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
Making the Career Move to Manager (or not)
Have you thought of managing and rejected the idea? At some point in our careers, many of us dance with the decision to manage or remain on a contributor track. Recently, I've heard from a number of individuals who reject the idea of moving to manager, in large part...
Making the Career Move to Manager (or not)
At some point in our careers, many of us dance with the decision to manage or remain on a contributor track. There are some great reasons why this might not be a good for you. Yet, at the right time and in the right culture, don’t rule it out. Here are six big reasons why the career move to manager might be perfect for you.
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.
Managers—Less of You is Probably Enough
As managers and leaders, we often fall victim to the belief that our teams need us to survive and thrive. In reality, if we’ve done our jobs right in selecting, developing, and placing people in the right positions, and worked hard to create a healthy environment, what they need is less of us.
A Focus on Leadership and Strategy
A number of my recent articles on strategy and strategy execution are found only at SmartBrief on Leadership. This post points you to those articles.
Free Webinar: 4 Conversations to Help You Develop New Managers
On Wednesday, October 30, 2019, at 11:00 a.m. central, I am hosting a new webinar entitled: 4 Critical Conversations for New Manager Success. My goal in this free event is to share a framework of four sets of conversations and supporting activities promoting managers can use to strengthen their selection and early-stage development of new managers on their teams.









