The Importance of Role Modeling

Recently, I have chosen to share with leaders the following quote by Kevin Cashman: “Leaders get what they exhibit and what they tolerate.” While many leaders right now focus on the word “tolerate”, I have had to remind them of the word “exhibit.” During complex times with many unknown unknowns, we, as leaders, often underestimate the power and importance of role modeling.

The old phrase “actions speak louder than words” is a powerful concept in the world of leadership. It is based on a deep understanding that not everything can be said in words. Sometimes, the most important and powerful act of leadership is to show up, be respectful and give others your undivided attention. 

Furthermore, each day we have the choice to role model the core values and/or operating principals of our company and our own lives. In every interaction, we can demonstrate this by how we treat others, namely with respect, compassion and understanding. We also have the opportunity to support, encourage and inspire people to be their best selves at work and at home. These small but significant choices on our part can and do make a difference.

Upon reflection, I realize that there have been many people in my life journey such as family, friends, teachers and mentors who have left a deep and profound impact in my life. They have been and are valuable role models. They have helped me to become a better person, not just helped me to do better work.

This week, I encourage you to give thanks for those who have been role models in your life and I encourage you to aspire to being a better role model for those who are part of your life now. At this time of profound change, we need people who seek to be their best selves at home, at work and within their community.

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

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

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

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

Look at the Bigger Picture

In January through early April of this year, I shared with all of you on a weekly basis about working thought the trough of chaos during interesting times. Then throughout the rest of the spring, I covered the many topics that we explored at the Spring 2018 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable. For example, I shared about the connection between organizational history, culture and meaningful work within successful organizations, how to improve thinking within an organization, and how leaders can be both brave and bold during difficult times. In July, August and early September, I wrote weekly about the lessons I’ve learned from the countless hours of visiting with great leaders. And finally this fall, I shared with all of you what we explored during the Fall 2018 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable. The focus this year was on building, maintaining, and improving teams during the digital era. And now, we come to the last full week before Christmas, Kwanzaa and then New Year’s Eve. 

In a world filled with challenges, complexities and problems, we, as leaders, can become overwhelmed, worried, numb, and burned out. We also can become cynical about the future and our ability to adapt to the new and emerging challenges and problems around the world. We could just give up and choose not to lead. But I strongly discourage us from falling into this mindset.

Instead, I encourage each of us to remember four things. First, organizational change is the sum of individual change. Therefore, we must commit to on-going personal and professional development. As Gandhi said so many years ago, “we must be the change we wish to see in the world.”

Second, we must create “islands of sanity”, referencing a term from the work of Margaret Wheatley. We must create safe and empowering spaces at home and at work where people can do the deep personal and professional work of becoming better people and better partners with colleagues throughout the company, and the world.

Third, this is the season when we must come together and rediscover what unites us rather than what divides us. We must focus on finding and rekindling inside ourselves and others a sense of higher purpose to our lives and to our work. We must build the bonds which will hold and support us through our challenges. We can not let others stand alone to face the difficulties of this time.

And finally, we must give the gift of love, support and respect this season to all we meet. By this act alone, we will transform the big picture and create a place were people will feel like their life is meaningful and special.

May this holiday season be the beginning of many special moments of connection and joy for you and yours. Thanks for including me in this important work, and I look forward to being back in touch with all of you on Monday, January 7, 2019.

Warm wishes and happy holidays to each of you!

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

Show Kindness to Everyone

I like meeting people new to the world of leadership. They bring a special level of energy and interest to the position. And because I am getting older, I have had the wonderful opportunity to meet more and more of them in executive coaching sessions and in the classes that I teach.

One of the special things that happens during these sessions is that I get delightfully bombarded with great and thoughtful questions. Recently, I was asked, “What is one thing the best leaders do that we may not recognize from our vantage point?” I like a good question and this was one of the better ones in that group that day.

“Well,” I responded, “my late brother-in-law was one of the best leaders I know in this category. Whether we talking about work or traveling together to a family reunion in Colorado, he never met a stranger. When we traveled together, we would routinely pull over to a rest stop and all of the families would pour out to use the bathrooms. Once the children were all back in the cars, we would find him standing next to a trucker talking about where he was coming from, where he was going and what he was carrying. And just before we got back in the cars, he would shake the person’s hand, thank them for what they were doing, and hope that the rest of their day went well. In essence, my late brother never met a stranger and always role modeled kindness and respect. He was a very good leader.”

And on that day, all the heads nodded around the table. Everyone could relate to this kind of person whether they were a colleague or their boss. What followed was a delightful discussion about role modeling and integrity.

This week, show kindness and respect to everyone you met. It will be a powerful act of good leadership, and the foundation for healthy, long term working relationships.

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

What is the importance of caring within successful organizations? - part #1

Since the events of September 2008, we have been living in very difficult and for many “traumatic” times. These last 10 years have been filled with uncertainty, chaos, and anxiety.

Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant in their very good book, Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy, say that “… post-traumatic growth could take five different forms: finding personal strength, gaining appreciation, forming deeper relationships, discovering more meaning in life, and seeing new possibilities.”

As leaders of an organization, I believe we can not always deliver all of the above but I do believe we can do one very important thing. We can create a culture of welcome and belonging in every organization. After visiting so many different organizations over the last two years, I have come to the conclusion that the successful ones are in part successful because they have done this. In these organizations, we feel we belong. We feel like our voice matters. We feel like our efforts matter. We feel supported. And finally we feel like we are part of a community, a tribe, a team, or a family, which ever term best captures this feeling for you.

At the Fall 2017 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable during a discussion on resilience, one of the participants shared that from their observations people who feel like they belong or do belong to a church don’t burn out as much, are able to be more resilient, and don’t feel stuck in life.

While I don’t think there is one singular thing a leader can do to create a culture of welcome and belonging, I think there are three things a leader can do. First, they need to role model respect in all they do. Second, they need to never tolerate disrespectful actions by others. Third, they need to speak publicly about how respect and integrity are part of the company’s culture and the company’s core mission. These three small actions add up to a big impact when embraced by all people in leadership positions within a company.

This week, evaluate how well you are doing the above three things. If needed, make some changes so you are doing them extremely well on a day to day basis. More adversity is coming but the importance of caring is always fundamental to success.

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

Answering The Big Questions

I spend a lot of time in conference rooms sitting around tables visiting with people in leadership positions. Some of the rooms are over the top amazing with all of the latest gadgets and hardware plus an amazing view of the sky line from the top floor of the corporate tower. Others are quite simple - a table and some chairs.

During these many hours of listening, exploring and sharing, there always comes a point when someone is going to ask one of the big questions.

- Where are we going with all of this?

- How are we going to get there?

- What’s it going to look like when we get there?

- How will we measure progress?

- Why is this so important that we have to stop doing what we are currently doing and start doing this?

Some leaders stiffen when asked these question. They want their staff or team to just blindly follow them where ever they are going. Others are highly defensive and go into attack mode to deal with those who asked the question. And unfortunately, some go into high academic mode and give an answer that is so confusing and so convoluted that in the end no one understands anything. They are just blinded by the blizzard of words and give up. In short, the leader is frustrated and the follower is miserable. Another lousy day in the office has taken place.

During interesting times and during an extended trough of chaos, asking questions is normal. People are confused. People are seeking clarity. People want to understand so they can make the right choices and be successful.

We forget some days as leaders that all employees want to do well in their job. They want to make a difference and know that their time and energy is not being wasted. They want to work within the context of a supportive work community and on a healthy team. Our role as leaders is to create that healthy work environment within the company so that no matter what is happening outside the company people feel like they are respected and valued within the company. When this happens, people rise to the challenges before them. They think creatively both at the tactical and strategic levels.

This week, recognize that the big questions are just questions. They are not an attack on you, but instead an inquiry and a pathway to clarity. So, sit down this week with a pad of paper or a blank computer screen and come up with some thoughtful answers before you are asked. Bounce these answers off people you respect to make sure they are clear and to the point. And then treat the person asking the questions with dignity. We may live in interesting times and be working through lots of chaos, but we do not need to be rude or disrespectful in our answers. Instead, we need to embrace the old Boy Scout and “Be Prepared.” It will make a world of difference in the conference room and through out the company.

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

How do leaders help their organization become more resilient? part #1

In the last six months, I have heard more people use the following two phrases than in the entire course of my 30+ years of doing this work: “I am stuck” and “We are stuck.” It is an acknowledgment of the depth of challenge and frustration that people are feeling at this time period. They deeply want to move forward and yet they can not overcome the problems before them. Acknowledging their “stuck-ness” is their first step in the right direction. Becoming resilient is essential to their long term success.

The technical definition for resilience is “the ability of something to return to its original shape after it has been pulled, stretched, pressed, bent, etc.”, e.g. the resilience of rubber. This technical definition does not work in the world of leadership. From my observations, being resilient is rarely, if ever, the return to a former condition or “original shape”, because the act of going through a change changes the “original form”, be that a person or an organization. 

The non-technical definitions of resilience are the following: “an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change”, and “the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again when something bad happens.” The two key words for me are recover & adjust.

Having worked with many leaders and many different organizations, I have learned that resilient leaders create resilient organizations. The question before us today is the following: What makes a leader become a resilient leader?

Elena Lytkina, Botel Ho, Kim Rosenkoetter Powell, Stephen Kincaid, and Dina Wag in their Harvard Business Review, May-June 2017 article called “What Sets Successful CEOs Apart” states that successful, i.e. resilient, leaders show  “decisiveness even in the midst of ambiguity and incomplete information,” “the ability to engage stakeholders,” and “adaptability when dealing with situations that are not in the playbook.” They also are able to be reliable about producing results which is based on their ability to set realistic expectations, get the “right team in place” and upgrade talent.

Adi Ignatius in the same May-June 2017 Harvard Business Review issue wrote an article called “Above All Acknowledge The Pain: A Conversation about Resilience With Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant.” Sandberg and Grant share that “Resilience is about the speed and strength of your response to adversity…. The best thing you can do is build routines that might be applicable in an unexpected situation.”

Given all the current challenges before business leaders, I have noticed the following about resilient leaders. First, they do very analog things and connect with people face to face instead of solely focusing on things. This includes visiting with people in person and respecting the daily efforts of people. These same leaders proactively listen and always conduct themselves with the utmost integrity.

At the same time, these leaders are continually focusing on the building, maintaining and execution of teams. They understand that recovery and adjustment happen outside the comfort zone and thus healthy teams are essential.

Next, these leaders are able to stay centered in the midst of all that that is happening. Being centered means drawing on adaptive expertise and not over thinking something. Instead these leaders focus on being present. As Robert Sutton and Huggy Rao wrote in their book, Scaling Up Excellence: Getting To More Without Settling For Less (Crown Business, 2014), “We used our mindset as a guide, not as the answer to every question and problem.” In essence, they did not retreat to a pre-defined solution.

Finally, these leaders respected a diversity of opinions because they were an expression of different options. They focused on adherence to the goals of the organization over the agendas of others.

This week, reflect on how you can become a more resilient leader. It is the first step to creating a resilient organization. 

Quote For The Week: The Grateful Pledge

“I am grateful for today’s problems; they will be tomorrow’s successes. I am grateful for today’s successes; they will inspire me to see tomorrow’s challenges waiting to still be met. I am grateful for tomorrow’s challenges as they will bring next day’s problems. I am grateful for those future problems as they will become our future success. I am grateful.” - Jennifer Bauer

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

How do leaders work through endings and new beginnings at the same time? part #1

Right now, so many people are feeling overwhelmed by the pace of organizational change with all of the endings and beginnings happen at the same time. Our challenge as leaders is to differentiate between change management and transition management. Change management is situational and outcome focused, i.e. the destination. Transition management, on the other hand, is psychological, personal and emotional, i.e. the endings. As the late William Bridges wrote, “Transition is different. The starting point for transition is not the outcome but the ending that you will have to make to leave the old situation behind.” Transitions start with an ending and finishes with a new beginning. The hard part about this is that it starts with letting go of the old ways, the old identity, and dealing with losses.

There are five stages within transition management and the leader's role in each stage is important. The first stage is “Before the Transition.” Here, you as the leader know that change is in the works. When thinking about this stage, realize most employees do not know that change is coming and are mostly focused on making sure the day to day operations are working well.  So, the first step as a leader in this stage is to figure out how to sell the problems that lead you and others to feel that change is the best solution.

The challenge to doing this level of work is to remember that the problem is defining the problem. Some people will see the problem as technical and others as adaptive. Your goal as the leader is to define the problem in a clear and concise manner. To help you prepare your thoughts, put them in writing. In specific, write a one minute speech about what the problems are that lead you to deciding to make change happen. Next, put together a one minute speech about why it is necessary now given how busy every one is. Then, practice giving these two speeches and ask for feedback so clarity can be achieved.

While you work on your two speeches, I also encourage you to assess the level of trust in the organization's leaders. Remember that there are three levels of trust: personal, strategic and organizational. Once change has been initiated, trust will be stretched and challenged. Recognize that you can give everyone a voice but not a vote in what is taking place.

Another step in preparing yourself and the organization is to visit with key leaders on a one to one level. Start by checking about their clarity for why the organization must change. And then, why it must happen now. Check also on the leadership competencies of key positional leaders. Everyone who is mission critical to success should have the ability to communicate well and cascade information well. They need to be good transactional and transformational coaches and understand data based decision-making. If you are struggling with team work issues, review the material from the following book: Lencioni, Patrick. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Jossey-Bass, 2002. It has good diagnostic material inside of it.

The second stage of transition management is called “During the Ending.” Here, all involved have learned that change is taking place. Now we are seeing people let go of the old ways, let go of identity as defined by the old way of doing things and dealing with the losses. We as leaders need to remember that loss is a subjective, personal experience while leadership is objective.

During the ending stage, do not overreact to resistance and opposition. Instead, frame it up as a form of feedback. Recognize that it is normal for people to resist the loss of clarity, connections, confidence, control and their understanding of the definition of success. You will also see grieving behaviors, e.g. anger, bargaining, anxiety, sadness, disorientation, and depression.

As you and others move through this stage, continue to define what is and what is not over. Always treat the past with respect, and show how the endings ensure the continuity of what really matters.

This week, reflect on the first two stages of transition management and teach those around you about it. This will help with short term issues and long term results.

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

How do leaders know if they have the “right people on the right seats of the bus”? - part #2

Having the wrong people on the wrong seats on the bus can cause many problems. These individuals often look out the metaphorical office window and blame others for the problems within the world and the company, rather than looking into the mirror and asking the important question: “What do I need to change about myself in order to make this better?”

From my observations of working with people for over 30 years in the areas of leadership and organizational change, I have noticed that the right leaders "fit" with the company values. They personally fit with the values because they are similar to their own values. But they also fit strategically with the values. By this I mean, they can role model the values and can teach the values to others. They also know what to do and how to do it when there is a misalignment that occurs with the organization’s core values.

Right now, one major problem I am seeing is in the teaching of the values. It is not the repeating of them, and it is not about knowing them as in where they are on the wall. The critical difference, I have observed, is that the right leaders can create an environment where people want to embrace them. In essence, people feel safe enough to embrace the values, and try them “on for size.” The outcome over time is that they will own and internalize them.

The other thing I have discovered about these unique leaders is that they understand the difference between operational leadership and strategic leadership. They also are competent in both skill sets. As Joel Kurtzman wrote in his book, Common Purpose: How Great Leaders Get Organizations to Achieve The Extraordinary, Jossey-Bass 2010: “Strategic leaders are people within organizations who plot the course... Strategic leaders generally can think far into the future...The best of these people understand where the future is going and how to get there.

“The role of operational leaders is quite different from those of strategic leaders. Operational leaders make certain the trains run on time, the manufacturing processes are adequate, the logistics systems work, the technicians are well trained, and the the trucks are where they are supposed to be.... like strategic leaders, operational leaders are vital to an organization’s success.”

Finally, these exceptional leaders display a level of maturity. Maturity comes from two things, namely respect and humbleness. The right leaders have respect for people, their effort, and for what they are doing. And they have humbleness to recognize that we always have more to learn about respect. 

This week, if you have not done so already, I recommend you read the following: Lencioni, Patrick. The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize And Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues, Jossey-Bass, 2016. It will help you plan better for 2017 and help you make sure you have the right people on the right seats on the bus.

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

How Do Leaders Consolidate Initial Improvements And Continue To Produce More Change? Part #1

Many companies right now want to create positive and sustainable, forward momentum. They want to have a regular string of short term wins that are always producing more positive changes. However, after the first or second short term win, many start to fade and loose momentum. 

John P. Kotter in his book, The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations (Harvard Business School Press, 2002) reminds us that after a short term win, effective leaders do the following:

- use increased credibility to change systems, structures, and policies that don’t fit the vision.

- hire, promote and develop employees who can implement the vision.

- reinvigorate the process with new projects, themes and change agents.

But when we dig deeper into his writing, we discover some important clues about how to continue moving forward. First, reinvigorating the process means reinvigorating the leaders involved in the process. We forget that the credibility of the leaders during change is interconnected with the credibility of the process. They are interrelated and symbiotic. Each one helps the other. Yet some times after the initial short term win, leaders burn out and then push in unproductive ways to get things done. They default to “poor behavior,” e.g. command and control with the emphasis on control.

Therefore, we must separate role from self. We need to not work so hard that we physically and emotionally collapse, or sacrifice your off-the-job life. Instead, we need to focus on only doing what we can do best, and aggressively rid ourself of work that wears us down. For example, tasks that were relevant in the past may not be now. Therefore, we need to focus on what you can delegate so you can focus on what you do best. 

Second, we need to understand that with the “power of the chair” needs to come an awareness of the importance of “respecting for the chair.” Quoting the Spider Man movie with great power comes great responsibility, we need to remember the difference between executive power and legislative power. With the former comes positional power but at times we also need to use the later, i.e. build a collation of people to move a solution forward. But there is a deeper understanding to this concept that highly effective leaders and experienced leaders understand and demonstrate.

First, in the world of leadership, there is the acquisition of knowledge to do one’s job. Here, the learning focuses on the gaining of knowledge, facts, material, content and meaning. This learning can be seen as a “possession,” i.e. knowledge as property. For many leaders, being in their positions means that they have control over doing something. Therefore, their learning has a clear end point and their competency is based on being able to repeat something.

Nevertheless, there is a second level of leadership which relates to the execution of knowledge. The critical depth of this learning comes through participation. Here the focus is on the learning to become something, i.e. a member of the community of those in the position, profession and/or practice. With it comes an understanding that we as leaders are part of a larger community of leaders. In this circle, competency is relational rather than intellectual. In short, we become part of the “community” with other leaders.

This is why respecting the chair becomes so important. You and your chair are part of a community of chairs. You do not own it. You are a care taker of it. And you will pass it on to another in due time.  

This week, ask yourself the following two questions: 

- What do you want to be known for as a leader?

- What do you want the position to be known for?

These answers will help you personally move forward and produce sustainable changes.

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

Manage Endings and New Beginnings

I was surprised when they called and asked me to come and teach a workshop called "Coping With Chaos."

Being a small urban hospital in the central part of the United States, they had been achieving moderate success by expanding their services with new clinics to meet the needs of their aging community. They also had focused on becoming more user friendly with a higher level of patient/customer service.

"What happened?" I inquired.

"We are going through a very rough time," the head of HR replied. "We experienced a time period of low census, and some people in executive positions panicked due to the numbers. So we closed one wing of the hospital and merged the medical and surgery floors for a more efficient use of our resources. I hope you can come soon.”

Fortunately, my schedule had an opening, and I agreed to come.

The morning I arrived to teach, I was surprised to find only 18 floor nurses at the workshop. I was told that I would be seeing 20-30 supervisors and part of the management team, along with only a couple of floor staff. As the day progressed, however, management never showed up, and only one supervisor dropped in for 35 minutes over lunch.

About an hour or so into the workshop, the root of the problem surfaced. Many of the floor nurses had not been against closing the wing; they simply wished it had been done in a respectful manner. As one veteran nurse of 19 years put it, "I came on shift at 11:00 p.m. at night to find a sign posted on the door of the wing of the hospital. It read: ‘Closed. Report to Third South. If you have any questions, put them in writing to the Nursing Executive before 7 am.’ We knew that the census was low. We just wish we had been included in the decision-making process and treated with respect.

"It was obvious once it had happened, that management had been thinking about this change for quite some time before they did it. Around here, nothing moves particularly fast. Why couldn't they have provided us with advance warning, or asked us for our insights into formulating these changes? We would have helped, but this method of decision making doesn't exactly encourage trust and participation.”

As we progressed, many feelings came out that needed to be expressed. So I pushed my teaching notes aside, and we dove in. But it was during lunch that the real healing began.

"We know what is most important," one floor nurse began, "Our patients and their care. We are willing to work hard. We just ask for a little more support and kindness. I guess we will have to start by supporting each other." Through hugs, tears, and open sharing, they worked through the changes and moved on.

At the end of the day, I reported what had taken place during the workshop to the HR Director. Her response was: "I know that these are valid insights, but they won't change how we do things. We have to run a lean ship now that change is coming so fast."

While I could recognize the external factors that led to the decision, it was also clear to me that employees were giving their all to do the right thing for the patients. At the same time, they were being denied meaningful strategic level dialogue and input into decisions that had a direct effect on their work lives.

Remember: Leadership without strategic dialogue is demoralizing and will not transform challenges into achievements. When faced with significant challenges, leaders need to manage endings as well as new beginnings.

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

Preparing for the New Year

As we wrap up all of our 2014 projects and prepare for the new year, I am reminded of the following quote by Robert Rosen in his book, Leading People ,Viking Pengiun, 1997. As writes, 

"People want to be led. They don't want the old authoritarian leadership style. Nor do they want some clever new management technique. Instead, they want leaders with deeply held human values who respect people's unique talents and contributions. They want leaders who will create an environment that nurtures excellence, risk taking, and creativity. They reject intimidation or manipulation, but they positively yearn for inspiration.

Similarly, in the misguided efforts of leaders is hidden another message: leaders need followers. Leaders don't want docile, do only-as-ordered employees.  Instead, they want responsible, mature, forward-looking associates. They want partners who are as committed as they are to the success of the enterprise."

In 2015, I hope you skip the “new” management techniques and focus instead on the core values of respect, excellence and inspiration. I also hope you remember not to create followers but instead partners focused on our collective success.

I look forward to continuing the journey with you in 2015 as we all figure out how to move from vision to action.

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

Winning Hearts and Minds

Last week, I wrote about the importance of communicating purpose on a daily basis. The goal of which is to win the hearts and minds of all employees. The first step to achieving this outcome is to treat others with respect. By treating others with genuine respect, you, as the leader, create a relationship with people where they are more likely to listen carefully and sympathetically to your message. But the key is to realize that treating people with respect needs to happens before you start speaking not just when you start speaking.

Second, it is important to keep your messages short and concise so they can be cascaded. Corruption of your message is a given as it cascades into the organization. Remember: simplicity of the message + action + alignment = clarity. So, what is the action that the follower is suppose to take upon hearing and understanding your message?

Third. be self-confident and yet humble. John  Kotter and Lorne A. Whitehead in their book, Buy-In: Saving Your Good Idea From Getting Shot Down, Harvard Business Review Press, 2010, remind us not to try to wing it, even if you know all the facts thoroughly, even if the idea seems bulletproof, and even if you expect a friendly audience. Instead, constantly monitor the people whose hearts and minds you need: the broad audience, not the few who may attack your message. 

Fourth, to win peoples’ hearts and minds, constantly ask yourself this question: What can I teach here today? The key is to remember that purpose is best learned through stories. Therefore, choose stories which teach.

If you want to be a better leader this fall, then now is the time tell more and new stories. It is time to weave more people into the stories we tell, and it is time we build or rebuild a sense of pride, progress and perspective through the stories we tell.

In short, my challenge to you this week is a simple: What are the new and old stories you can tell that will illustrate the purpose of your company’s work?

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

The Two Most Important Words

When working with young leaders and managers, I often ask them this simple question: What are the two most important leadership words you can ever say on a regular basis?  The answers often range from “vision and strategy” to “mission and core values.”  While these are great answers, I believe they miss the mark. The two most powerful words are “Thank-you.” 

Every day people are working hard to solve problems, to meet expectations and deadlines, and to fulfill goals. Some days they are wrapped up in project management meetings. Most days people come to work early and then stay late. 

And what is our response as leaders?  Often nothing. 

Some leaders say to me, “That’s just their job. Why should I say ‘thank-you’ for doing their job?”

And from that perspective, nothing should be said. Furthermore, from that perspective, anything that was said would not be taken seriously or considered meaningful either. 

However, I have witnessed great leaders and great leadership. These individuals know that success does not start with positional leadership. It starts with an understanding that people bring their hearts and minds to work every day.  They want to do good. They want to make a difference. They want to make progress. 

But depending on what they experience in the work place, they may shelve their hearts and ultimately their minds, and only bring their hands and backs to the work place. These employees learn from what they experience on a daily basis.  Genuine respect is not about just what is said, but also what is done. 

The foundation for success is to start from a place of humble gratitude for all the effort people are putting in each and every day to do more than just their job description.  For those who are working hard, staying late and thinking creatively, we need to say  “thank-you.’  For those who are struggling with dysfunctional teams, poorly designed systems, and even worst, poorly written goals, we need to say “thank-you.” And for those who are doing things right plus doing the right things, we need to say “thank-you.”

Leaders get what they exhibit and what they tolerate, noted Kevin Cashman.  It is time we exhibit more gratitude and tolerate less dysfunctional behaviors.  Otherwise, we will loose our best people and our best opportunities to live up to our mission.  The choice is ours to make.  

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

How Successful People Manage Life - part #3

Over the last couple of weeks in this blog, I have been writing about how successful people manage life. Let’s review some key points.

First, successful people take 100% responsibility for their journey. Life may offer tremendous personal and professional challenges and difficulties, but successful people do not expect others to solve their problems. Instead, they proactively seek out mentors, friends, and routine coaching. This depth of visiting gives them fresh perspective and clear insights. During this time of sharing, they filter out peer pressure and popular opinions, and instead assess their own passions, skills and convictions. They also courageously act upon the feedback they receive from their mentors.

Second, they create a family culture more than just a set of family systems. They eat dinner together nearly every night, and avoid “marginal costs” mistakes in their personal and professional lives. 

Third, they are humble, and regard everyone with a high degree of respect. They do not put other people down to feel good about themselves.

Finally, they aim to be faithful, not perfect. They are faithful to those they love and faithful to what they believe.

It is the combination of the above with the other parts I have mentioned over the last couple of weeks in this blog that make certain people successful in a holistic manner rather than some one who is successful at work but continually looses at home.

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