Chart Your Path - part # 3

Three Critical Choices

Next, we need to grasp the following statement: In order to lead the change, we must participate in the change. This is much easier said then done, because most leaders want everyone else to change. They believe they are just fine as they are and that their leadership style works perfectly, if not elegantly. However, in reality, if one seeks to chart a path, then one must commit to the path. And this level of commitment always involves personal and professional change. For in the beginning, there are three critical choices that need to be made, and they will significantly impact planning and executing a plan. 

The first choice is to understand the difference between the following two concepts: individual competences and organizational capabilities. Individual competencies refer to a specific person’s knowledge and skills required to fulfill specific role requirements. Organizational capabilities are collective abilities of the firm required to execute the business strategy. During planning, we sometimes work at the competency level and other times we work at the capabilities level. Given current events, I suspect we will work at both levels.

During the preparing to plan stage, we need to reflect on our own individual competences and on our own organizational capabilities. I remember one day sitting with a hospital CEO, discussing this very idea, when he said to me: “I cant get there from here. I don’t have the capacity to plan and the capacity to execute the plan we create. My team is dysfunctional. Our middle managers can not take on any more change, and I don’t have the stamina to keep pushing myself. I’m afraid I will break.”

I sat quietly with him as he paused and reflected. I think he surprised himself. He just sat there and let it all sink in. Then, he looked at me and said, “I think I need to do my own work before I am ready to engage the whole group process.” I nodded in agreement and then we discussed what he needed to do in order to chart his own path. 

The second choice relates to the planning process. Many leaders want a well defined and well-structured planning process. They want everything to be preset before engaging in the work of planning. Other leaders want a process that is not all planned out. Instead, they are seeking a process that is more emergent, i.e. one that is unfolding and evolving through dynamic and less structured processes. These leaders are typically guided by their firsthand, day-to-day experiences, and their gut for lack of a better term. The former focuses on structure and the later focuses on dynamic interactions and the feeling of flow. 

During the time of reflection when one prepares to plan, understanding our own level of comfort with the choice between structure and more unstructured planning is critical. I have sat with many leaders of all different ages who are not clear about this element. And when this happens, I know that once planning starts they will quickly move in one direction or another, causing massive trust and communication issues amongst all the participants. By reflecting and clarifying this in advance, particularly if they grasp that leading a planning process means they have to participate in it rather than oversee it, and if they recognize that they will need to change, not just that others and the organization needs to change, then the process will be more effective. And then people will own the plan not just execute the plan. 

The third choice relates to execution and a leader’s style of leading. Many leaders, upon experiencing the normal chaos that comes with executing a new plan, will default to a a top-down and unidirectional style of leadership. This is best summarized by the “I lead/You follow” mentality. Others will choose a more participatory form of leadership which involves a wide diversity of people and a process that is multidirectional in nature. Rather than focus on control and order, these leaders choose to focus on alignment, ownership and empowerment, which by the way can appear, at first glance, to be very chaotic. While each path has it’s pros and cons, the key is to choose which way you are going to lead before you engage in formal planning. And that is why preparing to plan is mission critical to planning. 

How Do I Begin?

Ryan Holiday in the aforementioned book on Monday’s blog post states that we need to do the following things: “be fully present, empty our mind of preconceptions, take our time, sit quietly and reflect, reject distractions, weigh advice against the counsel of our convictions, [and] deliberate without being paralyzed.” I like these key points as a starting place for creating time and space as one prepares to plan for change. 

At the same time, I’ve had many leaders ask me privately, “But what do I actually do when I sit quietly and reflect? I am not someone who is just going to sit there and do nothing.”

“I agree,” I respond. “In the beginning, I want you to write or type out the answers to the following two sets of questions. Here is the first set: What do you do at work? I want you to define your role. Next, what are the priorities in your life and work? This will help define your focus over time. Finally, what do you do that matters most at work and at home? This will clarify your sense of purpose or mission. 

Here is the second set of questions: Why is this important work to do? Is this work meaningful? Is it worth doing? All three of these questions are designed to make you think deeply and broadly about your life, your role, and your work.

Once you have written out these answers, it is time to share them with an ally, confidant, mentor, or executive coach who you trust and know will offer insights and perspective. The subsequent dialogue will be very helpful.” 

Creating time for reflection is important. When doing this, I am reminded of something that Kevin Cashman wrote: “As you believe, so shall you lead.” What we are doing during this stage of pre-planning is clarifying what we believe. 

At the exact same time, we need to remember one other point, namely as they believe, so they shall follow. Doing your prep work first helps you lead the team and the organization. It also helps you role model and communicate better too.

And when people take time to sit quietly and reflect, and when they make time to answer the above questions, they generate insights into how to move forward as a person, and a leader. In short, they feel better prepared for the work and journey of strategic planning. 

The Curious Paradox

Carl Rogers, one of the founders of humanistic psychology and one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century, once wrote: “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I change.” And this is why preparing to plan is so critical to short and long term success. It helps us to accept ourselves when we seek to chart a new path. 

At the same time, meditation instructor and journalist, Jeff Warren notes: “The reality of where you are, is always more important than the ideal of where you imagine you should be.” When we choose to prepare for planning through in-depth reflection, we sort out the difference between the should-be expectations, typically placed on us by others, and the could-be potential that is generated from our own, internal clarity and alignment.  Then, with this level of clarity, alignment, and acceptance, we have already started to change, and we have already started to chart a new path.

 As Brene’Brown so clearly stated, “You either walk into your story and own your truth, or you live outside your story, hustling for your worthiness.” When we prepare to plan in a thoughtful manner, we not only walk into our own story and own it, we also create and role model a process that others can follow. For the curious paradox of charting your path is that when you do this and you change, then others can do this and they can change, too. 

© Geery Howe 2025

Geery Howe, M.A. Executive Coach in Leadership, Strategic Planning, and Organizational Change

Chart Your Path - part # 2

A Good First Step

I remember a day when the CEO of a large company and I were sitting in his office after a full day of training on strategic planning. We had about forty-five minutes before the team met for a group dinner. This was to be followed by a discussion about lessons learned after a day of training. He was sitting in his chair and looking out the window. I sat quietly with him. When the time was right, I asked him a question: “Are you ready for strategic planning?”

He responded, “I know we need to do this and everyone is expecting it to happen. My board wants to know where we are going, and my team is eager to have a plan too.”

“I get this,” I replied. “A lot of people have expectations of you as the CEO. But my question was focused on you, not the company. Are you ready for this level of work?”

There was a long period of silence and then he quietly said, “No. I am exhausted. With the pressure to perform, and the hard work of raising a couple of teenagers at home, my tank is empty. My battery is drained. Some days I just want to step away and do something else. Some days I wonder if I am no longer the right guy for the position. Some days I don’t know what to do next.”

I just sat there with this deeply personal statement and realization. This was not a moment to speak. Instead, it was a moment to be present, and to acknowledge the pain that led to this moment. 

After a bit, I shared. “That’s a hard place to be. I know it both personally and professionally. It hurts on so many levels. It’s beyond stress management level techniques. It’s the feeling of being overwhelmed and not knowing where to start.”

He nodded his head. 

“So,” I asked, “what is one thing you can do this evening that will slowly refill your empty tank?”

He pondered this for a moment, and then said: “I think it is time to share with the team that I don’t have all the answers about what to do next. That I need them to work with me to co-create the plan rather than just follow me and do what ever I think up. I need them to know that I am struggling and that I am not Superman. I am just a guy who wants to do good in the world and wants to make a difference.”

He paused, and then asked me a question, “Is this asking too much?”

“No,” I replied. “Your team cares deeply about you and about this organization. Many of them are struggling too. How about creating a plan that does not try to solve all of the world’s problems, but instead gets you and the team back on solid ground? How about creating a plan that does not result in any more burn-out at work or at home?”

‘“I’d like that very much.”

“Good. Then let’s begin this evening by creating a safe space for in-depth sharing and dialogue. Being a leader and planning for the future should not result in complete burn-out.” 

So, that evening after dinner, we made time and space for sharing. It was a good first step.  

Afterwards, as he and I walked back to our respective cars, he to home and I to the hotel before the next day’s meetings, he stopped and said, “Thanks. That was very important and very special. It helped.”

“My pleasure to be of support.”

“So, I have one more question. What do I need to do in the morning before heading to work?”

I smiled, and said, “Turn off the computer, Luke. Trust the Force.” 

He chuckled, and I continued. “Really. Don’t start your day doing e-mail. Instead, pause and do the following. First, find a quiet place in the house and read something that inspires you or helps you put things in perspective. I suggest a passage from the Bible or some other book related to your faith tradition. Second, write down three to four things that you are grateful for in your life. Counting our blessings is important. Third, think of someone who has made a positive difference in your life. Take a moment in prayer to thank them, or write them a brief note of thanks. Finally, eat a good breakfast. Ideally with your spouse and family. The e-mail can wait. Now is the time to slowly refill your empty tank, or recharge your battery. You choose which metaphor is best for you.”

“I can do that, Geery.”

“Good. See you in the morning at 8:00 am.” And each of us headed out for the night. 

Creating time and space for reflection and healing is hard work. We need to be patient with ourself and with others. We need to remember and to understand that the path we take to the destination we seek is the future we will experience. We also must recognize that charting our path is an on-going personal growth and development process. Still, the first step is to reconnect with ourself before the actual planning begins. 

To be continued on Wednesday. 

Geery Howe, M.A. Executive Coach in Leadership, Strategic Planning, and Organizational Change

Chart Your Path - part # 1

Introduction

This morning, I have been thinking about a line from Ryan Holiday’s book, Stillness Is The Key (Portfolio/Penguin, 2019), where he states the following: “We are overfed and undernourished. Overstimulated, over scheduled, and lonely.” When I step back and look all around me, I see a lot of people who fall into this description. 

In particular, I see people in leadership positions dealing with this, and struggling with how to move forward given so many things in their life and work feel unclear, uncertain, and unknown. They want to create a work plan, and then they want to execute it. They also want a plan for their personal future. The challenge is that they are overfed, undernourished, overstimulated, over scheduled, and lonely. So, they feel stuck about how to begin the whole process.

The phrase, charting a path, is how one decides upon a destination and a route. It is an old naval term where you use charts to navigate your way. When one does it correctly, it prevents them from arriving at some unintended or undesired destination.

Whether we are doing this at sea or on land, charting your path typically involves three general steps. The first is orientation where you identify and clarify your destination, i.e. your overall goal. The second is way finding, where you make a plan for how you are going to get there, i.e. think planning your itinerary. This can also include making a map or using a map to figure how to get to you destination. The third step is journeying, where you actually walk the path you defined in the previous two steps. 

As we know, all three of these steps will involve stepping outside your comfort zone, and experiencing moments that feel chaotic and uncomfortable. But with the right framework and the right kind of support, we can chart a path and in the process transform the route from being chaotic to being a challenge. The key is to know where to begin. 

Preparing To Plan

Having spent decades helping people and organizations plan for the future, and having spent decades teaching people how to plan for the future, I like to use the following five part framework: preparing to plan, planing the plan, preparing to execute the plan, executing the plan, and evaluating the plan. While the aforementioned three part framework, i.e orientation, way finding and journeying, may work for an experienced planner, I find that many people don’t know how to begin the process of planning. And when they do begin, they often get lost in the prep work and in the planning. This then creates a cascading of problems which results in getting lost in preparing to execute the plan and in executing the plan. As the old Irish saying goes, “a good beginning is half the journey.” Same goes for planning. A good framework for charting your path makes a world of difference when you walk the path. 

From my perspective, the most critical step to charting your path is preparing to plan. And I believe most people skip this step in their rush to create the plan, i.e. the actual document, and to execute the plan. Nevertheless, just because most people skip it does not mean it is unimportant. Instead, I believe it is vital to success, because to chart your path means to find your path and this takes time and self-reflection. 

When we feel overfed, undernourished, overstimulated, over scheduled, and lonely, the idea of taking time for reflection seems worthless. However, I agree with the French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher, Blaise Pascal who wrote in 1654, “All of humility’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” It is in the creation of unstructured states of being, i.e. creating time and space for reflection, that we discover a great deal about our self and our path, past, present, and possibly the future. 

When we create time and space for reflection, we create a window into discovering what’s most meaningful and fulfilling in our work and our life. We also discover whether or not we are willing to follow it whole heartedly. We even create a window into whether or not we have the capacity to plan and the capacity to execute the plan. 

John Paul Lederach in his book, The Moral Imagination: The Art and Soul of Building Peace (Oxford University Press, 2005), notes that most people “want to build a tunnel [i.e. a linear pathway] through the problems/obstacles they are currently experiencing.” But Lederach ask us to consider a the following question, “How do you tunnel through an active volcano?” The choice to build a  tunnel creates “tunnel vision” and the outcome is that we lose “peripheral vision.” As he explains, “the capacity to situate oneself in a changing environment with a sense of direction and purpose and at the same time develop an ability to see and move with the unexpected” is very difficult because “people with tunnel vision can only see forward.” As he continues, successful leaders can see “forward, backward, and sideways.”

And for me this ability to see holistically begins when we create time and space for reflection, i.e. unstructured states of being. Here we stop rushing forward. Instead, we pause and reflect on what got us to this point in our life, and whether or not we have the time, the energy, and the right support network to move forward. But this is deep end of the pool work and it is challenging. 

To be continued on Tuesday.

Geery Howe, M.A. Executive Coach in Leadership, Strategic Planning, and Organizational Change

What Is Empowerment?

It started over a good meal, and a discussion about different leadership paradigms. We all agreed that most leaders default to a fixing and controlling style of leadership when under pressure. They use this methodology with systems, and any and all problems, including people. However, we also agreed that certain leaders approach the same situations with a trusting, listening, and allowing/supporting style of leadership. 

“I think the latter generates more empowered people,” said the person across the table from me. 

I agreed with his perspective. We paused for a moment to let this sink in, and then I asked him an important question: “What does it feel like to be empowered?”

When I asked this question, everyone at the table stopped talking and stopped eating. It was one of those questions where a superficial, management-by-best-seller answer did not need to be shared. And for a moment, it also didn’t feel like the time or place to speak. Instead, it was a collective moment of reflection before a deep level of sharing and understanding was created. 

Many years ago, when I was working with a group of first time leaders, I got asked one of these unique kinds of questions. One of the participants said, “How do you do authenticity?” I had to stop for a moment, because over the course of my entire career I had never been asked this question. I responded, “One does not do authenticity. One choses to be authentic. It is not a doing action. It is a being action.”

As I pondered the question about empowerment, I realized that it was the same as the authenticity question, and my subsequent answer to that question. One does not do empowerment. Instead, one feels empowered. It begins at the being level, not the doing level. It is an internal experience, before it ever is an external action and outcome.

So, what does it feel like to be empowered?

I believe it all comes down to the following four words: clarity, confidence, competence, and connection. The Four C’s, as I like to call them, are the root of feeling empowered. On the surface, this seems elementary, but, after a great deal of reflection, I believe the Four C’s offer a unique perspective on this question. 

The first C is clarity. This word did not really enter the lexicon of leadership until Patrick Lencioni wrote the book, The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive, (Jossey-Bass, 2000). Previous to that time period, it was used occasionally in the literature and during some consultations, trainings, and coaching sessions. But after 2000, the term went viral and everyone referenced the concept. 

During the subsequent years that followed, it reminded me of when Stephen Covey wrote and published the book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Before 1989, no one ever said put first things first or begin with the end in mind. Afterwards, everyone in leadership referenced these phrases and his seven habits. Thirty-six years later, people are still referencing his work. That is the power of finding the right words and phrases for the right time period. 

Lencioni focused his definition of clarity around creating organizational clarity. As he wrote, “A healthy organization minimizes the potential for confusion by clarifying: why the organization exists, which behavioral values are fundamental, what specific business it is in, who its competitors are, how it is unique, what it plans to achieve, [and] who is responsible for what.” 

I think this an important definition. However, it is focused on the organizational level, and I believe empowerment is experienced first on the personal level. Of course, one does need to have some degree of organizational clarity, but it is not the complete source of feeling empowered. Understanding strategy and priorities is part of the whole, but it does not generate the feeling of empowerment. 

I think the feeling of empowerment happens when we have personal clarity before we have organizational clarity. Now, this is not a chicken vs egg question, namely which comes first? Instead, I think personal clarity happens when we commit to life long learning and routine, in-depth reflection. For it is the combination of the two which generates an on-going evolution of personal clarity rather than a one and done definition or experience. 

Nevertheless, as we explore the connection between personal clarity and the feeling of empowerment, I am reminded of some thing that the late Thai Buddhist monk, Ajajn Chah once said: “It’s like we’re riding a horse and asking, ‘Where’s the horse?’ ” I don’t think we believe that the continual evolution of personal clarity is enough. I also don’t think many people want to do this level of internal work. Instead, many people expect someone else to tell them what they need to be clear about in life and work. They defer to others what is most important in their life. In essence, they want someone to hand them a horse, and then to give them permission to ride it, rather than do the work themselves to find a horse, create a relationship with the horse, and then learn how to ride it. 

This leads me to the second C which is confidence. Over decades of doing this work, I have learned that empowered people have confidence. In particular, they have confidence in their ability to do things, and in their knowledge about how to solve problems. 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.

Underneath this level of confidence, I have learned and observed that empowered people can make choices about how to achieve predetermined outcomes and goals. They also believe they are engaged in meaningful work. But for me, the root of this ability and this belief is that people, who feel they are empowered, also feel they have agency. 

Having agency is defined as the ability to make decisions and to take actions in order to achieve one’s goals. Agency also is the sense of control that you feel in your life, the capacity to choose and to influence your own thoughts and behaviors, and the faith in your ability to handle whatever comes up in life. In very simple terms, having agency means having a choice about how to use your personal power. 

When I think of the people I have met who have had agency, what intrigues me the most is that they are clear about who they are and what they believe, i.e. a deep sense personal clarity and understanding. At the exact same time, they are clear about their social connections and social networks which support them to take action. Their personal clarity, in combination with their social network and connections, gives them the confidence to engage with the challenges and problems before them. 

Thus, they are not empowered by an outside positional leader, but instead they feel empowered by an inner depth of understanding and support. And those leaders who choose a paradigm of fixing and controlling things do not create people who feel empowered. Instead, it is the leader, who trusts, listens and supports people, that will create the feeling of empowerment. This happens in part because the leader, who chooses this paradigm, understands that they do not empower people, per se, but instead supports them to discover and claim their own agency. The feeling begins on the inside and then is validated and supported on the outside. 

The third C is competence. On the surface, this again seems elementary. Of course, empowered people are competent. They create plans and execute them. They generate positive outcomes and meet expectations. They even work well with others in a team setting. But the outer results reflect something on the inside that many leaders miss, namely that these individuals have an internal drive to continually get better at what they are doing. Rather than defining competence by a static definition of knowledge, skills, and abilities, people, who feel empowered, are always wanting to get better. They are focused on mastering the work they are doing rather than simply completing the work they are doing. 

Of course, they want to do a good job and, if needed and possible, to go above and beyond what is truly required. But the source of this choice lies in a fundamental commitment to life-long learning more than life-long doing. They want to be better in order that they can do better. Their inner clarity and confidence, in part, reflects their inner commitment to continually becoming more competent rather than just being competent enough to get the work done.

The fourth C is connection. When I reflect on all of the empowered people I have met in various different companies and industries, I am reminded of a phrase from Jim Collin’s book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap. . . and Others Don’t (HarperBusiness, 2001): “First Who. . . Then What”. As he explains, “The key point … is not just the idea of getting the right people on the team. The key point is that "who" questions come before "what" decisions - before vision, before strategy, before organization structure, before tactics. First who, then what - as a rigorous discipline, consistently applied.” For Collins, the people, who are a part of your team and are part of your network, are a significant reason for your success. I would add that I think it makes a big difference in whether or not you feel empowered, too. 

With this in mind, I turn to the work of Herminia Ibarra and her book, Act Like A Leader, Think Like A Leader (Harvard Business Review Press, 2015). First, she notes that people have a tendency to prefer interacting with people who are similar to themselves. She calls this “the narcissistic principle of relationship formation.” I have noticed this time and time again over the course of many decades. 

Yet, Ibarra writes that leaders use networks as an essential leadership tool. They help them in the following ways: “sensing trends and seeing opportunities, building ties to opinion leaders and talent in diverse areas, working collaboratively across boundaries to create more value, avoiding groupthink, generating breakthrough ideas, [and] obtaining career opportunities.” All of these diverse connections generates capacity on multiple levels. 

In particular, Ibarra encourages us to have three kinds of networks: operational, personal, and strategic networks. As she writes, “The first helps you manage current internal responsibilities, the second boosts personal development, and the third focuses on new business directions and the stakeholders you must get on board to pursue these directions.” She further explains that “your strategic network is made up of relationships that help you to envision the future, sell your ideas, and get the information and resources you need to exploit these ideas…. A good strategic network gives you connective advantage: the ability to marshal information, support, or other resources from one of your networks to obtain results in another.” Finally, she shares, “You need operational, personal, and strategic networks to get things done, to develop personally and professionally, and to step up to leadership. Although most good managers have good operational networks, their personal networks are disconnected from their leadership work, and their strategic networks are nonexistent or underutilized.”

When I meet leaders, who feel empowered, I always notice that the “who” factor within their various networks are not random. They are made up of individuals the leader has sought out, built a relationship with, and worked hard to maintain this relationship over time. There is a recognition that these in-depth connections generate perspective, insights, and new ways of thinking. From my perspective, this depth of connectivity strengthens their ability to be empowered and to feel empowered. 

Finally, when it comes to the importance of connections, I also am reminded of John Paul Lederach and his book, The Moral Imagination: The Art And Soul Of Building Peace (Oxford University Press, 2005). Lederach offers a powerful phrase that often explains something unique about people who feel empowered, namely they “… put ‘who’ at the center of ‘how’.” As he explains, “When people in everyday settings where I was working had a conflict, their first thought was not ‘what is the solution?’ It was ‘who do I know who knows the person with whom I have the problem who can help create a way out?’ The question ‘who?’ came first. The question ‘what?’ followed. To put it another way, solutions emerged from relational resources, connections, and obligations.” I think this is the final key to empowerment. When an individual has the “relational resources, connections, and obligations,” they generate an inner clarity, confidence and competence to move through challenging situations and problems. In short, they feel empowered. 

When clarity, confidence, competence, and connection converge within an individual, they experience something very unique, namely a state of coherence, i.e. a unified whole where all the parts fit together. The opposite of coherence is fragmentation and a loss of continuity. With coherence, empowerment is a discovered and unified experience. While the feeling of coherence and empowerment is unique to each individual, we as leaders must learn to lead in such a way as to trust and support this inner alignment. For when we do this, we capitalize on the best an individual has to offer, namely their commitment to be the best they can be no matter what challenges are before them. 

© Geery Howe 2025

Geery Howe, M.A. Executive Coach in Leadership, Strategic Planning, and Organizational Change