Manage Smarter

Join hosts Audrey Strong and C. Lee Smith every other week as they dive into management, leadership, business, sales, company culture, talent retention, revenues, performance metrics, hiring and more. From debunking sales myths to learning how to manage with and without measurements, you'll learn something new with every episode and will be able to implement positive change throughout your workplace. Available on all major podcast outlets and all episodes available on ManageSmarter.com

Business
Management
Entrepreneurship
26
258: Managing Scared Employees During Transitio...
29 min
27
Extra Point: Reducing Turnover
3 min
28
Extra Point: Tackling Imposter Syndrome
4 min
29
257: Gen Z Ageism in the Workplace with Stephan...
Stephanie Brown is the founder of the Creative Career Lab and an expert in human resources, employees and company culture.
27 min
30
Extra Point: Managing Internal Conflict
4 min
31
256 Future-Proofing HR Strategies with Kathi En...
Kathi Enderes is the Senior Vice President of Research at the Josh Bersin Company. She's here to discuss Systemic HR. It’s a multi-year study including analysis of HR strategies from over 1,000 companies and 26 million employees, across all industries and geographies.
29 min
32
255: Real Teams vs. Performance Groups with Jam...
James Scouller, executive coach and author of 'How to Build Winning Teams Again and Again,' joins us to discuss the intricacies of team building. James explains the differences between real teams and performance groups, and shares actionable insights on optimizing team performance. Discover the essential elements for creating high-performing teams and learn how to navigate the complexities of team dynamics.
25 min
33
254: Radical Humility in Leadership with Urs Ko...
Urs Koenig, author of 'Radical Humility,' explores the shift from heroic to humble leadership. Learn how to develop self-awareness, build trusting relationships, and foster a growth mindset. Discover practical tips for improving leadership skills and creating a leadership factory.
21 min
34
253: B2B Is Really P2P for Sales with Frank Somma
Frank Somma, a sales and communications expert, shares his insights on the importance of interpersonal communication in the age of AI in this episode. He discusses the findings of a study by Professor Vanessa Bonds from Cornell University, which revealed that in-person communication is the most effective, followed by phone calls, with emails being the least effective. Somma also shares tips on using Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) to improve communication and build rapport with clients. He warns against the dangers of relying too heavily on AI in sales and emphasizes the power of listening.
21 min
35
252: Don't Get Lazy Using AI with Ryan Ruud
Ryan Ruud, founder and CEO of LakeOne, shares his unique perspective on the role of technology in marketing. He argues that the rise of automation systems, mass email systems, and AI has made marketers lazy, leading to mass-produced, impersonal content. Ruud emphasizes the importance of the human touch in marketing and suggests that marketers should think about what would resonate with them as consumers. He also sees potential in AI, but cautions that it should be used in conjunction with human input and output.
20 min
36
251: How to Create Lifelong Clients with Richar...
Richard Weylman, author of 100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life, shares his insights on the importance of personalizing and humanizing every customer interaction. He discusses the role of AI in enhancing the customer experience and the need for companies to shift their focus from products to the customer experience and outcome. Weylman emphasizes the power of kindness, thoughtfulness, caring, and empathy in building strong customer relationships. He also shares his belief that a great customer experience can turn customers into advocates for the company.
24 min
37
250: Build Executive Presence and Step Into You...
Joel Garfinkle, executive coach and author of 'Executive Presence: Step into Your Power, Convey Confidence, and Lead with Conviction,' discusses the nine essential competencies that define executive presence. These include confidence, command, charisma, authority, decisiveness, boldness, influence, vocal expression, and clarity. Garfinkle explains how these traits are crucial for building credibility and advancing in leadership roles. Whether you're an emerging leader or a seasoned executive, mastering these competencies can significantly impact your career and organizational influence.
25 min
38
249: Overcoming Caveman Brain with Dr. Jean Our...
Dr. Jean Oursler, also known as the Results Queen, is our guest in this episode. With a PhD in business psychology, she is considered one of the country's top business consultants. Dr. Oursler shares her insights on achieving business success through a results-oriented approach and the implementation of the Entrepreneur Operating System (EOS). She also introduces the concept of 'Caveman Brain' and discusses the role of confidence in leadership. As the author of 'Give Up Goals and Results Are Yours', she provides valuable advice for business owners and leaders.
23 min
39
248: Stop Your Saboteur Brain with Wendy Swire
Wendy Swire, an expert in executive and leadership coaching and author of 'Anytime Coaching', joins us to discuss the difference between a sage brain and a saboteur brain. She explains how to recognize when you're in saboteur mode and how to shift to sage mode. Wendy also shares the five sage powers: empathy, exploration, innovation, navigation, and activation. She offers advice on managing change and building mental fitness. Wendy's insights are based on over 20 years of expertise in leadership consulting and her unique background as a former Wall Street banker and trained diplomat.
19 min
40
247: You're FIRED! Can Be a Career Booster with...
Stephanie Brown, founder of Creative Career Level Up and author of 'Fired, Why Losing Your Job, is the best thing that can happen to you', shares her insights on how being fired can be a blessing in disguise and an opportunity for career development. She discusses strategies for career progression, overcoming imposter syndrome, and the importance of feedback and reflection for self-improvement.
22 min
41
246: Mediation and Management with Luis Scott
Luis Scott, a respected attorney and consultant, shares his insights on the difference between a manager and a leader, how to develop a predictable business, the role of mediation in management, and when to involve a lawyer. He also discusses how to overcome low credibility in professions like law through continuous education.
22 min
42
245: Leveraging Virtual Assistants for Growth w...
Justin Nelson, founder and CEO of Sphere Rocket VA, shares his journey from overcoming addiction to building a leading virtual workforce company. Discover the top functions of virtual assistants, the impact of AI, and how small businesses can leverage VAs for growth.
23 min
43
244: Performance Science for Business with Dr. ...
Dr. Carla Fowler is an MD PhD and elite executive coach. For the last decade, she has been a secret weapon for scores of CEOs, entrepreneurs, and other senior leaders.
26 min
44
243: Building High-Trust Teams with David Horsa...
David Horsager, CEO of the TrustEdge Leadership Institute and author of 'The Trust Edge,' discusses the pivotal role of trust in leadership and organizational success. Learn how trust influences retention, engagement, and performance, and discover practical strategies to build and sustain trust within your team.
24 min
45
242: Overcoming Stress, Anxiety and Burnout wit...
Maria Victoria Albina (she/they) is a Master Certified Somatic Life Coach, UCSF-trained Family Nurse Practitioner and Breathwork Meditation Guide.
25 min
46
241: Gamification at Work with Steve Shenbaum
Steve Shenbaum is the founder of Game On Nation, a nationally recognized communication firm that employs game dynamics and improvisation to teach high-performance teamwork as well as communication, story-telling, public-speaking and presentation skills.
21 min
47
240: Unleashing Super Consumers with Eddie Yoon
Eddie Yoon, co-founder of Category Pirates LLC and author of 'The 22 Laws of Category Design', shares his expertise on category strategy and super consumers. Learn how businesses can leverage weird data to drive growth and why companies like Tesla and Starbucks excel in category design. Eddie offers actionable tips for scaling up by managing weirder, making this episode a must-listen for anyone looking to redefine their market and achieve superior growth.
24 min
48
239: Use No to Get to Yes with Andrea Waltz
Andrea Waltz is the co-founder of Courage Crafters, Inc. and co-author of the best-selling book, Go for No! Yes is the Destination, No is How You Get There.
27 min
49
238: Avoid Sales Pipeline Assumptions with Stev...
Steve Gielda is co-founder of Ignite Selling and author of Ignite Your Sales Strategies: A field guide to accelerating the pipeline
19 min
50
237: How to Master Social Selling with Brynne T...
Brynne Tillman is the LinkedIn Whisperer and CEO of Social Sales Link.
26 min