Inside Job

If you have been wrestling with the question of whether to stay at your job or pursue something else, you're not alone. The story we've often been sold by society is that there are right and wrong reasons to stay or leave a job. But today we're exploring whether this right-wrong binary choice is actually a reality. You can continue the conversation with us through our new, free, online Inside Job Podcast Community, which you can find here: https://insidejobthecommunity.mn.co/feed Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook

Today we're talking about our hunger for growth and how to tell a real urge (driven by our personal values or core desires) from one that might be coming from outside ourselves. We'll also explore the action steps you can take to decide what kind of growth you need and why you need it. You can continue the conversation with us through our new, free, online Inside Job Podcast Community, which you can find here: https://insidejobthecommunity.mn.co/feed Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook

Today, our conversation examines each of these words as they relate to showing up authentically. And while "authenticity" itself has become a buzzword these days, this reimagined recipe may just be the antidote to that. In Our Conversation Today We're Exploring: Why the word authenticity feels like nails on a chalkboard to Eric and the alternative word Nayla uses instead Ways to think about the potential effect of authenticity on your coworkers and loved ones and how this is actually the opposite of masking or dulling our light The interplay of self-awareness, curiosity, mindfulness, and authenticity in our relationships and the workplace Questions to consider when you think about how you show up in the world and the effect you may be having on others You can continue the conversation with us through our new, free, online Inside Job Podcast Community, which you can find here: https://insidejobthecommunity.mn.co/feed Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

"How should I start thinking about what I want from the coming year?" We have been getting this question a lot lately, as we do around this time every year. In this episode we offer our thoughts on the principles we use to guide our clients forward in their thinking and planning. The principles we offer are: Notice what your energy is calling you to do, and go after the things that really matter. Approach your life from a place of want, not should. Notice that what is likely to get done is the stuff you actually care about, and not the crud you think you should care about. Maintain a generosity of spirit towards yourself. Focus as much on answering the question, "How do I want to be?" as you do on, "What do I want to accomplish?" As we explore these principles we also introduce the idea of "new year's dissolutions"; we recognize that 2021 isn't giving any of us more hours in a day and we can't start doing new things until we stop doing the things that aren't serving us anymore. Throughout our conversation we continue to offer that we're all just trying to do the best we can with what we've got. As a bonus we offer our guidance on why you don't want to run the toilet toss at the school carnival and how to avoid kicking your own ass. You can continue the conversation with us through our new, free, online Inside Job Podcast Community, which you can find here: https://insidejobthecommunity.mn.co/feed Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

In this episode, we address the popular concept of work-life balance, and why it is often misunderstood and is an unintentional source of stress. (Plus you get to hear Eric react to the phrase itself – priceless.) The bottom line is that for most of us escaping work isn't possible anymore. We discuss why the idea of "balance" is misleading or unattainable, and how it can sometimes even set us up for failure. We pivot and instead discuss the question, "how do I create the right amount of time and space in my life for all of the things that are meaningful and bring me joy?" We talk about the importance of specificity and boundaries, and why it's important for us to evaluate the choices we are making which compromise the goals we have for ourselves. We also discuss how to design flexibility and options into our lives so we can manage the shifts that occur in our lives across seasons. Finally, we celebrate the fact that we are now a top 150 Apple podcast in South Africa. Thank you to all of our fans in Cape Town, Pretoria, Johannesburg, and the surrounding areas. We'll come visit – and maybe even broadcast a live show – when we can travel once again. You can continue the conversation with us through our new, free, online Inside Job Podcast Community, which you can find here: https://insidejobthecommunity.mn.co/feed Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

In this episode we get deep into the topic of values. It's a subject we've referenced in a dozen or more previous shows, but it's never received a devoted conversation. So we get back to basics and talk about this important and fundamental characteristic of the inside job. There are a lot of websites, journals, and outlets that have been talking about values over the last few years but few treat them as more than buzzwords, and even fewer get deeper than providing assessments to identify them. We're not afraid of the deep work, so we use our conversation to investigate values intensely. We talk about the evolving nature of our values, what it means to live a life – and manage a career – that is in line with our values, how to notice when our values conflict with our work, and what to do when we are asked to work closely with someone who has a very different set of values. And we talk about the Barefoot Contessa, how weird it is to hear our own voices, and why Eric should not do impressions. You can continue the conversation with us through our new, free, online Inside Job Podcast Community, which you can find here: https://insidejobthecommunity.mn.co/feed Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

Warning: This episode of the Inside Job Podcast is not perfect. That's not only okay – that's the point. It is now socially acceptable to reject the label of "perfectionist" – in fact, it's hard to find someone who would say that perfect is their goal. However, it's extraordinarily easy to find colleagues, friends, and/or family members who say: "I have no margin for error on this project." "I hold myself to an extremely high standard." "I never settle for less than the best." What's the old saying – a rose by any other name is still a rose? Well perfect by any other name is still perfect. And the language we use and the actions we take as a society still suggest we're trying to be perfect. We simply can't. In this episode we talk about how self-punishing it is to live and work in environments with no allowance for mistakes, despite language we may use to suggest otherwise. We discuss the origin story of our perfectionist expectations and highlight how to recognize when we're trying to achieve the impossible. We also talk about how to know when we've done enough, when to realize that our goal should be to do "B+" work, and why it's important to define success in advance of our efforts. And we wish Nayla a happy birthday! Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

"Am I working hard enough?" "Does this make sense as a next professional step?" "Should I be asking for more?" At various times in our lives, we all pose questions like this about next steps, choices, or knowing where we stand. Does the answer live on the outside, or on the inside, or somewhere in between? We're navigating the dance between external and internal validation this week on the Inside Job podcast. We talk about what can be answered on the outside, what must be answered from the inside, and how to know where to look for the answers to some of the biggest questions in work and life. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

Maybe it's because of colleagues who have left, cultures that have changed, futures that felt certain that are now not – clients and friends are feeling sad at work. In some cases, that's grief you're feeling. It makes sense that we'd experience the full suite of emotions through our work, after all many of our most meaningful contributions, our most important relationships and most of our time happens at work. Yet for some reason, when something hurts, we're often met with "It's just work, it's not personal, don't let it get to you." We're here to say: We know work can be personal, and we know grief shows up in our relationships with work, as it does in so many others. And we're here to support you through it. We talk through what we're seeing, and how our clients are navigating through the hard emotions at work, this week on Inside Job. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

As we head into a series of holidays in the United States, clients, friends and we are wondering: How do I take time off well this go round? We sometimes have ideas that vacation should look a certain way or should include or not include certain things (we're talking about you, email) but those ideas can be quite far from how things actually go when we're officially away from work. We dive into some of the social and internal beliefs we have about what time off SHOULD look like and the pressure to 'get it right', and offer a few practical suggestions around setting ourselves up to get what we need from our time away from work. Here's hoping all of you take the time off you need – in the way you want to - in the next few weeks!! Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

There's a certain way of talking about change that's become heralded in these times, especially at work: "I just love change!". This week, we're uncovering if that's true. Most of us have endured, and even thrived when change has been thrust upon us. Our nature requires that we adapt, and most often, we do – even if we gnash our teeth along the way. Many of us also like variety – new people, places, foods, experiences… as long as WE get to stay more or less the same. Most of us don't want to change ourselves. Or if we do want to make a change, we find it hard to succeed at being consistent with new behaviors. In this episode we talk about why that's true, and share our favorite tool for going deeper and understanding what's really going on inside. We're running a workshop on the Immunity to Change framework, for anyone who has ever wanted to change something in their work or lives, but finds themselves stuck. Based on Robert Kegan's model of adult development, a practical, action-based toolkit to help you move forward with change that will have a positive impact on your work and/or life. Two Wednesdays, November 17 and December 1 — 3:30 pm ET Learn more and register here: https://hive.insidejobthepodcast.com/product/immunity-to-change/ Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

As we hit the home stretch of 2021, we know doing a good thing for someone else is a way to bring resolution to another long, confusing year and do something healthy for ourselves at the same time. The world needs support, love and our good wisdom more than ever. This week we talk about being a force for good through our work – how to bring others along and pay it forward by offering our time and expertise. We believe deeply that all of us – regardless of our level of experience or our formal leadership role, has something to give, and this week's episode is an invitation to do something great for someone else. We explore the differences between mentors, sponsors, teacher, peer leaders and more… We also use this opportunity to talk about our passion for coaching and how we distinguish coaching as a force of good from all the other wonderful ways to help. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

"Don't screw your friends over, especially at work." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt (or not) Great friendships often develop at work, and usually this is a good thing. It's important to work with people we like and people we trust, especially given how much of our time and energy goes into our jobs. So what happens when the power dynamic shifts between friends? What changes when a friend is suddenly the boss? Or when you hire a friend? What shifts when there is suddenly a significant shared outcome that requires input, effort, and accountability between buddies? We tackle these questions and more on this episode of the podcast. We talk about: How to recognize and process what is gained and lost What to discuss when designing a new alliance, both as colleagues and as friends What to do with the inside information already known about each other How to handle the resulting shifts when getting together outside of work How to avoid assumption traps by developing a beginner's mind Not using friendships as an excuse to cut corners or deprioritize work And more We also get into the difficulties of seasonal allergies and nasal probes. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

"It's not fair!" What is fair, what is unfair, and who gets to decide have been prevalent topics in our coaching and our lives recently. What do we do when we feel like we aren't getting what we deserve despite believing we have done everything we were supposed to do? We tackle all of this, and more, on the latest episode of the Inside Job Podcast. We know that making sense of "unfair" situations is at the very heart of the inside job. If we don't do the work when we feel slighted, then we can become emotionally arrested. The longer these situations become unresolved the more resentment we build up and the more toxic the situation will feel. We must break the cycle and find a better path forward. So what are our options? We need to start by noticing what's happening on the "ladder of inference", a tool we reference and explain during our conversation. In doing so we can notice how we are assigning meaning to what's happened, how we are allowing assumptions to become reality, and how we are populating simple stories with partial data and biases. We need to move from our own subjectivity about the situation to one with more objectivity, often by getting clearer about the motives and intentions of others who are involved. Sometimes this work will help us understand that things were fairer than we realized. And sometimes, it will turn out that we were right – things are unfair. When unfairness is reality, we have to work through sense-making, acceptance, choice, and action. It's an uncomfortable and painful place to be -- you don't have to get over it, but you do have to do something about it. You must choose the pain you are willing to sustain for the best possible outcome for you. In this episode we help you determine how to do that in a conscious and deliberate way. We also talk about the origin of the phrase "Johnny on the spot" and why it's not just a portable toilet company in the Northeast. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

"I LOVE office politics." ~ No one, ever. Office politics has shown up a lot in our coaching conversations recently, as well as in discussions with our friends and family. It makes sense, as budgets for 2022 are being discussed, end-of-year performance reviews are being prepared for, and businesses get back to pre-pandemic working conditions. Of course, for most of us office politics need to be navigated regardless of the time of year or cycle of the business. But what are office politics really? And are they always bad? We talk about this and more on this episode of the Inside Job Podcast. In summary, office politics are about how people relate to each other and how resources get allocated – so relationships and power. They tend to be experienced when we believe there is an imbalance of influence, which leads us to believe we're getting the short end of the stick. Office politics, however, are more about what's happening inside of us than they are about what's happening to us. Most of the perceived unfairness of politics stems from the stories we tell ourselves, the assumptions we're making about what's happening when people get together, and the existence of healthy networks that we're simply not a part of. During our conversation we talk about how to make sense of these circumstances, and what to do about it. We talk about personal power versus political power and how to stand up for ourselves when we want to have more influence at work. We also talk about gathering and evaluating evidence, and how to get to the heart of what's really at stake when we think we're missing out. These things will even help your book club run more effectively. Just ask Nayla. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

Tom Cruise once said, "I feel the need – the need for speed." He could very well have been summarizing how many of us are feeling nearly 40 years later. (Yes, it has been that long. #old) Whether it be a need for belonging, more money, a clearer identity, more engaging work, or something else so many of us are looking for the short and quick path to "better". Unresolved pain gets our attention, and that pain is what causes many of us to be impulsive at work and at home and to buy into the promises from companies like LuLaRoe. Oh yes, Nayla gets into a rant in this episode about LuLaRoe. You are not going to want to miss it. What LuLaRoe – and other multi-level marketing companies – know is that humans are wired to accept the promise of quick fixes when they are experiencing pain. In this episode we talk about the importance of slowing down our decision making and exploring other options to generate momentum in our lives. We discuss what quick wins are and are not, and how to create them the right way. We also talk the importance of finding ways to create a substantial and lasting change for the better, and why we should be curious about what we're already doing well when looking for ways to create more value in our lives. And we talk about how Tom Cruise runs, and why Will Ferrell is always in his underwear. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

When we know that more than 11 million people have voluntarily left their work between April – July 2021 in the Great Resignation, we pay attention. So many of our clients, friends and even family members are asking: should I be a part of this Great Resignation? While it can be tempting to fantasize about being a part of this movement, this episode is about slowing down to take this question seriously. If you're even entertaining being part of the Great Resignation, what is going on? What hurts? What isn't working anymore? We talk about quitting or exiting as a purposeful choice and what the alternatives could be to walking away from the whole thing. We explore the distinctions between impulses, dreams and plans, the idea of renegotiation, and some questions you can ask yourself as you figure out where you land in one of the great employment stories of our time. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

Does it feel like everyone has a side-hustle going on? As part of the great resignation, in the age of Etsy and online businesses, side-hustling has become mainstream. And, we're fans of the idea. We dive into the idea of personal projects, consulting practices, teaching, making, and the other activities people engage with outside of their day jobs. Perhaps you're looking for more income, hoping to manage job vulnerability, testing and trying things out, learning skills with an experience you've been craving…. A side-hustle can be a great tool to round out a professional portfolio. Side-hustling isn't without its risk and watch outs, so we cover that, too. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

You want to get something done and you can't get going. Maybe it's something new at work, a new personal habit, a home improvement project and you're standing at the start line for a long, long time. Before you know it, you're in a cycle of self-doubt and self-punishment about why you aren't moving at all. If you notice you can't get started on something, we invite you to explore that as a symptom of something else going on beneath the surface…we dive in deeper in this week's episode. Is it possible that your goal is not really your goal, or it's an idea that compels on the surface but you don't have deep longing to see this thing through? Could fear of falling down or getting it wrong be stopping you from starting? Could you be missing knowledge of how do this new thing? Or even, could doing something new mean you have to adopt a new way of understanding and presenting yourself to the world? Or, are you out of energy at this time in your life and something has to come off your plate before you can start something new? Most of all, we encourage you to look within with compassion and self-honesty to learn why you aren't starting yet, and then, what – if anything – to do about it. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

Feeling blue at work? Malaise? Dragging a bit? Feeling the funk? Yeah, we know those feelings, and at some point, everyone has. It might start with a restlessness or feelings that can best be described as "blah", and while we might think we're doing a good job faking it, it starts to show in our actions and in our work. How do we know the difference between feeling funky because we're bored or need a break, or feeling the funk because it's really time to make a significant change? Let's talk about it. We talk about the clues we experience when we're at the point of funk, how genuine self-care can help, the risks of impulsive and drastic action, and how time can be our ally in the search the right path. We also offer useful questions for self-exploration and generating healthy options for handling the funk, that don't involve burning it all down (h/t to Parliament and Talking Heads in this one!) Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

Sometimes we feel like we don't deserve to be in the room, on the team, or in the job. That experience can be referred to as "imposter syndrome" but we don't like that phrase. Feeling like an imposter is more of a phenomenon – and one we believe you have the strength and ability to overcome. We feel like an imposter when we don't have the ability to see our wholeness and our potential, even when there is evidence to the contrary. Still we know that feeling can paralyze and hurt us, and we want to explore why and what to do. On this episode we talk through how to do the work to uncover the imposter's voice, its origins and its deception, and how to overcome the self-sabotaging behaviors it can lead us to enact. We talk about how to choose action over procrastination, practice instead of over-prepare, and show up instead of miss out. And we talk about the dark side of humility – which doesn't get enough attention, but which absolutely makes us hard to work with. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

Is subtlety an art, or a potential waste of time? Have you walked out of a conversation that mattered with a boss or colleague with a wildly different understanding of what just happened than they did? In our work as coaches, we see too often how rhetorical questions, hints, clues and signals contribute to confusion, misalignment and poor results. This episode is a cry for clarity. As managers, as employees, as colleagues, partners and humans, how can we learn to be clear about what we want, expect and need? How can we learn to manage the complex and sometimes difficult feelings that lead us to dance around the facts, when the facts are really what would help solve the problem at hand? We talk about: what we're avoiding when we dance around a topic how to begin with the end in mind, and doing the work to have the hard conversations that eliminate confusion and set our teams up for success. Interested in this topic? Want to create clarity, not confusion, in your organization? We explore these topics and much more in the Inside Hive, an offering with coaching, courses and community – open for registration now. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

This episode of the Inside Job Podcast might be the most action packed yet. In under half an hour, we cover: the Foo Fighters live in concert, a subplot of The Shawshank Redemption, how Julia Roberts likes her eggs, what made Nayla ask for help, how sausage is made, disco music . . . Oh, and the mind-trap of being institutionalized. It all works, trust us. Institutionalization happens to all of us over the course of our life. At its core, it's a belief system that we develop about ourselves and about the way work gets done, primarily through the existence of loud and dominant external voices. It can show up in what we think is important to do and how to do it. It can show up in how important we view ourselves at our companies and why we're reluctant to leave. It shows up in our habits, our preferences, our choices, and our systems. We accept and abide by it so unconsciously that when things shift we struggle mightily to adapt to the change. Yes, even when we go grocery shopping. Give this episode a listen to uncover how you may be institutionalized, and how to become more consciously aware about your decisions, your work preferences, and even your eggs. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

What's the best that can happen? Why does that question paralyze people? In fact, why is it so hard to dream big as an adult? Think about it – if you were asked about the worst possible thing that could happen as the result of a choice, how long would it take you to end up living in a van down by the river? Now what if your choices were wildly successful? What if your dreams came true? Can you picture it? The fact is that most of us can't; or more accurately, most of us won't. It seems we're not wired to give as much credit to the best case scenario as we are to the worst case scenario. So what do we do about it. In this episode we talk about how we help our clients and colleagues unleash their inner dreamer. We talk how important it is to picture the best case scenario if we want to be creative, innovative, excited, and resourceful. In doing so, we also provide some important coaching questions to consider and a fun exercise to complete. And we talk about why we love to combine sweet and salty foods together for an optimal flavor experience. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

How much of your identity should you share with your co-workers? Does bringing your personal life to work help build trust, or does trust need to exist before you share your personal life at work? What do you do if you don't want to discuss your personal life at work? As Nayla has said many times, we spend over 90,000 hours of lives at work – so inherently we build a social community within our work. This is true whether we like it or not. As communal creatures we benefit from the connection, but also must recognize the risks associated with various forms of relationships at work. How do we balance it all? In this episode we tackle these questions, and more. We revisit boundaries and values and highlight how these tools help us determine what works for us and how they help us navigate these sometimes-uncomfortable situations. We also offer some practical advice for making your work culture work for you. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

One of the most important relationships in our lives is the one we have with our boss(es). Like any important relationship the quality of the communication between parties greatly affects the emotional well-being of the participants. That's why it's so frustrating when we struggle to communicate effectively with our boss. Whether it's an acute instance or an ongoing issue when we don't feel heard, seen, or understood it can really jack with our confidence and motivation. We tackle all of this and more on this episode of the Inside Job Podcast. We discuss the ways differences in expectations, needs, and hierarchy play in communication breakdowns and how to adapt to and overcome each. We also talk about how to work through the dissonance than we experience when the present reality of our relationship with our boss is different than our historic experiences. As always, we also highlight the ways specificity (or the lack thereof), assumptions, stories, and expectations play in helping and hindering the communication with our bosses. Finally, we remind our listeners that Eric is NOT named Chris. Yes, effective communication does begin by calling people by their correct name. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

"This is not what I signed up for." Who hasn't uttered that phrase at least, oh, a dozen times in their career? Whether in regard to a new job, a new boss, a culture shift, a market event, or just life itself we've all been in situations that differed – sometimes dramatically – from our expectations. In fact, due to the nature of work and the constant of change it's normal that our work environment shifts and evolves – and we generally notice it most right about the time we have things exactly the way we want them. Which brings us to the word of the episode – resistance. Despite what we tell ourselves, humans don't like change – and we have any number of habits that we'll kick in to resist it as long as possible. In this episode we dive into our relationship with resistance, and how to overcome it as we adjust to our new reality. We talk about the importance of naming, specifically, what it is we feel like we're losing (or losing out on) when our situations are different than our expectations and how to accept that we always have a choice when we recognize a need to leave a situation. We also quote The Eagles, remember the Violent Femmes, and commit to creating an Inside Job Podcast mixed tape. Yes, we are that old. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

There is an old adage: "We are our own worst critic." While it is often profoundly true, there are also too many instances where we go from being our own critic to being our own bully. So many of us are guilty of kicking our own ass, and it's a cycle that we need to stop. It's normal to experience disappointment, even in ourselves. It's okay to notice when we are not meeting our expectations. But there is a point at which we become so unkind to ourselves that our behavior becomes self-destructive. That behavior can range from outright self-sabotage to more subtle patterns and bad habits. In this episode we talk about the many ways we kick our own ass, and how we can put an end to it. We talk about the stories that we tell ourselves about our work and lives, and the often outsized sense of importance we place on our roles in them. We talk about the myth we often believe that our actions are so powerful that they leave an imprint on the world that cannot be undone. We discuss how these narratives distort the way we view ourselves and cause us to catastrophize our situations. There is a difference between saying, "I screwed up", and "I'm a screw up" – and we get into why that difference matters so much in how we treat ourselves. We also dispel the myth that work must hurt – that we must work ourselves to exhaustion for fear of believing that we haven't worked hard enough. We do not have to work to depletion, we do not have to be perfect, and little of what we do is permanent. Throughout the episode we offer tips, coaching tools and questions, and perspectives designed to help change the way we approach our situations and, more importantly, ourselves – especially when things aren't going our way. All of this so we can stop kicking our own ass. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

As the scientific community debates the future of COVID-19, businesses and schools are sending the message that life will start returning to "normal" as summer turns to fall. Many of our clients, friends, and family members (and even ourselves) are therefore grappling with the question, "what does it look like to return to normal?" As we've had deep discussions around this topic, we've noticed that there are an extremely diverse set of wants around the post-pandemic work environment. Some people want life to look exactly like it did in 2019. Some want it to look exactly like it did in February of 2021. But everybody wants something. That, it seems, is the real question each of us needs to consider: What are you longing for? Throughout our episode we explore the origin, and importance, of that question. We also highlight why it's critical to be specific around our needs, wants, and values and why we need to have a deep sense of consciousness and honesty around the role work played – and will play – in satisfying our longing. We also talk about whether work is a context or an excuse when it comes to our needs, and how to know whether we undersize or oversize the importance of our physical work environment. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

The quest for more confidence is one of phenomena that brings so many people to coaching. Most of us want more of it and think other people must be doing something differently than we are to have the belief in themselves that allows them to go for what they want... So where do we find confidence for ourselves? Eric and Nayla dive in to talk through what confidence is and isn't, how it helps us, and how to build more of it. Confidence is not a point at which we arrive, a thing we ultimately achieve. Rather, it is a muscle we have to exercise regularly, a set of practices we have to engage in to develop courage and belief in ourselves in increments. The search for confidence requires an honest look within, a record of our achievements and a plan to close the gaps we have. Building confidence is within our reach with consistent effort. Let's talk about it this week on Inside Job. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work and to join our mailing list, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

If we're doing the work, we are growing as humans as we grow as leaders. Looking back at the times we regret, those moments that make us feel some shame and awkwardness about the things we did and said, can sometimes help us track our growth. Nayla gets that gift this week, as she digs into the bad advice she once gave a valued colleague who came asking for support for a promotion: Don't Worry About It. What happens when we tell someone what to worry about? Who are we protecting, them or us? And how does a problem – even if the worry is the problem – get solved, if we brush it aside? We talk through how things could go differently now, with a coach's mindset and the benefit of time. We also talk through how the habit of minimizing someone else's concerns can have its roots in how we minimize our own needs and wants. We explore bearing discomfort (ours and others'), how to use curiosity to lead in these moments, and the art of holding space for others to tell us what they really need. Join us this week and every week, and don't forget to hit that subscribe button. While you're at it, follow up all over social media at @insidejobpodcast. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

Over the course of a long career, we will all have beginnings and endings as we move in and out of roles and organizations. This week, we talk about what's lost when something comes to and, and start by hearing about Eric's current experience as he ends a long tenure in one organization and creates his next step. Even when we seek change – and make it happen – we have to acknowledge that something is left behind and that represents some loss. We talk through the rich emotions that accompany change and how we can use time as a resource to help us understand we're learning about ourselves as we transition. We offer some practical tools to help us manage transitions including appreciation of the people who helped shape this experience, celebration and ceremony, and the personal documentation of how we've gotten better as a result of this change. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

"You can do it later…" "A little more sleep is more important than that workout…" "You're great at the last-minute projects, you can start it next week…" We're all quite skilled at the art of negotiating with ourselves, talking ourselves in and out of habits and actions that would move us towards our goals. Whether you're talking yourself out of applying for a job you're interested in, or talking yourself into spending just a few more minutes on YouTube because you had a tough morning, when we're paying attention, we can see this habit at work. This week we talk through how to get more skilled at noticing how we hold ourselves back, make excuses for ourselves, or hide when we negotiate with ourselves. We offer ideas to notice how frequently we engage in the personal negotiation and a shift to use negotiation as a tool to challenge and uphold yourself to be the best version of you. And, Nayla gets to use one of her favorite quotes: we can learn to talk to ourselves more than we listen to ourselves. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

Fear. As much as we might hate to admit it, it's a core part of our suite of emotions. It's an integral part of the human experience. Yet from a young age we're taught to either ignore it or fight it. "Kick fear in the teeth," right? Well, we would prefer not to go to war with ourselves, especially over something that's a biological imperative. We would rather work with it instead. Throughout this episode we talk about how fear is information, and it typically comes from a good place – a place of self-protection. Fear is an invitation to be curious about what our minds and bodies are telling us. We draw a distinction between a fear and a threat, and why it's crucial to answer the question, "what form is the threat taking?" We also talk about the rudeness of Cheetos and cough drops, and why Eric is like the Tootsie Pop Owl. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

We believe wholeheartedly that if you kick ass at work you deserve something for it. You deserve to be seen, you deserve to be recognized, and you deserve credit. Actually, it's better than "deserved" – you need to get what you have "earned". Not receiving credit for damn fine work is one of the more common tensions we hear from our clients. Whether it be promotions, special assignments, money, or public recognition meaningful credit can take many forms, so why do we treat it as a scarce resource? Unfortunately the reality is that we often need to ask for the credit we have earned, which is a hard pill to swallow for many. Some of the most talented people are humble to a fault, and asking for credit is akin to the eighth cardinal sin. Beyond that, there are stories we tell ourselves about credit, such as: My gain is someone else's loss There is no "I" in team, and I'm not supposed to stand out If we keep our head down and our work up we'll get noticed In this episode of the Inside Job Podcast we break all of this down and more. We dig into the differences between humility, confidence, and arrogance and highlight how it's possible to both be humble and earn recognition. We also tear apart the origin stories behind the myths that lead us to believe we don't deserve credit above our steady paycheck. We know it's hard to ask for attention, but if you kick ass you should be rewarded for it. After all, you've earned it. So don't keep yourself in a cage – allow yourself the space to get noticed and applauded. We'll help you figure out how. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

At the Inside Job Podcast we are huge believers in the importance of taking action. And we do so knowing that when we put ourselves out into the world we are going to face rejection. In this episode we talk about what to do when we experience rejection. Rejection shows up in many ways: not getting a job offer, failing to sell our work on Etsy, not being invited to the book club, getting denied the promotion, etc. Hell, Eric is still bemoaning the rejection stemming from nobody reading his LinkedIn article about Betty White. In any form rejection is real, and it hurts. During our conversation we talk about how the work of the inside job is to make sense of rejection and figure out what we can learn from it. We start by acknowledging the courage that comes from the choice to get in the arena in the first place; we experience rejection because we choose to do the big work in life. Taking brave action is always worth celebrating. More importantly, we talk about the need to sit in the emotional response for a bit. It's important to experience it, process it, and then release it. By releasing it we choose not to let it define us, nor hold us back from taking the next step forward. We also talk about ways we can make sense of rejection. Rejection presents us with an opportunity to learn, improve, and pivot. We talk about ways to ask for feedback, how to get others to help us improve for the next time, and how to overcome common mistakes that might be leading to serial rejection. We close by talking about ways to find the strength to move forward. Nayla talks about the importance of reconnecting with ourselves and replenishing our spirit, while Eric reminds us to reflect on the cost of not trying again. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

One of the core principles of the Inside Job Podcast is that we believe that all of us should be designing a life and a career on purpose. We think that one of the saddest things in the world is to not be paying attention to ourselves. As such we believe it's so important to practice periodic reflection and to conduct check-in meetings with yourself. After all, you're in the business of you – if you have a commitment to personal growth then you owe it to yourself to evaluate if you're growing, and if you're doing it in the way you intended. During this episode we talk about the value of a personal quarterly meeting – one that is taken seriously and conducted deliberately. We talk about what to ask yourself, how often to do it, and how to make sense of the analysis and results. We share our favorite tools for personal meetings, and how to use them, including: Wheel of Life Journal After Action Review Calendar audit Financial audit Nayla's 5 favorite reflection questions We also talk about the importance of using these meetings as a time to celebrate – something we firmly believe in and practice at the Inside Job Podcast. As Annie Dillard said, "How we spend our day is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing." So pay attention to how you spend your days so you can understand how you spend your life. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

This week on the Inside Job Podcast we talk about money! By any name — cold hard cash, Benjamins, cabbage, moolah, clams, etc. — it's one of our favorite topics as humans, and yet it often seems so taboo to admit it. Why is that? Maybe the better question is: given how important money is, how do we talk about it in ways that are meaningful and aligned with our values? During our discussion we acknowledge that we are in a relationship with money – whether we like it or not – and like any relationship it needs to be explored, evaluated, and discussed on a regular basis. We notice that money shows up in our values (like financial security or appreciation), our needs (like acknowledgment or freedom) and even in our joys (like adventure or travel). It literally can be a means to an end, and by opening up the conversation about the role we perceive money plays in our lives we can better understand ourselves, our beliefs, our desires, and our biases. Simply put, the work of understanding our relationship with money is at the core of the Inside Job of understanding ourselves. During the conversation we also bring up the 80s glam rock band BulletBoys, pick on Alan Watts, quote the movie "Almost Famous", and summarize about a third of country music. All in less than 30 minutes. You can listen to the episode on our website: www.insidejobthepodcast.com or on your favorite podcast platform. Don't forget to hit the subscribe button and sign up for the newsletter – we have a lot of exciting things coming out over the next few weeks! Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

This week we're talking about the sensation of being trapped or stuck, and settling for a situation that doesn't work for us. It's often the reason clients seek coaching, and we know from personal experience that it can feel intractable. And yet, this is also an opportunity in our lives to see things clearly, to understand the tensions between what we want and where we are, and to create a shift that results in momentum. There are weights that give us the sensation of being stuck: fear, comparison, worry…the list goes on. How can we check reality on these weights? What can we shift in our thinking through exploration, partnership with someone who challenges us. Each of us also has resources that allow us to move forward: optimism, support, past successes, good habits… We dive into: How important other people (a coach, a community, a trusted friends) can be to getting unstuck… How much good questions can help us move forward… How daily practice is the key to removing the weights and deepening the resources….. And, Kevin Costner. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

To kind of quote Jane Austen, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a person who works with other people will one day have to be the bearer of bad news." It is a reality of organizational (and adult) life that we will have to say the hard things. And yes, if we want to lead, we must say the hard things. Whether it's delivering tough feedback, acknowledging mistakes and missteps, or resigning from a job, we'll have to share information that has the potential to hurt something or someone. Maybe our reputation will be impacted, maybe a boss or employee will be hurt, maybe we'll be the ones to suffer. Avoiding tough conversations can be a form of self-protection. We explore the inside job being the bearers of bad news requires of us. It makes us face stirred up pain, worry, unpleasant memories of other bad news we've been a part of in the past. Being the bearer of bad news can also lead us down the risky road of assumptions, where we think we know what the other party is thinking or will feel, and we act. We offer some best practices and models to keep conversations specific and spacious at the same time so we can be truly present, share what needs to be said, and solve problems that move us all forward. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

Networking. It's one of those things we know can help us, advance us, grow us…and yet, for many of us, it's something we deprioritize or avoid. This week, we jump into why some of our clients resist this essential part of career and leadership development. Too many people carry the impression that networking is gross, sleazy, needy and a host of other things that leave a bad taste in our mouths. We believe – deeply – that networking is about learning, about relationship building and above all, about CONNECTING. And connecting isn't just good for your career, it's rewarding for your life. In this practical and grounded episode, we talk about: Shifting our thinking about networking from a series of transactions to be about learning something new Simple ways to reach out to even the contacts we have let cool off over time Guidance about how to engage on LinkedIn and other ways that are low touch and high impact. This episode is full of encouragement, human connection and things you can put into place today! Plus, we have a healthy debate about the merits of Brussel sprouts. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

By now our listeners have heard us talk about 'running experiments' in our process for making change happen in our work and in other domains of our lives… but what does that mean, really? It's not an understatement to say that we think experiments are key to growth and development. (And we think the Inside Hive in the company of coaches and a supportive community is a great place to do this work!) We offer a blueprint for experiments in this week, starting with the question: What are you trying to find out or do differently? Nayla offers that sometimes clues for our experiments are in the way we talk to ourselves and others about what we are drawn to, when we say things like: I'm afraid… I'm worried… I don't think… I wonder if… Great! Those thoughts often point us in the direction of the thing we can plan and design an experiment around. But experiments aren't just about thoughts and plans – they require action. Eric makes the case for the value of public declaration beyond the people who are already in our cheering squad, to help us stay accountable for moving forward. We talk about incremental, measurable steps, the value of looking at the information gathered in our experiments neutrally…(and how hard that can be!) and how to think about knowing when we've collected enough information and are ready to decide what it means. We offer a handful of personal and client stories, the ups and downs of experiments we've tried, and would love to hear from our listeners about the experiments you're running on the way to new adventures in your own career and life. You can listen to the episode on our website: www.insidejobthepodcast.com or on your favorite podcast platform. Don't forget to hit the subscribe button and sign up for the newsletter – we have a lot of exciting things coming out over the next few weeks! Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

This week on the Inside Job Podcast we challenge the notion that work must be defined and limited to the tasks that we can perform using the tools "above our neck". We discuss how important and meaningful it is that we are able to be creative and expressive in our lives, and why we should both value and develop the ability to leverage our hands and our bodies to add value to our work. We question why many in society differentiate between "meaningful work" and trades. For the two of us, we notice the more time we spend around people who build, maintain, and fix things the more we value not only what they do but we also feel a little jealous that they get to do it. We recognize that many of us need to have room in our careers and/or our lives to introduce things that we make; that we need to experience the sense of accomplishment when we create something, or when we have something to show for our work. We know that when we can see the impact of what we do, then we experience more meaning in our work and in our lives. It's a fun conversation, during which we: Liken PowerPoint to the Dementors in Harry Potter Talk about Ben Affleck and how we're fans even though it's sometimes not popular to admit it out loud Laugh at Nayla's inability to draw her family's dog Recommend the book "Shop Class as Soulcraft" by Matthew Crawford You can listen to the episode on our website: www.insidejobthepodcast.com or on your favorite podcast platform. Don't forget to hit the subscribe button and sign up for the newsletter – we have a lot of exciting things coming out over the next few weeks! Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

This week we continue the conversation about how to make the relationship with your manager work. Specifically we dive into two listener-submitted questions: What do I do about my career if I perceive that my boss is falling out of favor with our organization? How do I talk to my boss about pursuing a new role given how important "loyalty" is to her? We love these because both questions serve as an invitation to explore our own internal contributions to the relationship we have with ourselves, our managers, and our organizations. In these situations, and others like them, we can start by noticing the moments when we can practice self-regulation and apply our values in ways that allow us to show up as our best for ourselves and for those observing these situations. We talk about how our leaders' careers can attract drama – with a capital D – and why it's important for us not to get involved in, contribute to, or instigate water-cooler talk about what's happening with them. We also get into two of our favorite topics – noticing our assumptions and collecting evidence – and we talk about how to discover the truth about our situations and our reputations from leaders and stakeholders inside our organization. Par for the Inside Job, Jason Bourne makes an appearance . . . again. And we attempt to use the words "fivology" and "hexology" as we draw an analogy between our podcast and the blockbuster movie franchise starring Eric's hero Matt Damon . . . poorly. As always, we'd love to hear what's on your mind and what you think we should talk about in an upcoming episode. Contact us via insidejobthepodcast.com or on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook @insidejobpodcast . Make sure you sign up for our newsletter so you receive exciting updates about the Inside Hive, our new venture offering our community exclusive access to coaching, extra content, and each other. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

One of the most significant relationships in our lives is the one we have with our boss. It's a relationship which can make or break our day, and which has significant impact on our emotional well-being. Like all meaningful and important relationships the one with your manager takes effort, communication, and conscious contributions from both parties. Yet it can be a difficult one to navigate because of the different personalities, power structures, assumptions, and expectations at play at any one time. So it's no surprise that several of our listeners submitted questions to us about how to improve the way their relationship works with their manager. In this episode – part 1 of 2 on the subject – we respond to questions about how to work with a manager whose attitude is "hot and cold", and what to do with a boss who is vague about their expectations. These two situations will show up in a variety of ways in the workplace, which allows for a rich conversation about the responsibilities of all parties involved. We begin by discussing the difference between being a manager and being a leader, and therefore between asking to be managed and asking to be led. The differences are important because as employees it's important for you to know what your needs are. Do you need teaching or training or managing or coaching? What you need will differ depending on how long you've been in a role and how high your level of competency is for the skills in the role. We also talk about the fact that managers may or may not be accurately assessing your individual needs, especially if they lead large teams. Your ability to put a name to what you are experiencing and to ask specifically for what you need from them can be a huge positive boost to the relationship. You might actually be surprised by how well it's received and how much it's appreciated. Throughout the episode we highlight the nuances of this important relationship, and offer our advice about ways to talk about your emotions, experiences, and perspectives in meaningful ways that lead to all parties saying good things about each other at dinner each night. As always, we'd love to hear what's on your mind and what you think we should talk about in an upcoming episode. Contact us via insidejobthepodcast.com or on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook @insidejobpodcast. Make sure you sign up for our newsletter so you receive exciting updates about the Inside Hive, our new venture offering our community exclusive access to coaching, extra content, and each other. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

Our milestone episode number 50 is full of excitement! First, we announce the launch of the Inside Hive. The Hive is an extension of the podcast – we are creating a community for people who want to experience coaching, access exclusive content, and engage with us (and with each other) to better improve the way we all experience the intersection of work and life. More details will be forthcoming! Then we make fun of Nayla's huge face, but nice eyebrows, from our too-zoomed-in Instagram Live event. Finally, and most importantly, we tackle a question posed by one of our loyal listeners who is returning to work after an extended time off and wants some thoughts on how to make a successful transition. This is similar to challenges we've heard from some of our clients who are also returning to work for a variety of reasons, making a significant career pivot, or navigating non-traditional career paths, so we were eager to talk about it. This is such a rich topic because for starters it's more common than we often believe. It's clear to us that the career path of today ain't your parents' career path. For that reason, we begin by stating emphatically that you do NOT need to apologize for gaps or for having a non-traditional career. Everything you have done has made you who you are – you simply need to be able to tell your story in a compelling way, and connect the dots between your strengths and what a hiring manager needs on their team. The chapters of your story do not need to be chronological, nor do they only have to focus on the traditional definition of work. In fact, Nayla routinely points out that the way you live your life provides so much evidence for how you would show up in a job. So mine your life for data and focus on the key moments, values, and learnings that make you interesting, unique, and a great fit for the "next thing". What matters the most in your narrative is the meaning you give to the impact you've had on the world. We share stories, examples, and thoughts on how to do this successfully regardless of the twists and turns your life and work have taken. And we have fun doing it, because we love helping our listeners advance their lives in meaningful ways. As always, we'd love to hear what's on your mind and what you think we should talk about in an upcoming episode. Contact us via insidejobthepodcast.com or on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook @insidejobpodcast . Make sure you sign up for our newsletter so you are among the first to receive information about the Inside Hive! Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

Who hasn't put something off? It's so easy to be frustrated by the things that we find ourselves procrastinating. We usually start by blaming ourselves or our organizations for overstuffing our calendars. (We acknowledge that this can be a reality for many of us). Or we get on our own case for being too lazy to get things done. As always, we offer that finding ourselves in patterns of procrastination is an opportunity to be kind to ourselves, and to be curious about what's going on. This week, Nayla and Eric want to go beneath the common ways we explain procrastination, especially when we talk about wanting something and still not getting to it. We believe this is less about time management, and more about understanding the competing commitments that results in procrastination actually *doing something for us*. Read that again: NOT doing what you say you want to do is DOING something for you. The ultimate question might be: How is procrastination serving you? We offer the Immunity to Change framework as a tool to explore the tension between what we say we want, and what we must also want (sometimes under the surface) in order to keep things they are. We talk about the relationship between procrastination and revenge, control, imposter syndrome, the stories we tell ourselves, and our fears of failure. Don't put it off… you'll want to dig in to this episode. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

How much is enough? Is ambition always about more, bigger and higher? Ambition is a concept most of us have been trained to understand in a very particular way, and many of us design our lives in search of a career that meets our narrow understanding of the word. Many of the organizations carry that same limited view of what ambition can look like, so the messages are reinforced over and over again that more is always better. Yet, many of us take all the 'right' steps towards a bigger, flashier career and don't feel great about it. We dive into what's going on, and explore other ways of defining ambition. In fact, we wonder if ambition is even the word we want to keep using: Nayla offers the word: appetite, and Eric offers: energy… what if we are in pursuit of satisfying our appetites and following our energy? Where might that lead us? We talk openly about our own efforts to redefine ambition for ourselves, and some of the tools we offer our clients as they explore build a better life and career for themselves. How are you thinking about your own ambition these days? Be in touch on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or on our website. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

Any chance you're feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work you're trying to get done in a day? Routinely finding yourself working 14-hour days with no end in sight? Skipping meals, delaying sleep because there's simply too much to do? We hear you. Nayla and Eric start by saying: pause. The panic cycle of overwhelm will only grow and grow if we don't step away from the real and perceived churn to pause, breathe and reflect. Stepping away to give your brain, body and nervous system a break may seem like an indulgence, but we believe it is a necessity. This pause allows us distinguish between activity and productivity, to see the problem clearly, and take action. We introduce the analogy of the dance floor versus the balcony. The dance floor is thrilling and often chaotic – it can also be overwhelming and when we're stuck on it, it's hard to see anything more than a few feet away. We have to choose to see the higher-level perspective of what we're working towards – getting to the 'balcony' allows us to see the overarching goals, how far we've come, and how to adjust our schedules accordingly. Morning or evening routine can give us a chance to get to the balcony, as can a good habit of moving ourselves throughout the day, literally getting up to change our perspective at intervals to ask ourselves: is my attention where it should be? Am I getting results from how I'm spending my time? We also ask our listeners: Where are the expectations for the long, grueling, breakless days coming from? It's possible that your boss has unrealistic standards? Sure. Is it just as likely (maybe more likely) that you are putting this pressure on yourself? If you need clarity, it's time to enlist help. We suggest tools like a time audit to get an honest accounting of where your time is going, and then engaging your manager in a prepared thoughtful conversation to check assumptions and right-set expectations. Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.

In a prior episode, Eric and Nayla dove into the distinctions between our professional identities, brands and reputation, acknowledging we all have all three! This week, we talk about what happens when we learn that the professional reputation we have isn't totally aligned with what we want it to be. We might learn this through a 360 review, from a feedback-oriented manager, or from a passing comment from a colleague, and we think it's an opportunity to take a look at what's really going on, and decide what to do about it. The first thing we always advocate is to gather a broad set of helpful (specific) data…what are people really experiencing of you? There are lots of tools to help with this, and one of our favorites is an open-minded, humble conversation where we seek to understand how people truly perceive us and what the organizational context we're operating in calls for. Once we have this information, we can make some conscious choices about what we want to do by asking ourselves a series of questions. How is what I've learned about myself helping or hurting me in the pursuit of my goals? What about my behavior am I compelled to do differently? How do I respond to feedback in a way that feels honest to me and sustainable? Then, we talk about expressing your goals, enlisting help and getting ongoing support/feedback from others, to run small, safe, measurable experiments to see if and how you can get your reputation closer to where you want it to be. This conversation is full of compassion, stories and humor, because this stuff is both difficult and essential if we want to show up to work in a way that allows us to maximize our impact and our purpose in whatever we're doing. As always, we'd love to hear about your experiences! Reach us on www. insidejobthepodcast.com or on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook @insidejobpodcast Inside Job is brought to you by Nayla Bahri and Eric Johnson. To learn more about us and our work, visit www.insidejobthepodcast.com or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about the ideas and resources discussed in this episode, check out our show notes. Let's connect! Instagram Facebook We'd love to hear from you.