The Manager Track

Ramona Shaw
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If you’re in you're a new manager and want to become a confident and competent leader people love to work with, then join leadership expert Ramona Shaw in this podcast. Each week, Ramona shares inspiring new perspectives and practical tips you can use right away to successfully transition into your first leadership role and to think, act, and communicate like the leader you know you can be.

  1. 6d ago

    How to Read the Room: The 3 Questions Intuitive Leaders Ask (Ep 322)

    You walk into a meeting with senior people, and within seconds the internal questions start: Should I speak early or wait until I’m asked? Am I reading the mood right, or am I about to present data to a room that wants something else entirely? And when the energy shifts mid-meeting, someone influential goes quiet, the questions turn political, the doubt gets louder: do I name what’s happening, or do I keep going through my slides and hope it passes? Ramona doesn’t treat reading the room as charisma you’re born with. The managers who look intuitive in meetings are running a short list of questions in their heads, typically faster than everyone else, and adjusting what they say based on the answers. That list can be learned. In this episode, Ramona breaks down what reading the room actually involves and why so much of your credibility in a new room gets decided before you’ve said anything of substance. She covers: The three reads to make in the first two minutes of any meeting, starting with who is actually running it (rarely the person who scheduled it)The four roles you can hold in a meeting, and why a mismatch here is the real reason meetings feel like they go badlyWhat the room is hungry for, and how to tell when it flips from competence to relationship mid-meetingThe "thin slices" research showing how fast people size you up, and what they judge firstFive things that decide your first two minutes, and only one of them is what you say Whether you’re walking into a room of unfamiliar stakeholders, presenting to executives, or watching a meeting drift away from you mid-slide, this episode gives you the questions to run and the language to use. — RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE —The Executive Presence Program (8-week program for mid-level to senior leaders): archova.org/executive-presence-program — LINKS —Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona HERE (link: https://calendly.com/ramonashaw/leadership-strategy-session)Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkitsLearn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: http://archova.org/1on1-courseGrab your copy of Ramona’s best-selling book ‘The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role’: amzn.to/3TuOdcP — WHAT’S NEXT? —Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.Grab your copy of Ramona’s best-selling book ‘The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role’: amzn.to/3TuOdcPWant to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quizAre you in your first manager role and don’t want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclassLove the podcast and haven’t left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

  2. Jul 14

    From Doer to Leader: Redefining Competence in Your New Role (Ep 321)

    There is a thought a lot of managers carry around and almost never say out loud: “Honestly, my direct report is a stronger performer than I am.” If you have had some version of that thought, it usually shows up with a little shame attached. And the standard response, someone telling you that you are great and you do it better than your employee, tends to bounce right off. It does not fix anything, because it is aimed at the wrong problem. Here is what is actually going on. For your whole career, being good meant one thing: I know the most, I do it best, people come to me when the work is hard. Then you got promoted, and the definition of competence quietly changed. Nobody told you the new rules. So you are standing in a new role, still grading yourself with the old ruler, and of course you come up short. In Episode 321, Ramona breaks down: Why “my report is a stronger performer than I am” is an apples-to-oranges error, not a verdict on youWhat actually happens in your brain when your competence feels threatened, and why it registers like survivalThe quiet trap of comparing your year one to someone else’s year fiveThe “which chair are you sitting in?” test that pulls you back into the right seat If you have ever caught yourself diving back into the technical work because it is the one place you still feel sharp, this episode will show you what to do instead. Watch on YouTube Resources mentioned in this episode The Leadership Accelerator, Archova’s 90-day manager readiness program for new and early-stage managers: archova.org/leadership-acceleratorFree Masterclass, the 4 shifts to lead as a new manager: archova.org/masterclass“The Confident & Competent New Manager” by Ramona Shaw: archova.org/books  (also on Amazon: amzn.to/3TuOdcP)CEB research finding that 60% of new managers fail or underperform in their first 18 months, referenced in the episodeLinks Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona: calendly.com/ramonashaw/leadership-strategy-sessionGrab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkitsTurn your 1-on-1 meetings into your most valuable meeting of the week: archova.org/1on1-courseGrab Ramona’s best-selling book “The Confident & Competent New Manager”: amzn.to/3TuOdcP Other episodes you might like Episode 256 – The Leadership Identity Shift: From Executor to Influencer  youtube.com/watch?v=L_KXIyEjNAYEpisode 311 – Delegating: When Stepping In Becomes Stepping On  ramonashaw.com/delegation-for-managers What’s next? Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take the free Manager Archetype quiz: archova.org/quizIn your first manager role and don’t want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass: archova.org/masterclassLove the podcast? Leave an honest review at ramonashaw.com/itunes and on Spotify. Then take a screenshot listening and tag @ramona.shaw.leadership on Instagram or DM Ramona on LinkedIn. * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

  3. Jul 7

    Why You Keep Handing Away Credit You Earned (Ep 320)

    There is a small flinch that happens when someone hands a high performer a compliment. A pause. A quiet thought of “I wonder if they really mean it,” followed by a fast handoff of the credit to the team, to luck, to timing, to anything other than themselves. Most people doing this have no idea it is a pattern. It reads as humility, so it hides in plain sight. Every time you move a win into the team’s column and a loss into your own, you are quietly editing your scorecard in one direction. Over months and years, that adds up to a distorted picture of your contribution, and it does not stay private. The systems that hand out promotions, scope, and pay reward the people whose work is visible. Deflect often enough and you file your best work under everyone else’s name. In this episode, Ramona breaks down why this happens, why it is a choice rather than a fixed trait, and exactly what to do instead. We cover: Why deflecting credit is not the same as humility, and what it actually protects you fromThe negativity-bias loop that makes praise slide off and criticism stickThe language to give your manager an accurate account of your contribution without braggingA three-second practice that interrupts the deflection before it firesThe attribution log that slowly rebuilds an honest view of your own work If you have ever assumed good work speaks for itself, or felt a flicker of discomfort the last time someone praised you, this episode is for you. Watch on YouTube Resources Mentioned in This Episode Executive Presence Intensive: Archova’s 8-week program for mid-level managers and senior leaders ready for bigger responsibility, covering visible self-advocacy, stakeholder communication, and presence in high-stakes moments. Kicks off again in the fall. archova.org/executive-presence-programThe Leadership Accelerator: where the weekly update email tool is taught. archova.org/leadership-acceleratorFree New Manager Masterclass: archova.org/masterclass Links Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona HERE.Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkitsLearn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters into your most important meeting of the week: archova.org/1on1-courseGrab your copy of Ramona’s best-selling book ‘The Confident & Competent New Manager’: amzn.to/3TuOdcP Other Episodes You Might Like Episode 267 – Horizontal Leadership: Creating Teams That Own Their WorkEpisode 281 – Are You Overexplaining? When Leaders Should (and Shouldn’t) Justify Themselves What's Next? Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.Want to better understand your leadership style? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype: archova.org/quizIn your first manager role and don’t want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass: archova.org/masterclassLove the podcast? Leave a review at ramonashaw.com/itunes and on our Spotify page. Thanks for your support of this show!If this episode inspired you, take a screenshot listening on your device, post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

  4. Jun 30

    Stop Doing Your Team's Work: The Over-Functioning Manager Trap (Ep 319)

    It usually shows up disguised as one of your strengths. You are the manager who notices the gap before anyone else does and quietly fills it. The deck gets polished, the deadline gets saved, the client never sees the mess. From the outside, you look reliable. What no one sees is that you are carrying two or three people's work on top of your own and falling behind on the things only you can do. In this episode, Ramona names a pattern that almost never gets flagged in leadership training, because on the surface, it reads as conscientiousness. She walks through how the rescue reflex runs behind the scenes, why working harder only feeds it, and what it quietly does to accountability on a team. She also gets specific about the fix, including the exact language to hand a piece of work back so it does not land as a punishment. In Episode 319, Ramona digs into: The hidden cycle that turns I'll just handle it into a permanent ceiling on your growthWhy a team under-functions in direct proportion to how much the manager over-functionsThe one question to ask yourself the second you reach to redo someone's workThe check-in that makes ownership real instead of taking the task back at the finish line If you have ever redone a direct report's work late at night, felt resentment building while the work kept getting done, or wondered why your team needs you for everything, this episode gives you the language to change it. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jLbQNx9e5_E Resources Mentioned in This Episode The Leadership Accelerator: Archova's 12-week cohort program for new and early-stage managers. Goes deep on delegating without abandoning your team and running accountability conversations that stick. archova.org/leadership-acceleratorFree Masterclass: The 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for. archova.org/masterclass Links Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona HERE.Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkitsTurn your 1-on-1 meetings into your most valuable meeting of the week. Learn more at archova.org/1on1-courseGrab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book, The Confident and Competent New Manager: amzn.to/3TuOdcP Other Episodes You Might Like Episode 311 Delegating: Why Smart Managers Get Stuck Doing the WorkEpisode 274 The Self-Sacrificing Manager: Breaking the Cycle of Doing Everyone's Work What's Next? Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.Want to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype: archova.org/quizIn your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our free Masterclass: archova.org/masterclassLove the podcast? Leave a review at ramonashaw.com/itunes and on our Spotify page. Thanks for your support of this show.If this episode helped, take a screenshot listening on your device, post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM on LinkedIn * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

  5. Jun 23

    The Great Flattening: How to Lead a Team That Doubled Overnight (Ep 318)

    You used to manage six people. Then a reorg, a hiring freeze, or a quiet round of cuts took out the layer above you, and now you are managing twelve. Same hours in the day, but double the team. Maybe a few dotted-line reports nobody else is covering, too. This is the Great Flattening, and the data is not subtle. Manager engagement has dropped to its lowest point in years, burnout among managers now ranks with the worst of any group at work, and the old advice to just work harder is exactly what tips people over the edge. Here is the part most stretched managers miss: the job did not get heavier, it changed shape. You cannot run a team of twelve the way you ran a team of six. In this episode, Ramona breaks down what actually works when your span of control doubles and your support disappears: The Hero-to-Architect shift that decides whether a bigger team crushes you or makes you indispensableWhy delegating tasks is not enough, and what to hand over insteadThe one thing stretched managers quietly drop that quietly costs them their best peopleThe operating cadence that protects your calendar from twelve people's random needs Whether your team just doubled, you are bracing for a reorg, or you simply want to be ready before the span widens, this episode gives you the playbook. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MdLKdcyk-2A RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Gallup State of the Global Workplace 2025 report: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/704063/state-global-workplace-united-states-country-level-data.aspxExecutive Presence Intensive, Archova's 8-week program for senior leaders: archova.org/executive-presence-programFree New Manager Masterclass: archova.org/masterclassThe Confident & Competent New Manager by Ramona Shaw: archova.org/books LINKS Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona: https://calendly.com/ramonashaw/leadership-strategy-sessionGrab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkitsLearn how to turn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters, awkward moments, status updates, or non-existent into your most important and valuable meeting with your directs all week. Learn more at: archova.org/1on1-courseGrab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE Ep 309: From Executor to Strategist: How to Talk About Your Work at the Right AltitudeEp 314: Letting go of control, why your best intentions are stifling your team WHAT'S NEXT? Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.org.Grab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcPWant to better understand your leadership style and patterns? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype and learn how to play to your strengths and uncover your blind spots: archova.org/quizAre you in your first manager role and don't want to mess it up? Watch our FREE Masterclass and discover the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclassLove the podcast and haven't left a review yet? All you have to do is go to ramonashaw.com/itunes and to our Spotify Page, and give your honest review. Thanks for your support of this show!If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

  6. Jun 16

    Leading an Inherited Team: The First 90 Days (Ep 317)

    You walk in on day one and the team is already a fully formed thing. They have inside jokes you don't get, a process you didn't design, and a read on you that started forming before you said a word. You didn't choose them. They didn't choose you. And every one of them is quietly deciding whether you are about to make their work life better or worse. Here is the trap almost every new manager falls into. You try to prove you belong. You look at how the team operates, you spot the things you would do differently, and you start changing them fast to show value. That move feels like leadership. It usually reads as arrogance, and it costs you the one thing you cannot get back: the team's trust in your first few weeks. In this episode, Ramona breaks down how to take over a team you didn't build and earn the right to lead it, instead of spending your first year digging out of a hole. You will learn: Why inheriting a team is a completely different job from building oneThe quick gut-check that tells you how fast you are actually allowed to moveHow to run a listening tour that surfaces what is really going onThe direct way to handle the person who wanted your jobHow to time your first real change so it builds trust instead of breaking it Whether you were just promoted over your peers, hired in from outside, or handed a team in a reorg, this episode gives you the playbook for the first 90 days. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VGOvul9YI0I Resources mentioned in this episode Free New Manager Masterclass: archova.org/masterclassThe Confident & Competent New Manager (Ramona's book): archova.org/books The Leadership Accelerator (12-week program for new managers): archova.org/leadership-accelerator Links Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona: https://calendly.com/ramonashaw/leadership-strategy-sessionGrab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkitsTurn your 1-on-1 meetings into your most valuable meeting of the week. Learn more at: archova.org/1on1-courseGrab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book 'The Confident & Competent New Manager: How to Rapidly Rise to Success in Your First Leadership Role': amzn.to/3TuOdcP Other episodes you might like Episode 298 – https://www.ramonashaw.com/new-managers-build-trust/Episode 300 – https://www.ramonashaw.com/new-managers-roundtable/ * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

  7. Jun 9

    AI in the Workplace: The Problem No One Names - With David Dean (Ep 316)

    In this episode, Ramona sits down with David Dean, a technologist with close to two decades inside complex organizations and the author of a new book, An Inbox Between Us. David calls himself a business AI realist. His core idea is that every company runs on two versions of itself: the official version in your job descriptions, SOPs, and leadership decks, and the unwritten contract, the side conversations and quiet workarounds where the job actually gets done. Most of that second version lives in your inbox, your chats, and your meeting transcripts, and most managers never get to see it clearly. David and Ramona get into what changes when you stop asking AI to solve the problem and start using it to find the problem first. In this conversation, we cover: Why the work that matters most is the work no one documentsHow silence, follow-ups, and stalled approvals are signals you can actually readThe difference between a technical problem and a behavioral one, and why we keep confusing the twoWhat makes a person irreplaceable when AI can mimic almost everything elseThe messaging that decides whether your team sees AI as a threat or a relief If you have ever rolled out a new tool and watched the same dysfunction show up wearing a new outfit, this episode is for you. Watch on YouTube: The Manager Track on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mVWHPqdKRdU Resources Mentioned in This Episode An Inbox Between Us by David Dean: https://a.co/d/04RrQknzDavid Dean’s website: davidchristopherdean.com Links Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona HERE.Grab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkitsTurn your 1-on-1 meetings from time wasters into your most valuable meeting of the week. Learn more at: archova.org/1on1-courseGrab Ramona’s best-selling book, The Confident & Competent New Manager: amzn.to/3TuOdcPOther Episodes You Might Like Episode 312, Why Team-Level AI Integration Should Be Your #1 Job Right Now: ramonashaw.com/managers-ai-changeEpisode 296, AI for Managers in 2026: ramonashaw.com/ai-for-managers-in-2026What’s Next? Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.orgDiscover your Manager Archetype with our free quiz: archova.org/quizWatch our FREE Masterclass on the 4 shifts to become a leader people love to work for: archova.org/masterclassLove the podcast? Leave an honest review at ramonashaw.com/itunes and on our Spotify page. Thanks for your support of this show.Take a screenshot listening and tag @ramona.shaw.leadership on Instagram, or DM Ramona on linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

  8. Jun 2

    The 5 Mental Models New Managers Should Borrow from Charlie Munger (Ep 315)

    Most leadership advice tells you what to think. Be more decisive, be more empathetic, give better feedback, and so on. Charlie Munger spent his life paying attention to the layer underneath all of that, which is how to think. He never wrote a leadership book. He never gave a TED Talk on management. And yet his thinking tools hold up better in a real team meeting than most material on the leadership shelf. In this episode, Ramona pulls five of Munger's mental models out of Poor Charlie's Almanack and shows where each one lands inside the actual week of a manager. A few of the threads she pulls on: Why "How do I build a great team?" is the wrong question, and what to ask insteadThe pattern hiding behind the people problem on your teamThe cost of staying inside your circle of competence, and the higher cost of pretending you're outside itThe favorite tool quietly editing what you're able to see in your direct reportsWhy a logically airtight rollout still hits a wall, and the second track you're missing If you've ever made a clean, rational call as a manager and watched it land badly anyway, this episode is for you. Watch on YouTube: The Manager Track on YouTube Links Poor Charlie's Almanack (the collection of Charlie Munger's talks and writings referenced in the episode): https://a.co/d/03nCgIP8Schedule a Leadership Strategy Call with Ramona: https://calendly.com/ramonashaw/leadership-strategy-sessionGrab the free New Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode: archova.org/freetoolkitsTurn your 1-on-1 meetings into your most valuable meeting of the week: http://archova.org/1on1-courseGrab your copy of Ramona's best-selling book, The Confident & Competent New Manager: amzn.to/3TuOdcP Other Episodes You Might Like Episode 105 – Train Your Thinking to Become a Better Leader: https://www.ramonashaw.com/105-train-your-thinking-to-become-a-better-leaderEpisode 169 – Dual Models Leaders Have to Navigate: https://www.ramonashaw.com/169-dual-models What's Next? Learn more about our leadership development programs, coaching and workshops at archova.orgGrab Ramona's best-selling book, The Confident & Competent New Manager: amzn.to/3TuOdcPWant to better understand your leadership style? Take our free quiz to discover your Manager Archetype: archova.org/quizAre you in your first manager role? Watch our FREE Masterclass: archova.org/masterclassLove the podcast? Leave a review at ramonashaw.com/itunes and on our Spotify PageIf this episode inspired you, screenshot it on your device, post to your Instagram Stories, and tag @ramona.shaw.leadership or DM Ramona on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ramona-shaw * Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links. That means that I am awarded a small commission for purchases made through them, at no added cost to you.

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About

If you’re in you're a new manager and want to become a confident and competent leader people love to work with, then join leadership expert Ramona Shaw in this podcast. Each week, Ramona shares inspiring new perspectives and practical tips you can use right away to successfully transition into your first leadership role and to think, act, and communicate like the leader you know you can be.

Information

  • Creator
    Ramona Shaw
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    325
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Ramona Shaw, LLC All Rights Reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Manager Track

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