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 Problem(s) with One-and-Done Training for Manager Development—And Two New Programs that Solve Those Problems
Be Very Suspicious of One-and-Done Training for Professional Development The reflex action in most organizations for professionals is training. "Let's send Lucero and Erik to New Manager Training at (name your training organization)." In and of itself, there's nothing...
The Problem(s) with One-and-Done Training for Manager Development—And Two New Programs that Solve Those Problems
One-and-done type training programs for manager development consistently fall short. A proper professional development experience blends expert instruction, cohort-based learning/sharing, coaching, and time. For time, the issue is months, not weeks. My thoughts and two new programs that deliver the right blended experience.
Our Real World Leadership Laboratory
It’s a fascinating time to study leaders. Remember, you can learn from poor examples as well as great ones. I keep a dedicated file in my memory bank labeled, “Don’t Do That—Do This.” Recently, I’m running short on memory for storage. For me, the counter-balance to...
Leadership Caffeine™—Think and Do Differently
Our reflex action is to follow conventional thinking and apply accepted processes to solving problems at work. Leaders looking to spur innovation have a different approach. They think and do differently. They understand that every problem offers an opportunity to spur creativity and catalyze innovation. Thinking and doing differently is their mantra, as they deliver oxygen to their firms in the form of much needed innovation. If your firm or team is suffocating, it’s time for you to think and do differently.
Leadership Caffeine™—Foster a Culture of Creative Disobedience
Yesterday’s models of managing and leading emphasized coordination and control. Both are in opposition to the needs of today’s organizations for ideas and approaches that blow up traditional ways of doing things. A core job as a leader today is to promote more creative disobedience.
Leadership Caffeine—Creating Myoshu
Our leadership and management focus on productivity ignores the critical need for us to move strategically. For most of us, strategy is a series of incremental moves around a long-standing theme. Today’s world demands that we find a way to punctuate equilibrium or we risk going out of business one efficient day at a time.
Leadership Caffeine™—Turning Ambiguity into Advantage
The world is filled with uncertainty and ambiguity, yet we teach our children, students and team members to work according to the rules and to color within the lines. Instead, we should teach our teams to leverage ambiguity by writing their own rules in pursuit of a shared goal. And effective leaders understand that action begets action and ultimately insight, even in the most uncertain circumstances. Sometimes, you just have to “paint the wall” while searching for the next step.
Running on Empty? First, Eliminate the Energy Sinks
Energy always flows from the source to the sink. In your hot water heater, the water is the sink. Eventually, the consumption of hot water is capable of exceeding the capacity of the source. The same applies in our professional and leadership lives. It’s essential to identify and eliminate the heat sinks in our daily lives to free capacity to focus on the work that matters. Here are 12 ideas to help you with this important mission:
For Younger Professionals: Grow Your Career by Succeeding Wildly Today
I admire people who are hungry for success and willing to work hard to get it. However, for all of us, the road ahead to success as we envision it is often murky. Sometimes it is good to suspend looking to far ahead and to focus on succeeding in the here and now and simply put one foot in front of the other. The future has a way of creating opportunities for those who succeed wildly now.
Leadership Caffeine™—Aim for the Heart
Leading by the numbers isn’t leading. Numbers are outcomes of nearly countless workplace and customer encounters. The real goal of the leader is to make certain those encounters create value. Do a great job building energy for the mission and good results will follow.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Coaching Experience
The opportunity to work with a professional coach is a game-changer for many in their careers. Those who derive the most out of their firm’s investment in their development tend to display these 10 important behaviors: