The Leadership Caffeine Blog
Cultivating the Self-Confidence to Take Chances on You
"What I needed in my youth was the confidence to trust myself. The challenge of life is to foster confidence in one’s own judgment. What creates success isn’t merely being offered the chance to lead but having the courage to accept a challenge when it is presented."...
Cultivating the Self-Confidence to Take Chances on You
Part of deciding to lead is determining whether you care enough to want to create, build, or fix more than you fear criticism or failure.
For the Big Decisions, You’ve Got to Wrestle Ambiguity
The struggle over the big decisions is the inherent ambiguity. The unknowns are overwhelming. Fear of getting it wrong floods our minds and our brains struggle for traction in the muck. Nonetheless, these are the times when you have to stand up and cut through the fog of ambiguity.
For Success, Cultivate a Communication Style that Shows You Care
From feedback and coaching discussions to interchanges with coworkers who can say, “Yes” or “No” to your requests for resources, process changes, budgetary allocations or fresh ideas, there’s no end to the critical communication situations we encounter at work. I find that just a few common-sense, authentic communication tactics improve your success and strengthen your credibility as well.
Leadership Caffeine™—Attitude
The term, attitude gets a bad rap most of the time. We associate attitude with words such as bad, uncooperative, truculent, antagonistic. When was the last time you heard someone say, “That person has an attitude,” and you interpreted it as a compliment? Attitude needs a p.r. campaign.
10 Lessons Learned In Search of Success as a Leader
There are no courses, books, or even alchemical formulas that replace the hard work essential for learning to lead. Here are 10 hard-won lessons for anyone in search of success as a leader:
Leadership Caffeine™—Resilience and Courage
The next time you come face-to-face with someone offering different ideas or coming from a world you don’t know or understand, slow-down and listen. And then listen harder. Don’t let the pressure to conform with convention keep you from the right decision.
How To Succeed When You’re Working With a Coach
If you’re fortunate enough to be working with a coach in your professional or personal life, know that there’s a formula for success with this endeavor. Success starts with the right mindset—a beginner’s mind—and the commitment to listening, processing, and applying and experimenting with yourself and your behaviors daily. In other words, it’s hard work. Here are five additional ideas that will help you succeed:
Starting Strong as a New Manager
Here’s some guidance to help new managers move beyond that early feeling of disorientation and start strong.
Effective Leaders Resolve to Improve Daily
Annual resolutions are tempting but mostly empty promises easily discarded. Effective leaders work hard at identifying opportunities to improve daily. Here are some tools to help your cause:
For the New Year, Resolve to Become a Rebel at Work
The gravitational pull of the status quo is powerful in every organization. It takes rebels and rebellion to change. While breaking the rules always comes with risk, learning to guide others through constructive rule-breaking in pursuit of needed changes is a great way to grow your success.