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
The Management System Creates the Customer Experience—Observations in Excellence and Otherwise
For the management of business-to-consumer (B2C) organizations, the retail or service location is, of course, the ultimate proving ground. The experience for the consumer—good or bad, reflects the organization's management systems from values, commitment to hiring,...
The Management System Creates the Customer Experience—Observations in Excellence and Otherwise
For the management of business-to-consumer (B2C) organizations, the retail or service location is, of course, the ultimate proving ground. The experience for the consumer—good or bad, reflects the organization’s management systems from values, commitment to hiring, leadership development, and operations effectiveness. Here are some examples—good or bad—of the management system in action.
Designing Constructive Feedback Discussions for Success
Delivering quality constructive feedback is elusive for many managers and much desired by individuals striving to strengthen performance. In this article, I share an overview of the four core processes around effective feedback development and delivery.
Four Conversations Essential for New Manager Success
Developing new managers is hard work that all-too-often is skipped inside our organizations. Fortunately, for all of us, there’s a solution that’s within your control. It comes in the form of four different series of conversations essential for new manager success.
Leadership Caffeine Podcast #29—Amy Jen Su
In this episode of the Leadership Caffeine podcast, Art Petty talks with Amy Jen Su about her new book, The Leader You Want to Be: Five Essential Principles for Bringing Out Your Best Self Every Day.
A Leadership Case—Mistake or a Lack of Discipline? What Would You Do?
The most difficult and impactful decisions in a leader’s life are the people decisions. Drawing from examples in the military, a leader has to assess whether an issue was a mistake or a lack of discipline. One merits second chances and the other demands more aggressive action. Here’s a case and outcome that illustrates the situation. How would you have handled this situation?
Developing a Discovery-Driven Culture in Your Organization
The quote from writer, William Gibson, “The future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed,” always makes me pause. For anyone leading a business and engaging in setting strategy, Gibson’s perspective should be imprinted on your frontal lobe as a blunt reminder of your need to cultivate a discovery-driven culture or risk obsolescence.
Leadership Caffeine Podcast #28—David Loy
David Loy, CEO of Leverage Creative Group offers up fabulous insights on personal branding, carving out your niche, developing your personal leadership philosophy and much more on this issue of the Leadership Caffeine podcast.
A Technique to Create More Great Days at Work
Instead of letting your days just happen, invest a few minutes before work to prepare your attitude and strive to succeed at every encounter. Here’s how I do it:
Career Reinvention Journal—Is It Time for a New Story?
It happens to just about everyone during their careers. Those who say it doesn’t are fooling themselves. The “it” I’m referencing is a period of doubt about where they are and what they are doing in their careers. It’s a period of self-questioning that can lead to change or just more of the same. If change is the answer, you have to rewrite the story you’ve been telling yourself about you.
How to Get Ahead Without Being Perceived as a Jerk (Most of the time)
The question, “Do I have to be a jerk to get ahead?” is spoken out of frustration. There’s no doubt that in sharp-elbowed organizations, noisy, manipulative individuals can be the ones gaining the plum assignments and key promotions. If you want to get ahead, you don’t have to mimic their behaviors, but you do have to choose a strategy to compete. Here are some ideas to help you get ahead without compromising your values: