The Leadership Caffeine Blog
Six Leadership and Management Lessons from the Pandemic to Help Navigate the Emerging Storm
Fresh as escapees of city life and happily ensconced in our new full-time surroundings on a lake in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, there's a saying we frequently hear: "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes—it will change." Of course, it doesn't always change...
Six Leadership and Management Lessons from the Pandemic to Help Navigate the Emerging Storm
The economic weather is changing, and it feels like a storm is approaching. Possibly a big one. The question on my mind is, “Will the leadership lessons of the past few years stick?”
Art of Managing—How to Respond When the Experiment Goes Wrong
In the most successful firms I’ve been around, the managers actively promote experimentation and learning as core to everyone’s job. Yet, it’s not the words on the wall or even the words that come out of their mouths about experimentation, it’s the actions they take when things go horribly wrong that fosters the effective learning environment. Here are 3 counter-intuitive ideas for turning project failures into lessons learned that stick:
Art of Managing—In Searching for Talent, Emphasize Potential
The author builds a case for shifting away from the competency model (core skills and experiences) that has dominated hiring practices for the recent past, to one that emphasizes assessing a candidate’s potential in the form of, “the ability to adapt to ever-changing business environments and grow into challenging new roles.”
Just One Thing—The Impact of a Simple Gesture
There’s a lesson in this situation for any airline or business striving to differentiate in a world where almost everything seems to be some flavor of vanilla. The best marketing always has been and always will be relating to people as individuals and creating a warm, memorable experience.
Leadership Caffeine™—Beware Becoming Part of the Drama
Let’s face it, some people thrive on bringing their personal challenges into the workplace and baring them all for the world to see. These drama kings and queens seem to revel in sharing their own misery with us in a seemingly never-ending series of scenes from the worst tragic Broadway or faux-Shakesperian play ever. Here are 4 ideas to help you avoid becoming part of the drama:
Art of Managing—When People Develop at Their Pace, Not Yours
I’ve encountered more than a few managers who have expressed frustration over the pace of development of someone they have marked for future advancement and increased contribution. For many of these managers, it’s a vexing dilemma with no clear solution. Here are 4 ideas to help you navigate this potentially sticky situation:
Just One Thing—How to Ace Your Next Executive Presentation
While some people view an invitation to present to executives as a prison sentence (or worse), this truly can be a career enhancing opportunity. However, like any challenging situation, preparation and attitude are keys to success. Here are 7 ideas to help you ace your next (or first) presentation to the executives:
Leadership Caffeine™—Your Job is to Clear the Path
The best gift you can provide to your team members is the gift of time. If you’ve got the right team members (with the right values), they’ll respond to your willingness to clear the path with enthusiasm, creativity and commitment. Here are 5 diagnostic questions to help remind you of your need to clear the path ahead for your team members:
Congratulations on the MBA! Now What? Some Key Do’s and Don’ts
All over the U.S., there’s a fresh new crop of MBA candidates preparing to say goodbye to their classmates as they wrap up what will be for many, the final phase of their academic careers. A key question on their minds is, “What’s next?” Here are 10 key Do’s and Don’ts for the newly minted MBA:
Just One Thing—Learn to Recognize Your Strengths
To the extent that we struggle to see our own weaknesses, we are remarkably naïve and blind to our strengths. This gap in our own view-of-self is in my experience more detrimental to career success and personal-professional satisfaction than the issues surrounding our alleged weaknesses. Here are at least 4 barriers that get in the way of seeing our own strengths: