The Manager’s Field Guide – Episode 2: Start with You

In episode 2 of The Manager’s Field Guide, Wendy Loewen continues the conversation with Daniel Anthony Doerksen and Chris Downey as they continue their series on You Can Manage: A Practical Guide to Becoming the Manager Everyone Wants, focusing on Essential 1: “Start with You”. They discuss how strongly managers shape people’s workplace experience, citing research that 70% of engagement variance links to the direct manager and that a direct manager influences mental health and wellbeing as much as a spouse. The conversation emphasizes grounding management in “ways of being” before “ways of doing,” clarifying personal purpose and values, and creating a leadership charter to define the kind of manager you want to be. They highlight the intentions–impact gap, the need for feedback to reduce blind spots, and recommend self-care as an ethical responsibility.

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