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
Introduction to The Manager’s Journey
The Parallels Between The Hero's Journey and The Manager's Journey Are Strong Joseph W. Campbell's description of The Hero's Journey has 17 distinct stages, starting with The Call to Adventure, navigating The Road of Trials, and ending with the Freedom to Live. Of...
Introduction to The Manager’s Journey
Joseph W. Campbell’s description of The Hero’s Journey has 17 distinct stages, starting with The Call to Adventure, navigating The Road of Trials, and ending with the Freedom to Live. Of course, the action occurs between those stages, with untold challenges, exhilarating highs, and soul-crushing lows. Campbell might have been writing the story of The Manager’s Journey.
Three Lenses of Awareness to Help You Identify Emerging Leaders
Too often, the identification of emerging leaders in an organization is done haphazardly or not at all. The Three Lenses approach give you and your fellow managers a consistent framework for observing, coaching, and assessing emerging leaders on your team.
11 Principles of Positive Persuasion for Workplace Conversations
Any conversation at work where you are asking someone for something is a form of negotiation. Effective managers and leaders use the principles of positive persuasion to get what they need and strengthen relationships in the process.
Leadership Caffeine™—Lead Differently
In our development of leaders, we focus on imprinting them with the same (important) but limiting behaviors. In today’s world of change, it’s essential for us to break this mold and work harder at developing and supporting individuals who lead differently.
Fear, Self-Confidence, and Challenging Conversations
Real progress in the workplace occurs through challenging conversations. Unfortunately, fear and a lack of self-confidence often get in the way of us conducting these conversations. Here are 4 steps to help quell your fear and grow your self-confidence.
Leadership Caffeine™—50+ Ideas to Turbocharge Your Success (Webinar)
This free webinar offers slightly more than 50 workplace-tested ideas to help strengthen your leadership success!
How to Win When You’re Under Attack in a Meeting at Work
When faced with a sudden meeting room confrontation, it’s imperative to maintain control and not allow your natural fight or flight instinct to take over. A simple reboot mantra and a few precious seconds to breathe and process will help you win the day.
Reinventing Your Career—Purpose and Cause
For too many experienced professionals, the later stages of their careers feel more like prison sentences than rich opportunities to learn and grow. Yet, investing time to rethink your personal purpose and cause through the lens of your experience, can set the stage for the most productive, rewarding portion of your career and life.
Leadership Caffeine™—Learn, Adapt, Influence
The most effective leaders understand their role in breaking away from the gravitational pull of the status quo. They focus daily on the learn, adapt, influence cycle as they strive to help their teams and firms level-up
Leadership Caffeine™—The Liberating Power of Accountability
If you’ve ever worked in an environment where accountability was in short supply, you understand how toxic this can be for everyone. Effective managers understand and tap into the power of accountability. Of course, accountability always starts with the manager.