The Future Is Now

Many people do not recognize that the strategic level decisions we make in the first and second quarter of 2017 will impact their company for the next 3 - 5 years. While some operational leaders think getting something done is the key to success, strategic leaders think more about plotting the course to the future, recognizing that today’s decisions have the strong possibility of becoming tomorrow’s standard operating procedures. Therefore, these strategic leaders focus more on the preparation for making a decision than on simply making the decision.

Decision-making is off seen as the act of making up one’s mind, but in reality, the best leaders know that decision-making is a four part process. First, the best leaders prepare to make a decision. They do this by determining the salient factors to take into consideration, doing an analysis of causality, and figuring out the correct decision architecture to deploy. Once this information is in place, they will make a decision. However, the best leaders are quick to point out that making a decision is not the same as executing a decision. Finally, the best leaders routinely evaluate strategic level decisions to make sure the desired outcome or solution is still the correct one.

Our challenge in 2017 is to train more leaders to make better strategic and operational decisions. One way to do this is to sign them up for the 2017 From Vision to Action Leadership Training. Through a challenging, interactive curriculum which blends lectures, selected readings, small and large group discussions, and how to skill-building exercises, participants in this four part leadership training gain critical knowledge and skills which improve their ability to lead people to generate short and long term success.

For more information on this in-depth training and how to register for the 2017 From Vision to Action Leadership Training, please click on the following link: http://www.chartyourpath.com/VTA-Leadership-Training.html 

When one steps back from the busy day to day operations, it is abundantly clear that the future is now. Our goal then is to create a high degree of clarity about who we are, where we are going, and how we are going to get there. With this level of clarity, we can not only plan for the future but also create it. I look forward to your participation in the 2017 From Vision to Action Leadership Training where being prepared is the foundation for short and long term success.

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

Unleashing the Power of Culture and Coaching

When the history books are written about our time, many authors will focus on the flawless execution of brilliantly conceived strategies and the amazing level of teamwork that took place. Others will focus on the different personalities of our times showing how they were in command of smart people and delegated to them so they could solve amazingly complicated problems. Finally, these same authors will note that even in the face of adverse conditions these leaders and their companies did not give in or give up to the difficulties before them. Resilience and perseverance will become the buzz words of this decade.

While much of this is true on one level, the best leaders, especially the ones who are humble enough to not get caught up in the hype, will not let the focus be on effort and strategy alone. They will talk about the quiet revolution that took place when no one was looking. These leaders will talk about the interface between culture and coaching.  

From my experience of helping organizations and leaders improve or transform their organization over the course of 30+ years, I have watched the best leaders recognize that their organization’s culture is key to their strategic success. These thoughtful leaders focus on the systems that create this culture and sustain this culture. They understand that any cultural misalignment has the potential to impact the organization over the short and long term. Therefore, they are constantly monitoring for misalignments, and recognizing that these misalignments will have a profound impact on profitability and sustainable growth. 

At the exact same time, these profoundly successful leaders also focus on one to one coaching. While they can build and maintain amazing teams, the prerequisite to successful teams is to have a work place filled with successful people. Therefore, the best leaders are constantly focused on developing their people. This one to one level of coaching is mission critical to the culture and to the company. When people within a company are dedicated to constantly getting better, then a cultural flywheel is built. The power of all committed to continual improvement results in a company committed to continual improvement.  In short, organizational change and improvement is the sum of individual change and improvement.

For those leaders who are seeking to create and maintain this kind of flywheel during the next 3-5 years, then now is the time to sign up your key leaders for the 2017 From Vision to Action Leadership Training. Through a challenging, interactive curriculum which blends lectures, selected readings, small and large group discussions, and how to skill-building exercises, participants in this four part leadership training gain critical knowledge and skills which improve their ability to lead people to generate short and long term success.

For more information on this in-depth training and how to register for the 2017 From Vision to Action Leadership Training, please click on the following link: http://www.chartyourpath.com/VTA-Leadership-Training.html 

The history books about our time may or may not become bestsellers, but the impact of exceptional leadership will transcend this time because those companies will still be in business and still creating successful outcomes and solutions. I look forward to your participation in the 2017 From Vision to Action Leadership Training where we will explore these topics and many others that can make a difference.

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

Understanding What Is Normal

There is nothing finer than helping a struggling group of people understand what is normal. Whether they are bogged down in complicated systems change, or frustrated that the brilliant, recently created strategic plan is not translating into performance improvements during the first 90 days post roll-out, I have observed excellent leaders rise to the challenge and state the obvious, “That’s normal.”

And their people respond, “Really? What a relief. I thought we had done it all wrong.”

The challenge for most leaders, who are trying to improve their organization or transform it, is that they do not know what is normal. They just keep doing what they have always been doing and hoping this time it works. The result is that insanity rules, people burnout, and someone remains convinced that effort alone should simply make it all happen.

While I fully endorse the importance of focus, endurance and commitment, the key to leading people is to know what is, and what is not normal. And then plan and execute the plan accordingly.

However, the solution to understanding what is normal requires a unique step. First, we must learn about the world of leadership and organizational change or transformation. This learning journey will build a common understanding and common language throughout the group of people who are involved. Second, we must utilize this knowledge in planning and executing. Finally, we must hold people accountable to the learning and make sure they utilize it in all that they do. Nevertheless, the first step is to learn together.

If making change happen inside your organization has become a daily struggle, then now is the time to sign up yourself and your key leaders for the 2017 From Vision to Action Leadership Training. Through a challenging, interactive curriculum which blends lectures, selected readings, small and large group discussions, and how to skill-building exercises, participants in this four part leadership training gain critical knowledge and skills which improve their ability to lead people to generate short and long term success.

For more information on this in-depth training and how to register for the 2017 From Vision to Action Leadership Training, please click on the following link: http://www.chartyourpath.com/VTA-Leadership-Training.html 

Understanding what is normal is not always easy, but once learned it can be transformative. Success begins by being better prepared for the normal problems. Now is the time to sign up for the 2017 From Vision to Action Leadership Training so you and your organization can be better prepared for the future.

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

Creating Bench Strength for The Future

Right now, we live in a world which is complicated and complex. There are multiple variables to monitor and few point a clear pathway to the future. Furthermore, we as leaders are surrounded by strategic choices that potentially have dramatic short term and long term implications. 

The upshot of this kind of environment is that we need a high degree of collaboration and teamwork to be successful. However, some things are not working out like they used to. People and teams just don’t seem to be functioning very well. Struggle in the world of leadership and organizational change is the new normal.

Why?

First, “Today’s teams are different from the teams of the past”, notes Martine Haas and Mark Mortensen in their article “The Secrets of Great Teamwork”, Harvard Business Review, June 2016. As they explain, “They’re far more diverse, dispersed, digital, and dynamic (with frequent changes in membership).” They call these kinds of teams, “4-D teams”.

Second, we have been so busy pushing performance on a day to day basis that we have created a generation of operational focused leaders. These individuals can make sure the trains run on time, but they can not successfully understand where the future is going and how to get there. They zoom in to focus on details when they should zoom out to see the bigger picture.

Third, many managers and leader do not understand the difference between change and transformation. The former is about doing things better while the later is about doing things differently. Each require a person in a leadership position to engage with people in a different manner.

Whether we are leading 4-D teams or seeking to lead organizational transformation, having the right people in the right positions is becoming more critical to our success. Furthermore, having them trained and ready to go before problems arise is clearly an advantage. In short, every successful organization right now knows it needs to have great bench strength in order to be successful over the next three to five years.

One solution to these current difficulties is to sign up your key leaders for the 2017 From Vision to Action Leadership Training. Through a challenging, interactive curriculum which blends lectures, selected readings, small and large group discussions, and how to skill-building exercises, participants in this four part leadership training gain critical knowledge and skills which improve their ability to lead people to generate short and long term success.

For more information on this in-depth training and how to register for the 2017 From Vision to Action Leadership Training, please click on the following link: http://www.chartyourpath.com/VTA-Leadership-Training.html 

Today’s problems are not going away. Future technical and adaptive problems will keep coming. However, having a strong bench of qualified and well-educated leaders will position the company for short and long term success. Sign up today and be prepared. The future is just around the corner.

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