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™—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.)
MBA Class of 2015—It’s Time to Rededicate to Learning
(This post originally appeared at the Management Excellence Blog by Art Petty.) Every year I offer my heartfelt encouragement to the many newly minted MBA students leaving their classrooms and cohorts behind at graduation. In prior years, my “Congratulations! Now What?” post was intended to offer some transition guidance for leveraging the degree. For this year, I’m emphasizing the need for new graduates to retain their hunger for learning and shift their efforts to regular and far-reaching exploration of the ideas changing our world.
Just One Thing—Push Beyond “M” for Mediocrity
(Note: this post originally appeared at the Management Excellence blog, copyright 2015 Art Petty.) Why do we fail with our initiatives (projects, strategy, leadership) in the workplace so regularly when the causes of failure are well documented and the practices to minimize the chances of failure so well identified?
Art of Managing—Thriving at the Speed of Change
(Note: this post originally appeared at the Management Excellence blog. Copyright 2015 by Art Petty.) My one disappointment with much of the current business writing about change is that it is short on the “what to do about it,” content, in part because the notion of all this change makes for fascinating reading, and in part, because it’s not clear what exactly we should be doing in many cases. Here are 5 big starter ideas to help you and your team learn to thrive in this new world of uncertainty and ambiguity:
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: