Spring 2020 Roundtable - Early Bird Special!

Now that the New Year has passed, it is the time for us to turn our attention to the Spring 2020 Roundtable! 

On April 8 - 9, we will gather at the Courtyard by Marriott in Ankeny, Iowa for the Spring 2020 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable. 

Here is the agenda for your review:

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

8:30 am - Arrival & Visiting Time

9:00 am - 10:15 am - How do effective leaders plan when the future is so wildly unpredictable?

10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break

10:30 am - 12:00 pm - How do effective leaders execute a plan when the future is so wildly unpredictable?

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

1:30 pm - 2:45 pm - How do people shift from being a manager or supervisor into becoming a leader? - part #1

2:45 pm - 3:00 pm - Break

3:00 pm - 4:30 pm - How do people shift from being a manager or supervisor into becoming a leader? - part #2

4:30 pm - Adjourn

Thursday, April 9, 2020

9:00 am - 10:15 am - How do I as a leader live a life that is less stressful and more meaningful when I feel lost and overwhelmed by all that needs to get done each day?

10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break 

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

12:00 pm - Adjourn

Starting today through Friday, January 31, I am offering an “early bird” registration price for the Spring 2020 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable.

If you sign up during this time period, and submit payment before 2/1/20, the price will be $ 275.00 for the two days and $ 175.00 for a single day. Here is the link to the registration form:

https://www.chartyourpath.com/pdf/2020-From-Vision-To-Action-Exec-Roundtable-Regist.pdf

Please write “early bird special” on it and use the above price when you send it to me by mail, e-mail as a PDF, or fax (# 319 - 643 - 2185).

After 2/1/20, the registration price will be $ 295.00 for the two days and $ 195.00 for a single day.

I hope you will reserve April 8 - 9 on your calendar, and e-mail me today about whether or not you and your team are coming. Then, when the first early crocus and daffodils are just starting to bloom, all we will need to do is meet at the Spring 2020 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable.

For those who are planning far advance, do not forget that the Fall 2020 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable will be on September 15 - 16, 2020 at the Brown Deer Golf Club & Conference Center in Coralville, Iowa.

I look forward to seeing you in April and in September!

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

Spring 2018 Roundtable - Early Bird Special!

Now that the New Year has passed and everyone is back at work, it is the time for us to turn our attention to the Spring 2018 Roundtable! 

On April 4 - 5, 2018, we will gather at the Courtyard by Marriott in Ankeny, Iowa for the Spring 2018 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable. 

Here is the agenda for your review:

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

- 8:30 am - Arrival & Visiting Time

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - What is the connection between organizational history, culture and meaningful work within successful organizations?

- 10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break

- 10:30 am - 12:00 pm - How do leaders improve thinking and relating throughout an entire organization?

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

- 1:30 pm - 2:45 pm How do leaders help themselves and others to learn better?

- 2:45 pm - 3:00 pm - Break

- 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm - What is the importance of caring within successful organizations?

- 4:30 pm - Adjourn

Thursday: April 5, 2018

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - How do leaders be both bold and brave during difficult times?

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

- 12:00 pm - Adjourn

Starting today through Friday, February 2, I am offering an “early bird” registration price for the Spring 2018 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable.

If you sign up during this time period, and submit payment before 2/2/18, the price will be $ 275.00 for the two days and $ 175.00 for a single day. Here is the link to the registration form:

http://www.chartyourpath.com/pdf/2018-From-Vision-To-Action-Exec-Roundtable-Regist.pdf

 Please write “early bird special” on it when you send it to me by mail or fax (# 319 - 643 - 2185).

After 2/2/18, the registration price will be $ 295.00 for the two days and $ 195.00 for a single day.

I hope you will reserve April 4 - 5 on your calendar, and e-mail me today about whether or not you and your team are coming. Then, when the first early crocus and daffodils are just starting to bloom, all we will need to do is meet at the Spring 2018 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable.

Thinking ahead, and looking forward to seeing you in April!

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

A Challenging World

We live in a complex and complicated world right now. Polarization abounds. Anger, frustration, and finger pointing are becoming the new normal. People are feeling like every day is nothing but another and continuous walk through the trough of chaos.

In the midst of these endless challenges, we as leaders are suppose to on-board new ideas and new people so they stay focused and positive. We are called to solve all the current operational problems. We are suppose to make sure all the systems are standardized, if not centralized to assure quality.

The result is that operational management is trumping strategic execution. Introducing change or a new strategic plan has become an event rather than a process. Any level of team problems is compounded by internal pressures and external unknowns. 

Meanwhile. front line supervisors and mid-level managers are trying to make sure the trains run on time, i.e. shifts are filled and people are focused on the right things, too. In short, leaders are feeling defeated by all of the challenges before them and not enough time to think through what to do.

This is where the Fall 2017 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable fits into the picture. It is a place where leaders gather to step back for a day and a half from the mad rush to get things all done and all fixed. It is a time to catch one’s breath, regain some internal perspective, strength and courage to keep moving forward.

We come because we need to find an “island of sanity,” a new Margaret Wheatley term, in a sea of ups and downs. We come because we want to listen, to share, and to regain perspective. We know we can not change everything, but at the same time, we know we can gain some insights and perspectives at the Fall Roundtable which will make the journey easier to handle to easier to effect change.

This fall the Roundtable will be held on September 20 - 21, 2017 at the Coralville Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Coralville, Iowa.  

Here is the agenda for your review:

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

- 8:30 am - Arrival & Visiting Time

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - How do leaders on-board the next generation of high-growth opportunities while managing daily operations?

- 10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break

- 10:30 am - 12:00 pm - How do leaders work through endings and new beginnings at the same time?

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

- 1:30 pm - 2:45 pm - How do leaders help their organization become more resilient?

- 2:45 pm - 3:00 pm - Break

- 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm - How do leaders help others think and act strategically?

- 4:30 pm - Adjourn

Thursday, September 21, 2017

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - How do leaders recover from burnout?

- 10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break 

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

- 12:00 pm - Adjourn

Here is the link to the registration form:

http://www.chartyourpath.com/pdf/2017-From-Vision-To-Action-Exec-Roundtable-Regist.pdf

I hope you will join myself and many other leaders on September 20 - 21 for the Fall 2017 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable.

Given all the challenges before us, it will be good to gather around the table and to explore these complex and complicated issues together. Hopefully, we will gain some new insights and perspectives as well as some strength to continue moving forward.

I look forward to seeing at the Fall Roundtable.

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

Spring 2017 Roundtable - Early Bird Special!

With the arrival of the New Year, now is the time for us to turn our attention to the Spring 2017 Roundtable! 

On April 5 - 6, 2017, we will gather at the Courtyard by Marriott in Ankeny, Iowa for the Spring 2017 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable. Here is the agenda for your review:

Wednesday: April 5, 2017

- 8:30 am - Arrival & Visiting Time

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - How do leaders position an organization successfully for the future?

- 10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break

- 10:30 am - 12:00 pm - How do leaders move from being a functional leader to an enterprise level leader?

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

- 1:30 pm - 2:45 pm - How do leaders help people keep moving along the collaboration continuum?

- 2:45 pm - 3:00 pm - Break

- 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm - How do leaders get coaching and employee development to become routine and systematic?

- 4:30 pm - Adjourn

Thursday: April 6, 2017

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - How do leaders prevent burnout?

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

- 12:00 pm - Adjourn

Starting today through Friday, January 27, I am offering an “early bird” registration price for the Spring 2017 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable.

If you sign up during this time period, and submit payment before 1/27/17, the price will be $ 275.00 for the two days and $ 175.00 for a single day. Here is the link to the registration form:

http://www.chartyourpath.com/pdf/2017-From-Vision-To-Action-Exec-Roundtable-Regist.pdf

 Please write “early bird special” on it when you send it to me by mail or fax (# 319 - 643 - 2185).

After 1/27/17, the registration price will be $ 295.00 for the two days and $ 195.00 for a single day.

I hope you will reserve April 5 - 6 on your calendar, and e-mail me today about whether or not you and your team are coming. Then, when the first daffodils are just starting to bloom, all we will need to do is meet at the Spring 2017 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable.

Thinking ahead and looking forward to seeing you in April!

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

Defining Priorities

Over the last 16 months, I have had the delightful opportunity to teach and visit with numerous first time, front line supervisors from many different industries and from many different parts of the country. Repeatedly, in large and small group settings, I have been asked the following question: “How do you prioritize?” It is a fantastic question and one that I, and other senior leaders, have struggled to answer.

The challenge is that we, experienced coaches, consultants, and senior leaders, do it unconsciously. We really don’t think about it. Instead, we just do it. The difficulty is that others are wanting to do it well too. And now we are called to explain our thinking and our process.

First, I know that defining priorities is not a linear process but instead a more dynamic process with multiple things happening at once. 

Second, discernment, which is the first step to defining priorities, happens when there is a framework that is guiding the organization and the person. 

Third, successful leaders understand that defining a priority is not the same as actually executing a priority. It is the later that makes the former a true priority.  

We will be exploring this subject and many others in greater detail during the upcoming Spring ’16 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable. 

For more details, please click on the following link:

http://www.chartyourpath.com/VTA-RT-Details.html

To register, please click on this link:

http://www.chartyourpath.com/pdf/2016-From-Vision-To-Action-Exec-Roundtable-Regist.pdf

If defining priorities and helping others do this better is part of your future, I will look forward to seeing you at the Spring 2016 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable.

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

Early Bird Special Reminder!

Before more of January passes by, I just wanted to send you a friendly reminder that the “Early Bird Special” for the Spring 2016 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable is set to expire on Friday, January 29.

If you sign up between now and 1/29/16, the price will be $ 275.00 for the two days and $ 175.00 for a single day. Here is the link to the registration form:

http://www.chartyourpath.com/pdf/2016-From-Vision-To-Action-Exec-Roundtable-Regist.pdf

Please write “early bird special” on it when you send it to me by mail or fax (# 319 - 643 - 2185).

After 1/29/16, the registration price will be $ 295.00 for the two days and $ 195.00 for a single day.

Here is the agenda for your review:

Wednesday, April 6, 2015

-  8:30 am - Registration & Visiting Time

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - How do leaders successfully scale up for growth?

- 10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break

- 10:30 am - 12:00 pm - How do leaders consolidate initial improvements and continue to produce more change?

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

- 1:30 pm - 2:45 pm - How do leaders increase effective collaboration?

- 2:45 pm - 3:00 pm - Break

- 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm - How do leaders improve the cascading of key information?

- 4:30 pm - Adjourn

Thursday, April 7, 2016

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - How do leaders prioritize?

- 10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break 

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

-12:00 pm - Adjourn

Recommended Reading: Sutton. Robert I and Huggy Rao. Scaling Up Excellence: Getting To More Without Settling For Less, Crown Business, 2014.

Location: Courtyard by Marriott in Ankeny, Iowa

Hope you can come!

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

A Brave New World

Many leaders right now know that their organization needs to get better. They also know they need to get better. Effort and desire are not the problem. Time may be limited in some circumstances, but the depth of clarity that change needs to take place is still present. The challenge is that they do not know how to start.

Back in the 90’s, I recognized this situation and designed a one year leadership training program to give people in leadership positions the tools and the mindset to transform themselves and their organization. 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 learn where to start and how to sustain the change they wish to make.

After teaching this course for nearly two decades to hundreds upon hundreds of people in leadership positions across the country, I am more convinced than ever that with a good beginning and a clear understanding of what is normal in personal and organizational change, leaders can change themselves and their companies. This is good work and hard work which requires disciplined thought and disciplined action. But it also is worth while work because at the end of the day, I have learned that people want to make a difference, want to do good work, and want to participate in making this happen within the context of a team or work place community.

For those of you who aspire to transforming yourself and your organization, I invite you to join the 2016 From Vision to Action Leadership Training. For more information,, then please click on the following link: http://www.chartyourpath.com/VTA-Leadership-Training.html 

Or you can click on the this link for the registration form:http://www.chartyourpath.com/pdf/2016-From-Vision-To-Action-Leadership-Training-Regist.pdf

There is a brave new world out there for those who seek to make their organization better. Learning how to do it effectively is the first step in the journey to success. 

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

Building Change Leaders for A Fast-Moving World

John Kotter in his most recent book, Accelerate: Building Strategic Agility For A Faster-Moving World, Harvard Business Review Press, 2014, writes “The world is now changing at a rate at which the basic systems, structures, and cultures built over the past century cannot keep up with the demands being placed on them. Incremental adjustments to how you manage and strategize, no matter how clever, are not up to the job.” 

As he continues, organizations need to accelerate innovation, productivity improvement, integration of acquisitions or global operations, any sort of key strategic change, cultural change and profitable growth. However, he notes that most are stalled by a limited number of change leaders, silo parochialism, rules and procedures, pressures to make quarterly numbers, and complacency or insufficient buy-in.

“Management is not leadership,” explains John Kotter. “Management is a set of well-known processes that help organizations produce reliable, efficient, and predictable results.... Leadership is about setting direction. It’s about creating a vision, empowering and inspiring people to want to achieve the vision, and enabling them to do so with energy and speed through an effective strategy. In its most basic sense, leadership is about mobilizing a group of people to jump into a better future.”

With the current and emerging challenges facing all companies during the next 5 - 6 years, it is vital that we expand the number of change leaders who can set direction, empower people and mobilize them to move forward toward that vision in an efficient and effective manner. The rate and pace of change will not slow down. Therefore, we need to speed up the development of key people. 

One effective way to do this is to enroll yourself and your key people in the 2015 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 be better change leaders.  

For more information on how to register for the 2015 From Vision to Action Leadership Training, please click on the following link: http://www.chartyourpath.com/VTA-Leadership-Training.html 

Bold leadership and effective strategy will be key to success between now and 2020. Learning to be a better change leader is the first step in this journey.

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