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
The Mind-Deadening Gravitational Pull of a Leadership Singularity
When top leadership generates a gravitational singularity, everyone suffers There’s a force at work in too many organizations imposed by senior leaders that gives the appearance of action but reflects cognitive and productive paralysis. In these cultures, leadership...
The Mind-Deadening Gravitational Pull of a Leadership Singularity
There’s a force at work in too many organizations imposed by senior leaders that gives the appearance of action but reflects cognitive and productive paralysis. In these cultures, leadership becomes a kind of gravitational singularity, sucking the life, creativity, and productivity out of the culture.
Seizing the Big Moments that Define Your Leadership Career
For individuals who choose to lead, it pays to see the signposts. Here are several significant moments in the career of everyone who leads that merit your complete engagement.
People Don’t Want to Manage and That’s a Problem
The old supervisory model and mentality are obsolete. The essence of the new role is empowerment and support. Perhaps instead of having individuals write off the opportunity to contribute to others and their organizations in unique ways, we might just build the next generation of great leaders. I’ve checked, and we need more of those great leaders!
Challenging Conversation Sound Bite #3: The Fallacy of the Feedback (Praise) Sandwich
In every challenging conversations workshop I run, the topic of the feedback sandwich (aka the praise sandwich) jumps up, and we spend time sharing perspectives on the use/uselessness of this tactic. Here are some reasons I believe you should say “No” to the praise sandwich in your feedback practices.
Leadership Caffeine™—”This Is the Way It Should Be”
Teaming and collaboration experiences happen in all walks of our professional and personal lives. Some experiences working with others are draining, others passable, and just a few are energizing and even fun and successful. You can hope these fun, productive experiences emerge by chance. Or you can be deliberate about creating the conditions that improve the possibility of a great collaboration experience. I opt for improving our odds of bringing one of these productive, fun experiences to life. Here are four ideas to help:
Challenging Conversation Sound Bite #2—Look Forward in Challenging Feedback Conversations
Preoccupying on the past in feedback conversations generates stress. Instead, focus on leveraging experiences and outcomes to design for improved effectiveness in the future.
Why You Should Maintain a Professional Journal—Twenty Prompts to Help You Get Started
Journaling is one of the most powerful continuous improvement tools we can use in our working lives, yet many are unsure of how to get started. Here’s some guidance and twenty journaling prompts to help:
Challenging Conversation Sound Bite #1—Design Your Challenging Conversations for Success
During my coaching calls with leaders at all levels, much of our time is invested in how to engage and structure the conversations to uncover value for all parties. Here are some tips to help you pre-think and design your discussions to achieve successful outcomes for all parties.
Fall 2022 Leader and Manager Professional Development Programs
It’s Back-to-Professional Development Time and I’m sharing my current Fall, 2022 calendar. If strengthening your skills as a leader or your success as a manager is on your priority list (or is a priority for your team members), please consider one of our uniquely powerful programs that blend training and coaching.
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?”