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:
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.
Leadership Caffeine™—Chasing Your Potential
The sooner you figure out which race to run in your career, the faster you succeed. The right race is to chase your potential. It’s the only one that matters, whether you are leading, serving, or contributing.
Leadership Caffeine Podcast #30—Charlene Li
In this episode of the Leadership Caffeine podcast, Art Petty talks with author and digital transformation expert, Charlene Li, about her new book, The Disruption Mindset: Why Some Organizations Transform While Others Fail.
Giving Thanks for Our Veterans
We in the United States are the beneficiaries of a long line of remarkable individuals who in times of peril risked or sacrificed their lives to defend our country, and who in times of peace work in harm’s way to keep us safe. While “thank you” is the minimum we can offer, there are many ways as citizens to acknowledge how grateful we are for their service.
Organizational Transformation is the In Thing—And It’s Darned Hard Work
Succeeding with organizational transformation is no easy task. Success demands a confluence of conditions and behaviors in a perfect storm of the right actions. Here are seven things that must fall into place to have a chance with organizational transformation:
First-Time Managers Academy—Redefining Online Professional Development
First-Time Managers Academy blends the convenience of online learning with the rigor of a structured development and continuous improvement process. Registration for the last cohort of 2019 closes at 11:59 p.m. Pacific on November 6, 2019.
How to Fight the Pressure to Make a Bad Decision
Yet again, we are faced with a firm that potentially allowed the pressure-to-produce force decisions that impacted not only lives but all of the organization’s stakeholders. As a manager, you may not face life or death consequences, however, manage long enough and you will encounter situations that challenge your ethics and values. Here are six ideas to help you navigate a situation where the prevailing approach is one you believe detrimental to the firm.