[email protected]

847-612-8420

Free Consultation

The Leadership Caffeine Blog

Explore by Category:

For Managers—The Performance Potential of a Strong Feedback Culture

For Managers—The Performance Potential of a Strong Feedback Culture

Nov 2, 2018

Imagine there was a tool at your disposal that would help reinforce in real-time the behaviors of group members that moved the performance numbers in the right direction. Or, a tool that would get people motivated to learn, grow, and leave behind less-than-ideal behaviors in favor of new approaches and continuous improvement. Wouldn’t this be helpful?
Well, there is. It’s called performance feedback. And sadly, it’s often missing-in-action, misapplied, or, applied inconsistently, and that’s just leaving money and morale on the table.

read more
I Want Your First-Time Managers (To Succeed)!

I Want Your First-Time Managers (To Succeed)!

Oct 5, 2018

The work of developing new managers and setting them up to emerge as our future leaders is mission critical. I’ve devoted much of my career to this good work and am excited to launch First-Time Managers Academy—a new approach for this important cause.

read more
Character Counts When Selecting New Managers

Character Counts When Selecting New Managers

Sep 30, 2018

When evaluating individuals for advancement into management roles, I prioritize character over knowledge, skills, and abilities. The latter are developed with coaching and training, however, by the time they get to you, it’s too late to teach character.

read more
When Developing New Managers It’s Foundation First

When Developing New Managers It’s Foundation First

Sep 27, 2018

In construction, a strong foundation is fundamental to creating a solid, resilient structure. The same applies when it comes to developing new managers. In this article, I share guidance and a framework to help with the development of strong, resilient new managers on your team.

read more
9 Tips to Succeed at Start-Up as a First-Time Manager

9 Tips to Succeed at Start-Up as a First-Time Manager

Sep 23, 2018

The transition to manager from individual contributor is one of the more difficult in all of organizational life. Here are 9 tips to help smooth out this transition a bit and get you started heading in the right direction with your team and boss.

read more
For Aspiring Managers—Why You Will Love Managing

For Aspiring Managers—Why You Will Love Managing

Sep 20, 2018

We write and talk about the challenges, trials, and pitfalls of those getting started in management. What we don’t do enough of is offer some perspective on the potential for the role of manager to evolve into a rewarding career. Here’s my attempt to balance the scales a bit with at least six ideas why you will love managing. While it’s not all unicorns and rainbows, there are some truly rewarding aspects to this role.

read more
New Manager Development—Put Your Back Into It

New Manager Development—Put Your Back Into It

Sep 17, 2018

New manager development in many organizations is ad hoc at best and non-existent at worst. And while short-term pressures often drive sudden decisions to move people into first-time manager roles, the potential for misfiring is high. For managers responsible for identifying and developing new managers, effort expended ahead of time in assessing the individual’s fit for the role pays dividends for all parties. Of course, this takes some time and effort ahead of the need. As my old boss would say, “You have to put your back into it.”

read more
Proper Care and Feeding of Your First-Time Managers

Proper Care and Feeding of Your First-Time Managers

Aug 21, 2018

There are few activities in your management career that offer the high return-on-time-invested (ROTI) than actively engaging and supporting your newly promoted first-time managers. Here are four essential activities to help guide your efforts

read more
Leader: It’s Time to Develop Your Listening Muscle

Leader: It’s Time to Develop Your Listening Muscle

Jun 14, 2018

One of the root causes of communication failure in the workplace is our inability to listen effectively. We’re typically distracted by our own thoughts, striving to multi-task, or, we annoyingly step all over the messages of others. However, we can improve our listening skills, and in the process, solve more problems and build performance. This article offers nine ideas to help strengthen your listening muscle.

read more