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
I always want it to rain on 9/11—personal reflections on the day the world changed
I always hope for rain on 9/11. Of the images and emotions seared into my mind from this day in 2001, the backdrop of that perfectly blue sky where we saw evil up close and felt the burn of tragedy and loss is something I can't shake. Clear blue skies amplify my...
I always want it to rain on 9/11—personal reflections on the day the world changed
I always hope for rain on 9/11. Of the images and emotions seared into my mind from this day, the backdrop of that perfectly blue sky where we saw evil up close and felt the burn of tragedy and loss is something I can’t shake. Clear blue skies amplify my emotions on subsequent anniversaries of that awful day.
The Secret to Leadership and Career Success is Hiding in Plain Sight
One of the key success factors for leaders and for all of us is hiding in plain sight ready for all of us to use. Here are six key ingredients essential for ensuring respect is present in every encounter.
Three Big Priorities When You’re Stepping Up to Managing Managers
Succeeding as a manager of managers is another career adventure steeped in ambiguity and shrouded in uncertainty. This article offers ideas to help you successfully navigate your new job as a manager of managers.
Career Reinvention Journal—Get Out of Your Head and Start Moving
The biggest challenge faced by many individuals who desperately believe they need to do something different with their careers is moving from recognition to action. Here are some ideas to help you start moving.
Success as a New Manager Starts with the Right Attitude
Much like most other things in life, the attitude you bring to the job of new manager is a significant contributor to your success or failure.
Communication Practices of High-Performance Management Teams
While there may be a variety of x-factors that contribute to the most successful teams (observation isn’t causation), how they communicate and ultimately collaborate is at least part of the equation for success.
Challenging Conversations—Dealing with a Micromanaging Boss
Not all micromanagers are created equal. Some are a lot more vexing than others. If you’re unfortunate enough to fall under their purview for a while, instead of letting the frustration get to you, it pays to develop coping and navigation skills. Here are some ideas to help you finesse a difficult situation:
Career Reinvention Journal—When It’s Time To Do Something Else
For some individuals navigating the mid-career blahs involves taking on added job responsibilities or even changing positions within their firms. Others seek out new experiences by shifting firms or possibly taking on like-kind roles in new industries.While there’s work involved in all of those cases, the degree of difficulty is relatively low for job changers compared to the challenges faced by those I reference as career reinventors. For this latter group, the process of determining what to do is the first big challenge.
Two Critical Conversations that Can’t Go Unspoken in Our Organizations
Not talking about the right issues at the right time closes off access to an unknown series of potentially game-changing outcomes. It’s like closing the door on your future as a firm and your career as a manager.
Great Managers Make a Hard Job Look Easy—Here’s How
My favorite part of working with good managers is their seeming superpower to make their difficult jobs guiding and engaging with team members and stakeholders look easy. Here are 8 key behaviors I’ve observed in these managers: