The Leadership Caffeine Blog
Leadership Caffeine™—Commit to Helping Your New Managers Succeed from the Start
New manager development is a problem to be solved by the promoting manager. Training without ongoing observation, teaching, and coaching isn't the solution. And, the Sink-or-Swim approach for new manager development is definitely not the solution, yet it's still...
Leadership Caffeine™—Commit to Helping Your New Managers Succeed from the Start
If you are a manager responsible for promoting and developing a new manager, the hard work begins during selection and continues long after in the form of observing, teaching, and coaching. There are no shortcuts to building the next generation of effective managers.
Frontline Leaders Help Our Firms Go and Grow
Great frontline leaders create great experiences for their employees. This flows immediately and directly to customers. And then it flows to the top and bottom lines.
Leadership Caffeine™: Six Low-Cost Ideas to Stimulate Global Awareness
I continue my own I-Biz studies outside of the classroom as I pursue my avocation as a Management and Leadership Anthropologist. In this case, my focus is on understanding how well prepared firms and managers are to enter and compete successfully on a global stage. My quick-take: for a good number, it’s important to focus on the basics. (Translation: there’s a lot of learning required to reach a reasonable level of knowledge.) While most of us have mastered the art and science of consuming products from around the globe, many firms and managers are well served to work on some fundamentals.Here are six low-cost ideas to help stimulate global discussion and understanding in your firm:
The Meeting to Decide Whether to Outsource the Call Center
Note from Art: this is a rave. I was on the receiving end of one too many miserable support experiences recently, and this is my, “I’m Madder than Hell…” response. To the Executives and CEOs who believe it is a good idea to make your customer’s lives miserable, get a clue.
Leadership Caffeine™: In the Face of Strong Headwinds, Learn to Tack
We face dozens of moments every day where instinct tells us to turn straight into the wind and apply brute force to solve problems, resolve squabbles and keep people moving. Sometimes, our instinct is wrong. Instead of offering a quick solution or mandating an end to squabbling, effective leaders adjust their course by learning to tack. Here are 5 ideas to help you learn this valuable skill when facing significant headwinds in the workplace…
Trust, Performance and Your Success
Much of who we are and what we do in our professional lives is built on an unforgiving foundation of trust. Trust is hard earned and those bestowing trust do so slowly, carefully and tentatively, all the while testing for reasons to pull back and guard this precious personal asset. True trust is rare in the workplace. It’s also critical for high performance.
The Millennial View: Why Job Hunting is Like Dating
Job searching is like dating and I can relate to these feelings because for the past couple of months I have been trying to transition into a new career. It hasn’t been easy and sometimes it feels like I stand a better chance of scoring a date with Katy Perry than I would to land a new job – ok I’m exaggerating. Here are four thoughts on why job searching is similar to dating:
Leadership Caffeine™: Motivate with Context
We waste fortunes inside our organizations on misguided programs and oddball incentives, seeking ways to motivate and inspire people to work hard, innovate, create, care and to live up to their potential, when the real solution is literally on the tip of our tongues. Here are 5 ideas for curing Context Deficit Disorder:
Trying Not to Fail Is Not the Same As Striving for Success
There’s a definite difference between focusing on not failing versus striving for success. Somewhere buried beneath the baggage and stress of the past few years, you had a sense of purpose that fueled your efforts. Whether it was providing for others or an intense desire to change the world, it’s important to scrape off the muck and recall that sense of greater mission.
Leadership Caffeine™: Is it Time for a Leadership Break?
If you’ve been in a formal leadership role for awhile, it’s healthy to assess whether the stress fractures you are feeling or showing, might just be in need of some healing time. Here are 5 questions and answers that might suggest you need a leadership break: