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
Feeling Stuck? Revisit Drucker’s “Managing Oneself” and ask and answer these questions
Every year, I read Peter Drucker's classic article, "Managing Oneself" (HBR, subscription required or via other collections) as part of my personal-professional career navigation process. His powerful questions and frank commentary help me reorient and reset my career...
Feeling Stuck? Revisit Drucker’s “Managing Oneself” and ask and answer these questions
Peter Drucker’s classic article, “Managing Oneself” is something I read annually. The gold in this article is in his five powerful questions we all need to ask and answer to create alignment between ourselves and our work and lives. I share these and offer six additional questions worth considering.
Leadership Caffeine™—Stop Talking, Start Asking and Listening
In this crisis environment, there are only two behaviors that will save your organization: curiosity and listening.
Nightmares in Workplace Communications and How to Strengthen as a Communicator
Most of us have a few communication moments in our careers that we would like to either do-over or erase our brains’ memories. Here are a few of mine and what I learned that help me grow as a workplace communicator:
Leadership and Management Book Talk—First Quarter Favorites
Wally Bock and I share thoughts on our favorite leadership and management reads from this year’s first quarter on the latest podcast episode.
Uncover Your Professional Value Proposition to Improve Your Job and Career Success
Whether you’re looking for a job, asking for a promotion, or focused on reinventing your career, you need to be able to articulate and showcase your Professional Value Proposition (PVP). The same goes for situations where you are asking for more, including angling for a promotion or seeking a raise. It turns out, uncovering and articulating your PVP is a challenging exercise. Here are ideas to help:
Leadership and Management Book Talk—Exploring Two Books from Jim Collins
Art Petty and Wally Bock talk about some of the later books in Jim Collins’ Good to Great Series: How the Mighty Fall and Great by Choice. Both of us agree, one is a great business book and highly relevant for our world today.
It’s Time to Rethink Leadership Around Leading for Resilience
In this article, I make the case we’ve been developing and valuing the wrong qualities in our organization’s leaders. We need to focus on a new style of leadership—leading for resilience.
Priceless Leadership Advice from a Mentor
Interestingly, the most important advice I ever received from a mentor about leading and succeeding was all about strengthening my communication skills.
Live-Webinar (free)—Fierce Listening: The Key to Leadership and Career Success
Join us for a great session on a career and leadership critical topic: strengthening as a listener. We’re live-online at 11:00 a.m. central on 5/21 with Fierce Listening: The Key to Leadership and Career Success.
Career Success Demands Adjusting Your Altitude and Traveling Forward in Time
While you might be correct in assuming I’ve read too much science fiction and fantasy, it turns out two skills they don’t teach you in most professional development programs are essential for your success. I’m referencing altitude adjustment and time-travel.