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The Leadership Caffeine Blog

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Art of Managing—Thriving at the Speed of Change

May 6, 2015

(Note: this post originally appeared at the Management Excellence blog. Copyright 2015 by Art Petty.) My one disappointment with much of the current business writing about change is that it is short on the “what to do about it,” content, in part because the notion of all this change makes for fascinating reading, and in part, because it’s not clear what exactly we should be doing in many cases. Here are 5 big starter ideas to help you and your team learn to thrive in this new world of uncertainty and ambiguity:

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Leadership Caffeine™—Letting Go of Your Need to Be the Smartest Person in the Room

May 4, 2015

(Note: This post first appeared at the Management Excellence blog https://artpetty.com/blog/ by Art Petty. Copyright 2015 Art Petty.) One of the most common and damaging of a leader’s blind-spots is the compulsion to regularly provide evidence that he/she is the smartest person in the room. Here are some helpful suggestions to recognize and combat your own or your boss’s “smartest person” tendencies:

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Leadership Caffeine™—To Be Effective, Your Do Must Match Your Tell

Apr 19, 2015

(Note: This post first appeared at the Management Excellence blog https://artpetty.com/blog/ by Art Petty. Copyright 2015 Art Petty.) No creature on the planet destroys credibility faster than a pontificating blow-hard of a boss who is great at turning oxygen into over-heated carbon dioxide, but not so great at overcoming the gravitational pull of his posterior to the chair and putting his own words into action. Here are 7 tips to help ensure your do matches your tell:

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It’s Your Career—Priceless Perspectives of Experience

Apr 17, 2015

I’ve talked to many 40 and 50-something professionals on how their perspectives and attitudes on personal and career issues have changed over time. Their insights are instructive and inspirational. Enjoy! (note: this post originally appeared at the Management Excellence blog. Copyright 2015 Art Petty.)

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At Least 10 Unnatural Acts of Misguided Management

Apr 9, 2015

Note: this post originally appeared at the Management Excellence blog by Art Petty. The pursuit of effective management is a noble calling. It’s too bad that too many managers give it a bad name. Here are at least 10 unnatural acts of less than brilliant managers:

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Leadership Caffeine™ —The Inner Game of Leading

Mar 29, 2015

A great deal of what’s written and spoken about leadership focuses on describing the actions most often associated with effective leaders. The actions are tangible…we can see them and observe their impact on people and we can mimic them in our own attempts at guiding, motivating and developing others. It’s good to mimic good behaviors. However, it’s important to remember that these actions of effective leaders are backed by a strong, personal belief in purpose…

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Leading the Project? Define Your Charter to Support High Performance

Mar 27, 2015

It’s hard to argue with either of these statements, nonetheless, too many project managers deeply skilled in the mechanics of their vocation fall short on learning and practicing the soft-skills critical for high performance team development. When project fail…and too many do, there’s a safe bet that people-related issues are key contributors to the initiative’s demise. Great project managers define their role beyond the project mechanics liberally. Here are 7 steps to help you define and begin using your own Project Leader’s Charter in pursuit of high performance:

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Just One Thing—Quit Playing Down to Their Level

Mar 25, 2015

Good competition raises the level of performance for all involved. Whether in athletic endeavors or business, a skilled, aggressive competitor forces us to raise the quality of our own game. Strenuous competition with aggressive, skilled performers tests us physically and mentally and helps us find that extra gear needed to perform at our best. Annoyingly, the opposite also seems to hold true.

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Leadership Caffeine™—Uncertainty…Get Over It

Mar 1, 2015

Frankly, this is a remarkable time to be in business and to be serving in a leadership role. The risks, fears of change, possibilities of disruption or the realities of creative destruction and non-destructive creation are all facts of our business lives and they create a remarkable backdrop for us to create…to innovate. But first, we’ve got to fight our natural tendencies when determining how to act in this environment. Here are 3 key pitfalls to avoid and 5 key skills that leaders must cultivate to succeed in this ever-changing world:

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Art of Managing—Helping Your Firm Navigate a Level-Up Situation

Feb 22, 2015

As managers, it’s our sacred responsibility to create and continuously improve an environment that allows our people to do their best work. Few managers would disagree with their responsibility and accountability for creating this effective environment. Like breathing, it’s a good idea to invest time and energy in practices that promote a healthy, efficient and effective system. In reality, many firms do a good job on this in stable markets. However, when faced with the need to adapt or change due to market disruptions, too many firms struggle to change their system to support the pursuit of new. Here are 7 ideas to help managers avoid the most common mistakes as they venture forward into uncharted territory:

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