The Manager’s Compass

A stylized compass rose logo with a dark blue and black color scheme, featuring eight points and a circular outline.

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
Catherine Insler Catherine Insler

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.

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The Halloween Costume I Almost Missed: Why This Company Exists

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.

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Leadership Cartography: The Discipline That Emerged Into Existence Over a Lifetime of Following the Trail

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™.

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How to Develop Employees Who Actually Grow: 5 Principles Rooted in Clarity, Care, and Reality
Management Tools Catherine Insler Management Tools Catherine Insler

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.

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Stop reacting to pressure. Start mapping your next move

Friction is a signal

What is the pressure telling you?

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.

Practice leads to progress.

Stop managing by accident. Get three curated leadership tools delivered to your inbox every month to help you solve team friction before it becomes a crisis. Lock in your Founding Member rate today.