Tuesday, January 28, 2020

The Key to Operational Excellence

Every day, people at work seek operational excellence. They want to achieve that elusive level of performance where problem solving and teamwork combine to deliver exceptional customer service and an on-going commitment to continuous improvement. Furthermore, they want this to happen every day and for it to happen all day long. 

However, life happens and not everything works out as planned. Technical and adaptive problems surface. People miscommunicate. Systems struggle to keep up with customer expectations. Supervisors struggle to prioritize. Some days everything just gets more than a bit busy and crazy.

Reflecting on over three decades of helping leaders and organizations achieve regular operational excellence, I have noticed one key that unlocks it all, namely making connections. At first, I thought this was too simplistic of an answer, but over time I have realized that every time I find continuous operational excellence I find people who have created solid connections with their colleagues. These trust based relationships are the foundation for operational excellence. 

Now, most people these days talk to me about the importance of networking and having “friends” on social media. But, I am not talking about knowing a thousand people on a superficial level. I am instead pointing out that operational excellence is built on people feeling a connection or bond with their coworkers. This sense of “we are all in this together” is built and maintained through numerous and consistent healthy interactions. It is not about having one thousand people in your contacts in your phone but instead having five to seven people who are on your “team”, however you define that concept.

With trust based relationships as the foundation for operational excellence, we need to add an experienced team leader, and someone who will coach the team leader and the team over time. Next, we need to co-create with them some challenging goals and support their ability and willingness to learn and to maintain perspective. This combination of elements will generate a positive flywheel of execution and continuous improvements. But it all begins with connections made over time.

I know this is true because one day after I speaking about operational excellence and team building in Kansas City, a man came up to me and said “You are 100% correct. It was not an easy lesson for me to learn, but once I learned it, I have never forgotten it. “And then he hugged me and wept.

Once the tears had passed, we found a quiet corner to visit. “Tell me your story about how this all happened”, I inquired.”

He replied, “I have a deep and profound passion for the mission of our organization and for our senior team. These are good people who believe in making a difference in the lives of those who are disadvantaged.

About a year ago, my young daughter was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. I promised her that I would go with her to every one of her chemo appointments no matter what was happening in my schedule. And I have kept this commitment.

One day at work, my team sat me down and said ‘We need to visit.’

As they continued, ‘Everyday for the last couple of weeks, you have come to work and gotten angry with staff. You have even yelled at people. 

This is not you. We know that you are really angry at the cancer, not at us. 

It hurts us to see you hurting. 

We need you to remember that we are a team. We stand tall before the challenges of those we serve and those who are serving. 

We will support you through this. We have built that level of connection to each other and the mission. So, remember be kind to us and yourself, and remember we are all in this together’.”

He paused to wipe his eyes and then continued, “I get the importance of connections. They are the key to unlocking so many problems and creating so many good opportunities.”

I smiled and said “Thank-you for being the kind of leader who lives their commitments and for role modeling the importance of receiving feedback well. You and your team have created a very special connection.”

“Yes,” he replied. “I do not take it for granted and I work to maintain it every day.”

We chatted for a little bit more and then he went on his way. 

Over the years, I have reflected on this experience and realized that making real connections with people is the alpha and omega of operational excellence. It is time for more people to do this on a day to day basis.

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

Monday, January 27, 2020

Decipher the Stone - Principle-Centered Leadership - part #1

Quality and empowerment are not complete without principle-centered leadership. The notion of principle-centered leadership was first introduced into the literature in 1990 by the late Stephen R. Covey. Over time, many people have built on his original thinking and called it by many other names. Still, from my perspective, Covey was the one who defined the concept. 

As he wrote in his book by the same title, “Principle-centered leadership introduces a new paradigm - that we center our lives and our leadership of organizations and people on certain “true north” principles…. Principles are not invented by us or by society; they are the laws of the universe that pertain to human relationships and human organizations. They are part of the human condition, consciousness, and conscience. To the degree people recognize and live in harmony with such basic principles as fairness, equity, justice, integrity, honesty, and trust, they move toward either survival and stability on the one hand or disintegration and destruction on the other.” It was powerful thinking thirty years ago and every bit applicable to today’s challenges.

From my perspective, when the principles of trust and respect join with the principles of integrity, justice, and equity, leaders can unify quality and empowerment into a sustainable, strategic and operational platform for long term success. For the development of this integrated foundation to take place, the leaders of a company must sit down and deeply reflect on the mission or purpose of the organization. They also must recommit to the core values that guide daily actions at all levels. With a deep understanding of and commitment to being mission-driven and values-led, principle-centered leadership can flourish and be the catalyst for synergy. It is the combination of the commitment to principles and people, over authority and control, that creates new and better outcomes.

This week, reflect on the above quote and write what are the core principles that guide your life, be they at work, at home, or in your community. You, too, can be a principle-centered leader and principle-centered person, no matter what your job title.

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

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Embracing the Mystery of It All

I have been thinking this morning about the following quote by J.R.R. Tolkien: “Not all those who wander are lost.”

Many years ago, when I was a young summer camp counselor, I went for a hike with an older and more experienced counselor. We were hiking down a mountain with a group of kids. The trail we were on was well marked and the path was well worn until we came to a pine forest. Then, it just stopped. 

I turned to the experienced counselor and said, “What happened here? Where did the trail go?”

He paused for a moment and then said, “The trail we are on is called The Eclectic Trail. This is the eclectic part. You get to choose the path.”

I just stood there with a stunned look on my face. I had never encountered this kind of trail before.

He continued, “We have two choices here. We can continue walking down hill through this pine forest until we come to some big rocks where the trail will reappear. Or we can walk along the stream bed until we see some big rocks and then search off to our left where the trail will reappear. Either way, we just keep walking downhill with the stream on our right and the trail will reappear.”

I thought about it and then said to all of our campers, “Which way do you want to go? Through the pine forest or along the stream?”

They voted for the stream and since we were all in shorts and sneakers. In the end, we actually hiked in the stream that afternoon. 

I had never hiked in a stream before that afternoon and it was a fantastic experience. Some parts were shallow and other parts were chest high. Some of it even involved swimming. Everyone had a blast.

After a while, we came across some very large rocks. Then, we hiked out of the stream and headed off to our left where all of sudden the path reappeared. 

I think there are many times in our life as a leader when we discover we are hiking on The Eclectic Trail. What was once all clear and straight forward becomes unclear. We are not exactly sure where the path is and when the big rocks will show up.

In the corporate world where we like having every thing be orderly and completely predictable, we struggle with these moments when the pathway is not perfectly clear. We want life and work to be organized.

Yet, our challenge is to embrace these mysterious moments and to trust that the path will become clear in time.

We have to give ourselves permission to wander and become comfortable with not being lost. But also not being completely clear on what is coming next. 

We just need to keep walking in the right direction, staying true to our values and beliefs. Then, in due course, the pathway will become clear again. 

Over the course of many summers as a camp counselor, I routinely hiked The Eclectic Trail. It was one of my favorites. I especially liked it when the campers voted to hike in the creek. I just had to trust my sense of direction and embrace the mystery of the journey.

I hope you will do the same this winter as you move forward. It is within these mysterious moments that much is revealed. 

Happy hiking!

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

Monday, January 20, 2020

Decipher the Stone - Empowerment

Along with the concept of quality which I explored last week, the second concept which is no longer discussed on a regular basis is empowerment. Between 1986 - 1995, the word empowerment was rarely used or even mentioned. Then in the mid-90s through to the turn of the century, it was the buzz word and a very hot topic amongst leaders. According to all of the best-seller books and strategic level conversations taking place at the time, empowerment was the answer to all our problems. “We just need to empower people” was the rallying cry.

However, during the early years of this new century, fewer and fewer people talked about empowerment and in particular empowering people. This happened in part because the concept was corrupted by poor leadership behaviors and totally dysfunction teams. It was power without choice and many times positional power that was used against others. Clearly, empowerment was not the solution for all our problems. 

Still, I have meet empowered leaders and empowered teams that are making a difference and generating quality outcomes. These people have confidence in their ability and their knowledge to rise to the challenges before them. They also have confidence in their team and their company. They believe they can make the right decisions and they believe they are role modeling what is most important.

At the same, these empowered people and teams make effective and thoughtful choices about how to create quality outcomes and meet their goal obligations. They also believe they are engaged in meaningful work. With the above in mind, I believe it is time we reclaimed the concept of empowerment. 

First, I believe empowerment is the by-product of the correct alignment between structure and shared values.  John Paul Lederach wrote in his extremely thought-provoking book called The Moral Imagination: The Art and Soul of Building Peace (Oxford University Press, 2005), “Structural history and personal biography are connected.” The history of who reports to whom over time impacts our perspective and understanding. The same is true for who works with whom within a team setting. When people in leadership positions tolerate poor interpersonal behaviors amongst their direct reports or on teams in combination with role modeling these same behaviors as well, then those who report to them or work with them will focus less on making effective decisions as much as try to stay off their supervisor’s radar screen. Nobody wants to be seen as the problem or to be blasted for poor outcomes caused by other peoples’ lack of attention, clarity or action.

Second, the foundation for empowerment is the same foundation for continual quality outcomes. When people know and are supported to generate quality based outcomes within a work place that is based on respect, trust, and cooperation, then empowerment creates optimism, hope and courage to face the challenges before them. Empowerment allows for the development of ownership and, over time, innovation to be the norm.

This week, remember that quality and empowerment are interconnected. People, not just systems, make empowered acts and quality outcomes a reality.

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

Monday, January 13, 2020

Decipher the Stone - Quality

During the 80’s, 90’s and even up to about 2005, people in leadership positions talked all the time about quality. It was a known concept and considered to be vital to short and long term success. Then, starting in the first decade of this new century, more and more people stopped talking to me about it and stopped including it within their strategic plans. 

The new word that replaced quality was “systems”. Starting over 20 years ago, systems and processes became the hot topic. Everyone wanted to build new and better ones. They wanted them to be standardized and often centralized in order to be more efficient. And, at the time, given the state of many organizations’ systems or lack thereof, this was a smart choice.

However, the cost of focusing on systems, processes and all the related technology was that the topic of quality became a secondary or even tertiary topic of discussion for many leaders. It just wasn’t on the New York Times best-seller list of books or concepts. Many felt like they “had been there and done that” during their earlier careers. Still, I think it is time that we revisit the concept of quality and not regulate it to the dust bin of history. 

In the past, quality was the result of getting people to do what needed to be done through rules, regulations and micro-management. In many work places, fear in combination with controlling people through centralized authority caused some degree of quality to take place.

Then, over the decades and with the rise of global competition in combination with economic, political and massive social changes, quality was recognized to be the result of trust, respect and clarity. Rather than being a top down outcome, it was more of an inside-out approach related, in part, to self-confidence, personal clarity, and effective teamwork. 

Furthermore quality, be it in services or products, was achieved through thoughtful, quick and flexible responsiveness to internal partners or external customer needs. In short, quality outcomes happened because people believed in quality and the related systems supported people to make quality decisions.

As leaders, the first step to generating quality in the midst of these wickedly challenging times, is to remember three key points:

- people want to make a difference.

- people care about the work they are doing, want to do a good job and want to know they are making progress.

- people want to be in win/win relationships.

For organizations to become nimble, flexible and agile during the next two years, we need to remember the above key points and to recognize that when people feel like they are making a difference, doing a good job, making progress on a daily basis, and doing all of this within a win/win work environment, then quality based decision-making will become a cultural norm. 

From my experiences over many decades, it has become quite clear to me that quality happens when people feel like they and the work they are doing is respected by those in supervisory, management and leadership positions.

This week, sit down with your team and discuss with them the things that need to be in place for quality to become a consistent outcome. It will be an illuminating discussion.

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

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Spring 2020 Roundtable - Early Bird Special!

Now that the New Year has passed, it is the time for us to turn our attention to the Spring 2020 Roundtable! 

On April 8 - 9, we will gather at the Courtyard by Marriott in Ankeny, Iowa for the Spring 2020 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable. 

Here is the agenda for your review:

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

8:30 am - Arrival & Visiting Time

9:00 am - 10:15 am - How do effective leaders plan when the future is so wildly unpredictable?

10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break

10:30 am - 12:00 pm - How do effective leaders execute a plan when the future is so wildly unpredictable?

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

1:30 pm - 2:45 pm - How do people shift from being a manager or supervisor into becoming a leader? - part #1

2:45 pm - 3:00 pm - Break

3:00 pm - 4:30 pm - How do people shift from being a manager or supervisor into becoming a leader? - part #2

4:30 pm - Adjourn

Thursday, April 9, 2020

9:00 am - 10:15 am - How do I as a leader live a life that is less stressful and more meaningful when I feel lost and overwhelmed by all that needs to get done each day?

10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break 

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

12:00 pm - Adjourn

Starting today through Friday, January 31, I am offering an “early bird” registration price for the Spring 2020 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable.

If you sign up during this time period, and submit payment before 2/1/20, 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:


Please write “early bird special” on it and use the above price when you send it to me by mail, e-mail as a PDF, or fax (# 319 - 643 - 2185).

After 2/1/20, the registration price will be $ 295.00 for the two days and $ 195.00 for a single day.

I hope you will reserve April 8 - 9 on your calendar, and e-mail me today about whether or not you and your team are coming. Then, when the first early crocus and daffodils are just starting to bloom, all we will need to do is meet at the Spring 2020 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable.

For those who are planning far advance, do not forget that the Fall 2020 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable will be on September 15 - 16, 2020 at the Brown Deer Golf Club & Conference Center in Coralville, Iowa.

I look forward to seeing you in April and in September!

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

Monday, January 6, 2020

Discover the “Rosetta Stone” of Change

In 1799, during the Napoleonic occupation of Egypt, a Frenchman discovered the Rosetta Stone near Alexandria. The Rosetta Stone commemorated the ascension of Ptolemy V to the Egyptian throne in three writing systems: Greek, cursive Egyptian, and ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. 

Subsequent study of these inscriptions lead European scholars to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics for the first time, thus providing access to a much broader view of history through the translation of ancient Egyptian texts. The Rosetta Stone facilitated the understanding of the ancient Egyptians’ unique world view previously obscured from modern explanation. 

Many people in leadership positions right now know their organization needs to become more nimble, flexible and agile doing the next two years. They recognize the importance of shared values, clarity of strategic intent, and the importance of building a high degree of trust and collaboration within and between teams. 

However, they are struggling to figure out how to create this depth of clarity and action throughout their organizations such that it is sustainable, i.e. a flywheel for positive focus and momentum through the current and emerging challenges. In short, they feel like they are trying to read ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics without the a Rosetta Stone.

When I listen to a diverse number of people in leadership positions share and explore what they are doing that is working and what they are doing that is not working, it has become clear to me that we must decipher three key concepts this winter, namely quality, empowerment and principle-centered leadership.  We must create a new level of understanding and rediscover the common threads that unite these key concepts. In short, we need to discover a “Rosetta Stone” of change for this new decade.

This week, I encourage you to sit down and reflect about what you know to be true about quality, empowerment and principle-centered leadership. Then, over the coming weeks, we can bring my thoughts and your thoughts together into a greater whole.

Happy New Year!

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