, serve customers, or build strategy, this is a shift you can’t afford to ignore.
Episode Highlights:
How generational shifts are reshaping business strategy
Why aging populations create winners in some industries and decline in others
What labor shortages reveal about changing workforce demographics
What Gen Z’s changing social habits mean for brands
How leaders can adapt without overreacting or alienating current customers
Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/s14j_fp9N5Q
Get your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook: 14 Strategies for Work Success in a Chaotic World here. 
→ Use code PLAYBOOK20 for 20% off.
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Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:
Sciubba, Jennifer D. “The Global Population Is Aging. Is Your Business Prepared?,” Harvard Business Review, 18 Nov. 2022, https://hbr.org/2022/11/the-global-population-is-aging-is-your-business-prepared 
Lund, Susan et al. “The Future of Work After COVID-19,” McKinsey Global Institute, 18 Feb. 2021, https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/the-future-of-work-after-covid-19
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Ep 101 - Reinventing Yourself: When It’s Time to Walk Away from What You Built

Walking away from a decade of training and a prestigious title? Most people would call that reckless. Dr. Seema Desai calls it survival.
In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi sits down with former dentist turned keynote speaker and author Seema Desai to explore one of leadership's most difficult questions: When do you walk away from what you built? 
Seema unpacks her journey from wielding the "Dr." title as armor to discovering that ego-driven success was costing her everything: her peace, her parenting, and her sense of self. She reveals how the sunk cost fallacy keeps high achievers trapped in misery, why privilege isn't the same as entitlement, and how small, intentional experiments can lead to transformative change without blowing up your life overnight.
This conversation is for anyone who's ever thought, "I should be grateful for this... so why am I so unhappy?" If you've been waiting for permission to reimagine your path, this is it.
Episode Highlights:
The sunk cost fallacy and why past investment shouldn't dictate your future
How ego-driven identity creates fragile, unsustainable success
Maslow’s hierarchy and the cost of misalignment
Why clarity often comes from action, not planning
What it really takes to reinvent yourself
About Dr. Seema Desai:
Dr. Seema Desai is a keynote speaker, author, certified coach, and creator of The Joy First Method™. She works with high-performing leaders and teams who seek sustainable, meaningful, and aligned results, moving beyond pressure-driven success models. 
Dr. Desai teaches leaders to use joy as a strategy—not a reward—for high performance. Her work reframes joy as a competitive advantage that strengthens decision-making, resilience, innovation, and long-term results. She is the author of Connected and co-host of the award-winning podcast Happy and Human. A wife, mom, and trained general dentist, she offers a grounded perspective on high-performance leadership.
Connect with Seema: Website | Instagram | Linkedin
Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VyNGC5-Nb5E
Get your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook: 14 Strategies for Work Success in a Chaotic World here. 
→ Use code PLAYBOOK20 for 20% off.
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Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:
Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013, https://a.co/d/09E15XTn 
Kegan, Robert and Lahey, Lisa. Immunity to Change: How to Overcome it and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization, Harvard Business Review Press, 2009, https://a.co/d/0a8DykXV 
A.H. Maslow. “A Theory of Human Motivation,” Psychological Review, 1943; 50, 370-396, https://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htm 
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Memes to Management Lessons: Our 100th Episode Special

What can workplace memes teach us about leadership?
More than you might think.
To celebrate 100 episodes of Management Muse, we have a special episode for you. The team pulled together a collection of workplace reels—from unlimited PTO policies to the trials of middle management—and challenged Cindi and Geoff to react to them live.
Some are hilarious. Some are painfully accurate. And almost all of them contain a kernel of insight into how organizations function.
Along the way, Cindi and Geoff unpack what these viral clips reveal about workplace culture, leadership myths, and the dynamics shaping modern organizations. Why do meetings multiply so quickly and how can they be reigned back in? Why can holiday bonuses spark frustration instead of gratitude? And what role do friendships, incentives, and workplace norms actually play in performance?
Come for the laughs. Stay for the science-backed insights that might just change how you think about work.
Episode Highlights:
The real role of middle managers
A radical meeting reform idea
How holiday bonuses can backfire
The dark motive behind unlimited PTO
Why your boss’ emails never have punctuation
Kombucha taps to nap pods: the office perk arms race
Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dtUwst_HnhM
Get your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook: 14 Strategies for Work Success in a Chaotic World here. 
→ Use code PLAYBOOK20 for 20% off.
Get Science-Backed Insights and Exclusive Perks Straight to Your Inbox:
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Ep 99 - The Hidden Risk of AI: A World Without Friction

The biggest risk of AI isn't that it will replace us; it's that it will stunt our growth.
In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoff Tumlin explore the rapidly growing belief that artificial intelligence will transform, or even replace, large parts of work and leadership. They argue that this narrative misses something fundamental about how organizations actually function. From decision-making and strategy to coaching and customer service, they unpack where AI actually adds value and where human judgment, relationships, and real-world experience will have true staying power.
The conversation challenges the assumption that more efficiency always leads to better outcomes. In many cases, the moments that feel inefficient—difficult conversations, feedback, mentorship, and trust-building—are exactly what make teams stronger and organizations more resilient. If you want to understand how to use AI without losing the human edge that makes leadership effective, don’t miss this episode.
Episode Highlights:
How AI distorts self-evaluation
The risk of removing friction from the workplace
Upskilling and the future of work
Why strategy can't be automated
The relationship that keeps employees loyal
Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/KeEoSALhvlk
Get your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook: 14 Strategies for Work Success in a Chaotic World here. 
→ Use code PLAYBOOK20 for 20% off.
Get Science-Backed Insights and Exclusive Perks Straight to Your Inbox:
→ Sign up for our newsletter and get our FREE guide to the 6 Habits You NEED to Level Up Your Management Skills in 2026!
 
Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:
Hau, Isabelle C. "Welcome to the Era of Relational Intelligence," Stanford Social Innovation Review, 2026, https://ssir.org/articles/entry/era-of-relational-intelligence 
Bjork E.L. & Bjork R.A., "Making things hard on yourself, but in a good way: Creating desirable difficulties to enhance learning," Psychology and the real world: Essays illustrating fundamental contributions to society, Worth Publishers, pp. 56-64, https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-19926-008 
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Ep 98 - Accountability That Actually Works (Part 2)

Accountability sounds straightforward…until you try to enforce it.
In Part 2 of this series on Management Muse, Cindi and Geoff move from defining the boundaries of micromanagement to confronting the real challenge: what real accountability requires. They explore how leaders over-control when they’re anxious and under-coach when roles evolve.
They turn to the real engine of accountability: feedback. Why public reminders don’t work. Why sugarcoating dilutes the message. Why deadlines change behavior. And why leaders with high emotional intelligence may be the most tempted to avoid the very conversations that drive performance. If you want accountability without resentment, this is where the work actually begins.
Listen to Part 1 here.
Episode Highlights:
How to unlearn micromanaging behaviors you might have inadvertently picked up
The hidden accountability gap when roles change but expectations don’t
The “Poop Sandwich" and why it backfires
How to give feedback that boosts accountability
The importance of effective conversations and deadlines
Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/WAYLyFHXSJI
Get your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook: 14 Strategies for Work Success in a Chaotic World here. 
→ Use code PLAYBOOK20 for 20% off.
Get Science-Backed Insights and Exclusive Perks Straight to Your Inbox:
Sign up for our newsletter and get our FREE guide to the 6 Habits You NEED to Level Up Your Management Skills in 2026!
 
Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:
DiGangi, Julia. “The Anxious Micromanager,” Harvard Business Review, Sep-Oct. 2023. https://hbr.org/2023/09/the-anxious-micromanager 
Ilgen, D., Fisher, C., and Taylor, M.S. “Consequences of individuals feedback on behavior in organizations,” Journal of Applied Psychology, 1979, 64(4), 349-371. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.64.4.349
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Ep 97 - Holding Employees Accountable Without Being the Bad Guy

There are far fewer micromanagers than you might think.
In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi and Geoff challenge one of the most persistent myths in leadership: that holding people accountable makes you controlling. Drawing on classic leadership and expertise research, they share a simple framework that explains why most managers pull back long before they should.
Using their own pizza-making adventures as a running example, Cindi and Geoff explore how people develop competence in a role, and how managers should behave at each stage to support them. They discuss the hidden danger of ‘aloof’ management, and why generational complaints often miss the real issue.
Part 1 of a two-part series on how holding people accountable without being the villain.
→ Listen to Part 2 here.
Episode Highlights:
The job progression model to calibrate your leadership style
How to determine the bounds of micromanagement
Why on-the-job-training is costing you
The importance of feedback and when to give it
Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/KHdhHi0Rw00
*Get your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook: 14 Strategies for Work Success in a Chaotic World here. 
→ Use code PLAYBOOK20 for 20% off.
*Get Science-Backed Insights and Exclusive Perks Straight to Your Inbox:
Sign up for our newsletter and our FREE guide to the 6 Habits You NEED to Level Up Your Management Skills in 2026!
Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:
EBSCO, “Situational leadership theory,” https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/social-sciences-and-humanities/situational-leadership-theory
Penney, CA. “Are You a Micromanager or Too Hands-Off?” Harvard Business Review, 2 Aug. 2024, https://hbr.org/2024/08/are-you-a-micromanager-or-too-hands-off 
Ericsson, K. A., Krampe, R. T., & Tesch-Römer, C. “The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance,” Psychological Review, 1993, 100(3), 363–406. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.100.3.363
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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 
Get Science-Backed Insights and Exclusive Perks Straight to Your Inbox:
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