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
Leaders: Are You Coaching Your Teams for Creativity?
In group settings, when I ask senior leaders whether they've ever attended or sponsored their team members to attend programs focused on creativity and idea generation, the silence is palpable. Alternatively, it's hard to regain control of the discussion when I ask...
Leaders: Are You Coaching Your Teams for Creativity?
There’s little doubt creativity is vital in the workplace, and that idea generation is the enabler of creative problem solving and innovation. The better our teams and colleagues are at generating ideas, the better the odds of surviving and thriving in our topsy-turvy world. Yet, idea generation and problem-solving practices are stale and decidedly lacking in creativity in too many organizations.
Leadership Caffeine™: Gut Check on Your Intestinal Fortitude
Someone asked me the other day, whether there was one quality above all others that stuck out as essential for success as a leader? Without hesitating, I responded, “intestinal fortitude.” And while the question is not dissimilar to one of those impossible to answer but fun to speculate about debates that run endlessly on sports talk shows (e.g. Who was better, Aaron or Ruth?), I’m taking sides on this one.
Happy Independence Day!
Happy Independence Day!
Want to Lead? #4 of 7. It's Time to Ask and Answer a Difficult Question
The first three questions in this series challenged you to think through issues that are both philosophical and powerfully practical. Why do you want to lead? Do you understand the true role of a leader? Do you understand that the the skills that made you successful as an individual contributor are not the skills that will carry you forward? The next question in the series builds on #3 by asking you to consider whether you are truly willing to let go of some of that expertise as part of your transformation as a leader.
Want to Lead? #3 of 7-Your Individual Contributor Skills No Longer Count!
Question number 3 in our series: Do you understand that the skills that make you successful as an individual contributor are not the skills you need to succeed as a leader?
Leadership Caffeine™: Prepare Your Mind to Conquer Presentation Anxiety
Few phrases are capable of sending shivers down a person’s spine, like, “Bob or Mary, why don’t you present your ideas at our next meeting.” Except perhaps, “Bob or Mary,” why don’t you present your ideas at our next Board of Directors meeting. For some people, this seemingly golden opportunity to show and share is akin to receiving a prison sentence with no hope for parole.
Summer Shorts for June 25, 2010 from Management Excellence
With a father and sons weekend in the offing, I’ll keep the shorts short (bad combination of words!) and offer you encouragement to get out and enjoy the all too fast-moving weekends of summer. Here in the Midwest, we feel good about cracking 2-digits on the number of weekends that make up our available summer, so, there is no time to waste. Some quick-thoughts and fast links:
Want to Lead? Answer These Questions! #2 of 7
The Seven Key Questions for Ambitious, Aspiring Leaders are presented in Practical Lessons in Leadership by Art Petty and Rich Petro. I’ll explore each question here at Building Better Leaders through individual “Leadership Tip of the Day” posts, offering ideas for investigation. Question number one challenged you to ask and answer, “Why do you want to lead?” While the first question focused on motivation, the second question goes squarely to understanding.
Want to Lead? Answer These Questions! Number 1 of 7
The Seven Key Questions are presented in Practical Lessons in Leadership (Amazon) by Art Petty and Rich Petro. I’ll explore each question here at Building Better Leaders through individual “Leadership Tip of the Day” posts, offering ideas for investigation. The first question: why do you want to lead other people?
Hyper-Reality, Slimy Weasels and the Biting Words of a General
I rarely follow a post with a related post, but the current stir created by General McChrystal, the senior military leader in Afghanistan, with his poor word choices and poor judgment in communicating with a reporter, begs a follow-on to Monday’s Leadership Caffeine post, The Word Selection of Journeyman Leaders.