The Curse of the Toxic Manager
Having issues with your manager is fairly common…but how can you tell if you’re in a toxic work environment?
Is it that much of a surprise that as much as 50% of employees end up leaving their job, simply to get away from their manager? Having a direct report that you can’t stand is a surefire recipe to make every day at work seem both unbearable and unsustainable. That said, a boss can be unpleasant or difficult without crossing the line into “toxic” territory. But how can you tell when enough is enough? What sorts of behaviors and actions are clear violations of the social code we subscribe to in the office environment?
A recent article in Inc.com highlights 8 specific egregious managerial personality traits, that when exhibited on a daily basis, are the primary causes of employee burnout and dissatisfaction. Here’s an outline of that list:
Self-Focussed - main concern is their personal performance/compensation and not aligning team goals
Spotlight Stealers - taking credit for the work of others and not recognizing team wins
Always Right - no admission of mistakes, blame, or ownership when things don’t go optimally
Confusion - inability to lead with consistency and constantly changing course with important decisions
Control Freaks - micromanagement, overbearing oversight, lack of proper delegation
Bullies - verbal (and sometimes physical) abuse, aggressive and confrontational
M.I.A. Management - never around, or not mentally present when they are, always inconveniently busy
Pathological Narcissism - belittling, sows doubt in others as a way of proving themselves
Any single one of these traits can often become too much to bare for an extended period of time. The constant and repetitive presentation of these individual traits, or a combination of them, will send almost any employee running in the other direction, as soon as there’s another opportunity. Just as important as recognizing these traits as an employee (and figuring out how to extricate yourself from that situation) is understanding if any of these traits appear more often than they should, if you’re managing others.
Two key practice areas at Torchlight Consulting are around founder coaching and culture building during those critical early months when a company launches. As managers determine their most effective and authentic styles for communication and leadership, we work alongside them to smooth out the edges, help them to lean into their strengths, while being mindful to avoid a lot of the pitfalls that their employees will find to be the most disheartening.
Founder’s Grit (Podcast)
Click the link to either listen to or watch this podcast interview on the Founder’s Grit series at Gaper.io
Last week, Managing Partner Matthew Lerner had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Gaper.io, as a part of their Founder’s Grit Podcast series.
Tune in here to catch up and watch the recorded segment of the interview, which covers everything from remote work trends, feelings of anxiety around Covid, productivity hacks, and some of the advice that all first time founders need to hear before getting started.
Company Looking to tackle Employee Turnover: now Hiring!
New opportunities available at a fast growing and award winning startup!
Pivt, the first company and employee-mobility focussed social networking app designed to reduce employee churn and improve employee social well being is looking to build out on their already amazing founding team. Recently named Top Global Mobility Tech Provider of 2020 by NextGen GM, the days ahead for this startup are incredibly bright.
While employee wellbeing has come sharply into focus during the Covid-19 era, the applications and usage of the Pivt platform extend far beyond this current situation we find ourselves in. As companies become more mobile and focussed on a global spread with remote-work capabilities, there will be an ever increasing need to monitor and support the emotional well being of distant employees, their integrations within diverse environments, and their strong connections to their employer and teammates.
Helmed by Lynn Greenberg and with an incredibly strong advisory board including the likes of Randi Zuckerberg and Evan Segal, the newest members of the team will be brought on for:
Read all about Pivt by checking out their press page. Feel free to apply directly for their open roles or reach out to us here at Torchlight Consulting. We’d be more than happy to connect you directly with the CEO and you can throw your hat in the ring for these amazing opportunities!
The Truth about Discipline
A fascinating discussion on discipline, focus, and how to get the most out of your personal level of commitment.
In order to become the best and most efficient versions of ourselves, it is imperative to understand how we can rewire our approach to maximize discipline.
What are the best ways to establish more consistency? To build personal persistence? To establish heightened focus? Not easy questions to answer, but we do know one place to turn.
We’re always excited when people in our professional network go on to pursue their own businesses and dreams.
We’re even more excited when those people happen to be former coworkers of ours.
It’s difficult however for us to express the sheer level of excitement when those people then reconnect with each other down the line, to establish joint ventures and projects.
Such is the case though when Derek McMonagle (Owner, The DMac Method: Elite Discipline Coaching) linked up with Chad Phillis (Entrepreneur and Host, The Health Wealth and Wisdom Show). Once sales and business development teammates at Torchlight portfolio company Makomi, the two have since set out to launch their own impressive brands. Even better, they got together this week to discuss the Truth About Discipline.
Check out their conversation here to learn about each of their stories, their approach to staying disciplined and focus, and how those efforts yield impressive returns.
Putting 2020 in the Rearview Mirror
Onward and upward after an incredible 1st year at Torchlight Consulting.
Well, this has been an interesting year to say the least. A global pandemic, a contentious election cycle, an erratic economic climate, destructive wildfires and hurricanes, social and civil unrest, a mass shuttering of local businesses, and being separated from our friends and families has made 2020 a bit of an Odyssey.
That said, this year has also forced some important personal and professional decisions to come to the forefront for all of us. Many of those decisions have been difficult and/or painful but a lot of them have now proven to be immensely gratifying, as well. Despite these external forces we are all dealing with (or perhaps because of them) agility, adaptability, and flexibility are bringing about opportunities we couldn’t have conceived of a year ago.
Launching a new business at any point is a scary endeavor…doing so in times like these can be downright knee-buckling. That’s why as we look back on the last several months, the Torchlight team can say unequivocally how grateful we are to have been able to mentor and advise so many great early stage companies and their founders. We are continually inspired and motivated by their innovation, passion, and vision.
In just our first year we have been lucky enough to work alongside fledgling ventures as they find their footing and bring new products and services to a wide array of industries. This has included exciting projects in adtech, mobility, food & bev, hospitality, gaming, travel, retail, fintech, wellness, marketplaces, future of work, consumer goods, and B2B SaaS.
We’ll have a slew of announcements in early 2021 with regards to new clients, service partnerships, and collaborative projects with investors and funds around the country, so stay tuned for those. Until then, stay safe, stay healthy, and stay focussed. This coming year will have plenty for all of us to celebrate.
We’ll see you then!
Convenience + Caffeine
Diversification and technological innovation has met a centuries old industry.
Our constant and never ending search for a proper caffeine fix has led the coffee industry to undergo several large scale and industry defining changes over the years. Ever since a particular mermaid-emblazoned cafe popped up in Seattle back in the ‘70s, new innovation has continued to propel the space forward.
While coffee has never been more popular and there are surely no shortage of of brands and product SKUs, the traditional associated costs of building a cafe remain daunting. Not only is the space incredibly crowded, but storefront space and labor costs prove to be prohibitively expensive for many aspiring proprietors. Over time, this has brought on an increased popularization of premium brands selling DTC products, including everything from beans, grounds, cold brew jugs, and K-pods for consumers to enjoy in the comfort of their own homes. Now, it’s possible to get high quality coffee-house style drinks no matter where you live.
When Starbucks announced the launch of their new micro-cafe concept last year, it introduced an entire new set of possibilities for competitors and partners alike. Somewhere in between the markets of global chain brick and mortar locations and direct to consumer products for the home, an opportunity has laid dormant for quite some time. With the acceleration and rise of mobile applications for every basic function, a new market for coffee has started to take form…one that is not reliant on storefront space, labor, or any human-to-human interaction at all. Companies like Truebird and Beam are now bringing premium coffee to the masses through “Smart Cafes”, or perhaps better understood as micro robotic coffee shop kiosks. Now, consumers can simply place an order on their phone and walk to the convenient kiosk nearest to them, to pick up their drink. Drinks are made in 90 seconds, the entire monetary transaction is done through a mobile app, there is zero person-to-person interaction, and the tiny footprint means it can be brought to any commercial, residential, municipal, or recreational location, absolutely anywhere.
Beam and their competitors are now bridging that gap between convenience and quality, transforming the coffee industry as we know it. As one of Torchlight’s current portfolio companies, Beam Coffee is giving us an exciting firsthand look at a true pioneering mission in this space. We can’t wait to see (and drink) whatever comes next!
Seeking a Mentor
Asking someone to be your mentor can be a difficult yet rewarding experience.
For employees and managers alike, finding a helpful resource to act as a sounding board can be as difficult as it is necessary. There are always people out there willing to help, but it’s not a simple task to find them and it can be an intimidating experience to request that level of personal guidance from any individual, let alone one that you hold in high regard.
When asking somebody to be your mentor, it’s important to recognize that it’s a pretty significant request, and there should at least be some indication that this person will be interested in doing so. If the mentor has spoken with you at length about work topics in the past, has spent time with you in a supportive role, and has direct experience in the areas you need the most help, those are all good indicators.
It’s also important to have a very clear ask about what you want their assistance with rather than simply asking, “would you be my mentor?”.
The folks over at UpJourney recently posted 35+ Amazing Tips for How to Ask Someone to be Your Mentor, including insights from executive career strategists, founders, management consultants, investors, authors, and professional coaches. Torchlight Consulting provided a great example email template in the article as well.
Check out some of the other Career focussed posts from UpJourney here.
The Evolving Future of Work
Covid has altered our work habits…permanently.
As we enter month 8 of this global pandemic, we continue to face a series of new economic, health, and social obstacles that define our very way of life. Despite these obstacles that push against our efficiency and well being, we have also been granted tremendous opportunity in certain domains; one of the most intriguing opportunities being within the work environment.
As a society, we haven’t been forced to rethink our understanding of the workplace in such a dramatic and fundamental way, most likely since the Industrial Revolution. Part of this evolution was forced upon us by Covid-19, but many of these trends were already underway due to the availability of new remote collaboration tools, the rising prices in commercial real estate and co-working spaces, and a shifting ethos around the convenience and benefits of mobility.
How big do physical offices really need to be? What tools and tech can companies invest in, to create the most productive remote work experiences? What new expectations will employees have with regards to their physical location and interaction with other colleagues? These are just a few of the questions that employers of all sizes need to mull over, as they plan how their companies will operate in 2021 and beyond. It’s certainly one of the biggest areas of focus we’ve been working on with your clients, here at Torchlight.
A recent study by BCG, which included a survey of 12,000 employees, indicated that a shocking 75% of employees actually reported being able to either maintain or improve on their current level of productivity for their individual tasks, once they transitioned to remote work because of Covid-19. One of the biggest drivers in efficiency, particularly amongst collaborative tasks, has been employee satisfaction with tools like video conferencing and project management software.
When we come out of the other side of the pandemic, it is foolish to think that “everything will return to normal”, bur rather that we will be exploring a plethora of new ways to create a “new normal”. Whether that means a significantly increased reliance on an emerging suite of remote collaboration tools, more comfort with WFH schedules and the HR policies to match, or an introduction to entirely new kinds of workplaces altogether, we are positioned for an explosion in creative and opportunity, even amidst an array of these new logistical challenges we face.
It all Begins with a Spark
So, why did we launch Torchlight Consulting?
From the lightning bolt moment in a dorm room to the frenzied white boarding sessions…From the nerve wracking investor pitches to the late night strategy meetings amidst takeout food containers…From the euphoric exits to the humbling battle scars…We “get it” because we’ve done it.
So why did I start Torchlight Consulting? After living the life of a serial entrepreneur for over a decade and launching ventures in online food delivery, celebrity sponsorships, ad-tech, hospitality, and travel, I came to a realization. No matter the industry and no matter the founding team, early stage companies encounter the same fundamental series of obstacles. And while this can be a frustrating experience, it also offers a clear method and roadmap that can be crafted and learned.
A founding team can have all the desire, effort, and willingness to succeed, but might just be a tad short on the resources, tools, or experience to break through. I was lucky enough in my journey to have a number of mentors, investors, and advisors share their invaluable experiences with me, as I chartered my own path. Our next crop of entrepreneurs and founders will be tackling some of our world’s biggest problems. My motivation and primary drive is to provide them with the map, so that journey can hopefully be just a bit smoother.
If you need help turning your nascent idea into a burgeoning business, your launched venture into a true state of product-market fit, or building the framework to prepare your company for its first round of institutional funding, we can help you through your journey because we’ve taken that same journey many times ourselves.
Torchlight Consulting is ready to provide a guiding light. We can’t wait to hear more about what you’ve been working on.
- Matthew Lerner, Managing Partner