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
Enough on Giving Feedback—The Real Success Comes from Learning to Receive It
Feedback is a complicated topic. We lament that our managers are either not good at giving it or don’t give it frequently enough. When we get feedback that challenges us to adjust our behaviors to improve our performance, we grow frustrated, angry, or both. As Walt...
Enough on Giving Feedback—The Real Success Comes from Learning to Receive It
Feedback is a complicated topic. We lament that our managers are either not good at giving it or don’t give it frequently enough. When we get feedback that challenges us to adjust our behaviors to improve our performance, we grow frustrated, angry, or both. Here are three big tips on strengthening as a receiver of feedback:
Leadership Caffeine Podcast #32—Marc Effron
This is the single best discussion I’ve ever had on pursuing high-performance as an individual! I can’t say enough good about my interview with Marc Effron and the science-backed content in his new book, 8 Steps to High Performance: Focus on What You Can Change (Ignore the Rest).
Changing Your View On Managing From the Middle
There’s a lot of negative spin about the role of managing from the middle, mostly perpetuated by individuals who feel over-worked, under-paid, and under-appreciated. That’s too bad because, with the proper frame-shift, you might recognize managing from the middle is filled with opportunities to create, guide, develop, and frankly have a little fun.
For Experienced Managers—A Webinar to Inspire and Help You Grow
On Tuesday, 12/10/19 at 11:00 a.m. central, I’m hosting a free webinar for experienced managers. Join me for slightly less than an hour for a session filled with ideas, examples, and inspiration to help you level-up in a world of change!
Leadership Caffeine Podcast #31—Julie Winkle Giulioni
In this episode of the Leadership Caffeine podcast, I have the pleasure of talking with Julie Winkle Giulioni, co-author with Beverly Kaye of the book Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go (second edition), about the important topic of developing employees on your team.
Leadership and Management Book Podcast #2—2019 Holiday Book Suggestions
Art Petty and Wally Bock share their 2019 Holiday Book Recommendations in this episode of the Leadership and Management Book podcast.
Manager, Do You Use Questions as an Interrogator or Explorer?
A large part of the outcome from your daily encounters with team members depends upon your careful use of questioning. Are you an interrogator or an explorer? Depending upon your style, the outcomes are very different.
At Least Six Reasons to Be Thankful for Your Leadership Opportunity
Every year in time for the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., I share thoughts on why everyone in a leadership role should be thankful for the privilege of serving and leading. Here are a few reasons to pause and reflect on as you count your blessings.
Situation Awareness Skills Are Critical for Leadership Success
When was the last time you read a book or attended a training session on Situation Awareness (SA)?
Unless you work around the military, aviation, or in crisis management situations, chances are the answer is never. That’s a mistake. Increasingly, I see what I interpret as the skills to assess, understand, project, and act based on that analysis as a critical set of behaviors for leaders at all levels.
Leadership and Management Book Podcast #1 —Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead
Leadership authors and bloggers, Art Petty and Wally Bock, combine efforts to share their views on the latest leadership and management books. In this episode, Art and Wally review Call Sign Chaos by Jim Mattis and Bing West.








