The Future Shows Up Every Day

We were talking during a break in a leadership training when I realized that the young person I was visiting with thought that leadership was all about strategy and nothing else.

“Hold on,” I pointed out. “Strategic leaders are vital to the success of a company but so are operational leaders. It is the combination of the two, strategy and operations, that makes the company move forward through time successfully.”

“OK,” he responded, “but operational leaders can only do so much.”

“This is true. However, they are mission critical.”

“How so?”

“You and I can stand here and talk about the future all we want. We can speculate on all sorts of possibilities, but the moment of truth happens every morning when the staff and your customers or clients, which ever term you want to use, work together to create effective and meaningful solutions.”

I paused and he contemplated my perspective.

“The future shows up every day,” I continued. “We can talk about two years from now and completely forget that two years ago, today was the future.  In the end, the best strategic leaders realize that they need the best operational leaders to make it real. The trains need to run on time each day. The staff needs to be well trained. The systems need to work. It is not fancy, best-seller book level stuff, but it is necessary. It’s what differentiates between good and great companies.”

“So, what do I need to do to make this happen?”, he inquired.

“Go to the place where the mission statement is made real every day. Visit with the people. Listen to their concerns, their challenges, their victories. Validate their efforts.”

“Next, do an in-depth systems review to make sure it really works like it is suppose to work. And if you learn it is not working right, then help them change it. Remember the capacity to have a future starts now. Operational excellence is nothing more than delivering on the mission each day and continually improving it.”

“I guess there is more to this leadership stuff than just thinking about the future,” he responded. 

“Yes, and that is why it is so important.”

And then our break was up and we both headed into class. 

Remember: the future shows up every day.

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

The Inner Game of Strategic Leadership

Before we go any further on the subject of strategic leadership, we must realize that the best leaders who think and act strategically do something that can, at times, appear to be very simple, but in reality is challenging and very unique.

Strategic leaders are authentic, approachable and compassionate.

Being authentic may not seem difficult but it is. So many leaders try to “do” authenticity. They believe it is all about the way they talk or listen. But the best leaders do not try to be something other than be who they truly are. These leaders are genuinely interested in people, purpose and service. Their authenticity is based on being respectful, grounded and kind.

Truly gifted strategic leaders are also approachable. Every one is instantly comfortable with them. Given their genuine nature, they love to stop and visit with people about their work. These leaders have never met a stranger and are always open to visiting with people to learn what they are doing.

Finally, the best are always compassionate. They know people are doing the best they can with what they have. They understand that people want to do a good job and want to make a difference in their work. Therefore, these exceptional strategic leaders show real empathy, sympathy and concern for others.

In short, the inner game of strategic leadership is about having heart not just head for the work of leading others. When we are authentic, approachable and compassionate, then others around us respond differently and thoughtfully to the challenges before the organization and each other.

This week, look into the mirror and reflect on whether or not you are improving your inner game as a leader. As Kevin Cashman wrote years ago, if you want to be a better leader, then become a better person. This is a good time to begin walking that pathway.

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

How Do Strategic Leaders Think?

After years of reflection, I have decided that there are two key points to make about how strategic leaders think. The first was put forth by Joel Kurtzman, in his excellent book, Common Purpose: How Great Leaders Get Organizations to Achieve The Extraordinary, Jossey-Bass 2010. As he wrote, “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.” 

On the other hand, Kurtzman points out, “The role of operational leaders is quite different from those of strategic leaders. Operational leaders make certain the trains run on time, the manufacturing process 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.”

Marcus Buckingham in his book, The One Thing You Need to Know ... About Great Managing, Great Leading, and Sustained Individual Success, Free Press, 2005, also notes a key difference between strategic leaders and operational leaders. As he explains, “To excel as a manager you must never forget that each of your direct reports is unique and that your chief responsibility is not to eradicate this uniqueness, but rather to arrange roles, responsibilities, and expectations so that you can capitalize upon it. The more you perfect this skill, the more effectively you will turn talents into performance.

To excel as a leader requires the opposite skill. You must become adept at calling upon those needs we all share. Our common needs include the need for security, for community, for authority, and for respect, but for you, the leader, the most powerful universal need is our need for clarity. To transform our fear of the unknown into confidence in the future, you must discipline yourself to describe our joint future vividly and precisely. As your skill at this grows, so will our confidence in you.”

As both authors note, strategic leaders have the capacity to look over the horizon, recognize what is coming, plot a course of how to respond, and then communicate “vividly and precisely” about how we all need to move forward together.

This week, reflect on the above two quotes and how well you and your team are doing at thinking and communicating strategically.

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

Big Ideas For 2013

“Knowledge workers are now untethered, able to perform tasks anywhere at any time. What do the best of them want from your organization?” asks Tammy Johns and Lynda Gratton in their very good article called “The Third Wave of Virtual Work” in the January-February 2012 issue of the Harvard Business Review. 

As the authors point out, there have been three major waves of change over the past thirty years about how knowledge based work has gotten done. “First, home computers and e-mail spawned an army of freelancers, offering both workers and employers new flexibility. Next, mobile technology and global teamwork made it possible for full-time employees to work anywhere and anytime without forsaking career progress and development within their companies. Now new ways of providing community and shared space are ameliorating a side effect of virtualization - worker isolation - and driving increased collaboration.”  

As they further explain, “A major focus of the third wave’s new technology is to give workers the feeling of being in a shared environment. But virtual platforms can only go so far.... organizations and workers are also investing in a return to colocation of colleagues in the real world. “ Sometimes, these new co-working locations are called an “urban hub” or “work hub,” a well-appointed space for mobile workers. Think of it as “a frequent-fliers lounge without the airport” that features couches to worktables to boardrooms. Some of these work hubs are organized around particular communities of practice like web and game developers, writers, social entrepreneurs or inventors.  It provides them an opportunity to “rub elbows” in a community setting with creative and supportive people.

To capitalize on this third wave of change, the authors suggest that employers should rethink their compact with workers on five fundamental dimensions:

- “the value of the relationship with a larger enterprise”

- “the settings in which work is done”

- “the organization of workflows and how individual contributors add value”

- “the technologies used to support higher achievement”

- “ the degree to which employment arrangements are tailored to individuals”

As we move from wave one, virtual freelancers, to wave two, virtual corporate  colleagues, and on to the third wave, virtual coworkers, remember that these same workers feel they lack a sense of community and the richness of collaboration. With weaker social interaction and fun, these untethered workers are seeking neighborhoods and communities where they can recapture the best of what they had before globalization, “when citizens of communities felt their mutual dependence in every working moment, and connections were deep.” For those of you thinking about the future and starting strategic planning this year, I highly recommend reading this article. It is definitely worth the time and effort. Here is the link: http://hbr.org/2013/01/the-third-wave-of-virtual-work/ar/1. 

For those of you are wondering whether or not you have the capacity to execute on the big ideas you will be exploring in 2013, then I suggest you read the following article called “Strategic Leadership: The Essential Skills” by Paul J.H. Schoemaker, Steve Krupp, and Samantha Howland in the same January-February 2012 issue of the Harvard Business Review mentioned above. As they explain, “The storied British banker and financier Nathan Rothchild noted that great fortunes are made when cannonballs fall in the harbor, not when violins play in the ballroom. Rothchild understood that the more unpredictable the environment, the greater the opportunity - if you have the leadership skills to capitalize on it.” Through their research at the Wharton School and at their consulting firm involving more than 20,000 executives to date, the authors have identified six skills that “when mastered and used in concert, allow leaders to think strategically and navigate the unknown effectively.” These skills are the following: the ability to anticipate, challenge, interpret, decide, align and learn. “An adaptive strategic leader - someone who is both resolute and flexible, persistent in the face of setbacks but also able to react strategically to environmental shifts - has learned to apply all six at once.”

This article describes the six skills in details and includes a delightful self-assessment that will enable you to identify the ones you need to improve. This is a good article and will help those of you who are planning for the future to make sure you have people involved who can apply all six skills at once. Here is the link to this article: http://hbr.org/2013/01/strategic-leadership-the-esssential-skills/ar/1

 If you do not have people with this degree of capacity, then I encourage you to enroll your key up and coming people in the 2013 From Vision to Action Leadership Training which will help them improve their skills in all six areas. Here is a link for more information about this unique learning opportunity: http://www.chartyourpath.com/VTA-Leadership-Training.html

Planning for the future is important. Now is the time to think about big ideas and to make sure you have the capacity to execute them when the time is right. 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