The Manager’s Compass
Welcome to The Manager’s Compass. This is where Leadership Cartography becomes practical. Each post helps you name what is happening, understand what it is signaling, and choose one next move that steadies your leadership.
We map the terrain. You choose the route.
New here? Take the Explorer and discover which terrain you navigate best.
How to Give Constructive Feedback That People Actually Listen To
Constructive feedback lands when it orients behavior, names the standard, and creates a repair loop instead of a verdict. Use the Feedback Alignment Mini-Map plus steady scripts to handle defensiveness, clarify expectations, and follow up without hovering.
How to Fire Someone: The Step-by-Step Guide for Managers
Termination conversations are one of the hardest responsibilities of management. Most managers delay, over-explain, or let guilt turn a necessary conversation into something cruel. The problem isn't that you care—it's that no one taught you how to do this with clarity. Here's your step-by-step guide to conducting termination conversations that preserve dignity for everyone involved.
How to Have Difficult Conversations with Employees: A 6-Step Framework for New Managers
Most managers avoid difficult conversations until they become impossible to ignore. Whether it’s addressing missed deadlines, performance issues, or team conflicts, these conversations feel heavy and unpredictable. But here’s what most leadership training gets wrong: difficult conversations aren’t about being tough—they’re about having a clear framework when the territory gets messy. Learn the 6-step method that transforms confrontations into productive dialogues.
Stop reacting to pressure. Start mapping your next move
Friction is a signal
Every manager navigates a different terrain. Identifying your leadership style is the first step to reading the signals and finding your steady next move.
Clarity requires a map
Browse over 70 digital toolkits built for modern leadership challenges. From difficult conversation scripts to promotion readiness, find the exact map you need for your current terrain.
Progress requires a reset.
Stop managing by accident. Access high-impact tactical maps in the Map Makers Room designed to be implemented this week to steady your team and restore coordination.