Morning Star Associates Monday Thoughts

A Wonderful Book

2012-02-10T06:08:00.001-06:00

The other night after getting everything done on my To Do list, I realized that I had a free hour or so before bed time. While I could have filled it up with watching TV, I instead picked up a book that my wife had given me for Christmas and began to read. As I moved through the opening pages, I was completely captivated and realized that I had stumbled on to an excellent and thought-proving resource.

Written by Joel ben Izzy, The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness (Algonquin Books, 2003) is a true story about a storyteller who loses his voice and believes he’s lost everything. Diagnosed with thyroid cancer, a usually treatable form of cancer, in the summer of 1997, Joel awoke from surgery with a strange complication; he could not speak. However, an encounter with his old teacher shows him that he has been given a great gift. Their meeting leads Joel ben Izzy on a journey into the timeless wisdom of ancient tales - a world of beggars and kings, monks and tigers, lost horses and buried treasures. In the end, he discovers many insights, including what he believes is the secret to happiness.

As one who loves to listen to a good story as well as tell one, I was very moved by this book about a storyteller who loses his voice. In my line of work, I have never experienced this and yet can very much image the challenges this would create in my work and my home life. The pain, the grief and the difficulty would be horrendous.

Yet as I read through this marvelous book and the wonderfully delightfully ancient stories blended into his story, I came away feeling uplifted and inspired. The style of his writing, the depth of his thoughts, and the quality of his story telling reminded me of the book called The Other 90% by Robert K. Cooper. However, in The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness, Joel ben Izzy does not blend in brain research or leadership material as much as share a deep understanding of the personal journey through change.

While I read many books and articles on a regular basis, this particular book has grown on me during the days since I have completed it. Most of the books I read are related to work and thus I take in-depth notes on them. I currently have 97 of them annotated in my computer so I can reference them during executive coaching sessions or when I am designing a seminar. However, this book I will not annotate as much as reread parts of it on a regular basis, and keep thinking about what he wrote.

For those of you who are coming to the Spring 2012 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable on April 12-13 in Des Moines, I know I will be sharing at least one of the “ancient tales” from the book with all of you. It is a delightful one and I have been smiling all week thinking about it. Until then, I highly recommend this book and strongly encourage you to read it.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Racing Hither and Yon

2012-02-08T07:28:00.001-06:00

On any given day, many of us are in back to back meetings, carrying a cup of luke warm coffee, and a stack of paperwork and files from one room to the next. As we race to catch up, our smart phones are chirping away, reminding us that we have more e-mails and text messages to read, phone messages to listen to, and assorted other meeting and deadline reminders to recall. With no time to go to the bathroom, let alone coach, think strategically, or plan for operational improvements, we just keep moving forward, hoping that tomorrow will be better than today. As one executive told me years ago, “I know I am going to have a heart attack, but I don’t have time in my schedule for one today. Maybe I can make an appointment for this in two years.”

On any given day, many of us know there must be a better way to live and work. However, we also are smart enough to know that it will take a great deal of learning, patience and forgiveness. It begins with accepting there is a problem and then choosing to live less in the last minute lane. It also begins with structured learning.

One place many people have turned to over the years is the From Vision to Action Leadership Training. Here, they learn new ways to deal with old problems and successful ways to deal with new problems. Through comprehensive training that meets once a quarter and a set of structured readings in between, participants gain the skills and perspective to become better leaders, who make better plans and who implement those plans even when they have to run into the normal but difficult stages of organizational change.

If you are tired of running in circles and sitting in non-productive meetings, then please click on the following link: http://www.chartyourpath.com/VTA-Training-Details.html. Racing hither and yon can be exhausting. There is a better way of leading. I hope you can join us in March for the 2012 From Vision to Action Leadership Training.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

The Importance of Disciplined Leadership

2012-02-07T05:38:00.002-06:00

Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen in their book, Great By Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck - Why Some Thrive Despite Them All, HarperCollins, 2011, note that “we cannot predict the future. But we can create it.” Based on their research, they believe the future will remain unpredictable and the world will be unstable for the rest of our lives.

The common perspective during times of uncertainty, chaos and turbulence was that successful leaders were bold, risk-seeking visionaries. However, Collins and Hansen point out that “the best leaders we studied did not have a visionary ability to predict the future. They observed what worked, figured out why it worked, and built upon proven foundations. They were not more risk taking, more bold, more visionary, and more creative than the comparisons. They were more disciplined, more empirical, and more paranoid.”

As we all navigate through this prolonged period of uncertainty, more people need to get away from the daily grind, and explore the larger perspective. Through a disciplined approach to key subjects, they need to explore with others what is and is not working and build on this foundation of understanding.

One place to do this level of work is at a From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable. Here you will find a group of dedicated people seeking to improve and transform their organizations. You also will discover individuals who want to discuss, explore and reflect on the next waves of change and consider how this will impact their work as a leader and their organization. In short, through in-depth learning and candid peer-to-peer discussions, you will explore new ideas, perspectives and solutions.

The next From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable takes place on April 12 - 13, 2012 at the Courtyard by Marriott in Des Moines/Clive, Iowa.

Here is the agenda for your review:

Thursday: April 12, 2012

- 8:30 am - Registration

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - Navigating Through Prolonged Uncertainty

- 10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break

- 10:30 am - 12:00 pm - Maintaining Operational Excellence During Constant Change

- 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm - Lunch and Networking

- 1:30 pm - 2:45 pm - Building a Learning Organization

- 2:45 pm - 3:00 pm - Break

- 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm - Improving Front Line Supervisors Effectiveness

- 4:30 pm - Adjourn

Friday: April 13, 2012

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - A Return To Personal & Professional Balance

- 10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break

- 10:30 am - 12:00 pm - Integration and Application

- 12:00 pm - Adjourn

Recommended Reading: Collins, Jim and Morten T. Hansen. Great By Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck - Why Some Thrive Despite Them All, HarperCollins, 2011.

Here is the link to the registration form: http://www.chartyourpath.com/pdf/2012-From-Vision-To-Action-Exec-Roundtable-Regist.pdf.

If you are seeking new solutions, now is the time to sign-up.

I look forward to seeing you at the Spring 2012 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Teams and Goals

2012-02-06T05:49:00.002-06:00

With the right people on the team, it is important for young leaders to create a high degree of clarity. The first step is to explain why the team is needed and what is the focus of the team.

Many young team leaders forget that most team members have two basic questions in mind when they join a team, namely “What are we supposed to do?” and “How will we know when we are successful?”. Creating a clear understanding about goals and metrics is mission critical to success.

As an executive coach, I often work with teams that are struggling. While there are a diversity of problems that can be happening, the most common is that a great group of people are working with extremely poor goals. At this point, I coach a young leader and the team on creating SMART goals, i.e. ones that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Well-written goals make a major difference in team success.

Next, young leaders need to clarify any expectations they have beyond the goals and metrics. For example, are all team meetings mandatory? How are problems to be solved when we disagree within the team? What do we do when we encounter a problem with another team? Taking time to discuss these issues and clarifying what is expected also solves problems before they become problems.

One element that young leaders also do not think about is the importance of shared learning and team coaching. The former can create a greater capacity for improved problem solving, and the latter can help a team improve it’s overall performance.

For those of you who are coaching young leaders, I encourage you to read the following three resources together:

- Developing A New Organizational Culture - http://www.chartyourpath.com/Organization-Culture.html

- Turning Challenges Into Achievement - http://www.chartyourpath.com/Challenges-Achievement.html

“Why Teams Don’t Work”, interview with J. Richard Hackman by Diane Coutu, Harvard Business Review, May 2009 - http://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams-dont-work/ar/1

With careful planning in the beginning and on-going coaching, young team leaders can be successful. The key for them and for those who coach them is to remember one simple truth: what you feed, grows. Feeding clarity grows capacity.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Preparing for an Uncertain Future

2012-01-31T05:52:00.002-06:00

Today, we live in a world where three technological tsunami’s are hitting us at the same time. The first is the smart phone wave with five billion people around the world already using mobile phones. The second is the social networking wave where nearly one billion people are in Facebook’s network. And the last is the cloud computing wave, the subtle but significant shift in capability. As all three waves crash upon the shores of current business practices, we as leaders must be better prepared and more strategic in our planning. To help us all begin this process, I encourage you to read “CEOs Tackle Technology” by Jennifer Pellet from the January/February 2012 issue of Chief Executive magazine. Here is the link: http://chiefexecutive.net/ceos-tackle-technology

Next, I encourage you to read the following short blog post by Bill Taylor, cofounder of Fast Company magazine, called “Are Your Learning as Fast as the World Is Changing?” from the Harvard Business Review web site. His comments on vision, innovation and networking are superb. Here is the link: http://blogs.hbr.org/taylor/2012/01/are_you_learning_as_fast_as_th.html

Then, I recommend you watch the 30 second video of John Kotter answering the question, “How do you inspire a team that has failed?” His answer is very practical and helpful for those who are struggling. Here is the link: http://www.30secondmba.com/question/motivating-forces?video_id=f2a15e1e4708f

Finally, for all of us who are planning ahead, I encourage every one to remember that Patrick Lencioni’s new book The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else In Business will be out on March 20, 2012. It would not surprise me if a variety of people will have read it before the Spring 2012 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable in Des Moines on April 12 - 13. Here is the link for this new book: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-advantage-patrick-m-lencioni/1104677299?ean=9780470941522&itm=8&usri=patrick+lencioni

Here, too, is the link to the registration form for the Spring Roundtable: http://www.chartyourpath.com/pdf/2012-From-Vision-To-Action-Exec-Roundtable-Regist.pdf

Happy reading as you wrap up the first month of 2012! I am looking forward to seeing all of you at the Spring Roundtable.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

People and Teams

2012-01-30T05:52:00.001-06:00

Once a young leader figures out whether they are building an actual team or a single leader work group, most want to charge forth and make things happen. As an executive coach, I often have to slow down these eager beavers and remind them that figuring out what kind of team to create is only a part of the journey. The next step is to figure out who is going to be part of the team.

Regularly, excited young leaders want to pick a variety of people, put them in a room, call them a team, and give them their marching orders. I, on the other hand, have to remind young leaders that who is on the team will greatly impact the effectiveness of what the team will do. Therefore, I often ask young leaders to answer the following questions:

- Do you have confidence in each prospective person who will be on the team?

- Do you have confidence in the way they make decisions?

- Do you have confidence in the way they role model?

- Do you have confidence in the way they learn?

An effective team is made up of effective people who can make decisions, role model healthy relationships, and learn. If we put the wrong people on the team at the start, then we have guaranteed that the team will become dysfunctional. If we put the right people on the team at the start, then we pre-position the team for success.

As more experienced team leaders know, the foundation of every team is trust. With the right people on the team, trust can grow, develop and propel a team to new levels of creativity and action. If you are coaching a young leader on building trust and building a team, then I recommend you and they read the following resource: Lencioni, Patrick. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Jossey-Bass, 2002. With clarity and the right people, effective team work is possible.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Spring 2012 Roundtable

2012-01-24T05:33:00.003-06:00

Now that the recent snow storms have passed and there is the possibility of sunshine for today, I just wanted to give you a friendly reminder that the “Early Bird Special” for the Spring 2012 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable is set to expire on Wednesday, February 1.

If you sign up between now and 2/1/12, the price will be $ 275.00 for the two days and $ 175.00 for a single day. Here is the link to the registration form:

http://www.chartyourpath.com/pdf/2012-From-Vision-To-Action-Exec-Roundtable-Regist.pdf.

Please write “early bird special” on it when you send it to me.

After 2/1/11, the registration price will be $ 295.00 for the two days and $ 195.00 for a single day.

Here are the details for your review:

Date: April 12 - 13, 2012

Place: Courtyard by Marriott in Des Moines/Clive, Iowa

Agenda:

Thursday: April 12, 2012

- 8:30 am - Registration

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - Navigating Through Prolonged Uncertainty

- 10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break

- 10:30 am - 12:00 pm - Maintaining Operational Excellence During Constant Change

- 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm - Lunch and Networking

- 1:30 pm - 2:45 pm - Building a Learning Organization

- 2:45 pm - 3:00 pm - Break

- 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm - Improving Front Line Supervisors Effectiveness

- 4:30 pm - Adjourn

Friday: April 13, 2012

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - A Return To Personal & Professional Balance

- 10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break

- 10:30 am - 12:00 pm - Integration and Application

- 12:00 pm - Adjourn

Recommended Reading: Collins, Jim and Morten T. Hansen. Great By Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck - Why Some Thrive Despite Them All, HarperCollins, 2011.

Hope you can come!

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Not All Teams Are Created Equal

2012-01-23T05:56:00.003-06:00

Within the first couple of executive coaching sessions with a young leader, I am certain we will end up discussing the subject of building a team and/or leading a team. It is a given because when groups of people come together, problems often arise.

As a side note, if you think you are the first one to encounter the challenges of people working together, then I encourage you to read Thucydides’ book called “The History of the Peloponnesian War.” Written four hundred years before the birth of Christ and considered by many as a classic and one of the earliest scholarly works of history, the book is an account of the war between the Peloponnesian League lead by Sparta and the Delian League lead by Athens. The conflicts between the two empires over shipping, trade, and colonial expansion came to a head in 431 b.c. in northern Greece, and the entire Greek world was plunged into 27 years of war. Thucydides applied a passion for accuracy and a contempt for myth and romance in compiling this exhaustively factual record of the disastrous conflict that eventually ended the Athenian empire. As you read through it, you will realize people have struggled for many years.

Now back to coaching young leaders about teams, the first step in the process is to help young leaders define what kind of team they are wanting to build. On first blush, this may seem simplistic. However, many young leaders talk team but what they really want and expect is all involved to act like a single leader work group.

In a nutshell, here are some of the differences between a team and a single leader work group. On a team, the goals and agendas are set by the team based on dialogue about purpose. On a single-leader work group, goals and agendas are set by the leader in charge in consultation with a senior leader. In the former team performance is evaluated by the team as a whole and in the latter it is evaluated by the positional leader. Furthermore, success is defined by the team as a whole while in a single-leader work group success is define by the positional leader.

As I begin to coach young leaders on these critical differences, I note that teams are best for dealing with complex challenges that require people with various skill sets working together most of time to solve a problem. However, a single-leader work group may be best if the challenge before the group requires fast action and the leader already knows best how to proceed. Each path has it’s pros and cons.

For those of you who are coaching young leaders, I encourage you and they to read the following article called “Firing Up the Front Line” by Jon R. Katsenbach and Jason A. Santamaria, May-June 1999, Harvard Business Review. Here is a link where you can find it on-line: http://hbr.org/1999/05/firing-up-the-front-line/ar/1

Happy reading together!

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

There Is A Difference

2012-01-16T05:56:00.001-06:00

Over the decades that I have done this work, I have met many people with many different titles. Some have been goofy and some have been most interesting. As their executive coach and/or consultant, I have had to remind people that a title does not make the person a good leader. A title simply conveys where you sit on the organizational chart and it can imply that you have some positional power.

In the world of leadership, you will learn that you are only a leader if someone is willing to follow you. Once they are willing to place their trust in you, then something very magical happens. And, you have some important choices to make.

The first choice is to consciously choose when to manage and when to lead. For some who are experienced, this is a very unconscious act but for many right now given this economy, they need to wake up and be more conscious of when they are managing and when they are leading.

Now some will argue that there is no difference between management and leadership. It is all an academic exercise. But more experienced people will remind you that there is a huge difference between these two actions. Marcus Buckingham in his excellent book, The One Thing You Need to Know ... About Great Managing, Great Leading, and Sustained Individual Success, Free Press, 2005, gives the best description about the difference between management and leadership. As he writes:

“To excel as a manager you must never forget that each of your direct reports is unique and that your chief responsibility is not to eradicate this uniqueness, but rather to arrange roles, responsibilities, and expectations so that you can capitalize upon it. The more you perfect this skill, the more effectively you will turn talents into performance.

To excel as a leader requires the opposite skill. You must become adept at calling upon those needs we all share. Our common needs include the need for security, for community, for authority, and for respect, but for you, the leader, the most powerful universal need is our need for clarity. To transform our fear of the unknown into confidence in the future, you must discipline yourself to describe our joint future vividly and precisely. As your skill at this grows, so will our confidence in you.”

Over the last two years, I have spent more and more time during executive coaching sessions sharing these two paragraphs with young leaders and asking them to explore with me what each one means. For those of you who are coaching young leaders, this is an excellent exercise and it always results in a wonderful and in-depth strategic dialogue about key concepts. For those of you who are not being well coached, sit down with someone who you trust and hold this conversation. If you can not find someone who you feel will be helpful, consider investing in some executive coaching outside the organization. I am more than willing to be of assistance.

This week realize there is a difference between management and leadership. Remember that awareness is the first step to improved performance.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Short Articles, Big Impact

2012-01-12T06:16:00.001-06:00

Occasionally, I read an article or blog post that has a big impact. Here are a couple of ones that I have found recently to be quite thought-provoking.

First, I recommend reading “What Happens When the Strategy Consultants Leave?” by Randy Ottinger of Kotter International. He writes about how leaders can move their organization forward after their strategy consultants have departed. It gives some fresh insights particularly if you are knowledgeable about Kotter’s 8- Step model. Here is the link:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkotter/2012/01/04/what-happens-when-the-strategy-consultants-leave/

For those of you who are familiar with John Kotter’s book Leading Change, you will enjoy his recent post called “Success: A Breeding Ground for Complacency?” If you are wanting to seize on some big opportunities and make change happen in 2012, this is a good read for you and for your team. Here is the link:

http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2012/01/success-breeding-ground-for-complacency.html

Finally, many people have been discussing with me issues related to performance management. While there are many ways to address this issue, I think a good place to start is to read a blog post called “The Performance and Potential Matrix (9 Box Grid) - an Update” by Dan McCarthy, Director of Executive Development Programs at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics. He introduces a good framework for talent management, succession planning and general performance coaching. Here is the link:

http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2012/01/performance-and-potential-matrix-9-box.html

Hope this starts your New Year off with some good and thought-provoking reading, and group discussions.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Thoughts on Leadership, Navigation, Communication and Learning

2012-01-11T06:07:00.002-06:00

This morning, I have been rereading a book written by John Maxwell called The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow them and People Will Follow You, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1998. In this book are two of my favorite laws of leadership.

The first is called “The Law of Navigation,” namely “Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course.” With a web site called www.ChartYourPath.com, I think his point is excellent. As he explains, navigators draw on past experience, listen to what others have to say, examine the conditions before making commitments, and make sure their conclusions represent faith and fact. Right now, we need more leaders who can effectively navigate the seas of change.

The second is called “The Law of E.F. Hutton,” namely “When real leaders speak, people listen.” This is so true and so important. As Maxwell explains, positional leaders often speak first, need the influence of the real leader to get things done, and only influence other positional leaders. On the other hand, real leaders speak later, need only their own influence to get things done, and influence everyone in the room. Maxwell explores the difference between positional leadership and real leadership in the above book, pointing out that people become real leaders because of character - who they are, relationships - who they know, knowledge - what they know, intuition - what they feel, experience - where they've been, past success - what they've done, and ability - what they can do.

When we recognize the need to have more key people who can better navigate and influence effectively this year, then now is the time to sign up people with potential for the 2012 From Vision to Action Leadership Training. This in-depth, year long training course encompasses four quarterly sessions and helps participants gain valuable skills, knowledge and perspective about leadership, strategic planning and execution, and implementing organizational change. For more information about how to register for this training, including cost, dates and location, please click on the following link: http://www.chartyourpath.com/VTA-Training-Details.html.

Finding direction and clarity in the midst of change is vital during 2012. I hope you will join me in learning more about leadership by participating in the 2012 From Vision to Action Leadership Training.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

2012 Spring Roundtable - Early Bird Special!

2012-01-10T05:59:00.002-06:00

Now that the New Year celebrations have passed, it is time for us to turn our sights on the 2012 Spring Roundtable!

On April 12 - 13, we will gather at the Courtyard by Marriott in Des Moines/Clive, Iowa for the Spring 2012 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable.

Here is the agenda for your review:

Thursday: April 12, 2012

- 8:30 am - Registration

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - Navigating Through Prolonged Uncertainty

- 10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break

- 10:30 am - 12:00 pm - Maintaining Operational Excellence During Constant Change

- 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm - Lunch and Networking

- 1:30 pm - 2:45 pm - Building a Learning Organization

- 2:45 pm - 3:00 pm - Break

- 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm - Improving Front Line Supervisors Effectiveness

- 4:30 pm - Adjourn

Friday: April 13, 2012

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - A Return To Personal & Professional Balance

- 10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break

- 10:30 am - 12:00 pm - Integration and Application

- 12:00 pm - Adjourn

Recommended Reading: Collins, Jim and Morten T. Hansen. Great By Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck - Why Some Thrive Despite Them All, HarperCollins, 2011.

Starting today through Wednesday, February 1, I am offering an “early bird” registration price for the Spring 2012 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable.

If you sign up during this time period, and submit payment before 2/1/12, the price will be $ 275.00 for the two days and $ 175.00 for a single day. Here is the link to the registration form: http://www.chartyourpath.com/pdf/2012-From-Vision-To-Action-Exec-Roundtable-Regist.pdf. Please write “early bird special” on it when you send it to me.

After 2/1/11, the registration price will be $ 295.00 for the two days and $ 195.00 for a single day.

I hope you will reserve April 12-13 on your calendar, and e-mail me today about whether or not you and your team are coming. Then, in April when the daffodils and warm spring weather have returned to the heartland all we need to do is meet at the Spring 2012 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable in Des Moines.

Thinking ahead and looking forward to seeing you in April.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

A Funny Thing Happened Recently

2012-01-09T06:05:00.002-06:00

I was sitting in a meeting recently and as I looked around the room I realized something startling. I was the oldest person in the room and by quite a few years. This was a surprise to me.

I believe that most people do not think about being old or getting older. Instead, we believe we are a “young” person. I know from experience it is a blessing to be given the gift and opportunity to grow old. However, it is quite the shock when one realizes that all of sudden everyone in the room has framed you up as “the old guy.”

Furthermore, it is a wonderful when I am sitting in a room coaching someone who is a young senior executive and they ask me to coach someone who is even younger than they are. Given how often this is happening now, and how often I work with very young leaders, I decided this winter to share some of the fundamentals that I am teaching and coaching these young people as they enter the exciting and dynamic world of leadership.

First, I recognize that some young leaders have not read extensively, or experienced many significant life events. While this is normal, there are a couple of things we need to understand whether we are at the beginning of our leadership journey, in the middle, or near the end. As I wrote in the From Vision to Action booklet called “Planning for Change” (http://www.chartyourpath.com/Planning-for-Change.html, there are some important fundamentals to remember when becoming a leader:

“First: People do care. Unfortunately, all too often people's capacity to care is buried under layers of cynicism resulting from negative experiences with work or life. But this doesn't change the reality that fundamental to human nature is the capacity to care, and to care deeply. The desire for our lives to make a difference is intrinsic.

Second: People want to engage in meaningful work. Yet, some are taught at an early age that it isn't wise to dream big, and many end up selling themselves short. We all need to meet financial commitments and to create a life for ourselves and our families. But ultimately, people prefer work that is meaningful and compatible with their talents, personalities, and values.

Being a cog in a wheel is a waste of human potential. Each of us has interests, dreams, and desires which are as varied as the colors of the spectrum. But issues of meaning matter, and a smart executive --whatever the size or scope of the organization -- knows this, and sets his or her course accordingly.

Third: People need community. We have a fundamental human need for integration, for pleasure, for accomplishment, for meaning, and for contributing outside the realm of mere self- interest. And we need the support of others.

Every person needs to know there is someone who can offer support when they fail, when illness strikes, or a child is struggling -- and, more importantly, who will take the time to listen. We need community within which to share, to tell stories, and to test our dreams. Even dyed-in-the-wool introverts appreciate the value of a few good friends!

Fourth: It is fundamental to human nature to learn throughout the life-cycle. We exercise this capacity every day. No matter what our educational background, or our intellectual or developmental capacity, we learn every day in formal and informal contexts.

In short, it is people who are our primary resource during change, and successful individuals and companies understand this. Taking time to understand the marketplace, the customer, the rules and regulations, and the competition is critically important, of course, but not at the expense of the fundamentals.”

This winter my goal is to explore the fundamentals of leadership with you and to further share more insights that all of us, no matter our age, need to remember. For now, let each of us be mindful that people care and want to engage in meaningful work. They also what a sense of community and to learn through out their lives.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Wishing you all the blessings of this season

2011-12-19T06:02:00.002-06:00

Winter is coming home to the heartland this week, and families across our country will gather and celebrate. Children of all ages will discover warm connections, joy, and love, all gifts of the heart.

As our own two sons travel back home, my wife, Jane, and I stand in the door way with open arms, counting the blessings. In a world filled with such challenges, upheaval and strife, we are tremendously grateful for the simple blessings of clean water, good food, safe shelter, and being together as a family. I am especially thankful for the many opportunities I have had this year to work with each of you in large and small group settings plus our private visits together.

This journey we are all on comes with great troughs of chaos and tremendous mountains of challenge. Yet, as we learn, unlearn and relearn together, we recognize that we are not alone but are in reality deeply blessed by the opportunity to be of service to each other.

From our office to your office, from our home to your home, my family and I send you joy, love and peace during this holiday season.

Wishing you and yours every good thing that the season can bring.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Planning for 2012

2011-12-12T06:09:00.001-06:00

It is hard to believe, but we are nearly halfway through December. The entire fall just zipped right by. Now winter is moving at the same pace. Blink twice today and the holidays will be gone. Do it again and we will be waking up in mid-February 2012, wondering what happened to most of the first quarter.

Unfortunately, some people are just becoming aware that they need to plan for 2012. With fifteen working days until the New Year, they are stumped by the magnitude of this task. Like deer-in-the-headlights, they are overwhelmed and all they can see is that 2012 is barreling down upon them.

For those of you who are in this predicament or working with people who just realized that they need to map out some goals for the first quarter of 2012, I always remember the advice of Peter Drucker who counseled executives to practice “planned abandonment.” As he wrote, “Make a list of all the things you are doing today that, if you were not already doing, you would not start doing. These are your candidates for abandonment.”

While making a list is not the end of planning, this marvelous exercise can be very helpful whether you are working at the personal, team, or organizational levels. It can be the foundation for great reflection and inquiry. I encourage all of us this week to start thinking about the future and using this simple exercise as the start for a great strategic dialogue.

If you need further help planning for the future, please do not hesitate to call me.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

A Quick Reminder

2011-12-06T11:01:00.001-06:00

Friday, December 9, is the registration deadline for the 2012 From Vision to Action Leadership Training.

We will meet for this unique learning opportunity in 2012 at the Coralville Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, Coralville, Iowa on the following dates:

- March 7 - 8 - 9, 2012

- May 9 - 10 - 11, 2012

- September 12 - 13 - 14, 2012

- November 8 - 9, 2012

If you and/or members of your team are interested in registering for the 2012 training, then please click on the following link for more information: http://www.chartyourpath.com/VTA-Leadership-Training.html or on the this link for the registration form: http://www.chartyourpath.com/pdf/2012-From-Vision-To-Action-Leadership-Training-Regist.pdf.

I look forward to hearing from you today.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

The Power and Importance of Compassion

2011-12-05T05:56:00.002-06:00

During certain times of the year, I do quite a bit of public speaking before large and small groups. As many of you know, I also share quite a few stories about my personal journey, and the journeys of others who have gifted me with their stories. The result of this depth of sharing is that people write me or stop me after a presentation and share their own insights, journeys or challenges. Here is a copy of a letter that I received a while ago:

“I wanted to let you know how I enjoyed your presentation.... I could have listened to you all day.

I also wanted to thank-you for what you said on compassion. I felt as though you were talking about me. You see, my 28 year old son died of AIDS.... I also cannot tell anyone because they laugh or make fun of people that have this awful disease. Why people do this is a mystery. When you loose a loved one - it doesn’t make any difference how they died - the pain is still there and it never goes away.

[During our time together as a group,] we went to a dinner show and the girls that sat across from me again showed no compassion. Our waiter looked a little feminine and they started joking about it. Then, AIDS was brought up. I thought to myself, these women just figure that people around them have not experienced this disease. My heart was breaking - this was the anniversary of my beloved son’s death. And they were joking about AIDS. Then my heart went out to the young man’s mother. She was no where around, but I felt compassion. And love for her and I prayed she would never have to go through the AIDS death with her son. Then I thought, this woman across from me has a 12 year old son. I didn’t know my son’s destination when he was 12, and I prayed that she would never have to go through an AIDS death with her son either.

Please never leave compassion out of your presentations. Maybe some day people will listen to someone like you. Then people like me can hold their head up and share their pain instead of hanging their head and being so alone.”

My hope is that all of us will show more compassion for each other this holiday season. As I often remind leaders, there is always more to the story. Our work life and our home life are all one life.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

A Drop in the Ocean

2011-11-28T06:04:00.001-06:00

Hurry, hurry, hurry.

Go, go, go.

Do, do do.

Meeting, meeting, and more meetings.

Our lives as leaders are packed to overflowing with expectations, challenges and complexity. Some say it comes with the position. Other’s say it reflects a unique time period in corporate leadership. But most of us just wonder if all of this level of work ever really makes a difference. Right now, we all hope that busy and drained is not the new definition of successful leadership.

When I become discouraged and start to question the work load and effort it takes to manage all that comes across my desk, I remember the following words of Mother Theresa:

“I never look at the masses as my responsibility. I look at the individual. I can love only one person at a time. I can feed only one person at a time. Just one, one, one . . . So you begin -- I begin. I picked up one person, and maybe if I didn’t pick up that one person I wouldn’t have picked up 42,000. The whole work is only a drop in the ocean. but if I didn’t drop in, the ocean would be one drop less. Same thing for you, same thing in your family, same thing in the church where you go. Just begin. . . One, one, one.”

I hope as we enter this holiday season that all of us will focus on “one, one, one.” I believe it is a good place to start and that it will make a difference.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Pursuing Personal Excellence #3

2011-11-21T05:56:00.006-06:00

The final lesson I have learned about pursuing personal excellence was best summarized by Robert K. Cooper in his book, The Other 90%: How to Unlock Your Vast Untapped Potential For Leadership & Life, Crown Business, 2001. As he wrote, “People won't put their hearts into something they don't believe in.”

Given I am a long time listener of National Public Radio’s “I Believe” series, I asked myself, “What do I believe in?” From personal experience and a lot of reading of others much wiser than me, I could answer that question with the following statements: we are all interconnected; we are all interdependent; we are all tied together by a common purpose of creating success for all those we serve. Or I could quote Francis Hesselbein who wrote, “To serve is to live.”

But my “I Believe” statement is more simple and goes as follows.

I believe in spring bulbs.

Each fall, I plant between 200 - 300 bulbs.

Each spring, I eagerly await their arrival and glorious colors.

Each spring, I revel in how they change the earth.

Each spring, I marvel at their resilience to the weather.

Each spring, I delight in how many people walk by the house to see the colors.

Each spring, I love watching how the annual spring bulb display fills people with joy.

Each spring, I marvel at how much happiness, smiles, and hope the bulbs bring to me, friends, family, our neighborhood and guests.

Each spring, I celebrate their resurrection.

Each spring, summer, and fall I plan for more.

For me, spring bulbs are a positive force multiplier.

FYI: Each spring, there are easily over 2,000 bulbs that bloom around our home. They start in March depending on the kind of winter we have and bloom all the way into June. Earlier this fall, I planted over 275 bulbs. I know it will be a great spring in 2012!

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Pursuing Personal Excellence #2

2011-11-14T05:58:00.003-06:00

One of the first things I learned about pursuing personal excellence I found in a book by Robert Kriegel and David Brandt called Sacred Cows Make The Best Burgers: Developing Change-Ready People and Organizations, Warner Books, 1996. In it, the authors wrote that “Overwork doesn’t work.”

On the first day of our annual From Vision to Action Leadership Training, I tell students there are two myths to leadership. First, their job is to come up with all of the answers. Second, their job is to fix everything. And as a Wisconsin executive once told me: “you can’t fix dumb.” Now, I have a third new myth, namely “my job is to get everything done before I rest.” From years of experience and executive coaching, I have learned and witnessed that overwork does not work. We need to learn to take care of ourselves.

Many years ago, I regularly taught at the University of Iowa’s annual summer school for helping professionals. During the faculty orientation for my first year of teaching, I was reminded that we had to grade all of the students and the typical manner to do this was to give them a final exam. Since I was teaching a class on how to teach stress management to patients and clients, I was not sure what I would put on the final exam. Furthermore, I did not really want to fail any one taking a stress management class. It just seemed like bad karma.

So, on the first day, I told them all of them they would all pass the course if they showed up, participated, did the home work and completed the final exam. It sounded like normal University expectations and no one commented. On the end of the first day, I gave them their initial homework assignment: write down 100 things you want to do before you die. The next morning people came in with their “bucket lists” and told me how difficult this assignment was to complete. Most could only write down 20-30 things.

The second day’s homework assignment was to write down the names of everyone who they cared about at this time period. The following morning I asked if they had put their own name on the list. Very few people ever did this. I don’t remember the other two assignment but on the last day of the class I handed out the final exam. It had only one question, “Can a dying person become healthy?” By now, most people were ready for the unexpected. Still, the exam question did cause many people to rethink their perspective.

As all of us know, we are all living and we are all dying. One question is whether or not we are working to live or living to work. Being a part of something bigger than ourself makes a big difference. In the end, we need to give ourselves permission to not live an overworked life.

The second lesson I have learned in the pursuit of personal excellence was from the same book by Robert Kriegel and David Brandt, namely “Don’t plant seeds in hard ground.” We often forget that real change requires real effort. We often forget that working on something to improve it also means working on ways to maintain it. We also often confuse simple and easy. Simple concepts do not always translate into easy execution. Short term results help build long term momentum.

The third lesson is from John C. Maxwell’s book, Winning With People: Discover The People Principles That Work For You Every Time, Nelson Books, 2004, where he writes about “The Satisfaction Principle: In great relationships, the joy of being together is enough.” More and more, I find people in executive positions who have lost their good friends outside of work. They just get too busy to invest in or maintain these relationships. If we seek self-leadership, then we most reallocate time and energy to building great relationships. Everyone should have one to three people outside their family who they can call for support and perspective 24/7.

The fourth lesson was best summarized by James Autry in his book, The Servant Leader: How to Build a Creative Team, Develop Great Morale, and Improve Bottom-Line Performance, Prima Publishing, 2001. As he writes, “Burnout is not a crisis of time, it is a crisis of the spirit.” Many people grasp this perspective instantly and others do not. The later often ask me if this will make a real difference.

My response has always been the same. Listen to the Skin Horse in the book, The Velveteen Rabbit. As Margery Williams Bianco wrote:

"What is REAL?" asked the Velveteen Rabbit one day... "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When [someone] loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept.

"Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand... once you are Real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always."

This is so true. I hope this week you can become more real as you pursue personal excellence.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

People Before Numbers

2011-11-10T09:17:00.001-06:00

My search started during a conversation at the Spring 2011 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable. As a small group of us explored issues related to performance management and talent development plus how to prepare for effective succession planning, I not only realized how inter-connected all of these issues were but I also realized that I wanted to know more about how very large companies integrated these elements into a coherent and consistent talent management system.

During the coming weeks and months, I started asking questions about this subject to a variety of leaders in many different organizations. While the answers were interesting, I just did not feel like I was getting my arms around the whole picture. Then, when reading a recent issue of the Harvard Business Review, I came across some information about a book published in 2010 that I had missed reading. It was authored by Bill Conaty, former Senior Vice President at General Electric, and Ram Charan, co-author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller book Execution. Their book, The Talent Masters: Why Smart Leaders Put People Before Numbers, Crown Business, 2010, explains that “If business managed their money as carelessly as they managed their people, most would be bankrupt.” Together these two authors explain that talent is the leading indicator of whether or not the success of an organization happens over time. As they explain, “In the fast-changing global marketplace, the half-life of core competencies grows shorter.... Only one competency lasts. It is the ability to create a steady, self-renewing stream of leaders.”

Furthermore, Ron Nersesian, the head of Agilent Technologies Electronic Measurement Group, who is quoted within the book, points out, “Developing people’s talent is the whole of the company at the end of the day. Our products all are time perishable. The only thing that stays is the institutional learning and the development of the skills and the capabilities that we have in our people.”

The book, The Talent Masters, explores in-depth how a variety of companies like GE, P&G, Novartis, Hindustan Uniliver, and Agilent, create and manage their total leadership development systems including such elements as same-day succession planning, performance management, leadership development and career management. The essence of the book revolves around seven core principles. They are the following:

1. An enlightened leadership team, starting with the CEO who really “gets it” and sees talent development as a competitive advantage.

2. A performance-driven meritocracy, a willingness to differentiate talent based on results as well as the values and behaviors behind those results.

3. Explicit definition and articulation of values, citing strong company beliefs and expected behaviors.

4. Candor and trust, leading to better insights into people’s talents and potential, focusing on development needs to accelerate personal growth.

5. Talent assessment/development systems that have as much rigor and repeatability as systems used for finance and operations.

6. Human resource leaders as business partners and trustee of the talent development system with functional expertise equal to the CFO’s.

7. Investment in continuous learning and improvement to build and continuously update the leadership brand in sync with the changing world.

As I worked my way through the book, I enjoyed seeing how the principles played out in different companies and yet resulted in the same consistent and positive results. For those of you who are seeking new insights and perspectives on these subjects and have the time to read 302 pages, I believe you will find this book very worthwhile.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Critical Leadership Choices During Uncertainty

2011-11-08T06:02:00.001-06:00

Michael Useem, in his article, “Four Lessons in Adaptive Leadership,” from the November 2010 issue of the Harvard Business Review, writes “A culture of adaptability is vital to survive in the armed forces. As business executives cope with increasing unpredictability, they can take a page from the military’s book.” Useem believes there are four leadership precepts to handling unpredictability, namely the ability to meet the troops, make decisions, focus on mission, and convey strategic intent. While seeming elementary at first glance, from my perspective these foundational leadership skills are more difficult than most people comprehend.

In the beginning, meeting the troops means making a personal link with every employee, individually or in gatherings. These direct connections, e.g. a handshake or a brief look into someone’s eyes, make an indelible impression, “serving to focus attention and ensure retention of the mission and message that a leader seeks to convey.”

Making good and timely decisions is “the crux of responsibility in a leadership position.” As Useem writes, “The ability to make fast and effective decisions that draw quickly upon the insights of all those on the front lines is among the defining qualities of combat-ready leadership. It is encoded in a Marine dictum: When you’re 70% ready and have 70% consensus, act. Don’t shoot from the hip, but also don’t wait for perfection. Of course, the 70% is not a strict metric but, rather, a metaphor for the need to balance deliberation and action.” The key is to learn how to make good and timely decisions under ambiguous conditions.

Everyone knows that establishing a common purpose is vital to organizational success. However, making the mission your company’s top priority is not that easy. Operational challenges often trump mission and strategy. Helping leaders comprehend and put into action the mission is a constant struggle.

Finally, Useem notes that making the objectives clear, i.e. conveying strategic intent, requires us to avoid micromanaging those will execute the objectives. As he writes, “Conveying strategic intent is one of the skills essential to aligning people across an organization to reach a common goal - and leaders must them rely on the people’s ingenuity for getting there.”

While warfare and business are vastly different, ambiguity and unpredictability is not. Developing a culture that succeeds in spite of unprecedented uncertainty is a key foundational leadership skill set moving forward.

One way to learn the above skills sets is to enroll in the 2012 From Vision to Action Leadership Training. This in-depth training meets once a quarter in 2012 and covers the topics of leadership, strategic planning and execution, and organizational change. For more information about this unique training opportunity and how to register, please click on the following link: http://www.chartyourpath.com/VTA-Leadership-Training.html.

Uncertainty, ambiguity and unpredictability will be a major part of our future for many years to come. Being prepared can generate improved leadership capacity which will translate into a culture of readiness and commitment. I look forward to your participation in the 2012 From Vision to Action Leadership Training.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Pursuing Personal Excellence

2011-11-07T07:26:00.002-06:00

The dinner meeting took place in a very fancy restaurant. The food was good and the wine was excellent. The conversation flowed well. Just before desserts were served, the woman executive to my left turned to me and said, “We talk work life balance but we do not live it. We are constantly running on half empty given the pace.”

It made we think of the young minister and the old Vermont farmer who met on a Sunday morning in the middle of a wild snow storm. Being this was his first sermon in the community, the young minister asked the old farmer what he should do given the old farmer was the only one to show up that morning. The farmer paused and said “When I drive a wagon of hay out to feed the cows and only one shows up, I feed it.”

The young minister smiled and launched in to a grand church service with hymn singing, an altar call, devotional readings, a long sermon and then more singing. When he was done, he ran around to the back of the church to say good-bye to the only person who had shown up on his first morning. When he greeted the old Vermont farmer, he asked for feedback on his first service. The farmer replied, “When I drive a wagon of hay out to feed the cows and only one shows up, I don’t unload the whole wagon.”

More and more people right now are emptying their whole wagon at work and coming home at night drained and exhausted. Given what they are finding at home, many are starting every morning on empty, too. “I just can’t keep up” is becoming more and more of a common problem that I hear in executive coaching sessions. In short, quite a few people are exhausted right now from unloading the whole wagon every single day.

Quite a while ago, I explained how this current economic recession has lead to an emotional recession, citing the work of Dave Ulrich and Wendy Ulrich in their book, The Why of Work, McGraw-Hill, 2010. Now, I believe the emotional recession has lead many to a purpose recession. People just wonder what is the purpose of it all. They can not find any meaning in the work they are doing. As a young man many years ago, I learned that it is only work if you want to be some place else. Right now, a lot of people are questioning what they are doing and they are wanting to be some place else.

Justin Menkes, author of Better Under Pressure, Harvard Business School Press 2011, writes that today’s leaders need realistic optimism, a subservience to purpose, and the ability to find order in chaos. I agree and also believe that today’s leaders need to purse and rediscover personal excellence.

“Personal excellence is not the about leading others; it is self-leadership” writes Christopher P. Neck and Charles C. Manz. And I agree completely. For me, personal excellence is the combination of inner strength and inner clarity. When it comes to personal excellence, here are our normal choices I am witnessing during all of my recent travels and consultations. First, many just ignore it. They are too busy to focus on self-leadership. Second, some resist it, especially if they have to change their habits. Third, some just give up on the concept all together and just go with the flow, no matter where it leads. Finally, those with inner courage and strength, commit to personal excellence and embrace the journey.

This week, ask yourself if you are ready for personal excellence and self-leadership. If so, then now is time to no longer except running on empty as normal or healthy.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Understanding The Customer Experience and The Law of the Native

2011-11-02T09:20:00.002-05:00

During recent executive coaching sessions, I often hear someone talk to me about the importance of transforming their organization. The phrases, “raising the bar,” “expanding our bandwidth,” “thinking outside the box,”or “pushing the envelope,” are often stated with great passion. The desire to achieve a new level of performance is quite strong, especially given the current economy.

When asked by these dedicated people what they can do to be successful, I often suggest they read a book such as the recently published one by Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen called Great By Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck - Why Some Thrive Despite Them All, HarperCollins, 2011. I also might suggest they spend time listening to the voice of the customer. But more recently, I have suggested they do two other things.

First, focus on the customer experience, and second comprehend The Law of the Native. Every day in for-profits and non-profits customers have an experience. In some organizations, these experiences are superb, but in most they are disorganized and fragmented, resulting in a low level of confidence and engagement.

Furthermore, many leaders forget to listen to their employees who are creating these experiences. As the The Law of the Native states, “Unless you know the territory, you are not a native.” Every day employees struggle with poorly designed systems and poorly trained managers. Most come to work wanting to do good and make progress. Yet, many experience few opportunities to make progress on things they consider meaningful, and suffer poor management along the way. The result is a disengaged staff who are attending work but not truly committed to the work they are doing. They want to do good, have fun and make money, and instead are pendulum swinging between frustration and active disengagement.

Recognizing how common this situation is at this time period, I was delighted to read an article by Kevin Peters, Office Depot’s president for North America, called “How I Did It... Office Depot’s President on How “Mystery Shopping” Helped Spark a Turnaround,” November 2011 Harvard Business Review, http://hbr.org/2011/11/office-depots-president-mystery-shopping-turnaround/ar/1. To understand why sales was falling, Peters went undercover and visited 70 stores in 15 states. He talked to customers and observed their behavior. What struck him the most was how often customers walked out of the store empty-handed. The result is that Peters began a process of transforming Office Depot.

For those of you who are talking about transformation and improving sales, this is a great article to read, and discuss with your management team. In combination with understanding the customer experience and listening to the natives, this is a good first step in the journey of transformation.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Teaching New Behaviors

2011-10-31T06:00:00.006-05:00

Margaret J. Wheatley in her delightful book, Finding Our Way: Leadership for an Uncertain Time. (Berrett-Koehler, 2005), wrote the following:

“Life seeks organization, but it uses messes to get there. Organization is a process, not a structure.”

“If we deny people’s great need for relationships, for systems of support, for work that connects to a larger purpose, they push back.”

“All organizing efforts begin with an intent, a belief that something more is possible now that the group is together.”

When it comes to teaching people new behaviors and with the above in mind, we as leaders first need to recognize that our behavior is influenced by our identity, the information we receive or do not receive, and the health of our relationships. Second, we must accept the fact that we do not see “reality.” Instead, we each create our own interpretation of what is real. As Tom Asacker in his book, Sandbox Wisdom: Revolutionize Your Brand With the Genius of Childhood, Eastside Publishing, 2000, wrote “Perception is truth.” Third, as every living system is free to choose whether it changes, and every systems contains it’s own solutions, we must remember that every person is free to choose whether they change, and every person contains their own solutions.

Ken Blanchard in his book, Leading At a Higher Level: Blanchard on Leadership and Creating High Performing Organizations, Prentice Hall, 2006, explains that in order to get new behaviors to stick, those involved need to achieve tangible results as quickly as possible. Teresa M. Amabile and Steve J. Kramer in their article called “The Power of Small Wins”, Harvard Business Review, May 2011, summarized a decade of research which included a deep analysis of daily diaries kept by teammates on creative projects. The two authors came up with the Progress Principle, namely “Of all things that can boost emotions, motivation, and perceptions during a workday, the single most important is making progress in meaningful work.... And the more frequently people experience that sense of

progress, the more likely they are to be creatively productive in the long run.” Frederick Herzberg, in a 1968 issue of the Harvard Business Review and author of the article, “One More Time: How do You Motivate Employees?”, wrote “People are most satisfied with their jobs (and therefore most motivated) when those jobs give them the opportunity to experience achievement.”

Teresa M. Amabile and Steve J. Kramer in the aforementioned article further explain this in the following manner. “The best thing they [managers] can do for their people is provide the catalysts and nourishers that allow projects to move forward while removing the obstacles and toxins that result in setbacks.” Catalysts are actions that support work and nourishers are acts of interpersonal support such as respect, recognition, encouragement, emotional comfort, and opportunities for affiliation. Still, we must remember that “The key to motivating performance is supporting progress in meaningful work.”

When I am asked how to teach new behaviors, I often reference the following classic answers:

- hire the right people

- initiate necessary turnover

- be patient and persistent

- show how the change/new behaviors are working and why the old ways did not work

- measure and support the sustained performance

My more recent answer may seem simplistic but it is more powerful, i.e ensure that people in leadership positions will support and model the new behaviors themselves. As Max De Pree reminds us in his book, Leadership is an Art, Dell Publishing, 1990: “The signs of outstanding leadership are found among the followers.”

The first step in this process is to support, notice and validate all new behaviors. Simultaneously, role model them in a disciplined manner. However, remember that behavioral change comes with constraints. Ronald Heifetz, Alexander Grashow, and Marty Linsky in their book, The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World, Harvard Business Press, 2009, explain that there are five major constraints:

- loyalties to people who may not believe you are doing the right thing

- fear of incompetence

- uncertainty about taking the right path

- fear of loss

- not having the stomach for the hard parts of the journey

Understanding these constraints is part of the process of teaching people new behaviors.

Second, Ken Blanchard in his aforementioned book reminds us not to equate behavioral change with cultural change. He explains that culture is an integrated pattern of shared knowledge, beliefs and behaviors translated into a collective commitment toward shared values, goals, and practices/systems. Behavior, on the other hand, is a way an individual or group behaves and responds to it’s environment. As Blanchard explains, until we get the aggregate number of people within a group to change, the culture does not change.

One solution, notes Ronald Heifetz, Alexander Grashow, and Marty Linsky in their aforementioned book, is to grow your own personal network outside of the system you are trying to change. This happens when we talk regularly with confidants, people outside the environment in which you are trying to lead adaptive change, who are invested in you, not the issues you are addressing. This can satisfy your hungers outside of work, e.g. support or perspective, so your opponents cannot use them to take you out of the game. When we anchor ourself in multiple communities, we continue to gain perspective.

In short, teaching behaviors is important and complex. Always start with yourself first.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

It Is Time To Do Some Good Reading - Great By Choice

2011-10-25T15:20:00.004-05:00

My father’s father was an early supporter of scouting. My father was an Eagle Scout and later the Scout Master of our local Boy Scout troop. My older brother was an Eagle Scout. So, when I came of age, it was no surprise that I would enter the Boy Scouts and that eventually I would become an Eagle Scout.

But long before I joined the world of scouting, my father taught me one important truth, “Always be prepared.” If you are going on a day hike, bring rain gear, a first aid kit and extra food. If you are going on a trip in the car, have the tools to fix the tire, a first aid kit, extra clothes and extra food. In short, if you are planning for anything, always think through the possible problems that might occur and “always be prepared.” I just thought this was a Dad thing until I entered the world of scouting and learned that is was the Boy Scout motto. This in combination with the Boy Scout slogan, “Do a good turn daily”, were the foundation of my growing up years.

Thus, when I started reading Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen’s latest book called Great By Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck - Why Some Thrive Despite Them All, HarperCollins, 2011, I was not surprised by their comments that instability is chronic in our society, uncertainty is permanent, change is accelerating, and disruption is common. Furthermore, I loved the foundational question of their book, namely “Why do some companies thrive in uncertainty, even chaos, and others do not?” As one who was raised to always be prepared, I was tremendously curious to learn what the two of them had discovered.

Working over a nine year period with a team of more than twenty researchers, Collins and Hansen studied companies that rose to greatness - beating their industry indexes by a minimum of ten times over fifteen years - in environments characterized by big forces and rapid shifts that leaders could not predict or control. Like his previous research, this team then contrasted these “10X companies” to a carefully selected set of comparison companies that failed to achieve greatness in similarly extreme environments.

As per usual, the study resulted in all sorts of provocative surprises and unexpected findings. For example, “the best leaders we studied did not have a visionary ability to predict the future. They observed what worked, figured out why it worked, and built upon proven foundations. They were not more risk taking, more bold, more visionary, and more creative than the comparisons. They were more disciplined, more empirical, and more paranoid.” Furthermore, “Innovation by itself turns out not to be the trump card we expected; more important is the ability to scale innovation, to blend creativity with discipline.” At the same time, their research showed that “the idea that leading in a “fast world” always requires “fast decisions” and “fast action” - and that we should embrace an overall ethos of “Fast! Fast! Fast!” - is a good way to get killed. 10X leaders figure out when to go fast, and when not to.” Finally, the 10X companies “changed less in reaction to their changing world than the comparison cases. Just because your environment is rocked by dramatic change does not mean that you should inflict radical change upon yourself.”

For those of you who have read previous material by Jim Collins such as his books, Built To Last, Good To Great, or How The Mighty Fall, you know that his latest book with Morten Hansen will challenge conventional wisdom and deliver some very nice practical concepts. For me, I was particularly impressed with the following three concepts:

- 20 Mile March: “To 20 Mile March requires hitting specified performance markers with great consistency over a long period of time. It requires two distinct types of discomfort, delivering high performance in difficult times and holding back in good times.”

- Fire Bullets, Then Cannonballs: “A bullet is a low-cost, low-risk, and low-distraction test or experiment. 10Xers use bullets to empirically validate what will actually work. Based on that empirical validation, they then concentrate their resource to fire a cannonball, enabling large returns from concentrated bets.”

- Zoom Out, Zoom In: “10Xers zoom out, then zoom in..... When they sense danger, they immediately zoom out to consider how quickly a threat is approaching and whether it calls for a change in plans. Then they zoom in, refocusing their energies into executing objectives.”

There are numerous other key concepts in the book which are immensely practical at this time period given all that is happening the world and in this economy. However, the above three, in my opinion, need to be integrated into strategic planning during the next 90 days so more companies will be better prepared for 2012. As Collins and Hansen explain, “... greatness is not primarily a matter of circumstances; greatness is first and foremost a matter of conscious choice and discipline.” As they continue, “... it’s what you do before the storm comes that most determines how well you’ll do when the storm comes. Those who fail to plan and prepare for instability, disruption, and chaos in advance tend to suffer more when their environments shift from stability to turbulence.”

As my father always said, “be prepared.” With the rise of complexity, globalization, and technology, all of which are accelerating change and increase volatility, it is time for leaders and executives to go out and purchase a copy of this book, and then read and discuss it with their senior management teams. Being prepared is no longer a choice; it is a prerequisite to success.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Developing Role Clarity

2011-10-24T06:14:00.002-05:00

It was a wonderfully sunny day as we sat down to lunch in a very nice restaurant. The CEO had invited me and one of the senior vice presidents to sit down with him to discuss the future. Once the meal was ordered, the CEO said to the SVP, “I think you should work with Geery on a regular basis for a while as we plan for the future.” The SVP then turned to me and asked me for a list of names of the companies I had worked with before he would commit to the process. I just smiled and mentioned that I did not play the name dropping game. However, I would be willing to give him a list of executives he could personally call and talk to about my work. Then, the SVP looked at the CEO who shook his head and said, “No; don’t go there.”

“Just get started,” he explained to the SVP, “I have worked with Geery and he will ask you the tough questions that need to be asked. It will not be easy, but it will be valuable.”

The SVP replied to both of us that he wanted to work on performance management, turnover, and profitability plus team development at the divisional level, too.

I smiled and asked the first question. “With that in mind, what is your role at this organization?”

The CEO smiled. The SVP struggled with his answer. And thus the journey began.

From my vantage point this fall, I am seeing more and more problems based on a lack of role clarity at the senior team level. Gallup notes that role clarity is more important than task clarity. I would add that I believe role and goal clarity are more important than task clarity, too. When it comes to role clarity for the CEO, I always recommend people review the following article: Lafley, A.G., “What Only the CEO Can Do,”, May 2009, Harvard Business Review: http://hbr.org/2009/05/what-only-the-ceo-can-do/ar/1

Furthermore, I believe all members of the senior team also need help in this area. First, senior managers need to be an architect and builder of strategy, They also need to recognize that the infrastructure for success needs to be built and monitored, not just the development of goals. Second, they must be a watchman for constant alignment between mission, vision and core values and the execution of the strategic plan. Accountability to goals, the shaping of values and standards, and the defining of goals and expectations need to be constantly monitored. Next, they must be a “genius of the and,” referencing the work of Jim Collins and Jerry Porass in their book, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, HarperBusiness, 1994. Finally, members of the senior team must be professors and coaches who manage and groom the talent in their area of responsibility.

While the work of role clarity is never easy, it is important. Asking the question is always the first step in the journey.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Improving Middle Management Effectiveness - Part #2

2011-10-17T05:52:00.002-05:00

Picking up where I left off last Monday, the role of the middle manager is mission critical to more and more organizations. Yet, rather than take them for granted, more and more companies seek to improve the performance of the these key people. Last week, I explained the importance of teaching them active listening skills. This week I want to focus on a few more ideas.

First, help middle managers understand that it is important to welcome new ideas and perspectives. Too often, I have witnessed middle managers and even senior managers working with middle managers shut down different perspectives when they are not their own. This destroys personal trust at the team and the individual level but also can damage strategic level trust. The key is to welcome new ideas and be open to listening to them. Too many times, we manage by ego rather than by utilizing the strategic nexus.

Second, invite feedback but clarify the non-negotiable issues and the process of decision-making. Too many times, people use feedback and constructive criticism in the same sentence. Some are even calling it constructive feedback. While I prefer feedback and others prefer constructive criticism, the keys to giving feedback begins when we realize that relationships matter. Speaking and listening respectfully plus sharing observations rather than judgements makes a huge difference.

Next, it is important to review expectations and assumptions on a regular basis. Think Q1 in the Q12 from the book, First, Break All Rules and realize that many people do not understand what is expected of them. Finally, when giving feedback, be prepared and organized in your thoughts; this yields clarity rather than reactionary actions. When we as managers and leaders check our own intentions when asking for feedback and check our own intentions before giving it, we do a much better job of it.

Third, remember clarity and ambiguity do not co-exist peacefully. Right now, many organizations and many mid-level managers are suffering from constant change, economic uncertainty, and strategic ambiguity. We forget some days that mid-level managers want black and white answers to their questions, and right now the common response to their questions is the words, “it depends” This answer results in tremendous frustration and anxiety for middle managers.

Therefore, we as senior leaders need to eliminate strategic blindness and context blindness. Remember strategic blindness happens when we do not see our strategy as a whole organization, and instead only execute the parts of the strategic plan that we like. Context blindness happens because we can see the whole organization but we can not see the environmental context within which the whole organization is working and moving through. These are normal problems that mid-level managers have and with regular coaching and feedback can be corrected.

Finally, we need to continue to explore and clarify decision-making. Too many senior leaders and too many mid-level managers do not comprehend the difference between operational decision-making and strategic decision-making. Most think it is the same thing. While the mission, vision and core values may be the same, the critical elements that are considered are different in strategic and operational decision-making.

This week and this fall continue to help your mid-level managers and supervisors understand the importance of welcoming new ideas, inviting and giving feedback plus clarifying decision-making. All of this will make a difference when it comes to executing better in 2012.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

You are a leader only if someone follows

2011-10-13T07:46:00.002-05:00

“A leader,” writes Warren Buffet, “is someone who gets things done through other people.”

Tom Rath and Barry Conchie in their book, Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow, Gallup, 2008, note that followers have four basic needs: trust, compassion, stability, and hope. As they write, “the chances of employees being engaged at work when they do not trust the company’s leaders are just 1 in 12. In stark contrast, the chances of employees being engaged at work are better than 1 in 2 if they trust the organization’s leadership - a more than sixfold increase.” This in combination with compassion, namely leaders who clearly care about each of their employees, and stability, i.e. followers want a leader who will provide a solid foundation, make a big difference. Finally, it appears that followers want stability in the moment and hope for the future. In short, Rath and Conchie note, great leaders “stay true to who they are - and then make sure they have the right people around them.”

As non-profits struggle this fall with issues related to funding and for-profits struggle with issues related to consistent profitability and growth, we all need better leaders who understand the basic needs of the followers and also know how to plan and execute strategic and operational change. There are multiple ways to get things done through others. The best leaders know how to create a strategic focus and culture within their companies so work gets done no matter what happens in the economy.

Jim Collins in his book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap. . . and Others Don't. HarperBusiness, 2001, reminds us of Packards Law: “No company can grow revenues consistently faster than its ability to get enough of the right people to implement that growth and still become a great company.” We all need the right people working with the right leaders this fall to overcome the challenges before us.

One way to position your organization for growth and great leadership is to enroll yourself and your key people in the 2012 From Vision to Action Leadership Training. Meeting once per quarter, this year long course of study focuses on effective leadership, strategic planning and execution plus organizational change. Through an in-depth and integrative curriculum, participants are immersed in current research and real world solutions. For those of you who are seeking great results on a consistent basis, then now is the time to become part of the 2012 From Vision to Action Leadership Training.

For more information on how to register, please click on the following link: http://www.chartyourpath.com/VTA-Leadership-Training.html I look forward to hearing from you during the comings days.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Angry People

2011-10-12T05:48:00.001-05:00

There sure are a lot of angry people these days. Some are protesting in the streets right now against Wall Street. Others are upset at the government. Some are deeply frustrated with Congress. Many are just fed up with this prolonged period of economic uncertainty and instability.

As one who regularly works with large and small organizations in the for-profit and non-profit sectors, I see this anger and frustration on a regular basis. But what interests me the most right now are the organizations that are not angry or frustrated, the ones who instead continue to improve, make a difference, and actually accomplish their goals.

One element that makes these organizations unique is how they are planning for the future. In particular, they are taking two very unique actions. First, they are actively engaged in deep strategic level dialogues about the customer experience. This is not a passing curiosity with a singular experience but instead a profound and in-depth commitment to understand the total customer experience. From start to finish, they are examining the routine interactions of the customer with the company. They want to know if the experience is one that is in alignment with what they say as a company and what customers expect. They want to know if the experience is generating a greater depth of engagement. They also want to know if it is elegant in the sense of ease of use and practicality. In essence, they want to know if the customer experience with their company is creating value, building brand loyality, or causing more long term problems.

Second, these same companies are willing to examine their core assumptions about the customer, themselves and the future. For example, progressive non-profits are willing to explore a future where Medicaid and Medicare are no longer the major source of their funding. For-profits, on the other hand, are examining a future where bricks and motor office buildings are no longer the foundation of their business. Instead, they are considering what their company would be like if all employees were virtual and all customer service was done through hand held mobile devices. By challenging their core assumptions, these companies are not trapped by the “hubris born of success.” As Jim Collins in his book, How The Mighty Fall and Why Some Companies Never Give In, HarperCollins, 2009, wrote, “Great enterprises can become insulated by success; accumulated momentum can carry an enterprise forward, for a while, even if leaders make poor decisions or lose discipline. Stage 1 [hubris born of success] kicks in when people become arrogant, regarding success virtually as an entitlement, and they loose sight of the true underlying factors that created success in the first place.” With the right questions, we can return to the underlying factors for success rather than the arrogance of assuming we will always be successful.

Given the challenges and deep divisions before our society today, there will continue to be many angry, frustrated and upset people for quite some time. However, as leaders, we have choices to make in the midst of these difficulties. Based on what I am seeing currently, focusing on the total customer experience and proactively challenging our core assumptions through in-depth strategic dialogues are wise actions to take in the midst of these challenging times.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Improving Middle Management Effectiveness - Part #1

2011-10-10T05:50:00.002-05:00

John C. Maxwell in his wonderful book, Winning With People: Discover The People Principles That Work For You Every Time, Nelson Books, 2004, wrote about “The Hammer Principle,” namely “Never use a hammer to swat a fly off someone's head.” Too many times this past summer and fall, I have witnessed this take place between a senior executive and a mid-level manager. It always ends up being a loss for all involved.

Today, the role of the middle manager is very important. We need excellent people to fulfill these roles and they need to have the capacity to do four specific things very well. First, they need to understand the conceptual framework of the company in order to routinely bring clarity and order to confusion and chaos. Second, they need to be deeply immersed in the day to day, tactical operations of the company in order to solve problems better, and work on alignment related issues. Third, they need to oversee multiple projects in multiple stages and maintain a vast network of people and resources in order to manage all of the projects to a successful conclusion or result. Fourth, they need to utilize a diverse set of assessment tools in order to routinely deliver improved performance at the individual and department levels. Today, more and more managers are coaching people who directly impact front line service and product delivery. Their action or inaction is directly impacting the bottom line of the company.

In order to improve their effectiveness, the first thing we need to do as leaders is to teach them to practice the art of active listening. While this seems such a simple concept, I have come to realize that many young mid-level managers were never taught this skill.

Active listening is a communication technique that requires the listener to understand, interpret, and evaluate what (s)he hears. Active listening is a structured way of listening and responding to others, focusing attention on the speaker. Suspending one's own frame of reference and suspending judgment along with avoiding other internal or external mental activities are important. The ability to listen actively can improve personal relationships through reducing conflicts, strengthening cooperation, and fostering understanding.

There are three primary elements that comprise active listening, namely comprehending, retaining, and responding. In comprehending, the listener seeks shared meaning through an understanding of the context of what is being shared, and focuses on reducing distractions to improve retention. In the retaining part, the listener seeks out and pays attention to key information for retention purposes. Finally, in the responding part of active listening, the listener looks for verbal and non-verbal messages and adjust their communication style to meet the needs of the people involved.

The typical ways to do active listening involve repeating, paraphrasing and reflecting. For example, the listener might repeat the message using exactly the same words as the speaker. With paraphrasing, the listener might simplify the message using similar words and similar phrase arrangements to the ones used by the speaker. Finally during the reflection phase, they might restate the message using their own words and sentence structure.

While I recognize that active listening might seem extremely simplistic, spend time this week in meetings with mid-level managers and analyze how many of them actually do active listening. It will surprise you when you discover it is not a common practice these days.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Aligning Culture and Strategy - Part #2

2011-10-03T05:50:00.003-05:00

In the From Vision to Action booklet called Developing A New Organizational Culture (http://www.chartyourpath.com/Organization-Culture.html), I explained that there are four main characteristics to a successful organizational culture. They are as follows:

- All are involved in building something, namely taking a vision or BHAG, i.e.Big Hairy Audacious Goal, and making it become real rather than abstract.

- All have a core philosophy about how things are done and what is most important.

- All have an internal drive for progress and are constantly seeking new ways to improve.

- All have and monitor systems to preserve the core philosophy and stimulate progress within the organization.

With this in mind, there are three key ways this fall to better align culture and strategy. First, while this may sound simplistic, it is critical to teach people what is the difference between strategy and tactics. Then, instruct them on what is culture. If they can not understand these concepts, then they will not grasp the concept of alignment between strategy and culture.

Second, help all involved recognize that alignment is based on clarity about the following three questions: Why? How? What? As Simon Sinek reminds us, “People do not buy what you do; they buy why you do it.” When answering these three simple but powerful questions, we need to reread John Kotter’s book, The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations, Harvard Business School Press, 2002. As he writes, “The single most important message in this book is very simple. People change what they do less because they are given analysis that shifts their thinking than because they are shown a truth that influences their feelings. The flow of see-feel-change is more powerful than that of analysis-think-change.”

Third, we as leaders need to proactively role model and make decisions with alignment in mind. Joel Kurtzman in his book, Common Purpose: How Great Leaders Get Organizations to Achieve The Extraordinary, Jossey-Bass 2010, reminds us that people watch their leaders in a microscopic detail. Furthermore, individuals working within a firm tend to copy their leaders’ style. The hard part for us to accept is that others copy our worst characteristics along with our best traits. Therefore, we as leaders must be disciplined to make certain that we exhibit only the types of behavior that we want others in the company to share.

This week, discuss with your team what is unique about your organization’s culture and it’s strategy, and continue exploring the subject of alignment. As Tony Hsieh in his book, Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose. Business Plus, 2010, writes “For individuals, character is destiny. For organizations, culture is destiny.”

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Recruiting and Retaining Talent

2011-09-29T05:35:00.002-05:00

In our media-drenched, data-rich, channel-surfing, computer-gaming, busy all the time world, every one knows that having the right people on your team can make a world of difference. Furthermore, the best leaders and companies know that having a steady pipeline of talent positions the organization well for current operational challenges and future strategic opportunities. Still, the supply for qualified top talent is limited, especially if they are experienced managers. And this shortage does not appear to be going away any time soon.

It is with this in mind that I was delighted to receive my most recent issue of the October 2011 Harvard Business Review with the banner title, “The Talent Issue.” As always, I found some good articles in and amongst the many pages.

First, Rosabeth Moss Kanter nails it in her article called “The Cure for Horrible Bosses” on page 42. This is a topic that I have explored in the From Vision to Action Leadership Training since 1998 and I am always looking for new insights. I like how she explains the following about horrible bosses: “It’s not insults that cause the greatest harm, but rather callousness about people’s time. Horrible bosses want control. They expect subordinates to be on call 24/7 and to hit unrealistic deadlines with limited resources.” Given this perspective, I think she offers some sound ways to neutralize horrible bosses through the building of alternative mission based relationships and improved collaboration. This article is a good first step in retaining talented people. Here is a link to the on-line version: http://hbr.org/2011/10/the-cure-for-horrible-bosses/ar/1

Next, I enjoyed reading A.G. Lafley’s article called “The Art and Science of Finding The Right CEO.” With a great forward by Noel M. Tichy, the article points out that planning for leadership succession is one of the most important jobs that a company’s board of directors have. Nevertheless, many boards and CEOs often neglect this key responsibility because of other more pressing business matters. The article gives a nice road map to the continuous and ever evolving process of leadership succession and includes a marvelous framework by Noel Tichy and Warren Bennis for selecting a CEO based on past leadership decisions. This framework alone is worth the price of the entire magazine. Here is a link to the on-line version: http://hbr.org/2011/10/the-art-and-science-of-finding-the-right-ceo/ar/1

When it comes to the subject of talent management, someone is going to explain how knowing what the core competencies of successful leaders are is the foundation for success. While in the past, I have tended to steer clear of these discussions because I have read enough research that states core competencies are the key to success, and research that has stated this is not correct. However, I was pleased to discover in the October 2011 issue of the Harvard Business Review an article by John Zenger, Joseph Folkman and Scott Edinger called “Making Yourself Indispensable.” Here the authors explain that if you want to get to the top, one must develop skills that complement what you already do best. Instead of merely developing just a few of their strengths to the highest level, these authors note that good leaders who become exceptional leaders engage in cross-training. In essence, they “enhance complementary skills that will enable them to make fuller use of their strengths.” Based on their research, there are 16 leadership competencies that “correlate strongly with positive business outcomes.” Furthermore, each of the competencies have up “to a dozen competency companions whose development will strengthen the core skill.” If you are wanting to help your talented people get better and you believe in building core competencies in your key people, then please read this article to help craft how you are going to go out and do this. Here is a link to the on-line version: http://hbr.org/2011/10/making-yourself-indispensable/ar/1

As always, if you find any good books or articles, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am always up for some good reading and learning. Whether you are people of the book or people of the screen, the key for me is to keep reading and keep learning. By constantly exploring new ideas and perspectives, we all position ourselves to become better people and better leaders.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Fall 2012 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable Report

2011-09-28T08:04:00.001-05:00

Right now, there is a global economic crisis, a prolonged recession, a sluggish recovery, and a Congress that loves to debate everything to the last minute before making any real decisions. And we as leaders find ourselves navigating through this previously unknown and prolonged period of strategic uncertainty with more and more people, customers, suppliers and companies struggling. Former Intel CEO Andy Grove calls times like this a “strategic inflection point,” namely a period when significant change in the competitive environment requires a company to make major adaptations to new circumstances, or risk extinction, i.e. change or die.

On Thursday and Friday of last week, those who gathered for the Fall 2011 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable explored in-depth the challenges and choices of this current environment. While some executives are focusing on control, compliance and compensation, those who came to the Fall Roundtable explored the important areas of strategy, talent and execution. In particular, we examined how to align culture and strategy, improve middle management effectiveness, develop role clarity, teach new behaviors, and pursue personal excellence.

As always, the depth of sharing during the Fall Roundtable was impressive and the amount of attention, reflection, and generation of creative thinking was superb. It was an honor to host the event and to witness the collective commitment to realistic progress, purpose-based clarity, and practical choices and solutions to today’s challenges.

Given what happened last week, my hope today is that all of you can make it to the Spring 2012 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable on April 12-13, 2012 at the Courtyard by Marriott, in Des Moines, Iowa. I know it will be exception. If you want to reserve space for you and your team, please e-mail me today. Until then, good learning to all!

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

The Next Jim Collin’s Book is Coming Out Soon!

2011-09-27T06:07:00.001-05:00

For those of us who like to read good books, please note that Jim Collin’s has another book due to be published soon. I have already pre-ordered my copy of Great by Choice: Uncertainity, Chaos, and Luck - Why Some Thrive Despite Them All. Coauthored with Morten T. Hansen, this new book will be available on October 11, 2011.

Here is what they are currently saying about the book on Jim Collin’s web site: “In Great By Choice: Uncertainty Chaos and Luck—Why Some Thrive Despite Them All we ask: why do some companies thrive in uncertainty, even chaos, and others do not? Based on nine years of research, buttressed by rigorous analysis and infused with engaging stories, Jim and coauthor Morten Hansen enumerate the principles for building a truly great enterprise in unpredictable, tumultuous, and fast-moving times. This book is classic Collins: contrarian, data-driven, and uplifting.”

I am sure it will be very good given the above summary, and his past track record in the publishing world. During the next 3-6 months, many executives and their senior teams will be reading it. It would not surprise me if this was the recommended reading for the Spring 2012 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable.

So, I encourage all of you to order a copy. Once you have read it, I would love to know what you think. I will review it during the coming weeks once I have plowed through my copy.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Aligning Culture and Strategy - Part #1

2011-09-26T05:32:00.002-05:00

Regularly, I listen to senior executives stand up before their company and share their thoughts. With a huge power point presentation behind them, they attempt to create clarity, focus and commitment. Nine times out of ten, the presentation is poorly built, extremely wordy, and generally confusing.

“Every day as leaders, we have three boxes on our desk...” writes Howard Morgan, Phil Harkins, and Marshall Goldsmith, editors of The Art and Practice of Leadership Coaching: 50 Top Executive Coaches Reveal Their Secrets, John Wiley & Sons, 2005. As they explain, box # 1 equals managing the present. Box # 2 focuses on selectively abandoning the past, and Box # 3 centers on creating the future. As they explain, most organizations spend time in box #1 and call it strategy. However, strategy is really about box # 2 and box # 3.

Before we start exploring alignment, let’s first reexamine strategy. In the beginning, we need to remember that the day strategy is introduced into the organization is the day it starts to die; the only question is how fast. This is sometimes called the strategic decay rate.

Second, most company’s strategies are almost entirely transparent to competitors and potential competitors. The ease with which strategy can be imitated and commoditized makes it nearly impossible to stay ahead of the game.

Third, Edson De Castro, CEO of Data General, 1978, wrote about a very key concept related to strategy, namely “ Few corporations are able to participate in the next wave of change, because they are blinded by the business at hand.” We forget some days that all leaders are both producers of strategy and consumers of strategy.

Fourth, strategy impacts communication. It can confuse and overwhelm people or it can give people at all levels the tools to redefine the ideas that shape the choices and actions. The key for us as leaders is to remember that strategy creates language for people to solve problems and improve decision making up and down the organization. Finally, strategy must provide meaning as well as guidance to the work of the organization.

When we reflect on the word strategy and the above key points, we could replace the word “strategy” with the word “culture.” Then the following statements could be written:

- all leaders are both producers of culture and consumers of culture.

- culture impacts communication.

- culture creates language for people to solve problems and improve decision making up and down the organization.

- culture provides meaning as well as guidance to the work of the organization.

For us here today, we always need to remember the following quote by Peter Drucker: “Culture eats strategy for lunch.”

Jason Jennings in his book, Less is More: How Great Companies Use Productivity as a Competitive Tool in Business, Penguin Putnam, 2002, writes “In productive companies, the culture is the strategy.... Unlike other companies, productive companies know the difference between tactics and strategy. The difference is the foundation that allows them to stay focused and build remarkable companies. They have institutionalized their strategy.” From my experience, I have realized that productive companies institutionalize their strategy, in part, by institutionalizing their culture.

Yet this summer during a breakout session at a major regional conference, I was impressed by a young executive who had the courage to share with the group the following, “I am not sure I know what strategy is, and I am not sure how to communicate it to others.” This is a common problem and one I am seeing more and more often this year. The same goes with the concept of culture.

This week I encourage all of you to sit down with your team and discuss what is strategy and what is culture. Then, explore how they are interconnected. If you need help doing this, feel free to call.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

The Rut and The Grave

2011-09-19T05:34:00.003-05:00

There is an old joke in the world of stress management and it goes like so.

Do you know the difference between a rut and a grave?

No, what?

Depth.

Right now I am meeting more and more people in leadership positions who are falling into ruts that are extremely deep. Some of them could even end up being graves.

Stephen Covey in his book, The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness (Free Press, 2004) reminds us that a Habit = Knowledge + Attitude + Skill. As he writes, “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In those choices lie our growth and our happiness.” Our challenge as leaders is to know when we are in getting into a rut, and to be more conscious when we encounter the space between stimulus and response.

Marshall Goldsmith in his book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful, Hyperion, 2007, writes that cognitive dissonance is “the disconnect between what we believe in our minds and what we experience or see in reality.... the more we are committed to believing that something is true, the less likely we are to believe that the opposite is true, even in the face of clear evidence that shows we are wrong.”

One way to prevent ruts from becoming graves and cognitive dissonance from becoming the new normal is to do the following. First, build and maintain a cohesive leadership team. Patrick Lencioni was 100% on the mark when he noted this in his book, The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive, Jossey-Bass, 2000. Such a team can engage in spirited and robust dialogues, generating new perspectives, ideas and insights.

Second, work with an experienced executive coach who can ask in-depth questions and share meaningful perspective. This will cause one to reflect and reconsider rather then simply to move forward at a blinding pace.

Third, read quality resources and participate in exceptional on-going learning opportunities. When we connect with these kinds of resources and people, we continue to build new perspectives and understanding. This continues to pull us out of our ruts and to explore new territory.

As Joel Barker reminds us, “... when something is impossible to achieve with one world view, it can be surprisingly easy to accomplish with a new one.” I hope this fall you explore and consider many new world views. It will help you to stay out of ruts that could end up becoming graves.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Build on Strengths

2011-09-13T07:26:00.002-05:00

Many years ago, I had an important conversation with Joe Batten, author of 18 books, 38 films, and one of the first professional speakers voted into the Speakers Hall of Fame. Joe, the man who coined the phrase “Be all you can be” for the Army, shared with me that the key to leadership is “to build on strengths.”

Tom Rath and and Barry Conchie in their recent book, Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow, Gallup, 2008, note that based on Gallup research there are four domains of leadership strength. They are as follows:

- Executing: knowing how to make things happen.

- Influencing: helping their team reach a broader audience.... and selling the team’s ideas inside and outside the organization.

- Relationship Building: the essential glue that holds a team together.

- Strategic Thinking - keeping us focused on what we could be.

Our challenge this fall is that we must build on the strengths of our key people, particularly those in leadership positions. Given the current economy, the changing needs and expectations of clients and customers, the amount of competitive pressure, plus the importance that the four domains mentioned above have on culture and brand identity, we need leaders and leadership teams to be strong and getting stronger.

The first step in this process is to ask ourselves “do we have the right people on the right seats on the bus?” If so, then how can we groom this talent to become better? If not, do we have strong internal candidates who can fill these positions?

Research by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras in the book, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, HarperBusiness, 1994, shows that home-grown management is vital to being a visionary company. When there is a track record of continuity in top management, there is a continuity of leadership excellence within the company. As they write, “Simply put, our research leads us to conclude that it is extraordinarily difficult to become and remain a highly visionary company by hiring top management from outside the organization. Equally important, there is absolutely no inconsistency between promoting from within and stimulating significant change.... The key is to develop and promote insiders who are capable of stimulating healthy change and progress, while preserving the core.”

One way to develop homegrown talent is to enroll them in the 2012 From Vision to Action Leadership Training. This year long course is designed to help people become better in the areas of leadership, strategic planning and execution, and organizational change. Through a challenging, interactive curriculum which blends lectures, small and large group discussions, and how to skill-building exercises, participants gain knowledge and skills through an immersion into research, current issues and real time solutions.

For more information on the dates, location, price and how to enroll in the 2012 From Vision to Action Leadership Training please click on the following link: http://www.chartyourpath.com/VTA-Training-Details.html

For over a decade, this in-depth training program has helped participants become effective leaders, capable of building on personal and organizational strengths. Great leaders and great teams are the foundation of visionary companies. Now is the time to start building for the future.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I hope you can join us in 2012.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Paradigm Shifts

2011-09-12T05:25:00.002-05:00

“In late 1991,” writes Don Peppers and Martha Rogers, Ph.D. in their book, The One to One Future: Building Relationships One Customer at a Time (Currency Doubleday, 1993), “the telegraph industry's life was taken suddenly and brutally, by the facsimile machine. For more than 150 years, the telegram stood for immediacy and importance. It was an icon for urgency. But now, Western Union has closed down its telegraph service around the world. The fax was a new technology the telegram could not survive. The shift from teletype and telegram to facsimile represents one aspect of what business consultants term a "paradigm shift" - a discontinuity in the otherwise steady march of business progress.” Be it the end of the telegraph, the mimeograph or the rotary dial telephone, paradigm shifts happen on a regular basis. Even today, the fax machine has been replaced by e-mail, and many landlines are now being replaced by cell phones. The digital age will continue to be full of paradigm shifts.

When I am teaching the From Vision to Action Leadership Training (http://www.chartyourpath.com/VTA-Leadership-Training.html), I point out to students that there are typically two different kinds leadership paradigms. Based on an article by Warren Bennis many years ago in Executive Excellence magazine, he notes that there are COP leaders and ACE leaders. The former kind of leaders focus on control, order and predictability. They want to find everything that is wrong and fix it. The later kind of leader focuses on alignment, creativity and empowerment. These leaders capitalize on matching talent and strengths with opportunity and challenges. They build ownership while the former can at times build fear and apprehension.

In my own experience over the years, I think the “A” in the ACE paradigm should also stand for adaptability to change. This is on the personal level, the strategic level and the organizational level. With the early signs of fall weather all around, we need more ACE leaders who have the capacity to handle the current and future paradigm shifts that are taking place in our world. Be they in the technological, environmental or political aspects of our lives, we all know that there will continue to be transformative and significant change in the coming months and years ahead.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

A Time for Learning, Reflection and Networking

2011-09-07T05:34:00.002-05:00

Task, task, task.

Do, do, do.

Meeting, meeting, meeting.

More coffee, a bathroom break, and a quick check of e-mail.

Then, back to task, task, task, and do, do, do.

No time to review or reflect.

If this is the normal rhythm of your day, then the Fall 2011 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable is the perfect place for you. Here you will find a highly committed group of executives who come to learn, network and explore better questions, new ideas and unique perspectives at a deeper and more holistic level. With uninterrupted time and space, they have found this event to be valuable, yielding new insights to their current and emerging challenges.

Here is the agenda for your review:

Thursday: September 22, 2011

- 8:30 am - Registration

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - Aligning Culture and Strategy

- 10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break

- 10:30 am - 12:00 pm - Improving Middle Management Effectiveness

- 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm - Lunch and Networking

- 1:30 pm - 2:45 pm - Developing Role Clarity

- 2:45 pm - 3:00 pm - Break

- 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm -Teaching New Behaviors

- 4:30 pm -Adjourn

Friday: September 23, 2011

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - Pursuing Personal Excellence

- 10:15 am - 10:45 am - Break and Hotel Check-out

- 10:45 am - 12:00 pm - Integration and Application

- 12:00 pm - Adjourn

Recommended but not required reading: Collins, James C., and Jerry I. Porras. Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, HarperBusiness, 1994.

Here is a link to the registration form: http://www.chartyourpath.com/pdf/2011-From-Vision-To-Action-Exec-Roundtable-Regist.pdf

When our lives are driven by tasks, meetings and more to do than can ever get done, we are in danger of loosing ourself and the focus on what is most important in our lives and our work. This fall break the cycle and create time for learning, reflection and networking.

There is still time to sign-up for the Fall 2011 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable. I know you will find it helpful in the short and long term growth of yourself as a leader and for your organization.

I look forward to your participation.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

The Interplay Between Leadership And Strategy

2011-09-06T05:36:00.001-05:00

Effective leaders are able to comprehend and work on multiple levels at the same time.

This seems like another blinding flash of the obvious or words straight from the mouth of the Oracle of the Obvious. Yet, so many people don’t really grasp it. In the beginning, many leaders approach their work with three key perspectives in mind, namely where are we now?, where do we need to prepare for the future?, and where do we need to innovate? These questions become more and more important as pace and complexity pick up.

Yet, there are days when I like to step aside from these pressing questions and instead focus on a key relationship between two elements within a company. In their book, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies (HarperBusiness, 1994), Jim Collins and Jerry Porras note that visionary companies do two things very well, namely they preserve their core ideology and at the exact same time have a fundamental drive for progress. The former provides continuity and stability during change and the later urges continual change. The former limits possibilities and directions for the company to only those consistent with the content of the ideology while the later expands the number and variety of possibilities that the company can consider. Finally the former, i.e. having a core ideology, is by its very nature a conservative act while the later, i.e. a drive for progress, can lead to dramatic, radical and even revolutionary change. As they explain, “The interplay between core and progress is one of the most important findings in our work [a six year research project]..... a visionary company does not seek mere balance between core and progress; it seeks to be both highly ideological and highly progressive at the same time, all the time. Indeed, core ideology and the drive for progress exist together in a visionary company like yin and yang of Chinese dualistic philosophy; each element enables, complements, and reinforces the other...”

When it comes to leadership and strategy, F. Scott Fitzgerald got it completely right when he wrote: “The test of a first rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.” Our goal this fall is to not only become visionary leaders building visionary companies, but to also be able to work on multiple levels at the same time. If you need assistance in this process, please do not hesitate to call me. I would look forward to hearing from you.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Thoughts on Resistance

2011-08-31T05:20:00.002-05:00

Every month, a number of different people ask me the same question: “How do you overcome resistance from direct reports?” Over time, my answers have gotten shorter and shorter.

First, resistance is a form of feedback. Listen carefully to what they are saying. Their perceptions and feelings may not be correct in your eyes or from your perspective, but it is what they are experiencing. Learn from this information.

Second, boast their awareness about the context for change. Most people focus on the changes and the losses that will come with it. Most leaders under communicate the problems that are causing the organization to change. By selling the problems (think William Bridges and his book, Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change, Da Capo Press, 2003), we need to present a compelling picture of the risks of not changing or of not meeting expectations, i.e. shareholders, etc.

Third, while clearly restating the purpose for change, we also need to define the levels of control and initiative those involved can exert. Too often resistance comes from not being involved in solving the aforementioned problems. As I always point out, no participation = no engagement.

Fourth, define the goals and the priorities. Make sure they are SMART goals and not just random flip chart paper goals.

Resistance happens. It is normal. Do not be afraid to lead them through this stage of organizational change.

But a least privately, someone each month asks a follow-up question to the subject of dealing with resistance from direct reports. “What do I do if my boss is the problem? What if they are resistant to change?”

Every year since 1998, we have been discussing this question in the From Vision to Action Leadership Training, http://www.chartyourpath.com/VTA-Leadership-Training.html. It is a common problem and right now quite a few people are experiencing it.

First, understand what kind of change cycle you are going through at this time period. Is it evolution or revolution? Radical or incremental? Often, those who are the boss frame up the changes differently than those who are doing daily operations. Understand their perception, not just your own.

Second, sit down with your boss and dialogue about performance expectations. Try and figure out what your boss is trying to accomplish and what are their goals. From experience, these may be different. Often, they are trying to lower the chaos around them to a manageable level while still focusing on their goals.

Third, clarify your role in the organization and the changes that are taking place. Many times your perception of your role and your boss’s perception may be completely different. Get clear about this sooner than later.

Finally, clarify your level of control. Most of the time when encountering a boss who is resistant to change, the problem is that you think you have lots of control and they do not want you to have that much control.

After discussing this subject for over 13 years, here are some of the best answers from a diversity of leaders and managers who have dealt with this issue:

- Speak truth to power. Know what you are talking about with facts and figures.

- Ask yourself “why did they pick your boss for the job?”. This information will help you maintain perspective.

- Face your fear.

- Do not give away your ability to choose.

- Deal with your addictions.

For those of you who want to explore this subject in greater detail and from a bigger picture perspective, here is a recently published article by Margaret Wheatley called “Leadership in the Age of Complexity: From Hero to Host.” http://www.margaretwheatley.com/articles/Leadership-in-Age-of-Complexity.pdf While the article is not completely focused on resistance, it does offer some excellent insights into why leaders struggle in the world of change and organizational transformation. Years ago, we read her book, Finding Our Way: Leadership for an Uncertain Time, Berrett-Koehler, 2005, for a Spring From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable. It was excellent and so is this article. Happy reading!

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Opening The Door

2011-08-30T05:58:00.001-05:00

Our challenges as leaders are great. The problems of this economy are many. The politics within government are divisive. And yet so many people want change and they want it to start happening now. Reflecting on the last thirty days, I am reminded of the following two quotes:

“Change is a door that can only be opened from the inside.” - Old French saying

“It’s not my job to motivate players. They bring extraordinary motivation to our program. It’s my job not to de-motivate them.” - Lou Holtz, former head coach of the University of Notre Dame football team

First, I believe that many people forget that change involves stepping outside one’s comfort zone. And while fear or the threat of imminent disaster can motivate people, it does not motivate them in the same direction and as well as clarity, support and empowerment. We have to help people open the door from the inside to make real change happen, and this is a difficult personal action. It requires being around people with whom we trust, believe have perspective, and offer support.

Second, I believe that while many want to create effective and sustainable change, too many people experience a daily work environment that is constantly de-motivating them to change. With a lack of real support, trust or empowerment, motivated and committed to change kinds of people are constantly battling poor leadership and even worse poorly designed systems which prohibit that which the organization requires. The result is a rampant case of cynicism and the development of silos with the work environment.

So, how does one get people to open the door from the inside?

Max Dupree, former CEO of Herman Miller, wrote that “the first duty of a leader is to define reality.” Jim Collins in his book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap. . . and Others Don't. HarperBusiness, 2001, called this “confronting the brutal facts.” As he writes, “when you start with an honest and diligent effort to determine the truth of your situation, the right decisions often become self-evident. It is impossible to make good decisions without infusing the entire process with an honest confrontation of the brutal facts.” Furthermore, he adds, “a primary task in taking a company from good to great is to create a culture wherein people have a tremendous opportunity to be heard and, ultimately, for the truth to be heard.” This will require us as leaders to “lead with questions, not answers,” and to “engage in dialogue and debate, not coercion.” While defining reality is hard work, it must be done in such a manner so that people’s confidence and absolute faith that they and the organization will be successful in the end, regardless of the reality before them.

One critical element of helping people open the door up from the inside starts at the executive team level. As Edgar Schein, a former professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management, wrote in the April 1995 edition of Executive Excellence magazine, “Organizational learning is not possible unless some learning first takes place in the executive subculture.” While many do not want to admit it, there is an executive subculture within many companies, and often it is the source of the problem. Filled with big egos and little true perspective, these individuals often reinforce a good-old-boys perspective of entitlement and grandiosity. For some, the company works for them rather than they working for the good of the company. Thus, the best CEO’s are constantly leading their executive teams through in-depth learning in order to prevent a misaligned sub-culture and to help them develop a more realistic and motivational work environment. They understand what Kevin Cashman wrote, namely, “Leaders get what they exhibit and tolerate.”

As we head in to September, let all of us remember that the development of a clear and united executive team in combination with the on-going development of a high-trust culture will make a world of difference. This fall we need people to open the door and stay motivated for the work ahead.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

A Blinding Flash of the Obvious

2011-08-29T05:29:00.002-05:00

Tom Peters would often share in his lectures about “a blinding flash of the obvious,” namely an insight or perspective that would make your head spin. Having worked with numerous groups and people over the course of the summer, I think we all need some more blinding flashes of the obvious. Here are a few for your review.

First, let’s remember Collins’ brilliant insight that “Good is the enemy of great.” There are times when this should be handed out at the start of every meeting for the next 30 days so people will quit settling for “good” and instead have the discipline, fortitude, courage and clarity to seek great over good. Too many times this summer, I witnessed good and even OK as acceptable standards and behaviors in many companies. It is a far cry from greatness when we let mediocrity be acceptable.

Second, we need to continue working on a key idea from James Belasco, and Ralph C. Stayer’s book called Flight of the Buffalo: Soaring To Excellence, Learning to Let Employees Lead (Time Warner, 1994). As they write, “Transfer ownership for work to those who execute the work.” Brilliantly simplistic and yet so many people haven’t a clue about how to do this. Most forget that when we create “an environment for ownership where each person wants to be responsible for his/her own performance” then we are creating the opportunity to transfer ownership to those who do it on a daily basis. It is the ownership environment that holds the key to be prepared for the future.

Finally, back to Collins in his book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap. . . and Others Don't. HarperBusiness, 2001, where he writes “all good-to-great companies began the process of finding a path to greatness by confronting the brutal facts of their current reality... When you start with an honest and diligent effort to determine the truth of your situation, the right decisions often become self-evident. It is impossible to make good decisions without infusing the entire process with an honest confrontation of the brutal facts.” Brutal facts in combination with some good old fashioned faith and hope make a major difference.

Every day there are moments when a blinding flash of the obvious could happen. Open your eyes to the possibilities and keep educating those around you to do likewise. Remember: common sense is not always that common.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Winning in Tomorrow’s World

2011-08-24T05:42:00.002-05:00

“The scarcest resource in the world today,” noted Noel Tichy in his book, The Leadership Engine; How Winning Companies Build Leaders at Every Level, HarperBusiness, 1997, “is leadership talent capable of continuously transforming organizations to win in tomorrow’s world.” Recognizing that at the end of the day, we need better leaders and better people, not just better strategies, Tichy points out that leaders with a proven track record of success take direct responsibility for the development of other leaders. One part of this process will involve a significant amount of time spent coaching.

As one who does this regularly, I think we need to help those who participate in coaching to understanding that coaching happens through you, not to you. Too many times, people treat the act of coaching as something they do to people and do not recognize that coaching is a process of mutual collaboration and structured dialogue.

Next, the best leaders during this structured dialogue routinely explore the subject of purpose and strategy. However, those who coach well know we may not always be able as coaches to solve a certain problem. Nevertheless we can emphasize the choices one can make.

Finally, the best leaders who coach people know that this process involves questions, analysis, action planning and follow through. Too often, people think that coaching is only about asking questions. While this is important, we need to recognize that the best leaders also help people analyze what is going on and then help them build a plan of action based on this analysis. Finally, the best always follow-up.

The scarcest resource in the world is transformational leadership. In the journey from today to the future, we need to realize that personal coaching in combination with team development, education about organizational transformation, and the development of effective strategy are all interconnected. And when leaders take responsibility and build the future, these interconnections are strengthened, motivational, and dynamic.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Why Teams Fail

2011-08-23T05:57:00.001-05:00

Many years ago, the Hay Group reported that teams failed to meet expectations because of the following reasons:

- 55% - goals unclear or changing objectives

- 51% - lack of accountability

- 49% - lack of management support

- 47% - lack of role clarity

- 45% - ineffective leadership

- 40% - low priority of the team

- 30% - no team-based pay

I do not know if these numbers are still accurate in 2011 but I suspect that for many companies, the top four to five problems have not changed much over time. And when we examine these problems in details, one thing becomes clear to me this morning. Not a single one of the them is insurmountable.

Starting today, we all know how to create SMART goals and to clarify objectives. We also know how to hold crucial or fierce conversations where people are held accountable for their words and their actions. We even know how to improve management support and develop role clarity.

But, as many of us have learned in life, knowing is not the same as doing. The above challenges fall into the doing zone and this is where things get more complex. For translating knowledge into action requires all of us to make time for what matters the most, and that is our people.

This week and this coming month, think about your teams and reflect on which ones need your assistance to get better. Then, review the above list and make the right choices. Invest your time and leverage your energy in such a manner as to make it a force multiplier.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Being An Architect of Meaning

2011-08-22T05:48:00.002-05:00

For over a decade, I have been teaching students during our annual From Vision to Action Leadership Training ( http://www.chartyourpath.com/VTA-Leadership-Training.html ) that one of the key characteristics of a leader worth following is someone who is an architect of meaning. As I point out, every day people in leadership positions routinely confront paradoxes and wrestle with deep questions about the company’s brand identity, competitive advantage, and strategic direction. Often, they get asked such questions as “Who are we?” and “Where are we going?” They solve these challenges by building clarity at the macro and the micro levels of the organization, and helping people understand their role in the process.

One way of creating this depth of clarity is to routinely ask these three questions. First, ask “what do you do at our company?” because this will determine role clarity. Second, ask “What are your priorities? because this will determine goal clarity. And finally, ask “What do you do that matters most?” because this will determine mission clarity. As Kevin Cashman notes, “As you believe, so shall you lead.” I often translate this into “As they believe, so they shall follow.”

Jim Collins and Jerry Porras pick up on this same theme in their book, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, HarperBusiness, 1994. As they explain, “... we’re asking you to see the success of visionary companies - at least in part - as coming from underlying processes and fundamental dynamics embedded in the organization and not primarily the result of a single great idea or some great, all-knowing, god-like visionary who made great decisions, had great charisma, and lead with great authority. If you’re involved in building and managing a company, we’re asking you to think less in terms of being a brilliant product visionary or seeking the personality characteristics of charismatic leadership, and to think more in terms of being an organizational visionary and building the characteristics of a visionary company.”

As we all know, leaders work on the company while managers work in the company. As summer moves toward fall, we need more architects who design and then build visionary companies. If you need any help in doing this, feel free to call. I always enjoy a good challenge.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Farm Wisdom

2011-08-17T05:53:00.001-05:00

“Farmers do not ask,” writes Mette Norgaard Ph.D, MBA, “which is most important, preparing the soil or selecting and growing the best seeds? Likewise, we should not ask whether we ought to focus on changing the systems and structures or developing the people.”

This coming fall more and more people will be struggling with soil vs. seeds issues. They know they need to change certain systems and structure. They also know they need to develop people in order to have more capacity. However, many executives are reluctant to do either because of the amount of time, resources and energy it will take to do it and to do it well.

While some organizations are suffering from reorganization fatigue, others have come to the same conclusion as John C. Maxwell in his book,, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow them and People Will Follow You, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1998, when he wrote: “The Law of the Lid: Leadership ability determines a person's level of effectiveness.” Certain organizational charts will never position the organization for growth because they do not have the right people in the right leadership positions. Certain organizations also will not deal with this issue because they do not have the courage to face problems of their own making. It is always easier to blame the economy or the government rather than take responsibility for our own strategic choices.

From my vantage point, this level of work means that we as leaders must recognize that real change requires depth of character and competence. The difficulty is that few leaders have received significant coaching and education to improve the depth of their competence. As Stephen Covey wrote many years ago, “Organizational development and change, without personal development and change, is illusionary, even foolish, because market realities are demanding new qualities inside people and new relationships among people.” Well organized ninety day plans, regular coaching and a steady diet of organizational clarity does not sound flashy, hot-off-the-presses, New York Times best-seller list, latest and greatest new management book stuff, but in the test of time we need to remember that the infrastructure for success is as important as the content for success.

This fall, I encourage all of us to spend more time preparing the soil and selecting the seed. Then when it comes time for change, we can all remember: what you feed, grows.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

A Long Term Perspective

2011-08-16T05:40:00.002-05:00

In April/May 1997 issue of Fast Company magazine, Charles Fishman wrote an article called “Change,” where he shared his “10 Laws of Change.” They are as follows:

1. Change begins and ends with the business - not with change.

2. Change is about people. People will surprise you.

3. There is information in opposition.

4. The informal network is as powerful as the formal chain of command. And you get to design your informal network.

5. You can’t draft people into change. They have to enroll.

6. It’s not a calling. It’s a job.

7. Forget balance. Create tension.

8. No change agent ever succeeded by dying for his [or her] company.

9. You can’t change the company without changing yourself.

10. Even if the company doesn’t change, you will.

In the mid to late 90’s, this was progressive thinking, challenging many to reconsider what they were doing and how they were leading. At the time, most leaders recognized they could not make change happen successfully or sustain the changes they wanted once they were initiated. Fishman’s perspective was eye opening and insightful.

Fourteen years later, most of the above “laws” have been blended into the work of numerous books and articles. On one level, the ideas seem old school and slightly dated. But upon further examination, they can be helpful reminders given the turbulence of the current economy.

As I have the opportunity to work with more and more young leaders, I am realizing that fewer and fewer of them have been exposed to the fundamentals of leadership and change. What for me and many senior leaders are self-evident truths are for these young leaders mind blowing new perspectives. For example, Fishman’s insight, “You can’t draft people into change. They have to enroll.”, is all new material for many young leaders. They have never heard this before and no one shared this with them when they got started. The concept of creating an environment where people want to enroll in change helps them to understand why certain changes have failed in the past and why certain leaders have chosen to go leading change in the manner they are doing it. At the same time, Fishman’s observation, “There is information in opposition.” also shifts the perspective of young leaders and helps them to comprehend that resistance is more about loss than change.

I share Fishman’s 10 Laws of Change here today for three reasons. First, I think we need to proactively use them as we teach young people to lead and deal with change related issues. Second, I think there is value in returning to the fundamentals and reviewing them from time to time. Often, for me, I rediscover a fresh way of explaining a key concept. Third, at times we can get a bit rusty or stuck in our ways. We become unconscious leaders and forget the basics as we push for speed with limited bandwidth to reflect.

This week and this month, I encourage all of us to review the above list and to share it with others. Clearly, it can be a spring board for sound and in-depth strategic dialogue.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Three Key Concepts

2011-08-15T05:48:00.001-05:00

There are days and even weeks when as leaders we can become very, very busy. For many, this coming fall appears to be one of those time periods. We all know that during the busy time periods we will be in back to back meetings, making many major decisions with limited data, responding to a diversity of critical issues, while simultaneously attempting to keep up with e-mail and other assorted forms of communication.

During such extremely full periods, your path and my path often cross. Sometimes it is on the phone, after a meeting or over a meal. Then, during our visit, someone will ask me a simple but complex question, “So, what am I missing in the midst of all that is happening?” While I could point out that most executives are recovering controlaholics who need to control less and focus on alignment more, I usually share the following three observations

First, your ability to plan must be balanced by your capacity to execute.

Too many times this year I have witnessed groups who plan well but execute poorly. The problem is not the plan. It is the depth of capacity within the organization. While the plan could be modified and often is, the real challenge is the lack of strategic commitment and effort to build for the future.

Second, real change does not take place inside your comfort zone.

We like being comfortable and happy. We do not like being uncomfortable and unhappy. Therefore, when faced with certain challenges we settle for good when we should have strived for great. However, to achieve greatness, we most step outside our comfort zone and confront the brutal facts.

Third, awareness is not understanding.

Volumes could be written on this one short sentence. It is a powerful insight. In my mind, it ranks up there with the Iowa farm wisdom I learned many years ago, namely “What you feed, grows.” While awareness is important, understanding takes time, reflection and dialogue. If we are to create understanding, be it during planning or execution, then we have to step outside our own comfort zones and engage in an in-depth dialogue with others. Because it is through this process of sharing that we generate great understanding and greater clarity.

Busy is normal. It happens. But the best of us keep learning and sharing in the midst of it.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

The Next Wave of Change

2011-08-10T05:56:00.004-05:00

Thousands of years ago, people would carve important words into stone. Then, they would put them in places where people could see them and be reminded of their importance. Right now, I would like to carve the following words into the lintel above the door of quite a few companies:

“ Few corporations are able to participate in the next wave of change, because they are blinded by the business at hand.” - Edson De Castro, CEO of Data General, 1978.

Day after day this summer, I am witnessing countless organizations that talk strategy but do not have a strategic plan. They also talk big picture but mostly focus on minutiae. They talk change but constantly reenforce status quo. In short, one could say that they are being “blinded by the business at hand.”

One solution to this problem is to break out of the daily consumption of operational details, get away from the office, and come to a From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable. Here you will find a group of dedicated people seeking to improve and transform their organizations. You also will discover individuals who want to discuss, explore and reflect on the next waves of change and consider how this will impact their work as a leader and their organization. In short, through in-depth learning and candid peer-to-peer discussions, you will learn new ideas, perspectives and solutions.

The next From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable takes place on September 22 - 23, 2011 at the Coralville Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, Coralville, Iowa.

Here is the agenda for your review:

Thursday: September 22, 2011

- 8:30 am - Registration

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - Aligning Culture and Strategy

- 10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break

- 10:30 am - 12:00 pm - Improving Middle Management Effectiveness

- 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm - Lunch and Networking

- 1:30 pm - 2:45 pm - Developing Role Clarity

- 2:45 pm - 3:00 pm - Break

- 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm -Teaching New Behaviors

- 4:30 pm -Adjourn

Friday: September 23, 2011

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - Pursuing Personal Excellence

- 10:15 am - 10:45 am - Break and Hotel Check-out

- 10:45 am - 12:00 pm - Integration and Application

- 12:00 pm - Adjourn

Recommended reading: Collins, James C., and Jerry I. Porras. Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, HarperBusiness, 1994.

Here is a link to the registration form: http://www.chartyourpath.com/pdf/2011-From-Vision-To-Action-Exec-Roundtable-Regist.pdf

For those of you who are seeking new solutions, now is the time to sign-up.

I look forward to seeing you at the Fall 2011 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

The Red Queen Lives On!

2011-08-09T05:57:00.002-05:00

We were sitting in his newly remodeled, corner office with lots of sun light pouring in through the windows. The entire layout had changed since my last visit, including a new desk, conference table, decorations on the wall, photos and even a nice big plant. Stylish and modern, it was impressive.

Once I had been shown around, I settled into a new chair at the conference table and pulled out my blue notebook and a pen. It was time to get down to business. My first question during this executive coaching session was an important one, namely “What do you do that really matters the most?”

His answer wandered for the most part and indicated that he had not studied successful companies much. It also pointed out that he did not fully understand his role as a Senior Manager in the company. Referencing the work of Jim Collins in his book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap. . . and Others Don't. HarperBusiness, 2001, this person was a Level 3 Leader, namely a “Competent Manager” who “organizes people and resources toward the effective and efficient pursuit of predetermined objectives.”

Not being afraid of asking the hard questions, I asked him another important question, namely “What is strategy?” He replied, “It is a place we need to get to.” And I thought to myself, “The Red Queen lives on.”

In the natural world, the predator and the prey must constantly change or go extinct. Companies and their competitors are also in a constant evolutionary dance, too. When one evolves a slight edge over another, the other responds by developing it’s own edge. For example, some McDonalds are serving expresso coffee. In turn, some Starbucks are offering a dollar cup of coffee.

Evolutionary ecologists call this the “Red Queen Principle.” Named in 1973 by Leigh Van Valen after the Red Queen in Through the Looking Glass, who observed to Alice: “In this place, it takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place.”

We have not explored this concept in much depth since we talked about it at the Spring 2008 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable. However, given current events within many companies, the status of the world economy and the threat of a double dip recession within the United States, it is time to re-examine this concept again. Right now more and more executives report to me that they and their companies are working as hard as they can to be profitable and they feel like they are running in place. For some, their strategy is clear but not being implemented effectively. Others have the opposite problem with daily operations trumping strategy. Still, the Red Queen Principle does not go away.

While there are no simple solutions to such complex challenges, there are specific actions that a senior team can take when confronting such a situation.

First, initiate a complete and in-depth strategic review to make sure the company has the right strategy for the right environment. If it does, then move to improving the quality of strategic execution. If not, then engage in developing a new and more focused strategy. Selective abandonment of misaligned strategies can be an effective solutions.

Second, clarify what is the company’s brand and competitive advantage. Then, proactively cascade this information deep into the organization in order to help everyone to remain focused on what is most important. Empower key people to act with this in mind.

Third, communicate the importance of customer service and focus on this element at the qualitative and quantitative levels. Remember the research by William J. McEwen in his book, Married To The Brand: Why Consumers Bond With Some Brands For Life, Gallup Press, 2005. As he writes, “every time a customer comes in contact with a company ... the brand relationship can be enhanced. Or it can be diminished. Brand marriages aren’t static; they continue to evolve.” Therefore, he reminds us that “successful marriage management can be achieved only by company-wide commitment and aligned, integrated efforts.” When we work on making sure we have the right strategy, brand clarity and consistent high-quality customer service, then we are working on alignment and integration across the whole company.

In the constant evolutionary dance, there are strategic level changes that need to be made and the operational level changes that need to be made. Dealing with the Red Queen requires both.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Today’s Problems and Tomorrow's Challenges

2011-08-08T05:55:00.003-05:00

As we enter the last of the summer days, everyone is talking about problems. Technical, adaptive or critical - problems are happening all over the place. And the result of all of these problems is two fold. First, some people are freaking out and running around like Chicken Little saying “the sky is falling.” Others are standing stock still like deer in the headlights wondering what is going to happen next. Neither is a very productive choice.

When problems surface, I recall something I learned from Peter Senge’s writing long ago, namely that today's problems are the result of yesterday's solutions. This is not a popular line of thinking in some organizations because it implies we did not always make the right decisions. However, it does remind us that the choices we make today do have long term implications on many different levels.

One problem that is surfacing at this time period is organizational fragmentation due to past choices and today’s problems. Here the different parts of the corporation act independent of the greater whole. Furthermore, multiple reactions and decisions that solve current problems do not always create capacity as much as organizational silos, resulting in a diminished ability to prepare or even execute on emerging opportunities to grow in the future.

The second problem that is surfacing at this time period relates to structural misalignments. The proverbial “org chart” or “T.O.”, i.e. the table of organization that explains who reports to who, is not working effectively. Remember the Gallup research that states people join companies but quit who they report to. We, as leaders, sometimes forget that structure really does influence individual and group behavior. We also do not like to think about how smart people when reporting to the wrong person and not working with effective systems tend to produce poor work even if they are trying their best. Jim Collin’s research in his book, Good To Great, was right when he stated “who, before what.”

For us gathered here today, we need to do the following things during the next sixty days. First, we need to build stronger teams who can work well together and think realistically and creatively when problems surface. Second, we need to develop the capacity in our organizations so more people can step into leadership positions before major problems or opportunities surface. Third, we need to realign our organization so that the right people in combination with the right core values can improve service delivery. Finally, we need to remember that which got us to where we are today may not get us to where we need to go. Past success can blind us to the significant choices we need to make.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

The Brutal Facts

2011-08-04T05:53:00.004-05:00

Every day this year, seven thousand baby boomers turn 65.

Currently, 70% of Americans are stressed out about work.

$ 300 billion is the annual cost to businesses due to employee stress.

And if the above was not enough, customers over 50 own the vast majority of U.S. wealth, causing more and more retail businesses to redesign how they do business to accommodate the wishes of an older population.

So as the potential for retirement rises, the stress increases, and the wealth continues to migrate to the older population, a ripple effect is taking place in the world of leadership, resulting in one simple question:

Who will be the next generation of leaders in your organization?

Ideally they will come within based on what Jim Collin’s research shows. Think Built To Last, Good to Great, and How The Mighty Fall.

Home-grown talent has potential.

But weekly coaching sessions and the occasional seminar only can do so much.

Real learning takes time, depth and focus.

Real learning in combination with exceptional coaching demonstrates a 72 percent improvement in performance according to the American Society For Training and Development (ASTD).

The challenge this month is to determine who is worth the investment.

Remember: seven thousand people each day turn 65. They will retire, and they will take with them their leadership skills, knowledge and perspective. One day, their strategic mindset will walk out the door.

So, who will be the next generation of leaders in your organization?

Choose wisely.

Plan wisely.

It will make a difference.

Then, enroll these key people in the 2012 From Vision to Action Leadership Training.

Here is a link for more information about this unique learning opportunity: http://www.chartyourpath.com/VTA-Leadership-Training.html

The future of your company will depend on who is leading it.

Tomorrow is only a day away.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Young Leaders and Fresh Perspectives

2011-08-02T07:30:00.001-05:00

Last week, I had the wonderful opportunity to teach and visit with the Coconino Rural Environment Corps (http://www.crecweb.org/home.php) in Flagstaff, Arizona. Promoting stewardship, encouraging personal development, and carrying on the tradition of the Civilian Conservation Corps with hard work, dedication and pride, the Crew Supervisors, Assistant Crew Supervisors, and the various office staff that guide and support them, work with youth ages 15 to 18 and young adults, aged 18 to 25, who are interested in environmental, resource conservation and land management related careers. Through direct, hands-on service work such as trail construction and maintenance, or forest restoration for wildfire fuels reduction and forest health, the Crew Supervisors and their Assistant Crew Supervisors spend eight days out in the field doing hard physical labor with AmeriCorps volunteers. Hot, dirty and physically demanding, I listened and learned from these inspiring young leaders about compassionate professionalism.

Over the course of the day, it became clear to all of us gathered that effective leaders do not create followers; they create partners. They accomplish this by proactively building on the unique strengths and talents of each of their people. As Marcus Buckingham in his book, The One Thing You Need to Know ... About Great Managing, Great Leading, and Sustained Individual Success, Free Press, 2005, wrote: “great managing is not about transformation - if you dedicate yourself to transforming each employee into some predetermined perfect version of the role, you will wind up frustrating yourself and annoying the employee. Great managing is about release. It is about constantly tweaking the world so the unique contribution, the unique needs, the unique style of each employee can be given free rein.”

While the world may seem turbulent, troublesome and divided this week, I can assure all of you that after visiting last week with the young leaders and those that support them, I came away feeling hopeful and inspired. Through their dedication and hard work, the world will be a better place for all of us. If you have the time and energy this week, I encourage you to seek out young leaders in your organization and to visit with them. They are an amazing group of people.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

In The Age Of Uncertainty

2011-08-01T05:41:00.001-05:00

We live now in a time period of complexity and uncertainty. Every where non-profits are battling over what little money is available at the state and federal levels. Meanwhile, for-profit companies are wanting to excel and to grow profits, but are extremely reluctant to hire more staff. Furthermore, customers are deeply frustrated with the lack of real customer service, And, of course, your competition is "hungry" for the opportunity to serve your customers where ever and when ever possible.

From my vantage point, some organizations are spending countless hours rearranging the deck chairs on a ship to no where as they attempt to solve these adaptive problems. They do this by continuing to consolidate out-dated systems hoping that this will result in some degree of innovation or efficiency. This is happening because of limited balance sheet growth and a desire to avoid the risks that come with completely pitching and redesigning entire systems to meet the new expectations and options for service delivery.

Next, I continue to witness new technology at the hardware and software levels out-pacing management’s capacity to comprehend their implications, let alone figure out how to integrate these opportunities. In Board rooms and during senior team meetings, it also is common to hear people talk about the continued need to centralize key systems and functions within the company as well as create more efficiency though systems improvement

As to balance sheet management, heaven only knows when the funding streams that government and non-profit agencies count on will be stable. I am certain that they will continue to be in massive flux for quite some time period as witnessed by what is happening related to the raising of the debt ceiling at the federal level. Meanwhile, leaders must continue to figure out how to remain profitable in the midst of these difficulties.

Finally, we must come to peace with the notion that fragmented service delivery will not be tolerated by customers or employees. Developing a unique and meaningful business relationship with customers where they and the staff are engaged is going to require us to finally put to rest top-down, command-and-control leadership. This model of “Father Knows Best” leadership can not handle disruptive and ceaseless innovation that is required nor the transformative power of information technology and communications.

As we move through this time period of complexity and uncertainty, I am reminded of Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Right now too many senior management teams are living an in-box management perspective with little proactive planning. They are reacting to behavioral problems related to operational issues rather than developing a strategic mindset. Clearly, it is time for more people and companies to rediscover or to develop a new vision, i.e. a statement of what they hope to achieve as an organization. These new or renewed visions will give direction and meaning to the journey ahead. They will create inspiration that is necessary for on-going follow through. They will create clarity rather than persistent confusion. In short, it is time for us as leaders to re-inspire, reorient and realign our organizations. It is time to focus forward.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Trust Your Gut and Seek Feedback Regularly

2011-07-25T05:50:00.001-05:00

It is common during an executive coaching session for me to ask the person that I am working with a simple but powerful question, namely “What does your gut tell you to do?” I some times follow this up with another equally powerful question, namely “Do you trust it?” The busier we get and the fuller our lives are we at times miss the subtle but important signals that we or our team may be out of alignment with the strategic nexus, the sum of the organization’s mission, vision and core values plus the strategic plan. I regularly advise executives to check their gut. This source always leads to profound insights.

I also advise them to ask a large variety of people for feedback about how they, their team and their company are doing. This may not be easy but it does yield tremendous perspective.

A long time ago, I decided I would ask our two young sons how I was doing as their Dad. Given both were very little, I did not think this was going to be so hard. Still, I wimped out and waited until my wife was away one night for dinner. Then, I made our children their favorite meal from scratch, mac and cheese plus peas. Once seated over a great dinner I asked, “So, how am I doing at being your Dad?”

As you might guess, I got an ear full. They gave me feedback about everything from putting them in time-out too often to not allowing them to watch more TV. Once they started, it was a solid 20 minutes. I should have taken notes but all of it was good and all of it was important. I learned a lot and made changes accordingly.

They key is to ask the questions. This summer trust your gut and seek feedback regularly from a variety of sources. It will make a world of difference over time.

P.S. Here is some excellent summer reading.

First, I loved reading William C. Taylor’s (co-founder and founding editor of Fast Company magazine) article in the summer 2011 issue of Leader to Leader called “Are you “Humbitious” enough to lead?” Covering a diversity of topics from leadership to innovation, it a wonderful read during the hot days of summer. Here is the link: http://www.leadertoleader.org/knowledgecenter/journal.aspx?ArticleID=875

Second, I discovered a delightfully short but wonderfully interesting blog entry by Tony Schwartz on the Harvard Business Review web site. Called “Ten Principles to Live by in Fiercely Complex Times,” Schwartz answers the question, “What enduring principles can you rely on to make choices that reflect, openness, integrity and authenticity?”. I know you will enjoy this one. Here is the link: http://blogs.hbr.org/schwartz/2011/07/ten-principles-for-living-in-f.html

Happy summer reading!

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

The Transformation of Education

2011-07-18T06:39:00.001-05:00

Being a former high school history teacher, I remember when the only computer was in the school office, and chalk and black boards (*) were the standard tools of every teacher. I even remember when the mimeograph machine was the teacher’s best friend. Now, it is amazing to see the transformations taking place in education this coming school year.

In particular, this fall there will be a new kind of student coming to school. They will be technologically savvy from kindergartner on (Remember that they are the class 2023!) and only know a world where the internet and computers are the norm. They will expect a broadband solution in every classroom along with live, constantly upgraded multi-media educational experiences accessible at any time and in their own way.

Furthermore, we also will encounter a new kind of parent. The last of the baby boomer parents are now replaced by the Gen X parents and those even younger who are all actively engaged with high expectations even if they do not always communicate them to those who are educating. They also expect a broadband solution to education and they expect to be constantly updated on what is happening during the day. They assume that there is 24/7 accessibility to those who are teaching.

Finally, we are encountering a new kind of teacher. This came clear to me when Apple introduced the new iPad2 with a $ 39.00 HDMI cable that can be plugged into any flat screen TV in the classroom so the teacher can project what they are working on to all students. These pedagogically advanced new teachers are entering the classroom and also expecting a broadband solution to their educational challenges. They want live and constantly upgraded accessible resources and data at any time and in their own way. For these new teachers, the text book and the black board are being replaced by iBooks and YouTube videos.

The implications for us as leaders is to recognize that we will need to respect the teacher - student - parent relationship, and help them identify the impediments to college and workplace readiness and success. We also must help those involved define the “academic individuality” of each student, i.e. individual patterns of academic strengths and weakness while focusing on the whole K-12 experience.

This fall as school districts and states struggle to meet these changes I will reflect on my first year as a teacher, and marvel at all that is taking place.

* FYI: the black board in my first classroom was an actual sheet of plywood painted black. Chalk did not work on it very well and tended to fade quite quickly. I remember helping to install a real black board and being delighted with this technological upgrade. My how times have changed!

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Create Leaders Before You Need Them

2011-07-12T05:37:00.001-05:00

Summer is a time to ponder the future.

It is a time to think beyond today’s challenges and to reflect on what the world will be like over the next two to three years. It is a time to ask such questions as “What will our customers expect of us in the future that they are not getting right now?” Or “How will the world be different and what impact will it have on our company?” Finally, “What new products or technology could potentially surface in the next 24 months that would significantly threaten the way we do business?”

Rest assured the world will change.

Customers will have new needs and new expectations. Generational differences will continue to emerge. The way we do business today will not be the way we do business in the future. The critical issue for us this summer is to determine whether or not we will be prepared and have the capacity to execute effectively given all of these possibilities.

Summer also is a time to think about leadership.

We all know we will need the right people on the right seats on the bus, referencing Jim Collin’s book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap. . . and Others Don't. HarperBusiness, 2001. We also know we will need to occasionally help the right people change to a new seat on the bus that better meets the needs of the company and the individual. Sometimes we may even need to stop the bus so the wrong people can get off. But from my perspective, this summer we must begin thinking about how to develop the right people so we can have better capacity on the bus.

This summer we need to create more leaders before we need them.

These individuals need to have a strategic mindset and understand the importance of mission, vision and core values. They need to know how successful companies work on the operational and strategic levels. They need to value alignment, understand strategic change, and effectively coach people and groom talent.

We also need to be better leaders ourselves.

Kevin Cashman in his book, Leadership From The Inside Out: Becoming a Leader for Life, Berrett-Koehler, 2008, shares research on poor interpersonal skills done by the Saratoga Institute who interviewed 19,700 exiting employees and their bosses. They discovered that 85% of bosses said that former employees left for more compensation and opportunity. However, 80% of the exiting employees said they left because of poor relationships, poor development and poor coaching from their boss. Making the time to build healthier work relationships plus improve development and coaching will have a major impact on the recruitment and retention of key people, today and in the future.

So, starting today, we need to plan ahead and think who should be groomed for the future.

One way to do this is to map out who will be participating in the 2012 From Vision to Action Leadership Training ( http://www.chartyourpath.com/VTA-Training-Details.html ) and the Fall 2011 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable (http://www.chartyourpath.com/pdf/2011-From-Vision-To-Action-Exec-Roundtable-Regist.pdf). When you are ready, e-mail me today and reserve a spot for yourself and your key people.

It is never too early to plan for the future. As we all know, it will be different than today.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Exploring The Emerging Trends

2011-07-11T05:25:00.002-05:00

“What is now proved was once only imagined.” - William Blake

At times, we get so busy that we forget everything was created twice, first in the mind and second with the help of others. Those who imagine and then created something that is new or different first started by looking at the proverbial “big picture.” They explored the emerging trends and blended it with their own ideas, creativity and perspective.

When I look at the big picture this morning, I find some interesting bits of information to ponder. For example in the 5/9/11 issue of Time magazine, they reported that 6.6 million was the approximate number of Latinos who voted in the 2010 U.S. midterm elections. This was a record, and up from 5.6 million in the 2006 midterms.

Furthermore, in the 5/16/11 issue of Time magazine, they reported that 1 in 4 was the proportion of kids in single-parent households in the U.S., the highest of 27 industrialized nations in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s new report.

Here is an interesting piece of information from the July 4, 2011 issue of the Christian Science Monitor: “Although the recession may be causing a temporary dip in telecommuting, according to a recent WorldatWork survey, the number of firms offering the option has jumped. Some 63 percent of organizations now offer some kind of telecommuting, according to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). That’s up eight percentage points in a year. Moreover, 20 percent of organizations now allow full-time telecommunting, up from 17 percent last year.”

From the same issue, there is an article on how libraries are restocking for a digital age. Of note is the following: “A majority of states have reported library closures in the past 12 months according to the American Library Association. While most of those states estimated that one or two branches shut down, some reported five to 10 closing their doors, which ALA says is part of a trend.”

Next, The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has reported that more than one-quarter of all adults in the U.S. suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in any given year.

In the post PC market, I find it interesting to note that 15 million iPads were sold in the first 9 months and they generated 9.5 billion in rev. in that same time period. This slate based computer now captures 90% of the market share. I also found it interesting that Apple has 200+ million accounts with credit cards and one click purchasing. At the same time, 100 million iBooks were downloaded in less than a year with the first iPad, and they have already shipped their 100 millionth iPhone. Clearly, fewer lap tops are being sold and the cell phone is fast becoming the new PC and the new wallet.

In the world of medicine, the classic Doctor/Patient relationship is changing. The historical meeting of the people who know, i.e. the MD, with those who do not know, i.e. the patient, for diagnosis and treatment is fast evolving into a Doctor/Patient relationship with both as co-learners. Given patients can access everything the Doctor can access via technology plus tap into a vast social network of different support groups, many patients are approaching the medical world as partners and less as customers or consumers.

Finally, in this post Japanese earthquake time period, more and more countries and people are asking questions about the price and source of our vastly increasing diet for energy consumption. The question is no longer which fuel is best to use but which combination of fuels are the best to use. Gas, coal and “green” technologies in combination with proactive energy conservation are all being explored.

When I look at the big picture and see some of the above trends, I am reminded of a quote that I read in Fast Company Magazine back in April 2000. “If you want to build an outstanding company, then you have to be ready to handle the consequences of standing out. Too many companies want the benefits of seeming different - without the risks that come with being different.” The risk for us as leaders this summer is to not only stand out but to explore more deeply the bigger picture with the hopes of being able to effectively imagine new possibilities.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

2011 Fall Roundtable - Early Bird Special!

2011-07-06T05:32:00.001-05:00

Now that the July 4th weekend has passed, it is time for us to turn our sights on the 2011 Fall Roundtable!

On September 22 - 23, 2011, we will gather at the Coralville Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Coralville, Iowa for the Fall 2011 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable.

Here is the agenda for your review:

Thursday: September 22, 2011

- 8:30 am - Registration

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - Aligning Culture and Strategy

- 10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break

- 10:30 am - 12:00 pm - Improving Middle Management Effectiveness

- 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm - Lunch and Networking

- 1:30 pm - 2:45 pm - Developing Role Clarity

- 2:45 pm - 3:00 pm - Break

- 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm -Teaching New Behaviors

- 4:30 pm -Adjourn

Friday: September 23, 2011

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - Pursuing Personal Excellence

- 10:15 am - 10:45 am - Break and Hotel Check-out

- 10:45 am - 12:00 pm - Integration and Application

- 12:00 pm - Adjourn

Recommended reading: Collins, James C., and Jerry I. Porras. Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, HarperBusiness, 1994.

Starting today through Friday, July 29, I am offering an “early bird” registration price for the Fall 2011 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable.

If you sign up during this time period, and submit payment before 7/29/11, the price will be $ 275.00 for the two days and $ 175.00 for a single day. Here is the link to the registration form: http://www.chartyourpath.com/pdf/2011-From-Vision-To-Action-Exec-Roundtable-Regist.pdf. Please write “early bird special” on it when you send it to me.

After 7/29/11, the registration price will be $ 295.00 for the two days and $ 195.00 for a single day.

I hope you will reserve September 22-23 on your calendar, and e-mail me today about whether or not you and your team are coming. Then, in September when the fall colors and cooler weather have returned to the heartland all we need to do is meet at the Fall 2011 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable in Coralville.

Thinking ahead and looking forward to seeing you in September.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Doing a Strategic Analysis

2011-07-05T05:30:00.001-05:00

In the beginning of big organizational changes, analysis is critical. For many, this involves people gathering as a group during an off-site retreat, slapping random thoughts down on flip chart paper and then posting them up on the wall. After talking about these ideas for numerous hours and looking at all of the dead tree material on the walls, some one says “OK; let’s do it.” And then supposedly, successful change begins.

Wiser leaders take more time and do a complete analysis which begins by separating the whole into its component parts. Here, they approach their work on multiple levels. First, they recognize that the analysis needs to focus on what is happening within the organization and at the exact same time on what is happening outside the organization. Understanding the internal and external environment is vital to short and long term success.

When beginning to asses the external macro environment, i.e. the context for change, I suggest a process called a PESTEL analysis. Here, people review the trends that are happening in the following areas which might influence the company, it’s customers and it’s products and services, namely political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal. This in-depth review helps us make sure we are not missing some future adaptive problem or element which might disrupt the strategy being developed.

Second, there needs to be an assessment of the internal company environment. Two areas that need close attention are an analysis of the company’s competitive advantage and an assessment of it’s current performance in regards to it’s current strategy. I have witnessed organizations do this level of analysis in many different ways so I am not going to recommend one specific way other than to say it needs to be done.

Finally, when the above work is done, a classic SWOT analysis can be helpful. Here, identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Then we examine strengths to pursue external opportunities, while countering weaknesses and threats (internal and external factors that undermine successful strategic execution).

For those of you who want to explore this subject in greater detail, I suggest you read the following article: “Mastering the Management System” by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton, Harvard Business Review, January 2008. Here is a link: http://hbr.org/2008/01/mastering-the-management-system/ar/1.

As I stated before, analysis is critical to short and long term success. Spend more time doing this in the beginning of organizational change and you will spend less time correcting problems as you move through the process of change.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Key Concepts to Being a Visionary Company

2011-06-28T05:25:00.002-05:00

Recently, I wrote how this summer I have been rereading the book, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras. The foundation of the book revolves around four key concepts:

1. Be a clock builder -an architect- not a time teller.

2. Embrace the “Genius of the AND”

3. Preserve the core/stimulate progress.

4. Seek consistent alignment.

Back in 1994 when this was published, these were progressive concepts and they had everyone in executive offices thinking and talking. Furthermore, most of the same leaders were still processing the key material in the books, In Search of Excellence and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. It was an exciting time for all involved.

Now in the summer of 2011, the above four concepts seem pretty simplistic, if not old news. Nevertheless, upon further inspection and further reading in the book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap. . . and Others Don't, HarperBusiness, 2001, Collins states something that is very important and often missed. As he writes, “When I consider the enduring great companies from Built To Last, I now see substantial evidence that their early leaders followed the good-to-great framework. The only real difference is that they did so as entrepreneurs in small, early-stage enterprises trying to get off the ground, rather than as CEOs trying to transform established companies from good to great. In an ironic twist, I now see Good to Great not as a sequel to Built to Last, but as a prequel. Apply the findings in this book [Good to Great] to create sustained great results, as a start-up or an established organization, and then apply the findings in Built to Last to go from great results to an enduring great company.”

For many leaders in many different companies, the good-to-great framework is being put in place in a careful and thoughtful manner. Concepts like “who before what,” “confront the brutal facts,” and “ the flywheel vs. the doom loop” are all being explored and implemented. But from my perspective, more executives need to reread Built to Last because once the great results start happening and once there are regular short term wins, then all executives need to implement the above four key concepts from Built to Last in order to make the results consistent over time.

Our challenge this summer is to think beyond today and tomorrow. We need to think long term and study the above four concepts and then rigorously apply them throughout our organizations. Given the current economy, we need more people and companies positioning themselves for becoming an “enduring great company.” Now is the time to learn so we can constantly improve in the future.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Preparing For Change

2011-06-27T06:14:00.002-05:00

Change is in the air this summer. Large and small organizations across the country are restructuring their org charts, redesigning operational systems to be more efficient, planning for the future, and actively considering a variety of mergers and acquisitions. All with the hope that these actions will give them a competitive advantage.

Initiating major organizational change at these levels is a big deal. It should not be done on a whim or a lark. It should not be ego driven. Hopefully, it has been well thought through and connected to the organization’s strategic nexus.

Before one undertakes strategic level actions, I often encourage leaders to undertake some initial work as recommended by Dan S. Cohen in his book, The Heart of Change Field Guide: Tools and Tactics for Leading Change in Your Organization. Harvard Business School Press, 2005. He recommends the following steps be taken.

First “take the temperature.... You cannot start real change without a realistic picture of the internal climate of the organization.” Too many times, I have seen leaders skip this stage and end up having to back track on what they want to do. In our rush to make change, we often forget that the capacity to plan does not always equal the capacity to execute.

Second, “identify the hurdles.... cultural barriers to change should be identified and addressed early in the change process.” If there is one thing that more and more leaders will miss this summer is the understanding that culture is the source of the magic and the mojo in their organization. It can make or break change in a heart beat. If not managed well, culture can shut down and/or stifle creativity. Status quo does not tolerate fools.

Third, “talk to the people in the trenches.... the rank and file often know more than their bosses about the real needs, real problems, and the potential solutions because they live and breathe them every day.” Strategic dialogues this summer are vital to organizational success. We, as leaders, need to listen carefully to employee’s concerns, needs, fears and worries. If our answer to their concerns is that “if you do not like working here, you can go work for the competition,” then the best people will leave and the front line employees will only do the minimal level of work rather than their best.

From my vantage point, the first steps to successful change this summer begins with doing an in-depth strategic analysis, knowing your own gut and defining what is and what is not negotiable. Furthermore, it involves having the courage to ask both employees and customers for feedback about quality and service delivery, and then having the fortitude to listen even if it is not positive.

This summer many organizations will make mistakes. Hopefully, how they start strategic level change will not be one of them.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257