Success Secrets and Stories
To share management leadership concepts that actually work.
You are responsible for your development as a leader. Don't expect the boss to invest the training budget in your career. Consider this podcast as an investment of time in your career, with a bit of management humor added at the same time.
Success Secrets and Stories
100% Responsibility Stops Super Managers Syndrome
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Being a manager right now can feel like getting squeezed from every direction: bigger goals, tighter budgets, fewer people, and a job description that quietly expands until it’s impossible. We talk about that reality head-on and name what so many leaders are living through: super manager syndrome, where you become strategist, coach, analyst, motivator, crisis manager, and the person answering emails late at night because “someone has to.”
Greg and I also get honest about AI in management. Yes, data and automation can surface patterns, speed up reporting, and clarify standards. But data isn’t leadership, and AI doesn’t carry human limitations like emotional fatigue, family stress, or the weight of being accountable for a team. When executives treat metrics as the full story, managers inherit a new burden: not only solving problems, but also sanity-checking whether AI outputs reflect real-world conditions.
From there, we share a framework we’ve found practical: Management by Responsibility (MBR) from Dr. G. Michael Durst. We walk through how MBR shifts the focus from controlling tasks to developing people through clear accountability, better delegation, and trust that still works in hybrid and remote work. A key takeaway is simple but hard: you can only do 100% responsibility. When you try to do 150%, burnout is the predictable result.
If you lead a team and want a better way to build capability without becoming the default doer, listen now, subscribe for more leadership tools, and share this with a manager who needs a reset. After you listen, leave a review and tell us: where are you being asked to carry more than 100%?
Presented by John Wandolowski and Greg Powell
Welcome And Why Leadership Matters
SPEAKER_01Well, hello, and welcome to our podcast, Success, Secrets, and Stories. I'm your host, John Wondolowski, and I'm here with my co-host and friend, Greg Powell. Greg? Hey everybody. And when we put together this podcast, we wanted to put out a helping hand and help that next generation and help answer the question of what does it mean to be a leader? Today we want to talk about a subject that I think supports that concept.
The 2026 Manager Overload
SPEAKER_01Today we're going to spend some time on a topic that has been quietly building pressure inside organizations for years, and now it's finally unavoidable. We're talking about management in 2026, and more specifically, what's it like to be a manager right now? I want to start out with what I believe is the single biggest problem facing management today, the overwhelming responsibility paired with fewer resources.
SPEAKER_00You know, John, that combination alone explains a lot of what people are feeling. Managers are not just busy, they are flat out overloaded. And it's not just workload, it's cognitive load, it's the emotional load, and it's responsibility without any relief in sight.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, exactly. And when you add into the fact that formal training is usually the first thing people cut. But the other problem of that is that you know training costs money. It takes time. And the return isn't always immediate. So it's easy to remove. The, you know, what's ironic is the training is probably the most effective leadership tool that they need. And that that one approach in terms of keeping that on the books is probably going to give them the best results in order to try to pull the organization to whatever level that they need to go to for their next step.
SPEAKER_00Sometimes instead of developing people, organizations often default to say, hey, let's just figure it out as you go. And that's where expectations quietly shift from something reasonable to something totally unrealistic.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And you can see the person who has, you know, that kind of burden. They they look hurried. They they usually don't look that well while they're trying to do the job. They're dealing with what is a new syndrome that people are calling it a superhuman overload. For me, that was you know, doing the 12 hours in six days a week on the jobs that we did trying to get started in the industry. But now with limited resources, that whole thing about a superhuman overload is even less resources and less communication and really less human contact. They're expecting these managers to carry a lot of the load now.
SPEAKER_00And you know what these folks look like? They're the managers answering emails late at night. Jumping into work, it should have been delegated. They're filling gaps caused by staffing shortages. And my gosh, they're carrying stress that never, ever shuts off.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And you know what's worse? Like when you're tied into a pager and you're calling you at 2 o'clock in the morning, 6 o'clock in the morning. Yeah. And especially when they tell you you're in a 24-hour environment, that that whole element of understanding the responsibility that you're in means something more nowadays. And what makes it worse is that these people are usually high performers. They're reliable people. The organization keeps giving them more because they can handle it. Till they can't handle it. Yeah, exactly.
AI Metrics And The Human Cost
SPEAKER_01And that's where technology enters the picture. I can see the positives and the negatives of AI systems, but we now have tools that can analyze data, flag inefficiencies, predict some outcomes, and generate reports faster.
SPEAKER_00And you know, John, those tools absolutely have some value. So the problem isn't the technology.
SPEAKER_01The biggest error in assuming that this technology is the best form of measuring performance is really taking the human being out of the equation. And that's not really the key. AI is only a helpful tool. Even now, it's really dependent upon how humans are able to perform the jobs. And you know, John, computers don't deal with human limitations. No, they don't rest. They don't have family obligations. They don't have emotional fatigue. They aren't frustrated that they're doing the same assignment over and over and over again. And then there's the weight of leadership in terms of what the expectations are, the timelines and the budgets, all those things don't affect an AI system. It's going to affect a human being. Yeah. And yet, executives sometimes assume that because AI systems can surface insights about the department, about systems, it understands the challenges that are involved in trying to run a department. Data is not an opinion. Data is only facts.
SPEAKER_00But AI is really just synthesizing info, right? It's synthesizing articles, case studies, documented successes, and documented failures.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And it's a it's really is the recognition that it's not human understanding when you're dealing with a computer. Leaders really understand the outputs and what's coming to them in terms of data. There's a difference between what a human being is generating and what a computer is generating. And it goes beyond human limits. It's talking about intent and how it's going to be used. The computers aren't the answer to the question, but they're making the ability for leadership far more complicated because now you're not only trying to handle the problem, you're trying to proofread whether AI is giving you the right information or not the right information.
SPEAKER_00To be fair, data has helped management in very meaningful ways.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. And it clarifies the expectations. It does a better job of defining standards that you're looking for in terms of being able to deal with people and being fair. And it helps organizations transition to higher levels of efficiency and accountability, but it's only data. It's giving you a pattern and talking about how that has a pattern over time. It doesn't give answers, it's just giving you results.
SPEAKER_00So as you indicate, John, something critical gets lost when data becomes the primary lens.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. What's missing is the human inspiration. Humans need humans. Nobody is walking up to an AI system saying, How are you doing, buddy? You know, I had a problem last week and the wife wasn't feeling well. And y no. No. There's no wisdom or human exchange. You're going to get a data response when you say that there's problems at home. It's going to look into its magical little databases and talk about all the other people that complained about something happened with their wife. But there's not that human inspiration of what to respond to another human being dealing with an emotional response. It's a machine.
SPEAKER_00So AI responds to questions, but it doesn't mentor people. That's what you do. That's what you do as a leader, right?
SPEAKER_01That's putting it better. That's probably the point I was trying to make. It asks the question. It's not the person, and it's not leadership. It's really what you're trying to do as a core in terms of developing answers and looking for solutions with people. So that brings us back to the question of what does it actually take to be a manager in 2026? What does this mean?
SPEAKER_00So some people, John, are calling it the super manager syndrome. And you know that phrase captures the pressure part perfectly.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Managers are expected to be strategists, coaches, analysts, motivators, disciplinarians, crisis manager. Maybe they serve hot dogs during lunch. It's whatever they can come up with, thinking that managers will be able to do it within a given time.
SPEAKER_00And these managers are expected to do it while absorbing stress from above, right? They're in between the bosses and their employees, and they got to shield their teams from it below.
Super Manager Syndrome Meets MBR
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And that's where management by responsibility really comes into play. And it's an effective tool. And when you understand it, it gives you a description that you can actually give to other people. That's the advantage of using like the same language. These terms that Dr. Durst brings up help people understand when they're running into these roadblocks, this super manager syndrome. Where are the advantages?
SPEAKER_00So this concept called MBR was developed by Dr. G. Michael Durce. It directly addresses the syndrome we're talking about by shifting management away from controlling tasks toward developing human potential and human accountability.
SPEAKER_01And this is really intended to help new supervisors. MBR is something that most organizations don't have, a systematic framework.
SPEAKER_00So instead of getting trapped in constant people, problems, oh my gosh, or feeling like they have to personally do everything themselves. NBR teaches managers how people actually develop.
SPEAKER_01And at the center of the framework is what Dr. Durst calls the five levels of human development. And it's like a visual description of a ladder. And the first level is the base level of the ladder, and then you basically work your way up to what is level five.
SPEAKER_00And while all five levels matter, today we're focused at the highest level, level five, the responsible.
SPEAKER_01One of the most powerful ideas from MBR is solving what is called the development gap.
SPEAKER_00And at this responsible level, managers assume not 50%, not 75%, but 100% responsibility for their outcomes.
SPEAKER_01There's going to be staffing shortages, there's going to be cutbacks in your budget. There's going to be a lack of training. All of those are real. It's how do you handle those gaps?
SPEAKER_00But what it really does mean, John, is refusing to become a victim of those types of conditions.
SPEAKER_01Good point. That is the essence of what we're trying to talk about. It's that mindset of stopping the I can't do it because and changes the dialogue or the question to be what can I build with what I have.
SPEAKER_00And you know, burnout is one of the clearest symptoms of super manager syndrome.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And MBR was ahead of the game talking about burnout. And one of the best tools that was really defined was delegation. And it's not just how you delegate, it's how responsible you are in terms of that delegation.
SPEAKER_00And you know that 100% symbol that's in MBR? Well, it reminds managers that not assuming responsibility leads to frustration and non-productivity. Trevor Burrus, Jr.
SPEAKER_01And that same symbol also tells you that you can only accept your responsibility. You cannot accept someone else's responsibility. And you're trying to teach that to the people that are working for you and with you. You want that 100% on both sides of the equation, not one side.
SPEAKER_00So what are some of the benefits of this approach? Well, one big one by identifying what level employee is operating at, whether it's conformis, achievement, responsible managers, can delegate appropriate.
SPEAKER_01And it prevents the manager from becoming default doer. That's basically jumping in and just doing it for the people that aren't getting the job done. And I've seen people who are in management positions because they're the most qualified, but they don't know how to really train other people. And that's where the challenge comes in. If you do this correctly and you use MBR correctly, you are making sure that you can teach and they're competent, and then they can accept the work and the load. And if you're delegating work and you're coming right behind it and you're trying to support it at the same time, you're not really giving them 100% responsibility. You're giving them 80% because you're coming in and you're going to micromanage that 20% behind them. You want them to feel that they're the doers of getting something done. And that process of giving of yourself, giving that trust to the employee, that's what a level five responsible manager does.
Delegation And Trust In Hybrid Work
SPEAKER_00So speaking of trusts, it has become one of the hardest things to manage, especially in today's world where you've got hybrid and remote work environments.
SPEAKER_01How do you really have that human contact with a computer in between or a FaceTime kind of opportunity? Trust is one of those things that is a very human kind of skill set. And you have to practice those things that can actually touch the human being. If you are in those situations when you're dealing with electronics that are trying to handle that development of trust, it comes with time. You may have to over-communicate, but trust is the essence of MBR.
SPEAKER_00So here's a rule of thumb that I think makes a lot of sense. Too much structure feels like you're micromanaging the team. But too little structure feels like you've abandoned the team.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And MBR helps us to distinguish employees who are at the conformance level or the achievement level, and even, you know, the other levels that we should talk about.
SPEAKER_00And so conformists, for instance, need clarity and they need rules. But achievers, on the other hand, need autonomy and they need trust.
SPEAKER_01Yep. And treating them the same can cause frustration on both sides. It often pushes people, good people, out, and gives cover for the people who are just conformists and want to do the minimum. That usually is the profile of a conformist.
Low Effort Work And Accountability
SPEAKER_00So let's talk about a term, maybe not a technical term, but that's become increasingly common.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And it's low quality, low effort, and often people that are totally dependent upon AI to do all their thinking.
SPEAKER_00So MBR gives managers the tools they need to challenge this without becoming authoritarian.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Okay. And that's the starting point of accountability, making it clear that everyone should be 100% responsible for their work. And this is the group that, if you heard some of our other podcasts, are the excuse makers. And they have the myriad of different reasons why they can't get the job done. And it's simply bringing them back, and there's those levels. It's it really does work out where it's the unconscious and the conformists. And how you get those people to go from one level to another is that teaching process, pulling them along each level. And it's interesting because Dr. Durst wrote the book about leaders going through that same procedure of having to develop every level. You have to apply that to your staff, too. That is kind of the insight that I figured out using MBR over the years.
SPEAKER_00So there's some real work for supervisors here. They must review quality, they've got to measure results, and they have to look beyond the data. That's right, go beyond the data to find the root causes of issues.
SPEAKER_01And that's when you get really the results that you can help people learn from you're not using opinions, you're actually using the root cause analysis. That does make a difference. And in the discussion about a level five manager, one of the more interesting aspects is how they describe the characteristics you see at the different levels of development.
SPEAKER_00So Dr. Dirsch breaks this down across emotional responses, intellectual functioning, activity involvement, self-discipline, relationships, physical state, and even spiritual dimension.
SPEAKER_01And for the sake of talking about what would be important to describe for the super manager kind of kind of environment for 2026, we're just going to use the category of self-discipline and how it really stands
A PIP Story About Limits
SPEAKER_01out. I'm going to actually tell you a little bit of a story of how I applied this whole thing about the characteristic of holding people responsible and teaching them about responsibility. I was a manager at one site, and we had an employee that the supervisor had pulled in, and he was doing a level three performance pip review. Greg, you know how that goes. It's usually, you know, if you're not listening, you're going to be out the door kind of moment. And we were talking about the accident that he was in and how he is really disconnected and he's distant and he's not communicating well. And he starts with a tear in his eye saying, I just can't keep up. I'm doing work. I'm working on the weekends. I'm working on my dad's farm. And what? What was the last one? Your dad's farm? He goes, Yeah. When I get out of here on Saturdays, I go there. I work in the field and I work on Sunday, and then I come in on Monday and I'm worn out and it's just dragging me down. It's like, stop. Okay. I had the moment in time where I looked him in the eye and said, Are you trying to please me, your family, and your father at the same time? You're not going to be able to do it. Again, they're expecting that poor son to be a superhuman, to do more than what he really can do. And the dad's not being fair to his son. And I had to stop and say, look, you're responsible to do the job that you have, and you're responsible for your family, but you're not responsible as an adult with children that have been out of the house for years to farm a farm that your dad just purchased. That's not your job. That's his responsibility. That's not your responsibility. You have to be able to do the work and do something in terms of making sure that you're making a living for your family, and that should be your priority. And I stopped and he looked at me, and there was that tear now was rolling down his face. And he said, You know, you're right. And we tried to tell him that I can't do this, and he bought the farm anyway. Well, what do I tell him? I said, you'll find the words, but if he's a farmer, there are other people that he can hire to do the tasks that he wants you to do. He won't be as profitable, but he won't be out cast into the cold in the dark night because of you. He can make decisions, but he's he's a big boy. He has to make those decisions himself. You could just see that moment in time. Now I have been through MBR, I'm applying MBR, and I'm telling him he can't take 100% of his responsibility and 50% of his dad's responsibility. You can't do 150%. You can only do 100%. Choose what 100% you want to do. You know, those words were Dr. Durse's words. Those words I needed in order to try to communicate to a poor performer what needs to change. That is the advantage of going through MBR.
Inner Motivation And Responsible Planning
SPEAKER_01Well, anyway, let's get back to inner motivation.
SPEAKER_00A nice segue. So, John, when I think about inner motivation, I think about, and Dr. Durf would say it too responsible managers are internally motivated. It's in their core, it's how they're driven.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And they don't expect external rewards, and there isn't that fear of punishment because they know what is required to do a good job.
SPEAKER_00I mean these folks are driven by pride, personal pride in their work, right? It's part of their legacy. And then they get the satisfaction of accomplishment. That's all they need.
SPEAKER_01And that really was part of that conversation I just had with that employee. There was that pride that he he wasn't doing a good job and he knew it. People who who don't care, those meetings are easy. By the way, I should say, that's a pip that worked. He changed. And the pip, for the first time in my career, made a change to the person that they stayed with the organization. So yeah, pips work both ways. Personal improvement plans are usually that dance out the door, but it's also a warning that you're in trouble and you need to change. Our next section that we want to talk about is patience and endurance, Greg.
SPEAKER_00So, John, responsible managers, guess what? They can handle tedious tasks.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And they take breaks, they learn how to focus, how to perform under you know stressful conditions, and they care about what outcomes that they're able to produce.
SPEAKER_00And this should not be a surprise to you as well when you think about organization planning. Responsible managers just flat out plan better.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. They reflect on past performances. Maybe they look at the AAI information. Maybe that's not a bad thing, but they make realistic goals from those patterns, from the data. And then they make an action plan to follow through. So with simple ideas can be rare execution.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And a responsible individual learns how to adapt.
SPEAKER_00So they're not unpredictable, but they're situationally aware. Trevor Burrus, Jr.
SPEAKER_01Because they have that experience. They trust their ability to adapt, and they're less afraid to be in charge. That whole empowerment and giving the people the support was a phrase that management would use as empowering and giving you the ability to make your own decisions. When you actually do that and they feel that they own the responsibility of themselves, that that 100%, holy cow, that's a different human being. That's a whole kind of different response. Because you can tell when they genuinely take the ball and run with it.
SPEAKER_00So if you look at it from a work ethic and results standpoint, you think about responsible people, just make things happen.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. You know, they're the ones that are coming up with solutions rather than problems. When when they hand something to management, they're they're giving alternatives, things they see and things that can be done. And now they own a little bit of that element of what they produce, what what they can actually achieve. Yes, responsible people make it happen. And really I don't want to belabor the point, but I trust me, the concept of teaching people 100% responsibility, whether they like the results or not, is a wonderful statement on how to conduct yourself in a management approach that is effective. MBR. And when you have everybody pulling from the same rope, that whole part of trying to help them transition, going from that conformance level to an achievement level to a responsible level, is really satisfying when you can do that as a leader.
Tools To Try And Contact Info
SPEAKER_01Dr. Durst's book, Mentioned by Responsibility, is a wonderful tool that should be in your tool chest. And it is something that I think would be valuable if you were to pick it up. You could see the application tomorrow. So hopefully this has been some help. And if you like what you've heard, I've written a book called Building Your Leadership Toolbox, and we talk about tools like this. And it's available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble and other sites. The podcast is what you've been listening to. Thank you so much. It's also available on Apple, Google, and Spotify. A lot of what we talk about is from Dr. Durst and his MBR program. If you'd like to know more about Dr. Durst, you can find out on SuccessGrowthAcademy.com. And if you'd like to contact us, please send me a line. It's Wando75 periodjw at gmail.com. And the music has been brought to you by my grandson. So we want to hear from you. Drop me a line. Tell me what's going on, what you like, and what you would like to hear about. It has always helped us to create content. Thanks, Greg. This was fun. Thanks, John.
SPEAKER_00As always. Next time.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.