You've got the promotion and you go out to celebrate with your team, who are also your friends.  But on Monday you'll be managing them.  How does it change what happens when you're out socialising?  Are you still 'one of the gang' or should you step aside now? How do they see you - and how do you see yourself?  

And if you're responsible for organising social events for work it can be fraught with difficulty.  How do you please everyone?  Can people opt in or out without feeling judged or excluded? How much are people obliged to attend, spending their own time and money on something work-related but outside work hours? We give tried and tested advice so you don't need to suffer the hangovers of getting it seriously wrong.

Find out more about how to handle the responsibility of helping employees have a good time, hopefully without next-day regrets at www.theaccidentalmanager.com. That's where you'll find the 5-minute noodles which help you to manage yourself and others to have the best day at work you can possibly have.

FINAL NOTE: This is the last of our podcasts - 2 series over 2 years of sharing, confessing and celebrating our accidental successes, failures, odd and crazy experiences.  Thank you so much for being part of our journey!    Kate & Max 

You need to get your team to 'make the boat go faster'*… so you create a route map to help them see where they're going (and agree that they're on board) and how you're all going to get there. BUT SUDDENLY … a police boat draws alongside and stops you - you've got to change course immediately - how do you keep the crew motivated?  What if your route map has so many details nobody's is focused on the end destination?  Or there's too little information?  Or everyone's focused on a different part of the map and going off in different directions?  When the journey's over, do you ever TRULY look back at the route map and reflect on what was learned along the way - or are you too excited about the end-of-project party (!) and what's coming up next to do the 'retroflection'?

 Find out more about how to spend the right amount of attention on the past, present and future when engaging the people around you at www.theaccidentalmanager.com. That's where you'll find the 5-minute noodles which help you to manage yourself and others to have the best day at work you can possibly have.

*The book we reference in this episode is Will It Make The Boat Go Faster by Olympic gold medal winner Ben Hunt-Davis and executive coach Harriet Beveridge.

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Have you ever worked with people who you rate but others find them a bit, well - difficult?!  Kate & Max remember managers they know who have struggled when taking on underperformers. If their view comes out of the blue, they might be considered to be bullying, downright mean or just plain wrong.  So how do you share what needs to be said with courageous kindness so that everyone ends up hearing and able to act on the feedback?  How do you decide as a manager if the gap between what's happening and your expectation is down to personality difference?  Is it actually kinder to say something, or nothing?

Find out more about the qualities and environment involved in showing true courageous kindness at www.theaccidentalmanager.com. That's where you'll find the 5-minute noodles Johari Window, Appreciative Enquiry and Framing - all of which help you to prepare for and consider feedback that's difficult to share or hear.

Join the chat at noodle.space and follow us for daily snippets to boost your day on Instagram @noodle_space.

Let's be honest, drama in the workplace can sometimes be fun - who hasn't had a bit of a whinge about how hard done by they are, or jumped in to the rescue (cue blasting trumpets!) or even, perhaps, created a bit of drama themselves?!  Kate & Max discuss the roles played out in the drama triangle, how they can rotate and when drama might be a distraction to avoid the real issues that are too hard to address head on.  How do you notice the drama if you're in it?  And what can you choose to do about it - whether it's your drama or not?  Find out if it's you or them - or something else that's going on - and how to get out of the pattern in order for effective work to happen.

Find out more about how to deal with the drama triangle  at theaccidentalmanager .  That's where you'll find the 5-minute noodles Drama Triangle, Conflict types and Boundaries - all of which help you to notice and disrupt unhelpful patterns in working relationships.  

The book we mention in this episode are Eric Berne - Games People Play, and the models are the Drama Triangle by Stephen Karpman and the Empowerment Dynamic by David Emerald and Donna Zajonc.

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Being at our best isn’t easy, and sometimes we are battling with thoughts and feelings that no-one else knows about.  Kate & Max share stories about when they have successfully sabotaged themselves and how to make the most of those moments.  What situations do you find difficult or challenging, and what’s the conversation inside your head really telling you about it? How can you find the important information in those thoughts, and then take back control? Being able to hear your self-talk and having tools and techniques to help means that when these things happen, you are able to have a word with yourself and keep moving forwards.

Find out more about how to squash those unhelpful thoughts  at theaccidentalmanager .  That's where you'll find the 5-minute noodles Inner Critic , Johari Window, Twisted Thinking, Authority, Presence & Impact, and Energy Investment Model - all of which help you to hear yourself, find the helpful truth and do your best work.  

The books we mention in this episode are Susan Jeffers' Feel the fear and do it anyway, and Barbara Sher's I could do anything if only I knew what it was.

 Join the chat at noodle.space and follow us for daily snippets to boost your day on Instagram @noodle_space.

We all have a sense of how different each place we've worked in feels and how that supports us in our daily work – but how can you influence it? Kate & Max share stories of good environments and examples of when things are definitely not going in the right direction.  When should you pay attention to your team climate? How would you know if it’s working or not? Whilst it can be difficult to nail down, understanding what makes your environment a great place to be and to work is an essential part of managing and leading others successfully.

 Find out more about how to understand what’s going on, what’s important to your people and shaping a great team culture at theaccidentalmanager .  That's where you'll find the 5-minute noodles Values, Accountability Ladder, Trust equation, Change Type, Engagement Staircase and Unwritten Ground Rules - all of which help you to be able to influence what it’s like to work here. 

 The concept we mention in this episode - unwritten ground rules - can be explored further at www.ugrs.net.

Join the chat at noodle.space and follow us for daily snippets to boost your day on Instagram @noodle_space.

Building a team around you that is inclusive and diverse means you have more opportunity for unexpected positive outcomes.  Kate & Max talk about the importance of making good connections, intentionally looking for difference and watching out for bias and group-think.  How might we inadvertently limit what’s possible, or accidentally exclude people we should really want to have on board? What twists are in your thinking that might not help you? Knowing what you need to watch out for means you have much more confidence that you can create a great team environment that everyone wants to be a part of. 

Find out more about how to build diverse and inclusive teams at theaccidentalmanager .  That's where you'll find the 5-minute noodles Perceptual Positions, Capability in Teams, Delegating Decisions, 6 hats, Twisted Thinking and Perceived Weirdness - all of which help you to build a team that is broad in experience, contribution and capability.  

The book we mention in this episode is Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast & Slow.

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Working relationships are fundamental to having a happy and successful working life.  Of the people we know and work with today, we never know who might be a significant connection and catalyst in our future.  Kate & Max explore the ups and downs of relationships at work, unexpected opportunities, feeling disgruntled and ending relationships.   How do you handle getting promoted when you were one of the gang, or maybe someone else gets the job and you are left smarting? What’s important about leaving a job when you have had enough and it’s time to go? Holding your integrity and navigating your situation with grace will stand you in good stead. 

 Find out more about how to build and maintain trusted relationships at theaccidentalmanager .  That's where you'll find the 5-minute noodles Transforming Relationships, Drama Triangle, & Trust Equation - all of which help you know what to do, and how to manage your interaction with others to be the kind of person other people want to work with and stay connected to.

Join the chat at noodle.space and follow us for daily snippets to boost your day on Instagram @noodle_space.