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.

New here? Take the Explorer and discover which terrain you navigate best.

Start the Explorer
Why Most Leadership Development Keeps You Lost (And What Actually Works)
Leadership Cartography™ Catherine Leadership Cartography™ Catherine

Why Most Leadership Development Keeps You Lost (And What Actually Works)

You've taken the assessments. Read the books. Hired the coach. But you still feel like you're performing leadership instead of practicing it. Here's what I've learned after 25 years: The leadership development industry has been solving the wrong problem. We've been asking "What should leaders do?" when we should ask "Who are you when you lead?" There are five distinct navigation pathways—Heart, Support, Purpose, Together, Precision—and understanding yours changes everything.

Read More
The Leadership Identity Crisis That's Destroying Organizations
Leadership Development Catherine Leadership Development Catherine

The Leadership Identity Crisis That's Destroying Organizations

There's a moment in every leader's journey when the ground shifts beneath them. When the skills that got them promoted suddenly feel inadequate for the complexity they're facing. This isn't a skills gap—it's an identity crisis. Organizations promote people for their technical competence, then wonder why they struggle when pressure builds. The missing question nobody's asking: What kind of leader are you becoming under pressure? Learn why half of new managers feel unprepared and how understanding leadership identity transforms everything.

Read More

Ready for practical tools, not just ideas? Subscribe to the Map Drawer for 3 new resources every month.

See the Map Drawer