NOTE: The May blog posts will not be updated this month, but check back soon for new updates.

  • Don’t Lead in Isolation

    In a company retreat last quarter, we heard the lament of three newly promoted leaders that it truly is ‘lonely at the top’. All three had been with this biotech startup since the beginning of the company; and, looked forward to the day when they were in positions of influence. Now that the time had arrived, one of them said, “Outside of team meetings, you know what I hear in my office? Crickets. Unless I actively walk out among the cubicles for conversation, I feel like I’m in exile. I didn’t think leadership would be so isolating.”

    Even Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, stated in an interview with The Washington Post, “My job can be lonely. I’m not looking for any sympathy. CEOs don’t need any sympathy. I’m still happy, even on the days when the job seems isolated from the rest of the world.” This type of situation exists not only in biotech, but in many of the hardware and software engineering companies, as well as, customer service, retail giants, and power energy suppliers.

    • What we are seeing in many businesses is the remoteness of department leaders, even CEOs. Here are several reasons for this behavior:
      • As new manager-leaders, they are trying to become comfortable with different routines and responsibilities. Until they feel grounded, they feel vulnerable and unprotected. Consequently, you see these leaders separate themselves from their team members, as well as other internal champions that could mentor them.
      • Some find that the tasks they used to perform without conscious thought now takes them out of their comfort zone. They have been used to an individual contributor role and had full control of their schedule. Even though they wanted to move into a leadership position, they find they can’t play it “safe”. Others, especially their direct boss, is looking at them for effective decision making.
      • Or for some, they fear being misunderstood. They have been well liked by co-workers, but now feel their authority is questioned at every decision. They know they have sound strategies for the next company goal but may not be proficient in communicating those strategies. Hence, they are perceived as know-it-alls and are left alone.

    When you think you are leading in isolation, ask yourself:

    • What measurements will you put in place to quantify separation or exile?
    • What mood do you, the leader, bring to progress meetings, general optimism, stringency, sarcasm, or gloom? How will this mood affect the probability of success with any team?
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  • Use your Sage Knowledge

    Isn’t it interesting that just when you’re stuck for a solution or a new twist on a current design, a colleague can quickly identify what may be the sticking ground, just at a glance? How do they do that? Is it the length of time that you’ve looked at the situation so long it becomes opaque or non-transparent, can’t see any other alternatives? Or is it that your colleagues are wiser, a sage in their own right?

    The term sage grew out of Old French in the 1300’s and was used to designate ‘one who knows’. Today, we commonly use this term to define an individual who uses reflection and prudent experience to practice good judgment, sometimes even in an ingenious way. In past centuries, sages were teachers or gurus removed from the community often in remote locations such as, the Sibylline Oracles in ancient Rome or the Buddhist gurus in Tibet. The isolation of these groups ensured no distractions other than the pursuit of higher thought and heightened spiritual clarity. But if you look in our daily environments today, you can find sages in every industry and cultural group, regardless of age.

    What is the distinctiveness of your colleagues or family members that you would consider a sage and where do they come from? Sometimes it can be various communities that allow us to generate important fields of thought on what is possible. Sports communities foster the philosophies of fair play, team respect, and that experiencing loss is not failure. Learning is an important aspect from failure. Cultures that sustain specific rituals in preparation for adulthood, marriages, harvest, and even death support the ideas that there are other possibilities of living than what is presented by the media and the population at large. And let’s consider instinctive trust. Sages often exhibit an enormous power for inner trust. They are often their own authority on a subject, but humble. They use past experiences to look for proven methods, reflect on terms of fulfillment for today’s satisfaction; and subsequently, can coordinate the action of others to ensure innovation and ultimate client satisfaction. Normally, they do not suffer a sacrifice of excellence for the sake of fulfillment; and do not suffer anxiety or stress if they have broken the invisible rules of a given group. And interestingly enough, they are competent and sincere in their social engagements. How do they tap their inner sageness?

    As each of us has talents that are unique and enduring, sages know their dynamics and continually develop them. They usually have a strong focus on their performance and standards of excellence rather than, trying to fit their talent into a specific stylistic mold. Additionally, they focus less on policy and procedure which could limit the remainder of us in our problem solving. They give considerable thought to the measurement of outcomes for the right solution to a problem; and concentrate on their strengths development without necessarily considering upward management promotion. Typically sages will ask themselves, “In my work setting, do I have the opportunity to practice my strengths while I can regularly learn new skills?”

    To tap the sage within you, ask yourself:

    • Are you aware of inner core values that help you specialize in the tasks of the world that others consider impossible?
    • With your values, do you embody the uniqueness to inspire and motivate others?
    • Do you recognize that you weren’t necessarily born lucky, but born with innate gifts that will carry you and others to action?
    • Are you criticized for asking others to focus on smaller details that could lead to a big vision, even though they can’t see it at that moment?
    • When was a time you were thrown some work assignment or responsibility that you really weren’t prepared for? How did you accomplish this assignment then and is any of that experience relevant today?
    • When was a time that you were prevented from doing the best job you could; or, completing a project; or, delivering the level of quality you expected of yourself? Was it an organizational constraint or larger than that?
    • If you are assessed as different from the corporate or work culture, can you capitalize on this difference as being an important element of your self-worth?
    • Are there obstacles to developing your personal drive and can you develop an action plan to achieve higher levels of skill? Or is the primary obstacle your own reluctance to progress?
    • Under what conditions do you do your very best work? Are they here at this company?

     

    “Learning sleeps and snores in libraries, but wisdom is everywhere, wide awake, on tiptoe.“
    Josh Billings

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  • Will Your Habits be Sustainable in 2022?

    Now that society at large has endured a terrible pandemic, many people are reviewing their professional and personal habits for 2022. Some of the older patterns will not serve us now and others may need some polish. Even many organizations are coordinating action for projects and goal achievement for the coming year.

    A superb example of resolve is Jessie Owens, winning 4 gold medals in the 1936 Olympics. Jesse was born in Alabama and his early life was marked by poverty. He was forced to take many menial jobs and working in a shoe repair shop. However, he was able to develop his passion for running and athletics; from an early age he was marked as having great potential talent. In later life he gave much credit to Charles Riley, his high school coach who encouraged him and made allowances for his difficulty in making evening training sessions because Jesse had to work. Jesse rose to national prominence in 1933, when he equaled the world record (9.4 seconds) for the 100-yard dash. He attended Ohio State University, but without a scholarship he had to continue working part time.

    Whether it is a personal goal or a specialized result as large as the Dept. Of Forestry’s tree planting program, what are the habits that nourish deterministic behavior? Reflect on the areas below and determine where you may need to cultivate your practices for determination:

    • Declare a commitment, not just an intention and build your life not just as an endless pursuit of activities. Intentions are very much like New Year resolutions. They possess great desire; although, they are never achieved. It’s not that they lack sincerity but are insufficient for coordinating action for yourself or others. Intention is not enough to change emotional and behavioral patterns either from an individual’s own belief system. Commitments are a crucial element of our lives in building and maintaining meaningful success in relationships, in business, in spiritual development and even, in physical health. Commitments are not only those made internally for imminent achievement; but, also for how we coordinate actions with others. Commitments involve passion and are made from deep concern or alarm. Remember that you are bigger than your job or your chosen profession. Shift your life to focus on something purposeful and meaningful to you, whether it’s reforestation, food harvesting or fundraising for natural disaster recovery. Connect in a deeper way to the world around you and those things you care about.
    • Don’t allow baggage from yesterday to creep into today’s efforts. Everyone has some history of relationships, failures, or even estranged family. When you are focusing on the goals of tomorrow, do not attach those stories to the discernment of how you will progress through the events of the present moment. What happened in the past has its place in the past, not today.
    • Whatever the goal, keep your focus on the bigger vision. What will change or be the benefits to a larger community could even be a legacy for you. Ask yourself what concept you want to prove or make clear about your concerns such as, demonstrating cultural inclusion or cooperating with other religious groups on holidays.
    • Change your relationship with time. Big visions and dreams require determination and perseverance as well as talent. When highway construction forced the closure of Colonel Sanders’ tiny restaurant inside a gas station, he drove around the southern states to other restaurants to cook chicken for them. Ultimately. news of the quality of the chicken spread to other restaurants enabling the Colonel to begin franchising, well after he was 40 years of age! Time becomes not as big an issue when the end result is a service to the community such as, the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute achieved a land lease that enabled the market vendors to set down roots; and secure a commercial selling locale for the first time in 35 years!
    • Associate with positive people, not the nay-sayers that say it can’t be done. Negative people will suck the life out of your ambitions and hopes. Start by engaging and building a substantial support community of like-minded friends and colleagues. As the late Christopher Reeve said, “So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable; and then when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.”
    • Practice gratitude for those that have helped you get to where you are today. Use reflection to appreciate the resources they provide, not what you may have lost along the journey. As someone with the early onset of Parkinson’s, Michael J. Fox has stated, “One’s dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but cannot be taken away unless it is surrendered.”

    When you need to re-enforce your habits for determination, ask yourself:

    • If your dream is a humanity ‘calling’ such as, organic food harvesting or companion service to shut-ins, what will be your routines to set resolve for yourself?
    • How often do you catch yourself just complaining or whining about your issues or goals? How can you begin to look at the world with curiosity and a renewed interest?
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  • How to be Fully Socially Engaged

    Now that many of us are coming back into their communities, folks are wondering how to be more socially engaged now. The quality of social interaction and the ability to control ‘fully engaged’ time is the promise for the future. Make it enjoyable and rewarding. To fully engage in renewing interactions with others, think about:

    • Individuals and their communities can re-evaluate previous resources into a creative space where no flawless solutions are presented. Think how our everyday world would be without WD-40. Norm Larsen originally designed it to repel water (water displacement) and prevent corrosion. Later it was found to have numerous households uses. Larsen was attempting to create a formula to prevent corrosion in nuclear missiles, by displacing standing water. Its name came from the first 39 formulas that were failures.
    • Communities should review the previous rules for eliminating distractions such as, distributing toys for tots or food to the needy. They often review the goals of the project before they begin the work at hand and reach agreement on how they will maintain concentration. Agreement can also include how emergencies or family incidents will be handled during the work period.
    • Working teams do not allow others to drain energy from their targeted goals. They recognize that collective negative moods can be ‘catching’; and they do not allow themselves to become passive victims of negative moods. Also, they do not participate in adversarial conversations. They know that dialogues such as these only cause others to become defensive, crushing further explorative processes.
    • It is not uncommon for teams to not hold back their emotional connectedness to any project. People become energized by the vital force each of them presents and what they will risk to realize final success.
    • Don’t hesitate to study past failures. With each failure teams gain priceless knowledge that will help them reassess what tools, delivery vehicles, or advisors that were not correct for the project in the past. Even the industry giant, Kraft Foods, is changing their powdered Kool-Aid mix to liquid form, keeping Kool-Aid as a viable contender in the marketplace. According to Paul J. H. Schoemaker, CEO of Decision Strategies International Inc., “People may fear failure, but they fear the consequences of it even more. The performance culture really is in deep conflict with the learning culture. It’s an unusual leader who can balance these.” Be that leader for your team.
    • Let yourself, and team leaders, listen, not just ‘hear’ the speculation in others. True listening gives others permission to question options, challenge opinions; and turn dilemmas into opportunities. When the fair practice of listening is in place, it is unsurprising that you will hear the heartfelt values of others.
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  • Are You an Innovative Leader?

    The future-focused leader is not driven by the ‘numbers’ in hiring, how many women, how many ethnic groups or just customer satisfaction surveys. The innovative or future-focused leader balances a broader range of stakeholders with ingenious methods.

    How can you and your team harness persistence and perseverance for innovative success? Consider using any or all of these as your foundation for action:

    • Team leaders are adaptable in analyzing the exact situation at the moment. They do not give in to the weakness of becoming angry about the current situation. They know that a positive presence is required to motivate the team members to do the impossible. Frequently, it is the leader that presents the team’s strategies to finance meetings or review boards explaining how they will overcome obstacles, making the case for more resources or time. That person is the champion of how to coordinate company tradeoffs and timelines.
    • Teams review their original idea and delivery dates to reassign tasks or pursue an entirely new direction. They determine what elements still have value and what facets need to change to deliver a new value structure. They do not use blame behavior or finger pointing in their assessments knowing that it is not a respectable use of energy. They have conversations that will be used for execution, not produce resignation.
    • Persistent teams do not allow others to drain energy from their targeted goals. They recognize that collective negative moods can be ‘catching’; and they do not allow themselves to become passive victims of unconstructive moods. Also, they do not engage in adversarial conversations. They know that dialogues such as these only cause others to become defensive, crushing further explorative processes.
    • Team members don’t hold back their emotional connectedness to the project. People become energized by the vital force each of them presents and what they will risk to realize final success. The actress today, Eva Longoria, is relying on her emotional intensity to fuel campaigns for racial justice and empowerment for women.

    Collaborative leaders leverage their teams for solutions as part of the decision-making process. An example is companies surveying their employees to ask them how they want to work post-Covid-19 rather than leaders simply dictating policy.

    As leaders, we are the stewards of our organizations, employees and stakeholders’ expectations. Consequently, we need to build imminent leadership mindsets and the necessary skills to lead in a manner that promotes success short- and long-term for our broad range of stakeholders.

    “Success isn’t something you chase. It’s something you have to put forth the effort for constantly. Then maybe it’ll come when you least expect it. Most people don’t understand that.”

    Michael Jordan

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