Welcome to A Balanced Career Podcast, the podcast for the modern professional who wants more than just a paycheck. Join hosts Simanto Khandaker, a seasoned career coach with a mental health background, and Ian Schonberg, an expert in higher education and social work, as we dive into the psychology behind career development.
Each episode, we explore the emotional and mental challenges that come with building a career—from imposter syndrome and burnout to navigating difficult bosses and finding your purpose. We challenge the notion that a successful career must come at the expense of your well-being.
Tune in to discover how to find true fulfillment, set compassionate boundaries, and build a career that truly supports your whole life.
Summary
Co-hosts Simanto Khandaker and Ian Schonberg explore how leaders can create a positive multiplier effect by expanding the confidence, creativity, and autonomy of people around them. Through candid stories about accidental diminishing, they offer a practical two-week experiment for inviting new ideas and leading with curiosity instead of answers.
Sponsor
Visit https://balancedatlast.com to book a free 20-minute consultation! Plus, mention this podcast to get 20% off any of our career or executive coaching services. Balanced at last is located in Atlanta, and services Greater Atlanta and Orlando area.
Key Topics
- Simanto defines the multiplier effect as amplifying the people around you, while Ian contrasts positive experiences with a manager who encouraged doing only the minimum.
- Both hosts recall how the advice to keep your head down and follow directions can suppress personality, creativity, and a sense of ownership.
- Simanto explains how leaders can become accidental diminishers by prescribing the exact method instead of inviting their team to develop solutions.
- Ian reflects on how pressure, limited leadership training, and rigid workplace rules can turn managers into pass-throughs for instructions and repeated refusals.
- The hosts discuss how workplace leadership can reflect broader social norms, family systems, and the environments people experienced growing up.
- Simanto describes a two-week sprint: secure time to explore a different approach, spend the first week asking questions, and gather perspectives across the process.
- By admitting “I don’t know” and inviting input, Simanto saw colleagues become more engaged and volunteer useful ideas.
- The episode’s central leadership shift is to transfer ownership of solutions, ask more questions, and lead with curiosity rather than answers.
Chapters
00:00 What the multiplier effect means at work
01:59 Positive multipliers and diminishing managers
04:00 Why following directions can cost you your sense of self
08:30 Accidental diminishers and the leadership domino effect
11:01 How prescribing the method limits a team
14:59 When managing becomes more than leading
18:28 Handing ownership and autonomy to the team
20:25 The two-week sprint for finding a better solution
21:57 Ask questions, gather perspectives, and admit what you don’t know
24:19 Leadership lessons beyond business school
31:00 Coach leadership and the ownership transfer
32:31 Lead with curiosity instead of answers
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Website – https://balancedatlast.com
