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.
Why Personality Tests Fail New Managers (And What Actually Works Instead)
Your team took the personality test. Now what? If you're staring at a spreadsheet of four-letter codes wondering how this helps you have better one-on-ones or address the tension between Sarah and Mike, you're not alone. Most managers get handed personality test results and expected to magically become better leaders. But here's what HR doesn't tell you: knowing someone is an "ENFP" or "High D" doesn't actually help you manage them. Learn why personality tests fail new managers—and discover the leadership framework that actually moves the needle
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.
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.
