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
Guidance for New(er) Managers—Skip the Do-as-I-Would Approach
One of the new(er) managers' most significant mistakes is thinking and acting as if their role is mostly about showing they are super contributors. I run into this regularly with smart people—experts in their field—who assume their primary job is to be that expert on...
Guidance for New(er) Managers—Skip the Do-as-I-Would Approach
One of the new(er) managers’ most significant mistakes is thinking and acting as if their role is mostly about showing they are super contributors. Skip the Do-as-I-Would style of managing and adopt these key behaviors:
Flashback Friday—Make Time to Think Deeply
Note from Art: I’m drawing from my inventory of over 2,000 articles to share ideas that help during this challenging period. The article below is one of my favorites on our need to hit the pause button once in a while. And, I miss my referenced routine of recharging once per week at the local library. Soon…I hope. Be safe!
Leadership and Management Book Talk—Building Your Professional Library
Art Petty and Wally Bock connect on this episode of the Leadership and Management Book Talk podcast to offer our thoughts on building your professional library.
Three Keys to Creating High-Performance Teams in Virtual or Live Settings
Anyone who has been on a team they might reasonably describe as “high-performance” understands how rare these experiences are in the workplace. Add in the challenges of groups new to virtual collaboration, and the potential for underwhelming outcomes rises considerably. However, with a few essential adjustments, the team leader and members can counteract the team development challenges and live to prosper together.
Leadership Caffeine Podcast—Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg on What’s Your Problem?
Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg joins Art Petty on the Leadership Caffeine podcast to discuss his book, What’s Your Problem? To Solve Your Toughest Problems, Change the Problems You Solve. The focus is on using reframing as a method to explore problems from alternative viewpoints and to identify creative solutions. The book is a great resource for everyone anywhere who is regularly called upon to solve problems in organizations.
Great Leadership Must Be More About What Happens Before the Crisis
In the sweep of recent history, there’s a familiar theme: almost no one and no nation is ever prepared for a crisis. If you read history, it’s clear we celebrate crisis leaders for their resilience and creativity in helping people survive and sustain. However, I wonder just a bit why we don’t do a better job creating leaders who prepare for and even prevent crises in the first place.
Leadership and Management Book Talk #10: Books on Crisis Leadership
Wally Bock and I share our recommended resources on leading in crisis situations. We had to stretch to find business books that we love on this topic, however, the selections from history are plentiful. Enjoy and use the ideas in great leadership health!
Leadership Caffeine™—Hard-Decisions, Soft-Touch
From small business owners to global corporate leaders—for anyone who cares about their employees, customers, and business partners, this is a time of sleepless nights and soul-crushing tough decisions. Yes, this is a time of hard decisions. It’s also a time for the softest of touches.
Rethinking Your Management Approach and Your Team’s Operating Routine in Real-Time
In talking with top executives, it’s no surprise that one of the biggest challenges they are facing is transferring their well-established operating routines into an online/virtual format. Many managers are learning their well-honed cadence and schedule of activities to review, plan, and communicate no longer works in a virtual world.
Leadership and Management Book Talk #9: Books on Thinking
Art Petty and Wally Bock take on the topic of “books about thinking” in this episode of the Leadership and Management Book Talk podcast.