“Smart Rats”: Belief Boosts Performance

“Smart Rats”: Belief Boosts Performance

From Best Manager Ever by Annie Riley

April 29, 2026 · 52 min · Season 4 · Episode 7

About this episode

Annie Riley discusses with Maura Church how a manager's mindset influences team performance and the importance of belief in coaching.

You don’t become a great manager by regurgitating frameworks. Management is a craft and a skillset that gets built over time.  Annie Riley sits down with Maura Church, VP of Product & Engineering at Two Chairs, to talk about how a manager’s mindset impacts team performance. From the “Smart Rats” theory to balancing tough feedback with real belief, Maura breaks down how to coach growth, build confidence, and unlock better results. TimeStamps: 00:00 — Meet Maura Church 02:54 — Management is a craft, not a side job 04:49 — Why startups can’t afford bad management 07:14 — “No one is coming to save us” 10:09 — The trap of managing by checklist 13:07 — Giving feedback without making it personal 19:06 — “Smart Rats”: belief as a performance levers 25:13 — Turning “non-technical” skills into strengths 38:55 — Clear expectations make feedback easier 41:39 — Psychological safety is built, not assumed 45:10 — Rewriting the rules as your team evolves 47:15 — There’s no one “right” way to manage Join us on Substack  Level up your leadership skills with Fort Light  Connect with Annie Riley Connect with Maura Church Nominate Your Best Manager Ever Best Manager Ever is a…

People in this episode

Host: Annie Riley

Guest: Maura Church

Topics covered

  • management
  • team performance
  • coaching
  • feedback
  • mindset
  • psychological safety

Keywords

  • management
  • team performance
  • feedback
  • belief
  • coaching
  • psychological safety
  • growth

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Two Chairs

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