Wake-Up Calls for Managers
For the hard parts no one prepares you for
When the path isn’t clear, the stakes are high, and the answers aren’t obvious—this is where managers struggle most.
Wake-Up Calls for Managers delivers practical, real-world guidance for navigating:
- Tough conversations
- Leading through uncertainty
- Building influence without authority
- Driving results through others
The Leadership Caffeine Blog
Treat Your Career Pivot as an Agile Project to Make Progress Faster
Finding "Next" in Your Career is an Agile Project If you know exactly what you want to do for the next stage of your career, consider yourself fortunate. For many, the drive to do something new and different is blunted by the inability to answer the "What?" or...
Treat Your Career Pivot as an Agile Project to Make Progress Faster
Using a disciplined, agile project management approach might be the most important thing you can do to succeed in identifying the right “next” in your career. Here are ideas to help.
New Leader Tuesday-Showcasing Your Authentic Self
It’s typically good advice to “be yourself” and “be authentic” when it comes to leading others. Unfortunately, for many starting out as leaders, it takes time and experience to develop the confidence necessary to let the world see us as in our leadership skins au naturel. Here are 5 ideas to help you cultivate the confidence necessary to show yourself as you are:
Leadership Caffeine™-Coping with a Personal Leadership Confidence Deficit
Lack of self-confidence is a limiting factor in the leadership careers of many good professionals. This is a difficult and extremely personal topic. Here’s some added context to help you recognize that we all struggle with many of the same issues, however, with deliberate daily actions on the right issues, we can strengthen our confidence and improve our performance.
Customer Service Hell and Lousy Leaders
I confess to not understanding the management and leadership thinking that leads to the many unpleasant or at best, sterile experiences with retailers, healthcare providers and so many others types of organizations. It’s almost as if someone is in charge of ensuring a level of engagement with employees that is somewhere just north of rude and way south of pleasant. Here’s a glimpse at a few of those policies and my suggestions for some well-deserved quality time for the executives behind these policies:
Just One Thing-Do Something Extraordinary for Someone on Your Team
The lowest cost, highest return investment in the workplace is to help move someone closer to realizing his/her professional dream. This is simple and powerful and with creativity, often within your control to pursue for someone on your team. Here are some thoughts on why you should do this and how to get started. Remember, it takes “just one thing” on your part to make a difference!
New Leader Tuesday: You Will Be Tested-5 Ideas to Help You Succeed
You will be tested many times during your first go-round as the individual responsible for others. Know that everyone is watching your responses to these tests.
Handle them properly…even adequately, and your credibility for leading will rise. Get them wrong and you’ll become just one more faceless first-time supervisor in the process of being turned into grist inside the organization’s cultural mill. Here are 5 ideas to help you successfully navigate these tests:
In Memoriam-2012
In Memoriam-For those who we can no longer thank, we give our thanks. And for those walking among us, take time today and share your appreciation for their service.
Integrator Leaders-People Who Get Stuff Done
Regular readers know my perspective on those who lead without authority. I’m a huge fan. These are the people who turn good businesses great and who power teams with the kinetic energy created by their constant motion.
A Great Product Manager
Someone asked me about the importance of product management in my prior tech businesses. My answer was blunt. Great product managers see beyond customer requirements to the often unspoken needs, and they move organizational mountains to fill those needs.
New Leader Tuesday-Beware Under or Over Managing
The first year of your first job responsible for others (supervisor, lead, manager) is the early-awkward phase. Your technical or functional expertise and someone’s perception of your potential for leadership got you here. Your as of yet undeveloped or at least under-developed communication and coordination skills are what will carry you forward. Here are 5 suggestions to help you get this right.