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
5 Things You Can Do as a Manager of New(er) Managers to Help Them Take-Off Successfully
Don't let them fly without a license! In the world of unnatural career acts, shifting from contributor to manager is at the top of the difficulty list. Imagine moving from your current day job as a contributor to one where you are now flying a passenger jet with no...
5 Things You Can Do as a Manager of New(er) Managers to Help Them Take-Off Successfully
In the world of unnatural career acts, shifting from contributor to manager is at the top of the difficulty list. Here are five things you can do as a manager of new(er) managers to help them take off successfully.
Manage How You are Perceived or Someone Else Will
As much as we would like to believe that good work is always rewarded, that’s a naive view of the realities of organizational life. You need to understand how others perceive you and focus on adjusting your behaviors to ensure that the perceptions are positive and not limiting. Here are 5 lessons on the dangers of ignoring how you are perceived from a very real case:
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.