Jumping Into the Deep End of Leadership by Donna Karlin

06:40 pm | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment

Succeeding in the Midst of Challenging Times

In times of economic challenges most people look at life from a position of what isn’t working as opposed to what is. Even more so, if you equate yourselves with what you do rather than who you are, and you’re struggling in your work, it will fundamentally impact your life. You’ve heard me say “Attitude is contagious.” It’s not only contagious to others but to yourselves as well as you talk yourself into something or out of something. If you’re going to self-talk it might as well be in a way that energizes you and helps you succeed even in the midst of difficult times. 

Don’t ever take your gifts for granted.

“When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds; your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.” - Patanjali (c. 1st to 3rd century BC).

According to Functionfox, despite the economic downturn, many small firms expect to grow revenues, maintain staff size, and hone their positioning.

There are some surprising and optimistic results at http://www.functionfox.com/creative-industry-outlook-2009 .

Some highlights revealed:

-40% of small creative firms expect revenue growth in 2009

-23% expects to increase their staff in 2009

-61% expects to maintain current staff size

-33% of firms feel positive about their abilities to refocus their approach and positioning

The survey is fascinating and shows growth even in the midst of economic turmoil.  If you focus on what you can bring to the table rather than what the table is giving you, you just might be surprised.

Best for 2009!

* Functionfox survey information reprinted with permission

Donna Karlin | Executive and Political Leadership Coach
www.abetterperspective.com

 

07:23 am | 5 recommendations | 6 comments

Leaders Should Think Bigger

For everything you do, think bigger, think multi-dimensional, think ramifications and think ripple effect. Broaden your horizons.

Last week I spoke at the HOW Mind Your Own Business Conference. There was a group of amazingly talented individuals in that room. Through their work, they impact all their work touches and that definitely goes well beyond their immediate understanding or knowledge. One of the questions I asked them was “Are you aware of your level of impact”?

Many people don’t see beyond those they don’t immediately touch so forget to pay attention to the power of their work and how far reaching it is. I shared with them the many ‘hats’ I wear. Each one has a purpose beyond their immediate purpose. In case that doesn't make sense, I'll give you an example. I write for a few publications, this being one of them. As I write I ask myself “What reach do I have? How can I indirectly coach those who are reading this piece even if it’s just one thought that might move them forward?” I think the same about my speaking engagements where my goal is to impact the lives of those who are listening to me, even if it’s just one thing they do differently as that one thing can have an extraordinary impact on many other things.

No matter what your leadership role, are you changing how you do your work so your impact goes beyond your immediate world? If you’re a businesspreneur or entrepreneur, a sole proprietor or someone who thinks their circle of influence is only in their immediate geographic or organizational arena, think bigger. How can you get the word out to not only show your expertise but leadership in your field? You can impact people all over the globe by thinking bigger, and targeting what you do to reach farther. You can reach a broader population and many more people than you think if you start writing, speaking, networking and sharing who you are with those you don’t know.

You know who you know… Who don’t you know that you need to know to expand your circle of influence?

Remember, the gap between where you are and where you want to be is filled with what you choose to do in everything you do, all the time, starting now. Leadership is not only being great in your field, it’s being a creative thinker and getting that message out.

 

07:56 am | 2 recommendations | Be the first to comment

Time to Dive Back In

Summer used to be a time when things slowed down.  That doesn't seem to be happening any more.  People think summer is quieter and then they ask "Whatever happened to Summer"?

For many, especially those in positions of leadership, entrepreneurs or anyone running a people oriented business, when some things slow down, they're immediately filled by others. To use myself as an example, client time over summer generally slows down as many take vacations with their kids.  So I fill it with prep for class material, speaking engagement content, articles, do work for 2 Boards I sit on and, like this summer, finishing a book and diving into another (a unique book on the subject of leadership...stay tuned).

What I notice (hey as a Shadow Coach I have a ton of data to draw from) is that people don't pay attention to what it is they're doing.  They just do...and do...and do more, run more, scramble more, try to keep up more without really paying attention to why they're doing it.  It's a frenetic world, a whirlwind of activity.

Someone recently asked me how I could keep up with everything I do.  The answer is simple. I do not commit to anything I don't have the time for and I mean enough time to do it well.  I won't even tell anyone I'm thinking of a project unless I have the time to do it, as articulating it, saying it out loud, is a commitment.  My motto "I live my life by the commitments I make and keep" applies to the people in my life and my work.

If you can't answer the question "Why am I doing this?" then stop doing it, at least until you can answer. Then follow up with "What should I be doing that I'm not doing" and "What am I doing that I should NOT be doing" and magically you just might have time to do things you know you should and want to be doing and do them well.

Thomas Edison said  “Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing." That's called busy-making.

Structure doesn't box you in, it sets you free, giving you the freedom to realize your dreams because you'll have time to pay attention to them.  Are you paying attention to yours?

08:13 am | 1 recommendation | Be the first to comment

Are You Paying Attention To Your People?

It’s amazing how many get to positions of organizational leadership while lacking emotional intelligence.  Lack of or poor EI costs organizations more money than you can imagine.  I’ve been quoted as saying “People take jobs because of people and leave jobs because of people”.  The organization can be the most amazing place in the world but if the manager doesn’t value people as people and see their human side rather than only what they can produce, those people will ultimately be discouraged, feel undervalued and sooner than later leave.  There is more to a company than bottom line.  You can show profit yes, but if your people are coming and going like a revolving door, it’s costing big bucks to replace them. That alone can very well cut into profits and jeopardize organizational sustainability and success.

In his book ‘Go Put Your Strengths to Work: Six Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance”, Marcus Buckingham said “Study unproductive teams and you'll discover that the teammates argue a lot. Study successful teams and you'll learn they argue just as much. To find the secrets to a great team, you have to investigate the successful ones to figure what's going on in the space between the arguments.” Look at the EI in that space and you’ll understand why they’re successful. 

Being smart is no longer enough. It’s been proven time and time again that people want to be noticed for who they are as much as what they do.  In conversation with some of the most experienced executive coaches in the world, we looked at the EI and EQ factor in organizations as well as those who offered coaching to their staff.  It’s apparent that organizations that support staff through coaching retained their staff for a much longer period.  It was also apparent that organizations that were world class and known as powerful, successful companies, integrated coaching into their day to day business and staff support and growth systems.  It’s now becoming a matter of haves and ‘have-nots’.  Many clients are looking to see how organizations that service them in some way treat their staff.  This is becoming a major factor in the contracting process.  Clients want to know that their consultant, representative, or contact will be around for awhile.  Let’s face it, if an organization can’t support and grow their people, how in the world will potential clients expect them to do the same when supporting them and their businesses?

Bottom line is, hiring a coach is far less expensive than what it will cost your organization if you don’t.

03:26 pm | 2 recommendations | 6 comments

Paying Attention To Your Level of Impact

Are you paying attention to your level of impact?  What you say, do, think and feel doesn't stay with you without impacting others.  The intangibles show up as clear as the rest.  For someone in a position of leadership if you're trying to hide, fear, worries, hide information from others, whatever it may be, it will be picked up.  These subtle inklings will in some way break down trust as others will try to second guess what it is they think you're hiding. 

As I tell my clients "If there's silence or lack of communication, others will fill in the gaps with their own perceived stories and they're rarely good ones.  Then not only do you have to break down the barrier of their assumptions but gain back their full trust as well.  Not a great scenario!"

Like a virus, doubt can spread from person to person and before you know it, it can permeate the organization.  You don't necessarily have control over how an emotional virus spreads;  you do, however have control over what that 'energy' will be, whether enthusiastic and positive or demoralizing and negative.  Which do you want it to be?

Your impact, no matter what your level or role in an organization will make a difference well beyond your awareness or understanding. Not only will it spread to others in your immediate world but others and theirs as well.

Marian Anderson said "Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it."  Make no mistake.  As a leader everyone around you will be influenced by everything you do and say. 

 

10:38 am | 2 recommendations | 4 comments

How to be Better Than Great

I was talking to a dear friend and fellow Coach the other day about ‘waiting for a crisis to change our ways of being’ as it applies in all aspects of our life, work, personal relationships, and health, as well as the health of an organization.

To say human beings process things in a certain way, in this case waiting until things are ‘broken,’ is to give validity to a perspective or paradigm that doesn’t serve us. Why wait for a crisis to implement change or rethink and reinvent something? Why not just create something incredible to start with, when everything is already good?

Could it be we automatically settle because amazing things happen to someone else, not us? Is it possible we don’t want to ‘press our luck’? Many have a hard time getting past their successes and so stop dead halfway to their dreams. Many become workaholics and yet won’t redefine their lives until their partner is about to ‘walk.’ There are those who won’t redefine how a company operates until it’s in crisis and about to go under. Why wait until the last moment when digging yourself out is so much harder than building something new on a foundation of great?

I believe we can do our best when we have the conversations we need to have with people in all fields of practice.  It’s not just talking to clients or colleagues, it’s talking to everyone and anyone to find out their story, how they got to where they are. How does it apply to you?

Questions I ask my clients are simple yet shine a light on what they have to pay attention to.  One of the key questions is "What aren't you thinking of?"  That might sound strange yet those who stumble and feel as if they can't figure out why they're stagnating are looking at the same solutions they tried over and over again.  What haven't they tried?  What haven't they paid attention to?  As a Coach that's one of my main focuses....to make sure I can help them see beyond the immediate.

The second question is "Who do you need to talk to that you haven't spoken to yet and what does that conversation have to look like?" Again people have a wealth of knowledge and wisdom, however if it doesn't apply to you or where you dream of going then you have to ask the right questions to get the right answers.  So again I ask "What does that conversation have to look like?"

Sometimes what I do as a coach isn't adding something; often it's the removal of something which might be an assumption, an expectation or a judgment.  Remove what stands in your way and there is clear sailing.  No ceiling...just sky!

So to leave you with one last question, "What do you need to know that you don't know?" 

Remember, no ceiling, just sky.

01:44 pm | 1 recommendation | Be the first to comment

Work / Life Balance

Recently I was at a Coaching Best Practices Conference at INSEAD Global Leadership Centre in Fontainebleau.  To say the conference itself blew me away is an understatement. Stay tuned for many  posts to come.

For now however, I’d love to delve into the world of “Work / Life Balance” which seems to be on the minds of people in the private and public sectors alike.  I’ve had many a conversation about this with clients over the years.  Most of the time it was them turning the tables on me asking if I had a private life, if I ever slept and “Where’s YOUR work / life balance?”  I always answered in the same way: “It’s personal.  It’s up to an individual to determine what that balance looks like and what works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another”

One of the amazing people I met at the conference was Kavitha Iyer from Singapore; Director, Human Resources, JAPA at American Express International and Adjunct Faculty Coach at INSEAD.  She had a very unique way of looking at work / life balance that immediately resonated with me. With her permission I would like to share it with you.  She talks about ‘Work / Life Values’, a psychological balance.  To me that made a great deal of sense.  If I am living within my personal values, then the balance happens.  For some with young children, they might come home from work early to spend time and have dinner with their families, but once their young children go to sleep, they put in another couple of hours work to stay on track.  No one said we have to work consecutive hours.  This way we work within our family or personal dynamics. 

Last year when I took a few days off (and yes, I do that once in a while) my friend challenged me to disconnect from my BlackBerry and was adamant that I not check my emails.  I disconnected the email feature of my BlackBerry and only left the phone on as that was my connection with my family.  I was able to mentally disconnect from the 'CrackBerry' however when I got home I had over 2000 emails waiting for me.  I had to take time off to process them all, figure out how to jump back into the intensity of my work and all in all, just being faced with that volume of correspondence was overwhelming enough to negate most of the benefits of taking the time off.

For me in future,  I plan to log on twice a day for a short while to process what I need to so I never come back to that level of overwhelm again.  That for me is a balance.  Over time and as life’s circumstances and dynamics change I will continue to redefine and design just what ‘balance’ means, but as long as it’s within my personal values, I know I’ll stay on an even keel.

Kavitha, thank you for illuminating this very important distinction for me and our readers.

07:07 am | 2 recommendations | 4 comments

Are You Perpetually Exhausted?

Are you ignoring that exhaustion, telling yourself you’ll take some time off in a month or so?  In the meantime how are you able to effectively lead if you’re too tired to process everything that’s going on around you?

If you don’t manage your energy, it doesn’t matter how you might manage your time as you are not processing what you need to nor are you mentally retaining what’s happening.  Leadership is more than an organizational position; it’s leading your people in a way that they and the organization can move forward.  If you’re exhausted, your mental capacity is diminished and you are not leading, you’re hanging on to the status quo hard enough so you don’t fall.

People are working longer and harder in an increasingly competitive world.  Not only are the demands on them often unrealistic, but add in dynamics of multiple time zones for companies with offices around the globe, the increasing use of technology i.e. BlackBerry and other handhelds, cell phones and pagers, and staff end up working longer hours and more days.  With their handhelds even when they’re not at work they’re at work, and people are burning out.  Another part of the equation is those who are burning out are the high achievers who want to be in the middle of everything as it unfolds and don’t want to miss a trick.  Those who are poor performers are out the door at exactly the end of the defined work day, don’t bother with their handhelds and therefore don’t burn out.  Bottom line is, who is left holding the fort when the talent is off on sick leave?

You got it.  It’s the ones you don’t want to be running the show.

There are many facets to energy; physical, mental and emotional.  Each of them separately can deplete us.  Two or more can seriously affect our health and well being.  When we ignore the signs of fatigue and push ourselves, our health begins to break down.  For those in positions of organizational leadership it’s paramount to be aware of energy vampires so you’re always on top of your game. Leaders need to set an example and keep a finger on the pulse of where their people are with respect to burn out rates and overall health. People are your most valuable asset. 

When technology breaks down you fix it immediately.  Why is it many organizations wait until a red flag goes up and needs ‘fixing’ when it comes to their people?  Yes, people don’t just break and shut down.  As a leader you have to be three steps ahead and recognise the telltale signs of burnout. Trends are showing burnout is at epidemic proportions. 

There is a fundamental difference between stress and burnout.  Stress is having too much to do, too many demands, too many people wanting a piece of you.  Still when you’re stressed you still feel as if you have some control over the outcome and if you “get one or two things under control, things will be fine”.  Burnout however is when you feel depleted of energy, choice, no longer care about anything and become lethargic, barely treading water and close to drowning.

When you’re at the point where you throw your hands up in the air and say “I don’t care any more” it’s time to stop, take stock of where you and ask yourself  “Am I living a life I truly love or am I just trying to survive day after day?”  If it’s the latter choose someone to be your reality checker; someone to help you reconfigure your priorities and a way to make them happen.  Only when you feel you’re taking steps towards changing the status quo will you be able to get out of that funk, burnout or breakdown.

But do yourself a favor and don’t wait until you get to that point.  Pick a reality checker now who will give you the feedback you need.  No matter what your position in your organization you can’t function or be of any good to anyone. That applies to work and at home.

“We are so obsessed with doing that we have no time and no imagination left for being. As a result, men are valued not for what they are but for what they do or what they have --- for their usefulness.” - Thomas Merton 

So before you move into auto-pilot mode and jump into everything, ask yourself “Am I in alignment with my intention?”  If the answer is no, take a step back and move towards what is.  If you do that, burnout won’t happen.

12:52 pm | 1 recommendation | Be the first to comment

A Day With Futurist David Zach

I just came back from CAM, 'Conversation Among Masters' and even though it was a dialogue among Master Coaches, we had in our midst a true master futurist, David Zach. Not only did he give us some amazing insights and how we can use them as leaders in the world of coaching, but took us on a journey between past, present and future so that we could meld the worlds together. In doing so, we can create something magical for the future.

He touched on topics such as "Progress is the ability to choose between change and tradition". That sentence in itself got my mind flying in all directions. How does one choose between one or the other? Does one have to? Can we combine the two together to create something beyond our imagination?

He stated "Wealth is that which you value". How much more profound does it get than that? As a coach, I would then dive into is it who you value more than the things you value? Talents, strengths, material wealth?

Let’s face it, coaches live in the future tense in how we ask questions and navigate through conversation.

David validated my perspective that new isn’t always better. Sometimes the old ways are better. He spoke about our 'boxes' or as some of us call them our 'containers' and states "Thinking outside the box is bad advice . . . because thinking outside the box should be to some purpose or point - and with the multiple point perspective notion, once applied to thinking adds an intellectual depth that can't happen with just a one box perspective”. He encouraged us instead to ‘think into other boxes", lending a richness and insight to our work and our worlds as we know them.

With some of my clients I use the analogy of living or existing in a room that is surrounded by windows with dark shades on them and when they have an ahha moment, the shades are lifted, letting the sun shine through, or, in our analogy, light and insight. This concept of thinking into other boxes or a "vision from each box" brings an image to mind of people walking in and out of these rooms, exploring and learning from the visit, expanding their horizons. By virtue of the title 'Futurist' alone, it lends an image, perception of possibility, incorporating choice, awareness and energy, giving me a sense of direction and movement. Aren’t those the descriptors of a leader?

If you have a chance to hear David speak, go! Don’t hesitate for a moment as you’ll look at life and your world in a very different way.

04:44 pm | 1 recommendation | 3 comments

Looking Only in All The ‘Right’ Places

At my last conference presentation, one of the other presenters was a person I’ve worked with on a few occasions.  She is a dynamic fireball of energy, a leader in every sense of the word, ‘lives’ professionally and is a key player in the middle of where things happen in government, from policy to how the workings of the government are decided and implemented.  Her presentation was dynamic, energetic and very, very powerful.  At the end of her talk she took questions from the hundreds of people in the room. 

 

I sat at a side table watching this unfold. She’s a what you see is what you get person with a fabulous sense of humor, and as I’ve worked with her and knew her style, I was eager to hear how she would answer the questions put on the table. I figured some of the questions would be the kind many people ask country leaders, i.e. those aiming for the magic wand kind of answers.  They were asked and answered in as honest a way possible.

 

What really delighted me was when she answered one of the questions which was “What do you read to strengthen your leadership?  What books would you recommend for us to read to grow as leaders?”  She gave them a list of what came to mind, not only books but articles and speeches but then threw in the unexpected: “John Cleese’s videos on Leadership.”

 

For a moment the room went silent and then everyone started talking at once. Earlier she had mentioned loving Monty Python so everyone in the room thought she was pulling their leg.  My table mates had seen me deep in conversation with her recognizing I knew her, so looked at me as if I would confirm that she was in fact pulling their leg.  My answer was “She’s right!  t’s an amazing series.  You should watch it as it’s unlike any other training video you’ll ever see”.  They thought I was kidding. I sat there with a grin on my face and then added “It really is a great series. Are you only looking in what you think are the ‘right’ places, reading the ‘right’ things and speaking to the ‘right’ people? What makes them all ‘right’?

 

I am constantly asked what books l read to hone my professional skills and my answer is “Everything I can get hold of”.  If I stuck to books only on coaching I’d miss out on the rest of life and coaching isn’t only about coaching.  It’s about working within the context of life. One can’t be separated from the other. Just as leadership can’t be found in a canned course or book it’s snippets of everything we live, experience, read about and learn, all mixed up and filtered through our unique personalities to come out when we need it and how we need it to lead, direct and question.

 

Are you looking in only the ‘right’ places and feeling as if you’re coming up short? Many look for the perfect book, course or direction.  Life isn’t like that.  True leaders glean information from everywhere. They soak it up like a sponge, are constantly growing, rethinking and reinventing. 

 

What are you reading?  What are you not paying attention to that you should be paying attention to?