Episodes

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, Christa Dhimo addresses how to handle a boss who belittles and demeans employees, focusing on strategies for emotional relief, understanding power dynamics, and seeking resources. Key Takeaways · Power dynamics set the groundwork for abuse in the workplace · There are strategies for emotional relief and support · Understand your resources and policies for addressing toxic beh...

Summary This episode of Ask Christa!, Christa Dhimo explores how to manage stress caused by a stressed-out boss, emphasizing the importance of self-care, recognizing stress signals, and organizational support strategies. Key takeaways · Understanding the importance of recognizing stress signals early · The role of HR in supporting stressed employees and managers · Practical steps to help teams ma...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, Christa Dhimo discusses how to handle a perfectionist boss, exploring the impact of perfectionism on team dynamics and providing practical strategies for employees to manage such challenging workplace relationships. Key takeaways · Perfectionism is about unattainable standards that can harm team morale. · Managing expectations and setting boundaries is crucial when dealing with perfectioni...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, Christa Dhimo explores the challenges of effective listening in the workplace, especially when dealing with managers who do not seem to listen. She provides practical strategies to improve active listening, enhance communication, and foster better understanding at work. Topics include: the importance of active listening in the workplace, common barriers to effective listening and how to overcome them, practical techniques to improve listening and being...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, Christa Dhimo addresses a listener question about an employee feeling like their boss is holding them back as the boss prepares for retirement. She explores how employees can navigate situations where their manager seems to hold them back, especially during a manager's transition to retirement. The discussion offers practical strategies for maintaining development momentum and understanding managerial behaviors. Key takeaways · &nbs...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, Christa explores the challenges of being underemployed while also having more management training than your boss. It offers practical strategies for leveraging your skills, realigning expectations, and turning frustration into constructive action. Key topics include underemployment and its impact on career satisfaction and strategies to leverage management training in a lower-level role. Key takeaways · Leverage your managemen...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, Christa Dhimo addresses a listener's question about managing a likable but ineffective boss. This episode is focused on ways to enable a manager to support growth and development for the team’s career paths. Christa emphasizes the importance of effective feedback and offers actionable strategies for employees to initiate coaching discussions with their boss so the boss can improve. Christa highlights the significance of leveraging the manager's likeabi...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa, Christa Dhimo addresses a listener's concern about their manager's poor feedback skills. She emphasizes the importance of effective feedback in management and discusses the challenges of coaching a manager. Christa outlines the art and science of feedback, providing practical advice on how to approach the situation and improve communication. She also shares valuable resources for further learning and development in feedback skills. Key Takeaways · ...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, host Christa Dhimo addresses a listener's concern about their boss's lack of meetings and the implications of this dynamic on workplace engagement. She emphasizes the importance of purposeful meetings, the need for connection between employees and managers, and the potential consequences of infrequent communication. Christa provides insights into how meeting frequency should align with the employee's role, tenure, and the nature of their work, while al...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, host Christa Dhimo addresses a listener's question about dealing with a difficult boss who belittles a new team member. She emphasizes the importance of documenting such behavior, understanding workplace policies, and knowing employee rights. Christa provides actionable steps for reporting misconduct and highlights various resources available for employees facing workplace bullying. (she also thanks the listener and teammates for looking after a co-wor...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, host Christa Dhimo addresses a listener's concern about her boss assigning her work that belongs to him, highlighting the importance of setting boundaries and recognizing one's value in the workplace. Christa provides actionable steps to shift the mindset, help employees reclaim their roles and navigate the complexities of workplace dynamics, especially when dealing with bad bosses. Key Takeaways · Most people aren't prepared ...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, a listener explains that they do not like their boss and asks how to handle it. Christa discusses the challenges of managing relationships with people you may not like and offers practical advice for those facing these situations. Additionally, she shares valuable resources to help listeners navigate their workplace challenges effectively. Key Takeaways · Most people aren't prepared to become a manager. · &...