
Show Notes
Most managers know they should spend more time thinking strategically. The problem is that strategy often gets crowded out by urgent tasks, endless decisions, and the pressure to solve today's problems.
But strategic thinking isn't just about setting long-term goals. It's about creating the space to explore possibilities, challenge assumptions, and help your team think beyond what's immediately in front of them.
Fortunately, this week's guest shares a practical approach to developing strategic thinking, creating compelling visions of the future, and leading conversations that generate better ideas rather than rushing to premature solutions.
Howard Teibel is the founder of Teibel Education and an expert in leadership development, organizational strategy, and team effectiveness. For decades, he has helped leaders and organizations build cultures where people communicate more effectively, think more strategically, and navigate change with greater confidence.
In this conversation, we discuss why strategic thinking is often misunderstood, how leaders can create a compelling vision that inspires action, and why slowing down conversations is often the key to generating better ideas. We also explore how moods influence team performance and what managers can do to help teams stay productive when emotions threaten to derail progress.
Conversation Topics (00:00) Introduction (02:12) Why strategic thinking is more than long-term planning (05:41) Creating a compelling vision of the future (10:06) How vision shapes what organizations believe is possible (16:38) Helping teams think strategically together (18:47) Why strategic conversations often collapse into action planning (22:14) The difference between debating ideas and exploring them (25:06) What great leaders and partners do differently (28:31) [Extended] Why knowing what to do isn't enough to change behavior (29:30) [Extended] The hidden role moods play in team performance (32:44) [Extended] How to recognize and shift unproductive moods in meetings (35:40) [Extended] A simple exercise to create more intentional team conversations
📚 Additional Resources:
✨ Read the full transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UiIcgN4YcpNc0fAHakdjK_DZBCmb4N2io6xjX_2ZQso/edit?usp=sharing
✨Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipwithmamie/
✨Visit my website for more: https://www.mamieks.com/
✨ Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7jhYz8b16g1SsLia4EhO5w?sub_confirmation=1 Keep up with Howard Teibel
- Connect with Howard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howardteibel/ - Visit Teibel education here: https://teibelinc.com/
Get episodes and key takeaways delivered to your inbox when you join my newsletter at www.themodernmanager.com
---------------------
The Modern Manager is a leadership podcast for rockstar managers who want to create a working environment where people thrive, and great work gets done.
Follow The Modern Manager on your favorite podcast platform so you won’t miss an episode!
#StrategicThinking #LeadershipDevelopment #TeamLeadership #LeadershipSkills #DecisionMaking #OrganizationalLeadership #ExecutiveLeadership #BusinessStrategy #LeadershipCommunication #ManagementSkills #TeamEffectiveness #FutureThinking #LeadershipMindset #OrganizationalDevelopment #TheModernManager
More from The Modern Manager
Want to overcome resistance to change on your team? Start by noticing that the loudest pushback usually isn't the real problem. Hidden resistance often looks like nodding along in the meeting, then quietly sticking to the old way. Expert Tony Chatman explains why change threatens people's sense of identity, how to tell agreement from true buy-in, why the trusted voices on your team matter more than your title, and what AI adoption reveals about the fear of starting over. 💌 Get new episodes and one-page takeaways by email: https://www.themodernmanager.com Guest Bio
It's 4:47 on Thursday, the report still isn't in, and the story forming in your head is that they just don't care. But that story is usually wrong, and it's also the easiest one to tell because it means you don't have to look at anything you did. This episode gives you a three-question framework, person, process, promise, to find where a performance problem actually lives before you walk into a feedback conversation assuming the worst.
Some days, gratitude feels like something for people with calmer inboxes. Someone dropped the ball, you're three meetings deep, and "thank you" is the last thing on your mind. But gratitude that only shows up on easy days never shows up at all. Learn what grateful leadership really looks like, how to appreciate the team member you struggle with, why a pizza party can backfire, and the one question that reveals how each person wants to be recognized. We could all use a bit more gratitude, so this one’s for you.
Planning an agenda feels like it takes forever, so too often, we skip it or do it poorly at the last minute. But that’s often because we treat each meeting like we’re starting from scratch. Instead, what if you perfected your weekly team meeting, brainstorm session or any other type of meeting you hold regularly and then just used that same agenda structure again so meeting prep becomes fast and easy? That’s called creating a meeting portfolio. This episode breaks down exactly how to design a meeting once, so it works every single time you use it. Conversation Topics (00:00) Introduction: The Hidden Cost of Winging Your Meetings (01:06) What Is a Meeting Portfolio? (Episode Overview) (01:36) Why Most Managers Reinvent Every Meeting From Scratch (02:23) Building the Core Template: Name, Purpose, and Structure (03:57) Adding Pre-Work to Complete Your Template (05:01) Iterating Until Your Meeting Design Actually Works (05:38) Your Action Step: Build and Use Your First Template (06:44) Closing Thoughts and Recap Additional Resources ✨ Read the full transcript: 427-transcript ✨ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipwithmamie/ ✨ Visit my website for more: https://www.themodernmanager.com/ ✨ Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7jhYz8b16g1SsLia4EhO5w?sub_confirmation=1 Join my newsletter to get episodes and key takeaways delivered directly to your inbox: https://www.themodernmanager.com
Most of what happens in a workday, from how you open a meeting to how you respond to bad news, runs on autopilot. Habits, not decisions, are doing the heavy lifting. Behavior scientist BJ Fogg explains why willpower fails, why "bad habits" aren't really the enemy, and how one tiny action, done consistently, can quietly reshape how you see yourself as a leader, teammate, and person.