The Leadership Caffeine Blog
Professional Development is the Gift that Keeps on Giving
A Plan for Professional Development Heading Into the New Year The best managers and executives I work with are always on the lookout for opportunities to support team member growth. As a senior executive, I went into every new year with professional development on the...
Professional Development is the Gift that Keeps on Giving
The best managers and executives I work with are always on the lookout for opportunities to support team member growth. Here’s a list of great professional development opportunities for you or your team members.
Leadership Caffeine™-Why You Should Cultivate Your Inner Leadership Anthropologist
While there’s no substitute for live-fire action in learning to develop as a leader, well-honed skills of observation can provide useful perspectives on the actions and reactions of people to various leadership styles and approaches. Here are eight sets of questions/topics that will hone your leadership anthropology skills and support your own professional development program:
Just One Thing: Now is the Time to Tackle that Tough Issue
Just about all of us are guilty of delaying dealing with a tough topic in our professional lives. These tend to be the gut churning, stare at the ceiling at night type issues that if addressed, will force us to confront our fears, admit our mistakes, move away from the known towards the unknown and generally unsettle ourselves and potentially those around us. Here are 10 issues we love to delay and my hearty encouragement to pick yours and get going!
New Leader Tuesday-Showcasing Your Authentic Self
It’s typically good advice to “be yourself” and “be authentic” when it comes to leading others. Unfortunately, for many starting out as leaders, it takes time and experience to develop the confidence necessary to let the world see us as in our leadership skins au naturel. Here are 5 ideas to help you cultivate the confidence necessary to show yourself as you are:
Leadership Caffeine™-Coping with a Personal Leadership Confidence Deficit
Lack of self-confidence is a limiting factor in the leadership careers of many good professionals. This is a difficult and extremely personal topic. Here’s some added context to help you recognize that we all struggle with many of the same issues, however, with deliberate daily actions on the right issues, we can strengthen our confidence and improve our performance.
Customer Service Hell and Lousy Leaders
I confess to not understanding the management and leadership thinking that leads to the many unpleasant or at best, sterile experiences with retailers, healthcare providers and so many others types of organizations. It’s almost as if someone is in charge of ensuring a level of engagement with employees that is somewhere just north of rude and way south of pleasant. Here’s a glimpse at a few of those policies and my suggestions for some well-deserved quality time for the executives behind these policies:
Just One Thing-Do Something Extraordinary for Someone on Your Team
The lowest cost, highest return investment in the workplace is to help move someone closer to realizing his/her professional dream. This is simple and powerful and with creativity, often within your control to pursue for someone on your team. Here are some thoughts on why you should do this and how to get started. Remember, it takes “just one thing” on your part to make a difference!
New Leader Tuesday: You Will Be Tested-5 Ideas to Help You Succeed
You will be tested many times during your first go-round as the individual responsible for others. Know that everyone is watching your responses to these tests.
Handle them properly…even adequately, and your credibility for leading will rise. Get them wrong and you’ll become just one more faceless first-time supervisor in the process of being turned into grist inside the organization’s cultural mill. Here are 5 ideas to help you successfully navigate these tests:
In Memoriam-2012
In Memoriam-For those who we can no longer thank, we give our thanks. And for those walking among us, take time today and share your appreciation for their service.
Integrator Leaders-People Who Get Stuff Done
Regular readers know my perspective on those who lead without authority. I’m a huge fan. These are the people who turn good businesses great and who power teams with the kinetic energy created by their constant motion.