The Leadership Caffeine Blog
Provocative Perspective—The Leadership Failure of Mass Layoffs
I’ve long believed layoffs are a lagging indicator of poor leadership engaged in misguided management practices. The headlines at the time of this writing are filled with announcements of mass layoffs—mostly from Big Tech—backed with apologies from CEOs. From META CEO...
Provocative Perspective—The Leadership Failure of Mass Layoffs
I’ve long believed layoffs are a lagging indicator of poor leadership engaged in misguided management practices. The CEO apologies for these misfires ring hollow. You cannot apologize your way out of a leadership failure at scale.
Leadership Caffeine™—Letting Go of Your Need to Be the Smartest Person in the Room
(Note: This post first appeared at the Management Excellence blog https://artpetty.com/blog/ by Art Petty. Copyright 2015 Art Petty.) One of the most common and damaging of a leader’s blind-spots is the compulsion to regularly provide evidence that he/she is the smartest person in the room. Here are some helpful suggestions to recognize and combat your own or your boss’s “smartest person” tendencies:
Level-Up™#4—Six Lessons to Help Grow Your Power at Work
(Note: this post originally appeared at the Management Excellence blog copyright 2015 Art Petty) Ask and answer a simple question: “How did the three most powerful people in your firm (without a “C” in their titles) arrive at their current positions?” The answer to this question contains some key lessons for you in your own quest to enhance your career and gain more control of your work. Here are six lessons…
Leadership Caffeine™—To Be Effective, Your Do Must Match Your Tell
(Note: This post first appeared at the Management Excellence blog https://artpetty.com/blog/ by Art Petty. Copyright 2015 Art Petty.) No creature on the planet destroys credibility faster than a pontificating blow-hard of a boss who is great at turning oxygen into over-heated carbon dioxide, but not so great at overcoming the gravitational pull of his posterior to the chair and putting his own words into action. Here are 7 tips to help ensure your do matches your tell:
It’s Your Career—Priceless Perspectives of Experience
I’ve talked to many 40 and 50-something professionals on how their perspectives and attitudes on personal and career issues have changed over time. Their insights are instructive and inspirational. Enjoy! (note: this post originally appeared at the Management Excellence blog. Copyright 2015 Art Petty.)
At Least 10 Unnatural Acts of Misguided Management
Note: this post originally appeared at the Management Excellence blog by Art Petty. The pursuit of effective management is a noble calling. It’s too bad that too many managers give it a bad name. Here are at least 10 unnatural acts of less than brilliant managers:
It’s Your Career—Strengthening Your Perceptual Acuity
From Art Petty, writing at the Management Excellence blog: The ability to see around corners or, see over the horizon, are two phrases that relate directly to the idea of perceptual acuity. While we’re barred by physical faculties from literally achieving those feats of optical gymnastics, as professionals, we are accountable for attempting to translate the external noise from our customers, our competitors, the new developments in technology and the many other forces propelling our world and our industries and then making decisions to either exploit opportunities or mitigate risks. Those who do this successfully…great strategists, product managers, management teams, entrepreneurs and innovators of all kinds, strive to see patterns and opportunities where the rest of us might see randomness. Here are 5 ideas to help you strengthen your professional acuity:
Leadership Caffeine™ —The Inner Game of Leading
A great deal of what’s written and spoken about leadership focuses on describing the actions most often associated with effective leaders. The actions are tangible…we can see them and observe their impact on people and we can mimic them in our own attempts at guiding, motivating and developing others. It’s good to mimic good behaviors. However, it’s important to remember that these actions of effective leaders are backed by a strong, personal belief in purpose…
Leading the Project? Define Your Charter to Support High Performance
It’s hard to argue with either of these statements, nonetheless, too many project managers deeply skilled in the mechanics of their vocation fall short on learning and practicing the soft-skills critical for high performance team development. When project fail…and too many do, there’s a safe bet that people-related issues are key contributors to the initiative’s demise. Great project managers define their role beyond the project mechanics liberally. Here are 7 steps to help you define and begin using your own Project Leader’s Charter in pursuit of high performance:
Just One Thing—Quit Playing Down to Their Level
Good competition raises the level of performance for all involved. Whether in athletic endeavors or business, a skilled, aggressive competitor forces us to raise the quality of our own game. Strenuous competition with aggressive, skilled performers tests us physically and mentally and helps us find that extra gear needed to perform at our best. Annoyingly, the opposite also seems to hold true.