Manager to Manager

What if the difference between a struggling team and a high-performing one isn’t more motivation, but stronger project management skills?
In this results-focused episode of Manager to Manager, host Kamaria Scott sits down with Michele Badie, PMP Certified Program Manager, whose career spans legal services, financial services, non-profits, higher education, and retail. Together, they dive into the often-overlooked reality that every people leader—whether officially certified or not—is already a project manager.
Michele shares how project management goes far beyond tools and timelines. It’s about fostering collaboration, building trust, and creating the clarity teams need to succeed. She explains how results and relationships are inseparable, and why successful execution begins with curiosity, communication, and sustained collaboration.
This conversation explores how managers can:
Recognize the role of project management in everyday leadership—even without the title or certification
Balance results with relationships to create psychological safety and open communication
Apply simple yet powerful frameworks like RACI and Agile to bring order and adaptability to projects
Manage stakeholder expectations with transparency while fostering long-term trust
Stay curious, keep learning, and invest in yourself as both a leader and project manager
From tackling accountability to organizing teams without a formal PMO, Michele and Kamaria highlight practical strategies managers can use to execute with confidence while empowering their people.
Whether you’re leading a small team juggling multiple responsibilities or working inside a complex organization, this episode offers actionable insights for turning project chaos into clarity—and for reminding every manager that execution is just as human as it is technical.
Show Notes:
Follow Michele Badie on [LinkedIn] Follow Kamaria Scott on LinkedIn | managermomentum.com

What if the solution to management burnout isn’t better time management, but a complete rethink of how we structure leadership roles?
In this follow-up episode, Kamaria Scott and David Rice, host of the People Managing People podcast, continue their lively, two-way conversation about the impossible position we’ve put modern managers in.
Picking up where Part 1 left off, Kamaria and David trade stories, compare experiences, and challenge each other’s thinking on how organizations unintentionally overload managers. They dig into how the decline of long-term job security and traditional benefits has shifted expectations—often leaving managers to “duct tape” systemic problems they didn’t create.
Together, they explore:
How engagement is shaped by the conscious choices employees make about where to direct their energy
The hidden costs of emotional labor for managers, and what can be done to reduce it
The gap between generational expectations and current organizational realities
Strategies for building team trust when institutional trust is low
The conversation flows from structural issues to personal stories, touching on why 82% of young professionals say they don’t want management roles, and why—even as AI evolves—human managers remain essential for context, judgment, and belief in their people.
Whether you’re navigating management challenges yourself or rethinking how your organization supports its leaders, this episode offers practical takeaways and a reminder that no manager should have to hero their way through systemic problems alone.
Show Notes:
Part 1 of this conversation: Redefining Engagement in a Post-Trust Era
Follow David Rice: LinkedIn | peoplemanagingpeople.com
Follow Kamaria Scott: LinkedIn | managermomentum.com

What if the key to exceptional leadership isn't about hitting every metric, but about creating lasting impact that goes far beyond the numbers? In this thought-provoking episode of Manager to Manager, host Kamaria Scott sits down with Kim Detera, a seasoned leader with 12 years of management experience across FinTech, telecommunications, and financial organizations.
Kim shares his unconventional approach to leadership—one that prioritizes strategic thinking over transactional metrics and empowers teams to create meaningful impact even when traditional targets aren't met. Drawing from his unexpected background in journalism, Kim reveals how asking the right questions became his superpower as a leader.
Key takeaways from this conversation:
The conversation explores how leaders can drive meaningful impact by:
Moving beyond rigid metrics to focus on strategic outcomes and long-term organizational value
Asking the right questions to uncover the real intentions and pain points behind client goals
Creating structured development plans that prepare team members for increasing autonomy
Balancing direction with space, allowing teams to innovate while maintaining accountability
Kim offers practical insights on telling success stories through multiple lenses, managing client expectations when targets aren't met, and building team capabilities that enable leaders to step back strategically. He emphasizes the importance of understanding that productivity doesn't equal impact and that empowering your team ultimately creates the succession planning foundation every leader needs.
Whether you're struggling with the pressure of hitting every metric or looking to develop a more strategic leadership approach, this episode provides valuable frameworks for creating lasting impact while building stronger, more capable teams.Show Notes: 
Follow Kim Detera on LinkedIn
Follow Kamaria Scott on LinkedIn

What if failure isn't the enemy, but the secret ingredient to building breakthrough teams?
In this episode, Kamaria Scott is joined by Coletrice Haywood, a project management leader and organizational development expert, to explore how people leaders can transform their relationship with failure and use it to unlock team potential. We dive into why the fear of failure keeps teams playing small, and how agile methodologies can help any leader, regardless of industry, create environments where calculated risks lead to innovation.
Key takeaways from this conversation:
Why the only real failure is not trying or giving up, and how this mindset shift changes everything
The three stages of professional development: knowledge, expert, and expertise—and how to meet people where they are
How your own relationship with failure directly impacts your team's willingness to take risks
Three agile practices every people leader can steal: daily standups, retrospectives, and refinement sessions
Why creating psychological safety isn't about avoiding failure. It's about learning from it faster
How to turn individual strengths into collective team success through structured conversations
Whether you're leading a small team or managing complex projects, this episode will help you move from failure-avoidant to failure-forward leadership.Show NotesConnect with Coletrice Haywood on Linkedin

What if we stopped managing to the metrics—and started leading from purpose?
In this episode, I’m joined by Sheryl Mays, a former VP turned leadership coach and customer experience expert, to explore what it really takes to build high-performing teams. We talk about how a service-driven mindset helps people leaders influence outcomes, build trust, and spark momentum—without losing sight of the humans behind the numbers.
Key takeaways from this conversation:
The GWC framework: How to assess if team members Get it, Want it, and have the Capacity for their roles
Why meeting people where they are is more effective than coaching everyone the same way
The critical difference between being a boss and being a leader who removes obstacles
How to build the social alliances that make or break cross-functional success
Why your most passionate person going silent is the red flag you can’t afford to ignore
Whether you’re inheriting a team, navigating growth, or learning to lead through service, this episode will help you move from management to momentum.
Connect with Sheryl:
Website: risingandshine.com
LinkedIn: Sheryl Mays
Book: "The Service Driven Seller: How Customer Care Wins Deals and Builds Loyalty"

In this enlightening episode of Manager to Manager, host Kamaria Scott welcomes Tieska Jumbo, a communications and strategy leader at a global fintech company. Tieska shares her journey from high school English teacher to corporate leadership, and how understanding strengths-based approaches transformed her management style.
The conversation explores how leaders can better influence their teams by:
Recognizing and adapting to different communication needs based on team members' strengths
Customizing messaging to resonate with various thinking styles and preferences
Avoiding common communication pitfalls during organizational transformation
Creating messages that are clear, compelling, and connected to larger objectives
Tieska offers practical insights on balancing transparency with timing, managing team dynamics, and fostering genuine connections through personalized communication.
She emphasizes the importance of understanding both your own strengths as a leader and those of your team members to build stronger working relationships.
Whether you're an experienced manager seeking to refine your approach or new to leadership, this episode provides valuable strategies for communicating more effectively and moving your team to action.
Show Notes
Connect with Tieska Jumbo on Linkedin

In this eye-opening episode of Manager to Manager, Kamaria sits down with HR consultant Dawn Sipley to explore the fascinating concept of "parentification" – when children take on adult responsibilities too early – and how it shapes workplace behaviors long into adulthood.
Dawn shares her remarkable personal journey from raising her sister at age 13 to building successful businesses, revealing how her early experiences created both superpowers and challenges in her professional life. Together, they unpack how parentification manifests in the workplace through high achievement, boundary issues, and complex relationships with authority.
If you've ever wondered why some team members seem to take on every challenge yet struggle with delegation, or why others excel at crisis management but resist support, this conversation offers powerful insights. You'll discover practical strategies for:
Identifying signs of parentification in your high performers
Creating psychological safety for team members with colorful backgrounds
Approaching unexpected behaviors with curiosity instead of judgment
Building consistent leadership that supports everyone's growth
Whether you recognize these patterns in your team members or in yourself as a leader, this episode provides a compassionate framework for understanding the deeper stories behind workplace behaviors – and how to lead with greater awareness and impact.
 
Show Notes
Guest Bio: Dawn Sipley is the founder of Simply the Best, an HR consulting company focused on helping businesses hire, fire, and lead their people effectively. Drawing from her background in staffing and her personal journey through childhood adversity, Dawn brings a unique perspective on how our formative experiences shape our professional lives.
Connect with Dawn on LinkedIn.
Want to keep this conversation going?The Manager to Manager Community is a space for people leaders who are doing the work — and want to do it with more support, more clarity, and less isolation.
Inside, you’ll find:
Real conversations (like this one) that you’re probably not having at work
Monthly meet-ups, coaching sessions, and resource drops
A space to build your confidence, your systems, and your leadership — without having to pretend you’ve got it all figured out
Join the waitlist. We’d love to have you in the room.
 

In this special episode of Manager to Manager, guest host Dr. Emme Devonish turns the tables and interviews Kamaria Scott about her leadership journey—from watching managers show up for their teams at AOL to navigating global teams as an I/O psychologist and people leader.
Kamaria shares the pivotal moments that shaped her approach: the chaos that revealed what real support looks like, the humbling 360 feedback that made her reset how she led, and the patterns she’s seen over two decades of helping managers figure it out without a playbook.
Together, they explore:
How “comfort carts” during peak chaos at AOL sparked a lifelong fascination with workplace dynamics
Why Kamaria calls management a “full-contact sport” that requires support—and why that truth matters
The feedback that stung (and stuck) and how it led to building real-time feedback loops with her team
Why knowing your people as individuals matters more than any generational trend
The vision behind creating Manager to Manager—a space for reflection, clarity, and community
This episode is for every manager trying to balance team needs, organizational demands, and their own humanity—all at once.
Show Notes
Connect with Kamaria on LinkedIn
Guest Host: Dr. Emme Devonish Founder & Executive Coach, Creative Compliance Communication Services
Connect with Dr. Devonish on LinkedIn
Resources:
Join the Manager to Manager Community