In the latest Leadership Caffeine Jam Session, we explored the issue of purpose in the workplace. Here are some key insights from the group:
A Focus on Bringing Your Purpose to Life (and work)—Insights from the Jam Session
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The Leadership Caffeine Blog
March 2023 Leadership Development Carnival
For many years, I've had the pleasure and honor of submitting my Leadership Caffeine articles to the monthly Leadership Development Carnival coordinated by the great team at Weaving Influence. This monthly collection of ideas, inspiration, and guidance for all of us...
Finding Purpose at Work—Ideas to Help
In my experience, those professionals driven by a sense of purpose enjoy what they are doing, are more resilient in the face of organizational and personal challenges, and, frankly, excel. So, what’s your professional purpose at this stage of your career? Ideas to help.
Designing A Bug-Free Operating System for Great Managers
Rethinking the Operating System Needed for Manager Success Late last year, I shared an article at SmartBrief on Leadership, introducing the idea of the Manager's Operating System—a set of core programs or instructions that must be present to create a healthy working...
We’re Evaluating Professional Development Investments the Wrong Way
The search for the return on investment from professional development activities has been a long, unresolved quest for many HR and Learning and Development professionals. It turns out we’re looking at it all wrong. The real challenge is for an organization’s managers and leaders to CREATE the return on investment from professional development.
Hope Proved to Be a Bad Strategy for LUV—Lessons from the Southwest Airlines Debacle
There are some painful and painfully obvious leadership and management lessons from the recent Southwest Airlines debacle. Deming is spinning in his grave over this one.
January Development Opportunities for New(er) and Experienced Managers
Something I always did as a corporate executive was to make sure as many of my team members as possible were set up for professional development early in the new year. I love helping my team members launch into the new year with their brains boiling with ideas, fresh approaches, and energy for the challenges ahead! Now that I’m the one doing the training and coaching, I’m excited to offer the same opportunity to you and your team members.
The Secret to Leadership Success Isn’t So Secret
Every year, a ridiculous number of books are written on leadership, and we consume them in volume, hoping to find the secret to leadership success. It’s not that hard, and it’s not a secret. Just ask them what they need from you.
The Old Model of Manager is Broken—It’s Time to Start Fresh
It’s time to replace the tired, outdated model we have for identifying, developing, and tasking managers. Given the complexity of our environment today, we need to find new ways to harness the creative and productive power of inspired people, not send them running out the door or leave them idling in place.
The Skills of Effective Diplomats Offer Guidance for Managers and Leaders
In this article, I draw from history lessons to suggest a fresh model and set of skills based on old-school nation-state diplomacy to help today’s senior managers and organizational leaders navigate the challenges posed by varying constituent groups in our volatile era.