What Do Successful Cultural Leaders Actually Do? - Part #1

We were sitting in a crowded coffee shop, and all around us were people on cell phones, lap tops, and iPads. There were small groups of people talking. And there were some people talking with people not in the room or humming to their music that the rest of us could not hear.

I was there to visit with the COO and one of the COO’s direct reports to check on clarity and alignment. Over the course of our time together, I asked questions related to role and responsibility clarity, expectation clarity, goal clarity, and KPI clarity. I also checked on team development, prioritization of operational details, whether or not they had set planned short term wins, and cascading message clarity that was in alignment with the COO’s core message for the quarter.

It was an illuminating 2 hours, energizing for the person I was coaching and very helpful for the COO too. Both remarked that they felt better prepared for the next 12 - 18 months ahead.

Upon reflection on my drive home, I realized that successful cultural leaders focus in three areas. Ken Blanchard and Michael O’Connor in their book, Managing By Values (Berrett-Koehler, 1997), think of it as a three act play.

In Act I, the focus is on the word, achieve, i.e. to set goals beyond day-to-day survival. They call this being-by-doing.

In Act II, the focus is on the word, connect. This is all about relationships, namely being-by-being.

In Act III, the focus is on the word, integrate, which is all about bringing the first two acts together. For them, this is about being-by-becoming

When I think of the best cultural leaders I have met, they are achievement focused on one level and do set goals beyond day-to-day survival.  However, they also do two more important things.

First, they align their daily actions with the company’s core values. They understand as Blanchard and O’Connor point out that to manage by values takes two things being in place: the willingness to believe in an agreed-upon set of values and continuous diligence in putting those values into action. As they write, “In a company that manages by its values, there is only one boss, the company’s values.”

Second, they continually try to get better at what they are currently doing and at new things. Under the improvement section here, a leader may need to ask the following questions when working with staff:

- do we have a shared vision?

- how are we defining the problems and solving them?

- are we committed to continual improvement?

Finally, these same cultural leaders recognize that there is a profound and important difference between supervision and coaching. For them, supervision means to observe, direct or oversee in the execution of a task, project or activity. Coaching, on the other hand, is a structured dialogue and development process to improve the professional competence to execute.

This week, what are you going to do as a leader to improve your capacity to help others to achieve their goals? Asking the aforementioned questions is a good start.

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

Live Your Core Values

We were discussing trust, change, and strategic development, when I noticed a gold ring, tastefully mounted on a beautiful piece of wood. When I asked the person about it, his response surprised me: "It belonged to my father. Last winter, he was coming off the highway onto an icy exit when the back tires of his 18 wheeler started sliding on the ice. He was killed in the accident. I grieved long and hard. It happened during his last remaining weeks at work before he retired.

"Still, in the midst of all my sadness, I feel okay, in part because a week before the accident I had gotten up early, picked up a box of donuts, and had driven over to have breakfast with him. At the time, I didn't really have time to go. I was swamped with meetings and appointments, and we had an evaluation coming up that everyone was working hard on. Still, I had a gut feeling that it was important to do, so I went.

"We talked about the weather, trucking, and my work. I encouraged him to skip the last couple of weeks before retiring and take some of the vacation time that he had been saving. I told him I loved him, that I appreciated him and was proud of him. We aren't normally very demonstrative, but I'm so glad now that I went out of my way to see him.

"And all I have now is this gold ring to remind me of our time together. This gold ring reminds me to create those kinds of connections here at work. It makes all the difference, really. This ring reminds me of the power of taking time, and to not neglect the things that really matter in the heat of the hectic pace."

Every day at work, connections are waiting to happen - opportunities to take core values and turn them into living experiences. Don’t waste these opportunities for genuine sharing and role modeling. As Bill Byrne has stated, “Choice, not chance, determines destiny."

Remember: Make time on a regular basis to live your core values and to build the community you seek. It will be the foundation for today and tomorrow.

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

Timing is Critical

Many years ago, I got a phone call inviting me to northern Minnesota in mid-September to lead an in-depth senior management retreat on the subject of mission, vision and core values. The CEO had booked an entire lodge by a secluded lake for the day and had flown up a top notch chef from the Twin Cities to cater the meal.

The food was amazing. The setting was spectacular. The fall colors were at their peak, and the strategic level dialogue around mission, vision and values was very poor. It is no fun facilitating a group process when clearly something else needed to be discussed. After multiple attempts to get the discussion to a deeper level than superficial conversation, I invited the group to go with me for a walk around the nearby lake.

Once out in nature, people seemed to relax a bit and open up. Therefore, I turned to one of the vice presidents and said, “What am I missing here? This is an important topic but no one wants to participate.”

We walked for a bit and then he replied, “The setting is perfect. The food is over the top, and the subject is important. You are even doing a good job. However, we recently failed an inspection at one of our facilities, and the plan of correction is due to be submitted tomorrow morning at 9:00 am. Most of us were planning on having this day to review the entire plan of correction, coordinate our efforts, and make sure that this does not happen again. But the CEO thought it would be best if we talked about mission, vision and core values instead. Therefore, most of us after this retreat will be burning the midnight oil to make sure everything is in place related to the plan of correction. The retreat is a good idea. It’s just at the wrong time.”

As I continued walking around the lake, I reflected on how many times I have witnessed this take place. At times, it feels like an epidemic of missed opportunities. What should have taken place and what did take place were not in alignment. Talking about mission, vision and core values is very important, but holding this conversation at the right time is also important.

Our challenge as leaders is to pay very close attention to our direct reports and to know where each of them are in their journey with the organization. Great managers build on strengths, and great leaders build on clarity. This week I strongly encourage you to reconnect with each of your direct reports and to better understand what they are working on and what are their priorities.  As I learned many years ago while walking around a lake, timing is mission critical to success.

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

The Source That Ties It All Together

I have the delightful opportunity each month to visit with numerous leaders and managers in different companies through out the country. Given my long term working relationships with these individuals, we quickly get past the superficial and end up in the deep end of the pool, dealing with complex and often unique adaptive situations and problems that cross their path. Working at this level with so many people, it becomes abundantly clear that the best leaders and the best managers all rely on their company’s strategic nexus to make the appropriate decisions and actions which will move the company forward in a successful manner.

The strategic nexus in each company is unique to that company. First, nexus comes form the Latin word, nectere, which means to bind or hold together. In successful companies, the strategic nexus is the sum of two things, namely it’s core ideology and it’s strategic plan. The former is defined by the company’s mission, vision and core values. The latter is defined by the goals and metrics within the strategic plan. The goal of the former is to preserve the core of the company and the goal of the later is to constantly stimulate progress. When these two are utilized well, then an organization can move forward confidently and consistently no matter what is taking place around them.

However, many young leaders and managers are not clear about what the basic elements within the nexus mean. Often, when asked about these elements, I like to explain them in this manner. First, the vision of the company is the destination we are seeking to get to over time. Second, the strategy of the company is the path we choose to take to get to that vision. Next, the mission of the company is what we do along that pathway and the core values are how we act with each other and our customers along the path. Finally, the tactics are the decisions and choices we take along the path to the vision. While I recognize that this is a simplistic way to explain some very complex concepts, it is, nevertheless, a good beginning.

In short, the best leaders and managers that I have have met during my wonderful life journey all utilize a well defined and well communicated strategic nexus to make their organizations highly successful.  It is the source that ties it all together. 

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