Manager on a Mission

Tosca Fasso
  • 5.0 (15)
  • Management
  • Weekly

The podcast for managers who want to rework the workplace and leave a lasting legacy by putting people first. Your host for Manager on a Mission is Tosca Fasso, a former Fortune 100 executive with 30 years of management experience turned podcaster, author, speaker, consultant and optimist. Whether you're a first-time or aspiring manager or even a veteran leader who's been wondering how to navigate Corporate America while still being your authentic self, this is the podcast for you. With every episode, you'll feel validated and also hopeful about how you can help build a work culture that fits with today’s world and sets the stage for an even brighter tomorrow.

  1. 2d ago

    S4 #4: Can a Game Predict Your Team's Success? Adventure, Wizards and AI Team Building with Asa Goldstein

    We've all been through team-building exercises: personality assessments, workshops, trust exercises, maybe even a mandatory game night that was supposed to bring everyone closer together. But here's a question: How do we know whether any of it actually makes our teams better? And wouldn't it be useful to know how a team will respond under pressure before something goes terribly wrong? My guest, Asa Goldstein, founder of Questworks, has an unusual answer: send your team on a fantasy adventure. Yes, really. Asa is developing an AI-powered, multiplayer game that puts teams into fictional challenges and observes how they communicate, collaborate, make decisions, and handle conflict. Think part escape room, part role-playing adventure, and part team development tool. But his vision goes much further than making team-building fun. He wants to create something like a credit score for team effectiveness - a way to measure how teams work together, identify opportunities for improvement, and eventually predict performance. Which raises some fascinating questions. Could AI help managers understand their teams in ways traditional assessments can't? Could games create a safer environment for people to reveal how they actually work together? And how do we prevent another workplace measurement system from becoming another form of employee surveillance? In this conversation, we explore the possibilities, the unanswered questions, and why improving teamwork might be a lot more fun than we've made it. In this episode: Why traditional team building falls short: The limitations of surveys, personality assessments, and one-off workshops when it comes to understanding real team behavior.AI-powered team development: How Questworks uses fictional adventures to explore communication, collaboration, decision-making, and conflict.Team performance under pressure: Why the way people respond to challenges together may reveal more than how they describe themselves on a questionnaire.A credit score for teams? Asa's ambitious vision for measuring and benchmarking team effectiveness—and the research still needed to validate it.Trust, privacy, and workplace surveillance: How to create useful insights for managers without making employees feel they're constantly being evaluated.Making workplace development fun: Why humor, storytelling, and a cranky 375-year-old wizard named Cedric might help people engage with serious team-building challenges. We also talk about the difference between understanding individual strengths and observing how a team functions as a whole, why managers need actionable insights rather than another dashboard, and how AI could potentially support better coaching. And yes, Cedric himself makes an appearance. He has some strong opinions about corporate bureaucracy, workplace dysfunction, and beards. I'm still recovering. Connect with Asa (and Cedric): QuestworksCedric at Work LinkedInEmail Connect with Me: My book: NSFW (Not Safe for Work)LinkedIn

  2. Nov 3

    S4 #3: How Bad Could an AI Boss Be? The Future of Management

    I've spent most of my career advocating for human managers. I wrote a book about leadership. I started an entire podcast to champion the people doing it well. So why am I seriously considering whether some managers should be replaced by artificial intelligence? Because I've had terrible bosses. And I bet you have too. And we all know what it's like when poor management makes you want to leave a job you actually love. In this solo episode of Manager on a Mission, I'm asking an uncomfortable question: What if AI could manage some employees better than the humans currently responsible for them? We explore the growing role of AI in people management, from performance reviews and employee development to productivity monitoring and workplace decisions. Could AI provide more consistent feedback, reduce favoritism, and make career coaching more accessible? Or could algorithmic management simply automate bias, surveillance, and bad leadership on a much larger scale? And perhaps the most important question of all: Who decides what an AI manager is supposed to value? Because technology doesn't automatically create a better workplace. The priorities of the organizations deploying it matter just as much as the capabilities of the systems themselves. In this episode: AI managers vs. human managers: Why the prospect of an AI boss might be more appealing than we want to admit.Performance reviews and employee development: Where AI could improve consistency, feedback, and access to coaching.AI bias and workplace surveillance: The risks of allowing algorithms to influence how employees are evaluated and monitored.Algorithmic management and accountability: Who takes responsibility when an AI system recommends an unfair decision?Organizational culture and leadership: Why the same AI technology could support employees in one company and undermine them in another.The future of human leadership: What great managers can contribute that goes beyond tracking tasks and measuring productivity. I also reflect on my recent conversation with Kevelyn Guzman about the trust that makes employees want to stay. I'm not arguing that we should replace great human leaders with machines. I'm asking why we're so willing to accept poor management from humans, and what managers need to do to demonstrate the value of human leadership in an AI-powered workplace. Because the power a manager has over someone's day is staggering. And I believe we need to earn the right to have that much power in the workplace. Mentioned in this episode: The Harris Poll, via Security Management (2026): 70% have had a toxic boss; 60% say their current boss shows toxic behaviorsWelltory (2026): 9 in 10 Americans have worked under a toxic managerStagwell and The Harris Poll (2023): 1 in 3 workers say they currently have a toxic boss

  3. Oct 27

    S4 #2: Why Great Employees Stay (Even When They're Offered More Money) - with Kevelyn Guzman, RVP Christie’s International

    What would make your best people turn down a better offer? Not a slightly better offer. A much better one. Kevelyn Guzman leads approximately 140 real estate agents as Regional Vice President of Christie's International Real Estate New York. Her agents are independent contractors, free to take their talents elsewhere. Competitors recruit them constantly, sometimes offering dramatically better financial terms. So why do they stay? In this episode of Manager on a Mission, Kevelyn shares with me how she's built a culture of trust, loyalty, and genuine connection—and how those relationships helped her lead her team through two major brand changes in a single summer. We explore: Employee retention and loyalty: Why people stay when competitors offer more money.Building trust as a leader: The surprisingly simple actions that make people feel valued.Leading through organizational change: How to create stability and confidence when everything around your team is shifting.Empowering your people: Why supporting individual strengths builds a stronger team.AI and the future of work: Why technology can make your people more valuable, not less.Leadership lessons learned the hard way: How to block out the noise, adapt faster, and stay focused on what matters. If you're a manager wondering how to build a team that genuinely wants to stay, this conversation offers a refreshing perspective on what employee loyalty really takes. Because great leadership isn't ok with people staying because they have no choice. It's about giving them a reason to stay regardless. Mentioned in this episode: Managing a personal brand: Fast Company’s 196-point guide for leadersWhat Moves Her Connect with Kevelyn: LinkedInChristie’s International Real Estate New York Want to become the kind of leader people love working for? Check out my book: NSFW (Not Safe for Work) Connect with me on LinkedIn

  4. Oct 20

    S4 #1: Job Hugging: So You Can’t Leave Your Job. Now What?

    Workplace trends usually aren’t things we choose. They describe how employees cope with what’s happening to them, and job hugging is the latest example. More than half of U.S. workers now say they’re holding on to jobs they’d otherwise leave, mostly because of fear about AI, layoffs, and an uncertain market. In the Season 4 premiere of Manager on a Mission: The Rebuilders, we look at what job hugging is doing to employees, managers, and companies. Retention numbers can look healthy while engagement quietly falls. I offer you an alternative: stay with intention - and I explain 3 ways you can start. In this episode: What job hugging is, and how it differs from quiet quittingWhy staying out of fear breaks the feedback loop companies (should) depend onWhat the 2026 data says about engagement, wellbeing, and the manager squeezeThree rebuilder moves you can make this week: for yourself, your team, and your careerHow to make staying a strategic choice that helps you come out ahead Your challenge: Pick your corner, then tell me what you’re rebuilding on LinkedIn. Mentioned in this episode: ResumeBuilder: 6 in 10 workers are clinging to their jobs as job hugging soars in 2026MetLife: 2026 Employee Benefit Trends StudyGallup: State of the Global Workplace 2026Bryan Robinson, Ph.D., Forbes: Job Hugging: 75% of Workers Staying Put through 2027HR Morning: Job Hugging: 6 Ways It Will Affect Your Workplace Read my book: NSFW (Not Safe for Work) Connect with me on LinkedIn

  5. Season 4 Trailer

    Season 4 Teaser: The Rebuilders

    If you've thought about leaving your job this year, but stayed anyway - this season is for you. For three seasons, Manager on a Mission has explored what’s broken in Corporate America and the second acts of people who walked away. Season 4 focuses on the people who stay: the managers, leaders, and quiet experts who know they can’t change the whole company, but still refuse to shrink. This season, we'll be sharing Leaders who’ve navigated acquisitions and brand overhauls while keeping their people at the centerAn honest look at both the impact and the opportunity of AI at workHow to get your voice back at work without putting your job security at risk Episode 1 drops next week. Be sure to follow Manager on a Mission so you don’t miss an episode. Read my book: NSFW (Not Safe for Work) Connect on LinkedIn

  6. Mar 18

    S3 #16: Why Good Leaders Leave: The Truth About Why I Left a Job I Loved

    For the finale of Season 3 of Manager on a Mission, I'm sharing a story I've never told before — mine. Even though it’s extremely personal, it's a story many of you will recognize. Because some version of it has happened to almost every manager who ever tried to tell the truth inside a corporation. This is the season finale, the closing argument, and the most personal thing I've ever shared on this podcast. As I release this episode, I realize it’s Employee Survey time. And while what I’m sharing in this episode about my particular experience with a particular survey is my own story - I know that, sadly, many in Corporate America will be able to relate. But my story isn’t about employee surveys. Not really. It’s about what’s happening all across Corporate America: record profits alongside mass layoffs, collapsing trust, and a quiet exodus of the people who care most. I’m calling it the Crisis of Conscience. And I want every manager still inside to know: you are not alone. You’re also not without options, and I share four reframes for anyone who isn’t ready to exit. Remember: you’re making a difference every day, whether you know it or not. In this episode: The story behind why I really left my corporate careerThe data behind the Crisis of ConscienceWhat this season's guests taught me about who leaves — and whyFour reframes for managers still inside who aren't ready to give up Resources mentioned: NSFW: Not Safe for Work by me— get the bookConnect with me on LinkedIn Season 4 is coming. Meet you here again soon.

  7. Feb 26

    S3 #15: Who Are You After the Title Is Gone? What No One Tells You About Career Transitions - with Johanna Danaher

    What happens to your identity when your job title disappears?Whether you're choosing to leave a long-held career or being forced out by a layoff, most of us skip straight to figuring out what's next — without taking the time to understand who we're becoming in the process. And that's where things can go sideways. In this episode, I sit down with Johanna Danaher, a life and leadership coach who helps professionals navigate not just the logistics of change, but the deeply personal question of who you become after you leave. Johanna brings a rare mix of corporate experience and coaching expertise, and she is refreshingly honest about her own journey. We start with her three anchor points — the framework she uses to help clients move through change with intention rather than reaction. The first is getting honest about what you're actually leaving behind. Not just the job title or the paycheck, but the status, the structure, the sense of being needed. Johanna encourages us to grieve that, not skip it. The second anchor point is identifying what you want to carry forward into your next chapter — the values, the skills, the rhythms that are you, not just your job. And the third is creating intentional space for the things you've been putting off until "someday." We also dig into her Energy Leadership framework, which reframes energy not as something we either have or don't — but as something we can actively cultivate. Johanna explains the seven levels of energy, from catabolic states where everything feels like it's happening to you, all the way up to a place of total consciousness where every challenge becomes an opportunity. And we get real about burnout — not just the dramatic crash version, but the slow-bleed kind that sneaks up on high achievers. Johanna breaks down why the very traits that make us excellent at our jobs — the drive, the high standards, the need to be in every room — are the same traits that can quietly run us into the ground. From glorifying busyness to the 3:00 am self-criticism spiral, she names the signs we tend to miss and offers practical strategies to course correct before we hit the wall. For leaders still in the thick of corporate life, this episode is full of practical, doable tools: using color-coded calendar blocking to protect renewal time, learning to ask whether you actually need to be in that meeting, and understanding that one intentional breath between back-to-back meetings can genuinely reset your nervous system. And for anyone sitting with the question of whether a major transition is right for you — Johanna's message is clear: you don't have to blow everything up at once. Start with the 10% move. One conversation, one connection, one small step in the direction you're curious about. The messy middle is where the real magic happens. Resources: Johanna Danaher on LinkedIn: Johanna DanaherBook a complimentary intro call: via her LinkedIn bioJohanna’s website: https://www.anchortoaspire.com/Energy Leadership Index from iPEC (Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching) Get Tosca's book - NSFW: A good manager's guide to better feeling work in a toxic culture

  8. Feb 12

    S3 #14: Heroes Need Crises, Hosts Create Conditions: Which Type of Leader Are You? - with Maximos Lih

    When Maximos Lih's grandfather was abandoned as a baby at a Buddhist monastery, the villagers treated him with suspicion, assuming he came from "bad genes." The same person with the same hidden potential could have remained invisible forever—until he entered a different system. At 16, he lied about his age to join the military during wartime, where trust, meritocracy, and mission created the conditions for him to rise to become a four-star general in the Chinese army. But this isn’t a “bootstraps” story. It’s actually one about systems, and it shapes everything Maximos believes about leadership: we're not managing people, we're expressing systems that either unlock or suppress what people are capable of becoming. In this conversation, Maximos introduces a powerful framework that challenges conventional leadership thinking—the difference between being a "hero" manager and being a "host" manager. Hero managers, like characters in Western movies, swoop in to solve problems and then leave. They're constantly firefighting, looking for crises to resolve so they can move on to the next emergency. But host managers make space—they create conditions where hidden potential can emerge. As Maximos explains, his grandfather didn't pull himself up by his bootstraps; someone made the decision to teach him to read, and a manager had to approve giving that person time during their duties to invest in his development. The conversation reveals how first-line managers hold extraordinary power to unlock potential through seemingly small decisions. Maximos shares a compelling example from Google, where a "net neutral" mandate for data centers (originally about dollars in, dollars out) led to carbon-neutral innovations, wind and solar contracts, and data centers built near natural cooling sources—all because host-oriented leaders created space for people to imagine beyond the original parameters. We explore why management has become exponentially more complex, requiring leaders to be therapists, culture builders, hiring strategists, and AI implementers while managing P&L and navigating unexpected layoffs. Maximos, who has worked across 600 companies, offers both philosophical frameworks and practical strategies for managers trying to build something lasting while caring for their people in increasingly challenging systems. Connect with Maximos on LinkedIn Book your free 60-minute strategy session and mention Manager on a Mission Get Tosca's book - NSFW: A good manager's guide to better feeling work in a toxic culture

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About

The podcast for managers who want to rework the workplace and leave a lasting legacy by putting people first. Your host for Manager on a Mission is Tosca Fasso, a former Fortune 100 executive with 30 years of management experience turned podcaster, author, speaker, consultant and optimist. Whether you're a first-time or aspiring manager or even a veteran leader who's been wondering how to navigate Corporate America while still being your authentic self, this is the podcast for you. With every episode, you'll feel validated and also hopeful about how you can help build a work culture that fits with today’s world and sets the stage for an even brighter tomorrow.

Information

  • Creator
    Tosca Fasso
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    58
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024
  • Show Website
    Manager on a Mission