Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Collins: Hedgehog Concept

Fox and the HedgehogThis post about the Hedgehog Concept continues our 8-part series on Good to Great

Jim Collins and his team discovered the Hedgehog Concept researching Good to Great. It remains one of my favorite concepts of the book. I consider it one of the most powerful applications. My description will briefly introduce you to the concept. As always, I strongly encourage you to read the book yourself and study its contents carefully. You will find the quotes I use in today’s blog in Chapter 5 of Good to Great.

Are You a Hedgehog or a Fox?

Collins begins the chapter reviewing Isaiah Berlins’ essay on The Hedgehog and the Fox. In the essay the fox tries a variety of methods to catch the hedgehog. Each day he must create a new method. Each day he fails. The hedgehog, however, does one thing and does it repeatedly. He rolls himself into a ball with his spiny quills exposed to the fox’s mouth. The hedgehog’s single-minded application to the same approach saves his life.

The author illustrates the application of the hedgehog concept in business with how Walgreen’s became a dominant player in the convenience drug store industry. (Read pages 92-93 to understand Walgreen’s hedgehog concept.) Collin's continues “Those who built the good-to-great companies were, to one degree of another hedgehogs. They used their hedgehog nature to drive toward what we call a Hedgehog Concept for their companies. Those who led the comparison companies tended to be foxes, never gaining the clarifying advantage of a Hedgehog Concept, being instead scattered, diffused, and inconsistent.”

Find Your Hedgehog Concept Where 3 Circles Intersect

3 Circles of Hedgehog“The essential strategic difference between the good-to-great and comparison companies” writes Collins “lay in two fundamental distinctions. First, the good-to-great companies founded their strategies on deep understanding along three key dimensions—what we came to call the three circles. Second, the good-to-great companies translated that understanding into a simple, crystalline concept that guided all their efforts—hence the term Hedgehog Concept.”

The circles include:

  1. What can you be the best in the world at (and, equally important, what you cannot be the best in the world at).
  2. What drives your economic engine: All the good-to-great companies attained piercing insight into how to most effectively generate sustained and robust cash flow and profitability.
  3. What are you deeply passionate about: The good-to-great companies focused on those activities that ignited their passion.

Your hedgehog concept exists where the three circles intersect. Jim Collins applies the hedgehog concept to you personally on pages 96-97. Read it a couple of times to see how it can improve your career satisfaction.

“The hedgehog concept is a turning point in the journey from good to great. In most cases, the transition date follows within a few years of the Hedgehog Concept. Furthermore, everything from here on out in the book hinges upon having the Hedgehog Concept. As will become abundantly clear in the following chapters, disciplined action-0-the third big chunk in the framework after disciplined people and disciplining thought—only makes sense in the context of the Hedgehog Concept.”

Use a Council (Mastermind Group) to Find Your Hedgehog

Collins wrote “One particularly useful mechanism for moving the process along is a device that we came to call the Council. The Council consists of a group of the right people who participate in dialogue and debate guided by the three circles, iteratively and over time, about vital issues and decisions facing the organization.”

“In response to the question, ‘How would we go about getting our Hedgehog Concept?’ I would point to the diagram on page 114 and say ‘Build the Council, and use that as a model. Ask the right questions, engage in vigorous debate, make decisions, autopsy the results, and learn—all guided within the context of the three circles. Just keep going through that cycle of understanding.”

Once again, I encourage you to study chapter 5 of Good to Great, form your own council, and work through the process until you find your Hedgehog Concept. It will prove the turning point to turning your career (or organization) from good to great.

Join us on Friday to learn how to create a culture of discipline within your life or organization

Monday, December 26, 2011

Jim Collins: Face Brutal Facts

Stockdale ParadoxThis continues our 8-part series applying Jim Collins Good to Great principles to careers

Collins wrote “One of the dominant themes from our research is that breakthrough results come about by a series of good decisions, diligently executed and accumulated one on top of another. Of course, the good-to-great companies did not have perfect track record. But on the whole, they made many more good decisions than bad ones, and they made many more good decisions than the comparison companies. Even more important, on the really big choices.,,they were remarkably on target.”

Confront the Brutal Facts, Yet Never Lose Faith

Too many companies fail to confront their brutal facts. They neglect facts that will inhibit or even condemn their success. Unfortunately, many people do the same thing. Others do not. Collins wrote “When…you start with an honest and diligent effort to determine the truth of the situation, the right decisions often become self-evident. Not always, of course, but often. And even if all decisions do not become self-evident one thing is certain: You absolutely cannot make a series of good decisions without first confronting the brutal facts. The good-to-great companies operated in accordance with this principle, and the comparison companies generally did not.”

Create a “Climate Where the Truth is Heard”

Whether you use the principles to move your organization—or you personally—to greatness, you need a climate where the truth is heard.. Once again, I quote Collins “ There’s a huge difference between the opportunity to "’have your say’ and the opportunity to be heard The good-to-great leaders understood this distinction, creating a culture wherein people had a tremendous opportunity to be heard and, ultimately, for the truth to be heard. How do you create a climate where the truth is heard? We offer four basic practices:

  1. Lead with questions, not answers: questions generate thought, answers stifle it
  2. Engage in dialogue and debate, not coercion:  honest back and forth
  3. Conduct autopsies without blame” evaluate projects and operations with fear
  4. Build ‘red flag’ mechanisms: create systems that help you identify potential problems”

Following the same approach about yourself allows you to hear the truth about you—good or bad. Hearing the truth allows you to confront the brutal facts and change your behavior, interactions, and even your character. First, however, you must create a climate where people feel comfortable telling you the truth.

The Stockdale Paradox

Admiral Jim Stockdale was the highest ranking officer housed in the “Hanoi Hilton” prisoner-of-war camp during the Vietnam War. He survived 20 rounds of torture, deprivation, and isolation for eight years. He developed a philosophy that sustained him during the ordeal. Jim Collins called it The Stockdale Paradox. Simply stated: “you must retain faith that you will prevail in the end and  you must also confront the most brutal facts of your current reality.”

“Our good-to-great companies…all embraced the Stockdale Paradox. It didn’t matter how bleak the situation or how stultifying their mediocrity, they all maintained unwavering faith that they would not just survive, but prevail as a great company. And yet, at the same time, they became relentlessly disciplined at confronting the most brutal facts of their current reality.”

I found, for myself, that the dual belief of the paradox allows for great growth. Maintaining the faith while confronting the brutal facts stimulates personal improvement.

Wednesday we will examine how to create your own hedgehog concept to focus your thoughts

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas

Bloch NativityFor unto us a child is born,

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Bloch ScourgingHe was wounded for our transgression

“He was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before here shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and Bloch Cruxificionwho shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:5-9)

“And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here

 

Bloch ResurrectionFor He is risen, as he said.

I thank God for the gift of His only begotten Son. I rejoice in His birth in Bethlehem.

I praise Him for his grace that saves and redeems me. I know that He lives and sits on the right hand of His Father. I pray that His peace may be upon you this season and all time.

Merry Christmas

On Earth Peace, Goodwill to all

Friday, December 23, 2011

Jim Collins: First Who…

BusThe 2nd post in our 8-part series reviewing Jim Collins principles of Good-to-Great Leadership. I strongly suggest you buy the book and study it thoroughly. I found it very helpful.
Jim Collins began the chapter on First Who…Then What, “When we began the research project, we expected to find that the first step in taking a company from good to great would be to set a new direction, a new vision and strategy for the company, and then to get people committed and aligned behind the new direction.
We found something quite the opposite.
The executives who ignited the transformations from good to great did not first figure out where to drive the bus and then get people to take it there. No, they first got the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus) and then figured out where to drive it.”
Mistakes of Companies that Did Not Go Good-to-Great
  • Weak Generals with Strong Lieutenants: The weak generals model produced a climate …[where] weak generals would wait for directions from above.”
    • “Genius Leaders with a Thousand Helpers: set a vision for where to drive the bus. Develop a road map for driving the bus. Then, enlist a crew of highly capable “helpers” to make the vision happen.
    The Key: “Who” First and “What” Second
    Collins continues “The good-to-great leaders understood three simple truths:
    1. If you begin with “who,” rather than “what,” you can more easily adapt to a changing world.
    2. If you have right people on the bus, the problem of how to motivate and manage people largely goes away
    3. If you have the wrong people, it doesn’t matter whether you discover the right direction, you still won’t have a great company. Great vision without great people is irrelevant.”
    Not only did great companies get the right people on the bus. They ensured that the people were in the right seats on the bus. I personally experienced this in one operation I managed. I inherited an operation with excellent people already in place. Unfortunately, previous management assigned them responsibilities inappropriately to the capabilities of the people. I merely changed their assignments and increased productivity of the operation by 87% in four months.
    Rigorous, Not Ruthless
    Collins found that great companies are rigorous but not ruthless. Collins wrote “To be ruthless means hacking and cutting, especially in difficult times, or wantonly firing people without any thoughtful consideration. To be rigorous means consistently applying exacting standards at all times and at all levels, especially in upper management. To be rigorous, not ruthless, means that the best people need not worry about their positions and can concentrate fully on their work.
    They found three practical disciplines required to enforce the rigor required to become great:
    1. “When in doubt, don’t hire—keep looking (Corollary: A company should limit its growth based on its ability to attract enough of the right people.)”
    2. “When you know you need to make a people change, act (Corollary: First be sure you don’t simply have someone in the wrong seat.)”
    3. “Put your best people on your biggest opportunities, not your biggest problems (Corollary: If you sell off your problems, don’t sell off your best people.)”
    Collins concludes this chapter pointing out that the old adage “People are your most important asset is wrong. People are not your most important asset. The right people are.” He also highlights “Whether someone is the ‘right person’ has more to do with character traits and innate capabilities than with specific knowledge, background, or skills.”
    This concept found by Jim Collins becomes essential to your career success. Whether you find yourself the leader needing to lure the right people onto your bus and helping others off the bus, or one of the people getting on or off the bus; prioritizing “who” first, then “what” remains critical to becoming great.
    Frieday we we explore the need to face brutal facts in our organization

    Wednesday, December 21, 2011

    Jim Collins: Good is Enemy to Great

    Jim CollinsThis continues our 8-part series on Jim Collins’ Good-to-Great research
    Jim Collins and his research team examined 30 years of financial records for 1,435 companies. They looked for 1) 15 years of performance at or below the norm, 2) a transitional point of change (the black box), and 3) 15 years of accelerating performance significantly above industry norms. Eleven companies met the criteria. The research team interviewed staff to identify any commonalities between the great companies. Good-to-Great released their findings. I strongly suggest you study it to improve your career. Most of today’s post comes from chapter one of the book.
    “Good is the Enemy of Great”
    Jim Collins started the book with that statement. He continued “And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great.
    We don’t have great schools, principally because we have good schools. We don’t have great government, principally because we have good government. Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life. The vast majority become quite good—and that is their main problem.”
    His thoughts resonate with me. They echo Tom Peters and Robert Waterman’s landmark work In Search of Excellence. Too many of us as people, businesses, and communities fail to  push for excellence. Good satisfies our craving. For example, most of my blogs pass for good. Some worse. Few, if any, of my musings would pass muster as great. Most of us, could not describe a great effort.
    Let me share another example. the operation that I manage set a goal in October to help all of the people asking us for help (6,000+) to find a job by Christmas. I believe that exemplified a great and achievable goal. We failed miserably. We only helped a little over a thousand find a job. Whenever, I tried to motivate the group to stretch further, they told me “But we placed twice as many this year as last year.” In other words, what we are doing is good because it exceeds last year’s performance. Good truly is the enemy of great.
    “Timeless “Physics” of Good to Great”
    The author admonishes readers (Yes, you should read the book) “As you immerse yourself in the coming chapters, keep one key point in mind. This book is not about the old economy. Nor is it about the new economy. It is not even about the companies you’re reading about, or even about business per se. It is ultimately about one thing: the timeless principles of good to great. It’s about how you take a good organization and turn it into one that produces sustained great results, using whatever definition of results best applies to your organization.”
    Collins explains that he doesn’t consider his research about businesses, economies, or even organizations. He believes that his research seeks to “understand the fundamental differences between great and good, between excellent and mediocre.” He uses corporations because their requirement to publish solid financial information simplifies the research.
    Move Your Career, Your Life, from Good to Great
    That answers the question “Larry, why are you examining good to great in your career blog and not in your business blog?” I believe the findings Collins discovered can apply to people also. You can surround yourself with “who” first, then discover your “what”. You can confront your own brutal facts. You can find your personal hedgehog concept. You determine if you live on a flywheel or a doom loop.
    The end of the year lends itself to introspection and seeking improvement. I hope these posts inspire you to seek lasting change—to conquer good, the enemy of great—and become great. Read the book and articles listed on his web site. Take the diagnostic tool for you as an individual.  I pray that you share the concepts with your friends. Build your own mastermind team so that each of you can become great.
    Friday we will explore the critical practice of seeking who first…then what. Don’t miss it!

    Monday, December 19, 2011

    Jim Collins: Good-to-Great

    good to greatThis begins an 8-part review of Jim Collins roles of leadership to go from Good to Great


    Many of you must fill leadership roles as you develop your career. So, we will analyze the literature on leadership. In a previous post we reviewed what Jim Collins calls Level 5 Leadership. That chapter outlined the traits of great leadership. Today we begin a review of the roles of leadership Collins found in his research for the book Good to Great.

    I review the concepts found in Good-to-Great to help you understand the culture of great companies for those of you who
    1. Find yourself leading and want to exert great leadership
    2. Work for companies that could become great
    3. Yearn to find a great company that will appreciate your efforts
    How Collins Identified Traits of Good-to-Great Companies
    Let me restate how Collins and his team found the traits. They reviewed the financial records of companies that appeared on the Fortune 500 list between 1965-1995. Collins writes they were “looking for companies that showed the following basic pattern: fifteen-year cumulative stock returns at or below the general stock market, punctuated by a transition point, then cumulative returns at least three times the market over the next fifteen years. We picked fifteen years because it would transcend one-hit wonders and lucky breaks.”
    From the research, Collins found 11 companies that met the criteria. He compared those companies with two types of companies. What he called:
    • Direct comparisons: “companies that were in the same industry as the good-to-great companies with the same opportunities and similar resources at the time of transition, but that showed no leap from good to great.
    • Unsustained comparisons: companies that made a short-term shift from good to great but failed to maintain the trajectory—to address the questions of sustainability.”
    Then, his group asked questions to identify what happened “in the black box” (the point of transition and beyond). They compared the data to identify common traits shared by all the good-to-great companies and lacking from the comparisons.

    Traits of Good Companies that Became Great

    Collins team found the great companies shared the following characteristic:
    1. Good is the Enemy of Great
    2. Level 5 Leadership
    3. First Who…Then What
    4. Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet Never Lose Faith)
    5. The Hedgehog Concept (Simplicity within Three Circles)
    6. A Culture of Discipline
    7. Technology Accelerators
    8. The Flywheel and the Doom Loop
    He closed the book by describing how companies go from good-to-great to built-to-last (another of his books). The last chapter proved almost prophetic. Several of Collins great companies failed miserably during the economic downturn (particularly Circuit City that closed and Fannie Mae that the government took over). His curiosity led him to examine what happened. Then he wrote about it in How the Mighty Fall.

    I hope you enjoy our review of Jim Collins findings. As always, I strongly encourage you to purchase Good-to-Great and read it several times. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Applying it to my work improved our productivity, satisfaction, and passion for what we do. I firmly believe that you will find the same motivations. I know that it will improve your career.


    So do not miss Wednesday’s blog when we begin our review with First Who…Then What

    Friday, December 16, 2011

    Rejuvenate During Holidays

    serenityMany people find the holidays a difficult time. Despair and depression affect many people. Loneliness and isolation darkens an increasing number of homes each year. The recession, upside down home prices to mortgages, uncertain job outlooks cause millions to worry and despair. Our government gridlock rushing from one looming shutdown to another impasse.

    In addition, certain industries or occupations experience more stress at years’ end than others:

    • Retailers obviously experience challenges, pressures, and long days during the holiday season. They do a huge portion of their annual sales in six weeks.
    • Accountants close out corporate books and prepare for four months of tax season.
    • Airline, hotel, & restaurant workers host large number of guests during the holidays
    • UPS, FedEx, and postal workers work more hours and must push more packages
    • Mental health counselors and therapists cope with an increase of cases and crisis

    These represent a small portion of the people who experience added stress during the holidays. Many others carry stress that spills over from the rest of the year. Continual stress saps your energy. In other words, most Americans arrive at the holiday season drained, tried, and worn out.

    Engage in Relaxing Activities

    The holidays also provide an excellent time to rejuvenate and renew your energies. The proximity of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day allow salaried workers to leverage 3 vacation days into 9. Try doing some of these activities to reduce your stress, increase serenity, and energize your cells:

    • Just sit in front of your Christmas tree with the tree lights on and others off
    • Take walks in the peaceful times of day (bundle up if its cold, protect nasal passages)
    • Take quiet, hot bathes, close your eyes, and imagine your are in a tropical lagoon
    • Listen to soothing music in the dark at the end of long day
    • Buy or check a meditation or yoga download or DVD and practice it each evening
    • Wish 10 people a day a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanza or holiday
    • Read a good book sitting in front of a Christmas tree, fireplace, or soft light
    • Make a list of all the good things in your life
    • Serve a meal at a homeless shelter, battered women’s shelter or for neighbor in need
    • Check into an inexpensive hotel with a pool or hot tub and free breakfast and relax
    • Take a cruise or vacation to a tropical location

    I hope you find a way to rejuvenate your life and recharge your soul.

    Join me Monday when I rejoin our series on leadership with more on Jim Collins Good to Great

    Wednesday, December 14, 2011

    Education & Getting Ahead

    LearnWe continue our review of the Diane Rehm’s show State of the American Dream

    Diane Rehm led a panel discussion analyzing the State of the American Dream. I shared some of their thoughts in Monday’s blog.  One of the guests, Dante Chinni, commented “so there are fewer and fewer of these jobs that were good jobs for people who didn't have a lot of skills and education. It allowed them to have a high standard of living and live the life they wanted. You know, we still have less than 50 percent of the population with even…an associates degree…So what we really have to do is figure out a way to get all these people educated for what's coming next because you're going to have to have more education. You're going to have to have more skills.”

    The World Will Pay You What it Thinks You are Worth

    I firmly believe in the importance of education. I strongly support getting all the education you can get. The civic and religious leader Gordon B. Hinckley once told the youth of the world

    “You are moving into the most competitive age the world has ever known. All around you is competition. You need all the education you can get. Sacrifice a car; sacrifice anything that is needed to be sacrificed to qualify yourselves to do the work of the world. That world will in large measure pay you what it thinks you are worth, and your worth will increase as you gain education and proficiency in your chosen field.”

    That statement contributed to my going for a master’s degree in my mid 50s. The challenge, made 10 years ago, grew in importance. You need an education more today than then. A master’s degree today meets the requirements that a bachelor’s degree demanded 30 years a go. A bachelor’s degree  holds the same standards as a high school diploma did 30 years a go.

    Educated to Do Something Worthwhile

    You must get an education, however, that prepares the student to do something that the world finds valuable. Some education qualifies a person to do more than others. For example, accounting, math, and science degrees receive higher compensation because they seem to contribute more to the revenues and profits of a company. Teaching professions do not receive compensation adequately for the good they do. Some degrees do not prepare students to earn a sufficient income. Many degrees require students to also acquire a master’s degree before they can earn decent wages. You want to ensure that you education qualifies you for the work you want to do.

    Consequently, the current economy, both short-term and long-term, seems to be creating a greater inequality depending on the education you receive. Many people with college degrees must take jobs that do not require a degree. As a result, they take the jobs of high school graduates that do not have degrees. A city manger for a small community told that they advertised a part-time, seasonal meter reader position paying $9.00 an hour. He said that 376 people applied for the position. 40% of them had graduate degrees.

    Lost High Wages from Long-term Training in the Trades

    In addition, the trades now earn less than in the last 50 years. Automation coupled with offshoring and outsourcing decreased the number of high paying jobs for people working in the trades. The loss of collective bargaining and union strength also reduced middle class wages for millions of Americans. Highly paid and highly trained (6-8 year apprenticeships) production workers became the villains as public opinion decried their $80 an hour wages, while applauding the $200 million annual salaries of CEOs for the same companies.

    I ask this question of America “What education should people get today that will allow them to earn middle class wages?” I await your answer, please comment.

    Monday, December 12, 2011

    State of the American Dream

    diane rehmThis post reviews the November 28, 2011 episode of the Diane Rehm Show on NPR

    Most of this post will include comments made on the Diane Rehm show from November 28, 2011. I listened to the show while commuting, and then looked up the transcript from her show. I’m sharing the link to the transcript so you can read it for yourself. I suggest you go to the source at http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-11-28/state-american-dream/transcript. You will find it well worth your time.

    Ms. Rehm Introduced her Topic

    “Thanks for joining us. I'm Diane Rehm. The doomsayers are proclaiming ever more loudly that America is in decline. They point to our fading economic power and the waning sense of America as a land of opportunity.”

    One of her guests E.J. Dionne said in the broadcast:

    “Well, I think it's a -- more than a passing ailment, but short of a terminal condition. I should begin by saying that my favorite line on America, which many of your listeners will be familiar with, was Winston Churchill's. He once said Americans always do the right thing after first exhausting all of the other possibilities. And we spent a lot of time lately exhausting all the other possibilities. I think the notion that we are in terminal decline actually speaks to what a high opinion we have of ourselves.”

    “We've gone through these bouts of declinism in the past. I think this feeling is particularly strong now for a couple of reasons. One is we obviously are in a very deep economic downturn. Two, as the president's clip suggested, we've had a long rise in economic inequality, which has left a lot of Americans feeling that they can't do as well as they did in the past, and their kids won't do as well as they did in the present.”

    Fewer and Fewer Low Trained High Paying Jobs

    Her guest Dante Chinni remarked:

    :Well, I think it's a good point to say that we're not in a terminal state of decline, which just sounds pretty awful. But what we're definitely in -- we're going through a period -- this is a pretty big shift we're going through. And I do think that they're -- the stuff that E.J. was talking about, particularly, you know, manufacturing jobs, a lot of these things are gone, and they're gone away for a while. And it's not just that we're losing jobs to China and Brazil and India. We're losing them to automation.”

    “And, you know, so there are fewer and fewer of these jobs that were good jobs for people who didn't have a lot of skills and education. It allowed them to have a high standard of living and live the life they wanted. You know, we still have less than 50 percent of the population with even, you know, an associates degree, right? So what we really have to do is figure out a way to get all these people educated for what's coming next because you're going to have to have more education. You're going to have to have more skills.”

    “And that gets increasingly difficult because college tuition costs are going up. I feel that we're at a point where we kind of have to look at all the things we have, all the structures we kind of have in the U.S. and determine whether or not we need to change them and how we need to change them...”

    I’d like to discuss this topic more throughout the week. I’ve seen significant decreases in the middle class. While some move upward, too many descend into poverty. Before Wednesday’s post I strongly encourage you to listen to, or read, the transcript from the Diane Rehm show on November 28: http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-11-28/state-american-dream/transcript.

    Wednesday we will explore this concept of education and training for the American Dream

    Friday, December 9, 2011

    Reflected Best Self Exercise

    rbseToday we explore a tool to identify when others see us acting at our best self

    My Personal Experience

    I found the Reflected Best Self Exercise one of the most helpful and uplifting tools to help my career. I performed the exercise during a particularly stressful time in my professional life. Uncertain strategic messages from upper management coupled with frequent announced operational changes that were never authorized created stress. Sixty-hour work weeks with seventeen hours for school depleted my reserves. Layoffs loomed within the corporation. In all this, I lost my way. I began to lose my professional identity.

    Then, Brad Agle (the author of the Stakeholder’s Salience Model) asked our class to take the Reflected Best Self Exercise. The exercise rekindled awareness of my personal mission, talents, and direction. The comments from others that constitute the basis for analysis restored self-esteem and confidence. The analysis directed my efforts to improve people’s lives. Much of my current professional efforts accelerated because I discovered my reflected best self.

    I would like you to experience the same benefits I did.

    Overview of the Reflected Best Self

    Scholars at the Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship in the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan developed the Reflected Best Self Exercise. Their web site states:

    “Born from empirical research from University of Michigan’s Center for Positive
    Organizational Scholarship, the Reflected Best Self Exercise™ (RBSE™) uses stories
    collected from people in all contexts of your life to help you understand and articulate who
    you are and how you contribute when you are at your best.  With this new insight, you will
    feel immediately strengthened and connected to others, experience clarity about who you
    are at your best, and  refine personal development goals to be your best self more
    often.”

    “The RBSE™ guides you step-by-step through the process of [I bulleted these from the original text]:

    1. Identifying potential respondents
    2. Making the request for feedback
    3. Creating your a priori best-self portrait
    4. Analyzing your reflected best-self stories
    5. Creating a new,  reflected best-self portrait
    6. Translating that  portrait into proactive steps for living at your best”

    Discover Your Reflected Best Self

    michiganI encourage you to take the exercise. You can buy it from the Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship if you go through a school or non-profit organization. Others also share it. The original authors wrote an excellent scholarly treatise for those who really want to explore the profound positive psychology that make it work.

    The exercise will take about 10-15 hours spread over several weeks. You spend most of the time on the analysis, reading comments 15-20 people write about you. All the comments are positive, so do not worry.

    Lucy Ryan, a British executive coach, wrote

    “Reflected Best Self is easily the most powerful feedback oriented intervention I’ve used in the last few years with clients…I like this exercise for so many reasons (beyond my obvious shortcomings for accepting criticism!). For me, it goes to the very heart of positive psychology. That is, you are already good, already unique and already accomplished. For positive change to occur, it’s a question of understanding and embodying those moments more than changing from the person you are to a different person. Like resolutions, so many personal visions are based on an ‘ought’ self (what i ought/must/should be like) when it is as simple as being at your best as often as possible.”

    I agree with her. So, make the investment to discover your reflected best self. You will not regret it.

    Don’t miss our review on the State of the American Dream ( a Diane Rehm show) on Monday

    Wednesday, December 7, 2011

    Staying Grounded: Integrating

    truenorth1This concludes our series on Bill George’s True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership. This post is almost 3 times longer than my normal post. Please keep reading, though, it shares really good ideas to improve your life and your leadership.

    You must integrate your life if you pursue a career in leadership. Bill George and Peter Sims quote John Donahoe, the president of eBay, “Leading a satisfying life is a quest worth taking…The world will shape you if you let it. To have a sense of yourself as you live, you must make conscious choices.”

    George and Sims share the following insight in their book True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership. “For authentic leaders being true to themselves by being the same person at work that they are at home is a constant test, yet personal fulfillment is their ultimate reward”. The author’s research found that staying grounded by integrating your life became the last area of self-development required to discover and maintain authentic leadership.

    Having studied all the other areas, we end our examination of True North with this essential one. I acknowledge that most of this blog contains direct quotes from True North. I , again, encourage you to buy the book, download the study guides, and use them to internalize the principles if you choose a career leadership.

    Fifth Area of Self-Development: Integrate Your Life

    • Self-Awareness: What is my story? What are my strengths and developmental needs?
    • Values: When are my most deeply held values? What principles guide my leadership?
    • Motivations: What motivates me? How do I balance external and internal motivations?
    • Support Team: Who are the people I can count on to guide & support me along the way?
    • Integrated Life: How can I integrate all aspects of my life and find fulfillment?
      • “Integrating their lives is one of the greatest challenges leaders face. To lead an integrated life, you need to bring together the major elements of your personal life and professional life, including work, family, community, and friends so that you can be the same person in each environment.”
      • “Authentic leaders are constantly aware of the importance of staying grounded. In doing so, they avoid getting too cocky during the high points and forgetting who they are during the low points. Spending time with their families and close friends, getting physical exercise, having spiritual practices, doing community service and returning to places where they grew up are all ways they stay grounded. This grounding is essential to their effectiveness as leaders, because it enables them to preserve their authenticity.”
      • The authors found several practices that will help you integrate your life:
        • Making Choices and Trade-Offs: Without realizing it, we make hundreds of choices every day, many of them subconscious or intuitive, and try to learn from those that turn out to be mistakes. Ultimately, our life stories become an expression of the choices we make.”
        • The Buckets of Your Life: Many leaders think about integration in terms of bringing the major parts of their lives together: family, work, friends and community, and personal time.”
          • “Leadership can require significant sacrifices, especially during intense periods, when certain buckets get less time” You must, however, return to all four buckets eventually to remain authentic.
          • “To integrate your life, you must remain grounded in your authentic self, especially when the outside world is chaotic. Well-grounded leaders have a steady and confident presence. They do not show up as one person one day and another person the next. Integration takes discipline, particularly during stressful times when it is easy to become reactive and slip into bad habits.”
        • Staying True to Your Root: Returning to where you came from is another important way to stay grounded…To restore themselves and their sense of perspective, many have a special place they can go with their families on weekends and vacations.”
        • Finding Time for Yourself: To manage the stress created by our leadership roles, we need personal time to relieve the tension…meditation or yoga…solace in prayer…jogging…laughing with friends…listening to music…watching television, attending sporting events, reading, or going to movies."
          • “It does not matter what you do, as long as you establish a routine that enables you to manage the stress in your life and gives you time to think clearly about  life, work, and your personal issues. It is critical to avoid abandoning these routines when you are going through an especially busy or difficult period because that is precisely when you need your stress reduction techniques to kick in.”
        • Spiritual and Religious Practices: Understanding our role in the world by asking questions like “What is the meaning and purpose of my life?” or “Why am I here?” is the most personal and profound area of our leadership development. Many leaders have an active religious or spiritual practice to engage these issues, either privately or with like-minded people…Authentic leaders who are religious talked about the power of prayer, being a part of church groups, and finding solace at church.
        • Taking Sabbaticals: Taking sabbaticals is another way in which authentic leaders ground themselves.”
        • Friends and Community: Genuine friends—those we can count on in good times and bad—are an invaluable resource in helping us stay grounded. They are always willing to provide candid feedback, constructive criticism when appropriate, and encouragement when most needed…Being in direct contact with those who are less fortunate also provides leaders with an invaluable perspective about who they are and what is happening in the world around them.”
        • Measuring Success: Have you defined what success means for you and for your life? Unless you have thought through the answer to that question, you are at risk of letting others define success for you or trying to keep up with their definitions of success. Only when you define what is most important in your life can you set the right priorities for your life and become an integrated leader.”
        • Living with Integrity: What does it mean to live your life with integrity? Real integrity results from integrating all aspects of your life so that you are true to yourself in all settings. Think of your life like a house, with a bedroom for your personal life, a study for your professional life, a family room for your family, and a living room to share with your friends. Can you knock down the walls between these rooms and be the same person in each of them?”

    Before I conclude this post and series, I feel impelled to confirm the validity and power authentic leadership brings to life. I discovered this book while completing my master’s degree at age 57. Stresses of work and school pushed my head under the water line. This book and another exercise called Best Reflected Self (which I will share with you on Friday) restored my sanity.

    I return to the concepts I learned in True North constantly. I strongly urge you to internalize them. Studying them and incorporating them into your life will provide you a foundation for peace and success.

    Bill George and Peter Sims conclude this section of their book, “When you act the same in each setting, you are well on your way to living your life with genuine integrity. Living that way, you will be an authentic leaders who leads a fulfilling life.”

    I hope you discover your authentic leadership and lead a fulfilling life.

    Make sure you read Friday’s blog on Your Best Reflected Self

    Monday, December 5, 2011

    Building Your Support Team

    truenorth1More from our leadership series: Bill George’s 4th element of your development plan to Authentic Leadership

    At some point, most workers must make a decision about their career: do they continue as a technical independent contributor or move into management and eventually leadership. Most people crave the perceived income, perks, and benefits of leadership. Not all people want the responsibilities, pressures, and changes accompanying leadership positions. It is ok not to desire them.

    If however, you decide that your career path leads to leadership, you want to ensure that you prepare for leadership and provide authentic leadership—leadership that rings true to your nature. Bill George and Peter Sims authored True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership to help leaders discover or maintain their authentic leadership.

    Previous posts analyzed the foundations of authentic leadership (including why leaders lose their way) and the first three areas of self-development. I’ve shared a number of quotes from the book. I don’t have the space to share the wonderful stories the authors include in the book. As always I urgently suggest you read the book for yourself. Today we examine the…

    Fourth Area of Self-Development: Build Your Support Team

    1. Self-Awareness: What is my story? What are my strengths and developmental needs?
    2. Values: When are my most deeply held values? What principles guide my leadership?
    3. Motivations: What motivates me? How do I balance external and internal motivations?
    4. Support Team: Who are the people I can count on to guide & support me along the way?
      • The Most Important Person to Your Leadership: Your support team starts with having at least one person in your life with whom you can be completely vulnerable and open, warts and all, and still be loved unconditionally. Often that person is the only person who can tell you the honest truth. Most leaders have their closest relationships with their spouses, although some development bonds with other family members, a close friend or a trusted mentor.”
      • Families: Most leaders find comfort in being with their families. Younger leaders maintain close connections with their families of origin, seeking out opportunities to share high quality time with siblings, parents, and grandparents. In knowing their parents at a deeper level and learning more about their past, they wind up understanding themselves better.”
      • Mentors: Many authentic leaders have had a mentor who has changed their lives by helping them develop the skills to become better leaders and the confidence to lead authentically. But what some people fail to recognize, especially aspiring leaders is the importance of the two-way relationship with their mentors. Lasting relationships must flow both ways. The best mentoring interaction spark mutual learning, exploration of similar values, and share enjoyment…To have great mentors, Warren Bennis tells young leaders, they have to recruit them. He likens this to a dance where the two engage in mutual learning…Mentors are not necessarily people who make you feel good about yourself or tell you that you can do anything you want to do. Sometimes the best mentors provide tough love by being critical as a means of teaching.”
      • Close Friends: Growing Redwood Trees: Having a close network of friends on whom they can call when in doubt or in need of help has proven to be extremely important for many authentic leaders…Close friends provide reinforcement when leaders feel discouraged and need a boost. They shake them from blind overconfidence when they are arrogant….It is during the most turbulent moments of their lives that leaders find out who their real friends are.”
      • Your Personal Support Group: Personal support groups are one of the most powerful ways of gaining wisdom and advice that will help you grow as a leaders. The more effective groups are made up of peers who meet on a regular basis and talk about what is important in their lives…A carefully conceived structure causes members of the group to probe their beliefs and relationships and to describe the challenges they face.”
      • “Your Personal Board of Directors: CEO’s look to members of their board of directors for advice at crucial points, so why not have your own personal board of directors? Your board might include several highly trusted personal and professional advisers, people you respect for their professional expertise, insights, and wisdom, and for their commitment to your personal well-being.”
    5. Integrated Life: How can I integrate all aspects of my life and find fulfillment?

    I personally benefit (note present tense) from my support team: my wife, my family, the many mentors who nurtured me, by close friends, the non-meeting group (our name for my support group), and my mastermind team (board of directors). I recognize the multitude of course corrections they helped me make to stay on course with my leadership. I strongly encourage you to study and implement this essential section of True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership.

    Wednesday we conclude our examination of authentic leadership with the integrated life

    Friday, December 2, 2011

    What Motivates You to Lead?

    truenorth1Welcome to another post in our series on Bill George’s Authentic Leadership

    Bill George both studied and practiced leadership. He served as CEO of Medtronic prior to teaching leadership at Harvard. Recently Bill George published True North Groups He describes that leaders today may need more than they themselves, their organizations, or their communities can deliver. He researched the impact of forming small groups for support, collaboration, and in-depth discussions. You can read more at his web site on True North Groups.

    Third Area of Self-Development: Motivations

    1. Self-Awareness; What is my story? What are my strengths and developmental needs?
    2. Values: When are my most deeply held values? What principles guide my leadership? /
    3. What Motivates You to Be a Leader?
      • “Motivations: What motivates me? How do I balance external and internal motivations?”
        • “Because authentic leaders need to sustain high levels of motivation and keep their motivations in balance, it is critically important to understand what motivates them. This may take many years, even if their formative experiences occurred when they were much younger.”
        • There are two types of motivations—extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivations…are measured by the external world…Intrinsic motivations, on the other hand, are derived from your sense of the meanings of your life—your True North.”
        • For leaders with a high-achievement orientation, external motivations and positive validation by the outside world are a natural consequence. They appreciate the recognition that comes with their accomplishments. The key to developing as an authentic leader is not eschewing your extrinsic motivations but balancing them with intrinsic motivations.”
      • “The term motivated capabilities is used to describe the alignment of your motivations with your strongest capabilities in order to find the sweet spot for your leadership.”
        • “You will be most effective as a leaders when you find opportunities that highly motivate you and utilize your greatest capabilities. One without the other is insufficient. To find them, you must understand your deepest motivations and be honest with yourself about your capabilities.”
    4. Support Teams: Who are the people I can count on to guide & support me along the way?
    5. Integrated Life: How can I integrate all aspects of my life and find fulfillment?

     

    Leadership with Purpose and Passion

    In Part 3 of True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership Bill George and Peter Sims talk about Leadership with Purpose and Passion. In an address given at Bryant University in 2005 Bill George said “As a leader, your task is to engage the hearts of those you serve and align their interests with the interests of the organization you lead.  Engaging the hearts of others requires a sense of purpose and an understanding of where you’re going.  When you find that special alignment, you and your team will have the power to move mountains.  Nothing will be able to stand in your way.”

    He discussed the need to find a cause worthy of your passions. You cannot find the passion in the money, the title. or any of the extrinsic things. You must find it in the purpose of your work. If not, find work worthy of your passion.

    I really wish that I could communicate effectively the power from discovering your authentic leadership. I’ve been blessed to work in labors I love. My job fulfills my motivations and passions. Helping people get better jobs, better income,and better satisfaction motivates me to work harder.

    I hope you take the time to find what motivates you, to discover your passion & purpose.

    Join me Monday when we describe the benefits of building a support team for leadership