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
A Six-Stage Process to De-Risk Your Career Shift
It's the fear that keeps us from moving from daydreams into action It's always the fear of something that holds us back when it comes to a career change. I hear the "What if's?" from clients at the beginning of our work together all of the time. Just a few I...
A Six-Stage Process to De-Risk Your Career Shift
So many people I encounter are interested in making a career shift, but struggle to get started. And, they worry about the risks involved in the process. Here’s a six-stage process to de-risk your career shift.
Friday Leadership Ideas to Help You Finish Strong for July 31, 2015
Every week I share a few ideas to help you finish strong. For this week, I offer ideas on mixing up your routine to spark energy, gaining much needed marketplace context and planning for success in the new month.
Art of Managing—5 Big Lessons Learned from My Hiring Mistakes
Over an extended career, you will make more than one hiring mistake. I guarantee it. No hiring manager escapes unscathed in this process. While a misfire is inevitable, this painful mistake (for you, your firm and the hire) is packed with some powerful life and career lessons. Here are 5 big lessons I’ve learned the hard way:
Leadership Caffeine™—Resist the Urge to Shield Your Team from Bad News
In difficult situations, reality tinged with optimism and backed by encouragement serves as a more effective motivator than a saccharine-sweet message of false praise and manufactured positivity.
Friday Leadership Ideas to Help You Finish Strong for July 24, 2015
Every week I share a few ideas to help you finish strong. A great ending sets the stage for success next week. This week’s suggestions include rethinking your approach to initiative post-mortem meetings and getting into gear on your own professional development.
Ideas for Professional Growth for the Week of July 19, 2015
Every week I offer ideas to encourage you to stretch and grow. For this week, my suggestions include volunteering to solve a vexing problem, experimenting with assignment rotation and taking your team on a field trip. Use them in great professional health!
Friday Leadership Ideas to Help You Finish Strong for July 17, 2015
Every week I offer ideas to help you finish on a high note. Use the ideas to finish strong and set the stage for success heading into the new week. For today, I offer encouragement on purging unfounded criticism from the space it rents in your mind, and I’m reminding you to show appreciation for your team members during the journey. Enjoy and have a great weekend!
It’s Your Career—Try Reframing the Problems to Stimulate Success
How we frame a situation guides our development of options and biases our decisions. In my coaching work, framing is almost always an issue with under-performing professionals. Here are five common situations that can benefit from some active, personal reframing.
Art of Managing—Be Careful About Labeling Your Employees
There’s an interesting article at Harvard Business Review, entitled, “How to Manage a Team of B Players,” by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic. I appreciate the author’s attempt at describing the leadership challenge and approach to molding a group of “ordinary” individuals into a high performance team. He offers some compelling guidance. I am however, uncomfortable with his easy use of the term, “B-Players.” And while I am absolutely guilty in the past of using the A, B, C, designation to characterize individuals and their level of skill/capability/potential, I’ve grown uncomfortable with the cavalier assignment of people to these categories.
Friday Leadership Ideas to Help You Finish Strong for July 10, 2015
Every week I share a few ideas to help you finish strong. A great ending sets the stage for success next week. For this week, I’m encouraging you to call a timeout and assess how you are doing against the big items on your agenda. I’m also suggesting a change of view by engaging with peers and teams outside of your own function. Last and not least, I offer a few good Summer reading suggestions in business and biography.