Extremely Busy?

Right now for many people in leadership and management positions, the weeks are flying by and projects are piling up like planes trying to land in Chicago before a storm. Incoming requests for one’s time and attention are overwhelming even the best of us.  We are working hard and faster than ever before and we are barely keeping up with the day to day challenges let alone the strategic level work that needs to be done. In short, we are running at full capacity and there is no more bandwidth to expand into.

When this becomes the norm for weeks and months on end, we are called to a new way of working and leading. The “stop doing list”  put forth by Jim Collins needs to be created, but we rarely have time or the energy to do this level of work.  However, there is a solution, namely to participate in the Fall 2014 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable.

Over the years, I have visited with many of the participants at the Roundtable in small groups and on a one to one level. Routinely, they share with me that they consider the Spring and the Fall Roundtables to be their once or twice a year personal retreat. It is for them a time to stop, think and reflect. It is a place where they catch their breath and regroup before diving back in.

If you are seeking a time this fall to rethink all that is taking place at work and at home, then I encourage you to come and join us at the Fall 2014 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable on September 17 - 18, 2014.  Here is a link to more details:

http://www.chartyourpath.com/VTA-RT-Details.html

This fall is going to be a fast paced and busy season for all of us. Rather than being overwhelmed, I hope you can join us for a day and half of good learning, great networking, and in-depth sharing.

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

The Importance of Clear Communication

We were sitting in his office having just finished up a long day of meetings and inservices when he turned to me and said, “Oh, I forgot to tell you my good news. I found what I have been looking for. It took a while but I found the perfect bra. It is the right color, shape and the fit is perfect.”

At first, I was a tad bit confused. But I knew that I had heard exactly what he had said. The puzzled look on my face caused him to burst out laughing.

“That must have sounded pretty funny. Sorry about that,” he explained. “I am an old car buff, and have been working many years on rebuilding a great 1950’s era Chevy. The bra is the protective covering I will strap on the front when I drive it to area car shows.”

I then nodded in understanding and said “Congratulations.”

When we become a leader, it is critical that we focus on our communication. We have to be clear in what we say and how we say it, recognizing that information without context can be quite confusing to the listener.

At the same time, we need to be very mindful of our unspoken messages. Our body language communicates faster than our words. Often it is misconstrued, resulting in a loss of understanding and even trust.

Furthermore, we need to be more mindful when we listen to others. This requires a high degree of concentration and on-going attention to the overall flow of the conversation. Too many times, I have observed leaders who only listen to respond rather than truly listen to understand. The result is that their staff interprets their communication as not caring.

Some days however even the best of us just get too busy trying to multi-task that we forget the impact of our words. A dear long term friend caught me in this situation recently when she called me up on the phone. I was deep into a strategic planning project when I answered, and unfortunately I did not give her my complete attention.

As usual, the first thing she did was ask me “How are you?”

My response was “Not bad.”

She paused and said, “Having a rough day?”

“No,” I replied.

“Then, why,” she inquired, “are you ‘not bad’? In the continuum of life, there is terrible -> bad -> not bad -> OK -> pretty good -> good -> great. Not bad is way down and closer to the bottom than the top. Are you sure you are feeling so low?”

I realized that she was exactly right. My response was not accurate. I was actually just busy and not very focused. I amended my first answer. “I am really good. Thanks for helping me be more clear.”

After our conversation, I realized that leaders, myself included, do not always give our full attention to sharing and listening. The impact in the above situation was minor but it is critical that we as leaders are more thoughtful in how we communicate.

Creating clarity in our organizations this spring begins with being more clear and being more attentive to what we are saying and how we are saying it. Otherwise, we may end up in an embarrassing situation or having communicated the wrong thing.

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

The Importance of Strategic Dialogues - Part #2

THEME: New Year, More Challenges

FOCUS: The Importance of Strategic Dialogues - Part #2

Sunday morning: February 21, 2010

Dear friends,

The purpose of a strategic dialogue is to define and infuse into the organization clarity about three things. As I mentioned last week, the first is strategic context, namely why are we making changes within the organization. While everyone knows that organizations change and change often, these day I continue to discover that many people do not understand why the changes are taking place within their specific organization. The result is limited sustainable movement forward and often the rise of significant turf battles.

The second goal of a strategic dialogue is creating clarity about strategic direction, namely where are we going. Leaders need to connect the aforementioned why element with the where are we going piece of the picture, i.e. the importance of vision which I shared earlier this winter in one of my previous Monday Thoughts Weekly E-mails. When the organization's strategic plan plus the vision and mission are connected to the need for change, there is the opportunity for people to focus and take ownership.

The third part is organizational philosophy, namely how are we going to move in this new direction. For me, exploring organizational philosophy creates clarity about how to apply the vision, mission and core values. It is the taking of the intangible organizational philosophy and turning it into a mental framework that everyone knows, understands and owns in order that they can achieve optimal performance, all day and every day. The problem with many leaders this winter is that they are trying to create clarity about these three parts by the power of their ego or position, rather than through strategic sharing and listening.

Strategic sharing is different than just telling people what to do and why to do it. First, it begins with a foundation of mutual respect. Recognizing that all involved have the potential to discover the answers to challenging strategic questions, leaders who do strategic sharing come as equals to the conversations. As Ken Blanchard wrote years ago: “We all have pieces.... The world and its problems are too complicated to go it alone. Together is better.”

This level of sharing is built upon a foundation of strategic listening. While many leaders get caught up in tactical problem solving mode, those who listen strategically look for the overall flow of the conversation and the organization's understanding of what is happening. It is from a place of listening that something unique happens. As Stephen Covey reminds us: “Real listening shows respect. It creates trust. As we listen, we not only gain understanding; we also create the environment to be understood. And when both people understand, both perspectives, instead of being on opposite sides of the table looking across at each other, we find ourselves on the same side looking at solutions together.” In short, strategic sharing and listening help the organization move past the paradigm of leaders and followers. It generates the opportunity to not get caught in the victim place of us vs. them, and instead generates a collective "we".

This week remember: Leaders must engage the heart and mind as well as the hands when seeking to turn a challenge into an achievement. For those who want to explore strategic dialogues in greater detail, I suggest you check out the From Vision to Action booklet called “Turning Challenges into Achievement”. You can find information about it on our website:

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

Have a wonderful week,

Geery

Geery Howe, M.A.
Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in
Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change

Morning Star Associates
319 - 643 - 2257