Welcome to OB Success Without The Stress

Dr. Maryann Lamer

Welcome to C715 Made Simple: OB Success Without the Stress. I’m Dr. Maryann Lamer and, well, gotta say, it’s always a little uncanny hearing myself introduce the show, but here we are! So, let’s kick this off by talking about why Organizational Behavior—our beloved OB—really matters, not just for the sake of assessments or coursework but, honestly, for just about any role you’ll find yourself in.

Dr. Maryann Lamer

In my own career, I’ve worn quite a few hats—from consulting for Fortune 500s and nonprofits to executive leadership to, well, now serving as a Course Instructor at Western Governors University. The funny thing is, no matter where I’ve landed, it always comes back to the same thing: how people interact, what motivates them, and how leaders communicate, especially when the pressure’s on. I’ll never forget the day I sat on the United Way board, and we hit a crisis. You can read all the OB theory you want, but watching those dynamics play out in real time—the back-and-forth, the guarded body language, someone finally stepping up and giving folks space to talk—well, that's when you see OB principles in action. Communication, motivation, decision making...it’s at the core of every successful campaign, board, or team.

Dr. Maryann Lamer

And it doesn’t matter if it’s a crisis campaign for a nonprofit or a strategic plan in a for-profit boardroom. Those foundational OB concepts—motivation, communication, dynamics—drive the results. I might be overselling it, but, honestly, I’ve seen the difference when teams actually apply these principles and don’t just leave them in the textbook.

Dr. Maryann Lamer

So, that’s why OB isn’t just another theory-heavy subject. It bridges that gap: theory to practice, textbook to boardroom, learner to leader.

Dr. Maryann Lamer

Now, let’s talk about what this podcast series actually looks like. If you’re thinking, “Maryann, just show me the roadmap”—here it is. This series is built for those of you juggling a lot: work, family, maybe even a little bit of sleep. Each episode is about nine or ten minutes—short enough to fit in a coffee run, but, I hope, packed with practical value.

Dr. Maryann Lamer

We’re diving into five episodes, each one focused on a core piece of Organizational Behavior you’ll see in C715 and, let’s be honest, will see over and over in your professional life. We kick off with Goal Setting—how to actually set meaningful, doable goals, drawing on classic stuff like Locke and Latham’s Goal-Setting Theory. Then, we look at Leadership, where I’ll break down why not all leaders are created equal and how transformational or even servant leadership can genuinely shape a team.

Dr. Maryann Lamer

Next, we shift to Foundations of Group Behavior. Sound boring? Wait ‘til we unpack how groups actually come together, stumble, and sometimes knock it out of the park—think Tuckman's stages, but in the real world where teams rarely follow a neat step-by-step order. Then, we’ll tackle Building Blocks of Team Success. Picture moving from theory to what actually happens when you have to pull a diverse team together, assign roles, and hold each other accountable. It’s way messier, but a lot more interesting, I promise.

Dr. Maryann Lamer

Finally, Managing Conflict—my favorite, if I’m honest. If you’ve ever been in a room when things get tense or, let’s say, “energetic,” that’s when understanding conflict styles becomes absolutely essential. We’ve all seen what happens when it’s handled well… and when it isn’t.

Dr. Maryann Lamer

So, here’s a tip: to get the most out of each episode—especially if you’re focused on prepping for that C715 Objective Assessment—listen for the practical frameworks and examples. Don’t just memorize terms, but try to connect them to what you see in your job, on your team, or even in your volunteer work. That makes it stick—and, honestly, that’s how you’ll nail the assessment and use these skills in whatever comes next.

Dr. Maryann Lamer

Now, you might be thinking, “Alright, but how do we move from chapter summaries in a textbook to, like, actually solving a workplace issue on Monday morning?” And that’s the heart of this podcast. I’m gonna pull in real stories—not just academic stuff. Over the years, I’ve seen enough to know OB lives and breathes outside the classroom. Like when I led a product rollout at WalMart with a cross-functional team—nothing ever goes exactly to plan, does it? You learn fast which OB tools work and which ones…well, need tweaking.

Dr. Maryann Lamer

Throughout this series, I’ll use examples from consulting projects, crisis moments where a team had about two hours to pull together a response, or boardroom meetings where personalities sometimes clash. These stories are how we bring OB to life. If you can identify, for example, which conflict style someone’s using or recognize when a group is stuck in “storming” rather than “performing,” you can actually make better decisions—right in the moment.

Dr. Maryann Lamer

Understanding OB concepts has a practical payoff: it’ll help you manage conflict before it escalates, foster trust on your team, navigate tricky leadership moments, and maybe—just maybe—help you avoid some of the mistakes I’ve made over the years. Even small shifts in how you approach a meeting, or how you set goals, can change the outcome.

Dr. Maryann Lamer

And if you’re curious, in our episode on team success, for instance, I’ll preview a case where we had to coordinate folks from marketing, operations, supply chain—you name it—just to launch one product in a national retailer. Elements like communication, motivation, and clear goal setting made all the difference. So, if you’re new to OB or just want a refresher, we’re gonna keep it focused on real, tangible situations you might encounter.

Dr. Maryann Lamer

That’s it for our kickoff. Grab your headphones and a coffee, and let’s tackle Organizational Behavior—one episode at a time. Thanks for joining me, and I’ll see you in our next episode, where we’ll dive right into Goal Setting and why it works. Until then, stay curious and, hey, keep OB simple.