I have been engaged in several conversations of late wherein we have discussed the felt impacts of deep challenge. Some were under attack at work, others finding too much month at the end of the money, and still others longing for more meaningful impacts through what they do.
In all of these situations I find myself remembering that there is a blend of BE-ing and DO-ing — unto BECOMING. Who we are and what we do will lead to what we become. Please Continue Reading …
Leadership is not defined by the position we hold. We all lead others, for someone is always watching us. We lead people to make decisions in or out of alignment with what we are doing by what they observe in us.
Leadership is also not defined by how many are following; everyone is a leader at the core, for each of us must lead our “self”. In a way then, we lead each other within “an influence relationship”. Some are leaders and some are active followers. An active follower is a leader as well.
If we are all leaders of some magnitude, then Please Continue Reading …
Another year rolls in, and with it a barrage of commercials promoting the latest diet programs! New Years is the customary time to reflect and adjust…but for those of us calibrating life, this is a regular habit throughout the year…right?! 🙂 Along with the diet programs, you will be inundated with self-help advice in the area of achieving the “good life”, “fulfillment”…and the good old standby: “success”.
Be honest now…we are not so stupid as to belief that simply thinking about something will make it happen. As much as I enjoyed playing baseball (a true lifeline as a kid)…I can think I will pitch in the major leagues of baseball all I want…it is not going to happen! This is not just due to my age…it was not going to happen when I was younger either!
Most often inserted somewhere in the list of self-help advice is the concept of “visualization” (remember “The Secret”). While I do not have a problem with the concept of visualization, I do have a slightly different angle Please Continue Reading …
“Our business leaders must stop seeking to be the best in the world, and start being (emphasis mine) the best for the world.” Richard Barrett, The New Leadership Paradigm
It may initially sound noble to desire to “be the best in the world” at what we do. We all know that it takes thousands of hours to master a skill, to hone a craft into a finely tuned art form. To rise to levels of excellence in any vocation, one must be dedicated and diligent in discipline and practice.
To be a great golfer, one must move beyond hitting every shot once in a while, to only missing a shot once in a while. To be a great hockey player, one must understand the strategy of the game, have mastery of personal skill and learn how to “move to where the puck is going to be” (as Wayne Gretzky puts it).
To be a master of business, one must know the balance sheet, and its ever- challenging dance with cashflow, income and expense. One must also have a firm understanding of product life cycles, markets and evolving consumer demand, but are these enough to achieve excellence and sustainability?
Please Continue Reading …
A while back I attended an all-day presentation titled “Grow Your Business”. The speaker arrived here from Minneapolis with many helpful reminders as to the various disciplines and tools that can make or break any business. One of the key statements he made was this: “No one in business fails or quits due to lack of Commitment or Conviction, but rather due to a lack of Clarity, Congruency and Consistency.”
At first I felt I should argue that a lack of commitment can bring failure, but as I looked around the room, I doubted that anyone in the audience would demonstrate this within their business life, so I let it go. The speaker went on to say that the most important tool available to anyone in business, for the purposes of achieving communications, marketing and promotions impact, is the “defining statement”. Ok…now I am really listening, I even leaned forward in my seat; this is starting to resonate with passion, purpose…and calibration! I knew that this would ultimately be similar to the exercise of developing a “13-second elevator speech”, but something about the title “defining statement” was intriguing to me.
A few years ago, a friend of mine provided me with a useful definition for courage: “the ability to act rightly in the face of discouragement.” Passionately pursuing a life of purpose and meaning may challenge us beyond anything we have previously experienced. Sometimes, hanging on to a shred of life, and the feeling of being alive, is all we can do. Yet, to not pursue, and to not hang on, is to self-determine defeat.
I have seen courage around me of late. People continuing to put one foot in front of the other, doing what they must to ensure that others in their circle of influence (family, friends, coworkers, etc) enjoy the opportunity to experience full life…while they wonder if they will make it themselves.
I have had the privileged benefit of a long-term mentorship in business. My mentor had been the CEO with one of the largest companies in our Province. Early in my mentorship, he spoke of the difference between “IQ” and “EQ”. His conviction led him to hire his leadership team with a bias toward EQ. His reasoning was that when the pressure came, EQ would hold.
Think of a soft-sided ball. The ball can be attractive, and bounce ok under normal conditions. However, if we place the ball into a deep pool of water, the deeper we take the ball, the more pressure the ball receives from the water. Under pressure the ball will collapse if there is nothing inside. Alternatively, if there is substance inside, it will either hold the shape of the ball, or seep through as the pressure builds.
I received permission to share an email (below) that one of my clients circulated among the staff of his organization…the day after an intensive culture workshop I facilitated. So often it seems that leaders are looking for a light switch process to “turn on” culture improvement…rather than go through the process. However, it is the process that works the depth of true transformation…painful though it may be.
At the start of a person’s journey from inactivity to elite athlete they have to expend high levels of their energy to do relatively little because they are not in very good shape. At the same time, they make big improvements in their fitness and ability to achieve in their sport.
As they get more fit, that same level of energy expenditure does quite a lot more and they improve noticeably. It’s a nice linear progression and as long as you only want to be good at the sport you can work reasonably hard and be in quite good shape.
However, if the goal is to be an elite athlete then moving from the 90th percentile to the 92nd percentile doesn’t take just 2% more energy, it takes almost as much energy as was expended to get from 0 – 90%. Getting a tiny bit better takes high levels of intense energy and focus. The work to go from 10th best in the world to on the podium is massive.
In organizations, real power and energy is generated through relationships. The patterns of relationships and the capacities to form them are more important than tasks, functions, roles and positions.
Margaret Wheatly
If you were to take a snapshot view of your organization, based on the perspective of what Margaret Wheatley suggests here, what would you see? Is there a great emphasis on the task at hand, while relationships suffer along? Are departments and/or individuals operating as silos; islands unto themselves? Is it possible that, if the organization were to invest some effort into the “capacity to form” relationships, significant progress would be made? What could your role as one individual be? How much impact could you create?
“The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.” Henry Kissinger
It is easy to get frustrated as we lead/work with people. Especially when we encounter negative feedback or resistance to partnership as we journey together. In the midst of the conflict it is important to remember that conflict gives us the opportunity to see what lies beneath the surface…which would otherwise have remained unseen.
Example: An employee/partner may approach you and suggest that they are disappointed with how they are being treated, how they are being paid, or something like. Your mind goes to the defense…”Have you any idea how hard I…” and so on…
This path leads to the cycle of crazies.
Stepping back and taking a balcony view brings fresh perspective. Why does the employee/partner feel this way? What has/has not be communicated in regards to their feelings? This is the first level of questioning…
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“’Resilience’ describes the importance of having a compelling vision and working together to serve customers and create a profitably growing company. Thank you, David, for telling the Ford story!” – Alan Mulally, President and CEO, Ford Motor Company
