How would you like to listen in, live, as a Chief People Officer informs a CEO about a negative Glassdoor review - and then you get to coach that CEO in the moment?

Because that's exactly what happened when I was on Ethena’s We’re Not Recording podcast this week. You can see my takeaway here (and a link at the bottom of this blog to watch the full episode).

The backstory:

Ethena's Chief People Officer Melanie Naranjo decided (during the podcast recording) to finally tell CEO Roxanne Bras Petraeus about a recent Glassdoor review the company received from a candidate. The review wasn’t about the company or the interview process - it was about Roxanne herself. Specifically, that she conducted the candidate's interview while walking on her treadmill.

Roxanne was completely caught off guard. The candidate hadn’t said a word about it during the interview - not a hint that the treadmill bothered them. But despite her surprise, Roxanne was game to talk about it live on the podcast.

That’s when Melanie shared her perspective as Chief People Officer: Any candidate they’d want to hire would approach that moment with curiosity. Ask about it. Assume good intent. Speak up.

Then Roxanne asked me, Okay, how would you coach me through this?

Here’s what I shared:

The reality is, most candidates aren’t going to say anything. It’s an interview. With the CEO. Even confident candidates often feel nervous, and power dynamics are very real.

Most people won’t interrupt a CEO to ask why they’re on a treadmill. They’ll sit there, trying to focus, wondering what it means. Some will love it - “This reflects a culture of wellness.” Others might feel distracted or even think it’s dismissive, even if that’s not the intent.

And when people don't get the backstory from the interviewer, they form their own story - and that story sticks.

So my coaching to Roxanne was simple: Bring it up proactively. Don’t wait for someone to ask.
Tell candidates upfront, “I'm clearly on my walking treadmill - I like to do this when I can, and it's not just something I can do as the CEO. It's part of our culture for all employees, but if it’s distracting, I’m happy to pause.”

Flip it into a positive. Show that the culture values health, flexibility, and open communication - and make sure the candidate feels comfortable enough to show up as themselves, too.

In the end? Roxanne listened to the feedback and decided to keep using the treadmill, but decided to talk about it upfront moving forward - all because of this collective conversation.

We talked through different perspectives in real-time. Melanie’s belief in hiring people who lean in and ask questions. My view that leaders should own the dynamic and create safety. Roxanne’s openness to listen, reflect and adjust.

The takeaway? Leaders need to have these kinds of conversations with each other.

We’re so focused on tasks, metrics and strategy that we skip over these human moments. But how people feel - the little unspoken moments, the dynamics we don’t always notice or think about - that’s what shapes culture.

And you don’t have to be on a podcast to have these conversations.

It’s exactly why we built Manager Method the way we did. Not just to make manager training available on demand - but to also give organizations everything they need to facilitate these very real conversations with their leaders.

To help leaders share tips, talk through scenarios, challenge their thinking, and bring it to life in people’s actual work - not just theory.

Because when leaders have real conversations and actually learn from each other, people communicate better, management gets easier and you build the kind of culture people actually want to stick around for. And it doesn’t matter what your title is - I’ve seen CEOs pick up tips from brand-new supervisors. Everyone has something to share when you hold these conversations.

Want to bring these conversations to life in your organization?

Our Manager 101 course and Toolkits aren’t just about checking the box - they’re built to create real, practical leadership conversations across your teams. If you’re an HR leader looking for a full platform to support your managers, learn how we can help.

Or if you’re an individual manager ready to build your skills, you can start today.

Learn more or book time to connect here: https://www.managermethod.com/manager-101

And if you want to catch the full podcast, you can watch it here - I’ve queued it up to start right at the Glassdoor review/treadmill conversation.