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.
Leadership Caffeine™—Rethink Your Inner Game of Leading
We spend a great deal of time reading, writing and training on the physical manifestations of leadership: the actions. In reality, success as a leader requires that we learn to manage and leverage our inner game.
The Best Of: The Difference Between Finishers and 70-Percenters
There’s a class of professionals in the world one of my former bosses labeled as “70-Percenters.” They’re the people who are great at making noise, and even getting things started, but they don’t know how to close. They’re not finishers. Here are 5 key behaviors of finishers:
Leadership Caffeine™—Successful In Spite of Yourself
What costs are your own leadership tics and aberrant behaviors imposing on your teams, your firm and on your career? While you’ve been successful, how much success have you left on the table along the way?
The Best Of: How to Thrive in High Pressure Conversations
Every professional faces important “moments of truth” as they navigate through their work days. Whether it’s the invitation to speak at the board meeting, the opportunity to connect one-on-one with the CEO or, a tough feedback conversation with a team member, you need to be ready to succeed in these High Value/High Risk (HV/HR) situations. Here are 5 steps to helping improve your effectiveness:
Leadership Caffeine™—Rethinking Leadership Execution
There’s very little new to be said about what leadership IS. There is however a great deal to be said about how leadership takes place—particularly in an era characterized by what the academics call VUCA: volatility, uncertainty, conflict and ambiguity.
Say “No” to Indecent Leadership
We’ve tolerated mediocre to miserable leadership in too many areas of our society and lives for too long. It’s a good time to rethink leadership and demand accountability for results.
Smile is Mandatory—Customer Service Pitfalls: Guest Post by Laura MacLeod
Laura MacLeod returns to the blog to share her insights on customer service. In this post, she suggests that some of our traditional customer service training might just miss the mark. She offers some alternative approaches to consider.
The Best Of: Jump-start Your Team’s “Ideas to Actions” Machine
Ideas in the workplace that are voiced but never vetted or pursued are the corporate equivalent of those brilliant insights we have in the middle of the night that we don’t bother to write down. “I’ll remember it in the morning,” we think at the time. We rarely do. Here are 7 ideas to help you jumpstart your firm’s “ideas to Actions” machine:
The Best Of: The Trust Building Power of Second Chances
If humans are in the picture, mistakes will occur. Whether the mistake is an error in judgment, a result of incomplete planning or, due to inexperience with the task at hand, your team members will make mistakes. Your response to a mistake sets the tone for the next stage of your relationship. Here are 5 ideas to help you move in the right direction in these emotionally charged situations: