Create an Environment for Excellence in 2020

A long time ago, Robert Rosen wrote the following in his book, Leading People, Viking Penguin, 1997: 

"People want to be led. They don't want the old authoritarian leadership style.  Nor do they want some clever new management technique. Instead, they want leaders with deeply held human values who respect people's unique talents and contributions. They want leaders who will create an environment that nurtures excellence, risk taking, and creativity. They reject intimidation or manipulation, but they positively yearn for inspiration.

Similarly, in the misguided efforts of leaders is hidden another message: leaders need followers. Leaders don't want docile, do only-as-ordered employees.  Instead, they want responsible, mature, forward-looking associates. They want partners who are as committed as they are to the success of the enterprise."

As we celebrate the end of 2019, let us focus on creating an environment for excellence in 2020. We all yearn for inspiration, meaningful work and meaningful lives.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

The Gift of Elders

One of my favorite things about the holidays is listening to the stories that our elder’s share about their childhood experiences. For example, I always enjoy hearing my mother-in-law, who grew up in the southwest Kansas dustbowl, talk about the Christmas she received an orange and a brand new pencil. It was a gift for the ages. 

I enjoy hearing farm stories about Christmas morning breakfast after the cows were all milked and the cattle had been fed. I enjoy hearing stories about sleigh rides to visit friends in town across the snow covered gravel roads. I enjoy hearing stories of people sitting around the dinning room table cracking nuts and picking out the meat while sharing news of family and friends from across the country. 

I also enjoy hearing stories about families that would go caroling from house to house, the baking of special foods that were only served once a year, or the home made gifts that people took months to make. All of these stories make us wiser, more hopeful, and more understanding of the true meaning of the holidays.

This holiday season I am looking forward to hearing more stories. But I also look forward to creating new experiences with our elders and our younger people that years from now will become one of those stories that gets shared over a good meal.

This holiday season may you and your entire family gather, share and celebrate with your elders. They will bring a rich and meaningful perspective to life’s journey.

Happy Holidays!

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

How do leaders conquer adversity and emerge stronger and more committed? - part #3

To conquer adversity successfully, we as leaders need to build and maintain regenerative systems in our lives. I learned this recently over a long lunch meeting with a senior executive. We had gathered to discuss a major organizational transformation. Most of what was happening was based on disruptive goals instead of incremental goals. The impact of these new goals was being felt at the people level, the structure level, the systems level, and the culture level. People were overwhelmed and all of the problems that were surfacing as a result were adaptive in nature.

At home, this same individual was dealing with a husband who had a new job. She shared with me that she often felt like she was on the verge of complete burnout or a total nuclear melt down. 

“What am I suppose to do? The goals are Board endorsed. Our industry is changing fast. And I have to keep moving forward.”

I listened carefully to her concerns and then said, “In situations of this nature, you have to manage your energy, not just your time and commitments. How do you recharge, rebuild or regenerate your energy? Is this an event or a system?”

I have learned personally and professionally that each of us needs to recharge, rebuild or regenerate our energy on many levels. Some of us will do this through exercise at the individual or group level. Others of us will gain energy and perspective through structured or institutional settings like a church or a support group. And finally some of us will do this personally by meeting regularly with a select group of friends. The key I have found is that it needs to be systematic. We need to not just be doing it because it needs to “get done” but instead we need to do it because we understand that this choice over time makes a big difference. It results in on-going improvements and insights.

Second, when it comes to regeneration, we need to step back and recognize that measuring something does not always need to be numerical in nature. The party line in the world of business is that“We inspect what we expect” and “If we can not measure it, it can not be improved.”

My perspective on all of this measurement stuff has evolved over time. I understand the importance and role that measurement plays in helping people get better at something. But when it comes to regenerative level work, I believe there is a time and a place for qualitative measures, too. I have not met a leader in all my years who will quote me a statistic related to personal or professional change. Most tell me a story about an event or experience that shifted their perspective and their choices. I have come to understand that if a person remembers something like this over time, then it has made a difference. Our memories and the feelings around these memories are just as important as the quantitative measures. 

I also have learned that the telling of stories related to those events is important, too. It bonds people and makes people feel like they are making a difference. It also inspires people. A number can not always do this. The sharing of a story or a memory can.

Finally, we need to understand that stewardship of regenerative systems is our responsibility. People who conquer adversity and emerge stronger and more committed do not “outsource” the care of institutional regenerative systems or personal regenerative systems. They engage by being committed to active participation. As one elder told me years ago, “you get out of it what you put into it.” This means going regularly to church or a support group. This means making time for friends and family. 

There have only been a few times in my life when time was not a defining characteristic of what was happening. At these moments, I was not aware of what day of the week it was. Nor was I focused on the clock and what was coming up next. These were what I like to call “100% now moments”.

For example, the days after our first child was born I did not know what day of the week it was. The only time I noticed was sun rises and sun sets. To this day, I specifically remember the time I spent laying on the couch with a newborn son on my chest, watching the sun slowly rise. It was so peaceful and so now.

The biggest and long periods in my life where “time stopped” happened over four summers. During my college years, I went to the same place every summer to be a camp counselor. It was way more than a job. It was a community where I could do “deep battery” recharge after another year of higher education. This particular camp taught simple outdoor living with a focus on wood craft skills, camping skills, crafts, music, trips and adventure.

What made the work of the summer camp experience so powerful for me was that I had found myself, and my team i.e. the other counselors, and my community. We actively supported each other by encouraging each other to try out new activities. When difficult issues surfaced related camper behavior and when challenging differences of perspective happened between counselors, we made the time to deal with them in a thoughtful and respectful manner. In short, there was an “I” but there was an even stronger “we”.

This sense of community was based on an understanding that the work we were doing was changing the lives of all involved. Our goal was make each day a meaningful day. Therefore, we made time to build a meaningful and supportive community. It was dynamic, organic and personal, i.e. a “thick system of relationships” referencing the work of David Brooks in his new book, The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life. As he explains, “When a community begins to build together, they don’t just create new stuff; they create new norms.” 

When I look at the bigger picture, the road ahead is complex. Big issues and complex challenges abound. Our work as leaders will be very important. Therefore, we need to support people to have a meaningful day at work, to have a meaningful day at home, and to do it within the context of a caring community.

This week, begin to build and routinely maintain meaningful regenerative systems in your life. It will make a big difference at work and at home.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

How do leaders conquer adversity and emerge stronger and more committed? - part #2

In order to grasp context and hardiness, I have come to the conclusion that you need a mirror and a window.

Back in 2001, Jim Collins wrote a book called Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap. . . and Others Don’t, HarperBusiness, 2001. Two of the famous phrases from the book that we still hear today are “Good is the enemy of great” and “First who… then what.” The not so famous phrase is “Level 5 Leadership.”

As Collins wrote: “Level 5 leaders display a compelling modesty, are self-effacing and understated. In contrast, two thirds of the comparison companies had leaders with gargantuan personal egos that contributed to the demise or continued mediocrity of the company…. Level 5 leaders are fanatically driven, infected with an incurable need to produce sustained results. They are resolved to do whatever it takes to make the company great, no matter how big or hard the decisions.”

And then Collins wrote the following, powerful two sentences: “Level 5 leaders look out the window to attribute success to factors other than themselves.  When things go poorly, however, they look in the mirror and blame themselves, taking full responsibility.”

For us gathered here today, let’s dive deeper into the concept of the mirror and the window. First, the mirror is to reflect on what I could have done better. No blaming other people, external factors, or bad luck. The goal is humble self improvement. The window, on the other hand, is to give credit for the success of the company to other people, external factors or good luck.

When I think of all the leaders I have met in my 30+ year career who would fall into the Level 5 Leadership category, I realize that these individual have people in their lives who are executive coaches, allies, and confidants. This network of people help them to look in the mirror and out the window on a routine basis.

Furthermore, these same Level 5 Leaders are always seeking to expand their network of people. As Hermina Ibarra wrote in her book, Act Like A Leader, Think Like A Leader (Harvard Business Review Press, 2015), effective leaders have operational, personal, and strategic networks. The first helps them to manage current internal responsibilities. The second boosts personal development, and the third focuses on new business directions and the stakeholders you must get on board to pursue these directions. In particular, a good strategic network can give a person a connective advantage: the ability to marshal information, support, or other resources from one of your networks to obtain results in another.

But here is where I think Collins grasps something unique. Some people use their networks to get some place, but from my experience I have observed that Level 5 Leaders are not solely destination focused. Yes, they want to “produce sustained results” but they know that the first step is to become a more disciplined person through disciplined thought and disciplined action. The work is as much internal as it is external.

As we know, there are four stages to adult learning: unconscious incompetence, conscious incompetence, conscious competence, and finally unconscious competence. From my experience, Level 5 Leaders are constantly seeking in the mirror and through the window ways to not get caught in reactive, unconscious incompetence. They want to get better and they know that the only way to do it is with the help of others and ample time for deep self-reflection.

This week, build and maintain a network of people who will help you look into the mirror and out the window better. And at the exact same time, give yourself permission to schedule more time for reflection. Our challenges in the coming year will be bigger and we must have the courage and the capacity to conquer them and emerge stronger and more committed.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

How do leaders conquer adversity and emerge stronger and more committed? - part #1

We met in a small town cafe, each having driven a fair bit to get there on time for lunch.  As per the norm, we talked about numerous problems and challenges before him and the organization. Just as we were finishing the meal, he turned to me and asked the following question: “How do we come through it all better?”

I paused and thought for a minute or two. I like a good question and this one deserved more than a fast response. Finally, I turned to him and said, “I think there are four parts to this answer.

First, keep monitoring and studying the trends within the bigger picture. Do this by going to many different sources and different people. Recognize that by building a strong network of resources and people, you will grasp the big picture in a more holistic manner.

Second, understand that it is not so much about seeing the big picture as understanding how we got to this point. We forget that everything we see around us in the bigger picture is a reflection of people and organizations making choices and decisions. Focus on why they thought that choice was the right one. When you understand this part, then the bigger picture becomes a series of patterns and trends rather than simple a snap shot in time.

Third, understand how the decisions we make today as leaders will create or influence the big picture of the future. While this may be a ‘blinding flash of the obvious,’ to quote Tom Peters from many years ago, you will be surprised that most people do not see that what they are doing today will create or significantly impact what will be happening in the future.

Finally, learn to conquer adversity and emerge stronger from it.”

He pondered all of these thoughts and responded, “Thanks. I knew you could help me with this.”

Quite a few years ago, Warren G. Bennis and Robert J. Thomas wrote an article in the Summer 2007 Executive Edition of Leader as Motivator published by the Harvard Business Review called “Crucibles of Leadership”. As they noted, “the skills required to conquer adversity and emerge stronger and more committed than ever are the same ones that make for extraordinary leaders…. We came to call the experiences that shape leaders “crucibles,” after the vessels medieval alchemists used in their attempts to turn base metals into gold.”

As they explained, “the crucible experience was a trial and a test, a point of deep self-reflection that forced them to question who they were and what mattered to them. It required them to examine their values, question their assumptions, hone their judgement.”

As they noted, “… great leaders possess four essential skills. First is the ability to engage others in shared meaning. Second is a distinctive and compelling voice. Third is a sense of integrity (including a strong set values.) But by far the most critical skills of the four is what we call “adaptive capacity.” 

Bennis and Thomas explain that “adaptive capacity” is “composed of two primary qualities: the ability to grasp context and hardiness…. the ability to grasp context implies an ability to weigh a variety of factors, ranging from how very different groups of people will interpret a gesture to being able to put a situation into perspective. Without this leaders are utterly lost, because they cannot connect with their constituents. Hardiness is just what it sounds like - the perseverance and toughness that enable people to emerge from devastating circumstances without loosing hope.”

This week, reflect on your crucible experiences as a leader and think deeply about your ability to grasp context and hardiness.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

Blessed Beyond Measure

“Wash your hands everyone.”

“It’s time to gather.”

“Thanksgiving is ready.”

These are some of my favorite phrases this time of year. 

When family and friends, young and old, gather round the table for a celebration of the harvest, I know we are blessed beyond measure.

With platters, bowls, and small dishes of good food, we bow our heads, say our prayers, and smile.

A circle of thanks; a circle of celebration.

We listen to new stories and old stories.

We laugh with joy, remembering recent events and past experiences.

We weep for the ones we have lost, and celebrate those who are still here with us.

We honor the work of those who grew the food and prepared it.

We are grateful to have the time to share it with others.

And, in our family, as we do the dishes, we sometimes break out in song.

With three and four part harmonies filling the kitchen, we laugh, we sing and we know that we are blessed with this special time of being together. 

Our cups are full and over flowing with joy and thanksgiving.

I hope this week you can gather with your friends and family, and celebrate the blessings in your lives and the harvest of this season.

We have so much to be thankful for in our lives.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

How do effective leaders do goal setting and execution? - part #5

When think about the importance of evaluating goals post the execution stage, I decided to turn to my Kitchen Table Cabinet. I already knew my own thoughts on this subject but I wanted to hear from others who I consider wise and insightful. Here is what they reminded me about evaluating goals:

- ownership of the goal is required for a successful evaluation. 

- evaluating a goal without the goal connecting to a greater purpose or mission will not yield a successful change in action over time.

- the evaluation process needs to be meaningful for all involved.

- evaluation starts by creating a safe and nonjudgemental space for sharing.

- routine accountability systems and goal evaluation systems are interconnected.

With the above conversations in mind and lots of time to reflect over the summer, I realized the following. First, evaluating a goal is a form of feedback. For it to work at the point of evaluation, there needs to be a steady diet of feedback before hand to make the evaluation of the goals more meaningful. We forget that people need attention and when we give it to them in a safe and nonjudgemental environment, they will receive it better. Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall  in their thought-provoking book, Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World, Harvard Business Review Press, 2019, write that “Positive attention… is thirty times more powerful than negative attention in creating high performance on a team…. If you want your people to learn more, pay attention to what’s working for them right now, and then build on that…. get into the conscious habit of looking for what’s going well for each of your team members…. tell the person what you experienced when that moment of excellence caught your attention - your instantaneous reaction to what worked.” In short, people need attention and we as leaders can give it in such a manner that an evaluation is seen as helpful and productive.

Over the course of my career as an executive coach, I have been called in to coach an entire senior leadership team after they have all participated in a 360 feedback/evaluation process. As part of this work, every leader has received a 1.5 inch thick book with graphs, charts and page upon pages of written feedback. For those involved, it is overwhelming to read pages and pages of competencies and detailed descriptions. The charts are complicated and indicate that most everyone was average. As per the norm, the written comments are all over the board and either depressing or confusing. At the end of reading all of these evaluation books, I can even be depressed and feeling hopeless.

When starting a project of this nature, I routinely sit down with each executive and ask the following question: “Did you read the entire book?”

“Yes” or “I skimmed it” is the common response.

Then, I ask, “How did it make you feel?”

The answers are often “depressed”, “confused”, or “angry”.

“Okay, “ I reply. “So, how do you think you are doing? And what do you think you need to work on in order to be a better leader within this company?” 

Every time, those involved give me a frank and honest assessment of what they needed to work on and how long they thought it would take. In short, nearly everyone is good at evaluating themselves and can reliably determine what they need to work on in order to be better.

Finally, when it comes to evaluating goals, focus on the outcomes from completing the goals. Some will be short term outcomes and others will be long term outcomes. Your ability to help people understand these outcomes will help them in the future work more effectively on future goals.

This week, give more feedback, and routinely ask people to evaluate their own performance. These two action will generate positive outcomes over the long term.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

How do effective leaders do goal setting and execution? - part #4

When executing a goal, I love Marcus Aurelius’s mindset as described in Ryan Holiday’s book, The Obstacle Is The Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph, Penguin, 2014. “Our actions may be impeded . . . but there can be no impeding our intentions or dispositions. Because we can accommodate and adapt. The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle to our acting. The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” 

As we move from goal setting to the execution stage, we need to discuss two items with all involved. First, we need to define what is the difference between a goal and a priority. As we all know, priorities will surface. We also know that most people don’t know how to determine if something should be more important than executing their goals.

Second, we need to discuss how to prioritize all of one’s different goals. With three to five goals as the norm for peak performance, which one should I focus on first? Remember people will always prioritize day to day work over a goal.

Furthermore, every one needs time to work on their goals. As Greg McKeown, in his excellent book called Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, Crown Business, 2014, writes: “What we can’t do is concentrate on two things at the same time…. Multitasking itself is not the enemy of Essentialism; pretending we can “multifocus” is.” In short, the execution of goals comes down to time and attention

Next, we as leaders need to understand that effective execution involves an accountability system. As Ken Blanchard in his book,  Leading At a Higher Level: Blanchard on Leadership and Creating High Performing Organizations, Prentice Hall, 2006, wrote: “To obtain desired performance from its people, an organization must first have a well-defined accountability system.” He also pointed out that “People must also know what a good performance looks like.”

When we keep the above in mind, we recognize that people need regular feedback about their work. And supervisors need people who are working on goals to send progress reports about how they are doing on their goals. As Gary  Keller with Jay Papasan in his book, The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, Bard Press, 2012, notes, “Individuals who wrote their goals and send progress reports to friends were 76.7 percent more likely to achieve them.”

This week, remember to help people make meaningful progress on their goals. The outcomes will be spectacular.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

How do effective leaders do goal setting and execution? - part #3

Ken Blanchard in his book, Leading At a Higher Level: Blanchard on Leadership and Creating High Performing Organizations, Prentice Hall, 2006, writes “… the goal-setting process works best when both the manager and direct report come to an initial goal setting meeting, having each thought through what key goals are appropriate for the direct report.” Furthermore, “Once both parties have shared their proposed goals, it is easier to reach agreement…. goal setting should be a joint process.” 

After 30+ years of being involved in strategic planning and goal setting, I fully agree with this statement. The desired outcome of the goal setting process is that the proposed goal is owned and understood by the person(s) who need to execute them

For us here today, let’s unpack what a SMART goal actually means. In simple terms, a SMART goal has the following characteristics:

- specific, observable, and measurable

- motivating, i.e. a person needs to know why the goal is important

- attainable

- relevant

- trackable and/or time-bound 

When a goal meets the above criterion, then the person and their supervisor are able to measure performance frequently and praise progress when appropriate.

When I see people set SMART goals, the “S” stand for “specific.” Here, the goal starts with an action oriented verb and there is a behavior associated with the goal. It is concise and it should be able to be communicated easily.

The “M” in SMART goals often focuses on being measurable more than motivating. When goal setting fails and I get called in to figure out what went wrong, I often discover that the measurement connected to the SMART goal was based on a lack of clarity about the difference between a leading measure and a lagging measure. A leading measure can be measured daily, weekly or monthly, and a leading measure is predictive. If the leading measure is effective and understood by the person or persons who have to execute the goal, then the lagging measure will be influenced and change will take place.

The “A” in a SMART goal focuses on being “achievable” or “attainable.” The problem with many goals is that they are more concept focused rather than action oriented. Effective goals are not ambiguous. Ambiguity is death to execution. 

Furthermore, effective goals and the goal setting process are personal. All involved need to have the mindset that “I own my goals and my goals own me. Executing them is a part of my regular work, and I expect my supervisor to hold me accountable to executing them successfully.” Therefore, we as supervisors need to do regular supervision, coaching and check-ins. 

One small note on achievable goals, I have observed this year that actionable goals work better when people are participating in “healthy” teams and within a healthy and well defined work place culture.

The “R” in a SMART goals focuses on being “realistic”. I also like to connect this “R” to being relevant to the strategy of the company. From experience, I have learned that many goals are not in alignment with the overall strategy of the company. I also have learned that many people also don’t understand the strategy or the strategic direction of the company. And without this level of clarity, execution of the goal can become problematic.

The “T” in a SMART goal focuses on “time”. We forget somedays that all effective goals must have a finish line. I often ask people involved in a goal setting process to answer these two questions. Upon completion, how will you know it? Most people just move on to the next thing on the list. And upon completion, how will you celebrate? We get so busy some days that we forget to celebrate when someone effective achieves a goal.

Finally, please remember this advice and counsel from Ken Blanchard in the aforementioned book: “Three to five goals are the ideal number on which peak performance can concentrate, according to most research.”

This week, share and discuss the above with your team. It is time we did goal setting better.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

How do effective leaders do goal setting and execution? - part #2

When preparing to set goals, zoom out and remember the following key information. First, engaging in goal setting and goal execution is an exercise in “disciplined optimism”, referencing the work of Oren Harari in his book, The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell, McGraw-Hill, 2002.

Next, Bill Conaty and Ram Charan in their book, The Talent Masters: Why Smart Leaders Put People Before Numbers, Crown Business, 2010., note that much of the work of goal setting is done through role modeling. As they write, “Leaders establish the code of conduct through their own actions, questions, and openness to differing opinions in the struggle to pin down each leader’s unique blend of traits, skills, judgement, relationships and experience.” Specifically, leaders role model urgency, i.e. a belief that the goal is worth working toward.

Third, successful leaders who help others set goals understand two things:

- “Goals should build on one’s strengths, not one’s weaknesses.” - Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Anne McKee. Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence, Harvard Business School Press, 2002.

- “Clarifying goals involves making sure that people understand two things: first, what they are being asked [to do is within] their area of responsibility - and second, what good performance looks like and the performance standards by which they will be evaluated.” - Ken Blanchard, Ken. Leading At a Higher Level: Blanchard on Leadership and Creating High Performing Organizations, Prentice Hall, 2006.

Fourth, effective leaders ask the following four questions when helping people prepare for goal setting because as Robert Cooper points out in his book, The Other 90%: How to Unlock Your Vast Untapped Potential For Leadership & Life, Crown Business, 2001, we have to overcome “our natural resistance to growth or change:

- What’s the most exceptional thing you've done this week?

- What the most exceptional thing you will do next week?

- What did you do this week that made you the proudest?

- Given the above answers, where did your goals fit in to these outcomes/results?

The above questions create an opportunity for in-depth reflection and understands that exceptional action is often connected to exceptionally well written goals.

Finally, Hermina Ibarra in her very good book,  Act Like A Leader, Think Like A Leader, Harvard Business Review Press, 2015, notes that effective leaders “set learning goals, not just performance based goals.” They understand the link between constant learning and continual improvement.

This week, reflect on all of the above insights and ask yourself if you and your team are ready to do the in-depth work on setting goals that will be understood, owned and executed well. If not, take the time to get better prepared for goal setting.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

How do effective leaders do goal setting and execution? - part #1

Three leaders and I were sitting around the dinner table discussing the challenges of leading in a very large and growing company when the person to my left asked me the following question: “When we get big, i.e. cross a certain size, what do we need to pay attention to that we are not currently paying attention to?” It was one of the best questions I have been asked this year.

As I explained that evening, a growing company can become intensely focused on project management at the operational level. This will result in a lack of strategic clarity and strategic development.

Second, senior leaders in companies that grow quickly will only be told what people think we want to hear, not what we should be hearing. This in combination with less and less connection and communication with front line staff and front line supervisors is a dangerous combination.

Third, quoting Ron Heifitz, “leaders die with their mouths open.” With growth, leaders can get caught in a constant information send mode and not spend enough time listening, learning and reflecting.

Fourth, many leaders of growing companies get so busy that they do not stay in touch with their mentors, their families or their friends. The result of which is that they loose access to perspective, love and support.

Finally, many leaders of rapidly growing companies forget that goal setting is the master skill. And the goal of a growing company is to set goals that people own, understand and will execute!

From my vantage point, goal setting has become more and more problematic during the last couple of years. The first problem is that the word “goal” means so many different things to so many different people. There is rarely consensus on the meaning of this term. And when we use a word within a group that is interpreted in many different ways, the outcome is confusion and frustration.

Next, everyone talks to me about the importance of having SMART goals, i.e specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time based. However, awareness about SMART goals does not mean we actually set SMART goals. Many times our SMART goals are not very smart.

Third, for someone to be successful in creating and executing a goal, there needs to be two things in place: an understanding of why this is the goal which is not very common, and ownership of the goal. The later is equally rare because ownership only happens if there is a safe space for ownership to take place. 

We as leaders have to recognize that safe spaces for goal ownership have to take place long before we set a goal. We also have to remember that executing a goal will requires us to step outside our comfort zone, and in this place the first thing we often feel is uncomfortable and incompetent. Now there is a loosing combination of feelings.

So, this week as you begin setting goals for the coming new year, think about goal setting as a four step process, namely preparing to set a goal, setting a goal, executing a goal, and evaluating a goal. This framework in combination with the above thoughts is the first step to effective change and long term success. 

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

How do leaders successfully deal with accelerated change, chronic uncertainty and rampant complexity? - part #4

When dealing with accelerated change, chronic uncertainty and rampant complexity, leaders need to role model not getting caught in silo based thinking or decision making. They also should not tolerate it when others do it. Instead, they need to make important choices.

David J. Snowden and Mary E. Boone wrote an excellent article on this subject called “A Leader’s Framework for Decision Making” in the November 2007 issue of the Harvard Business Review. As they explain, “As in the other contexts, leaders face several challenges in the complex domain. Of primary concern is the temptation to fall back into traditional command-and-control management styles - to demand fail-safe business plans with defined outcomes. Leaders who don’t recognize that a complex domain requires a more experimental mode of management may become impatient when they don’t seem to be achieving the results they were aiming for. They may also find it difficult to tolerate failure, which is an essential aspect of experimental understanding. If they try to over control the organization, they will preempt the opportunity for informative patterns to emerge. Leaders who try to impose order in a complex context will fail, but those who set the stage, step back a bit, allow patterns to emerge, and determine which ones are desirable will succeed. They will discern many opportunities for innovation, creativity, and new business models.”

One element of these choices is create and maintain a learning culture. Given the recruitment and retention challenges in companies across the country at this time period, a learning culture creates the capacity to promote from within and to create spaces where people can gather, share and expand their perspective about what is happening and how to proceed.

If we as leader reinforce and support mono-cultures of the mind, we are bound to repeat the same problems over and over. There are many paths to innovation, creativity and effective action. Expanding the capacity of people to think and learn is crucial to our success. 

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

How do leaders successfully deal with accelerated change, chronic uncertainty and rampant complexity? - part #3

This morning I have been thinking about an interaction I had at the Spring 2019 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable. Myself and another person were walking down the hall toward the conference room where the Roundtable was to take place. I turned to the other person and asked “How long have we been working together?”

He replied, “Since November 1999. Do you remember when we first met?”

I thought for a moment and said, “I am sorry to say I don’t.”

He continued, “It was November 1999. You keynoted a conference that I attended. I was a first time CEO and I asked you after your presentation what I needed to know and do as a new leader. You told me to read the book, Flight of the Buffalo: Soaring To Excellence, Learning to Let Employees Lead  by Belasco and Stayer, and then to call you to discuss it.”

I smiled.

He continued the story by saying, “I did read the book and then I called you.” And with that, he quoted two of the most powerful lines from this book:

“Transfer ownership for work to those who execute the work.”

“Create the environment for ownership where each person wants to be responsible for his/her own performance.”

In times of accelerated change, chronic uncertainty and rampant complexity, we want people to own the work they are doing. We also want these same people to have a clear picture inside of them about what is a “great performance”. And finally, we want all the systems and structures to align and support that “great performance” at the individual, team and organizational levels.

As I wrote last week, I believe the foundation upon which ownership, clarity and alignment is built starts with the senior leadership team. The challenge for us at this time is to realize that within complex change the leader’s job with their team and the organization as a whole is to engage in active inquiry. 

Many years ago Stephen Covey explained it this way: “seek first to understand; second to be understood.” Active inquiry is based upon persistent and thoughtful inquiry through questions.

This past summer I worked with many different leadership teams as they began planning for the future. In particular, I was working with a senior leadership team where I asked three foundational questions:

- What is going right?

- What shouldn’t change as you execute a new strategic plan?

- What does growth mean to all of you?

In one particular circumstance, every single senior leader at the table would make a statement. No one asked questions. The CEO was stunned. There was no thoughtful inquiry.

At the end of the day, the CEO asked me for my analysis of the day’s meeting and I respond with “I don’t know if you can get there from here with this group of people. The day was all posture and no dialogue. They are senior managers but there was little senior leadership behaviors displayed at the individual or group level.”

Upon considerable reflection, I have figured out that complex times and changes require more interactive communication at multiple levels within the organization. The goal of which is to create understanding, trust and a level of dialogue where by we may discover “positive deviance”, i.e. a solution or set of solutions that may already working within the organization itself, rather than looking to outside people and companies for best practices or clues about how to proceed. Furthermore, interactive communication can redirect our attention from “what’s wrong” to “what’s right” 

 

This week, sit down and do your own reflecting. Ask yourself the following two questions: 

- Where are we building safe, respectful, and trusting work environments so all involved will commit to decisions and plans of action? 

- Where are we building time and space into our daily lives so we have the courage to hold one another accountable to delivering those plans?

Now is the time to work for a better future.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

How do leaders successfully deal with accelerated change, chronic uncertainty and rampant complexity? - part #2

Picking up where I left off last week, my third thought during this recent diner meeting was that complexity is the enemy of execution.

In simple terms, there are two basic patterns of change: First, there is complicated change where we put forth great effort, track and measure specific variables and most of the time this will result in predictable outcomes. When thinking about complicated change, image a Toyota Prius. An expert mechanic can take it apart and reassemble it without changing a thing. The car is static, and therefore the whole is the sum of its parts.

On the other hand, complex change also takes great effort, and we track and measure specific variables. However, with complex change the outcomes are unpredictable. When thinking about complex change, image a Brazilian rainforest. The rainforest is in constant flux, and the weather patterns change daily. Animal species who live there change or go extinct. Local agriculture or forest fires impacts it’s water, etc. Given the rainforest is in a constant dynamic state, the whole is far more than the sum of its parts. Therefore, most of what we understand about the rainforest, we understand in retrospect.

Right now, many leaders and their organization are dealing with complex change. As Charles Massy wrote in his book, Call of the Reed Warbler: A New Agriculture, A New Earth, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2018: “The word ‘complexity’ has as its Latin base the root word plexus - braided or entwined - which leads to complexes, or ‘braided together’, and so to complexity. Thus, complexity results from the interrelationships, interaction, intertwining and interconnectivity of elements distributed over different hierarchical levels: first, within a system, and second, between a system and its environment…. when in unstable states, that give rise to discontinuous and unexpected changes - changes that are not explicable by a single causal factor and that feed back into the system to inform its ongoing interactions.”

When we think about complex changes and complex systems, we recognize that they have the following characteristics. First, they involves large numbers of interacting elements. Next, the interactions are nonlinear, and minor changes can produce disproportionately major consequences. In short, when the change or system is dynamic and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, then solutions can’t be improved. Rather, they arise from the circumstances. This is frequently referred to as emergence.

Not too long ago, I met privately with an executive in her office who was dealing with the fall out from a major reorganization plus the recognition that they needed to develop a whole new strategic plan. Around us were pages and pages of detailed information with dates and reports. She had many questions and she was seeking many specific answers. Finally, she realized that she did not know how her people were going to react to all that was happening and she was not certain how to proceed. Together, we discussed the concept of emergence and having the capacity as a leader to wait and see what happens. There were just too many moving parts. She needed to have the capacity to be patient with the process and let it unfold.

We as leaders need to remember that complex change and complex systems have a history. The past is integrated into the present and evolution is irreversible. Even if a complex change or system may, in retrospect, appear to be ordered and predictable, hindsight does not lead to foresight because the external conditions and systems constantly change. 

So what do we do?

First, remember that a successful organization has four pillars, namely people, structure, systems and culture. Each of these are critical to short and long term success.

Second, you can have the best mission, vision and core values plus an awesome strategic plan but not be successful, because you may have the wrong people reporting to the wrong people, all of which is working within inefficient systems and a toxic culture. None of which will help you with complexity!

So, for me in the midst of complexity, the foundation upon which ownership, clarity and alignment is built starts with the senior leadership team. As Patrick Lencioni wrote in his book, The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive back in 2000, “Build and Maintain A Cohesive Leadership Team.” As he explains, “Cohesive teams build trust, eliminate politics and increase efficiency by: knowing one another's unique strengths and weaknesses, openly engaging in constructive ideological conflict, holding one another accountable for behaviors and actions, and committing to group decisions.” This is not flashy, hot-off-the-press, NYT best-seller, buzz based work. For me, this is old school, analog level work that when done well and consistently makes a profound short and long term difference.

From today moving into next year, I encourage all people in leadership positions to return to building and maintaining a cohesive team that can deal with conflict and differences of perspective. Given the ambiguities of the complex changes before us, we need a cohesive leadership team. We can do this starting today by role modeling collaborative behaviors and by being more visible across the entire organization. Next we can create role clarity for all members on the team and at the same time, living with the reality of task ambiguity within a complex environment. Finally, we can coach others on a formal and informal basis because some days you just need to go out for lunch and visit with people.

Complex change and complex systems are hard to work with. We as leaders need to embrace this challenge and get better at working with them.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257