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
Leadership Caffeine™—Rethinking New Manager Training and Development
What If You Were Asked to Train First-Time Managers? Imagine you are tapped on the shoulder to lead an upcoming training program for a new cohort of soon-to-be first-time managers in your organization. You're probably flattered, excited, and just a bit nervous. While...
Leadership Caffeine™—Rethinking New Manager Training and Development
If you consider the myriad activities that form the role of manager, including the novel and often vexing situations presented by humans in the workplace, it’s easy to see where attempts at classroom training inevitably fall short. Use the time initially to teach them to think differently about their roles and their work at start-up using these five sets of operating instructions
Promoted from Within-A True Career Conundrum
One of the most difficult transitions for any professional is moving from team member to formal team manager or leader. If you are on the receiving end of this positive acknowledgement of your capabilities, be prepared to deal with some unexpected headaches as you navigate these deceivingly treacherous waters.
My Personal Journey Towards Building Better Leaders
Note from Art: I’m taking time out from my usual blogging activities today to share with you a bit about the background and approach of my new program and website: Building Better Leaders. After conducting more discussions than I can count with professionals in product management, project management, marketing, new first-time leaders, those interested in leading, technical professionals thrust into leadership, I decided to create something that would solve the problems of: practical content, cost, access, sustainability and guidance. Enter Building Better Leaders.
As an Executive, Here’s How I'm Evaluating You Every Day
Someone once asked me when I evaluate people and my answer was a trite but true, “at every encounter.” For those of you early in your careers, forewarned is forearmed, and for those of you suffering from the malady of mid-level malaise, here are a few thoughts to help you snap out of it.
First, recognize that good executive managers are evaluating your performance constantly. They are watching and listening and learning about you when you give project updates. They’re paying attention to how you conduct yourself during group settings and how you manage through problem situations. Your success and growth depend upon your ability to grow and develop your leadership, communications and strategic thinking skills.
No-Regrets Career Development: You Own Your Career
In a perfect world, the firms and managers that we work for would recognize the importance of cultivating talent and they would focus their energies on working with us to develop and advance. In fact, some good leaders and managers do provide this support, but unfortunately, they tend to be in the minority.
Leadership Caffeine™: Five Simple Suggestions for Minimizing Management Myopia
Participate in or monitor enough management team conversations and you will invariably conclude that it’s darned hard for these teams to spend quality time discussing external issues. The gravitational pull of internal “stuff” is overwhelming and resists all attempts to move the conversation to topics outside of the firm’s four walls, preferring instead to keep managers focused on the nuances of their own operations. The result is a self-fulfilling management myopia where the view on the world is grossly limited to the immediate surroundings…and ranges as far as the eyes can see outside conference room windows.
Building Better Leaders: What’s in a Name?
When developing the Building Better Leaders concept, a number of advisors suggested that given my vision and target audiences, the name was too limiting. My response…balderdash! (I’ve always wanted to use that word in a post!) My vision is to help individuals in a wide variety of professions develop as leaders AND as senior contributors.
Leadership 2009 Style-What We Learned
Mix one part global economic crisis with ample quantities of uncertainty and ambiguity. Stir in two-parts ever-changing global competition and a dash of geopolitical instability and you’ll end up with something that looks and feels a lot like the world of today, complete with the mild aftertaste of fear. You’ll also end up with a remarkable living leadership laboratory, where the best leaders are rediscovering the importance of leadership blocking and tackling while simultaneously developing the new skills and approaches required in this complex environment.
Leadership Caffeine™: A Leader’s List of Thanks-Giving
Note from Art: I’m getting a jump-start on my Thanksgiving post in the hope that you have the opportunity during this holiday-shortened work week to reach out and say “Thanks” to those that you have the privilege of leading and serving. Here are my thoughts on what a leader should be thankful for:
Welcome to the Building Better Leaders Blog!
After spending several years of my life dedicated to helping motivated professionals in a variety of fields (product managers, project managers, technical professionals, non-profit professionals, marketers, first-time leaders) discover and develop as leaders and senior contributors, I recognized that I needed to find a platform that enabled me to reach more people faster and more efficiently and affordably than the horribly inefficient and expensive traditional training model.
And I did not want to sacrifice the personal contact.