Tag Archives: vision

Sail Your Ship

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Sailing To The Sunrise“A ship in harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.” — John A. Shedd

Easy enough to say about a ship, but what about your organization? How long have you been anchored in the same spot? Sure you keep the deck swabbed, work hard to keep things shined up and even test the sails on a regular basis . . . but how long has it been since you really sailed?

Think about it . . . what was your organization built for? Probably not just hanging out in waters that feel safe. Oh, I understand the hesitation . . . and you’re right, you likely will encounter gusting winds, choppy waters and even a storm or two . . . you may end up drifting into uncharted waters and there is a chance you’ll end up somewhere entirely different from where you thought you were going when you set sail.

All true. But what was your organization built for? I’m guessing it was not to do what is easy, or safe, or free from stress (who needs a leader for that?). To accomplish important goals, you have to push off from the shore and follow the navigational beacons.

  • Use your mission, vision, and values as your compass. Early captains may have used the stars to keep them on course. Your mission, vision, and values are equally reliable in helping ensure you are heading in the right direction.
  • Focus on the destination, not a specific route. Things rarely go exactly as planned. If you are focused primarily on how you intend to get somewhere rather than where you are going, it will be much harder to adapt to changing currents.
  • Count on your crew. If you have built a well-rounded team, you will have a range of gifts and graces to aid you on the journey. Ask their opinion, listen to their insight, and let them help you steer the ship.
  • Know how to cut through the waves. When things get choppy, commit to a path and go. You may choose to head straight through at a good steady speed, or cut to one side or another . . . but rest assured, proceeding slowly or waffling midway through will result in a rough ride for everyone.
  • Go. Studying charts, looking at the forecasts, and getting advice from others are all well and good, but the only way you are going to get anywhere is to start. Even if you’re uncertain. The only guarantee is what will happen if you never cast off. You’ll be safe, but you won’t succeed.

So take a deep breath, and sail your ship.

 

Two Corners

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Curves Sign CroppedI had a colleague who was known for saying, “Leaders have to be able to see around two corners.” He was right, of course. Leaders are expected to anticipate what is coming around the bend and, more importantly, to have prepared their organizations for whatever they might encounter. Easier said than done, especially given that there are so many obstacles in front of you right now that can distract attention away from some unseen future risk or opportunity. But hey, if this leadership gig was easy, everyone would be doing it, right?!?

A starting point in developing the vision to see around two corners is to honestly look at how future-focused you are as a leader — not how future-focused you aspire to be, but what your actions actually indicate. Gary Hamel and C.K. Prahalad, in their book “Getting Off the Treadmill: Competing for the Future” offer a rating scale to gauge your organization’s future focus. Think of each of these questions as a five-point continuum, and consider where you would rate your organization.

  • When considering the future, is your organization conventional and reactive or distinctive and far sighted?
  • Where do your senior leaders focus more of their attention, on reengineering core processes or regenerating core strategies?
  • Is your organization seen as a “rule taker” or a “rule maker”?
  • Are you better at improving operational efficiency or at developing new businesses?
  • How much of your effort focused on catching up with others versus building new advantages/opportunities?
  • Is your “transformation agenda” set by others or is it set by your organization’s own unique vision of the future?
  • Are you more of a maintenance engineer working on the present or an architect designing the future?
  • Within your organization, what is there a greater sense of anxiety or hope?

I’m not suggesting that no one in your organization should be focusing on the first item on each bullet above. But as a leader, if that is where you are spending the majority of your time you, and your organization, are likely to be caught off guard by whatever is lurking around the next corner, much less the second one.

The urgency of the here and now is always going to scream louder than the importance of the future. Also, there is a concreteness to tackling today’s problems. Considering the future is less definitive and may feel less productive, especially if you are a list-checker. All true. Yet, none of these things help you prepare for the future, and preparing for the future is your job as the leader. If you skew toward the here and now, how do you become more future focused? Pick one or two of the bullets above and identify specific steps you can take to move the dial toward the future. That may get you around the first corner. Pick a couple more. Push yourself. You never know what opportunity might be waiting . . . around the second corner.

Unpluggable Leadership

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Hand Unplug Or PluggedCan you unplug as a leader? I’m not talking about being away from the office, but still tethered to your phone and computer. I’m talking about unplugging . . . not thinking about work for an extended period of time. It seems somewhere along the way, it became a status symbol for work to be like another appendage — always connected to your ear, your fingers, or at the very least your brain. And yet, you’ll be a healthier, more productive leader if you unplug on a regular basis.

Granted, being able to truly unplug does take some advance work. For example, does your organization have a culture of autonomy or dependency? Are your people allowed to make decisions and implement solutions, or do you expect them to come to you for every decision? News flash, if you’ve hired well and have a clearly communicated vision, in most instances your people will find solutions to the challenges before them. No, they won’t always handle things exactly the way you would, and you can process through their thinking and yours either before or after the decision is made. The point is . . . what are you doing to build your confidence, and that of your staff, that they are fully capable of making important decisions? A few suggestions:

  1. Have a clear expectation that for every challenge brought to you, one or more possible solutions are also suggested. This builds solution-focused thinking within your team. In most cases, they are closer to and have more information regarding the situation than you do, and thus are able to consider, or rule out, a wider range of possible responses. Solution- focused thinking is like a muscle . . . it expands through regular use.
  2. Listen and ask questions rather then provide answers. This is a tough one for some leaders. When a member of your team is discussing what they see as a possible solution, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. If you feel they may be missing an important factor, ask them if they considered it rather than telling them what you think they overlooked. Help them to tap into their own wisdom and problem-solving skills.
  3.  Let them run with it. Once you and your people gain confidence in their ability to handle complex decisions, you need to let them make them! Some leaders can feel a bit “left out” when their team starts making more decisions. Resist the urge to re-insert yourself where your people don’t need you. Stay informed as opposed to involved. The whole purpose of building a top-notch team is so you can focus your energies on more strategic, big-picture endeavors.

Which brings me back to my original point . . . one of the best ways to expand strategic, big picture thinking is to unplug on a regular basis. And ultimately, that’s the job of a leader, right — strategic, big-picture thinking? So what’s stopping you? Build the culture, grow your team, take a deep breath . . . and unplug.

Simple Understanding

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bigstock--focus lens.jpg“The key to good decision making is not knowledge. It is understanding. We are swimming in the former. We are desperately lacking in the latter.” ― Malcolm Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

As we begin a new year, it can feel like our lives are spinning ever faster. With seemingly unending information outlets — 24-hour news cycles, social media, abundant prognosticators, never mind the numerous print outlets whose reported demise seems premature — it is easy to be overwhelmed by the scope of what we think we need to stay abreast of. And yet, as we begin a new year, we as leaders need to ask ourselves . . . are we doing a better job of accomplishing our missions as a result of acquiring more knowledge?

In far too many cases, I fear the answer is no. Why? I think Malcolm Gladwell nailed it on this one. Abundant knowledge simply makes us talking heads. It is understanding — knowing what is important, which details to focus on and which are simply noise — that allows us to advance our missions. I love Oliver Wendell Holmes’ concept of the “simplicity on the other side of complexity.” That’s the sweet spot. That’s where understanding happens.

So how do you get to that kind of simple understanding? Focused flexibility. Let me explain. The focus part is pretty simple. Who are you (mission, vision, values) and where are you going (strategic goals)? That’s it. If you read the last few sentences and thought, “sure, that sounds nice, but she just doesn’t understand . . .” there’s a pretty good chance you are stuck on the hamster wheel of information/complexity. Trust me on this one. Step off the wheel and focus.

Once you are clear on your focus, flexibility comes into play. You see, you have to walk through the complexity on a daily basis, and some of the knowledge floating out there might provide a faster or easier path to the other side. Your focus is about the destination, the flexibility comes in the route. So be flexible enough to act on new information that directly impacts your ability to reach your destination, while also being focused enough to let the rest of it roll off your back — regardless of what “expert” says you are crazy to ignore the tidbit of information that he or she is peddling.

Still don’t believe me? Think about the most successful leaders you know. Are they bouncing around, reacting to every headline or do they have a calm focused presence — dare I even say a simple understanding of where it is their organization is headed?

That is my hope for you as a leader, and your organization, in the coming year. Simple understanding. See you on the other side!

Know When to Hold’em

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Cowboy With Poker Face

There’s an old Kenny Rogers song (yes, I know I’m dating myself) that says, “You’ve got to know when to hold’em, know when to fold’em, know when to walk away, and know when to run . . .” All in all, pretty good leadership advice. The only problem is, the song neglects to identify the how. How do you know when it’s time to hold and when it’s time to fold? As you assess the hand that you’ve been dealt, and try to strategize your way to ultimate success, here are a few tips for your consideration.

When to hold’em?

When it is a matter of values, integrity or primary strategic intent, hold fast. If you lose your integrity, you’re sunk as a leader. If you’re flexible on your values when times get tough, your integrity takes a hit. Integrity and values take a long time to establish and a short time to lose. Regardless of the challenges/opportunities presented by others sitting around the table, always hold on to these two. By primary strategic intent I mean the what, not the how. Stay true to your mission, your vision, your ultimate goals. There may be 101 ways to fulfill that mission, but if you lose sight of where you’re going, you’ll probably be disappointed in where you end up.

When to run?

If you’re clear on when to hold’em, then knowing when to run is pretty easy . . . in theory. If it diminishes your integrity, your values, or your strategic intent, it’s time to run. The challenge comes in the fact that some people are pretty good at dressing up a pig. They’ll have all kinds of excuses and “yes, buts.” They’ll tell you to be realistic, to consider the circumstances, that the potential gain is worth it. Your gut will often be telling you to run long before your head does. Listen to it.

When to fold’em or walk away?

Decisions to fold’em tend to be about the how. This path is not going to pan out, so you stop investing in it and find another way forward. It’s not giving up on your goal, it’s just recognizing when you need to find an alternate route. Walking away, on the other hand, signifies that any ultimate gain is not worth the investment it would take. Both are reasonable actions that allow you to have the resources and energy to stand strong on your “hold’em” projects.

Which brings me to one final point . . . based on this “Gambler” approach to leadership, three-quarters of the time you’re not going to pursue the hand you’re dealt. There will be lots of “opportunities” that others will encourage you to take that you should probably pass on, not necessarily because they are bad, they just aren’t the winning hand for you or your organization.

It’s all a matter of knowing when to hold’em.

Master Juggler

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Circus Juggler

Most leaders would prefer not to compare themselves to a circus act, but in reality, part of the job of a leader is to be a master juggler. Whether you are juggling chain saws or glass balls (and I’m guessing at times it feels like you are juggling both) the key to success is the position of your eyes, your hands, and your rhythm.

The placement of your eyes, your focus, may be the most counter-intuitive but also the easiest to master. Don’t watch the ball/project/crisis. Look straight ahead toward your vision/mission/ultimate goal. Think about it . . . if you keep your eyes on the chainsaw you just tossed, you are going to be knocked sideways by the one that is hurtling toward you from another direction. Rather, keep your eyes affixed straight ahead, on the end game. It will keep you from getting dizzy, and your peripheral vision will allow you to remain aware of both the item you just launched, and the next one that is coming your direction.

Hand placement, how and where you connect with a project, is also key. Are you reaching out and grabbing the ball too early, or are you patient enough to wait for it land within your grasp. I’m not suggesting you don’t plan ahead. Remember, with your eyes centered on the right spot you see the item coming — you are preparing for it — but if you intervene too soon, you’re hands will be all over the place and you’ll lose your focus. Likewise, if you hold on too long, you just might launch the project in an unintended direction. Keep your hands patient on the grab, and prompt the release.

It really is all about the rhythm . . . and not letting stress, fear, or someone else’s agenda pull you out of sync. Trust the process. Yes, the swords you are tossing can draw blood, the glass balls can break and the fire on that torch can burn you. All the more reason to stick with what you know works . . . 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3. You know what it takes to function at your peak (food, sleep, exercise, wise counsel . . . it may be slightly different for each of us, but I’m guessing you know what you need.) It’s when we psych ourselves out and get out of our rhythm — when we think we don’t have time for the things that we know work — that this leadership gig gets dangerous.

Juggling is part of the job if you’re a leader. It may look dangerous from the stands, but if you focus on your eyes, your hands and your rhythm, you’ll master it in no time. Let the circus begin!

Dreamer or Leader?

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IMG_1482

What kind of person would look at a rugged mountain of red rocks and decide that was the perfect place to build a chapel . . . Or look to the heavens and decide we should put a man on the moon . . . What kind of person believes in a future that most wouldn’t dare to imagine?

That person is either a dreamer or a leader.

How can you tell the difference? A leader is a dreamer with a plan.

Sure, lots of people have big ideas, they talk a good game. Their eyes light up as they describe “someday” and how amazing it’s all going to be. But when pushed for details of how they’re going to get there, the “if onlys” start to seep into the storyline. The barriers, the set-backs, the roadblocks some external force — usually the all-powerful “they” — puts in place, all conspire to continually push the amazing possibility ever further out of reach . . . for the dreamer.

Can you even imagine the challenges Marguerite Brunswig Staude, the person responsible for the construction of the Chapel of the Holy Cross (shown above), faced in her quest to carry out her vision? For the leader, roadblocks are an expected part of the journey, not a reason to bring it to a halt. Rather than dissolve the dream, barriers build the resolve of the leader, and his or her team, to reach their bold goal.

Are you dreaming about a big idea, or planning to make it happen?

Please don’t hear me say that dreams are bad. Most great plans start with a dream … A big hairy audacious goal. But those dreams will never become a reality if you aren’t willing to take the setbacks in stride and keep pressing forward. If you’re shooting for something that hasn’t been done before, it’s going to be hard. Expect it, prepare for it, and don’t let it throw you off track when it happens. Of course you’ll have skeptics. Your dream isn’t their dream, so what you’re trying to accomplish doesn’t seem reasonable to them (most big dreams aren’t!) That’s okay. Make it happen anyway!

How? One step at a time. Sure you may have to take some side roads and detours, sometimes even doubling back and retracing the same path. That’s one more way you can tell a dreamer from a leader. Dreamers tend to be locked into a specific path. When that path doesn’t work out, well, they tend to think the dream just isn’t in the cards. Leaders, on the other hand keep their eye focused on the end goal. If one path doesn’t get them there, they’ll try another. Think about it … How many big breakthroughs happened on the first try, on the exact course laid out In the original plan? Exactly. Leaders keep at it until they reach their goal, and in so doing, they motivate their team to do the same.

Dreams are easy, anyone can have them. Making something amazing happen on a rugged hillside… That takes the dogged efforts of a leader.

Which would you rather be … A dreamer, or a leader?

Learning to Read the Road Signs

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Detour sign, stop sign and road closed sign as a background

Some would say this is a tough time to be a leader. Budgets are tight and getting tighter. Those who purchase your services may very well be changing the ground rules on a regular basis. The task of recruiting, and keeping, the best employees is more competitive than ever before. All the signs seem to indicate that the road ahead will be a bumpy one . . . that is, of course, if you take the signs at face value. The best leaders tend to see things a little differently.

Take, for example, an agency that starts down the road to develop a new program. They are excited about the potential, and yet when proposing the program to different funding sources, they consistently hear, “That sounds great, but we aren’t set up to fund a program like that.” At that point, many people see a stop sign. Great idea, but the money just isn’t there. Visionary leaders don’t allow current funding frameworks to derail an opportunity to extend their mission reach. They don’t see the “no” as a stop sign, they see it as a detour sign that simply means “not yet,” and then look for a path around the barrier in the road. It may take a little longer than planned, but more often than not they will find a way to the other side.

Or what about the talented employee who has so much potential, but who is restless in his or her current role? Talk of new titles or salary adjustments seem to do little to spark the employee’s interest, and the supervisor fears there will be an exit sign just over the next hill. The strategic leader, however, takes note of the scenic overlook sign, and invites the employee to pull over and view the panoramic vistas — which might include more flexibility, or stretch projects, or something as simple as helping them identify a sounding board or confidant so they don’t feel like they’re stuck at the end of a path all by themselves. The scenic overlook may include a glimpse of something the agency has never seen before, and the leader brave enough to take a look may see the path that will keep their most promising staff engaged.

And then there is the funder intent on placing “blind curve” signs at every turn. While many organizations would ride their brakes in the wake of such warnings, the nimble leader finds a steady pace that enables them to maneuver the winding road with a minimum of wear and tear on the organizational machine, allowing for quicker acceleration when the road finally straightens out.

So what is the key to seeing the signs that will take you to the high road of effective leadership? First and foremost, wear your mission glasses to minimize the glare of money, or tradition, or someone else’s goals. The sharper the focus on your strategic direction, the easier it is to spot the signs that will lead you astray. When you know exactly where you are going, you are much less likely to be swayed by the colorful billboard promising an exciting attraction just five miles to the east. Mission glasses also help you realize that money isn’t the goal (and when you start chasing the money, it’s amazing how quickly the mission can drift away.) Money, while critical, is a moving target that shifts depending on which way the wind is blowing. It is the mission that keeps you moving forward on the right road. And when the leader is clear on the destination, the entire organization begins to function like a high-performance machine, hugging the road around every curve, and gliding over the bumps that throw others off course.

Tough time to be a leader? It all depends how you read the signs.

Culture Eats Strategy

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PacMac

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” — Peter Drucker

Amen! When it comes to organizational success, culture can make the difference between reaching your goals and falling short . . . as Mr. Drucker pointed out, more so than strategy, and I believe more than hard work or innovation. Yes, it takes a clear vision, dedication, and creative ideas to succeed, but culture provides either the gas to move those things forward or the steady leak that will cause them to sputter to a stop.

The trouble is, culture is a hard thing to wrap your arms around. It can be incredibly powerful but hard to define . . . it’s about attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and norms that are reinforced over time . . . it’s the “urban legends” and unwritten rules that informally get passed on to individuals throughout the organization. Simply describing your intended culture doesn’t make it so. Rather it is philosophy and actions, repeated over time, that shape culture.

My agency is situated on a large campus, similar to many college campuses. When I first joined the organization, part of the culture was that you did not walk on the grass — you walked on the sidewalk to get to where ever you needed to go, even if that was not the most direct path. I don’t think I ever saw that rule written any where, it was just the way we did it here at Chaddock. To this day, twenty years later, and even though I had a hand in trying to change that aspect of our culture, I still occasionally twinge when I see someone cut across the grassy parade ground to get to another building. That is the power of culture.

So how do you change a culture if you can’t really define it or measure it, and you can’t dictate it from “on high”? First and foremost, I believe you have to identify a few key behaviors that you and your team consistently model. If you want to build a culture of transparency, for example, you need to repeatedly demonstrate an openness to sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly with your staff and board, rather than simply cherry-picking the information that paints the picture you desire. Pick one or two behaviors for your team to start with, and when they gain traction you can add a couple more.

Secondly, you need ask questions and listen. Why are staff carrying out a process in a way that makes no sense to you, or resisting a change that will make their lives easier? If you approach the question with the assumption that they are intelligent, well-meaning people who want the best for the organization (thereby modeling a culture you would like to foster), you are more likely to have the patience to peel back the layers to identify the reasoning behind their behaviors. “We’re required to do it that way,” is one we’ve had to battle. It seems like a plausible response given the vast number of external regulations that govern our work, but once you dig down a bit . . . Who requires it? . . . Could we look at the current rules and see if that is still the case? . . . we have sometimes found that the parameters we thought we had to work within no longer (and maybe never did) exist. As a result, a simplified process can be put into place without the resistance that comes when staff feel like you simply don’t understand the impact of a decision on a rule that “they know” they are required to follow.

Trying to shift a culture is a case of needing to go slow to go fast. Changing “the way we do things” takes time and patience but, given the momentum that you can gain as you go, it actually takes far less time and energy than battling well-intentioned resistance or fixing issues that have arisen because of attitudes or behaviors that are not aligned with who you want your organization to be.

While a leader can’t “make” a culture happen, if we want to effectively implement strategy then being aware of, and taking steps to positively impact, organizational culture should be at the top of your priority list.

It’s time for breakfast.

 

Dance Their Own Dance

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Dance PhotoWe strive to be an innovative organization that continually seeks new ways to meet the needs of the children and families who turn to us for care. To do that, however, we have to have a higher than normal tolerance for letting key staff “dance their own dance.” What exactly does that mean? Well, for starters, it’s sort of like when you hope your children grow up to be independent thinkers . . . and then they do. And the first time that happens, you question a bit the wisdom of encouraging such independence, because it would really be easier if they would just follow your lead. But of course, easier rarely equates with better.

Letting your staff dance their own dance means letting go of the fallacy that you alone know the best way to accomplish your organization’s goals. It means having the confidence to allow staff to try things, in their own way, to further your mission. Certainly, there have to be parameters. For us, the parameters are our mission/vision/values, our strategic framework, and our SMaC recipe (more on that next week). But beyond that, the leaders in our organization are given a good deal of latitude in searching out and testing new ways to extend our mission reach. Do all of their efforts work out? Of course not. Sometimes it’s the right project at the wrong time. Sometimes everything works out except for the funding, and sometimes a great concept falls prey to the “devil in the details.” And still, I believe you have to not only give permission, but encourage them to keep dancing.

Allowing your key leaders to dance their own dance fuels the passion, the commitment, the creativity that it takes to see a challenge with new eyes, and break through to a game-changing solution. Our leaders live in a world of gray. All the black and white parts of the job happen closer to the direct service. By the time a challenge gets to our senior leaders there usually is no one right answer . . . and, by the time someone is a senior leader they should have demonstrated that their instincts are trustworthy, so why not let them dance!

I was recently talking to someone who commented that “culture eats strategy.” So true! All the more reason that your culture should foster innovation. I have found that many non-profts, in trying to be good stewards of their resources, avoid failure at all costs. No dancing allowed! While I can’t fault these leaders for wanting to be good stewards, I haven’t found the safety/conformity/minimal risk route to be the best way to reach our strategic goals. We tend to follow the “fail faster” school of thought. Try a pilot, adapt as you go, and chart a new path. While perhaps a bit scarier than following someone else’s lead, when you’re the one forging the trail, you get to decide the direction the path will go. As caretaker of this ministry, I see determining our direction as one of my primary responsibilities . . . so as for me and my team, we’re going to dance!