The Made Leader

Jen Arnold, Leadership Consultant & Coach
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Management
  • Updated Weekly

The Made Leader is the podcast for new managers who were thrown into leadership with zero training and even less support. Only 10% of people are natural leaders. The rest of us? We have to become one. Hosted by Jen Arnold, this show is your no-BS guide to surviving (and thriving) in your first three years of leadership. You'll get practical strategies to help you lead through difficult conversations, managing up, and giving meaningful feedback. Just real advice for real challenges. Whether you're dealing with imposter syndrome, difficult conversations, or the overwhelm of leading your former peers, The Made Leader will help you lead better tomorrow than you did today. Leadership isn't who you are. It's who you're becoming.

  1. 2h ago ·  Video

    First Time Manager? 5 Mistakes Nobody Warns You About

    📋 FREE TOOL FOR FIRST-TIME MANAGERS Get The New Leader Advantage — a 2-minute diagnostic that identifies which of the 5 core leadership areas needs your attention: https://growthsignals.co/nla/ These first-time manager mistakes can sink your career before you realize you're making them. Learn the 5 new manager mistakes to avoid in your first leadership role — and what to do instead. This first-time manager advice video covers the leadership mistakes most new managers make: leading to be liked, turning directs into confidants, managing down but not up, overhauling everything at once, and getting stuck at either extreme. If you were promoted, felt confident, and now something feels off — these new manager tips name the traps nobody warns you about. They don't look like mistakes when you're making them. They look like being a good person. Or just being human. Whether you need new manager training that skips the corporate fluff or practical leadership mistakes to avoid — this is the practical guidance most companies never provide. 🎙️ The Made Leader is the guide for new managers who were thrown into leadership with zero training. Connect with Jen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenparnold/ Are you a new leader looking for support? Check out Made to Lead, our 12-week cohort for first time people leaders. Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themadeleader

  2. 5d ago ·  Video

    The 3 Identity Shifts Every New Manager Has to Make

    📋 FREE TOOL FOR FIRST-TIME MANAGERS Get The New Leader Advantage — a 2-minute diagnostic that identifies which of the 5 core leadership areas needs your attention: https://growthsignals.co/nla/ Most new managers weren't trained for leadership — they were promoted for being good at their job. Then they're expected to just figure out who they are as a leader. If you've ever felt like you're performing a version of leadership rather than actually being a leader, this video is for you.  In this episode, I break down the 3 identity shifts every first-time manager has to make to stop feeling like an imposter and start leading with confidence: - From Doer to Role Model — why your old habits are now undermining your authority - From Expert to Coach — how to stop solving every problem yourself and start developing your team - From Urgent to Strategic — the mindset shift that separates reactive managers from respected leaders Leadership identity isn't something you find. It's something you build — through the uncomfortable moments most new manager training programs never prepare you for.  Connect with Jen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenparnold/ Are you a new leader looking for support? Check out Made to Lead, our 12-week cohort for first time people leaders. Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themadeleader

  3. Sep 2 ·  Video

    Most New Managers Get This Wrong With Underperformers

    📋 FREE TOOL FOR FIRST-TIME MANAGERS Get The New Leader Advantage — a 2-minute diagnostic that identifies which of the 5 core leadership areas needs your attention: https://growthsignals.co/nla/ Most first-time managers get this wrong with underperforming employees — they either let it ride or fire fast. Neither one diagnoses the problem first. If you're a new manager and you've been avoiding the conversation or already decided someone needs to go, this video is for you. This performance management framework walks through the decision tree that separates instinct from accuracy: how to give honest, direct feedback without blindsiding anyone, how to distinguish a genuine skill gap from a will problem so you stop wasting time on the wrong fix, and the documentation habit that keeps you protected when nothing improves. 📌 THE FRAMEWORK The real question isn't "coach or fire." It's "did you diagnose this performance problem before you acted?" Most performance conversations fail because new managers skip the diagnostic step entirely — they react to the frustration instead of investigating the cause. This video gives you three paths after honest feedback: • Skill gap (they can do the job) → coach them up • Will problem (they won't do the job) → coach them out • Job fit (it's not skill or will) → help them transition 🎙️ ABOUT THE MADE LEADER The Made Leader is the channel for new managers who were thrown into leadership with zero training. Only 10% of people are natural leaders. The rest of us have to become one. Hosted by Jen Arnold, this show covers feedback, delegation, team performance, building trust, and everything corporate training left out. Connect with Jen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenparnold/ Are you a new leader looking for support? Check out Made to Lead, our 12-week cohort for first time people leaders. Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themadeleader

  4. Aug 28 ·  Video

    New Managers: Stop Running Status Meetings. Run This 1:1 Instead

    👉 Ready to build real authority as a new manager? https://growthsignals.co/new-manager-training/ Most new managers run their 1:1s like a status meeting — a round of "what are you working on" that nobody needs and everybody dreads. So you cancel them, your team stops trusting the slot, and the one meeting that could've made managing easier becomes the one you skip. I'll walk you through building the 1:1 from scratch — the right cadence for each person, the three questions that turn a status update into a real conversation, how to make feedback a habit instead of an annual ambush, and the follow-through that makes any of it stick. Plus what to do when it goes sideways: the report who shows up with nothing, the one who's guarded, and the one who says they don't need to meet at all. Feedback video mentioned - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9m_7uCZYX8 Authority mistakes video mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2oXTaVfwuY&t=1s Connect with Jen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenparnold/ Are you a new leader looking for support? Check out Made to Lead, our 12-week cohort for first time people leaders. Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themadeleader

  5. Aug 26 ·  Video

    Most New Managers Don't Know They're Making These Mistakes

    If you're a first time manager and your team isn't listening, you're probably making one of these 5 authority mistakes — and you don't even know it. Most new managers lose authority before they've had a chance to build it. This video breaks down exactly what's happening and how to fix it. What you'll learn: ✅ The 5 authority mistakes that undermine new managers from day one ✅ Why your team nods in meetings and then does it their own way anyway ✅ How to build real respect without forcing it ✅ The leadership shift that changes how your team responds to you 👉 Get The New Leader Advantage — a free guide to troubleshoot where you may be stuck and how to move forward: https://growthsignals.co/new-leader-advantage-download/ — The Made Leader is the no-BS guide for new managers who were thrown into leadership with zero training and even less support. Hosted by Jen Arnold. Connect with Jen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenparnold/ Are you a new leader looking for support? Check out Made to Lead, our 12-week cohort for first time people leaders. Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themadeleader

  6. Jul 1

    Why Your Feedback Isn't Working

    If you're a new manager and your feedback isn't landing, the problem isn't the conversation — it's the diagnosis. Most new managers give the wrong fix for the wrong problem. This episode walks you through the framework that changes that. What you'll learn: ✅ Why feedback fails even when it's delivered correctly ✅ The root causes of underperformance — and how to identify the right one ✅ How to give feedback that leads to real, lasting behavior change ✅ What first time managers miss before every hard conversation If your team keeps agreeing in the moment and then doing nothing differently, this is for you. Connect with Jen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenparnold/ Are you a new leader looking for support? Check out Made to Lead, our 12-week cohort for first time people leaders. Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themadeleader

  7. Jun 24

    New Managers: Avoid These 4 Mistakes During Change

    If your company just announced a change and you're dreading telling your team — this episode is for you.  As a first time manager, you have a disadvantage no one talks about: the processing gap. By the time you tell your team about a change, you've already had days or weeks to process it. Your team is hearing it for the first time. And that gap is where trust gets burned. In this episode, Jen breaks down the 4 things every new manager needs to do when leading a team through change. Whether you're 3 months in or a year into your first management role, you haven't built the trust reserve yet. How you handle change is where that reserve gets built — or destroyed. Connect with Jen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenparnold/ Are you a new leader looking for support? Check out Made to Lead, our 12-week cohort for first time people leaders. Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themadeleader

  8. Jun 17

    Setting Boundaries as a New Leader

    Every new manager has the potential to hit the same wall: burnout. The workload is real — but the thing that tips you over is a boundary problem you probably don't even see. In this episode, Jen breaks down the 3 boundaries new managers need to prevent burnout: ↳ Upward boundaries — When your boss keeps adding scope and after-hours demands  ↳ Downward boundaries — When you absorb your team's problems and underperformance ↳ Lateral boundaries — When you volunteer for peer requests and committee work Overfunctioning isn't dedication. It's a boundary failure — and on top of an already heavy workload, it leads straight to burnout. If you're noticing early burnout symptoms like chronic exhaustion, resentment toward your team, or the feeling that everything depends on you, this is the episode to listen to before it gets worse. Whether you're a first-time manager, a newly promoted team lead, or someone stepping into leadership development for the first time, these boundary strategies will help you protect your energy and actually lead instead of just surviving. Connect with Jen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenparnold/ Are you a new leader looking for support? Check out Made to Lead, our 12-week cohort for first time people leaders. Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themadeleader

See All (140)

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

The Made Leader is the podcast for new managers who were thrown into leadership with zero training and even less support. Only 10% of people are natural leaders. The rest of us? We have to become one. Hosted by Jen Arnold, this show is your no-BS guide to surviving (and thriving) in your first three years of leadership. You'll get practical strategies to help you lead through difficult conversations, managing up, and giving meaningful feedback. Just real advice for real challenges. Whether you're dealing with imposter syndrome, difficult conversations, or the overwhelm of leading your former peers, The Made Leader will help you lead better tomorrow than you did today. Leadership isn't who you are. It's who you're becoming.

Information

  • Creator
    Jen Arnold, Leadership Consultant & Coach
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    140
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024
  • Show Website
    The Made Leader