by Art Petty | Sep 17, 2018 | Art of Managing, Career, Emerging Leaders, First Time Manager Series, Leadership
During college, I worked a variety of manual labor jobs inside factories to earn much-needed money for the upcoming school year. For one of the more physically demanding jobs, the foreman could regularly be heard shouting at the workers “Put your back into...
by Art Petty | Aug 19, 2018 | Art of Managing, Challenging Conversations, Leadership, Leadership Caffeine, Leading Change
Good managers work hard at pushing fear out of the workplace. Yet, even in the healthiest of organizations, fear’s close cousin, anxiety, worms its way into our consciousness and governs how we process and react to the idea of change and each other. Skilled change...
by Art Petty | Aug 13, 2018 | Art of Managing, High Performance Management Teams, Leadership, Leading Change, Management Innovation, Strategy
In a world where standing still is akin to moving backward at the speed of change, I often encounter management teams operating in a state of denial about the world unfolding in front of them. They get caught up in supporting dated strategies while preoccupying on the...
by Art Petty | Jun 22, 2018 | Art of Managing, Challenging Conversations, Leadership, Leadership Caffeine
When feedback is not specific and behavioral, it’s not actionable. Heck, it’s not even comprehensible. Give vague, constructive feedback to a conscientious person and expect them to take an emotional nosedive striving and struggling to figure out what they are doing...
by Art Petty | Jun 19, 2018 | Art of Managing, Challenging Conversations, Decision-Making, Emerging Leaders, High Performance Management Teams, Leadership
The road to a difficult decision is paved with one or more challenging conversations. The two—difficult decisions and challenging conversations—are inextricably linked. Effective leaders and high performing teams work hard to develop skills and conventions for...
by Art Petty | May 1, 2018 | Art of Managing, Just One Thing, Leadership, Leadership Caffeine, Leading Change
In a recent group setting, I showed an interview clip of a senior leader taking on a controversial issue with an aggressive and seemingly positive approach. 70% viewed the leader positively, with comments including brilliant and courageous. The other 30% were having...
