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The Avengers and Exceptional
Workers
Though their intentions are pure and their abilities undeniable, The Avengers continue to squabble and work in opposition to one another. This episode, we look at the unique challenges and special tactics that must be employed when managing exceptionally bright, capable, and creative workers.
Doctor Strange and Career Changes
If you are a world renowned neurosurgeon, a debilitating injury certainly will cause you to step back and take stock of your place in the world. Some might take up writing. Or knock out a few TED talks. Maybe even turn your eye toward research. But not Doctor Strange. He moves to the East, follows a bald woman, and learns to alter time and space.
The Office and Workplace Bullies
We love The Office. The quintessential workplace comedy, it got the absurdity of workplace relationships and politics completely right. However, we always felt a little bit icky laughing at the relentless abuse Jim heaped upon poor Dwight. This week, we look at that relationship and consider whether Jim might actually be a workplace bully.
Our minds often work against us. Certain tactics that we use in order to solve problems, make deductions, and reach conclusions are flawed. This week, we look at some of those flaws through the lens of the failed investigation of Amanda Knox. By understanding what went wrong there, you can better guard yourself against making assumptions that can put you and your workplace at substantial legal risk.
Amanda Knox and Preconceptions
Stranger Things and OSHA
If you are in the business of reading people's minds and killing enemies of the state on the other side of the world, you would think you take at least a few precautions. Perhaps an emergency exit plan? Maybe a life preserver or two? How about A WAY TO KEEP THE HELL MONSTER FROM KILLING HALF YOUR STAFF?
If "getting people to act against their self interest" is supposed to be your superpower, you would think you would be better at motivating people than Amanda Waller. For the record, NONE of the techniques she uses to motivate or engage the action of her team are either effective or likely to produce productive results. This episode we discuss some ways you can get the people who work for you to actually do what you want.
Suicide Squad and Motivation
The Starks and Succession Planning
Winter may be coming, but the Stark family probably won't be in much of a position to face it. True, Ned Stark is noble and loyal; however, he is also a pretty horrible patriarch. He places his family and subjects at ridiculous risk, for reasons that hardly make any sense. Moreover, his family fall apart due to his failure to prepare a comprehensive and reasonable succession plan. Don't let your family business face the same horrible fate.
Jedi and Religious Discrimination
There are few tales that celebrate the development of a young, helpless, and impressionable orphan from moisture farming to religious zealot more reverentially than Star Wars: The New Hope. We get it the Jedi are awesome space wizards, but when you look more closely at them, they're also sort of intolerant religious elitist. We look at their world view as way to explore the perils of religious discrimination in the workplace.
When you are looking to put together a team to save all of creation, picking members that are sworn enemies is probably not a good idea. This week we look to some of the mistakes that Gandalf made when forming the Fellowship of the Ring in order to help you learn how to create work teams that are designed and fostered for success.
Lord of the Rings and Team Building
Friends and Work/Life Fit
The 90s were a fraught time; bad hair, horrible clothes, and then there was Friends; which was largely responsible for the other two. While the show remains a favorite of ours, there is no doubt that the friends of Friends are simply the worst, especially as relates to their inability to balance their professional lives against their personal ones. This episode we help you learn a bit about how you can help your employees have full and rewarding lives both in and out of the workplace.
Superheroing is hard work. You have to be ever vigilant. You have to take on earth consuming mega villains. You have to overcome constants threats to yourself and your loved ones. You have to make sure your time records are complete. You have to be sure to complete your expense reports. And then the laundry costs. I mean finding a good place that can preserve vibrant colors without stretching out your spandex; impossible. This week we look at come of the basic employment issues that arise out of superhero workplaces.
Superheroes and Work Hours
The Belchers of Bob's Burgers are the masters of getting a lot out of a little. A family with lots of heart, for whom things never seem to break in their favor. A family business, that takes the family part of their business very seriously. The entire staff of their little dinner is related, from the dad to the precocious little moppet of a daughter. But are the Belcher's flirting with child labor disaster?
Bob's Burgers and Child Labor
Ghostbusters & Sexual Harassment
It is simple, the original Ghostbusters had, shall we say, complicated views on male and female interactions. The rebooted version, while more inclusive in many regards, also raises some interesting questions about the role of attraction within the workplace. This week, we use a comedy about ghosts and paranormal discharges, to explore the legal parameters of sexual harassment in the workplace.
80's Rom-Coms and Recruiting
Many of us grew up believing that true love was waiting for us under the high school bleachers. All it would take was one fateful day, when the subject of our affection saw us for what we really are; the love of their life. However, two crazy kids, different in every way, probably do not make great life partners. In the same regard, mis0matched job applicants do not make for great new hires.
If you are in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, a slightly psychotic former small town sheriff may come in handy. (We'd opt for a good plumber, but small town sheriff will do in a pinch.) However, we live in a world where the undead do not walk the streets. Therefore; constant yelling, terrible parenting, and having a hazy moral center, do not a great leader make. This week we explore Rick Grimes' leadership failures in order to help you develop a corporate leadership style that will work.
The Walking Dead and Leadership
While the hip hop musical Hamilton is deserving of the attention it has been getting, it's namesake and subject matter is not the best model for dealing with crisis within the workplace. We explore the tactics that lead Alexander Hamilton to the deadly "Conversation at Weehawken". During this episode, we draw lessons about crisis management from Hamilton's many mistakes.
Hamilton and Crisis Management
Harry Potter and Mentorship
Dumbeldore is a good guy, right? Well, he knows how to cast cool spells. He has an awesome beard. But when it comes to his central responsibility, being a mentor to Harry Potter, he kinda' stinks. During this episode, we dissect Dumbeldore's mentorships failures and use them to teach you how to establish a mentoring program that will foster loyal, empowered, effective, and educated employees.
Frozen and "Problem" Employees
We all know why Elsa didn't want to build a snowman, but did it make sense for her parents to sequester her to her room for the majority of her childhood? Unfortunately, hundreds of employers do the same thing to some of their most talented and dynamic workers. Often the best and most productive employees can also be difficult to manage. Many employers respond to the challenges created by these employees by limiting their authority; and by extension their potential.
The Voice and Performance Evaluations
American Idol and The Voice are two shows that subject talented people against one another in a winner takes all battle. Surprisingly, a number of workplaces employ a similar strategy when assessing their workers. Some employers subject their workers to harsh appraisals, public shaming, and eventual elimination. In fact, for a time, this performance evaluation style was very popular.
When we watch Grey's Anatomy sometimes we wonder, "Did they fill out an application or a dating profile to get this job?" However, with more and more people dating within the workplace, every manager should have a plan for dealing with on-the-job romance. Click here and listen to us talk you through your options and the factors you should consider, when taking up this sometimes uncomfortable topic.
Grey's Anatomy and Fraternization Policies
