There’s an awful lot of conventional wisdom that is nothing more than a cover for organizational and managerial laziness. It pays to cultivate an allergic reaction to anything that smells like: “We’ve always done it this way.”
The Leadership Caffeine Blog
Commanding Excellence with Gary Morton: Purpose, Obsession, and Creativity
Gary Morton, author of Commanding Excellence: Inspiring Purpose, Passion, and Ingenuity through Leadership that Matters, shares his wisdom and experiences in this wide-ranging interview with Management Excellence and Leadership Caffeine author, Art Petty.
4 Key Starter Ingredients for Successful Strategy Execution
Even a sound strategy process that effectively characterizes the situation and way forward still faces considerable risk in the form of strategy execution. Ultimately, the ideas are relatively easy. It’s the work of bringing strategy to life that is difficult. Here are 4 key ingredients you require for successful strategy execution.
First-Time Manager #12—This is Hard Work
The fundamentals of leading and managing aren’t incredibly difficult to understand. Applying them daily is darned hard work.
New to Managing? Gain an Edge on Success with this Program
Last chance! I’m wrapping up the 2017 incarnation of my, Succeeding as a First-Time Manager online series! There’s still time to register!
For Leaders, Results Count, But It’s How You Get There That Matters
Your efforts and teams have to produce or, you won’t be in a leadership role. IHowever, we all face a choice on style and approach. I managed to evolve from a results-focused heat-seeking-missile to a coach and sponsor whose teams consistently exceeded my and the firm’s lofty expectations.
First-Time Manager #11—Now, About Those Results…
Moving from individual contributor to manager is a challenging career step. One of the more vexing issues first-time managers encounter is learning to drive results through others. Here are at least 7 ideas you can use immediately to promote great results with your group:
Has Your Organization Fallen Victim to the Zombie Apocalypse?
In too many organizations, the absence of a galvanizing vision, meaningful, livable values, and a planning process that engages employees from top to bottom result in a form of zombie apocalypse. Instead of purpose, focus, and continuous improvement, people wander aimlessly searching for professional sustenance. If the leaders at the top won’t fix this, you need to spark the revolution from the middle.
When No One Speaks the Truth at Work, You Face a Choice
We’ve all been in meetings where the latest ridiculous idea from management is greeted with what I term, aerobic head nodding. In many cases, people are afraid to speak truth to power. As a leader, you own curing this problem in your environment. As an employee, you have to decide whether you are willing to sell your self-esteem or risk ticking off your manager. If the issue is important enough, it’s an easy choice.
First-Time Manager #10—Your Number One Challenge at Start-Up
Getting started as a first-time manager is one of the more challenging tasks you will ever encounter in your professional life. It’s particularly difficult given that almost no one on your new team has any reason to want you as their manager. However, there are some approaches you can take with your new team to quickly begin building your leadership credibility. These include…










