#8 The Jealousy You Created (And How To Fix It)

You spend an hour coaching Maria through a difficult project. The next day, Daniel won't make eye contact. He's distant in meetings. Cold in emails. When you ask what's wrong, he says "nothing" - but you know exactly what's wrong.

Your team members are competing for your attention because you made your attention valuable. And now they're freezing you out when someone else gets it.

In this episode, we talk about the dynamic most managers create without realizing it and how to fix it:

• Why treating everyone "equally" is impossible and why that advice fails
• How managers accidentally make their time and attention feel like a prize
• The exact script to name the pattern without forcing someone to admit they're jealous
• What your team actually needs when they shut down (it's clarity, not an apology)
• How to make your attention predictable and professional instead of special
• The boundary-setting conversation that validates feelings while requiring professional behavior
• Why you have to change first before expecting your team to stop competing

This isn't about managing difficult personalities or handling immaturity. It's about recognizing that you taught your team to measure their worth by your attention, and now you need to guide them out of that pattern with actual leadership instead of just telling them to "be professional."

#Leadership #Management #TeamDynamics #PeopleManagement #LeadershipDevelopment #ManagerTips #WorkplaceLeadership #LeadershipPodcast