Building and maintaining healthy relationships is the foundation to successful change.

Over and over, people visit with me about the world of change. They struggle with it. They feel overwhelmed by it. And they feel confused by it.

Some authors suggest we need to suck it up and just get on board with change. Others tell us to focus on the results and the metrics. Finally, there are some authors who tell us that change is the constant and that it is normal to struggle.

I have listened to all of it, and I have watched the rise and passing of many best-seller books about the subject. Each in their own way has offered interesting tools and perspectives about how to lead, manage and move through this complicated and complex world of change.

For me, I always come back to the following perspective: Make friends before you need them. After decades and decades of working with people and companies, I have come to the conclusion that when we as leaders and as people build and maintain healthy relationships with others, successful change takes place.

Successful does not mean it will not be hard and challenging. Successful does not mean it will be less complicated or complex. Successful means, in the end, that when people support each other in healthy ways, they have the capacity to rise to their challenges, process the difficulties, and ultimately make a difference in spite of their challenges.  

When we feel cared for, respected and supported, we realize that we are stronger than we thought. And when this happens within the context of a team, a family or a community, we can walk through the trough of chaos, a sideways cyclone, the valley of bewilderment, or a pit of despair and come out on the other side stronger and more determined than ever. 

Just remember that best-seller books come and they go. People, however, who build and maintain a circle of support and perspective around themselves plus have a guiding purpose, can be the constant in the world of change. They can be the difference that is needed in the world and in the lives of others.

This week, spend time building new and meaningful relationships with people. And take care of the relationships you already have. Then, when push becomes shove in the world of change, you will have all you need to make it through to the next opportunity.

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

Clarity begins with understanding the meaning and purpose of the work.

Creating organizational clarity is a major part of every leader’s job. When working with an executive who is struggling, I routinely spend time exploring the subject of clarity. This exploration into clarity often involves discussing their answers to such important questions as “What is the strategic direction of the organization?” or “What should never change about the company as it responds to all of the changes that are taking place within society and it’s industry?” Many struggling executives believe that the answers to the these questions are based on providing an encyclopedia of information. They think the volume of content is the source of clarity.

I, on the other hand, always point out that the first step to clarity is to understand the purpose of the work. Without meaning, work just becomes one more thing to get done. Purpose-driven people and organizations always frame up WHAT they are doing by a clear definition of WHY they are doing it.

When it comes down to it, clarity begins and ends with clarity of purpose. And until we can give an answer that is clear and concise at this level, clarity will always be an elusive concept.

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

The word “change” is the problem.

When coaching an executive who is struggling, I listen very carefully. In particular, I listen to understand how they are framing things up and how they are thinking through their challenges. Often the source of their struggles revolves around a singular problem, namely how they use the word “change.”

In some sentences, these individuals use the word “change” and they want something to get better or improve. Yet, in the same paragraph, they might also use the word “change” within the context of something being transformed, i.e. doing things differently. The challenge is understanding which definition of the word “change” is being referenced.

Routinely now, I coach executives to be very mindful when they use the word “change.” For some, I have even encouraged them to stop using the word all together. Instead, I want them to use the words “improve” or “transform”. The goal is to be clear about what they are trying to communicate because improving something and transforming something are not the same thing at all.

As you and your team move through the summer weeks, pause and be certain you are sending clear and concise messages around the subject of organizational change. Then, decide whether or not the word “change” is helpful. 

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

What Do Successful Cultural Leaders Actually Do? - Part #3

The last thing I have noticed about successful cultural leaders is that they integrate their focus on achievement and the importance of relationships.  I have struggled on how to explain this perspective.  

Recently, I was in a church adult education class when it came together. We were discussing an article about why the world needs faith at this time period when the author of the article referenced the phrase, “called to be”. It was a blinding flash of the obvious, quoting an old Tom Peters term. The best cultural leaders leader I have met feel that they are “called” to be a leader. It is not “called to do”, but instead “called to be” a leader.

When we seek to integrate achievement and connection, we must come to understand that being a cultural leader is an invitation to walk with others through the land of ambiguity, uncertainty, and paradox. On good days and challenging days, we may walk through the trough of chaos, a sideways cyclone or the pit of despair, recognizing that we live in is a world that loves certainty.

Furthermore, being a cultural leader means that we have to understand that knowledge is a beginning. In reality, it is a continuous beginning and constantly changing. For these kind of unique leaders, it is a foundation for ongoing learning. They understand what Mark Twain was saying when he wrote: “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you in trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” 

These same successful cultural leaders understand that being a cultural leader requires you to constantly build networks and coalitions of affiliation, rather than hierarchies of power and inequality. They understand that there is positional/functional hierarchies; people do report to people within an organization. But the best leaders do not promote personal hierarchies, i.e. “I am better than you.” Instead, they recognize functional hierarchies but always default to personal equality .

To become this kind of integrating cultural leader, I think it takes four specific skill sets. The first is the ability to attune to others. Think of the image of tuning a radio to get the right station. These leaders help themselves and others to be more aware of context, strategic intent, goals and communication. This helps them bring things and themselves into harmony with the strategic nexus.

The second skill set is discernment. Routinely, we must walk with intentionality through the land of uncertainty, ambiguity and paradox. We must have a baseline tolerance for ambiguity, and we can not get caught in binary thinking. The world of leadership is more than yes or no. Instead these successful leader display four way thinking, namely yes, no, yes but no, and neither yes or no is acceptable. As one of my Kitchen Table Cabinet people said to me about discernment: “consult your scars; consult the stars.”

The third skill set is listening. These leaders listen with their head, their heart and their gut. They start with the premise that everyone is doing the best they can with what they have and what they understand. They listen carefully to the words and they listen to the “music” under the words, i.e. the tone and tenor of the conversation. They even listen to the silence. But most of all, they listen to the wholeness of the dialogue.

The fourth skill set is translation. Successful cultural leaders understand that everyone has their “defaults”. Therefore, they are constantly translating information and action so others and themselves can become more aware and ultimately understand.

When we proactively choose to attune, discern, listen and translate, something important happens, namely an inner transformation of perspective and an outward action that reflects this inner translation. We must continually focus on improving our ability to do the above four skills sets. It will help our people and the organization as a whole during the coming years.

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

Fall 2019 Roundtable - Early Bird Special!

With the July 4th celebrations happening this week, it is the time for us to turn our attention to the Fall 2019 Roundtable! 

On September 18 - 19, 2019, we will gather at the Coralville Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Coralville, Iowa for the Fall 2019 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable. 

Here is the agenda for your review:

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

- 8:30 am - Arrival & Visiting Time

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - How do leaders successfully deal with accelerated change, chronic uncertainty and rampant complexity? - part #1

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

- 10:30 am - 12:00 pm - How do leaders successfully deal with accelerated change, chronic uncertainty and rampant complexity? - part #2

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

- 1:30 pm - 2:45 pm - How do effective leaders do goal setting and execution? - part #1

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

- 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm - How do effective leaders do goal setting and execution? - part #2

- 4:30 pm - Adjourn

Thursday, September 19, 2019

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - How do leaders conquer adversity and emerge stronger and more committed?

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

- 12:00 pm - Adjourn

Starting today through Wednesday, July 31, I am offering an “early bird” registration price for the Fall 2019 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable.

If you sign up during this time period, and submit payment before 7/31/19, 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:

https://www.chartyourpath.com/pdf/2019-From-Vision-To-Action-Exec-Roundtable-Regist.pdf

 Please write “early bird special” on it when you send it to me by mail or fax (# 319 - 643 - 2185).

After 7/31/19, the registration price will be $ 295.00 for the two days and $ 195.00 for a single day.

I hope you will reserve September 18 - 19 on your calendar, and e-mail me today about whether or not you and your team are coming. Then, when the first leaves are just starting to turn, all we will need to do is meet at the Fall 2019 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable.

Thinking ahead, and looking forward to seeing you in September!

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

What Do Successful Cultural Leaders Actually Do? - Part #2

Successful cultural leaders are all about making connections and maintaining healthy relationships with people. They begin this process by trusting people. Charles Feltman describes trust as “choosing to risk making something you value vulnerable to another person’s actions,.” He describes distrust as deciding that “what is important to me is not safe with this person in this situation (or any situation).”

Ken Blanchard and Michael O’Connor in their book, Managing By Values (Berrett-Koehler, 1997) note that this level of communication happens naturally when leaders make things safe. I also think these same leaders start with the basic assumption that people are doing the best they can with the information and skill set they have.

From my vantage point, the key is trust and what I have noticed about great cultural leaders is that they surround themselves with people who are trustworthy. Furthermore, I believe they trust people because they have discovered their own inner integrity. They have come to the point in their leadership journey where they can let the truth be told and they can speak from their truth. Therefore they can trust the people around them, because they can trust themselves.

This all happens in part because these same leaders trust who they report to. They have experienced the “presence” of good leadership and it has changed how they engage with others.

At the same time, successful cultural leaders collaborate across organizational units and functions in order to build a culture of collaboration. They do this by infusing the work with meaning and purpose for everyone involved. They recognize that the way you think is a product of your past experiences. Therefore, they are constantly trying to create “new” experiences grounded in purpose and meaning.

This week, I encourage you to discover your own inner integrity and to reengage with the purpose and the meaning of the work you do each day. The combination of the two will be culture building on so many levels.

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