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:
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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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