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
Tired of the drama storm? Effective managers write the rules of the road with their teams
Is there a drama storm on your team? In my informal survey of coaching clients, workplace drama is all too prevalent and distracting. Managers are tired of officiating the he said/she said/they didn't/I can't work with... issues that creep up in daily work. "It's...
Tired of the drama storm? Effective managers write the rules of the road with their teams
In my informal survey of coaching clients, workplace drama is all too prevalent and distracting. Managers are tired of officiating the he said/she said/they didn’t/I can’t work with… issues that creep up in daily work. They are looking for a solution—something that places responsibility where it belongs. I teach my managers to write the Rules of the Road with their team members to solve this problem.
Leadership Caffeine Anniversary, Special Offers and a Coming Attraction
I continue to be both amazed and humbled at the reception to my book, Leadership Caffeine: Ideas to Energize Your Professional Development. In celebration of the sixth year since publication, I am sharing one secret on where the book idea came from and showing my thanks for your support with 3 very special offers for free books to the first to respond.
Strategy Hunt
Getting strategy right is hard work. Most management teams struggle and many play with the tools of strategy, but never finish anything. Teams that get it right share some common traits, including…
Reorganization B.S.
Structure is a powerful management tool when developed carefully and focused on aligning your team’s superpowers with the big opportunities.
The Checklist App for Living and Leading
It seems like everyone I meet is in search of tools to help improve performance and find time for the things that matter. Perhaps we are looking too hard at our technology and our apps to solve what is a distinctly analog problem. Consider the example of my pilot friend and his preflight checklist. Perhaps we need a checklist for living and leading.
We All Make the Choice to Transact or Transform
All of us have the option to engage with others from a transactional or a transformational mindset. The transactional manager or coworker offers the bare minimum necessary for the situation. The individual with the transformational mindset strives to add value to every encounter. The cost difference between the two styles is negligible but the return from those who opt for the transformational style potentially remarkable.
Why We All Need to Get Good at “Next”
When faced with a world of constant change, “getting good at dealing with next” is essential for survival as well as success. Part of the process involves rewiring our brains to view change as opportunity and adventure.
What Story are You Telling About Your Value?
Success is much easier to attain when we tune in to our true purpose and the real impact we have on others. Once we discover that purpose and impact, we must articulate it through our personal narrative. Most of us are telling the wrong story.
Give Yourself Permission
Too often, we hesitate to make a decision or take action because we are insecure and uncomfortable over the possibility that we might be wrong. Instead of waiting indefinitely for a perfect certainty that will never arrive, give yourself permission to take action. Life is lived one moment and one action at a time.
When it Pays to Invest in Yourself
Working professionals who choose to not invest in their own skills development and knowledge expansion are effectively saying, “I know enough.” They are defaulting on their futures.”