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 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 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.
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.