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
A plant closing unleashes a flood of family memories
When the headline is personal It’s rare that a story headline in my morning reads jolts me awake. This one in the WSJ did. "Storied Toolmaker Closes Its Last Hometown Plant — and Blames Its Tape Measures." (Tiered paywall) The news that Stanley (now Stanley Black...
A plant closing unleashes a flood of family memories
It’s rare that a story headline in my morning reads jolts me awake. This one in the WSJ did. “Storied Toolmaker Closes Its Last Hometown Plant — and Blames Its Tape Measures.”
Manager, not interested in climbing the ladder but still want to thrive? Develop in these six areas.
If you truly want to thrive and scale your impact without chasing the climb, you’ll invest in yourself and do the heavy lifting essential for growth.
Jump-start building your influence by mapping and assessing
In this latest article in my ‘Build your influence’ series, I share three steps to map and assess the influencers who affect you.
Rethinking resolutions — tips to bring meaningful goals to life
There’s something cleansing about the start of a new year. While nothing has really changed between 12/31 and 1/1, there’s the feeling that we have a fresh canvas to paint the life we’ve imagined. Many of us do this through resolutions. I I’m a fan of resolving to do...
From Manager to Strategist: How to Use Strategy Tools to See Your Situation Clearly
Regardless of your level, you can start to familiarize yourself with the tools of strategy. They are tools for thinking. Choose your tools carefully, practice with them diligently, and remember that they are only as good as the hands wielding them.
The myth of ‘just let your work speak for itself’ Influence Fitness Series #1
Getting ahead in the workplace is a blend of several important factors, including your abilities, results, alignment with your boss, culture fit, and others. Yet, there’s an X-factor that too many good people overlook: influence born of relationships in the right places.
Final Thoughts — Lessons on Leading from Growing Up Around Dad
Dad conducted a master class in overcoming adversity as a child. From an early age placement in an orphanage to navigating poverty, suffering from severe crossed eyes until a radical surgery in his teens, he personified tenacity. We called it “sticktoitiveness,” and to Dad, this was a key to success. He carried this forward through his life.
Life and Leadership Lessons from My Dad’s Early Life
I wrote recently about the journey and travails we navigated this past Summer as my Dad struggled and eventually passed. In this article, I share some of the many life and leadership lessons I learned from this remarkable man.
Leadership and Management Lessons from Losing Dad
In the past four months, I spent most of my time and energy advocating for my elderly father across a variety of healthcare facilities. He passed away during August, and while it was merciful for him, we’re left with a gigantic hole in our family and hearts.
There’s also a mix of guilt, frustration, and anger at much of the healthcare management, leadership, and delivery we encountered along the way.
Leadership Caffeine: A quiet period to support family
At points in life, we are all called to care for family members. This has been my role for the past five weeks and will be a part of my focus for the near future.