On the Memorial Day weekend, which is the traditional opening of the summer season here on Cape Cod, Barbara and I were out for a walk in The Boston Commons, saw the below stature dedicated to learning and thought it appropriate to share. Learning is such a basic to my life and to my counseling work with retainer clients and in Leadership Learning Forums. AND it flows to the 2nd most important element in both, i.e., helping others work to develope their own selves, fully!
I have often used this exercise in LLF’s [just did in one!] to foster participants’ exploration in areas of potential growth, or change, that are not front and center, in their current busy, interrupt driven professional lives. Ten minutes quiet, then 20 minutes more discussion.
“There is an Eastern belief in the value of acquiring knowledge or insight, not through action, but by the silence and stillness of introspection and reflection……. Can you do this? Do you understand that others can with powerful results? How might you incorporate this idea in you own leadership growth?
Of course, an intense, sometimes surprising, often deeply useful discussion follows. Which also always “integrates” ideas/perspectives from earlier speakers, book, exercises, in a “magical way!! Usually there are at least a handful of participants who practice some personal process of introspection or reflection, and are willing to share their benefits/techniques. A thunderously valuable 3o minutes.
I just returned from an uniquely designed LLF for clients of the hosting organization, SmithBucklin Corp. Of course the Forum process includes more reading, beyond the participant’s field, than many current business leaders are accustomed to…. thus the ?’s. My current reading list, with some historical data, is a frequent handout [Post 130 Reading 3-11-2014],in Forums and the “Core Books” list [Post 290 Core Books 3-10-14] is also reflective of my evolving focus.
Cape Cod doesn’t handle snow over 2-3 inches as well as Chicago does….where I just came from. Lucky to get in here. I helped “Commence” the third Leadership Learning Forum [LLF] there 1/17-18/’14, @ SmithBucklin Corp., sponsored and led by Henry Givray, their CEO. A spectacular process, deep & broad learning/growth, powerful bonding by all participants/speakers, wonderful gifts & memories, unique energy and commitment being carried forward both personally & professionally! With uniquely positive organizational impact. Lots of “Magic”!!
Most note-ably, for my own continued growth & learning. I’ve been involved in perhaps 250 LLF’s since 1984. This one was at the top or close to it!! A joy and solid pride for all to be part of!!!
I will travel to Loma Linda University Health, in San Bernardino, next week to help “commence” there, their first such LLF, which has had, so far, a lot of the same results/impacts, and “magic” as referenced above.
Much of this website is now dedicated to helping bring that about more frequently, more predictably, as referenced below, especially the evolving section “Magic”
We’ll see.
At long last, I’ve taken the steps to replace my Dell laptop, used for several years here in the office & on the road, with two 23″ monitors, a new Lenovo ThinkCenter, plus an iPad Air Wi-fi + cellular. Hopefully all this will help support my grtowing virtual work with clients helping them run superb Leadership Learning Forums, @ their sites. and for when I do travel, to do so, more lightly & conveniently. 2014 will tell!?!
“Certian Trumpets” The Nature of Leadership Garry Wills 0-684-80138-8
We very often include this book in internal LLF’s. It covers 16 tpyes of leadership with a selected historically well know person as an example, then followed by an “Antitype’, also usually well know. The juxaposition of both is insightful. Often provoking new perspectives, even for those of us who’ve read the book several times. Wide and deep coverage. And of course, the full transcript of leadership, yes, & followership ,and even by some views, failure to lead or follow is distinctly portrayed. AND…… as is sometimes the case with excellent books, the introduction, and the conclusion, plus the appendix, can all be meditated on by themselves, for superb personal understanding of the topic.
Get it out and review for you own growth!!
Having been in several all day planning/exchange sessions the last two weeks, with I.T. executive leaders and clients, three topics seemed dominant, and concerned all:
3D printing – didn’t know enough [ only hype]- unsure of real applicability in theirorganization
Rampant mobility & personalization of tech. use – especially among new hires, & high level techs!
Disappoinment in the existing architechure/standards/governance process by those two groups
Great, but diverse, subsequent discussions!!
One of the books referenced below in that superb internal Leadership Learning Forum is ” Crucial Conversations” by Petterson,Grenny, McMillan & Switsler. If you haven’t got it, or read it, do both for sure, please! It’s a core book [Adlerian definition = a book that grows with you!] in almost all the Forums done recently. And invariably such reviews are accompanied by off- the-cuff remarks like “My favorite”….. “life changing…. “addresses a real need I have.”, etc. It’s been on my list of “core books” for some time also [ Click here for that list]. They have also written two other superb additions to our learning/growth/change…. “Crucial Confrontations” … and …..”Influencer”. Same coments re. both.
A fast taste of what’s in “Crucial Conversations”. Super quotes throughout, summaries of each chapter, flyleaf praise & forward, excellent diagrams, & examples. Definiton = 1) Opinions Vary 2)Starkes are high 3) Emotions run strong. STATE = Share your facts. Tell your story. Ask for others’ path. Talk tentatively. Encourage testing
Some one-liners = p11 “In the best companies, everyon hlds everyone else accountable”…p22 “When people purposefully withhold meaning from one another, individually smart people can do collectively stupid things”…….. throughout =”Make it Safe”…… p217 ” “your ability to pull yourself out of the content of a discussion and to focus on the process is inversely proportional to your level of emotion”
p220-221 “there’s too much material in this book to try to master in one sitting….you haven’t talked them [concepts] enough to make them part of your vocabular”….p224 “Remmeber the costs: focus on the rewards”
There’s much much more!!
Conflict resolution is a process that’s been a functional area of concern for decades. It still needs attention by all evolving leaders, in my opinion, and is often not handled well by executive leadership. In a recent session during an internal Leadership Learning Forum, lead by Henry Givray, the CEO of SmithBucklin Corporation, participants discussed, and exercised cases, as a group, developing their own capacity with this process, using superb materials which are a part of that on-going program. Most staff are not so fortunate, to be part of such unique developmental opportunities, but never-the-less have a similar need to perform better. Attached [click here] is a brief checklist of ideas for you to consider pondering, & to develop your own increased effectiveness. We all need to get better doing conflict resolution in our work, in our homes, in our communities!!
In the same LLF session, three books were reviewed, all of which are LLF “core” readings: “Blink”, “Crucial Conversations”, and “Defining Moments”], and all helped integrate different approaches to conflict ,with examples of both sucess or failure. I will share again, in coming weeks here, a brief review, of these favorite LLF books and how they connected so powerfully
Issues or challenges that confront “C” level leaders, wherever I am these days, often require more experience, education, or capacity than they, or their staff, has! I’ve listed 15 trends or processes [click here], which are usually co-mingled in some way, and also 5 responses, both of which help that frame such discussions, and may be relevant for your environment. It’s an overview that’s surprisingly daunting for many staff leaders today!!
I’ve been talking about these everywhere. Like some of us wished everyone agreed to, years ago……. but now are indisputable, if a little annoying to some outside of I.T. However the challenge of living up to, and surpassing expectations with these trends [ CHECK HERE -posted under Cantigny where we’ ll talk about it more], is still there , surely so for all my clients, and I believe everywhere. The list may not be complete, but it’s surely enough!!
