Leadership Beyond Limits - Blog

Why Leaders are Trusted

2011-11-08T07:31:00.001-05:00

It can be easy to overlook the power of trust and the simple ways it is established. I was reminded of this by a recent post from Leadership Moments, a newsletter put out by Beth Flynn over at the Ohio State University Leadership Center. I am republishing a portion below. If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter, follow the link at the bottom. Enjoy.

"General Dwight David Eisenhower did the impossible. No, not the successful and history-changing D-Day landing per se. Nor the subsequent march to Germany. His "impossible dream" - come true - was to keep the Yanks and Brits from annihilating each other long enough to hit the beach and get on with the real job at hand!

Turns out General Eisenhower, most keen professional observers agree, had a "secret," which he in fact understood:

"Allied commands depend on mutual confidence, this confidence is gained, above all, through the development of friendships."

Armchair General magazine (May 2008) traces the origins of this most pronounced of Eisenhower's leadership traits: "Perhaps his most outstanding ability [at West Point, decades before D-Day] was the ease with which he made friends and earned the trust of fellow cadets who came from widely varied backgrounds; it was a quality that would pay great dividends during his future coalition command (Peters, p. 95)."

From: Peters, T. (2010). The little big things: 163 ways to pursue excellence. New York: Harper Studio

OSU Leadership Center
http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu

The Effects of Gender on Leadership Style

2011-08-30T15:27:00.001-04:00

In 2010, my colleagues at the Barrett Values Centre drew data from 100 Barrett Values Centre Leadership Values Assessments, a 360-degree leadership development tool, to examine the perceived differences among leaders based on their personal entropy (degree of dysfunction). They recently revisited that data to compare the overall results by gender. They looked at the top values, strengths and areas for improvement that were chosen most frequently by leaders’ assessors. Note that strengths and areas for improvement are submitted as free responses. They found that there are significant differences among male and female leaders that follow gender stereotypes.

The study concludes that despite the progress made over the years to chip away at the glass ceiling, stagnant growth in numbers was found in women corporate officer and top earner positions in the Fortune 500. They surmise that women who do find themselves in leadership roles tend to be unjustly measured in their abilities due to the continued presence of gender differences. “Current models of leadership and leadership development cannot be applied to males and females in the same way. The research in organizational settings should focus on understanding the ways of ‘becoming’ and ‘being’ for males and females in order to identify strategies for each gender in terms of understanding what it means to be a successful manager from each perspective.”

There is growing acknowledgement that the more relationship-centered approach commonly displayed by women may be a more effective way to manage others. Additionally, researchers believe that embracing gender differences among leaders may be the path to success for many organisations. “Companies that are able to harness the strengths of both sexes may be said to be gender ‘bilingual’ rather than gender neutral. Organizations with gender diversity at the top are more successful than others and will find their way out of the current economic crisis into sustainable profitability.”

Their investigation of leadership behaviours based on gender concludes that, while there are similarities among male and female leaders, the differences demonstrated are significant and appear to be tied to biology and the socialization males and females receive during upbringing. As a result, it seems paramount to support leaders of both genders in ways that legitimately take into account both their similarities and their differences. For the complete paper, visit: http://www.valuescentre.com/uploads/2011-08-30/Understanding%20the%20Battle%20of%20the%20Sexes.pdf

Love, Fear and the Destiny of Nations

2011-08-25T10:22:00.000-04:00

In national values assessments across the globe, people profess to holding values such as "trust" and "accountability" as their core personal values. How then can we live our personal values on a national scale, exhibiting them to the world through our actions? Our research clearly indicates that fear continues to rule. According to the 2011 US National Assessment, Americans are focused primarily on "blame", on placing fault with others for a lack of progress and cohesion. The political system has stagnated because leaders fail to put aside personal fears and act for the greater good. Polarized political parties cannot agree on what to do, and people do not believe they can count on leaders to act with integrity. It seems American leaders can come together to avert crisis, we have witnessed it time and time again. Yet once the imminent threat has passed, it is back to partisan politics as usual.

As often happens, the antidote can be found among the Desired Culture values. When asked what values Americans would like to see exhibited in the nation, "accountability" is the top request and exceeds votes for any other value.

So, how does a nation move from "blame" to "accountability?" Values-based leadership is helping to create answers in Iceland. As this nation seeks new approaches for dealing with the economic collapse of 2008, they have turned to the values requested by citizens as a foundation upon which to build their future. Iceland is adapting the constitution based on the feedback from the values assessment and is creating online social networking to encourage civic engagement. More than 1,000 citizens from voter registrations are working to help the government rebuild a values-driven nation.

In Trinidad and Tobago, Bernard Marshall, a police officer and CEO of Strictly Kingdom NGO, has launched a national cultural transformation initiative entitled, "Change our World." Marshall has a powerful motivation for conducting a national values survey:

"The programme we are looking at is to provide a road map...to avoid the revolution and perpetuate a transformation...to prove that change is possible...to initiate national transformation beginning with the leadership from all spheres... At the completion of the symposium participants must at least recognise that there is hope and that we have the capacity, potential and resources to make Trinidad and Tobago a better place for the generations to come."

Indeed, we all have the potential. The call for values-based leadership is emerging in our nations, in our world. It is up to us to respond.

In his upcoming book, Love, Fear and the Destiny of Nations, Richard Barrett explores the quality of democracy from a values perspective, examining values such as "freedom", "justice", "openness", and "equality" and how well these values are exhibited and experienced in nations around the world.

To lend your voice to the Quality of Democracy study, click here.

username: democracy

password: values

Employee engagement through leadership development

2011-07-25T12:30:00.002-04:00

Our global leadership crisis has me thinking about the need to develop the leader inside each and every one of us. Leadership development is often reserved for our "best and brightest", the people that have been identified as "high-potential" performers. This practice and philosophy has surely contributed to the widespread state of inept governance and corporate corruption we see in headlines across the globe. If we can no longer count on our best and brightest to lead, perhaps it's time to to consider a new approach.

The unprecedented, exponential pace of global change demands a new vision of everyone as leader. A Japanese proverb advises: "None of us is as smart as all of us." and there is not a single person I can think of who I would not benefit from leadership development- particularly in the crucial skills of "leading self". This approach also has the added benefit of increasing employee engagement. Investing in the development of people has a multiplier effect on desired performance.

It is important to note that the cost of providing development opportunities has dropped dramatically. Thanks to technology, the cost of high-quality self-development programs are now within the reach of any organization. Take for example the leadership learning system recently created by Richard Barrett. The New Leadership Paradigm training program is a state-of-the-art leadership development learning system based on evolutionary principles. The system is flexible, customizable, and comprehensive. It provides for both emergent and structured learning in a self-managed or facilitated learning environment. The training program is comprised of four learning modules: 1. Leading self 2. Leading a team 3. Leading an organisation 4. Leading in society

The New Leadership Paradigm web site and learning materials are updated on a regular basis based on feedback and suggestions from users and facilitators of the learning system. It is a collective, collaborative, and evolutionary learning venture that can deliver cost-effective leadership training to everyone in your organization.

While it makes sense to limit participation in module 3 and 4 to your high-potentials and high-performers, it makes equal sense to offer modules 1 and 2 to everyone in your organization. Everyone can benefit from more focus and development in the areas of personal mastery and teamwork.

This time of great change calls for each of us to step up to greater personal mastery and a greater appreciation of what we can accomplish as leaders and members of teams. After all, none of us is as smart as all of us.

New Research on "Selling Green" to Skeptical Audiences

2011-06-13T12:04:00.001-04:00

As a follow-up to my May 14 blog post, my friend John Marshall Roberts has published new research with the Shelton Group that “cracks the code” on the green marketing conundrum: How do you overcome cynicism and skepticism to persuade consumers to buy sustainable products?

The research distinguishes three kinds of environmental skeptics and suggests a number of ways to reach them. Among the recommendations:

If possible, disarm the skeptics by showing you understand that they view the green movement as a scam.
Suggest that China is beating the U.S. in sustainability (or, conversely, that China doesn’t want U.S. consumers to be sustainable)
Focus on purity -- the lack of toxins and pollution created by your green products.
Avoid discussing global warming at all costs.

For the full article check out the BusinessWire:

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110608005462/en/Researchers-Crack-Code-Persuading-Skeptical-Cynical-Consumers

Leadership and Cultural Transformation: Evolutionary Road Maps

2011-06-06T11:45:00.003-04:00

Workplaces transform when leaders transform. But how do you inspire transformation? Is there a road map?

There is ample evidence that people and collectives (such as workplaces) develop along an evolutionary continuum. Knowing how this happens is essential whether you are developing leaders or workplace cultures. It is much easier to find the next step for your own development or that of your organization and its leaders if you can determine where you are on the evolutionary development scale. While there are many evolutionary maturity models for personal and organizational development, they all point to similar findings. When you lay the well-researched models next to each other, you can't help but be struck by the similarities. Check out these resources and see if you agree.

Spiral Dynamics is a powerful model and predictive theory of human development and cultural evolution. For a primer on this look at the evolution of leadership consciousness and worldviews, visit EnlightenNext and read “The Never-Ending Quest Upward”. This work is based on exhaustive research originally conducted by Clare W. Graves.

My favorite application of this model is for designing communication strategies to appeal to the various worldviews. My friend John Marshall Roberts explains this clearly, focusing on how to break through the various filters that people use to judge if a change being proposed is “good” or “bad” according to their worldview. His book can be found here, and he has a new online training program on the topic of building empathy here.

Richard Barrett uses a model developed from the later work of Abraham Maslow. His Cultural Transformation Tools can measure the overall culture of an organization as well as the specific leadership values of leaders. Barrett’s seven level maturity model is the basis of organizational culture change around the world. His organization has even started measuring the values of nations. We highly recommend using these tools as a values lens on employee engagement and workplace cultural health.

Several other recent books on corporate culture and leadership development find similar evolutionary maturity models at work. Tribal Leadership is another look at stages of consciousness through the lens of language & relationships. Easy to read and very accessible, the book offers practical tips on language and behaviors to support transformation up the various stage levels.

A complementary evolutionary model is also offered in the business best-selling book Leadership Agility: Five Levels of Mastery for Anticipating and Initiating Change.

The research is compelling, and while the models may differ slightly in how they slice and dice the evolutionary levels, any review of the above materials will reveal a maturity model that moves from foundational levels of survival and personal achievement to one that embraces teamwork, collaboration and goals for the common good. Put simply, each of these models shows that personal and organizational maturity is a shift from a focus on “me” to a focus on “we”.

Using “Social Proof” to Sell Sustainability

2011-05-14T09:47:00.000-04:00

John Roberts is a brilliant communicator and author of the book: "Igniting Inspiration, A Persuasion Manual for Visionaries." His recent blog post gives a practical 6-step process for delivering convincing ‘social proof’ for the urgency of sustainable behavior among a mass of mainstream folks who, as of yet, have very few socially similar role models. The answer: Applied Empathy.

Step 1: Clearly define the target behaviors and determine target audience baseline

Step 2: Take time to find out where your audience lives

Step 3: Discover their preferred ‘cues’ for determining social proof

Step 4: Turn audience insights into behavior change strategies

Step 5: Create and deliver social proof

Step 6: Measure, Revise, Repeat.

You can read the full post here to get some great ideas on how to ignite inspiration for the changes you want to create in the world.

Open Your Heart, Bring Your Love and Smile Today!

2011-04-21T11:33:00.000-04:00

I love this new music video. Watch and put a smile on your face. It's contagious!

The leaders daily practice

2011-03-23T08:13:00.007-04:00

It's no secret that the best leaders are a self-disciplined bunch. As Richard Barrett points out in "The New Leadership Paradigm", leading self or self-mastery is the first skill of all leaders. And the very best leaders make self-development and self-mastery a life-long learning project. Patricia Aburdene, author of "MegaTrends 2010" agrees, stating: "The cornerstone of effective leadership is self-mastery... And the surest route to self-mastery is spiritual practice. Time spent in peaceful reflection or mindful meditation clarifies thought, sharpens intuition and curbs unhealthy instincts. Spirituality, it turns out, is a lot more practical than most of us ever thought."

I have two practices that I try to make time for everyday, and also recommend to all of my executive coaching clients. The first is daily meditation, the second is a daily check-in with what I affectionately refer to as my inner wisdom advisory council.
Meditation is a wonderful stress reliever for the busy executive. It can also be very convenient, since you can do it anytime you find yourself with 10 minutes or more of down-time. While I have great admiration for people who find the time for robust practices such as yoga or tai-chi, I prefer a decidedly westernized version of meditation. Research into the neuroscience of leadership has led to new technology that combines breakthoughs in positive psychology and brain entrainment that allows anyone to achieve the benefits of deep meditation in as little as 30 minutes a day. My i-phone holds a complete set of short programs from 10 to 40 minutes in length that consistently gets me into state of deep relaxation and focus. It is a great way to fit my self-mastery exercises in while flying on a plane, riding the subway or cab, or waiting for an appointment. If I don't have sufficient wait-time on any given day, I listen either upon waking or right before going to sleep. Since 30 minutes of deep meditation in a theta or gamma wave brain state is equivalent to several hours sleep, I have more energy and stamina even on my busiest days.

The other thing I do everyday is check in with my inner wisdom advisory council. Using a process I teach to all of my coaching clients, I have a dialog with my parts and trusted source. First invented by the great psychologist Carl Jung, active imagination dialog is the best and easiest way I have found to exercise my intuition and develop my inner wisdom. Harnessing the wisdom of our inner voices is crucial to developing the ease with uncertainty that is a hallmark of the great leaders. This is especially true of entrepreneurs who work very hard at developing their gut instincts to help with decision making. Developing intuition easier than you might think. Again, Richard Barrett has a useful model that outlines how the most evolved leaders make decisions from values, intuition and inspiration. If you want to read more about this powerful and simple practice, check out the book "True Purpose" by Tim Kelley.

Whatever daily practices you choose, choose them wisely. It just might be the difference that takes you from a being a good leader to a great leader!

50 Excellent Lectures for the Small Business Owner

2011-01-18T09:04:00.000-05:00

A colleague recently wrote to share that a new online compilation of business school quality lectures has been posted at bschool.com. I have not had tie to review them all yet, but noticed that several in the list of 50 included some of the very best videos I have seen on TED. Other featured videos come from the best business minds at leading universities such as MIT.

I recommend you visit the site and bookmark it for future reference:
http://www.bschool.com/blog/2011/50-excellent-lectures-for-the-small-business-owner/

As I browsed the titles, I was drawn to review one I haven't seen yet just to make sure the quality was as good as the ones I was familiar with. I wasn't disappointed.

The video by futurist Gerd Leonhard was brilliant: Find out why ego doesn't have a place in business anymore, and what that means for your business plan The current shift from ego-systems to eco-systems is both clever and informative and definitely worth 20 minutes of your time if you want to see where our economy is going and what it means to the success of your business. Many thanks to bschool.com for compiling some of the best business lectures on the web in one convenient location.

I live in Gratitude...

2010-11-25T06:47:00.000-05:00

For all that I have given

and for all that I have received.

For the beauty in my life

and for the sorrows I have known.

For the challenges I've faced

and for just how far I've come.

For my courage and my gifts

and for the wisdom I've acquired.

For the journey and experience

and for the kindness on the way.

For my dreams and desires

and for the trust that I have learned.

For the joy and inspiration

and for my purpose, newly found.

For the miracles unfolding

and for what tomorrow holds.

For all the love I've known

and for that I've yet to give.

For my friends, my home, and family

and for the time to find myself.

For abundance and simplicity

and for the grace and opportunity.

For the chance to make a difference

and for the faith to know I will.

D.D. Watkins

Happy Thanksgiving!

Agile Leaders Do Not Resort to False Strength

2010-10-19T08:47:00.005-04:00

The world desperately needs a new type of leadership. The time of heroic trailblazing based on sheer strength of will and personal achievement is long past. Yet much of our American success story remains stuck in the "winning isn't everything, it's the only thing" thinking. Guy Finley wrote about this recently as a distinction between leaders with real strength as opposed to false strength:
"Most people want very much to be strong, but they do not seem to be able to find the real strength they yearn for. Instead, they find qualities that pass themselves off as strength, but secretly leave them feeling weak. Here are some examples of false strength:
- lashing out in anger when frustrated
- demanding that we are right
- blaming someone else for causing the problem
- being loud and intimidating, or cold and critical
- feeling confident because of any contrived appearance

By contrast, here are some examples of real strength:
- remaining calm in a crisis
- never feeling the need to prove ourselves to anyone
- seeking to solve the problem rather than placing blame
- enjoying self-command regardless of uncertain circumstances
- seeing all setbacks as necessary steps to higher success"

In this fast-paced, ever changing, globally connected world, we desperately need agile leaders with real strength. For a reading list of books to help develop your agile leadership strength, visit: http://bit.ly/9sBGnD

7 Questions, a Drawing and a Prayer for Leaders

2010-09-29T09:35:00.005-04:00

I recently had the honor of facilitating a leading edge cafe discussion table at the Barrett Values Centre International Conference. Our table topic was our personal leading edge for level 7 values. If you are not familiar with the Barrett values model, level 7 represents the highest spiritual values of humanity; such things as wisdom, ease with uncertainty, ethics and future generations. My task was to distill 3 major themes that came out of our discussions. Well, spirit cannot be contained nor neatly summed up, so instead we offered our fellow conference attendees 7 questions, a drawing and a prayer.

The drawing was the work of Tom Boardman, a wonderful leader and the former CEO of Nedbank South Africa. Tom turned the Barrett model in on itself, offering a spiral rather than the traditional hierarchy of levels, noting that all value levels are present at all times and a true leader knows how to seamlessly shift to what is present and needed in the moment. Below are the seven questions and the prayer.

Who am I?
Where do I stand?
Can I express in fearless humility the beauty, peace and love I wish to be and truly am?
Can I mirror the wisdom of All-That-Is back to itself?
How do I call to and inspire my fellow beings to their highest self?
How do I learn and listen to reveal what is next?
Can I play in the spiral of consciousness to serve the planet, humanity and future generations?

The level 7 leaders prayer:
May the pain of playing small
inspire me to fearlessly express
who I really am
To boldly proclaim
This is where I stand
and to humbly ask
How may I serve?

Embracing Ease With Uncertainty

2010-09-13T12:20:00.000-04:00

I was talking to a friend and mentor today who was frustrated with the upheaval in our economy and how nothing seems to be working the way it used to. Business deals seem to take longer to come to fruition and opportunities can seem to fade away as fast as they appeared. Nothing seems stable and everything seems harder than it used to be.

There is mounting evidence that the institutions we have come to rely upon are crumbling as humanity undergoes a consciousness evolution unlike any that has come before. For business, this is the shift from a sole focus on profits to a focus that recognizes profits really flow from a focus on higher values that include people, the planet and our shared purpose. Put another way, this is a shift from a consciousness of power to a consciousness of ethics.

This is a radical shift, one that is very difficult for those of us raised in cultures that celebrate personal achievement where winning isn't everything, it's the only thing. There is good news in all of this. Companies that are early adopters of this shift have produced consistently superior results. For example, the LAMP index, created by investment advisor and author Jay Bragdon (Profit for Life), is rigorously screened to include companies that operate with integrity (where the means align with ends), value their employees, and follow the principles of nature. Over the past decade, Global LAMP Index companies returned 98.03 percent, while other benchmark companies collectively lost money.

As we collectively learn how to operate in this new environment, I personally find it helpful to cultivate "ease with uncertainty" as a personal value. There is no evidence that things are ever going to "return to normal" - to a place of comfort and security that we imagined we held in our past. The pace of change and globalization is not going to slow down. We must evolve and adapt because our world is evolving and adapting all around us. A shift in our thinking is required to match the pace of this evolution. As leaders, we must model that shift and I know of no better way than to express ease with uncertainty. As our institutions continue to crumble around us, we can be alert to the new opportunites that flow from this global shift in consciouness. It is through our ease with uncertainty that we are likely to find our own best path forward.

For an excellent article further clarifying this shift, see: "The Evolutionary Imperative for Business".

Finding Your Juice

2010-09-10T08:45:00.000-04:00

One of the keys to success in life is finding and living your passion. That can be tough in an adult world filled with constant change and uncertainty. But sometimes, we can rediscover our passion from the example of a little kid. Check out this 3 minute YouTube video and see if it helps you live your passion just a little bit more today.

If you want to live a life filled with passion everyday, you are well served to learn your specific purpose in life. Find out how here.

Have a passionate, purpose-filled day!

What Will be Your Legacy- part 2

2010-09-09T14:39:00.000-04:00

After a couple of solid years of regular blogging, my posts have become infrequent due to a personal decision to take care of my sick mother. This was a full-time commitment that took up most of my time for nearly a year. I was able to continue my growth and learning during this time, and I am excited now to return to full-time pursuit of my dual missions:

1. To make the quadruple bottom-line of People, Planet, Profits and Purpose the common measure of business success.
and
2. To help leaders discover and express their deepest values, signature strengths and highest purpose.

I look forward to sharing inspiring ideas to co-create this world so badly in need of values-driven leaders who share this vision of business as an agent of world benefit.

How long will you put off what you are dying to do?

2010-05-13T14:18:00.000-04:00

I get a daily email from Neale Donald Walsch, author of the best-selling "Conversations with God" series. Today's email was just too good not to share:

"God wants you to know that money is not the issue. Having the courage to give your highest gift is the issue.

There is no security in doing something for a living when you are dying inside while doing it. That is taking care of the body at the expense of the soul. And a withering soul cannot help but produce a withering body. So do not think you are "taking care of yourself" by killing your spirit to keep your body alive.

How long will you put off what you are dying to do?"

You can sign up for this daily email here:
http://www.nealedonaldwalsch.com/index.php?p=Resources

This blog has moved

2010-03-31T15:47:00.001-04:00

This blog is now located at http://leadershipbeyondlimits.blogspot.com/.
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What Will be Your Legacy?

2010-03-31T14:44:00.002-04:00

I just wrote my Mom's eulogy so I have spent the last several days contemplating her legacy. It made me realize the true value of keeping legacy in mind every day- for each decision, each action, each time we interact with one another. It can be easy to lose sight of these truly important things in our fast-changing and complex world.

What will be your legacy? Mom was a teacher and grade-school librarian so her legacy was much more far-reaching than her immediate family and friends. One thing was clear to anyone whose life she touched, she always gave her best and expected the same of those she loved, cared about and watched over. Her grade-school students not only learned proper grammar and how to write a paper, they also learned discipline and respectful behavior. They learned to always do your best, try your hardest and make someone you love and respect proud. Those lessons are her enduring legacy, and for that I will always be grateful. I imagine the same is true for her students.

As a leader, what will your legacy be?

Thinking Happy Thoughts at Work a Joke?

2010-02-28T21:26:00.005-05:00

The Wall Street Journal ran an article titled Thinking Happy Thoughts at Work on January 27th. Reading the title alone, one might assume that the author, Sue Shellenbarger, sought to trivialize the Positive Psychology movement afoot in corporate America. But while Shellenbarger commented that “critics see Positive Psychology as a way for companies to improve morale while they continue to burden employees with the threat of layoffs and an ever increasing workload,” she then offered numerous reasons why the movement should be taken seriously.

Employee morale statistics have plummeted to record breaking lows in the wake of the economic downturn and massive layoffs. Practicing the tenants of Positive Psychology will not only support the enhancement of employee morale, but also support the resilience of the organization. Research has revealed that employees who are experiencing positive emotions are more creative, flexible and innovative. They are better able to see the big picture and are better corporate citizens.

The practice supports employees in focusing on what they can control versus things outside their control. Practitioners are encouraged to look for the silver-lining in events they might at one time have labeled as negative. Companies involved in the movement are creating change by focusing on what they want to create versus focusing on a problem.

The article provides testimony from employers who claim to have recognized greater resilience in their organizations due to the support of coaches and trainers who use Positive Psychology as the foundation for their work. The skills taught through the movement make employees and organizations better able to handle the natural ups and downs of corporate life.

Re-Engage: How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times

2010-02-15T09:59:00.003-05:00

Join Us for a Free Webinar on February 17

Re-Engage, written by Leigh Branham and Mark Hirschfeld in collaboration with Quantum Workplace, is the culmination of several years of research into the elements that create great workplaces. In this webinar Leigh and Mark will summarize their findings into what creates a highly engaged workplace. They'll:

Offer new insights into leadership
Discuss the role of employee benefits
Define other "drivers" of employee engagement

Mark Hirschfeld has 20 years of experience in organizational consulting, executive coaching and development, business marketing and management. He consults with professionals globally, providing services in employee selection, management development, team building and surveying.

Leigh Branham has 30 years of experience in business, education and management consulting. Leigh is an author of three best-selling books; Keeping the People Who Keep You in Business,The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave, and co-author of Re-Engage.

Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/517876226

Wednesday Feb 17
10:00-11:00am CST

Employee Engagement for Managers- In One Sentence!

2010-01-21T17:31:00.001-05:00

The Employee Engagement Network, hosted by David Zinger, just released a new e-book titled: "Employee Engagement- Powerful Sentences of Advice for Managers". Over 100 experts on employee engagement, including yours truly, contributed the one most importance sentence of advice they have for managers who want to improve the engagement of their employees.

While one sentence of advice can hardly cover the complexities of the topic, I found it an interesting challenge. Here's what I wrote: "Engagement is about capturing the hearts and minds of your team, open your heart and show you believe in them and truly care about them as people and they will move mountains."

Let's face it, most managers have little control of the over-arching factors that have a significant effect on employee engagement. They typically have little influence in shaping the vision and values of the company, the behavior and communication practices of the top leaders, or employee benefits and development budgets within their organization. Yet great leaders can thrive in almost any circumstance, and great supervisors or managers can inspire employee engagement and loyalty, often notwithstanding what is going on in the larger organizational culture.

Have you ever been lucky enough to work for a manager whose belief in you and in the co-workers on your team was absolute and unshakable, who consistently and open-heartedly demonstrated their concern for each you as unique and valuable individuals? Unfortunately, it is rare. Too rare. While I have had some great bosses over my career, I can't honestly say that I have ever experienced that level of leadership excellence.

I have seen examples of it though. I remember seeing a speech by the great coach Jimmy Valvano, head coach at North Carolina when his underdog team upset a vastly more talented Houston team for the NCAA championship in 1983. When asked about the secret to motivating a team to succeed despite insurmountable odds, he would point to the magic of really believing in his people. He often believed in his people more than they believed in themselves, and that unshakable belief is what made his team overcome the odds. Coach Valvano was a man who lived with an open-heart, someone who loved and cared deeply for the people in his work life as well as his family life.

Most of us save our love for family and a few close friends. Maybe that's why it is so unusual to find managers who care deeply about their people as people. The old adage "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." has been attributed to many authors and has been used in many professions. If you are a mid-level or front-line manager in a larger organization, it is the single most effective way to improve employee engagement on your team. It also happens to be the most rewarding and way to live your life.

Visit http://www.jimmyv.org/ for more open-hearted inspiration. Then download a no cost copy of the e-book for 100 more great one sentence ideas to improve employee engagement.
http://www.davidzinger.com/wp-content/uploads/Employee-Engagement-Manager-Free-Ebook.pdf

Make 2010 a Year of Appreciative Inquiry

2009-12-31T12:17:00.000-05:00

As I contemplate resolutions for the coming year, I can think of nothing better than to commit to the over-riding goal of making 2010 a year of appreciative inquiry. I resolve to look for moments in which I am performing at my best, and to cultivate more of those moments.

This is top of mind since we recently completed an employee engagement project for a client where they identified this same focus as the obvious next step in developing self-directed collaborative teams. The power of this approach is apparent in it's contrast to the traditional problem-focused gap analysis perspective so common in traditional management philosophy.

The shift is simple, but not easy. Individuals and organizations have been steeped in approaching problem-solving from a "what's missing" perspective for so long that our natural inclination is to try to "fix" what's wrong rather than build on what's right.

If you are interested in making 2010 a year to focus and build upon what's right, I recommend that you consider adopting the appreciative inquiry approach. An excellent introduction to Apprecitive Inquiry can be found in Sue Annis Hammond's Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry, (2nd edition). We often recommend it as a great way to introduce leaders and managers to a new way of approaching organizational change and problem solving.

I am so looking forward to finding the best in 2010! Won't you join me?
Happy New Year!
Tom Rausch
Leadership Beyond Limits

Employee Engagement Crisis Worsens in US

2009-11-18T10:20:00.004-05:00

Right Management, a ManPower Company. surveyed more than 900 workers in North America and asked: Do you plan to pursue new job opportunities as the economy improves in 2010? The results were shocking:
--60% - Yes, I intend to leave
--21% - Maybe, so I'm networking
--6% - Not likely, but I've updated my resume
--13% - No, I intend to stay

It is obvious that too many employers neglected employee needs in dealing with the economic downturn. However, there are 5 areas employers can address to mitigate this negative impact on employee engagement:

#1: While the future might look grim in the eyes of some employers, employees
at other companies are working hand-in-hand with their supervisors to create a
positive future for the company.

#2: While some employers are hiding bad news from their employees, other
companies are keeping their employees informed and updated, even if the
news isn’t always good.

#3: While some employers are cutting jobs or scaling back on promotions, other
employers are helping their associates see opportunity in the midst of the crisis
for their own growth and development.

#4: While some employers may be instituting hiring freezes and cutting back on
perks, others will continue to find ways to reward those who are taking care of
customers and keep them coming back.

#5: While some employers are scaling back employee benefits, others are
committed to helping maintain the health and vitality of those who work for
them.

For details on how some employers are actually beating the odds and holding the line or increasing employee engagement see: http://www.leadershipbeyondlimits.com/2009/01/how-to-gain-ground-in-economic-downturn.html

Are You A Dream Manager?

2009-10-29T17:07:00.005-04:00

I recently read a book called The Dream Manager by Matthew Kelly. The book is based on a fictional tale of the leadership of a janitorial services company reviving the organization. The secret to their success was engaging their employees by investing in the employee's personal dreams.

The Dream Manager concept suggests that employees should be encouraged to identify their dreams, which might fall in any of 12 categories: physical, emotional, material, intellectual, spiritual, psychological, professional, finanical, creative, adventure, character and legacy. A Dream Manger will coach an employee through the attainment of his/her dreams.

One organization that I am affiliated with has adopted the Dream Manager concept. They have formed small groups where employees can identify and share their dreams and support each other in bringing them to life. One group member has not only achieved his dream of jumping from an airplane, which his leader did with him; but he has also published two books. He credits the support and inspiration of his employer for his achievements and he is truly engaged.

The three components of employee engagement are 1)stay - employees wouldn't think of leaving the organization 2)say - employees will communicate positive things about your company and 3) strive - employees will go the extra mile for the organization. Whether you go to the extent of becoming a Dream Manager or choose other ways of investing in your employees, one thing is clear; making a personal investment in your employees ensures they will make a personal investment in your organization.

Employee Engagement Falls Off the Cliff

2009-09-30T14:20:00.002-04:00

Back in January of this year we posted in this blog about the apparent effect of the economic downturn on employee engagement. Our engagement measurement parter, Quantum Workplace, had seen some early warning signs of the negative impact and were some of the first to report on this disturbing trend.

Well, the early warning signs have proven to be worse than anyone would have predicted. After all, for years, employee engagement scores have been slowly trending up. Even with the recent recession, many were predicting only a flattening of engagement- after all people should be thankful they remain employed and stay engaged and hard-working to make sure they don't end up on the employment line.

A recently published study by Watson and Wyatt and WorldatWork show us clearly how bad things have gotten. They have reported the single largest drop in reported employee engagement scores in the short history that these scores have been tracked. In their study, overall employee engagement has dropped 9% year over year. Most alarmingly, top performers showed the most dramatic drops, with scores 20 -40% lower on questions regarding their faith in senior management and their opinion of their employers recent changes to pay and benefits and the effects on productivity and customer service.

For details on the new survey findings, visit: watsonwyatt.com/StrategicRewards2009

For information on the 5 strategies you can adopt now to avoid this alarming trend, visit our January blog post: http://www.leadershipbeyondlimits.com/2009/01/how-to-gain-ground-in-economic-downturn.html Here you will find a link to a webinar and whitepaper that outlines how smart organizations are bucking this negative trend.

Appreciative Inquiry Empowers Cleveland

2009-08-24T07:38:00.003-04:00

I had the privilege of participating in the City of Cleveland's Appreciative Inquiry Summit held August 12-14. The Summit was titled Sustainable Cleveland 2019: Building an Economic Engine to Empower a Green City on a Blue Lake. This title might feel like a stretch, if you noticed that Cleveland was on Forbes Magazine's 2008 list of "The Top 10 Fastest Dying Cities." However, as a participant the dream became very real.

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a philosophy and a positive change methodology developed in the early 1980's by Case Western Reserve University PhD candidate David Cooperrider and his advisor Suresh Srivastva. Today Dr. Cooperrider uses the methodology to spread positive change all over the world, including the United Nations.

The Summit was sponsored by the City of Cleveland's Mayor Frank Jackson, who fully participated in the three day event. Summit planners had hoped to attract 500 diverse stakeholders to participate. The end state dream of "A Green City by a Blue Lake" was so compelling that 700 people filled the Cleveland Convention Center to work through the process of making this dream a reality.

A cadre of influential speakers, including Van Jones from the White House, inspired the group. Ray Anderson, CEO of Interface, a petroleum based carpet manufacturer, spoke of his company's commitment to "zero carbon footprint by 2020." The promise that Anderson brought was that you can truly "do well by doing good." As of 2008, Interface has reduced its carbon footprint by 60% and has experienced a sales increase of 60%. Anderson suggests that "creativity comes when an organization sets its vision so high it takes people's breath away."

The Green City by Blue Lake dream obviously took Cleveland's breath away, because by the end of the Summit, the Mayor's Office of Sustainability left with 20 action plans to make the dream a reality and volunteers signed up to work on each plan.

It's clear to me that the AI process works for companies, organizations and cities alike - any group with invested stakeholders.

Good luck Cleveland. I'm rooting for you!

Wal-Mart Gets Behind the Planet

2009-07-16T14:00:00.004-04:00

Esteemed Harvard professor Roasabeth Moss Kanter recently published an article lauding Wal-Mart's newest environmental initiative, saying: "This is one small step for Wal-Mart and one giant leap for Planet Earth." You can read the article here at Bloomberg.com.

This would seem to establish Wal-Mart as a leader in two of the "4 P's" of corporate social responsibility. They have long held a firm grip on "profit" and now seem intent on getting very serious about "planet".

Let's hope this is a signal that they will soon consider leadership in the the other two p's of corporate social responsibility- people and purpose.

You may already know about Wal-Mart Watch (http://walmartwatch.com/), launched in 2005 as a nationwide public education campaign to challenge the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart, to become a better employer, neighbor, and corporate citizen.

"People issues" still dog Wal-Mart, particularly in the area of providing quality health care to employees and labor relations in general. "Purpose issues" also linger, with many still questioning the values and integrity of company leadership.

Overall, I am thrilled to see Wal-Mart stepping up their commitment to a sustainable planet, and hope that they will continue to make strides by embracing people and purpose in addition to profit and planet when they measure their bottom line.

Re-humanizing business with social media

2009-06-11T08:41:00.005-04:00

Social networking tools like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook etc. are re-humanizing business. That was my biggest take-away from from the Ohio Growth Summit 2009 which had an entire track devoted to social media for business.

I must admit I was surprised. Although I have been pretty active on LinkedIn for some time: http://www.linkedin.com/in/tomrausch I am only just getting active on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tcrausch and I just recently updated a long-neglected Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1522495234&ref=name However, I hadn't really put together the idea that all this technology was re-humanizing business.

A recurring theme of the sessions was how most businesses don't "get" the potential power of these tools. I certainly only had a glimpse of their full power prior to hearing from some people who have really leveraged these communication platforms. People are making important connections using these tools. They are also doing "hard business". They are finding new clients and distribution channels. They are recruiting the best and brightest of the next generation of employees. They are building cultural capital and high employee engagement cultures by encouraging the use of social networking by their employees. The social media-savvy business still seems to be the exception though.

Many organizations remain too rigid and hierarchical to embrace these tools. There is the great and pervasive fear of losing control- an illusion to which many still cling. There is also the popular and hard to refute personal reason for not playing the new social media game: I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YET ANOTHER THING ON MY TO-DO LIST!

Well, this world just keeps spinning faster and it turns out that it only takes a little bit of strategic focus to get these powerful tools working to re-humanize your business. Here are some simple ideas to consider:

1. Encourage your new business development/sales & marketing folks to learn what the experts on LinkedIn are doing.
2. Get your tech folks and HR team together to explore how you can best use the tools your employees are already using to build a stronger culture.
3. Get your customer service folks to start "listening" with the tools and then figure out how to actively engage the conversations already happening about you.
4. Have your leaders start blogging- for the team or for the public or both.

Chances are, with a little strategic effort, you will find these tools will begin to re-humanize your business too!

RIF Recovery: Healing, hope and health

2009-05-07T12:40:00.004-04:00

A new study by Leadership IQ reveals the glaring truth about the reduction-in-force aftermath. If you have recently experienced a reduction-in-force in your organization, three-fourths of your employees are likely experiencing a decline in productivity. Fewer people are doing the work and less work is being done by those who "survived" the reduciton.

The study of 4,712 survivors in 318 firms revealed other disturbing facts:
- 64% said the productivity of their colleagues has also declined
- 81% said the quality of service the customers receive has declined
- 77% said they are less likely to recommend their organizations as good places to work
- 61% said they believe their companies' future prospects are worse

How does an organization recover from such a devastating blow? In difficult times, an organization cannot afford to have a demoralized, unproductive staff. What is the answer?

Healing
The answer begins with healing at the Senior team level. That's right - the Senior Team members must become vulnerable. Transformational leaders feel the impact of a reduction-in-force just like all other employees. Employees want to know that their leaders are real human beings. The healing process invites Senior Leaders to examine their own role in the reduction-in-force and discuss how it impacted them individually and collectively. These authentic discussions can then extend into the workforce so that healing can take place at every level of the organization.

Hope
Once healing has begun, it is time to plant the seeds of hope. To foster hope, leaders must offer a new vision of the organization that employees can help to build upon. They will help their leaders rebuild the organization and inspire them when they are down. People want their organizations to succeed. Loosening controls and opening to employee involvement is essential in this step. Appreciative inquiry is a perfect tool to use to engage the workforce and inspire hope for the future.

Health
As employees get into action to rebuild the organization, health is restored. If 75% of your employees currently feel unfocused and are struggling to put in a full day's work, imagine all of your employees feeling energized and united around a common vision. Research on successful organizations reveals this as a formula for success.

With recognition that your employees need to heal and find hope, your organization can move from devastation to health in the matter of a few short months.

Reduction-in-force: Who is really impacted?

2009-04-24T09:29:00.005-04:00

A friend had been anticipating a pink slip for weeks. The employees of her company had been told it was coming, but of course no one knew who would be impacted. Over these weeks she experienced all of the common feelings - fear, sadness and anger. She began her contingency planning in-between her sessions of disbelief where she stared blankly into space for extended periods of time. It is shocking at first to discover that you are dispensable, after you've given everything you have to an organization for some of the best years of your life. What did all the evenings at the desk mean now? What if she had spent those weekend hours with family? What had she given up?

She was prepared for the worst. If it happened, it happened. Yes, they probably would lose the house, but she is no stranger to hard work. Someone would give her a job. The family would make it through this.

Maybe it wouldn't even be her who is impacted and all this worrying is meaningless. But what if it impacted someone in her department? They were already working with a skeleton staff. How will they get the work done? Maybe it would be better to be the one who is impacted.

She wasn't the one.

She stood there bawling helplessly as her friend and co-worker packed up her desk and prepared to leave. Memories flashed through her head of all they had been through together - engagements, weddings, pregnancy and the birth and death of family. She thought she was ready to handle whatever happened, but here she stood bawling like a -human being.

It was the moments of shared humanness that flashed through my friend's head as she watched her colleague exit, not last quarter's project. Our workplaces are stages for meaningful human connection and when the connection is broken - we mourn. In the weeks that follow the reduction-in-force my friend carries all of the same emotions she experienced before, but she is now able to add guilt to the list. She feels grateful that she has a job, but the gratitude is laced with fear and she struggles to complete the volumes of work thrown her way.

Who was truly impacted by this reduction-in-force?

The ripple effect of a RIF is far reaching and runs deep. The impact is felt for a very long time and the devastation cannot be ignored.

Look for our next blog posting: RIF Recovery: Healing, hope and health.

Is a reduction-in-force the answer?

2009-03-24T14:52:00.008-04:00

There is no doubt that the current economic environment may require unprecedented solutions for poor business performance. The national unemployment rate climbed to 8.1% in February, indicating that layoffs might be the "go to" solution for many companies experiencing declining business results, but this solution is far from unprecedented. Any seasoned business professional has likely weathered this storm multiple times in her career as either the orchestrator or the pink slip recipient.

What research has shown is that reductions-in-force have either no impact on performance or a negative impact on performance. A study by Bain and Company of S&P 500 firms during the 2001 downturn, showed that it took six to 18 months to realize savings from job cuts. What is more difficult to calculate is the impact from the knowledge drain, plunging employee morale, loss of trust in Senior Leadership and voluntary turnover that follows a reduction-in-force. While turnover may not feel like a probable threat in the current economic environment, statistics show that voluntary turnover increases after a reduction in force by as much as 30%. Old patterns would suggest that organizations will be recruiting for professionals with talent similar to those who were displaced within 18 months to two years. Upon evaluating the long-term, negative consequences associated with a reduction-in-force, company leaders might wonder what other possibilities exist.

We know this recession is different and requires a different solution. What if organizations included those people who are the organization - the employees - in the discussion for solutions? What if the employees were trusted with complete transparency and were asked for their ideas? That is precisely what happened at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The Boston Globe reports that CEO, Paul Levy, humbly asked the 8,000 health system employees for suggestions in the name of saving jobs. He immediately began receiving ideas at a rate of 100 per hour that included cutting hours and giving up pay increases.

People want to belong to organizations, they want some sense of control over their futures and they want to see their companies succeed. Organizations have an opportunity to enlist the support of employees as a united force, fostering creativity, generosity and loyalty.

Employee involvement during tough times is an idea supported by Darrell Rigsby, author of Moving Upward in a Downturn, Harvard Business Review. He suggests that difficult times should be used to strengthen the company through:
1)Building stakeholder relationships
2)Refocusing on the core business
3)Pruning the portfolio
4)Establishing a set of core values
5)Establishing a sustainable cost structure

There are times when a reduction-in-force might be the last option to save a faltering company. In that case, leaders must become transparent, accept responsibility, over communicate and express compassion and empathy. The leaders job following the cuts will be to support the healing of the organization and the transformation into hope and eventual health.

If you have already endured the reduction-in-force and are wondering what's next, read our follow-up blog Recovery After A Reduction-in-Force.

Unleashing the Collective Genius of Employees

2009-03-20T13:35:00.005-04:00

The Stanford Graduate School of Business and human resources expert Hayagreeva Raoare are offering a complimentary webinar on March 30th entitled: "Unleashing the Collective Genius of Employees".

The webinar starts at 1pm EST. You can pre-register at the link below:
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090320005162&newsLang=en

Unleashing the Collective Genius of Employees will feature frameworks for rethinking the way employers engage employees, and provide practical tools to enrich the employee experience in pursuit of higher levels of innovation and customer satisfaction.

By attending this webinar business leaders and human resource managers will:

Understand the value of democratizing innovation
Encounter a real-world example of an "innovation stock market" to test viability of ideas
Discover the emotional triggers that drive an employee's will to innovate
See the benefits of rewarding failure
Learn to improve customers' experience
Gauge a firm's ability to tap into employees' collective genius

Organizational Trust Requires Alignment

2009-03-11T11:23:00.004-04:00

In previous blogs we have reviewed Stephen M.R. Covey's first two "waves of trust" - self-trust and relationship trust - derived from his ripple effect metaphor of trust. The model which is introduced in Covey's book, The Speed of Trust, suggests that trust is interdependent and flows from the inside out. Covey's third wave of trust is organizational trust. He suggests that the first two waves of trust might be in place, but if the systems and structures of the organization do not promote trust - it may diminish.

If an organization espouses a value for trust, but has highly bureaucratic and controlling systems, policies and processes; the employees will not experience trust. Dissonance is then created between who the organization says it is and what is actually experienced. Leaders rarely look for indicators of trust in their policies, systems, and processes; nor do they often consciously build trust there.

Covey suggests that organizations that are aligned between holding a value for trust and enabling it, will exhibit these behaviors:
1) Information is shared openly
2) Mistakes are tolerated and encouraged as a way of learning
3) The culture is innovative and creative
4) People are loyal to those who are absent
5) People talk straight and confront real issues
6) There is real communication and real collaboration
7) People share credit abundantly
8) There are few "meetings after meetings"
9) Transparency is a practiced value
10) People are candid and authentic
11) There is a high degree of accountability
12) There is a palpable vitality and energy - people can feel the positive momentum

From the above list we can see that trust is an imperative for a healthy organizational culture. Leadership Beyond Limits, LLC offers a tool that will help leaders measure the level of trust in their organization, as well as other values essential to a healthy, productive culture. The values posted on the wall could become a source of little more than amusement, if employees are experiencing something different day-to day.

The Missing Link to Successful Change

2009-02-13T09:19:00.009-05:00

Our collaboration partners, Cerebyte, discuss in their recent blog that change cannot happen inside an organization unless the change is desired. The link to their blog is posted below. In fact, that concept is central to their successful wisdom capture and dissemination methodology. Their process engages each individual affected by the change at a personal level, so each person makes the change their own.

At Leadership Beyond Limits, we know the same is true for full system cultural transformation. Cultural Transformation typically fails because leaders fail to connect the transformation to the values of the people, who are the organization. Most organizations spend a lot of time building the foundation and structures to support a change, but fail to support their employees' exploration of what this change means to them. This step is scientifically proven as necessary for success. Without it, what organizations will get is resistance to change - something we are all familiar with.

Think about a time when you resisted change yourself and then a time when you embraced it. Chances are, the difference was your involvement with the process and your ability to internalize the change. Change does not have to be difficult, in fact, it can be energizing for everyone involved!

http://www.cerebytejournal.com/?p=324

Enhance Your Leadership - Build Your Trust Account

2009-02-11T13:03:00.004-05:00

In my last blog I wrote about Stephen M.R. Covey's book The Speed of Trust, where he refers to five waves of trust. I wrote about the first wave, self-trust and I'd now like reveal the second wave - relationship trust. Covey introduces the concept of "trust accounts" - how we establish and maintain them.

The central premise behind Covey's trust account is that with each interaction we have with another person, we are either building trust, "making a deposit" or destroying trust, "making a withdrawal." The balance in the trust account is a reflection of the current level of trust in the relationship.

Trust is a core element in any relationship and it is essential in effective leadership. Covey offers several observations about trust accounts that leaders will want to consider.

Each trust account is unique. The account you have with your leader may be different from the account you have with your administrative support person. Understanding the nuance of each account allows you to build it more effectively.

All deposits and withdrawals are not created equally. Small oversights or acts of kindness can create a disproportionate impact. Remembering to acknowledge someone's contribution can make a big deposit.

Trust deposits are person specific. This awareness offers another great reason to know followers as individuals.

Withdrawals are typically larger than deposits. A breach of trust from leadership may impact the leader/follower relationship in a more dramatic way than a deposit.

Recognize that each relationship has two trust accounts - yours and the other party's. Understanding what makes a deposit and a withdrawal for the other party is essential. Could there be any better way to build trust than to have a sincere conversation about what constitutes a deposit for the other party?

When you notice a trust account is getting low - address it. Trust can be restored through consisent behavior that makes deposits in another's account.

Do You Trust Yourself?

2009-01-30T10:07:00.003-05:00

Stephen M.R. Covey's book, The Speed of Trust, is a must read for leaders. Let's face it, trust is at the heart of all solid relationships and the workplace is a series of relationships. The books breaks trust down to its essence.

We often think of of trust stemming from one's character only, but Covey reminds us that competence is a key issue in trust as well. I may have outstanding character, but if someone does not trust that I have the knowledge, skills or abilities to perform, my character alone will not ensure total trust.

Covey also writes about the 5 Waves of Trust metaphorically derived from the "ripple effect" that suggests trust flows from the inside out. The first wave is Self-trust. In essence, we have to believe in our own character and ability to perform before others will trust us. Psychologist, Albert Bandura, labeled the conviction about ones own ability to amass the motivation, resources and courses of action to complete a task as self-efficacy. Positive psychology researchers find this to be one of the greatest determinants of success. We now know that self-efficacy correlates highly with job performance, job attitudes and motivation. Henry Ford was right when he said:"Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right."

Transformational Leaders have healthy self-efficacy. They consistently live their values and they have a well developed sense of their own strengths. These characteristics put Transformational Leaders on the right track to trust and be trusted.

For leaders whose honest evaluation leaves them unsure of their own self-efficacy, it can be developed! Leadership Beyond Limits offers leadership development programming centered on Bandura's steps to building self-efficacy.

We will be reviewing Covey's Trust Waves 2 through 5 in later blogs.

How to Gain Ground in the Economic Downturn

2009-01-22T15:02:00.005-05:00

Our employee engagement partner, Quantum Workplace, recently came out with some very useful research about how the top "Best Places to Work" companies are bucking the negative trends of the current economic recession. You can watch a free 30 minute webcast of the research findings here.

They identified the top five areas where the best of the best are out-performing the rest. Each of the five areas is supported by five to seven best practices, many of them low or no cost action steps that business leaders can implement to keep a positive culture alive, even in these challenging times.

We also feature a .pdf summary of the webcast in our online resource library which can be accessed here: http://leadershipbeyondlimits.com/resources.htm There is no cost for registration and you can access many other employee engagement resources in addition to this research summary which is entitled beating_bear_market.pdf

We encourage you to take advantage of these great new resources.

Create Greatness: Inspire Others

2009-01-16T14:03:00.004-05:00

I have come across two very inspiring short videos on the web recently that are worth sharing. The first is a Franklin Covey offering. At under 3 minutes, it is a quick homage to the leaders who inspired us to greatness. http://web-dev.franklincovey.co.uk/cc_creatinggreatness.htm

The other wonderful video is an award winning short feature titled Validation. At 17 minutes, it is much longer than most of what you find on the web and well worth a viewing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao

Adding one more great video I just came across. It speaks to the "lost generation". Worth a view- only 3 minutes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA

Shifting Collective Consciousness

2009-01-07T13:26:00.003-05:00

Transforming organizational culture begins with transformational leadership, which was briefly defined in our last blog post. What we are talking about here is a shift in individual consciousness from a primary concern about the self to a broader concern for the common good. As leaders in an organization shift their consciousness, the culture of the organization shifts with them. We know the effects of individual transformation can be dramatic within a relatively small eco-system like organizational culture. But do individual shifts in consciousness affect the larger community, or even the global community?

The Institute of Noetic Sciences is a pioneer in leading-edge research into the potentials and powers of consciousness - including perceptions, beliefs, attention, intention, and intuition. The Institute explores phenomena that do not necessarily fit conventional scientific models, while maintaining a commitment to scientific rigor. These folks are definitely on the leading edge, and their research findings challenge many of our traditional beliefs. They recently released a short animated video, starring Dr. Dean Radin, a world-renowned researcher of psychic (or "psi") phenomena, as Jedi Master Oh Be One Kenobi, as he takes viewers on an amusing foray into quantum entanglement and planetary fields of collective consciousness. Click here to learn more about research findings into how our collective consciousness shifts with world events.

They are also running a special Trial Month of the Shift in Action program for a $1 donation to the Institute of Noetic Sciences. May the Force be with you in 2009!

An Integrative Definition of Leadership

2008-12-28T16:10:00.004-05:00

Leadership has many definitions. At Leadership Beyond Limits, we subscribe to the efficacy of transformational leadership as presented by Bass and Avolio (1994). This leadership definition implies that leaders lead followers to levels of higher morals. In addition, transformational leadership implies that the followers are better off with the four I's of:

1. Idealized influence - does the right thing for the right reason
2. Individualized consideration - treats each person as an individual and with care and compassion
3. Intellectual stimulation - offers employees stretch goals and encourages creativity and innovation
4. Inspirational motivation - lives from his/her values and inspires employees to build on the vision

I recently came across an excellent scholarly article that painstakingly researched the various definitions of leadership. The authors identified 92 discrete dimensions of leadership, along with a 93rd miscellaneous list of 20 more leadership characteristics. The authors believe that researchers, scholars, consultants, and leaders have helped create confusion around the definition of leadership in that we have examined the parts of leadership but not the whole. They draw on the story of the blind men describing the elephant and the different accurate descriptions that each blind man gave, yet each was insufficient to understand the whole.

The article is definitely worthwhile if you haven't yet read it, you can find it here:
http://www.regentuniversity.org/acad/global/publications/ijls/new/vol1iss2/winston_patterson.doc/winston_patterson.pdf

If you find that interesting, you will likely also appreciate their longer working paper, which includes the above analysis, along with a more in-depth discussion of servant leadership:
http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/working/integrativedefinition.pdf

I admire the authors effort at creating an integrative definition of leadership, and appreciate their metaphor that reminds us that leadership is a large, complex animal.

Can Your Innovators Breathe?

2008-12-02T16:25:00.003-05:00

Nurturing the innovators within an organization is key to growth. An article in the December 2008, Harvard Business Review, Finding and Grooming Breakthrough Innovators, by Cohen, Katzenbach and Vlak explores corporate America's inability to identify and utilize people in the workplace with these vital skills. The authors sum up the problem, "Most companies do a magnificent job of smothering the creative spark." They have studied 25 organizations over the last five years and have found that,"Companies usually develop leaders who are replicate rather that innovative."

Most large organizations utilize competency based leadership development systems. These systems create cultural understanding of what it means to be a leader within that organization and they provide a structure for appraisal and development systems. They offer consistency to the appraisal process and conformity to the development process. Is this what organizations need?

While there are benefits to competency systems, brilliant innovators rarely fit the mold and are stifled by the system. According to Cohen, Katzenbach and Vlak, only 5-10% of the high potential leaders within an organization have the skills and abilities to become innovators. These people rarely surface within organizations because they have unique skill sets.

Focusing on employee strengths is a solution to the innovation crush. Organizations with a strengths focus support the identification and nurturing of each employee's strengths. Leaders in these organizations work with employees to determine how to invest in and capitalize on their unique strengths. Employees who are natural innovators are given opportunities to put their strength to work.

Investing in employees' strengths is a generative solution; employees flourish and both the employees and the organization reap the rewards.

Does Your Leader Inspire You?

2008-11-05T11:24:00.005-05:00

Think about your current leader or supervisor. What thoughts or feelings immediately surface for you? Does this person inspire you? Are you excited to spend time with her sharing new ideas and working toward a common vision; or do you dread every interaction? Does she give you energy or suck the life out of you; or perhaps its somewhere in-between?

I'm guessing it was easy to assess your leader's impact on you. If you've been in the work world for a while and had several leaders, it doesn't take long to figure out if the current one is one you truly want to follow or whether you are going to have to pull from your own energy resources to find inspiration.

Most of us instinctively sum up a relationship based on past history, categorize it and expect the same from that person in the future. Guess what? From that stance, that's all we'll ever be able to experience from her. This is a great example of getting what we focus on. Once we have developed a narrow perception of another person, it takes intention to see the individual outside of that mental model. If your experience of your leader is positive, that's not a bad thing. If your experience of your leader is negative, it will wear you down.

Whether your current experience of your leader is positive or negative, I challenge you to take a moment to reflect on her gifts and talents. Every human being has beauty and gifts. It is there to see, if you look for it. What is it about her that is unique and special? Make time to focus on her gifts before every planned interaction and those gifts will reveal themselves to you in an even bigger way.

People will never change when we set out to change them, but science has shown that magnificence springs from people when we focus on their gifts. Perhaps you've heard of the research done by Rosenthal (R. Rosenthal, 1991) documenting the fact that the intelligence of randomly selected children increased when their classroom teachers were told that the children were gifted. The childrens' intelligence increased, as measured through an IQ test, because the teacher was looking for their gifts.

Remember, you get what you focus on. Look for the best in your leader and others and you will find it in abundance.

Source: R Rosenthal, Journal of Research in Education, 1(1991): 3-12

The Leader as Coach - Adopt the Marathon Mindset

2008-10-20T13:40:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, I completed the Nationwide Columbus Half Marathon. I was prepared for what I wanted to accomplish and it felt great to run and finish with a friend.

What I've noticed in preparing for long running events is that preparation is key. That preparation involves my own creation of a long-term plan made up of short-term goals. I notice that once the plan is set, my mind prepares for it and the mind-body connection is enacted.

If I plan to do a short 3 mile run, I run it with ease; but I find it might be difficult to run more that day. If I plan a twelve mile run, I knock out each of the twelve miles, but don't ask me to run one step more. The phrase "set your mind to it" seems to have real meaning.

What I know about reaching goals is that when we harness the self-regulatory powers that reside within us versus it being externally enforced, we have a much greater chance of success followed by a sense of accomplishment.

Having a sense of choice and autonomy in goal setting, a feeling of competence and experiencing relatedness with those around us enhances our intrinsic motivation. When those around us attempt to motivate us through threats, deadlines, demands, external evaluations and imposed goals, intrinsic motivation is diminished.

The adoption of a coaching leadership style invites leaders to trust their followers and capitalize on their strengths; thus enacting intrinsic motivation or inspiration. The leader pulls the best from her employees by inviting them to set interim goals that fit within the context of the organization's vision. The employees enjoy creative autonomy and are reinforced by their leader's trust.

As each goal is accomplished, the employees' confidence in their own competence grows. The ultimate outcome is a healthy relationship, employee growth and success. By experiencing a coaching leadership style and adopting a marathon mindset, employees find success and both the employee and the company win!

Catalyzing Conscious Capitalism

2008-10-16T14:47:00.002-04:00

In case you missed it, I thought I would pass on the invitation to the Catalyzing Conscious Capitalism event that came from John Mackey, CEO at Whole Foods. Here it is:

I am writing to invite you to a special event that I am hosting in November. The event is called Catalyzing Conscious Capitalism. It's taking place in Austin, Texas this coming November 6-9.

I'm personally inviting you to join me and other business leaders in laying the foundation for accelerating a movement that Wharton School Publishing calls, "the most fundamental transformation in capitalism since Adam Smith."
"Conscious capitalism" was coined by economist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus to stand for a company's intentional efforts to directly serve society while creating wealth for shareholders.

Conscious capitalism rests on two core principles:

1. Every business has the potential to either discover or create a deeper purpose for itself, which goes beyond maximizing profits or shareholder value.
2. The most sustainable businesses over the long-term will consciously create value for all of their independent stakeholders, customers, employees, investors, suppliers, community and the environment. Paradoxically, this principle will also create the most long-term value for investors.

We have an incredible cast of presenters and facilitators, including Sir Ken Robinson, who will serve as the Master of Ceremonies or "guide" through the event. Please visit http://consciouscapitalism.com for further information and to register.

I sincerely hope to see you in Austin in November 6-9, 2008 where we will take the first steps to organize the Conscious Capitalism Society, an organization we envision as having a global reach.

Yours for a better world,

John P. Mackey
Chairman and CEO, Whole Foods

Desperately Needed: Business Leaders of Vision and Values

2008-10-05T18:56:00.004-04:00

Humanity is in crisis. This Friday we saw the largest US government bailout of business in history. The very next day, European leaders met in Paris to deal with the newly acknowledged global economic crisis. Setting aside the larger societal problems of global warming, pollution, drinking water shortages, terrorism, war, genocide, ethnic cleansing, poverty and disease; serious financial troubles have begun to affect the richest countries in the world, and we are deeply divided about what to do.

There is good news. The way out of this mess has already been shown. Business must become the leading agent of world benefit. To achieve long-term sustainable success, business leaders must shift their focus to the common good. They must consider all stakeholders, not just shareholders. This larger vision of the role of business has already been proven profitable by the leaders of virtually every business sector. And, thanks to the Harvard Business Review and other business researchers and authors, the superior results of this approach are well documented. Study after study has pointed out that companies with this greater vision consistently and dramatically out-perform their competition.

So why do we find ourselves in this current predicament? It can be traced all the way back to Adam Smith. Smith was a pioneer of modern political economics back in the 1700's. He was among the first to state that greed was good (sorry Gordon Gekko), and that the invisible hand of the market would maximize the total revenue of society as a whole. More recently, American Nobel Laureate economist Milton Freidman championed the advantages of the unfettered marketplace and the disadvantages of government intervention and regulation. According to Wikipedia, Friedman's "views of monetary policy, taxation, privatization and deregulation informed the policy of governments around the globe, especially the administrations of Ronald Reagan in the U.S., Brian Mulroney in Canada, Margaret Thatcher in Britain, and Augusto Pinochet in Chile, and (after 1989) in Eastern Europe."

Hopefully, this latest systematic failure will once and for all expose Smith's and Freidman's philosophy as fatally flawed in its' narrow focus on greed and self-interest. After all, it was the deregulation of electricity that preceded the Enron scandal. In the 80's & 90's, the savings and loan crisis was preceded by deregulation of savings and loan industry combined with imprudent real estate lending. It's not hard to see the similarities to the current Wall Street melt down and its' precedent of further financial deregulation and unchecked financial "innovation".

Unfortunately, rules and regulations are insufficient to solving the root problem. We often legislate morality, but that alone does not ensure ethical behavior. Famously, even Enron had an ethics code that was widely and ironically distributed on the internet. Enron's in-house "Code of Ethics" was a 64-page booklet distributed to employees along with an introductory letter from Chairman Kenneth Lay noting the "moral and honest manner" in which the energy firm's business affairs should be conducted.

Moreover, Sarbanes-Oxley, the legislative response to Enron, Worldcom, & Tyco International et. al., did nothing to stop the current Wall Street meltdown and its' concomitant mortgage and securities shenanigans. 6 years ago these scandals cost investors billions of dollars and shook public confidence in the nation's securities markets. Yet, here we are, in the same place all over again.

To get out of this devolving cycle, we must address the root problem of trust, confidence and ethical behavior. This will be accomplished as leaders of business and industry embrace the larger vision of the greater good, backed up by living out the values expressed in their corporate codes of conduct. Those espoused values will include the concerns of multiple stakeholders, not just shareholders. Employee engagement, customer satisfaction, vendor collaboration and the good of the local and global community will be important as measures of sustainable success. When this larger vision is backed up by leadership behavior, business will become the transformative agent needed so badly right now.

As leaders begin to really walk the talk, employees become energized and engaged. In part this comes from the inspiring new business vision that now includes the greater good. And, if leaders further encourage employees to express their own unique passion and talents through the company's vision and values, truly sustainable success is assured.

Ethical breakdowns in this preferred future business culture will be smaller and less frequent. They will be the occasional cheats and embezzlements of individual bad actors, not the devastating results of systematic breakdowns. As the most powerful force in the modern world, business can quickly become the most effective agent of world benefit. Now, more than ever, we need business leaders of vision and values to step out of the destructive spiral set in motion by Adam Smith and move us towards a future that defines success as the triumph of the common good, not the privileged few.

What Does It Take To Lead Generation Y?

2008-10-02T16:47:00.009-04:00

Enter any organization and you will hear a leader from the Baby Boomer Generation expressing frustration over a co-worker from Generation Y.

When you think about it, this issue is probably less of a values gap then it is a leadership gap. Generation Y was parented by Baby Boomers. It is apparent that a different type of leadership than is currently practiced by many Baby Boomers is required to tap into the brilliance of Generation Y.

Let's look at what Generation Y wants. According to studies conducted by Rainmaker Thinking, Generation Y wants:

*Leaders who are honest, transparent and authentic;
*Leaders who use story-telling as a means of communicating;
*Leaders who inspire them and who recognize that different things inspire different people;
*Leaders who stimulate their thinking and allow them to make a contribution;
*Leaders who appreciate their civic mindedness and provide opportunities for them to give.

These desires are the characteristics of transformational leadership - the leadership of the future. It is the leadership of the future because it is the style of leadership that will truly tap into the brilliance of every generation and lead organizations to success. Take a look at our "What Engaging Leaders Do" blog posting for a list of transformational leadership characteristics.

This style of leadership can be learned through development and coaching programs. For some it will come naturally and for others it will be a longer journey. It requires a deep self-awareness, a sense of purpose, big-picture thinking and a willingness to give up control. These things can't be faked or rushed, therefore the time to support leaders in their own transformation is now.

Leadership Beyond Limits offers a variety of leadership development and coaching programs to build transformational leaders.

The Enterprise of the Future

2008-09-17T10:54:00.002-04:00

Have you seen the third edition of the biennial Global CEO study conducted by IBM? It is worth a read. The executive summary can be downloaded by clicking here. The findings make a strong argument for creating a high employee engagement culture.

8 out of 10 CEO's see significant change ahead, yet feel there is a huge perceived gap in their ability to manage that change.

Customers continue to be more demanding, well informed and socially aware.

40% are changing their enterprise models to increase collaboration.

Finally, the enterprise of the future goes beyond philanthropy and compliance and reflects genuine concern for society in all actions and decisions.

These conditions make a high employee engagement culture a necessity, not a luxury. If you want to know how to build and maintain a high employee engagement culture, you can download our white paper here.

The full IBM study is available at ibm.com/enterpriseofthefuture

What Engaging Leaders Do

2008-09-12T15:23:00.004-04:00

Employee engagement is dependent on leadership style. There are leaders who inspire their teams and bring them to life and there are those who perpetuate presenteeism and disengagement.

Recent workplace surveys tell us that one of the most important drivers of employee retention and engagement is a competent and visible senior leadership team that is invested in the well-being of the company's employees. Today's employees want to work for transformational leaders. The four characteristics of transformational leaders are:

1) Idealized influence: they do the right thing versus what is the most expedient, simple or cost-effective.

2) Inspirational motivation: they work from their values and can articulate a vision for the organization that holds meaning. Followers become greater through stretch goals and growth.

3) Intellectual stimulation: they ask the right questions that challenge the intellect, beliefs and creativity of followers.

4) Individualized influence: they believe in their followers and offer them care, compassion and support. They see their followers as human beings with full lives, not just as resources.

These leaders lead with a coaching style and give their employees space to perform. Their team relationships are steeped in trust and that trust inspires employees to be their best for the team.

Typical leadership skill building will not develop transformational leaders. Transformation comes from the inside out; it's a way of being. Companies on the cutting edge of leadership development are investing in the personal development of their leaders including exploration of personal values, life purpose and character strengths.

Organizations transform when people transform.

The Most Important Thing Your Leadership Team May Be Overlooking

2008-08-27T15:55:00.006-04:00

Is employee happiness at the top of your leadership team's agenda? It will be. As the plethora of evidence mounts regarding the benefits of happiness in the workplace, astute companies are taking notice. What do they know that you don't? Read on.

Sonja Lyubomirsky, psychologist at the University of California has concluded that there are multiple personal benefits to happiness - too many to list in this blog, and there are a larger number of benefits related to the workplace. As compared to their not-so-happy counterparts, happy people are better corporate citizens. They take fewer sick days, receive better supervisor and customer evaluations, stay loyal to their employer longer, show more helpful behaviors and are more creative.

These benefits are simply too significant to ignore. When we spend eight plus hours a day in an environment, that environment has a significant impact on our overall well-being - another word for happiness. There are very specific things that organizations can do to create a culture that supports employee happiness, but the most important thing is developing engaging leaders, starting at the top. Our next blog will review the characterictics of transformational leaders - the most enaging leaders.

Creating workplaces where employees feel happy and fulfilled is the right thing to do and it is good for your business.

What seperates the champion from the other Olympic athletes?

2008-08-16T18:21:00.004-04:00

Like millions around the world, I have been watching in amazement as Olympic and world records are shattered one after the other in Beijing. Watching US television coverage, we have all been given a glimpse into the life of the greatest Olympic athlete of all time. I am speaking, of course, about Michael Phelps. His talent, physical abilities, dedication and sportsmanship are all part of what make him special. But there is something more that sets him apart.

What it was became clear to me while I was watching two other great Olympians compete. Hopefully, you too got to witness the Olympic women's gymnastics all-around final featuring Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson, teammates with very different styles. Alicia Sacramone, who was captain of last year's world gold medal-winning team, put it this way: "Shawn and Nastia are as different as can be, they are different ages, they care about different stuff, their gymnastics is so different but ultimately they want the U.S. to do well."

So what do these 3 great competitors have in common besides wanting their US teams and teammates to do well ? Great coaching.

Swim coach Bob Bowman has been working with Phelps since he was 11 years old. It was Bowman, a college swimmer-turned-coach with a degree in child psychology, who convinced Phelps' mother he had the talent to be an Olympic star one day.

After nearly a dozen years of hard work and planning -- and countless training hours-- the kid has proven the coach right. Or is it vice versa?

"He saw something in me at a young age and really has never given up on me, through good times and bad," said Phelps. "He's helped me grow from an 11-year-old swimmer who didn't really know what he was doing to the person I am today. I always wanted to be an Olympic gold medalist and a professional athlete, and Bob has taken me there."

Liang Chow became Shawn Johnson's coach 10 years ago, when Johnson's parents took her to his gym. She was only 6-years-old at the time. His infulence was life-changing. Johnson has been quoted as saying: "He's gotten me to where I am." Their bond is one of a kind. Johnson, who has worked exclusively with Chow and his wife, considers Chow a second father.

Finally there is Nastia Liukin, whose life-long coach IS her father, Valeri Liukin. Nastia was four years old when her parents--a world champion rhythmic gymnast and an Olympic gold medalist from Russia--opened a gymnastics facility in Texas. Money was tight, so little Nastia went to the gym with them. She'd copy the other gymnasts doing round-offs and flips. "Nastia would do them better than the kids I was teaching," Valeri was quoted saying.

Most parents would be thrilled to discover such talent. Not Liukin's. "Gymnastics is very hard mentally and physically, I definitely didn't want my daughter living that life." But eventually--"after a lot of begging and pleading," says Nastia--she won them over. Now a very mature young lady, she knows that her Olympic success is something she shares with her family. "It will be exactly 20 years since my dad went to the Olympics," said Liukin. "To be back with his athlete--not to mention his daughter--will be really special for both of us."

All 3 of these phenomenal athletes give due credit for their extraordinary success to their dedicated coaches. I couldn't agree more. As a certified coach, I appreciate the value of great coaching. I have been working with my own executive coach since joining Leadership Beyond Limits and I have never before accomplished my personal and professional goals with such ease. (Thanks Andrea!) A great coach can help ignite world-class results in you too. Take a tip from me, Michael, Nastia and Shawn- get yourself a great coach- you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish!

How Honor Codes Help Instill Ethical Behavior

2008-07-31T12:23:00.007-04:00

Our good friend, Catherine Finamore Henry, Ethics Officer and Vice President, Business Development at SmartPros Legal & Ethics will be speaking at the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics 2008 Compliance and Ethics Institute (CEI) on the topic of honor codes.

This age-old tradition is still central to many institutions and cultures, including universities, service groups and the military. Catherine examines the historical significance of honor codes and how they can be used to successful bind together a group in a common cause. Honor codes are only useful when they are lived out and Catherine will discuss best practices on making them come alive and not simply be words enshrined on a plaque. Hint: find ways to tie into shared values.

Her talk will take place on Monday, September 15, 2008 at 11:00 am - 12:00 pm as part of SCCE's CEI 2008 conference (http://www.complianceethicsinstitute.org) which is being held at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Chicago, IL on September 14-17, 2008.

If you plan to be in Chicago for the conference, don't miss her talk.

RIP George Carlin, and thanks for vuja de

2008-07-27T16:44:00.005-04:00

The recent passing of George Carlin has meant the loss of one of our generation's sharpest observational critics. Many people mainly remember Carlin for his more notorious comedy bits, but I often found his jokes as insightful as they were funny.

I was recently reminded that he is credited with coining a term that has a unique value for business: "vuja de". The bit went something like this:
"Do you ever get that strange feeling of vuja de? Not deja vu, vuja de. It's the distinct sense that somehow, something that just happened has never happened before. Nothing seems familiar. And then suddenly the feeling is gone. Vuja de."

Doing a bit of internet research, I found that The Fast Company Blog commented on this a few years back. "Vuja de happens when you enter a situation you've been in a thousand times before, but with the sense of being there for the first time. As French novelist Marcel Proust said, "The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes."

It may be a bit of a stretch to put Carlin in the same class as Proust, but if vuja de is synonymous with seeing with fresh eyes, then it is a skill that should be taught in all MBA programs. It is a key prerequisite for creativity and innovation, and it is a central hallmark of healthy, adaptive corporate cultures.

Too often leaders can fall into the trap that "we have seen this all before...", effectively shutting down any opportunity for fresh analysis or innovative approaches.

The next time you find yourself in a familiar business situation, take a minute or two to see if you can summon up vuja de. Ask yourself what might be going on beneath appearances. See if you can see things from a fresh perspective, a new angle. George would love it.

Your Organization in One Word

2008-07-08T08:34:00.006-04:00

Elizabeth Gilbert, in her best selling book Eat,Pray,Love, describes a discussion with friends about the vibe of different cities. The friends suggested that each city has a word that defines it and identifies most of the people who live there. Whatever the majority "thought" might be is the word for the city. If you've read this entertaining book you know that the friends dubbed Rome with the word "sex," New York with "achieve," and Los Angeles with "success."

The underlying truth of this exercise is that we learn the values of people through our experience with them or being among them. The core essence of a group of people or an individual reveals itself to us through actions, words and structures.

On a recent trip to London I asked a friend, a Londoner, to describe the essence of her city with one word. As she hesitated, I offered the word "tradition." We'd just witnessed the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. My friend offered a word that held deeper truth for her - "tolerance." My mind connected with the scene at Heathrow Airport, a diverse melting pot where differences such as language create a chaotic buzz, but tolerance lends a melody. The important point is that "tolerance" is true for her. It is her experience of her city.

What word would describe the essence of your organization? Is it a word you've chosen for your organization or has it developed organically? Said another way - what is the predominant value expressed in your organization?

Leadership Beyond Limits offers a tool that allows you to determine with certainty what values your employees see expressed in the organization and how those compare with their personal values. This information is vital. If there is misalignment between their personal values and what they experience in your organization, they will be looking for a better match soon.

Open your next leadership team meeting by asking each person to write down the one word that describes the essence of your organization and then share them. The discussion might be revealing or affirming, but it will likely be one of the most important discussions you will have that day.

The Richest Man in Town

2008-06-24T14:39:00.003-04:00

This story has mainly been told in the Midwest, where a motivational speaker V.J. Smith was so touched by a Wal-Mart cashier that it ended up changing his life, and the lives of thousands of others. Smith was so impressed by the warmth and genuine personality of Aaron "Marty" Martinson that he began to talk about him in his speeches to businesses, schools and other organizations. Eventually, he was so inspired that he wrote a book about Marty, which is sure to reach a much wider audience now that he has teamed up with Mac Anderson at SimpleTruths.com

I encourage you to take the time to visit some of these links and listen to the story of how a humble old man, now deceased, is still making live better.

Here is the link to the inspirational movie:
http://www.richestmanmovie.com

Here is a link to a news clip showing how children respond to this story:
http://www.lifesgreatmoments.com/kdlt.htm

Here is the link to a speech about Marty by V.J.
http://www.lifesgreatmoments.com/video.htm

Anyone can be a leader. Marty sure was.

Follow Passion - Find Fulfillment and Excellence

2008-05-21T10:37:00.006-04:00

Norman Plate remembers sitting in his first-grade class, appreciating the gifts of his teacher and knowing that he was called to teach. Yet subtle messages throughout his early years led him to believe that the field of medicine would be a more appropriate career choice.

Finding himself with less aptitude for the sciences than liberal arts, Norman steered his career toward law, another highly regarded field. He attended law school and had a successful law career serving the Utah Attorney General's Office followed by the Ohio Attorney General's Office, where he rose to the position of Senior Deputy of Attorney General/Chief of the Corrections Litigation Section. While Norman had found success, he had not found satisfaction. His work felt like work. He recalls that he always knew when payday was - the reminder of why he was working.

One day, a colleague who was teaching at Capital University Law School suggested that he pursue an Instructor opening there to teach Legal Research and Writing. This colleague obviously saw Norman's natural teaching gift.

Norman pursued the opportunity with the support of his leader at the Attorney General's Office. Once he began to teach, he tapped into those latent feelings that he was meant to teach. He loved teaching; it brought him to life. It truly wasn't work.

Before Norman's one-year contract at Capital had ended, he received a call from a friend who teaches at Thomas M. Cooley Law School, in Lansing, Michigan. An opening existed for a Visiting Professor in Research and Writing. Norman ended his career with the Attorney General's Office, and with the blessing of his leadership at Capital, he accepted the position at Cooley, with a sense that he was finally following his calling.

Norman began teaching as a Visiting Professor at Cooley in May 2005 and was promoted to a tenure-track Associate Professor position in January 2006. The second term he taught he received the highest ratings on student evaluations of any professor in the law school, and he has repeated that performance since. While the student ratings are somewhat meaningful to Norman, he says that the ultimate reward is "knowing you've made a difference in someone's life. You've helped them progress to be a better writer, a better lawyer."

We can view work in one of three ways; as a job, a career or a calling. A job is a means to an end, such as a paycheck. A career entails a greater investment of oneself and achievement is marked not only by wages, but advancement and prestige. A calling has deeper intrinsic meaning as performing in the service of a greater good.

Norman's work with the Attorney General's Office fit somewhere between a job and a career. His work with Cooley is a calling. He speaks of how quickly time flies; he never knows when it's payday. He is not working for the money, but the intrinsic rewards and he's in flow. The hours and days connect together weaving a meaningful web. Norman recalls a colleague expressing the same feeling, "I get to teach. But they pay me to grade papers."

Norman could have spent may more years practicing law and ignoring his calling to teach. It takes courage and sacrifice to step off the treadmill and follow our hearts. Norman gave up the Chief position at the Attorney General's Office to take his first teaching job at Capital. He also moved away from his life partner for a year to take the role at Cooley. He acknowledges the support of colleagues and loved ones as an important ingredient to making a transition.

Norman's story is evidence that when we find the courage to transform our lives, the rewards are great. When we are serving in the way we are meant to serve, from our strengths and passion, we find excellence.

As a leader, it is our prerogative to serve those we lead by helping them discover their calling. If it means that they need to leave us, no harm done. An opening exists for someone who is called to work with us. Imagine a workplace where all employees consider it their calling to serve there; everyone is in flow. What in energizing place that would be to work!

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-10T19:17:00.002-04:00

This movie was sent to me by the wonderful mother of our two boys.

I thought it was an appropriate thing to share with every mother, son and daughter in celebration of the gift of birth we are all given by our mothers.

Happy Mothers day everyone! Enjoy the movie:

http://www.hasanyonetoldyou.com

Building a Strengths Culture Requires Letting Go

2008-05-04T14:55:00.003-04:00

In my last blog I wrote that Gallup research reveals American employees feel they spend only 12% of their time playing to their strengths, yet working from strengths is a pathway to human flourishing. Employees who find "flow," the perfect intersection between skill and challenge, are maximizing their performance. Building a strengths culture is a missed opportunity for most organizations.

Author, Marcus Buckingham, who is at the center of the strength's movement concedes that little progress has been made on the strengths front. The majority of American workers still believe that fixing their weaknesses is the key to success and few employers have adopted practices that embrace capitalizing on employee's strengths.

What stands in the way of this movement?

First, employees will only begin focusing on their strengths when they see that it is desired and embraced by their leaders. Leaders who let go of their focus on fixing the weaknesses of their direct reports and transform to a style where they fully understand and utilize each individual employee's unique gifts will notice that their employees transform. This requires a great deal of direct communication and coaching from the leader.

Second, the organization must let go of rigid human resource systems. The human resource systems that support a strengths-based culture are more flexible than the traditional systems most large businesses use. Most organizations have a list of desired competencies that each person is evaluated against and the "competency gap" is scrutinized. Of course, the "gap" provides plenty of fodder for annual performance evaluations, where employees develop action plans to close the gap - a deficit approach.

Finally, job description development and its linkage to compensation has become such a finely tuned machine, it leaves little room for flexibility, creativity and appreciating the distinct gifts of each individual contributor. Employees are asked to fulfill all aspects of a job because "it's in the job description."

The strengths movement calls for leaders who are prepared to coach and mentor their direct reports in a way that inspires the greatest use of each individual's strengths. This provides some unique opportunities for leaders to maximize the potential of their combined talent pool. When supported by human resource systems that provide flexibility and encourage a focus on the best each person has to offer, leaders will find the performance of individuals, departments and the organization flourishing.

Unleashing Employee Creativity

2008-04-09T16:34:00.013-04:00

When organizations undertake cultural transformation, they believe that by fully engaging employees they will ignite new levels of employee creativity and higher levels of productivity. That is expected.

What is never known, however, is how that creativity will manifest. Often, it transcends even the highest of expectations and deeply inspires customers and fellow employees alike.

If you haven't heard the story of Johnny the Bagger, you are in for a real treat. Follow this link and be inspired to ignite your own unique passion.

Go to http://www.stservicemovie.com to see the inspirational movie of Johnny the Bagger.

Employee Strengths: Pure Untapped Potential

2008-04-09T16:33:00.014-04:00

I remember hearing a colleague talk about the last performance appraisal she received when working for a large bank. She had made a contribution that year and she felt on top of her game.

The colleague recollected how the appraisal began. Just as she had suspected, her leader acknowledged her accomplishments, praised her talents and recognized her contribution as substantial. She glowed as she recalled what a great feeling it was to be recognized.

As she told the rest of the story, the glow diminished. Like every preceding year, the appraisal discussion eventually turned to her weakness - form completion. She was a gifted facilitator, who struggled with the paperwork that justified her work. Unfortunately, her impactful contribution was overshadowed by her inability to complete follow-up reports to her leader's satisfaction.

She recounted how she held her breath through the entire "fixing me" session. The memory was fresh; she swallowed, buried her frustration, signed the form and walked away demoralized.

Later she crossed paths with her leader in the parking lot on her way to the car. Her leader asked her how she felt about her appraisal, obviously expecting a gush of gratitude. What she witnessed instead was a complete meltdown.

As my colleague recounted the incident it again brought emotions to the surface. "Why couldn't she get it? It's not who I am. I was not going to meet her expectations in this area no matter how many years in a row we discussed it."

Leaders focus a lot of energy on fixing their employee's short-comings. The problem is that fixing weaknesses does not lead to excellence, even though Gallup statistics reveal that 51% of working Americans believe that it does. The truth is that capitalizing on strengths leads to excellence.

A significant opportunity exists for leaders to expand the amount of time employees spend playing to their strengths. The science of Positive Psychology has revealed strengths use as a pathway to human flourishing. We are so much more effective and efficient when we are functioning in an area of strength. The right mix of strengths use and challenge puts us into flow. Yet, Gallup tells us that employees feel they spend 12% of their time playing to their strengths. This correlates to pure untapped potential.

Every leader has the opportunity to spend less time on employee weaknesses and more time developing employee's strengths. By maximizing employee potential, an organization maximizes its potential.

Appreciative Inquiry Culture: We Have a Dream

2008-03-21T12:01:00.003-04:00

One of Leadership Beyond Limits foundational beliefs is that organizations that are committed to an appreciative inquiry culture are dynamic and resilient.

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is currently revolutionizing the field of organizational development. First articulated by David Cooperrider and Suresh Srivastva, two professors at Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management, AI is now widely recognized as one of the most practical tools in the rapidly growing discipline of positive change. Why are forward thinking business leaders embracing AI? The results speak for themselves. Here is a sampling of results reported at the recent 2007 International AI conference. See if you agree that these are examples of dynamic and resilient businesses.

Two, four-billion dollar companies used Appreciative Inquiry to create 'a merger of strengths' realizing $75 million in synergies in the first 100 days, and an estimated $300 million in synergy savings in the first year.

A cover story in Forbes told the story of the application of Appreciative Inquiry at one of America's fastest growing Fair Trade premium coffee roasters and their subsequent revenue growth. When the company began using AI as its organizational development approach, stock prices hovered around $18 per share- today, five years later, the stock continues to skyrocket at over $61 per share. (NASDAQ).

A Fortune 500 telephone company used AI to improve union-management relations and to re-write the contract. Estimates place the value of the initiative in the millions of dollars, saving the company thousands of jobs, and securing a stronger competitive positioning in the field.

A large retail grocery chain involved more than 500 front-line employees and managers in the development of customer service innovation projects. Results include 35% higher sales per man-hour ratio and powerful stories of how employees have transferred this experience to their families.

A crippled defense program was over budget, behind schedule, and facing cancellation. Relationships between employees, unions, and customers were at an all-time low. AI approaches were implemented for strategic planning and transformation to a team-based culture. Within five years the program became the 'cash cow' of the largest aerospace company in the world. It won the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award.

AI works so well because it is based on some very powerful principles. The Positive Principle states: The more positive the question, the greater and longer-lasting the change. This is very different from the traditional "problem-solving" approach that is deeply embedded in the American business tradition, where the focus is on fixing what is wrong. The underlying belief is that we already know what is wrong and if we can just "fix" the perceived problem and return to the status quo we will achieve an ideal state.

The idea that we already know what "should be" is itself very limiting. Although he was talking about education when he said it, Enstein's observation rings true for the business "problem solving" approach: "It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry."

Peter Senge put it another way: "We often spend so much time coping with problems along our path that we only have a dim or even inaccurate view of what's really important to us." This leads us to another AI principle, The Anticipatory Principle which states: "Images of the future inspire present day changes." The success stories described above came about because people were invited to pose positive questions about their future. In doing so, they came up with innovative new solutions that would have been impossible to imagine had they taken a problem solving approach.

We intuitively know that dreaming future is more inspirational than planning one. After all, Martin Luther King did not say, "I have a strategic plan." Instead, he shouted, "I have a DREAM! and he inspired a movement. When business leaders encourage employees to ask positive questions about a shared vision of the future, amazing things will happen.

Happy Cows? Happy Workplace: The Secret to Success

2008-03-15T09:53:00.016-04:00

Do you remember the California Milk Advisory Board commercials from 2002? They highlighted the slogan: "Great cheese comes from happy cows. Happy cows come from California." The ads featured talking and signing cows discussing the pleasures of life in warm and sunny California. The underlying message was that happy cows give better milk.

Ironically, the California Milk Advisory Board was sued by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals suggesting that the depiction of the cow's living conditions was deceptive. The lawsuit sparked a false advertising debate among the dairy community that included the question of how a cow's happiness is measured. Some great questions flow from legal debates.

Despite the unhappy drama that surrounded the happy cow commercials, they were popular for a reason. My guess is that people intuitively resonate with the concept of happiness resulting in quality work. And the commercials were fun. Who wouldn't smile at a singing cow?

What we have come to learn from the science of Positive Psychology is that happy people have a greater opportunity to produce quality results than those who are unhappy. Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, has conducted ground breaking research that supports this theory. Barbara's work suggests that when we experience positive emotions we are more intelligent, more creative, have a more global perspective, and are less racially biased. In addition, while we experience positive emotions we build sustainable physical, psychological, emotional and social resources. While positive emotions may not last, the resources we build as a result of them are long lasting. These enhancements improve our well-being over time.

On the contrary, negative emotions narrow our perspective and limit our options. When we're stuck in a negative emotional space self-advocacy prevails. Work environments filled with negativity result in silos, empire building, withholding of ideas and information and doing things the way they've always been done. Luckily, positive emotions can reduce negative ones.

I worked in Human Resources inside a large organization for many years. We routinely surveyed our employees as they left the organization regarding their work experience. One rating that was routinely low and would not seem to budge despite our efforts to influence it was, "My supervisor cares about and works to resolve problems." It was only after we took action to create a more positive culture, that we saw a 20 percentage point positive movement in that rating. Actually, there was positive movement in all of the leadership ratings. I contend that being positive and being around positive people opens up new ways of thinking and supports us in finding new solutions to old problems. As Albert Einstein said, "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."

Will quality work flow from happy employees? Research from the field of Positive Psychology would suggest so. Could there be a better learning lab than the financial results of Fortune Magazine's 100 Best Places to Work? These companies intentionally develop a positive culture and they routinely outperform their competitors. We know that positive emotions cause success for individuals. The Best Places to Work are proof that collective positive emotions create success as well.

While the jury is still out on how to measure the happiness of a cow, the science of Positive Psychology offers us many ways to measure the happiness and well-being of human beings - the secret to your organization's success.

Welcome to the Leadership Beyond Limits Blog

2008-03-11T14:51:00.000-04:00

Welcome to our blog.