The Leadership Caffeine Blog
From Manager to Strategist: How to Use Strategy Tools to See Your Situation Clearly
One of the hit topics, according to the students in my recent capstone on strategy, was a comment from a guest speaker suggesting strategy isn’t reserved for those at the top of the organization chart. As mid-level managers and contributors, you can think...
From Manager to Strategist: How to Use Strategy Tools to See Your Situation Clearly
Regardless of your level, you can start to familiarize yourself with the tools of strategy. They are tools for thinking. Choose your tools carefully, practice with them diligently, and remember that they are only as good as the hands wielding them.
Fifty Something with More Gas Left in the Career Tank But Need a Change? What To Do
The concept of “career” takes on a different complexion as you move through the decades. For the experienced fifty-something professional who’s seen and done a lot, it’s much about finding fresh ways to contribute and create, not climb. It’s also a personal drive to (pick your flavor) reset, refresh, recharge, and sometimes build new. Making a significant career shift in your 50’s (or any age) is daunting. Here are some experience-tested ideas to help you get started:
For Managers—Part 2 of Creating Clarity with Your Coaching and Evaluation Discussions (Feedback)
Feedback—both positive (appreciation) and improvement-oriented–is a vital part of your coaching toolkit. It’s also one of the most troubling, vexing areas for managers because the improvement-oriented (aka constructive) feedback is simultaneously awkward, stressful, and potentially emotionally fraught for all parties. Here are ten ideas to help:
For Managers—Creating Clarity Via Your Coaching and Evaluation Discussions, Part 1
One of the frequent themes in my executive and emerging leader coaching sessions and programs is confusion over how to create and sustain an effective coaching dialog with team members. My goal with this series of articles is to help managers at all levels gain clarity on the types of discussions while guiding them on a regular cadence and rhythm for engaging in these discussions.
Lessons from The Leap to Leader by Adam Bryant (Leadership Caffeine Jam Session #22 Rewind)
Author, journalist, and executive coach Adam Bryant joined the recent Leadership Caffeine Jam Session to talk about the insights in his new book The Leap to Leader: How Ambitious Managers Make the Jump to Leadership. Check out the insights and wisdom and link to the replay of this information-filled session.
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.
How an Operating System Transforms New Manager Development
One of the vexing career challenges any individual encounters is the shift from contributor to manager. There’s little about succeeding as a contributor that translates to guiding, coaching, and supporting others for success. We need an operating system to guide both promoting and new managers across the treacherous chasm of starting-up. This is where the Managers Operating System fits perfectly.
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.
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:
Enough with the Leader Versus Manager Debate—It’s Time for a New Model
It’s the perfect time in our world to vanquish the long-perpetuated and unproductive myth that leaders are somehow meaningfully different from managers.