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Situation Navigator

Just got promoted

You just got a promotion into management.

Underperforming report

Someone on your team isn't hitting the mark.

Giving tough feedback

You need to give feedback that's going to sting.

When the team isn't the problem, but something's still off

Diagnosing before you reach for a fix.

First review cycle

Your first formal review cycle is coming up.

Managing a former peer

You're now managing someone who used to be your peer.

Letting someone go

You have to let someone go.

Managing a remote team

It changes what you can see, not whether the work gets done.

Onboarding a new hire

You're onboarding someone new to the team.

A team member has checked out

Someone on your team has quietly disengaged.

Conflict between two reports

Two people on your team are in conflict.

Your manager just changed

You just got a new manager of your own.

Avoiding burnout

You're a first-time manager, and you're already underwater.

Holding people accountable

Without turning into a micromanager.

Your best performer is bored

You can feel them starting to drift.

Hiring your first team member

The job description is the easy part.

Managing different personalities

Same standard, different door.

Common Questions

How do I tell an employee they're not meeting expectations?

Naming an issue without making it a confrontation.

Can I put someone on a performance improvement plan?

Writing a PIP that's specific enough to actually work.

How do I fire someone I actually like?

Direct, brief, and honest.

How do I hold my team accountable without micromanaging?

The gap between saying something and something changing.

How do I give feedback that doesn't come across as harsh?

Direct without being harsh.

How do I take feedback without getting defensive?

What to do in the first sixty seconds after it stings.

How do I keep my best employee from quitting?

Keeping and growing the person you can't afford to lose.

How do I interview candidates for the first time?

Interviewing job candidates well when you've never sat on this side of the table.

How do I manage people with different personalities?

Adjusting delivery without changing the standard.

How do I run a one-on-one that isn't just a status update?

A repeatable structure for weekly 1:1s.

How do I structure my first performance review?

Structure for your first written review.

How do I delegate without micromanaging?

Clarity, capability, then trust.

How do I handle conflict between two people on my team?

Two people on your team are in conflict.

What do I do when my team doesn't get along?

Diagnosing before you reach for a fix.

How do I manage someone who used to be my peer?

The relationship that changed overnight.

How do I manage a remote or hybrid team?

It changes what you can see, not whether the work gets done.

How do I avoid burning out as a new manager?

You're already underwater, here's what to change.

How do I know if I should quit my job?

A genuine dead end versus a rough stretch.

How do I negotiate a raise or a job offer?

Know your number before you're in the room.

How do I build a case for my own promotion?

Making the case before you have to ask for it.

How do I manage up to my own boss?

Making their job easier without losing yourself.

How do I deal with a boss who micromanages me?

Earning more room without a confrontation.

How do I onboard a new hire the right way?

You're onboarding someone new to the team.

What do I do when someone on my team checks out?

Someone has quietly disengaged.

How do I write a job description that attracts the right people?

Specific enough to repel the wrong fit.

How do I write an SOP or process document?

A process document someone new could actually follow.

How do I make a decision when my team disagrees?

Structure, not just a gut call.

What do I say when announcing a policy change?

Get ahead of the rumor mill.

How do I deliver a promotion conversation well?

Delivering good news well.

What do I say to a new hire on their first day?

Their first day, not their first test.

What should I focus on in my first 90 days as a manager?

The stage after week one, before month six.

What should I focus on in my first week as a manager?

Watch before you touch anything.

How do I run a team meeting that doesn't drag on?

Not another status-update spiral.

How do I track my accomplishments for a review?

Never walk into a review blank.

How do I set goals for my team?

So it's not just in your head.

How do I show executive presence in meetings?

A framework for meetings above your usual level.

Career Advice

Negotiating a raise or offer

Know your number before you're in the room.

Knowing when to leave

Telling a genuine dead end apart from a rough stretch.

Making your manager's job easier without losing yourself.

Building a track record for promotion

Making the case before you have to ask for it.

Switching industries or functions

Translating your track record, not just transferring it.

Working with a micromanager

Earning more room without a confrontation.

The first sixty seconds after hard feedback

What to do right after it stings.

Becoming a Manager

How to get promoted to manager when you've never managed anyone

Breaking the catch-22.

Start with small leadership opportunities

Practice the work before you own the title.

Learn to delegate before you have direct reports

Practice giving work away, not just doing it.

Build relationships across the organization

Before you need a favor, not after.

Become comfortable with accountability

Authority without accountability isn't management.

Ask for responsibility, not just a promotion

A question your boss can actually answer.

Do not confuse visibility with value

Contribution-based visibility beats attention.

Prepare for the conversation about readiness

Find out where you actually stand.

Templates, Scripts

One on One Script

A repeatable structure so 1:1s stop being a status meeting.

Performance Conversation Script

Naming an issue without making it a confrontation.

Performance Review Script

Structure for your first written review.

Difficult Feedback Script

Direct without being harsh.

Promotion Conversation Script

Delivering good news well.

Termination Conversation Script

Direct, brief, and honest.

New Hire Welcome Script

Their first day, not their first test.

Policy Change Announcement Script

Get ahead of the rumor mill.

Templates, Documents

Accomplishments Tracker Template

Never walk into a review blank.

Team Goals Template

So it's not just in your head.

Team Meeting Agenda Template

Not another status-update spiral.

New Manager Action Plan Template

Six areas, made specific.

Job Description Template

Specific enough to repel the wrong fit.

A process document someone new could actually follow.

Decision-Making Template

Structure, not just a gut call.

Performance Improvement Plan Template

Writing a PIP that's specific enough to actually work.

Ted Lasso Lessons

Curiosity Beats Correction

Ask before you assume.

Treat Losses Like Data

The goldfish mindset for setbacks.

Belief Is a Management Tool

What visible confidence changes.

Diffusing Tension With Warmth

De-escalating without dodging the hard part.

Authority You Don't Have to Use

Why the best managers lead like they still report to someone.

Short Memory, Long Patience

Two different clocks, run them separately.

Workplace Skills

The Same Message, Three Different Audiences

Writing to your manager, an executive, and a client about the same problem.

How to Ask Your Boss for Something

Lead with the ask, don't bury it.

How to Give Someone Bad News

Direct and fast, with a path forward.

How to Disagree With Your Boss

Make your case once, then know when it's decided.

How to Say "I Don't Know" Without Looking Unprepared

The sentence that makes it safe to say.

Email vs. Slack vs. a Meeting

The three questions that actually decide it.

How to Speak Up in a Meeting Without Talking Too Much

Getting heard without dominating the room.

How to Prepare for a Meeting With an Executive

What actually needs to be ready before you walk in.

How to Structure an Executive Presentation

Lead with the answer, not the buildup.

How to Read the Room

The signals that tell you to stop, speed up, or adjust.

Never Surprise Your Boss

A heads-up costs nothing. A surprise costs trust.

Don't Bring a Problem Without a Solution

Reporting a problem versus actually owning it.

How to Know When to Escalate a Problem

Too soon looks like panic. Too late looks like a cover-up.

Giving and Taking Credit at Work

Give it freely, take it gracefully.

How to Handle a Mistake at Work

Own the miss, fast, without a speech.

Don't Confuse Being Busy With Being Valuable

A full calendar isn't a result.

How to Ask an Executive for Something

You rarely get a back-and-forth. Build the ask like it.

How to Write an Email to a Coworker

Ask first, then add the warmth.

How to Follow Up Without Being Annoying

No apology, no scolding, just the ask, restated.

How to Write an Executive Summary

Situation, recommendation, reasoning, ask.

How to Tell a Story at Work

A specific example beats a general statement.

How to Disagree With an Executive

A different room, higher stakes, more care.

How to Ask a Good Question in a Meeting

A good question changes the outcome.

Asking the CEO a Question

When you should, and when you shouldn't.

How to Interrupt Someone Politely

Not every interruption is rude.

Handling Someone Who Constantly Interrupts You

Hold your ground without making a scene.

What Makes a Great Presentation

Slide count matters less than what's on each one.

How to Start and End a Presentation

People remember the first 30 seconds and the last.

How to Present Data to Executives

A chart with no conclusion asks the room to guess.

How to Tell If Something Is Actually Urgent

"What happens if this waits until tomorrow?"

Keeping Someone Informed vs. Asking Permission

Say the one you actually mean.

When to Go Directly to an Executive

Tell your manager first, that's what preserves trust.

How to Ask for More Responsibility

Name the specific thing, not just "more."

Knowing When You're Ready for a Promotion

Time in the role isn't readiness.

Why the Delivery Can Matter More Than the Idea

A hedge doesn't sound humble, it sounds dismissible.

The Difference Between Explaining and Overexplaining

Every sentence past clarity subtracts confidence.

How to Write an Email When Something Went Wrong

Lead with what happened, then the fix.

How to Disagree in a Meeting

A group disagreement is a performance too.

How to Know When a Meeting Should Have Been an Email

If nobody needs to say anything back, it wasn't a meeting.

How to Present Bad News

Lead with the headline, not slide fourteen.

How to Answer a Question You Don't Know the Answer To

A default response, ready before you need it.

How to Ask for a Promotion

Lead with your case, not "do you think I'm ready?"

Leading Without a Title

How to Lead Without a Title

You become a leader when people start looking to you.

Influence Without Authority

Getting people to act when you can't just tell them to.

How to Earn Respect From Your Coworkers

Not charisma, a short list of things done consistently.

Being Someone People Can Rely On

The most underrated form of leadership.

How to Disagree Without Being Difficult

Productive pushback versus wanting to be right.

How to Handle Difficult People

You don't have to like them to work with them.

Making Other People Better

The clearest signal that someone is a leader.

The Reputation You Build

How people describe you when you're not in the room.

How to Get People to Listen to You

Not by talking more, by being worth listening to.

Taking Initiative Without Stepping on People's Toes

Fill a real gap, not someone else's territory.

How to Stay Calm Under Pressure

Your team can't see what you feel, only what you do.

How to Handle Conflict With a Coworker

Peer conflict, nobody has to listen to you.

Leading From the Middle

Influence up and sideways, no title required.

Leadership Skills

Show Up Like an Executive in the Room

A framework for meetings above your usual level.

Why Your Team Needs SOPs

Writing process docs people actually use.

The Playbook, Week 1

Listen Before You Diagnose

Watch before you touch anything.

Meet Every Person 1:1

Not as a group.

Learn the Actual Workflow

Not the org-chart version.

Say What You Don't Know Yet

Out loud, on purpose.

The Playbook, First 90 Days

Set Expectations Explicitly

Don't assume they're shared.

Build a Real 1:1 Rhythm

Same time, same structure, every week.

Make One Visible Improvement

Not ten invisible ones.

Ask for Feedback on Yourself

Before day 90 ends.

Cut the List to What Matters

A team with ten priorities has zero.

Map Who Has Influence

Beyond your own team.

Learn the Metrics That Matter

What actually gets reported up.

Delegate One Real Thing

Clarity, capability, then trust.

The Playbook, Month 6

Deal With the Performance Issue You've Been Avoiding

By month six there's usually one.

Handle Your First Real Conflict

Directly, not by hoping it resolves itself.

Run Your First Full Review Cycle

Deliberately, running a review cycle, step by step.

Notice What You've Stopped Listening For

The habits from week one fade by month six.

Lead With Story, Not Just Data

A specific example beats a bullet list.

Recognition That Actually Lands

Specific and timely beats a generic "great job."

The Conversation About Where They Want to Go

A growth conversation, not a performance one.

Say No to Something, on Purpose

You have the credibility now, use it.

The Playbook, Year 1

Decide What You'd Change

If it were fully yours.

Build the Thing Nobody Assigned You

The clearest signal the role is actually yours.

Start Developing Your Own Manager

Someone on your team is close to where you were.

Write Down What You'd Tell Yourself on Day One

Not for anyone else.

Decide What Kind of Manager You Want to Be

What's actually you versus what you copied.

Audit Your Own Habits

Not just your team's.