To be a better manager, start telling a better story.

In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi and Geoff dig into the science behind oscillating narratives and how honest, full-spectrum storytelling builds resilience and helps employees develop. Leaders who acknowledge both setbacks and successes don’t just help their teams handle adversity better, they actually appear more credible.

You’ll learn why always-upward or always-downward narratives distort reality, how to model reflection without losing authority, and why the stories you share shape identity and culture. If you want a smarter approach to leadership narratives that trades perfection for endurance and connection, start here.

Episode Highlights:

• Why full-spectrum narratives build resilience
• The danger of all-good or all-bad thinking
• How to lead without pretending to be perfect
• When to share mistakes (and when not to)
• The link between storytelling and trust
• Creating teams that can bounce back

Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fon1hWUXYcA

*Purchase your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook here

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Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:

• Grant, Adam. “The Fine Line Between Helpful and Harmful Authenticity,” The New York Times, 10 Apr. 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/10/smarter-living/the-fine-line-between-helpful-and-harmful-authenticity.html
• Fivush, Robyn, Duke, Marshall, and Bohanek, Jennifer. “The Power of Family History in Adolescent Identity and Well-Being.” Journal of Family Life, Emory Center for Myth and Ritual in American Life (MARIAL), 23 Feb. 2010, https://ncph.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/The-power-of-family-history-in-adolescent-identity.pdf
• Kinkead, Eugene. In Every War but One. W. W. Norton & Company, 1959. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4032542-in-every-war-but-one

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What if the key to workplace wellness isn’t what you do, but how you respond?

In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi talks with management coach Belinda Block about embedding well-being into high-performing work. From collapse to clarity, Belinda shares how nervous system regulation, small behavioral shifts, and smarter boundaries can help managers lead with more presence and less pressure.

This episode spotlights the invisible skills that steady a team: emotional regulation, responsive leadership, and staying present under pressure. Whether you’re quietly burning out or guiding a team through a heavy lift, you'll get accessible tools you can apply right away; no sweeping initiative required.

Episode Highlights:

• Why wellness starts with what you can control
• How to respond instead of react
• The power of self‑regulation at work
• Tools that make wellness easier to integrate with your team
• How competition and tracking can boost wellness initiatives
• The link between presence, performance, and realistic expectations

Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ITHGHw-ZgRs

About Belinda Block:

Belinda Block is a management coach with a Ph.D. in industrial psychology who helps high-performing leaders lead more effectively without burning out. Drawing on experience across industries like pharma, finance, and media, she focuses on executive presence, time management, and team leadership. Her coaching blends behavioral science with real-world strategy to help managers stay focused, grounded, and impactful.

*Learn more about Belinda here!

*Purchase your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook here.

*Sign up for our newsletter and let us know what topic you’d like to hear next!

Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:

• Shiba, Koichiro, et al. “The Association between Meditation Practice and Job Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study,” PLoS One. May. 2015;10(5). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4449168/
• David, Susan, and Congleton, Christina. "Emotional Agility." Harvard Business Review, Nov. 2013, https://hbr.org/2013/11/emotional-agility

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Self-monitoring, when wielded well, is one of the most powerful personality traits in the workplace. In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin explore what it means to be a high or low self-monitor, and how that affects everything from career trajectory to team dynamics.

Are you a social chameleon who adapts easily to any room? Or someone who always says what they think, no matter the context? Both approaches have advantages—and pitfalls. The key is knowing how to work with both types.

Drawing on foundational research by psychologist Mark Snyder and insights from decades of leadership consulting, Cindi and Geoff break down how self-monitoring shapes management, influence, and even ethics. You’ll leave with a sharper lens for reading behavior, and a better playbook for managing your own.

Episode Highlights:

• What the self‑monitoring assessment actually measures
• High vs. low self-monitors: strengths and tradeoffs
• The importance of understanding your company’s social network
• Why high self-monitors are more likely to get promoted
• The compensating behaviors both sides must master
• How culture and context factor shape impact

Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ob_2xRMH1IA

*Purchase your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook here

*Sign up for our newsletter and let us know what topic you’d like to hear next!

Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:

• Kilduff, M., & Day, D. V. (1994). “Do Chameleons Get Ahead? The Effects of Self-Monitoring on Managerial Careers.” Academy of Management Journal, 37(4), 1047–1060. https://web.mit.edu/curhan/www/docs/Articles/15341_Readings/Self-presentation_Impression_Formation/Kilduff_Day_1994_Do_chameleons_get_ahead.pdf
• Snyder, Mark. (1974). “Self-Monitoring of Expressive Behavior.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 30(4), 526–537. DOI:10.1037/h0037039

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Think culture change has to be slow and painful? Think again.

In this episode, Cindi Baldi is joined by leadership strategist Torben N rby to challenge the belief that culture change is a long, uphill crawl. Spoiler: it doesn’t have to be, if you get the context right.

Torben explains how most organizations don’t explode—they erode, slowly sliding out of alignment as they grow and the world shifts around them. Cindi and Torben break down the anatomy of culture change and introduce a smart framework leaders can use to shift culture without wrecking trust or clarity. From international business case studies to the current work-from-home debate, they explore what it takes to lead rapid and lasting cultural shifts.

This episode is for anyone ready to redesign a work culture. You’ll walk away with practical tools for evaluating your current culture, for aligning behavior with values, and for creating space for continuous improvement.

*Tune back in next week to hear Part 2 with even more insight!

Episode Highlights:

• How deliberate interventions can build strong cultures
• The risk of drifting out of alignment as your organization grows
• The importance of context in culture change
• How to act without overcorrecting
• What global case studies reveal about adaptable organizational cultures
• Why shared leadership drives more sustainable and effective culture shifts

About Torben Nørby:

Dr. Torben Nørby is the CEO of People & Performance, the author of The Contextual Leader, and the creator of the Contextual Leadership AI Bot (CLAI). With more than three decades of leadership experience spanning the Danish military, global retail, and international consulting, Torben has become a leading authority on contextual leadership, which is helping executives align strategy, culture, and behavior to drive real organizational performance.

Drawing on both rigorous research and experience, Torben has advised thousands of leaders across industries on how to adapt their leadership styles and shape their operating environments. His work blends practical insight with psychological depth, offering senior leaders ways to build alignment, empower teams, and lead meaningful cultural change.

Check out Torben’s book, The Contextual Leader

Watch This Episode on YouTube:

Purchase your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook

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Authentic leadership is a hot topic. But what if bringing your whole self to work is a terrible idea? In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin tackle the tension between being real and being reckless. What if being authentic doesn’t make you a better manager, just a more difficult one?

From the importance of self-monitoring to the paradox of power, Cindi and Geoff unpack what it means to show up at work without blowing up. You’ll learn why awareness matters more than rawness, how emotional regulation helps you meet the moment, and why the best managers actually aren’t always authentic.

Whether you're steering a team or quietly questioning your coworker’s fourth overshare of the week, this conversation brings clarity (and a few laughs) to one of the most misguided ideas in modern work culture.

Episode Highlights:

• Why bringing your authentic self to work isn’t always a good idea
• The importance of alignment and awareness
• How and why many leadership trends are self-defeating
• The dilemma of power
• How leather jackets (and other stuff) can change a leader

Watch This Episode on YouTube:

Purchase your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook here

Sign up for our newsletter and let us know what topic you’d like to hear next!

Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:

• Pfeffer, Jeffrey. Power: Why Some People Have It — and Others Don’t. Harper Business, 2010. https://www.amazon.com/Power-Some-People-Have-Others/dp/0061789089
• Snyder, Mark. “Self-Monitoring of Expressive Behavior.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 30, no. 4, 1979, pp. 526–537. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0037039

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What if AI didn’t replace employees but instead became their most powerful partner?

In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi continues her conversation with Stacy Edgar, co-founder of Venteur, to examine how AI may positively disrupt our lives. Their discussion moves from personalized medicine and easier work to the pivotal choices leaders face when technology sparks systemic change.

At the center is a necessary mindset shift toward embracing what’s possible. Leaders who invest in employees and use AI to amplify human capability grow the pie; those who don’t risk shrinking it.

Listen in to learn what it takes to lead an organization that thrives along with AI.

Check out Part 1 of this conversation here.

Episode Highlights:

• How AI is transforming work
• The expanding promise of personalization in business
• What self-driving cars suggest about systemic change
• Why people and AI are better together
• The risks of controlling behaviors and fear-driven leadership
• The mindset for leading through disruption
• Why everyone should watch Terminator

About Stacy Edgar:

Stacy Edgar is the co-founder and CEO of Venteur, an AI and digital health startup helping employers reimagine health insurance. Venteur works with businesses to lower healthcare costs while empowering employees to feel more confident in their healthcare journey.

Before launching Venteur, Stacy spent 15 years in global development and foreign policy. She has helped dozens of organizations generate billions of dollars in new business.

Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/iXFzw5V6LCw

Purchase your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook here

Sign up for our newsletter and let us know what topic you’d like to hear next!

Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:

• Kober, Gregg. “AI-First Leadership: Embracing the Future of Work.” Harvard Business Impact, 24 Jan. 2025, https://www.harvardbusiness.org/insight/ai-first-leadership-embracing-the-future-of-work/
• Li, D. M., et al. “A Critical Look into Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare.” Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence, vol. 8, 05 Marc. 2025, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frai.2025.1545869/full

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What if the way you structure your employee healthcare benefits could become one of your strongest management tools?

In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi talks with founder Stacy Edgar about why the dominant employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI) model is increasingly misaligned with today’s workforce, and how leaders can reimagine benefits as a driver of culture, loyalty, and performance.

They unpack the history of how U.S. employers became the primary providers of health insurance, the risks of sticking with outdated “one-size-fits-all” plans, and the emerging opportunities in flexible, employee-centered models of coverage. Stacy shares stories of organizations that have reduced costs while improving employee morale, along with cautionary tales of leaders who cut corners and paid for it in turnover and diminished trust.

This episode is a conversation about innovative leadership and daring to reconsider the status quo. If you want to recruit and retain top talent, reduce hidden costs, and configure your culture with today’s expectations, you’ll want to listen in.

Episode Highlights:

• How smarter coverage leads to healthier employees and a healthier bottom line
• Why workplace healthcare is overdue for disruption
• The risks of “one-size-fits-all” group health plans
• How alternatives like ICHRAs enable personalized, employee-driven coverage and cost savings
• The hidden costs of doing the minimum
• How thoughtful benefits can fuel culture, retention, and performance
• How U.S. employers became the de facto providers of health insurance

About Stacy Edgar:

Stacy Edgar is the co-founder and CEO of Venteur, an AI and digital health startup helping employers reimagine health insurance through a consumer-centric lens. Under her leadership, Venteur works with businesses to lower healthcare costs while empowering employees to feel more confident and in control of their healthcare journey.

Before launching Venteur, Stacy spent 15 years in global development and foreign policy, dedicated to ending global poverty. She is recognized for her expertise in business development, having helped dozens of organizations generate billions in new business.

Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VR8CgHqY-xw

Purchase your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook here

Sign up for our newsletter and let us know what topic you’d like to hear next!

Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:

• Edgar, Stacy. “This Labor Day: Is It Time to Rethink the Social Contract on Employer-Sponsored Health Care?” Venteur, 1 Sept. 2025, www.venteur.com/blog/this-labor-day-is-it-time-to-rethink-the-social-contract-on-employer-sponsored-health-care
• Weismann, M. F. “How the Great Resignation and COVID Unemployment Have Eroded the Employer-Sponsored Insurance Model and Access to Healthcare.” American Journal of Law & Medicine, vol. 49, no. 1, 2023. Cambridge University Press.

*Bonus: Watch the SNL skit Stacy mentions in the episode here!

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Most of us have been told not to mix friends and business but friendship can make work great with built-in trust, loyalty, and an easy rapport. Other times, it can go sideways fast, straining the business and the relationship.

In this episode, Cindi Baldi digs into the upsides and downsides of hiring friends. Through stories of businesses that flourished with friendships and others that fractured under the weight of blurred boundaries, Cindi explores the key questions you should ask before bringing a friend onto your payroll. Along the way, she unpacks how to spot red flags, set the right expectations for managing a friend, and to know whether the friendship is strong enough to handle work pressures.

You’ll learn why friendship can be a competitive advantage, why conflict is often harder to navigate when it’s personal, and how to make thoughtful choices to protect the business and the underlying relationship. Whether you’re tempted to bring a friend onto your team or already managing one, this episode offers practical insights to help you make the right call.

Episode Highlights:

• Why hiring friends sometimes leads to loyalty, trust, and great teamwork
• Common pitfalls—like blurred boundaries, favoritism, and unspoken expectations
• How to tell whether the friendship is ready for the pressures of work
• Strategies for setting clear agreements and roles up front
• Ways to protect the friendship even if the job doesn’t work out

🎥 Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Kzc2kM94vNc

📚 Purchase your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook here

🗞️ Sign up for our newsletter and let us know what topic you’d like to hear next!

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