http://artpetty.com Leadership, Management and Professional Development Tue, 22 May 2012 11:58:03 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 copyright by Art Petty, 2011 art.petty@artpetty.com (Art Petty) art.petty@artpetty.com (Art Petty) 1440 http://artpetty.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Lcpodcast144x144.png http://artpetty.com 144 144 http://artpetty.com/feed/podcast Leadership Caffeine Podcast Host Art Petty interviews leaders, leadership authors, management thinkers and other professionals about creating high performance teams and organizations and developing effective leaders at all levels, during this weekly program. The goal is to share practical, powerful ideas to help listeners improve their performance and the performance of their teams and organizations. Caffene, Ldrshp, Profesional, Dev, Ledership, Ldrshp, Caffeine, Proff'l, Dev Art Petty Art Petty art.petty@artpetty.com no no http://artpetty.com/2012/04/02/leadership-caffeine-why-you-might-want-to-pause-before-voicing-that-decision/ http://artpetty.com/2012/04/02/leadership-caffeine-why-you-might-want-to-pause-before-voicing-that-decision/#comments Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:46:27 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=7404 Teaching others to employ effective decision-making processes is one of the most important and often ignored responsibilities of those in leadership roles. Unfortunately, training your team to look to you for the calls on how to fix problems and move forward is much easier than teaching your team members to stand on their own for most issues.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2012/04/02/leadership-caffeine-why-you-might-want-to-pause-before-voicing-that-decision/feed/ 2 http://artpetty.com/2012/03/21/energy-engagment-and-some-science-to-support-high-performance-team-development/ http://artpetty.com/2012/03/21/energy-engagment-and-some-science-to-support-high-performance-team-development/#comments Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:11:05 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=7281 As a lifelong team participant and now devotee of leveraging the power of teams, I was fascinated and excited to see the article, “The New Science of Building Great Teams,” in the April, 2012 issue of Harvard Business Review. I suspect we are all for adding some science to the stick, squishy and often problematic issue of how to get people to not only play nice together in the sandbox, but how to do so at a sustained high-level of performance. Here are a few thoughts and "blink reactions" to this interesting article and study:

]]> http://artpetty.com/2012/03/21/energy-engagment-and-some-science-to-support-high-performance-team-development/feed/ 2 http://artpetty.com/2012/02/11/newsletter-2-next-week-arts-writings-last-week/ http://artpetty.com/2012/02/11/newsletter-2-next-week-arts-writings-last-week/#comments Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:32:46 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=7160 Look for the latest issue of the Leadership Caffeine Newsletter (subscriber only content) next week. And in case you missed it, here are links to Art's posts on decision-making, strategy and career survival from last week. Enjoy your weekend!

]]> http://artpetty.com/2012/02/11/newsletter-2-next-week-arts-writings-last-week/feed/ 0 http://artpetty.com/2012/02/06/leadership-caffeine-teach-your-team-smarter-decision-processes/ http://artpetty.com/2012/02/06/leadership-caffeine-teach-your-team-smarter-decision-processes/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:29:17 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=7055 Nothing happens without a decision. Nothing good happens without the right decision. And, in case you doubt the need to focus on making better decisions, spend some time skimming the news. If you’ve kept up with your health and fitness resolutions thus far this year, you know that even minor adjustments in diet and exercise pay big dividends. The same goes for our individual and group decision-making approaches. Here are 5 key questions and suggestions for strengthening your team's decision-making processes.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2012/02/06/leadership-caffeine-teach-your-team-smarter-decision-processes/feed/ 2 http://artpetty.com/2011/07/25/leadership-caffeine-frame-carefully-to-improve-discussion-quality/ http://artpetty.com/2011/07/25/leadership-caffeine-frame-carefully-to-improve-discussion-quality/#comments Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:49:12 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=6215 Decisions propel people, teams and organizations forward. Get more right than wrong…especially the big ones, and the only thing standing in the way of success is the critical issue of execution. And of course, most decisions start with a discussion. One of your important jobs as a leader is to ensure that your team is [...]

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/07/25/leadership-caffeine-frame-carefully-to-improve-discussion-quality/feed/ 6 http://artpetty.com/2011/07/13/july-leadership-development-round-table-challenge/ http://artpetty.com/2011/07/13/july-leadership-development-round-table-challenge/#comments Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:20:13 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=6073 It's time for the July Leadership Development Round Table Challenge! You may recall from last month's inaugural event, this is where we put forth a vexing situation and a number of regular contributors plus one guest take the opportunity to share their best thoughts on how to handle it... in 200 words or less. You vote with your comments and with your actual vote, and after one week of fierce but professional debate, a winner is announced.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/07/13/july-leadership-development-round-table-challenge/feed/ 18 http://artpetty.com/2011/06/20/leadership-caffeine-4-ideas-for-navigating-organizational-politics/ http://artpetty.com/2011/06/20/leadership-caffeine-4-ideas-for-navigating-organizational-politics/#comments Mon, 20 Jun 2011 14:11:42 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=5884 Much like the notion of “pursuing power,” the idea of “playing politics” conjures up dirty images of questionable behind-the-scenes machinations and a vision of toes or faces being stepped on by those engaged in a series of less than noble games. And while those environments exist, it’s been my experience that the political environment in most firms is a bit more collegial than the television-type drama we often associate with organizational politics. Having said that, don’t confuse collegial with noble or even nice. It’s important for all of us to tune-in to the political environment of our organizations and learn the unwritten rules of success. The four ideas below were prompted by my observations while running a long-term project inside a very successful and aggressive large company.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/06/20/leadership-caffeine-4-ideas-for-navigating-organizational-politics/feed/ 12 http://artpetty.com/2011/06/15/the-june-leadership-development-roundtable-challenge/ http://artpetty.com/2011/06/15/the-june-leadership-development-roundtable-challenge/#comments Wed, 15 Jun 2011 13:08:56 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=5873 If you like a good leadership challenge, take a few moments and click over to Dan McCarthy's Great Leadership blog and check out the first in a new monthly program: The Leadership Development Roundtable Challenge.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/06/15/the-june-leadership-development-roundtable-challenge/feed/ 2 http://artpetty.com/2011/06/09/three-great-hiring-habits-i-learned-from-a-remarkable-manager/ http://artpetty.com/2011/06/09/three-great-hiring-habits-i-learned-from-a-remarkable-manager/#comments Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:44:53 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=5848 One mis-hire can poison the workplace pond, tarnish your reputation and impact your team’s/firm’s ability to execute. Do this a few times and your mistakes will likely knock you out of the hiring game and potentially into the cozy confines of today’s crowded unemployment lines. Unfortunately, the average manager isn’t very good at assessing talent and making the right call. Here are three great hiring habits I learned from a remarkable sales manager:

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/06/09/three-great-hiring-habits-i-learned-from-a-remarkable-manager/feed/ 2 http://artpetty.com/2011/06/01/hold-it-dont-accept-that-job-offer-until-you-consider-these-5-points/ http://artpetty.com/2011/06/01/hold-it-dont-accept-that-job-offer-until-you-consider-these-5-points/#comments Wed, 01 Jun 2011 14:43:40 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=5801 A good friend brought me up to speed on her career challenges recently, and after listening and empathizing with the unfortunate events that led to the recent job loss, I asked her what she had learned in the process. Her response included some good nuggets of hard-earned wisdom that we can all benefit from. Here are 5 points to consider before jumping In to that cool new job:

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/06/01/hold-it-dont-accept-that-job-offer-until-you-consider-these-5-points/feed/ 7 http://artpetty.com/2011/05/23/management-excellence-tookit-better-design-for-workplace-discussions/ http://artpetty.com/2011/05/23/management-excellence-tookit-better-design-for-workplace-discussions/#comments Mon, 23 May 2011 14:26:52 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=5778 Getting to a good decision on big issues is challenging. Navigating the discussions leading up to a decision however, often resembles something on the difficulty of slogging through the Amazonian jungles in search of a mythical lost city made of gold. If you survive the process, you are bound to come out a very different person. It doesn’t have to be so hard.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/05/23/management-excellence-tookit-better-design-for-workplace-discussions/feed/ 0 http://artpetty.com/2011/04/28/trust-performance-and-your-success/ http://artpetty.com/2011/04/28/trust-performance-and-your-success/#comments Thu, 28 Apr 2011 13:31:37 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=5707 Much of who we are and what we do in our professional lives is built on an unforgiving foundation of trust. Trust is hard earned and those bestowing trust do so slowly, carefully and tentatively, all the while testing for reasons to pull back and guard this precious personal asset. True trust is rare in the workplace. It’s also critical for high performance.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/04/28/trust-performance-and-your-success/feed/ 12 http://artpetty.com/2011/03/22/the-millennial-view-dont-be-young-distracted/ http://artpetty.com/2011/03/22/the-millennial-view-dont-be-young-distracted/#comments Tue, 22 Mar 2011 11:45:16 +0000 Eric Rodriguez http://artpetty.com/?p=5517 Millennials love communication and technology. It’s one of our greatest strengths and it gives us an invaluable skill to present to employers and teach to others. Sometimes stories surface on Millennials who become easily distracted with this talent causing them to lose focus on what really matters – their careers.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/03/22/the-millennial-view-dont-be-young-distracted/feed/ 6 http://artpetty.com/2011/03/16/management-excellence-toolkit-part-4-improve-your-estimating-and-forecasting-effectiveness/ http://artpetty.com/2011/03/16/management-excellence-toolkit-part-4-improve-your-estimating-and-forecasting-effectiveness/#comments Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:37:41 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=5460 Your decisions define you as a leader and a manager, yet we spend very little time in our busy lives finding ways to improve our abilities in this area. This Management Excellence Toolkit Series will help you recognize the challenges and pitfalls of individual and group decision-making and offer ideas on improving performance for you and your co-workers. In this segment, I focus on the issues surrounding forecasting and estimating errors, and I offer a number of ideas to improve performance for these important activities.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/03/16/management-excellence-toolkit-part-4-improve-your-estimating-and-forecasting-effectiveness/feed/ 0 http://artpetty.com/2011/03/09/management-excellence-toolkit-part-3-how-to-frame-your-decisions-for-success/ http://artpetty.com/2011/03/09/management-excellence-toolkit-part-3-how-to-frame-your-decisions-for-success/#comments Wed, 09 Mar 2011 15:05:00 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=5413 Your decisions define you as a leader and a manager, yet we spend very little time in our busy lives finding ways to improve our abilities in this area. This Management Excellence Toolkit Series will help you recognize the challenges and pitfalls of individual and group decision-making and offer ideas on improving performance for you and your co-workers. In this 3rd Part of an on-going series, we tackle the issue of properly framing issues to improve idea generation and decision development.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/03/09/management-excellence-toolkit-part-3-how-to-frame-your-decisions-for-success/feed/ 2 http://artpetty.com/2011/03/04/management-week-in-review-for-march-4-2011/ http://artpetty.com/2011/03/04/management-week-in-review-for-march-4-2011/#comments Fri, 04 Mar 2011 13:50:33 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=5386 Every week, I share three thought-provoking management posts for the week. Fair warning: I take a broad view of management, so my selections will range from leadership to innovation to finance and personal development and beyond. This week's selections feature content on reinventing management, the strategic and practical implications of upgrade plans for consumer electronics products and some guidance on improving our decision-making by better utilizing outside advisors. Enjoy!

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/03/04/management-week-in-review-for-march-4-2011/feed/ 3 http://artpetty.com/2011/02/16/management-excellence-toolkit-part-2-mind-the-decision-traps/ http://artpetty.com/2011/02/16/management-excellence-toolkit-part-2-mind-the-decision-traps/#comments Wed, 16 Feb 2011 18:46:38 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=5272 Part 1 of this series emphasized the importance of developing, updating and referencing a Decision Journal as part of your program to improve your decision-making effectiveness. In Part 2, we focus on understanding a bit more about how we make decisions, and I introduce the topic of decision traps.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/02/16/management-excellence-toolkit-part-2-mind-the-decision-traps/feed/ 2 http://artpetty.com/2011/02/09/management-excellence-toolkit-part-1-create-a-decision-journal/ http://artpetty.com/2011/02/09/management-excellence-toolkit-part-1-create-a-decision-journal/#comments Wed, 09 Feb 2011 14:47:30 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=5234 Your decisions define you as a leader and a manager, yet we spend very little time in our busy lives finding ways to improve our abilities in this area. This Management Excellence Toolkit Series will help you recognize the challenges and pitfalls of individual and group decision-making and offer ideas on improving performance for you and your co-workers. In Part 1, I offer guidance on creating a Decision Journal for key and strategic decisions to monitor your effectiveness over time.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/02/09/management-excellence-toolkit-part-1-create-a-decision-journal/feed/ 3 http://artpetty.com/2011/02/01/digging-your-way-out-after-the-brainstorm/ http://artpetty.com/2011/02/01/digging-your-way-out-after-the-brainstorm/#comments Tue, 01 Feb 2011 15:49:51 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=5205 There are many forms of ideation and all sorts of new tools available to facilitate web-based and remote brainstorming. The same issue in this post applies regardless of method: what are you going to do with the output?

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/02/01/digging-your-way-out-after-the-brainstorm/feed/ 7 http://artpetty.com/2011/01/05/rethinking-idea-generation/ http://artpetty.com/2011/01/05/rethinking-idea-generation/#comments Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:55:25 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=5002 Idea generation is core to everything we do in our organizations. It's too bad that we've been going about it all wrong!

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/01/05/rethinking-idea-generation/feed/ 3 http://artpetty.com/2010/12/11/management-excellence-book-review-management-its-not-what-you-think/ http://artpetty.com/2010/12/11/management-excellence-book-review-management-its-not-what-you-think/#comments Sat, 11 Dec 2010 16:19:34 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=4690 I confess to having a proclivity for essay collections when it comes to reading about management. Essays move along quickly and they offer the reader the opportunity to capture quick sound bites over breakfast, on the train or in other ideal reading rooms. Also, there’s the reality that many management books struggle to adequately fill the space between the book-covers, offering up their best in the introduction, the first chapter and the wrap-up chapter. Here are my thoughts on: Management? It's Not What You Think! by Henry Mintzberg, Bruce Ahlstrand and Joseph Lampel.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2010/12/11/management-excellence-book-review-management-its-not-what-you-think/feed/ 0 http://artpetty.com/2010/12/07/10-of-my-favorite-dumb-ass-management-mistakes/ http://artpetty.com/2010/12/07/10-of-my-favorite-dumb-ass-management-mistakes/#comments Tue, 07 Dec 2010 15:00:35 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=4666 In the spirit of my post, “At Least 20 Things to Stop Doing as a Leader,” which has grown well north of 50 thanks to a deluge of reader comments, I’m back with a list of some insanely stupid and all-too-common management mistakes. These focus more on the decisions, actions or inactions that contribute to creating even bigger problems. While I’ve remained on the positive side of the law here (felons, you’ve had your day!), some of these mistakes are truly criminal. Please feel free to chime in with your additions.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2010/12/07/10-of-my-favorite-dumb-ass-management-mistakes/feed/ 9 http://artpetty.com/2010/11/28/leadership-caffeine-how-to-grow-your-leadership-credibility-in-15-easy-lessons/ http://artpetty.com/2010/11/28/leadership-caffeine-how-to-grow-your-leadership-credibility-in-15-easy-lessons/#comments Mon, 29 Nov 2010 02:35:32 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=4617 Like good health, you cannot have too much credibility as a leader. You build credibility as a leader one interaction and one decision at a time over a long period of time. Here are 15 suggestions to help build your leadership credibility.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2010/11/28/leadership-caffeine-how-to-grow-your-leadership-credibility-in-15-easy-lessons/feed/ 10 http://artpetty.com/2010/11/21/leadership-caffeine-mistakes-are-the-raw-ingredients-of-leadership-courage/ http://artpetty.com/2010/11/21/leadership-caffeine-mistakes-are-the-raw-ingredients-of-leadership-courage/#comments Sun, 21 Nov 2010 17:50:58 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=4577 ’ve made a number of mistakes over the course of my leadership career that make my head spin and my stomach turn just thinking about them. No life or death or business impacting mistakes, but, definitely some people and team impacting issues that created ill will and most definitely didn’t show me off at my leadership best. Learning from those mistakes helped me evolve my thinking on the role of a leader and on my true priorities in supporting my business, my peers and my team members.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2010/11/21/leadership-caffeine-mistakes-are-the-raw-ingredients-of-leadership-courage/feed/ 9 http://artpetty.com/2010/11/10/hey-what-if-one-of-our-ships-gets-stranded/ http://artpetty.com/2010/11/10/hey-what-if-one-of-our-ships-gets-stranded/#comments Wed, 10 Nov 2010 14:48:13 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=4524 By now, most of us have seen or heard news footage of the Carnival Splendor stranded at sea after suffering an engine room fire and a subsequent loss of core systems including most power and importantly, the plumbing. Thankfully, no one was reported injured, but that’s about as good as the news gets in this situation. The fact that something went wrong at sea on one of those floating Mall of Americas is not surprising to me. What is surprising and disconcerting about the situation, is the apparent complete and utter lack of a risk response plan.

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