They never complained. They always delivered. And then one day, they were just… gone. Burnout rarely announces itself, but there are early warning signs.

In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin explain the three stages of burnout and why your most committed, high-performing employees are the most at risk.

Instead of asking, “Are you burned out?” leaders need sharper tools and a better understanding of what burnout really looks like. Cindi and Geoff unpack the subtle signs and explore the cultural practices that cause them. They dig into the dangers of being perpetually “on,” the harm of poorly designed PTO policies, and the myth that key players can’t step away without everything falling apart.

If you manage high performers, this episode’s essential.

Episode Highlights:

• The three stages of burnout
• Why passion drives people toward burnout
• Smarter ways to spot burnout before it’s too late
• Organizational traps that fuel burnout
• The psychological toll of always being “on call”
• How to protect your most committed employees without lowering expectations

Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/e9a1vLG0CIQ

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Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:

• Valsania et al. “Burnout: A Review of Theory and Measurement,” Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 3 Feb. 2022, 19(3), 1780; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031780

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What if delegation wasn’t just a way to get work off your plate, but a strategy to grow your people, your impact, and your sanity?

This week, Cindi welcomes Mamie Kanfer Stewart, host of The Modern Manager, for a masterclass in smart delegation. Whether you’re struggling to let go, tired of redoing half-done tasks, or just don’t know what to hand off, Mamie offers a path forward. She shares a practical framework for tailoring delegation to the situation, aligning handoffs with career growth, and creating feedback loops that build trust, not stress.

If you’ve ever thought “it’s easier to just do it myself,” this one’s for you… and don’t miss Cindi’s guest appearance on The Modern Manager this week either!

Episode Highlights:

• How to delegate in a way that actually saves you time
• When delegation goes wrong, and how to fix it
• The 5 levels of delegation and when to use each
• How to use delegation to develop your team and boost productivity
• The link between trust, autonomy, and performance

About Mamie:

Mamie Kanfer Stewart is passionate about helping people thrive at work. She is the host of The Modern Manager podcast, author of Momentum: Creating Effective, Engaging and Enjoyable Meetings and Founder of Meeteor, a training firm focused on productive meetings and team collaboration. In addition, Mamie is an executive coach and trainer who works with entrepreneurs and managers to build the mindset, skills and habits they need to successfully manage themselves and their teams so everyone can be their best selves and do their best work.

Connect with Mamie:

• LinkedIn
• YouTube
• Instagram
• MamieKS
• TikTok
• Facebook

Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/i_7yv0wYmhI

*Purchase your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook here

*Sign up for our newsletter and our FREE guide to the 6 science-backed habits you NEED to level up your management skills in 2026!

Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:

• Johnson, Elsbeth. “Why Aren’t I Better at Delegating?”, Sep-Oct. 2025, https://hbr.org/2025/09/why-arent-i-better-at-delegating
• Kanfer Stewart, Mamie. “Prepare Your Mind to Delegate Successfully,” MamieKS, 2 Dec. 2019. https://www.mamieks.com/post/prepare-your-mind-to-delegate-successfully

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What happens when the founder’s personality becomes the company’s culture?

In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin explore the phenomenon of founder imprint: the lasting, often invisible fingerprints that founders leave on an organization’s values, behaviors, and decisions.

This episode complements our recent discussion on weak organizational cultures by diving into the special case of start-ups, which often have strong, founder-driven cultures. From Chick-fil-A’s Sundays off to Herb Kelleher’s wild-but-warm ethos at Southwest, Cindi and Geoff walk through iconic examples of founder imprint, and contrast them with stories from their own experience building a small business together.

You’ll learn how early team choices, value signaling, and founder preferences can shape a company’s identity long after the original leader has left the building. Tune in to hear how founder-led cultures can be both a strength and a stumbling block as organizations scale.

Episode Highlights:

• Why founder values “imprint” early and persist over time
• The surprising science behind why teams end up so similar
• When founder-led cultures work, and when they get in the way
• How cultural self-governance can be a gift or a trap
• What Cindi and Geoff learned from building their own firm

Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xIcIyDg_rK0

*Purchase your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook here

*Get a Comprehensive Organizational Assessment with CulSure

*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:

• Zook, Chris. “Founder-Led Companies Outperform the Rest – Here’s Why,” Harvard Business Review, 24 Mar. 2016. https://hbr.org/2016/03/founder-led-companies-outperform-the-rest-heres-why
• Gutterman, Alan S. “Founders and Organizational Culture”, Oct. 2023, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374695659_Founders_and_Organizational_Culture

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You might be doing everything right as a manager on paper and still holding yourself back. In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi sits down with management coach Mel Cidado to unpack three common mistakes that derail manager growth.

Through client stories, they explore how great employees can falter in leadership roles when they try to do it all themselves, when they get stuck in expert mode, or when they assume results speak louder than actions. Each pattern looks like success from the outside but creates blind spots that limit advancement.

This conversation is for new managers, seasoned leaders, and the organizations that support them. Cindi and Mel share what it takes to course-correct early and why the path to growth starts with clarity, connection, and communication.

Episode Highlights:

• Three common mistakes in manager development and how to avoid them
• Why high-performing employees often struggle after promotion
• How over-rewarding expertise can limit leadership potential
• Why strong KPIs don’t always translate into advancement
• The three 3 C’s of effective management

Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VG8GAchWIsE

About Mel Cidado:

Melissa (Mel) Cidado is an executive coach, leadership advisor, and former Fortune 100 Talent VP, who helps senior leaders grow into new, bigger, and more visible roles with clarity, confidence, and sustainability. With 25 years of experience advising and coaching hundreds of executives through disruptive change, Mel brings a unique blend of real-world executive insight and deeply human, no-fluff guidance.

Today, she helps executive leaders design careers that fuel them, so success feels sustainable and aligned from the inside out. She’s the founder of Breakthrough Coaching and a contributor to Forbes Coaches Council, where she writes about energy leadership, performative resilience, and how to thrive through disruption.

*Connect with Mel: Linkedin | Breakthrough Coaching

_____________

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Thinking about starting a side hustle? In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin unpack why now might be the best time to build something of your own.

Whether you're dreaming of a creative outlet or a full-on escape hatch from your day job, side hustles offer more than just financial upside. Done right, they’re a smart way to test-drive new ideas, stay engaged, and future-proof your career (without blowing up your life in the process).

Cindi and Geoff share the science and strategy behind side gigs that energize, not exhaust. They break down how to avoid common traps like overinvesting or partnering with the wrong person. Tune in to learn how your side hustle can be your lab, your launchpad, and your life raft, all at once.

Episode Highlights:

• How side hustles can foster creativity and lead to entrepreneurial opportunities
• The hidden risks of side hustles and how to avoid burnout
• Key strategies to ensure your side hustle aligns with your long-term career goals
• How pursuing a side hustle can lead to unexpected career opportunities.

Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Xuf9iSghVLs

*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:

• Scott, Shane. The Illusions of Entrepreneurship, Yale University Press, 26 Jan. 2010. https://www.amazon.com/Illusions-Entrepreneurship-Costly-Entrepreneurs-Investors/dp/0300158564
• Grant, Adam. Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, Penguin Books, 7 Feb. 2017.https://www.amazon.com/Originals-How-Non-Conformists-Move-World/dp/014312885X
• Harroch, Dominique, “The Ultimate Guide to Side Hustles,” Forbes, 12 Jun. 2025. https://www.forbes.com/sites/allbusiness/2025/06/12/the-ultimate-guide-to-side-hustles/

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A single promotion can shift the energy of an entire organization. In this episode, Cindi and Geoff sit down with Leticia Rodriguez, CEO of Ward Memorial Hospital, to talk about why internal promotions build stronger organizations and how to take smart chances on people who are still growing.

Leticia shares how someone once saw potential in her, and how she now pays that forward by developing talent from the inside. From intentional one-on-ones to strategic learning investments, she shows how internal hires create a culture where people stay, grow, and deliver.

This episode offers a framework for betting on your people, without setting them up to fail. Tune in for a fresh take on increasing retention, performance, and shared purpose.

Episode Highlights:

• The ripple effects of well-placed internal promotions
• How to spot potential before it announces itself
• The tradeoffs between hiring internal versus external
• How to course correct when a gamble doesn’t work
• Why investing in development changes team dynamics over time
• The leadership habit that keeps communication open and growth on track

About Leticia Rodriguez:

Leticia Rodriguez is the CEO for Ward Memorial Hospital, Monahans, TX and has held that role for the last 12 years. Professionally, Rodriguez serves on the board for The Texas Health Services Authority. Locally, she serves as the Vice President for the Monahans Economic Development and Board Member of the Chamber of Commerce. She is also a member of the Chamber of Commerce Women’s Division, Rotary and Ambassador’s Club.

Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/b0Px8zLApjU

*Purchase your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook here

*Want to understand your people better? Get a comprehensive organizational assessment at CULSURE

*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:

• Minni, Virginia. “New Research on How the Best Managers Shape Employees’ Careers,” Harvard Business Review, 1 Oct. 2025. https://hbr.org/2025/10/new-research-on-how-the-best-managers-shape-employees-careers
• Benson, A and Rissing, B. “Strength from Within: Internal Mobility and the Retention of High Performers,” Organizational Science, 7 Dec. 2019. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3503708

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Most companies say they have a culture. Very few actually do.

In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin break down what workplace culture really means and why most organizations fall short.

Cindi and Geoff explain how culture acts like choreography. When people know the steps, they move in sync. When they don’t, departments end up dancing to different music which breeds confusion, inefficiency, and sometimes outright conflict. Without shared values, leaders are stuck micromanaging because there is no built-in guidance for decision-making.

This episode is for executives and team leads who want clarity on the framework of building a culture that drives performance. You’ll learn the two key drivers to unify your organization, and why culture, when done right, becomes your best tool for performance and coordination.

Episode Highlights:

• What real culture is and how to tell if you have it
• The two things you need to build a successful culture
• What happens when every department has its own values
• How shared values guide decisions, behavior, and performance
• Why strong cultures reduce the need for micromanagement
• The role of peer accountability in culture enforcement

Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ju7rgp9wVb0

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Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:

• Satell, G and Windschitl, C. “High-Performing Teams Start with a Culture of Shared Values,” Harvard Business Review, 11 May. 2021. https://hbr.org/2021/05/high-performing-teams-start-with-a-culture-of-shared-values
• Collins, Jim. Good to Great: A Study of Management Strategies of Companies with Lasting Growth, Harper Business, 16 Oct. 2001, https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Some-Companies-Others/dp/0066620996

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We often treat work as a necessary evil, but it might be doing more for your happiness than you think.

In this episode, Cindi and Geoff dig into the power of workplace relationships, and how easily they’re overlooked. They challenge assumptions about loneliness, connection, and meaning, unpacking why the daily rhythms of work life can be so hard to lose. From first jobs to the so-called freedom of retirement, Cindi and Geoff reconsider what work actually gives us, and why it matters.

If you're looking for ways to build stronger bonds and shared purpose on your team, this podcast is worth a listen.

Episode Highlights:

• Why work relationships matter more than we think
• Surprising findings on loneliness
• The three ingredients of a good life
• How to foster genuine connection–without forced fun
• Avoid the pitfalls of retirement

Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VFR9dGExIBU

*Purchase your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook here

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Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading:

• Wright, SL and Silard, AG. “Loneliness in Young Adult Workers,” Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 4 Nov. 2022; 19(21):14462. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192114462
• Knight, Rebecca. “The office friendship is dead. That’s bad for all of us – especially our employers,” Business Insider, 13 Apr 2022, https://www.businessinsider.com/office-friendship-dead-remote-work-employers-turnover-great-resignation-2022-4

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