If something goes wrong, how do you respond? Do you look primarily outward at the external factors that created that outcome…circumstances, other people, luck, management or others? Or, do you focus your attention on what you can influence moving forward? Your locus of control counts in your success.
The Leadership Caffeine Blog
September 2026 Leadership Development Digest
I’ve had a lifelong love of receiving publications that make me think. I love authors and ideas that spur the imagination, challenge convention, and raise possibilities. As a teen, I made the regular trip to the mailbox hoping to find the latest science fiction pulp...
The “Wake-Up Calls” call-to-action for My Latest Book on Managing
Everything is and/or will shift about how we structure, lead, invest, and engage our people in this world. It’s an amazing time to rethink the need for, use, and impact of the manager. It’s an amazing time to think differently about everything we do related to strategy, innovation, and engagement.
“Simply put, managing is hard.” (Here’s a new playbook to help.)
Wake-Up Calls for Managers — Insights to Sharpen Focus and Elevate Results is my latest contribution to helping anyone responsible for the work of others survive and ultimately thrive in the hardest parts of their jobs. It’s also, as the title suggests, a “wake-up call” to think differently about how you engage with your colleagues and get the results you and your organization need in this world of change.
Want to have an outsized impact? Strengthen your Core Four Accelerators
Some skills are more equal than others in large organizations when it comes to your career growth and success. Looking to make a big impact? Focus on strengthening the Core Four Accelerators
The Evolving and Dissolving Career Ladder
The career ladder still exists in some form—organizations maintain levels and pathways. What’s changed is how we approach them: by investing in core skills and mindsets, you control your progression and open new opportunities. Despite greater complexity than decades ago, you must own your career. Assert control, do the work, and drive growth and progress that fits your goals.
The Mind-Deadening Gravitational Pull of a Leadership Singularity
There’s a force at work in too many organizations imposed by senior leaders that gives the appearance of action but reflects cognitive and productive paralysis. In these cultures, leadership becomes a kind of gravitational singularity, sucking the life, creativity, and productivity out of the culture.
Manager, not interested in climbing the ladder but still want to thrive? Develop in these six areas.
If you truly want to thrive and scale your impact without chasing the climb, you’ll invest in yourself and do the heavy lifting essential for growth.








