WednesdAMA: Reader-Submitted Questions
While it’s true we get to do a lot of cool work with various companies, it’s no secret that our individual coaching is considered the crown jewel of The Threadsmith Group. If we can make one person’s life better through the coaching we provide, the business is a success.
BUT, not everyone is able to make the investment to get 1:1 coaching, and we believe in giving back to the community. So welcome to WednesdAMA, in which we take a mix of reader submitted questions and LinkedIn questions and answer them.
LinkedIn: “You're feeling overwhelmed by a demanding supervisor. How do you maintain your productivity and well-being?”
Since when do we owe demanding supervisors our unending loyalty? If your supervisor sucks, no amount of "small breaks" or "organizing your tasks" is going to fix the fact that they’re asking too much and giving you too little. Why, precisely, do we owe productivity to an asshole?
What you're going to do is polish up your resume and leave. You don’t have to martyr yourself on the altar of someone else’s lack of emotional regulation or leadership skills. It's not on you to manage this relationship by yourself. If your demanding supervisor isn't going to let up, you owe it to yourself to take care of YOU above all else.
That might mean setting boundaries they don't like. It might mean documenting everything. It might mean finding a new place to work. Whatever it is, remember: you are not here to be their emotional support animal. You are here to do a job and they need to create a space where that’s possible without burning you out, or they’re going to (deservedly) lose your expertise and productivity.
Reader-Submitted: “I feel like I’m constantly “winging it” at work. Is that normal?”
Absolutely. It’s not just normal, it’s….just kind of how pretty much all of life works. Show me a person who isn’t winging it and I will show you a really, really accomplished liar.
Everyone is winging it all the time. What you're calling “winging it” might actually be learning in real time, adapting under pressure, or making judgment calls with imperfect information—which, by the way, is what most jobs actually require. The fantasy of having a perfectly paved road ahead, with step-by-step instructions and a feedback loop that feels like a warm hug and always makes total sense and is always perfectly delivered? That’s not how real-world work works, ever. If it did, I’d be out of a consultancy, that’s for sure.
And if your workplace does make you feel like “winging it” is a sign of failure rather than a function of growth? That’s not your fault. That’s a structure problem, not a you problem.
So yeah—it’s normal. And if you’re doing it with curiosity, integrity, and a willingness to adjust? That’s not winging it. That’s flying.
Keep going. You've got this.
LinkedIn: “You're supporting stressed coworkers. How can you prevent burnout and stay strong?”
Ooof. First of all, I do not love the framing of “staying strong” here. Let’s be real: burnout isn’t about strength. It’s not a moral failing. It’s not something you can out-yoga, out-journal, or “out-mindset” your way through, no matter what any thinkpiece tries to convince you of.
Burnout is a systems problem, it is not an individual problem. And if you're regularly the emotional life raft for stressed-out coworkers? Then congratulations, you’re not just doing your job. You’re patching holes in a sinking ship while the captain hands out inspirational posters.
So no, you don’t prevent burnout by being “stronger”, that’s ridiculous.
You prevent it by being honest about the load you're carrying and whose job it is to carry it.
Here’s what I recommend:
1. Start tracking what you’re actually doing.
Not just your job tasks, track the emotional labor, the informal check-ins, the extra Slack messages from teammates in crisis. You’re probably doing more than you realize. Acknowledging that is of critical importance. DO NOT DOWNPLAY IT- just because you’re “good at it” or “the one everyone comes to and that makes you feel good” does not mean the work is any less valuable.
2. Pay attention to leadership’s response.
Are they stepping in? Redistributing workload? Hiring help? Or are they posting about “resilience” while everyone quietly crumbles? Because how they respond to a struggling team tells you everything you need to know about whether this is a place worth investing your time, energy, and heart.
3. Protect your humanity, not just your productivity.
You are not a support bot. You are not a sponge for other people’s stress. You can care deeply about your coworkers and still say: “I’m at capacity. I need help too.” That is not weakness. That is leadership.
And finally: if your company hits you with the same tired “self-care” platitudes when any of this is brought up: “Take more breaks!” , “Go for a walk!” , “Try mindfulness”!
…then yes, please take a mindful walk.
Right out the damn door.
Reader-Submitted: “I want to be a better manager, but I never got any training. What should I focus on first?”
Props to you for acknowledging and realizing that, then even more props for doing something about it. The way companies treat promotions is awful: one day you’re the best individual contributor out there, the next, you’re suddenly managing your coworkers and the company’s like “Good job, have a nice day, good luck!”. The skillset is entirely different and there’s often ZERO support from management.
So let me reaffirm this: you’re not broken. The system is.
That said, here’s where I’d start:
1. Make it safe to tell you the truth.
If your team is afraid to bring you problems, you have a problem, you just won’t hear about it until it’s too late. So focus on building trust. Be consistent. Follow through. Admit when you’re wrong. People will only be honest with you if they believe you won’t punish them for it.
2. Get curious before you get controlling.
It’s easy to panic and start micromanaging as soon as you get into the role, especially as you feel the pressure of suddenly being responsible for this entire team.
Ask questions instead:
“What’s getting in your way?”
“What would make this easier?”
“What do you need from me?”You’ll learn more, fix things faster, and build actual problem-solvers—not people who just wait for you to tell them what to do.
3. Protect your team from the chaos above.
Bad managers pass stress downward. Good ones absorb it, translate it, and help their team stay focused on what matters. Your job is not to parrot every fire drill from on high. Your job is to filter the noise so your team can do their best work.
4. And finally—manage yourself, too.
Burned-out managers make burned-out teams. Stressed-out managers make for stressed-out teams. So yes, learn the basics of feedback, delegation, and prioritization, but also check your own emotional weather. If you’re short-tempered, overwhelmed, or constantly exhausted, your team will feel it. Hard.
You don’t need a fancy training to become a great manager. You just need to give a damn about your people and be willing to grow right alongside them.
That’s leadership. The rest is time and practice.
The Threadsmith Group Approach
At The Threadsmith Group, we don’t believe in cookie-cutter advice. We believe in real answers for real people, backed by experience, strategy, and a healthy dose of common sense.
Got a question of your own? Send it in. Let’s talk about the things that actually matter.