Ali Merchant

All-In Manager

👉🏼 My mission is to help ambitious managers become better leaders. 

I can help your managers in three ways:

1️⃣  Leadership workshops: 60-90 minute monthly workshops depending on your company's needs. Popular workshops include: 

1. Remote productivity, performance, and resilience
2. Building Psychological safety in a remote world
3. Delivering, asking, and receiving feedback virtually
4. Learning to become an effective coach.


👉🏼  "This is the best feedback training I have attended on this topic. I really like Ali's style and how he goes thru examples and breaks it down" - Sales leader


2️⃣ First-time manager training: A 5-week virtual program designed to get your first-time managers up and running. Topics include:

1. Understanding the role of leader
2. Building one on one connections 
3. Building Psychological safety
4. Delegate or DIY
5. Understanding feedback mechanics
6. Learning to become a coach.


👉🏼 “With becoming a manager recently, these sessions have really helped” - Engineering manager


3️⃣ Director and VP level coaching: Your leaders want someone who's a coach + consultant + mentor. Having coached for a decade, I know when to play each role.


👉🏼 "Ali's dedicated his career to developing leaders and it shows in his ability to effectively coach me." - Customer support leader.

Founder

Digestive Health Foundation

Board Member

Everwise

Advisor and Mentor to Managers in Saas organizations

Mentor

Marin Software

Head of Learning and Development

Forbes Coaches Council

Contributing Writer 

Gap Inc.

Senior Manager, Learning & Development, Supply Chain

iProspect

Director, Training and Development North America

Client Services Manager

Training and Innovation Manager

Training and Innovation Specialist

Search Marketing Specialist

Microstrategy

Production Consultant

WebMD

Software Engineer

I help managers become leaders in 12 weeks or less.

There are 1 of 2 reasons you're reading my profile.


Reason 1: You're a manager who wants to become a better leader.

OR

Reason 2: You're a senior leader looking for leadership training for your managers.


If you're looking to become a better leader. I offer training and coaching services:
▪️ Training: https://www.allinmanager.com/Lead-confidently-in-six-weeks
▪️ Coaching: https://www.allinmanager.com/leadership-coaching


If you're a senior leader looking to bring me in to train your teams. This page will help:
▪️ Training: https://www.allinmanager.com/corporate_cohort


Two more things:

1. I write about leadership daily. (500+ posts with 44,000+ followers). You can hit follow, and I'll show up in your feed.

2. I also write a weekly newsletter that goes to 10,000+ leaders. You can subscribe here: https://www.allinmanager.com/leadership-newsletter. 

If you're wondering who's this guy?

I'm the founder of All-In Manager: https://www.allinmanager.com/

We're a boutique leadership development company.

I started AIM for one reason — To help ambitious managers become leaders. We do that through training, coaching, and content.

Before starting AIM. I spent 16 years running Learning & Development departments for public companies, iconic technology brands in Silicon Valley, and the biggest Ad agencies on the planet.

Feel free to DM me and say 👋.

How do you give tough feedback *without* being a jerk? 
 
My former manager was great at this.
 
Here's how he did it (and so can you)
 
Before sharing difficult feedback with me, he'd take a minute to give me context.
 
Here are two examples: 
 
1/ 
"Ali, what I'm about to share with you might sting. I'm telling you because I care..." 
 
OR 
 
2/ 
"Ali, I worry this is your blindspot and not fixing it will cause issues down the road. Here's what's going on...” 
 
He didn't mince his words.
He didn't walk on egg shells
He balanced empathy with accountability. 

You don't need to overcomplicate feedback. Be honest (and) kind.
 
You need both, one won't cut it. 
 
===
PS: I'll link feedback resources in the comments for you. The first resource is a a free feedback playbook for subscribing to my newsletter.

| Executive coach | Leadership advisor | Former Head of L&D | Founder of All-In Manager

Anytime a manager tells me they're struggling with their employee. I ask them a similar question.
 
"How much of what you just shared with me have you shared with them?" 
 
Here's a typical response I get: 
 
-  “I haven’t”
-  "Not as clearly as I need to" 
- “Won’t they get upset if I share?”

I can relate to all of these reasons. They make good sense to me.

But here's the thing...
 
Your employee won’t change unless you do

Meaning? 
 
You need to take the first step and confront the problem your employee is having. Not talking about it isn't an option. 
 
When I follow up with the same managers after they’ve had a clear conversation, here's what they tell me: 
 
- "I’m relieved"
- "I'm glad I spoke to them!" 
- “I wish I had done it sooner”
 
All good things start when your direct report sees what you see and you see what they see.

There's an interesting phenomenon going on with US employees that no one is talking about.

If you're a manager or HR, you need to pay attention to this:

Since the last 5 years Gallup research is showing a decline in *clarity of expectations* at work across the U.S. workforce.

(Remote and hybrid employees experience this decline at 2X the rate)

But this story isn't just about expectations. There's another monster lurking in the details. 

=> Unclear expectations are not just leading to a decline in performance, they're also leading to a burned out workforce.

Here's the kicker: 
When your employees know what’s expected, they’re 47% less likely to experience burnout.

This is where you come in.

Unclear expectations are like a virus that spreads exponentially. If you don't treat it fast. It’ll destroy your team.

Your goal is to do two things:

1. Share clear expectations with your team.
2. Share how your employee is performing against expectations.

If you share your expectations regularly, uncertainty won’t stand a chance. And your team will thrive just how it was intended to.

As a busy leader running from meeting to meeting, I started developing a bad habit. 

If you're also a busy leader, chances are you're developing this habit and you might not even know about it. 
 
Here's what happened...

I started becoming lazy with my language. I started using what I now call: 'Drive-by language'
 
❌ "Look into it" 
❌ "Nice job" 
❌ "ASAP" 

The truth is I thought I was being efficient, turns out I was becoming the opposite. I was giving incomplete information and too often it was missing context. 

I should've used 'Deliberate language' instead: 
 
✅ "Please review slides 7 and 8?" 
✅ "Thank you for the timeline. Great job" 
✅ "Please send me the report by 10 AM tomorrow." 
 
Here's the crazy part. 
 
Using 'deliberate language' didn't take long. It hardly took an extra minute to add more clarity and context. 

I'm also pretty sure that extra minute saved me and my teams hours of work and frustration. 
 
Figured to share so you can avoid the mistake I was making.

Your life *outside* of your work impacts your life at work. 

I've always believed this but I'm seeing more of it.

Here's what I mean...

When I'm working with a leader who's getting a bit tired, feeling burnout, restless irritable, etc at work. 

One of the questions I ask them is:

"What gives you energy *outside* of work?"

Here's a sample of what I hear:
- I love taking my dog out for long walks
- I love playing the guitar
- I love a good workout
- I love going to my kids's games.

When I ask them the last time they did any of this, the answer is usually: 

- "I haven't in a while"
- "I'm so busy at work, I can't find the time"
- "I need to. I just can't get myself to doing it"

One of the things I'll ask them to do is to *prioritize* some of these *external-energy-inducing* activities.

Too often after a couple of weeks, I hear things are getting better or things are looking up. 

Why?

The energy they're draining at work is being replenished by the energy they're drawing outside of it.

Does it work *all* the time? No it doesn't.

It works enough of the time for me to tell you, if you're losing energy at work, maybe look for energy sources outside of it as well.

"Everyone is trying to add. I want you to subtract"

This is a lesson a wise boss taught me a long time back.

Here's what he meant:

You can't keep saying yes to everything in your life, sooner or later you have to learn to start saying no. 

Why?

Because saying no the small things in your life will help you say yes to the big things in your life.

And when you're ready to say yes to the big things in your life, you'll accomplish big things in your life. 

A lesson I keep close to my heart even after 15 years

A reminder for senior leaders:

For every person in your org. that quits because of a bad boss. There's at least one more suffering in silence.

Hoping for things to change is not a strategy. In fact not doing anything usually makes things worse.

This also doesn't mean "firing" the person. 

It could be as simple as having an honest conversation, coaching, mentoring, training etc. (I've seen this work plenty of times)

fwiw, doing something, *anything* is better than indifference.

Dear Manager,

A little less talking.
A little more asking.

A little less "Do it this way"
A little more "I'm curious. How would you do it?"

A little less "Nice job, thx"
A little more "I loved your presentation. You aced it"

A little less "I'll give feedback next time"
A little more "I worry this is your blindspot. I want to help"

A little less "That's just how it is"
A little more "Let's make it better together"

And finally.

A little less "Human resources"
A lot more "Human"

A client of mine got restructured into a new role.

He's been anxious the last couple of weeks.

We were chatting this week when he said...

"I think I'm getting the hang of this gig, and my new boss has been super supportive."

You could tell, he was relieved.

I asked "Hey, have you shared this with your manager. Have you told him how he's been so supportive etc?"

He hadn't thought of it. 

We both kind of chuckled at the thought we're always sharing positive feedback with our employees, but rarely do we think of sharing positive feedback with our bosses.

Its almost like we forget that managers also need praise and support from their employees.

I reminded him of this line: "Empathy typically flows downward, it rarely goes upward. It should go in all directions"

My point? If you have a good boss, remind them of the fact...

They'll be happy. I promise you, you'll be happier.

Read this if you're a senior leader.

Don't assume you know what your people think of you.

===> Ask them <===

I'll bet a dollar with you if you ask them the right way, they'll tell you things about you, you didn't know before. 

So how do you ask?

Be specific:
Instead of "Do you have any feedback?". Ask "What's one thing I can do differently when it comes to X?"

Be curious:
When they share a response, learn to dig deeper by asking follow-up questions. "Tell me more", "Help me understand this more", "Share an example"

Be patient:
Don't expect an answer on the spot. Tell them why you're asking and give then time and space to come back to you.

I ran teams for 16 years, I wish I had asked for more feedback than I did. I left good money on the table.

You don't have to.

Your work is *not* your family. 
 
The sooner you get this, the better. 
 
Family members don't get cut. 
 
Family members don't get laid off.
 
Family members don't have performance reviews.
 
A better way to think of work is like an elite sports team. You're a valuable player that gets paid to play a position as best as you can. 
 
The more valuable you are to the team, the more you get compensated and the more chances you get to play.
 
You also get to create lifelong bonds with your teammates. You get to find joy and satisfaction with each of them.
 
Sometimes the team loses and sometimes you get cut. But you also get back up and find another team to play for.

FWIW, I'm not bashing work. I've loved most days in the corporate world and I wouldn't change a thing.... But I also know this much. 

Your work is not your family. 
 
Your work is like a sports team. 
 
The sooner you realize this, the better.


PS: This post was inspired by one of my favorite companies (Southwest) that recently laid off 15% of its employees. I'll post the link in the comments:

If you're a new manager or are about to become one and are having some imposter syndrome. This post is for you.

I'm going to start by giving it to you straight!

You have NOTHING wrong with you.

I'd rather you have a little bit of imposter syndrome instead of obnoxious overconfidence.

In fact, a little bit of imposter syndrome is a sign that you care,  you want to succeed. You want to be a good leader for your people.

I think that's a great thing!

A little bit of imposter syndrome is a signal that you're about to do something for the first time and it might be a bit challenging. 

Again, there's NOTHING wrong with that feeling.

Figured to share.

Now go become the best damn leader you can become. 

If you need resources, hit me up or follow me or follow some of my friends here. They won't let you down.

Some say you have to be fearless to lead.

Some say you have to be courageous to lead.

I agree with a different take.

I'm encouraging you to be useful. That's it. Here's what I mean.. 

When you want to give difficult feedback but you don't, you're not being useful to your employee.

If you're people-pleasing instead of confronting bad behavior on your team, you're not being useful.

When you have to let someone go because they're not right for the role, you're also not being useful.

I have nothing against 'fearless' and 'courageous'. Both are great qualities to aspire to. But too often people think they're beyond reach.

Being useful isn't just a great quality, it's also within your reach.

The best part?

When you start becoming useful, you'll have already become courageous and fearless.

In any given day, you'll get countless opportunities to be useful. Seize them!

Have a good week.

A kind word costs nothing. Yet, buys everything.

If you get a minute, please read Garry's post below

But don't just read it, put it in action.

Redefined Culture at WD-40 Company for 35 Years | Globally Recognized Culture Shifting Keynote Speaker | Founder of The Learning Moment | The Culture Coach | WD-40 Company Chairman Emeritus

Early in my time as CEO of WD-40 Company, one moment stopped me in my tracks, and it’s stuck with me ever since.

Before this day, I had the usual ideas about leadership. 

You know — strategy decks, quarterly goals, KPIs out the wazoo.

But on this day, I was walking the factory floor, doing my usual rounds, when I noticed Dave — an employee who'd been with the company longer than I had — working on the assembly line. 

And something felt… off. 

So, I stopped and asked him how things were going.

He hesitated, then said, "Garry, I've been here a long time. And I'm proud of that. But lately, it feels like no one really sees what I do anymore."

That hit me.

Here was a guy who showed up every day, doing solid work but felt invisible. 

That's when I realized that leadership isn't about charts and numbers. 

It's about people feeling seen, valued, and respected.

So, I started doing something simple — but powerful. 

Every Friday, I wrote handwritten notes to employees, thanking them for specific things they did that week. 

A small gesture. 

But you'd be amazed how many of those notes were pinned on bulletin boards or tucked into desk drawers.

Because people want to be seen.

Leadership isn't complicated. 

It's not about having all the answers. 

In fact, the best leaders ask more questions than they answer.

It's about heart.

So, here's the learning moment: Never underestimate the power of a simple "I see you. I appreciate you."

Because at the end of the day, people don't leave companies. 

They leave leaders who make them feel invisible.

#Leadership #LearningMoments #Empathy #OrganizationalCulture #PeopleFirst

A yellow sticky note with a handwritten note thanking you for your hard work. 

I've been telling you for years. 
 
Stop complicating leadership. 
 
Do the small stuff right. 
 
Start with 6 behaviors and do them consistently:

[1] Prioritize your 1:1s. 
A frequent 1:1 helps you connect better with your team. 
 
[2] Create psychological safety 
A team that feels safe will take risks and innovate faster. 
 
[3] Give feedback, get feedback. 
Exchanging feedback will help you see your blind spots. 
 
[4] Delegate and elevate. 
Delegating work will free your time and upskill your people. 
 
[5] Stop fixing. Start coaching 
Empower and encourage your people to find their solutions. 

[6] Manage up. 
Learn to connect and influence your boss.
 
So now you know *what* you need to do. 
 
But that's half the battle. 
 
The real question is *how* do you do it? 

Today I'm giving you access to a free 6-day leadership quick start course. Every day I'll send you an email with one leadership lesson.
 
495 managers have completed this course. Take advantage of it before this course goes away.
 
Get your first lesson in the comments. If you don't see it, DM me "6 day challenge" and I'll hook you up.

When my employee put in their two-weeks notice, I felt blindsided. I thought they were happy. They weren't

Looking back I made a mistake that I see a lot of other well-intentioned leaders make.

In tomorrow's email, I'll reveal that mistake. I'll also share what you can do to increase *healthy* employee retention.

Here's the link to subscribe to the email. It'll hit your inbox at 11AM CST:
https://lnkd.in/gb9wZ2rM

===
PS: Over 2800 leaders read this email every Wednesday.

"Are you comfortable being coached with honesty?"

This is one of the first questions JJ Redick asked Luca Doncic.

I've never *explicitly* asked this to my coaching clients. I'm absolutely going to start asking them now.

You can do the same when you onboard new employees (or even current employees)

Ask your people permission. Tell them you're in their corner and then *show* them you're in their corner.

- Catch them doing good things and tell them
- Don't hide constructive feedback from them
- Make your expectations as clear as you can.

You do this, you're off to the races!

Leadership will require a lot from you.
 
Somedays you'll have to:

Give constructive feedback 
Make unpopular decisions 
Fight for resources
Set boundaries
Say no

Sometimes you'll notice that the voice in your head will tell you to avoid these conversations. 

Don't fall for that trap. 

It's precisely these moments when you'll need to dig deep and have these conversations. 
 
Don't just have them because you need to have them. Have them because its the right thing for you, your team and the business.

Having led teams for 16 years, I know one thing for sure...

Too often the only person standing in your way is *you*. Make it easy on yourself and get out of your own way. 

You’ll be glad you did and so will your team.

I'm rooting for you wherever you are.

Taplio

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