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
Breaking Out of a Personal Creativity Slump—Restarting Your Idea Machine
It's a Crisis When My Idea Machine Grinds to a Halt Like many of you, ideas are my stock in trade. Whether writing the next article, designing a new workshop or course, providing strategy advisory services for a client, or supporting my coaching clients, I have to...
Breaking Out of a Personal Creativity Slump—Restarting Your Idea Machine
Like many of you, ideas are my stock in trade. Whether writing the next article, designing a new workshop or course, providing strategy advisory services for a client, or supporting my coaching clients, I have to operate with a well-oiled idea machine. When the idea machine grinds to a halt, I’m in trouble and need to find a fun, engaging, practical approach to restarting it. Here are 14 hacks I use to restart mine:
Leadership Caffeine™—Is Leadership Changing?
There’s an interesting interview at McKinsey, with Heidreck & Struggles CEO, Tracy Wolstencroft, that explores what they describe as the changing nature of leadership in this era of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. The interview prompted my own consideration of some of the changing leadership behaviors I’m observing in firms who are succeeding in navigating the fog of these times.
Ideas for Professional Growth—Week of June 14, 2015
Every week, I provide a few simple (but not simplistic) ideas for you to Do/Experiment/Explore in support of your professional development. This week’s focus on achieving better alignment with your manager, improving the effectiveness of brainstorming and improving your effectiveness in leading group discussions. Use them in good health and great professional development!
Friday Leadership Ideas—3 to Help You Finish Strong for June 12, 2015
Before you move into a well-earned weekend of whatever it is you enjoy doing, take time today to address a few key leadership items on your agenda. The benefits of finishing strong will carry through into a great weekend and positive re-start on Monday. Here are 3 for today…
Art of Managing—There’s No Substitute for the Right Tools
Most of the tools of management were conceived in an era characterized by a great deal of consistency and predictability…two attributes in short supply today. It’s time to rethink everything, including the tools we use to manage and plan for our very uncertain futures. There is no substitute for the right tool. Sometimes, you simply have to create that tool.
Leadership Caffeine—Becoming Agile and Adaptable is THE Leadership Issue
The Leadership Caffeine™ series is intended to make you think and act. -- What if everything that used to work for your business no longer did? The business challenge of this era for long established firms is much about escaping the powerful pull of the past....
Ideas for Professional Growth: Week of June 7, 2015
Every week, I provide a few simple (but not simplistic) ideas for you to Do/Experiment/Explore in support of your professional development. Use them in great professional health and personal gain. Here are the ideas for the week June 7, 2015:
Just One Thing—Hug a Project Manager
One of the core takeaways my MBA students express after investing 10 weeks immersed in the art and science of this discipline is new found appreciation for the role project managers play in our organizations.
Art of Managing—Humility, Teamwork and Focus
(Note: this post by Art Petty originally appeared at the Management Excellence blog.) In a sea of books and articles published regularly on navigating complexity in our world today, few capture the solution as succinctly as the three words: humility, teamwork and focus. One defines the attitude required for success from the top to the bottom; one defines the essential obligation of each and every individual engaged in any initiative and the other describes the need for context or common purpose. Misfire on one or more of these and the results range from poor to disastrous.
Leadership Caffeine™—Ask, “How Can I Help?”
One of the more powerful leadership learning moments in my career occurred when I was part of project team that was struggling to find traction around an important and complicated strategic initiative… . (note: this post by Art Petty originally appeared at The Management Excellence blog.)