Making Wise Choices

Before Patrick Lencioni wrote The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive in 2000 and The Five Dysfunctions of a Team in 2002, he wrote an earlier book called The Five Temptations of a CEO: A Leadership Fable (Jossey-Bass, 1998). While this book was not as well-known as the previous titles and did not become a best-seller, it still contained some important insights which many leaders this summer need to explore.

The book focuses on five temptations that every person in a leadership position faces on a regular basis. They are as follows:

- choosing status over results

- choosing popularity over accountability

- choosing certainty over clarity

- choosing harmony over productive conflict

- choosing invulnerability over trust

In each of the above temptations, leaders have a choice. The difficulty is that many times we do not think before we choose. We just choose to get things done, and move quickly on to the next thing on the list.

This summer, following the advice of Lencioni in the above book, I hope you will “make results the most important measure of personal success”, “work for the long term respect of your direct reports, not their affection”, “make clarity more important than accuracy”, “tolerate discord as tumultuous meetings are often signs of progress while tame ones are often signs of leaving important issues off the table”, and “actively encourage your people to challenge your ideas…. as a CEO, that is the greatest level of trust that you can give.”

We all have important work to do this summer. Making wise choices is the first step.

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

Navigating the Complex

According to Virgina Satir, the influential American author and psychotherapist who is recognized for her pioneering work in family reconstruction therapy,  wrote that highly functional people tend to do the following:

- see and hear what they see and hear, rather than what they are supposed to see and hear.

- think what they think, rather than what they are supposed to think.

- feel what they feel, rather than what they are supposed to feel.

- want what they want, rather than what they are supposed to want.

- imagine what they imagine, rather than what they are supposed to imagine.

As I ponder her insights, I am reminded of something Kevin Cashman shared in his book, Leadership From The Inside Out: Becoming a Leader for Life (Berrett-Koehler, 2008). As he wrote, “Five leadership skills are required to navigate complex challenges: collaboration rather heroics, building and mending relationships, participative management, change management and adaptability, risk taking.” He continues by pointing out that “all significant change begins with self-change…. Our ability to grow as a leader is based on our ability to grow as a person.”

This is a major insight on so many levels because, as Virgina Satir pointed out earlier, it means we have to be more conscious about what we see, hear, think, feel and want. We need to recognize our choices because the road ahead will be filled with many opportunities to navigate complex challenges.

This week, I encourage you to reflect on one more statement by Kevin Cashman: “We lead from who we are - the leader and the person are one…. as the person grows, the leader grows.” I hope you will choose a pathway this summer that yields tremendous personal and professional growth.

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

What’s Going On With My Team?

For the last 30 days during executive coaching sessions, I have encountered many questions related to teams and team work. Many senior executives and middle managers are completely stumped on why their teams are struggling or becoming more and more dysfunctional over the course of this summer.

In order to offer perspective about such an important topic, I have had to help people pull back from the challenges of this summer and look at the issue over the course of the last three years. 

First, 2018 and 2019 were challenging times. We forget this because 2020 was brutal. Still, we need to recognize that during these two years before the pandemic teams were stretch by fluctuating market conditions and uncertainty. The result was that many teams entered into 2020 struggling and worn.

And then in March, the global pandemic arrived in full force. Highly functional teams with many heritage relationships handled the initial impact of the pandemic fairly well. They could switch into a high degree of teamwork and collaboration. They focused on how to maintain operational continuity and customer service with its mix of adaptive and technical problems.

However, most teams struggled in late March through early June of 2020. If they had any degree of dsyfunctionality going into the pandemic, it just got worse because of the need for fast execution, and in-depth problem solving.

From my vantage point, most struggling teams during the second and third quarters of 2020 de-evolved into single leader work groups. This would be a normal response during a crisis situation where time is of the essence. But the difficulty over time is that many single leader work groups actually became “a genius with a thousand helpers” mode of operations, citing the work of Jim Collins in his book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap. . . and Others Don't (HarperBusiness, 2001). The difficulty of this model of operations is that the “genius” becomes a hub through which all communications and decisions have to take place. And when working in a highly adaptive problem solving period over a long period of time, the genius does not have enough time, energy or perspective to make the best decisions. It becomes reactive leadership that leads to decision fatigue and team disengagement.

As 2020 moved into the fourth quarter and then into 2021, many teams and single leader work groups plus numerous burned out geniuses continued to de-evolve. Under more and more pressure to solve problems quickly and people’s natural tendency to silo up during extended periods of high stress and low control, most teams became work groups. 

Within a work group, the members of the group interact primarily to share information or perspective, and to make decisions to help each individual perform within his or her area of responsibility. There is no reason for either a team approach or a level of mutual accountability. To members within a work group, team building activities are pointless and take time that could better be spent “doing real work.” In short, the focus is to share information and then for me to get back to getting my work done. There is no focus on collective goals or collective solutions.

This situation has been compounded by the lack of analog or face to face team interactions. With everyone meeting on digital platforms like Zoom or Teams over such a long period of time, the 2D world of digital communications has made communication between people focus on getting things done. Task management has become more important than relationship management. And this never leads to improved teamwork or collaboration.

So, recognizing that the pandemic is not going away anytime soon, and this has resulted in a massive amount of team de-evolution in combination with silo behaviors at the individual level, what do we do?

First, it is time to rebuild our teams. It is team building 101 all over again. Begin by clearly defining who is on the team and why. Next, define the purpose of the team and how they will measure progress and success. Then, clarify expectations about communication before, during and after team meetings. Finally, discuss decision-making within the team. 

Remember there have been numerous good books and articles on the subject. It is time to reread or consult these resources. The solution is to consciously focus on building or rebuilding your team. In the end, you want a highly cohesive team that focuses on collective goals and collective responsibility.

These are challenging times. Therefore, we need healthy teamwork and collaboration in order to be resilient in the midst of it all. Now is the time to create healthy teams moving in the same direction. When you do this, you and your company will handle whatever happens next in any market, against any competition, at any time.

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

Bumble Bee Soccer

Many years ago, our two elementary aged sons participated in a nearby youth soccer league. They had 1-2 practices per week and a game every Saturday morning.

Having grown up playing soccer, I was glad our young children were playing. But when young children play the sport, it really is bumble bee soccer. By this I mean, where ever the ball is all the children run to the ball. It is a swarm of action.

I remember one game in particular. We were playing in a small park with lots of trees surrounding the field. For the parents, it was delightful to finally have some shade.

As the game unfolded, the coaches and many of the parents were shouting for the young players to spread out, maintain their positions and to pass the ball. But the urge to just kick the ball often conquers the need to play as a team.

So on this particular Saturday morning, right in the middle of this game with a swarm of little children racing around after the ball, an antique plane flew over the field. One by one, every little boy and girl stopped playing, looked up, and watched the plane. The ball rolled to a full stop. Once the plane was out of sight, they again swarmed the ball.

 

I don’t remember who won the game. I just remember that during the entire game, the players had two focal points, the ball and for a brief moment a very cool old plane.

Right now, as we move through these busy summer days, it feels like many departments and teams are playing bumble bee soccer. People are chasing after the ball or dropping everything to stare at a plane. They are just working in the moment.

In many companies, no one is playing their position and passing the ball to others. No one is executing the game plan. No one is thinking about the whole season of playing the game. It’s all now, all the time.

I think the solution to this problem is for team leaders, divisional leaders and senior leaders to call a “time out” and refocus everyone on three things. First, we need to clarify the strategic direction and the strategic goals. We must win the game and we must win the season. Next, we must rebuild our teams so they actually play as a team. Each player has a role and a position. Each player has strengths and we must build on them as a team. And finally, we need to remind the team that we must learn from each game we play so over the course of the season we improve how we play. In short, bumble bee soccer creates busy bumble bee execution, and this is never a winning strategy.

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

Make Each Day Meaningful

I am a voracious reader. It is common for me to read at least one book a week on a wide variety of topics. This morning I am reflecting on The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu with Douglas Abrams (Avery, 2016). In this delightful book, the two authors discuss the challenges of living a joyful life. And given all we have lived through this past year, we need more joy and compassion in our lives right now.

In particular today, I am reminded of a section in the book when the Dalai Lama said “… as soon as I wake up, I remember Buddha’s teaching: the importance of kindness and compassion, wishing something good for others, or at least to reduce their suffering. Then I remember that everything is interrelated, the teaching of interdependence. So then I set my intention for the day: that this day should be meaningful. Meaningful means, if possible, serve and help others. If not possible, then at least not to harm others. That’s a meaningful day.”

We all want to experience more meaningful days within the context of a caring and supportive community. As the authors explore in the book, there are eight pillars of joy. “Four were qualities of the mind: perspective, humility, humor, and acceptance. Four were qualities of the heart: forgiveness, gratitude, compassion and generosity.”

When I reflect on the Dalai Lama’s word and the 8 pillars of joy, I am reminded of something Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Catholic Benedictine monk and scholar wrote: “It is not happiness that makes us grateful. It is gratefulness that makes us happy. Every moment is a gift. There is no certainty that you will have another moment, with all the opportunity that it contains. The gift within every gift is the opportunity it offers. Most often it is the opportunity to enjoy it, but sometimes a difficult gift is given to us and that can be an opportunity to rise to the challenge.”

Many wise people, including the above two authors, understand that how we choose to act each day is what matters. My hope is that this week and this month we all act with integrity, clarity and commitment to make each day meaningful in service to others.

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

A Time To Focus Forward

As we slowly move through these summer months, recent executive coaching sessions have focused on the need to think carefully about what life and work will be like post a global pandemic. Some executive are tentative about what to do next. They are continuing to create bridge plans in order to support maximum adaptability. Others are clear and focused about what to do next. They want to create expanded growth and profitability given pent up consumer demand. 

From my vantage point, there is one problem. Few people are talking about recovery from a global pandemic. While some believe things will just go back to normal, others are questioning what is normal now that we have experienced a global pandemic. There may be normalcy on one level, but we have to recognize that reconnection and reintegration is not going to be seamless. Post traumatic stress and anxiety, a normal outcome of a global pandemic, is not going to vanish once all are vaccinated and we reach herd immunity. We will have to deal with recovery at work and at home.

Therefore, the upcoming Fall 2021 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable on September 22 - 23, 2021 will focus on these issues from a variety of different angles. We will be meeting in-person at the Brown Deer Golf Club & Conference Center in Coralville, Iowa. 

Here is the agenda for your review:

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

8:30 am - Arrival & Visiting Time

9:00 am - 10:15 am - How do we recover organizationally from a global pandemic?

10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break

10:30 am - 12:00 pm - How do we lead with strategic thinking rather than reactive operational problem solving?

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

1:30 pm - 2:45 pm - How do we plan for the future when the future is still so unpredictable?

2:45 pm - 3:00 pm - Break

3:00 pm - 4:30 pm - How do we empower others to move forward during this recovery period?

4:30 pm - Adjourn

Thursday, September 23, 2021

9:00 am - 10:15 am - How do I recover personally and professionally from a global pandemic?

10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break 

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

12:00 pm - Adjourn

The price for the full Fall Roundtable is $ 295.00.

The price for the one day Fall Roundtable attendance is $ 200.00.

Here is the link to the registration form:

https://chartyourpath.com/VTA-RT-Details.html

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, when the first cool winds of fall arrive and the apples are ready to be harvested from your local orchard, all we will need to do is come together to explore some interesting ideas and concepts with a variety of great people at the Fall 2021 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable.

In the meantime, stay strong and stay healthy. We are making it step by step through this global pandemic.

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