Get To Know Your People

Back in the seventies when I was in college, I participated in a semester long off-campus study program that involved backpacking and hiking through the three major desert areas in the United States. It was a turning point for me on so many levels.

After hiking large sections of the Grand Canyon and Organ Pipe National Monument, we traveled to Big Bend National Park to learn about the Chihuahuan desert. When we were done hiking in the Chisos Mountains, we spent time rafting on the Rio Grande through Santa Elena Canyon. 

Before we went through this amazing canyon with it’s 1,500 foot sheer canyon walls of limestone rising up from the rapids, we spent a couple of days rafting so we were comfortable working as a team while rafting, and following instructions from our river guide.

One late afternoon as we set up camp on a spit of land alongside the river, I noticed a northern Mexican cowboy crossing the water on his horse. As he came  out of the water dripping wet, he rode straight through our group until he was in front of our group leader. 

“I’ve seen you before,” he said in Spanish. “Last year at about this time of year, you came by here on a raft like this one with a different group of people. I noticed you are still wearing the same red hat.” Then he paused.

“I have been thinking about this for quite some time,” he continued. “So, today when I saw you again, I just had to come over and meet you. Not a lot of people show up here during this time of year. I am curious about who you are, what you are doing, and why.”

Given I had lived in Mexico the previous spring on a semester abroad program, our group leader, our river guide, and I entered into a discussion with the young man. We talked about our college studies and learning about the desert. He was fascinated.

Then, he shared about his world, moving cattle and caring for his herd. He showed us a new lariat that he had made from cactus fiber. He gave us an impressive roping demonstration. 

As the sun started to set, he got back on his horse. Before crossing the river, he turned and said, “I knew I had seen you before. Today, I just wanted to meet you and learn what you were doing. Thanks.”

I think about him today because if we are going to manage the many challenges that are surfacing this spring and create sustainable change along the way, then we must “cross the river” and get to know each other better. We must learn what others are doing, because successful organizational change is the sum of successful relationship changes. 

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

We Create The Future Every Day

As Jim Collins and Morten Hansen wrote in their book, Great By Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck - Why Some Thrive Despite Them All (HarperCollins, 2011), “Given this rise of complexity, globalization, and technology, all of which are accelerating change and increase volatility we must come to accept that there is no ‘new normal.’ There will only be a continuous series of ‘not normal” times’.” Knowing what we have experienced the last two years, we can all agree that there will be a lot more “not normal times” on the horizon.

Margaret Wheatley helps us put this into perspective. As she writes, “The future doesn’t take form irrationally, even if it feels that way. The future comes from where we are now. It materializes from the actions, values and beliefs we are practicing now. We’re creating the future every day, by what we choose to do. If we want a different future, we have to take responsibility for what we are doing in the present.”

And when we choose to schedule more time for reflection, expand our network of support and perspective, and rediscover joy, we can restore hope and build a better future for everyone at work and at home.

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

Focus On Dynamic Stability

Week after week, I am meeting with leaders during executive coaching sessions. I am listening to adaptive challenges, technical problems and strategic uncertainty. Routinely now, I am asked about what we should focus on as spring unfolds before us. My answer is straight forward and direct: “Focus on dynamic stability.”

This is not a two word combination that I had heard about until I read a chapter called "Entrepreneurial Leadership: Building Capacity for Speed, Risk, and Continuous Innovation" by Joel R. DeLuca from the book, The Many Facets of Leadership (Prentice Hall, 2003) by Marshall Goldsmith, Vijay Govindarajan, Beverly Kaye, and Albert A. Vicere.

The dictionary defines stability as follows: “not changing or fluctuating; resisting forces tending to cause motion; developing forces to restore equilibrium of original condition.” When companies and their leaders choose to preserve the core of the company, i.e. mission, vision and core values, they generate stability during change.

On the other hand, the dictionary defines dynamic as follows: “deals with forces and their relation primarily to motion; a pattern of change; forces associated with equilibrium.” When companies and their leaders choose to stimulate progress, i.e. a forward looking strategic plan, they generate dynamic energy during change.

Now, both of the above definitions include the word equilibrium. Leaders, and in particular entrepreneurial leaders, understand that a successful business model generates a special form of equilibrium which is based not on stability of content or structure as much as stability of process and culture. Dynamic stability is equilibrium produced by continuous, and often relentless forward momentum. An example of this is someone riding a bicycle. The faster you go, the more stable the bike is. When you slow down, then you wobble.  

This spring explore and discuss the concept of dynamic stability with your team. When you preserve the core and stimulate progress at the same time, you are able to generate on-going success and positive forward momentum.

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

Leadership And Emotional Intelligence

“Effective leaders are alike in one crucial way: they all have a high degree of emotional intelligence,” notes Daniel Goleman in his article called “What Makes a Leader?” (Harvard Business Review, November - December 1998). As he explains, there are four domains of emotional intelligence.

First, there is self-awareness, i.e. “having a deep understanding of one’s emotions as well as one’s strengths and limitations and one’s values and motives.... Self-aware leaders also understand their values, goals, and dreams. They know where they are headed and why. They’re attuned to what “feels right” to them.”

Second, there is self-management, i.e. “the ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses and moods as well as the ability suspend judgment.” This also enables transparency, which is not only a leadership virtue but also an organizational strength. Transparency is an authentic openness to others about one’s feelings, beliefs, and actions . It “allows integrity, or the sense that a leader can be trusted.... Ultimately, the most meaningful act of responsibility that leaders can do is control their own state of mind.”

Third, there is social awareness, particularly empathy. This is “the ability to understand the emotional make-up of others as well as to treat others according to their needs.”

Fourth, there is relationship management, i.e. “friendliness with a purpose.” This is “the ability to manage relationships and networks in a healthy manner, especially in the areas of finding common ground and building rapport.” It also is “moving people in the right direction, whether that’s agreement on a marketing strategy or enthusiasm about a new project.”

With the above foundation of emotional intelligence, I am reminded of something that Horst Schultz, former COO of the Ritz Carlton wrote: “You are nothing unless it comes from your heart: passion, caring, really looking to create excellence. If you perform functions only, and go to work only to do processes, then you are effectively retired. And it scares me - most people I see, by age 28, are retired…. If you go to work only to fulfill the processes and functions, then you are a machine. You have to bring passion, commitment, and caring - then you are a human being.”

When we bring passion, commitment, caring, and emotional intelligence to our work, we become transformational leaders who change organizations, the lives of those who work there, and the respective communities in which they operate. And this is a powerful and positive way to change the world.

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

Rediscover Joy

For the last two years, we have focused on safety, survival and coping. We have worn masks, gloves and face shields. We have wiped down everything with antibacterial wipes. We have routinely cleansed our hands with disinfecting gels. All to prevent getting COVID and spreading COVID.

We also have experienced isolation and the loneliness that comes with lockdowns. We have tried to stay in touch with family and friends through phone calls, Zoom, and FaceTime . But we have learned along the way that digital communications helps, but it is not the same as in-person connections. 

With all that we have done and needed to do to make it through the last two years, we have lost one very important thing in our life, namely joy. Joy is an inner feeling, and happiness is the outward expression of it. Joy helps us endure hardships and connects us with meaning and purpose. 

Given what we have experienced, I think we are loosing the cellular memory of what joy feels like. Our lives have become isolated, over scheduled and busy for so long that we have forgotten that joy is a choice. It is based on a recognition that life should be lived by design rather than default.

Anne Lamott in her book called Help Thanks Wow: The Three Essential Prayers (Riverhead Books, 2012) writes that asking for help “is the first great prayer.” Giving thanks is the second and that we should do it not just when things are going well. It also is beneficial to seek gratitude for hard truths and tough challenges. And “wow” is the joyful expression of wonder in response to astonishing moments, both great and small. 

At the end of the book, Lamott writes that there is a fourth essential prayer, namely “amen.” For me, this is the one where the previous three come together. It is the moment I choose humbleness and joy, recognizing that my life’s journey is one part of a larger cycle of life.

As we look to the next two years and the continued challenges at work and at home, I believe we need to rediscover the moments where we seek the union of gratitude, humbleness and joy. We need to create moments where we experience awe and can share in the amen prayer. We need to build and maintain relationships with people who inspire us by their convictions and dedication to serving others. For when we have these regular experiences and surround ourselves with a network of people who live and breath purpose filled joy, we rekindle it in ourselves and rediscover that hope is possible in the midst of a global pandemic. 

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

Five Key Leadership Statements

“Multiple studies have shown that 70 percent of the time, when significant change is needed, people back away, go into denial, try but fail miserably, or stop, exhausted, after achieving half of what they want using twice the budgeted time and money,” writes John Kotter and Lorne A. Whitehead in their book,  Buy-In: Saving Your Good Idea From Getting Shot Down (Harvard Business Review Press, 2010). 

As they continue, “The single biggest mistake that people make when trying to communicate a new vision of change, and strategies for achieving that vision, is under-communicating by a great deal…. The second biggest mistake people make ... is to communicate with all “head” and no “heart”.”

If we seek not to be in the 70% category and to communicate with head and heart, then we need say the following five key leadership statements on a regular basis:

- I’m sorry.

- I don’t know.

- I need help.

- I was wrong.

- Tell me more.

Each one of these short sentences recognizes that leaders can not always be the source of all knowledge and all solutions. Instead, leaders need to create a working environment where communication is healthy and bi-directional, namely the flow of timely and accurate information is cascaded down into the organization but it also is feed back up to people in senior level positions. 

By utilizing the above statements, leaders indicate that alignment is critical at the structural and systemic levels but also between what we say and what we do, which is often called the “say do ratio.” It also is an alignment between head and heart which is the foundation for commitment, engagement and thoughtful action.

This spring, speak to people’s head and their heart. And have the courage to say the above short sentences on a regular basis. For now is the time to make purposeful and meaningful change.

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

The Big Question For This Spring

According to Patrick Lencioni in his book, The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business (Jossey-Bass, 2012), there are six critical questions that a team and an organization must answer. They are as follows:

1. Why do we exist?

2. How do we behave?

3. What do we do?

4. How will we succeed?

5. What is most important, right now?

6. Who must do what?

As reflect on all the meetings I have been a part of this winter and all the one on one visits I have had with people in various leadership positions, the one question we are not taking about is “How will we succeed?” It seems that either people assume every agrees with them on how to succeed or they haven’t a clue on how to answer this question. 

For some, I believe they think the question is too simplistic and not worth answering. Others give me a rudimentary answer that focuses on operational execution. But, when I take this question and expand it in the following manner, many have to stop and really think deeply. Here is the expanded version:

What is your company going to do in order to thrive and differentiate itself from your competitors?

Recognizing that the global pandemic, staffing shortages, and stiff economic headwinds plus supply chain issues are not going away, there is a secondary and  important question that also needs to be addressed:

How will you make strategic and operational decisions in a purposeful, and intentional way that allows you and your team to maximize your success and differentiate you from your competitors?

Again, these questions are to make us all stop, think deeply, and reflect. The are designed for us to look at the bigger picture, and to explore the trends and risk factors before the company. They require us to differentiate between technical problems and adaptive challenges.

During the last 90 days, when I have seen a senior leader and/or their team successfully engage with this level of thoughtful reflection and the subsequent level of strategic dialogue, I have always noticed one thing. Everyone around the table has a common language to address these issues and a shared mindset around the history of the company that led them to this point in time. It is the common language and understanding of history that gives the people in the room the capacity to think short and long term in an effective manner. It empowers them to be bold and thoughtful.

Robyn Benincas in her book, How Winning Works: 8 Essential Leadership Lessons From The Toughest Teams On Earth (Harlequin, 2012) reminds us that there are four P’s to making a commitment. They are preparation, planning, purpose, and perseverance. Given the challenges that are surfacing as we move from winter into spring, we need to answer the question “How will we succeed?”, continue building common language and an understanding of organizational history, plus focus on ways to build more commitment to move forward together through out all levels of the company.

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

Continually Expand Your Network of Support And Perspective

One part of the process of restoring hope for the future is for each of us to expand our network of support and perspective. “Relationships are all there is,” writes Margaret Wheatley. “Everything in the universe only exists because it is in relationship to everything else. Nothing exists in isolation. We have to stop pretending we are individuals who can go it alone.” 

Hermina Ibarra in her book, Act Like A Leader, Think Like A Leader( Harvard Business Review Press, 2015) writes that we need three kinds of networks, namely operational, personal and strategic. As she explains, “The first helps you manage current internal responsibilities, the second boosts personal development, and the third focuses on new business directions and the stakeholders you must get on board to pursue these directions.” 

I have shared Ibarra’s insight in seminars and workshops over the years, and people have nodded in agreement. Yet, in private, they often say “How do I do this? I don’t know where to begin.” I have come to the conclusion that the idea makes sense, but most people just don’t know where to start.  

The one thing I have learned from experience when expanding my networks is to seek out people who listen well. Then, over time, we can build a relationship where the sharing is deep and meaningful. The key is to find and commit to building a relationship with individuals who do not dominate a conversation as much as focus on making sure they understand what is being said. The integrity and experiences of these individuals who listen well becomes the foundation for regaining perspective, and ultimately hope about the future.

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

Schedule More Time For Reflection

Before the global pandemic hit us in March of 2020, we were worn by the pace of change and the degree of uncertainty in the market place. In 2018 and 2019, we routinely experienced numerous interruptions on a daily basis, and we struggled with the number of competing goals that inevitably surfaced over the course of those two years. The faster we went and the busier we got, our schedules had less, if any, time for reflection and planning. 

And then, when the global pandemic happened, we got even busier. Our lives as leaders and managers became a cycle of reactionary responses to the numerous adaptive problems. We started to manage people like they were tasks to get done rather than people who had value and worth independent of the work that needed to get done. Strategy and purpose were lost amongst the never ending operational challenges.

The first step to restoring hope is to make time for more reflection and planning. As Greg McKeown in his book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less (Crown Business, 2014) explains, “... the faster and busier things get, the more we need to build thinking time into our schedule. And the noisier things get, the more we need to build quiet reflection spaces in which we can truly focus.” By recognizing our addiction to speed within the digital economy and then our responses to the global pandemic, we must now give ourselves permission to build time into our daily and weekly schedules to reflect and move forward rather than just be reactive to all that is happening around us.

The challenge around creating time for reflection is three fold. First, we don’t feel like we have time for reflection and planning. Second, we do not feel like we can give ourselves permission to create it. And finally, we often don’t know what to do if we actually had the time for it. More likely, we would just feel more overwhelmed with the number and magnitude of problems before us and how little we can control or influence them.

In the beginning, we must carve out time for reflection and planning and then give ourselves permission to take it. I know this is hard to do, but it also is important. As Alan Lakein, an American author on personal time management, writes, “Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.”

Then, during this reflection time, we need to begin by answering two important questions: What are my priorities right now? And what do I do that matters the most given these priorities? As Chris Groscurth in his article called “Why Your Company Must Be Mission-Driven” in the March 6, 2014 issue of the on-line Gallup Business Journal wrote: “A clear sense of what matters most helps leaders determine the best path for the company and helps them set priorities. This clarity inspires conviction and dedication.” By defining our priorities and then defining what we can do that matters the most, we put purpose back at the center of all we do. Given what has taken place during the last two years, we need people who are living and working from their place of purpose, and then sharing and role modeling it with others.

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

Real Change Requires Real Work

A while back, two team leaders and I sat around a table and discussed organizational change. The problem was that each team was acting like a silo and only thinking about themselves. This was big problem because one team was in sales and the other team was in sales support. Each needed the other to be successful for them both to be successful.

As I listened to this in-depth and thoughtful discussion, I was reminded of something Gordon Livingston, MD wrote many years ago: “People mistake thoughts, wishes and intentions for change.” It is a powerful insight captured in such a short sentence

Some days we get so busy we forget that real change requires real work. And in this particular situation, each team needed to reframe the situation. They needed to become partners in the work rather than seeing the other team as a problem. They needed to move from blaming each other to supporting each other.

Over the course of the two hour meeting, each leader realized that they honestly did not know the people on the other team. They knew their names and positions, but not the person behind the name and the job title. Furthermore, given the industry they were in, they needed to switch from thinking of change as an episodic event and more as an on-going norm. In short, they came to the conclusion that more relationship building was needed and that they needed to embrace a continuous improvement mentality.

Clear intentions is a powerful foundation for organizational change. Then, all involved need to build and execute a plan that results in a series of on-going and successful short term wins so all involved feel like that are making progress. It is not a fast solution to the challenges of organizational change but then again, real organizational change takes time, patience and a disciplined focus. 

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

Make Every Day A Learning Opportunity

When I arrived in Iowa for the first time, I was very far outside my comfort zone. I grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia. We learned about farms in books and on film strips. We went to the zoo to see farm animals. And then, one day I was on an Iowa farm, visiting my girl friend, who latter became my wife. 

One of my first adventures beside going haying in shorts was to work with her father in the hog lots. He put on his work boots and I put on my hiking boots. His was a pair of well worn Red Wing farm boots. Mine were a pair of hiking boots with Vibram soles, designed for hiking over rocky trails and steep ascents. 

At the end of the morning, he wiped his boots on the grass and they were clean. My hiking boots, on the hand, with their deeply grooved soles were packed with hog manure. I had to take them off and with a stick dig out all of the manure. It took a long time. Shortly, after that I went out and bought myself a pair of Red Wing farm boots. Having the right clothes and the right boots always help.

On another visit to the farm, my future father-in-law and I had to move pigs from one part of the farm to a new part so the hog lots could be cleaned. Before starting, he explained to me that I needed to “think like a pig.” I just smiled at him and said “I have no idea how to do that.”

So first, he explained to me that pigs do not like to be alone. They find safety in numbers. Second, rather than push them to move, we need to create open space so they could choose to move in the right direction.

And with that, he opened a gate into a new section of the farm lots. Then, he and I went to the side furtherest from that open gate and shouted. All the pigs lifted their heads and rushed to the open space. When the last pig had gone through the open gate, he walked over and closed it. Then, he turned to me and said “Thinking like a pig makes all the difference.”

Reflecting on these early farm adventures, I think it is time that we as leaders need to “think like a follower.” We need look at the world through their eyes and to understand the challenges they are experiencing in the midst of this global pandemic. When we hold this perspective in mind, we will, over time, make better decisions, both operationally and strategically. 

As F. Scott Fitzgerald pointed out, “The test of a first rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.” The two ideas for this winter into spring is to think like a leader and to think like a follower. The result will be a more holistic understanding of what is happening. When we do this, we will make every day a learning opportunity that results in better clarity, collaboration and focus.

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