The Manager’s Compass
Welcome to the practice of Leadership Cartography™. Each post maps the terrain of modern leadership. Helping you navigate challenges, build confidence, and lead with steadiness.
In an AI world, judgment is your edge. Cartography builds it.
New here? Take the Explorer and discover which terrain you navigate best.
The Halloween Costume I Almost Missed: Why This Company Exists
Halloween night, early '90s. I couldn't leave my shift, so the babysitter brought my son to the restaurant so I could see his costume for five minutes before going back to work. That's what "making it work" looked like when you're a single mom running a restaurant, living in survival mode, being told you're not leadership material. Here's why I started The Manager's Mind Mapping Company—and why no manager should have to lead without a map.
Leadership Cartography: The Discipline That Emerged Into Existence Over a Lifetime of Following the Trail
As a child, I spent hours exploring maps with my fingertips. I would trace topographical lines and imagine myself traveling through elevations I'd never actually walk. In May 2024, I created an image of the mapmaker's room—not knowing why, just knowing I needed to see it. Eighteen months later, I finally named what I'd been building my entire life: Leadership Cartography™.
How to Develop Employees Who Actually Grow: 5 Principles Rooted in Clarity, Care, and Reality
You hired someone brilliant. Six months later, they're struggling, and you can't figure out what went wrong. The problem isn't always their potential—sometimes it's that we're developing the wrong skills, ignoring crucial signals, or mistaking good intentions for actual readiness. Here's your framework for developing employees with clarity, care, and a clear-eyed view of reality.
The Performance Review Playbook: How to Build Trust and Drive Growth in 60 Minutes
The calendar reminder appears: "Performance review with Sarah - Thursday, 3pm." Your stomach tightens—not because Sarah isn't performing well, but because you know how these conversations usually go. Stilted, formal, both of you counting minutes until it's over. But performance reviews can be different. They can become conversations your team actually looks forward to—moments that build trust instead of anxiety, clarity instead of confusion. The difference lies not in what you discuss, but in how you structure the conversation itself.
How to Run Effective One-on-One Meetings: A Manager's Complete Guide
Most managers wing their one-on-ones, then wonder why nothing changes. You schedule them, ask “How’s everything going?” and 20 minutes later, you’ve covered the weather and current projects but learned nothing about how to help your employee succeed. The problem isn’t that you don’t care—it’s that you don’t have a framework. Learn the 35-minute structure that transforms status meetings into conversations that build trust, drive development, and create real outcomes.
