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
Six Leadership and Management Lessons from the Pandemic to Help Navigate the Emerging Storm
Fresh as escapees of city life and happily ensconced in our new full-time surroundings on a lake in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, there's a saying we frequently hear: "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes—it will change." Of course, it doesn't always change...
Six Leadership and Management Lessons from the Pandemic to Help Navigate the Emerging Storm
The economic weather is changing, and it feels like a storm is approaching. Possibly a big one. The question on my mind is, “Will the leadership lessons of the past few years stick?”
Art’s Latest Workshops and A Peek at a New Book and 2 Upcoming Programs
Note: this post is an update on new offerings from Art Petty. It’s been a busy time for new program development, with more to come this spring. Here’s a snapshot of the latest workshops (decision-making, feedback mastery) and a quick peek at some early summer offerings, including a new book, and new on-line course content and coaching offerings:
Management Week in Review for March 26, 2011
Every week, I share three thought-provoking management posts for the week. This week’s selections feature content on hard working CEOs, the importance of stories as tools for persuasion and the difficult choices people are facing in some toxic workplaces. Enjoy!
Guest Post: The Trouble with Leadership By The Numbers
Today’s guest post is from Scott Spreier, head of the Leadership and Talent practice (Federal Sector) at Hay Group, a global consultancy.
An excerpt: After months of crunching numbers, a team of their top statisticians cracked the code on what it takes to be a good leader. Their finding, as reported by The New York Times, was that what employees valued most in their managers was not technical expertise but “even-keeled bosses who made time for one-on-one meetings, who helped people puzzle through problems by asking questions, not dictating answers, and who took an interest in employees’ lives and careers.” Now, is that surprising?
The Millennial View-Don’t Be: “Young & Distracted”
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.
Leadership Caffeine™: 5 Ideas for Creating a Tenacious Culture
Tenacity is one of those common attributes of most successful people. It’s often one of the key missing ingredients of chronic underachievers. Here are 5 ideas for cultivating a tenacious culture on your team.
Management Week in Review for March 18, 2011
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 why you need to know more about Baldrige, rethinking your ideas on measuring marketing ROI and the powerful impact of Social Business on your firm’s reputation and ultimate success.
Management Excellence Toolkit-Part 4: Improve Your Estimating and Forecasting Effectiveness
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.
Leadership Caffeine™-The Artful and Effective Workplace Apology
The apology is an often over-looked and widely misunderstood tool for keeping smoldering bridges from burning out of control and for repairing relationships that were dented somewhere in the chaos of daily battle. It’s also a tool easily misused by people uncomfortable in their roles and seeking to buy compliance by apologizing their way forward.
Management Week in Review for March 12, 2011
Every week, I share three thought-provoking management posts for the week. This week’s selections feature content on the joy of work as a craft, responding to failure and exploring the latest thoughts from leading bloggers at the March Leadership Development Carnival.

