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
“Simply put, managing is hard.” (Here’s a new playbook to help.)
"Managing is hard" The quote in the title comes from Ed Catmull, writing in his outstanding book Creativity, Inc. (The Expanded Edition), about the history of Pixar (a regularly referenced resource on my must buy/read/re-read management book list.) Truer words about...
“Simply put, managing is hard.” (Here’s a new playbook to help.)
Wake-Up Calls for Managers — Insights to Sharpen Focus and Elevate Results is my latest contribution to helping anyone responsible for the work of others survive and ultimately thrive in the hardest parts of their jobs. It’s also, as the title suggests, a “wake-up call” to think differently about how you engage with your colleagues and get the results you and your organization need in this world of change.
Four Ideas to Improve Workplace Communication
In approximately 800 hours of executive and manager coaching each year, the one issue that arises in almost every call is a communication challenge. Here are four sets of ideas you can implement yourself or with your team to strengthen communication effectiveness.
Scale your impact as a manager—six areas where you need to do the heavy lifting
For those with managerial experience striving to scale their impact, there are at least six key areas to focus on developing your skills and abilities.
Thinking of Managing? Six reasons why you might love this role
I run a variation of this post the day before every New(er) Manager Development cohort kick-off. Here are six reasons why you might love the role of manager.
Nine rules turnaround leaders can live by that don’t involve ‘fixing the culture’
Leaders charged with righting foundering organizations often claim “the culture is broken.” However, just as you cannot fix people, experience tells me that focusing on fixing a culture is a fool’s errand. Instead, focus on these nine issues:
Feeling Stuck? Revisit Drucker’s “Managing Oneself” and ask and answer these questions
Peter Drucker’s classic article, “Managing Oneself” is something I read annually. The gold in this article is in his five powerful questions we all need to ask and answer to create alignment between ourselves and our work and lives. I share these and offer six additional questions worth considering.
Leaders, Skip the Annual Resolutions—Use this Hack to Lead More Effectively Daily
For leadership success, skip the annual resolutions and focus on this 5-10 minute daily routine. It’s a powerful way to frame your days with success.
Three of My Favorite Business Reads in 2024
Here are three of my favorite business reads from 2024. Whether you are investing in you or sharing with colleagues, you cannot go wrong with one or all of these three books.
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:
Seven tips to help you succeed when presenting to executives
The invitation to present to your organization’s senior executives is a pivotal career moment. Crush it, and you will make a name for yourself and appear on the radar screen as someone worth watching. Here are seven tips to help: