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/2012/05/20/just-one-thing-services-are-performances/ http://artpetty.com/2012/05/20/just-one-thing-services-are-performances/#comments Sun, 20 May 2012 22:57:11 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=7700 Few things evoke as much negative emotion in otherwise kind and gentle souls as a bad experience as a customer. Focus in your mind on your last really bad customer service experience and you can sense the tension in your neck growing along with the rise in blood pressure. That bad experience becomes “the company” for us. What do your team's performances say about you as a leader and about your firm?

]]> http://artpetty.com/2012/05/20/just-one-thing-services-are-performances/feed/ 6 http://artpetty.com/2012/05/07/leadership-caffeine-7-suggestions-to-strengthen-your-groups-performance/ http://artpetty.com/2012/05/07/leadership-caffeine-7-suggestions-to-strengthen-your-groups-performance/#comments Mon, 07 May 2012 13:13:08 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=7653 Performance counts. Efforts are nice, but ultimately, you are evaluated on the results of your team, not the amount of work you put into achieving your results. Here are 7 ideas to promote high performance with your team:

]]> http://artpetty.com/2012/05/07/leadership-caffeine-7-suggestions-to-strengthen-your-groups-performance/feed/ 5 http://artpetty.com/2012/04/11/leading-in-the-matrix/ http://artpetty.com/2012/04/11/leading-in-the-matrix/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:07:27 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=7465 If speed, adaptability, learning…and the need to innovate are more than buzzwords and corporate clichés, but in fact are the requirements for success in this fast-moving world, then building cultures, teams and people capable of succeeding in the matrix must be a priority.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2012/04/11/leading-in-the-matrix/feed/ 5 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/2012/03/28/leaders-principles-and-the-pursuit-of-high-performance-teams/ http://artpetty.com/2012/03/28/leaders-principles-and-the-pursuit-of-high-performance-teams/#comments Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:30:22 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=7315 Every high performance team I’ve experienced as a participant, a sponsor or an outside advisor, was governed by an overarching set of principles or values that formed and framed the culture. And while good words alone don’t create success, the combination of the leaders and participants living and acting according to those words everyday made things work.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2012/03/28/leaders-principles-and-the-pursuit-of-high-performance-teams/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/2012/03/12/leadership-caffeine-4-big-reasons-to-kill-your-weekly-status-meeting/ http://artpetty.com/2012/03/12/leadership-caffeine-4-big-reasons-to-kill-your-weekly-status-meeting/#comments Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:13:31 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=7268 Few events do more to suck the life and energy out of a team than the boss’s weekly status meeting. If you are the boss, it's time to exorcise these from your operating routine.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2012/03/12/leadership-caffeine-4-big-reasons-to-kill-your-weekly-status-meeting/feed/ 12 http://artpetty.com/2012/02/20/leadership-caffeine-what-do-you-do-with-a-team-that-has-failed/ http://artpetty.com/2012/02/20/leadership-caffeine-what-do-you-do-with-a-team-that-has-failed/#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:50:09 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=7206 We’re often too quick as leaders to throw in the towel on teams that have whiffed. That’s a mistake that may be more costly to performance and morale than the initial and temporary failure. Here are 5 signs that your failed team merits more time:

]]> http://artpetty.com/2012/02/20/leadership-caffeine-what-do-you-do-with-a-team-that-has-failed/feed/ 0 http://artpetty.com/2012/02/15/beware-professional-performance-drift/ http://artpetty.com/2012/02/15/beware-professional-performance-drift/#comments Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:49:55 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=7181 The concept of performance drift (for professionals) is wonderfully outlined by John Hamm, writing in his recently published book, Unusually Excellent: The Nine Skills Required for the Practice of Great Leadership. Here are my added thoughts on helping you recognize and slow your own professional performance drift:

]]> http://artpetty.com/2012/02/15/beware-professional-performance-drift/feed/ 1 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/2012/01/04/are-you-running-in-place-when-it-comes-to-your-professional-development/ http://artpetty.com/2012/01/04/are-you-running-in-place-when-it-comes-to-your-professional-development/#comments Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:35:40 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=6895 Unlike the resolutions that so many of us make in January and discard just as quickly by February, our own professional development requires a deliberate and consistent effort to improve. Here are 7 ideas to help you stop running in place and start moving forward.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2012/01/04/are-you-running-in-place-when-it-comes-to-your-professional-development/feed/ 3 http://artpetty.com/2012/01/03/leadership-caffeine-for-better-results-quit-telling-and-start-letting-go/ http://artpetty.com/2012/01/03/leadership-caffeine-for-better-results-quit-telling-and-start-letting-go/#comments Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:59:08 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=6885 The odd quirk that seems to bedevil so many who occupy roles of responsibility for others is their overwhelming urge to tell other people what to do. While a certain amount of “telling” is OK, particularly during crises and anything involving safety or security, for the most part, your communication efforts should focus on listening and asking. Starting this year, shift the focus to you and your role and your daily habits, and for everyone’s sake, quit telling people how to do their jobs. Here are 9 ideas to help you in this endeavor.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2012/01/03/leadership-caffeine-for-better-results-quit-telling-and-start-letting-go/feed/ 2 http://artpetty.com/2011/12/31/thoughts-on-your-personal-and-professional-success-in-the-new-year/ http://artpetty.com/2011/12/31/thoughts-on-your-personal-and-professional-success-in-the-new-year/#comments Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:02:48 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=6877 I was truly gifted in 2011 to gain access to and work with and support some remarkable professionals across a number of different market segments…from high tech to professional services to manufacturing, and I learned something with every engagement and encounter. Here are Six Lessons Learned that Can Help Us All in the New Year:

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/12/31/thoughts-on-your-personal-and-professional-success-in-the-new-year/feed/ 0 http://artpetty.com/2011/11/27/arts-weekly-leadership-message-get-engaged-to-help-your-project-teams-succeed/ http://artpetty.com/2011/11/27/arts-weekly-leadership-message-get-engaged-to-help-your-project-teams-succeed/#comments Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:54:22 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=6787 I hear from hundreds of professionals every year in workshops, via coaching assignments or in classrooms, about the challenges they have working in and on project teams. From almost every student’s worst nightmare, the classroom group project, to major strategic initiatives with high-level sponsorship, the complaints are consistent: we as leaders don’t do enough to support team development and performance. While the list of things that can go horribly wrong on project teams is long, these 5 consistently rise to the top of the lament list.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/11/27/arts-weekly-leadership-message-get-engaged-to-help-your-project-teams-succeed/feed/ 2 http://artpetty.com/2011/10/23/arts-weekly-leadership-message-step-up-to-cure-effective-dialogue-deficit-disorder/ http://artpetty.com/2011/10/23/arts-weekly-leadership-message-step-up-to-cure-effective-dialogue-deficit-disorder/#comments Sun, 23 Oct 2011 13:47:35 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=6714 The medical community and drug companies have their ED malady and cure, but too many management and project teams suffer from their own form of ED…with two more D’s…EDDD… Effective Dialogue Deficit Disorder. It’s not that people aren’t talking. There’s no deficit of hot air swirling around most meeting rooms. The issue is all about the quality of the dialogue. Here are 5 ideas for you to use immediately in pursuit of stomping out Effective Dialogue Deficit Disorder:

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/10/23/arts-weekly-leadership-message-step-up-to-cure-effective-dialogue-deficit-disorder/feed/ 7 http://artpetty.com/2011/10/17/leadership-caffeine-speed-kills-10-situations-to-call-a-timeout/ http://artpetty.com/2011/10/17/leadership-caffeine-speed-kills-10-situations-to-call-a-timeout/#comments Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:15:23 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=6646 Somewhere on the way to this world we now live and work in, “speed” became a proxy for success. Speed is undoubtedly important, but beware relying on it as the sole indicator of effectiveness. It’s a cruel tyrant, demanding fealty from followers, while discouraging critical and deep thinking and focusing solely on time-to-response as a metric of success. Here are at least 10 situations where you should resist the need for speed and call a timeout:

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/10/17/leadership-caffeine-speed-kills-10-situations-to-call-a-timeout/feed/ 3 http://artpetty.com/2011/10/09/arts-weekly-leadership-message-its-all-in-your-attitude/ http://artpetty.com/2011/10/09/arts-weekly-leadership-message-its-all-in-your-attitude/#comments Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:24:18 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=6608 Of the many things we can’t control in life and business, attitude is the one we have 100 percent power over, every single day. The best leaders know this, and they work to prepare theirs before walking through the door or engaging in the workplace.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/10/09/arts-weekly-leadership-message-its-all-in-your-attitude/feed/ 6 http://artpetty.com/2011/09/12/leadership-caffeine-always-lead-with-context/ http://artpetty.com/2011/09/12/leadership-caffeine-always-lead-with-context/#comments Mon, 12 Sep 2011 13:44:02 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=6452 Context in this case is that not-so-secret ingredient that helps people understand the idea or issue and how it connects to something important in the workplace. Context provides the basis for understanding and assessing a situation or a request to do something. It has the equivalent workplace outcome of adding yeast to the process of making bread. Without it, everything is flat. Improve performance by providing critical context at the organizational, strategic and personal levels.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/09/12/leadership-caffeine-always-lead-with-context/feed/ 7 http://artpetty.com/2011/07/11/leadership-caffeine-9-ideas-to-help-you-jump-the-gap-between-failure-and-success/ http://artpetty.com/2011/07/11/leadership-caffeine-9-ideas-to-help-you-jump-the-gap-between-failure-and-success/#comments Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:49:50 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=6030 People and teams fail on their way to success all of the time. That’s great. That’s how it’s supposed to work. The people and groups I struggle with are those who just fail. Often, the gap between failure and success appears wide, deep and ominous. This perceived gap keeps people frozen in place for a long while and then as time passes, fear turns to regret. Here are 9 ideas to help you jump the gap from failure to success.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/07/11/leadership-caffeine-9-ideas-to-help-you-jump-the-gap-between-failure-and-success/feed/ 2 http://artpetty.com/2011/06/27/leadership-caffeine-do-you-see-beauty-or-blemishes/ http://artpetty.com/2011/06/27/leadership-caffeine-do-you-see-beauty-or-blemishes/#comments Mon, 27 Jun 2011 13:48:07 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=5926 If you’ve ever worked for or around someone who is an expert critic…one of those individuals who can look at a masterpiece and spot a flaw, you know how demoralizing the experience can be. They look at beautiful pictures or great outcomes and focus on describing the flaws. Here are 5 ideas for improving performance by overcoming your own tendency to look for the blemishes.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/06/27/leadership-caffeine-do-you-see-beauty-or-blemishes/feed/ 2 http://artpetty.com/2011/06/23/send-in-the-clones-the-abuse-of-must-have-in-recruiting-and-hiring/ http://artpetty.com/2011/06/23/send-in-the-clones-the-abuse-of-must-have-in-recruiting-and-hiring/#comments Thu, 23 Jun 2011 15:02:45 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=5908 Aside from a few obvious technical and vocational roles, there are very few positions in most organizations that absolutely “Must Have” someone who has held the identical role in the same industry with the same job. Nonetheless, the use of "Must Have" remains a staple in recruiting and hiring. It's too bad, because over-reliance on "Must Have" can lead to a chronic case of mediocrity or worse, a terminal case of recycled bad ideas from industry participants.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/06/23/send-in-the-clones-the-abuse-of-must-have-in-recruiting-and-hiring/feed/ 6 http://artpetty.com/2011/06/08/why-its-time-to-ditch-your-plans-for-the-summer-strategy-off-site/ http://artpetty.com/2011/06/08/why-its-time-to-ditch-your-plans-for-the-summer-strategy-off-site/#comments Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:51:10 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=5839 From the symbolism of the annual off-site strategy event to the cost to the fact that strategic thinking time is reduced to a once or twice a year event, this approach is anachronistic in a world with markets and conditions changing daily. In twenty years of these things with some great people and great businesses, I’ve yet to see anything come out of these meetings that changed our businesses. I will offer that they did allow for another layer of vetting and idea absorption. Nonetheless, the heavy lifting took place with others outside of the cozy confines of a resort or hotel meeting room. It's time to ditch the annual strategy off-site.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/06/08/why-its-time-to-ditch-your-plans-for-the-summer-strategy-off-site/feed/ 0 http://artpetty.com/2011/05/28/dispatches-from-mayo-its-a-privilege-to-work-here/ http://artpetty.com/2011/05/28/dispatches-from-mayo-its-a-privilege-to-work-here/#comments Sat, 28 May 2011 20:45:35 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=5797 There’s no doubt one of the most significant challenges any service organization faces is how to sustain excellence in service delivery over long periods of time. After all, service organizations live or die based on the passion and commitment of the people providing the service. Once the passion goes, the service trends to the ordinary. Or worse.

]]> http://artpetty.com/2011/05/28/dispatches-from-mayo-its-a-privilege-to-work-here/feed/ 2 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/2011/05/18/its-time-to-start-teaching-your-teams-to-succeed/ http://artpetty.com/2011/05/18/its-time-to-start-teaching-your-teams-to-succeed/#comments Wed, 18 May 2011 14:24:18 +0000 Art Petty http://artpetty.com/?p=5759 If you’ve ever been part of a truly effective team…a high performance team, you know the experience is memorable. For those who’ve lived and thrived on a high-performance team, the memory of what it was like to work with a motivated, caring, challenging (but respectful), accomplishment-focused group of individuals provides sustenance for the lonely, near-death experiences that characterize so many other team and project experiences in the workplace.

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