Challenge your Leadership Thinking: Our favorite reads

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I’m a voracious reader and a career-long learner. That’s a powerful duo for keeping any one of us at the top of our game. If you want to be both better and different (and I hope that you’ve already made that call to action a leadership priority for yourself), then you’ve got to challenge your current assumptions, your same old same old thinking, believing and acting.

 

This ongoing challenge is made easier by the fact that there are so many business thought leaders who gift us with their novel ideas, clever insights, unique interpretations and practical tips, tools and techniques through their books, articles, audios and videos. Feed yourself a steady diet of this new information and these fresh perspectives and try it all on for size; then make only those portions or parts that speak directly to you, your own. Add the ‘best fits’ to your own personal brand of leadership as you continually evolve toward your best self…again and again.

People routinely ask for my top picks and recommendations and I’m glad to oblige – I’ve become a willing 24/7 interactive ad campaign for my favorites! So, why not here?! Below are some of the leadership and business references, grouped by topic, that have been most helpful to me on my own journey. You’re also invited to add to the list – what’s created the most value for you?

General Leadership

1. The Leadership Challenge – Kouzes & Posner
2. The Art of Possibility – Ben & Roz Zander
3. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey (It is a classic; never gets stale)

Coaching

1. The Heart of Coaching – Thomas Crane
2. Take The Lead: Full Throttle Engagement Powered by Coaching – Leta Beam (yes, it is self-promotion but I think it would have been weird not to add it to my ‘favorites’ list
3. Masterful Coaching – Robert Hargrove

Communication

1. Crucial Conversations – Kerry Patterson and the Crew from the Center for Creative Leadership
2. Discussing the Undiscussable  - Bill Noonan
3. Authentic Conversations – Jamie & Maren Showkeier (It’s so much more than a communication reference)

Intentionality

1. The Power of Intention – Wayne Dyer
2. If How-Tos Were Enough, We’d All Be Skinny, Rich and Happy – Brian Klemmer

Teaming

1. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni
2. Death by Meeting – Patrick Lencioni

Conflict

1. Crucial Confrontations – Kerry Patterson again

Personal Branding

1. Career Distinction: Stand Out By Building Your Own Brand  – William Arruda
2. Ditch Dare Do 3D Personal Branding For Executives – William Arruda

Other Great Topics

1. Fake Work – Brent Peterson
2. Fearless Facilitation – Cyndi Maxey
3. 3 Steps to Yes: The Gentle Art of Getting Your Own Way – Gene Bedell
4. The Power of a Positive No – William Ury

Periodicals

1. Harvard Business Review (Absolutely outstanding!)
2. Fast Company (this will challenge your thinking!!)

Children’s Books (Written For Adults In The Workplace)

1. Oh, The Places You’ll Go! – Dr. Suess
2. Tacky the Penguin – (It has an inclusion theme)
3. Swimmy – (This is great team learning)
4. The Little Engine That Could – (All about resilience!)

“In this time of rapid fire change, it is the learners who inherit the earth. The learned are prepared for a world that no longer exists.”        Eric Hoffer

BREAKING THE RIGHT RULES: A look back at the 2013 Take The Lead Award

We’ve had an inspiring start to the year at Vantage International!  In early January, we were immersed in the selection process for our inaugural Take The Lead Award.  It was a ‘goose bump moment’ for us as we reviewed the almost 200 nominations and realized that our message of ‘leading from your seat’ was contributing to a movement in workplaces across the US and around the world!

On January 15, we had the pleasure & privilege of announcing Elizabeth Sholtys as the winner of the 2013 Take The Lead Award!  Her nomination is a powerful example of what one person can do to change the world if you dare to play big.  It’s a must read for us all. Congratulations, Liz!!

When you begin any new initiative, part of the excitement comes from not knowing exactly how things will unfold.  Of course, you plan and then implement well; you remain fanatically focused on the details and, still, you can’t anticipate absolutely everything. You need to be open to possibilities; and reasonably flexible and nimble in order to accept all of the gifts that the creative process offers.

We were surprised and delighted by our first Award experience.  It proved to be an outstanding opportunity for us to learn and grow – as leaders, professionals and people.  Here are a few of the lessons that we’ll carry forward with us:

·         Every day in workplaces across the world, there are amazing people choosing to show up and make a big difference – to do all that they can from their seats.

·         Almost 200 people paused in their very busy work lives to recognize the greatness of someone around them.

·         There were so many compelling, moving nominations that we decided to bend our own rules and expand the Award to include an Honorable Mention Category.  Nicole Blannard is a Hematology/Oncology Nurse Manager who was nominated by her entire team for her fierce everyday leadership.  Her story needed to be told in a big way.       

·         Our favorite lesson (well, to be completely honest, it was more like a whack to the side of our head) came from a team at Bassett Healthcare in Cooperstown, NY.  They didn’t bend a rule they broke it by creating their own Award category –Take The Lead Team Award!  In doing so, they challenged our thinking.  Bill Stamp, the nominator, put it this way:  “I do not believe any one member of the team is more deserving of this achievement than any other and thus I ask that you consider our group as a whole.” This team nomination was impossible to ignore; we are pleased to offer Special Recognition to this band of creative risk takers!  Thank you for breaking the right rules!

It may seem unusual to reward someone for breaking a rule. But we think it’s becoming more and more common as more and more of us challenge same old, same old thoughts, actions, processes and procedures.  We think that it’s an important part of the everyday leader’s every day mission:

·         To see something that no one else sees;

·         To challenge our current level of thinking;

·         To be brave, even fearless, and take a risk by playing big;

·         To challenge dysfunctional comfort

Tom Peters has said that he would “rather have a bold failure than a mediocre success.”  We agree.  So, take our lesson to heart…Break the right rules at work. Question your own habits and perceptions; find your blind spots; view your work processes through a different lens --- Be both better and different!  And when someone challenges your thought or behavior, choose to be receptive and curious instead of defensive.  Have a V-8 moment – Why didn’t I think of that, see that, etc.

No, don’t go rogue.  Lots of rules protect us, our products, customers, clients or patients. Break the right rules!  Knowing the difference is one of the everyday leader’s super powers.  Even better than ‘spidey sense’, right?

Click HERE to read more about the 2013 Take The Lead Winners on the Vantage International website.

The Rear View Mirror

January is the traditional time when many people make ‘resolutions’ for the coming year.  I like the word resolution.  To me, it means a firm decision to do or not do something. One of its synonyms is ‘intention’ and I have a passion for living my life (personally and professionally) with awareness and intention.  But those of you who are familiar with my work (and blog) already know that!

Resolutions are personal and/or professional promises that we make, mainly to ourselves, for the year ahead that will help us to be both better and different in ways that are meaningful to each of us.  I think resolutions are a fine idea.  I am a ‘resoluter’, although I don’t limit my intentions to January alone.  But it’s hard to argue with the power that January brings to us – the New Year is fresh and alive with sparks of possibility and resolutions are an opportunity to project our power into the near future, gear up for greatness and pre-pave our experiences for the next twelve months.

So, while I think that committing ourselves to a select few resolutions each year can be a useful habit, there is another ritual that I practice at this time that provides even more value.  I have found that the end of one year and the beginning of another provides a perfect moment to look in the rear view mirror and thoughtfully, proudly, authentically and constructively review and then celebrate the past twelve months.  This ‘year in review’ habit that I have cultivated is one that I truly savor. Over time, it has:

·         yielded increasingly valuable insights;

·         allowed me to gain perspective on difficult moments;

·         forced me to acknowledge successes, even those that were originally disguised as challenges;

·         helped me to forgive myself and others;

·         piqued my curiosity & stoked my creativity;

·         launched me in new directions;

·         taught me beneficial lessons; and

·         gifted me with opportunities to mourn losses.

My look in the rear view mirror each year warms the soil for those fresh promises that I make to myself – and the virtuous cycle continues.

One of the most discouraging and dangerous laments that I hear too often from clients and colleagues goes something like this…”This all sounds good. I wish that I could do it. But I don’t have time to think!  I’m too busy getting things done to stop and think!” Before you blink your eyes and find yourself at the end of the first quarter of 2014, wondering what happened to those three months, schedule some ‘think time’ and take a long, appreciative look in your rear view mirror.  Connect your head, heart and gut and travel month by month back through 2013:

·         List all of the many, many things that went well (were right) during the year
·         Ask yourself what was the toughest challenge that you face. What worked? What didn’t?
·         Identify times/situations in which you demonstrated bravery or organizational courage
·         Think closely about your relationships. How many did you build? Mend? Harm?
·         Look for ways and times in which you surprised yourself
·         Focus specifically on lessons that you learned
·         Zero in on your proudest moment – What was it? Why are you so proud?
·         Get specific on all the ways in which you practiced everyday leadership – really led from your seat at work.  In the community.  At home.
·         Tell yourself the unvarnished truth about mistakes, snap-backs and other missed opportunities. What would you do differently if you had a do-over day?
·         Finally, ask yourself if you were true to the promises, the resolutions, which you made last January.

Looking back frees me to look ahead more confidently, more fearlessly. Your mom was right…look both ways…..

It's All Good (Or is it?)

I was talking to my colleague and friend, Bill, several weeks ago.  By now, I can’t even remember what he said that prompted my all too familiar, over-worked response – “It’s all good.”

There’s something about this slang phrase that really appeals to me.  It’s positive, upbeat and fun.  It sounds cool.  And, depending on the situation, it can even strike a note of forgiveness, kindness or generosity of thought.

Back to my conversation with Bill….This time, my “It’s all good” response was met with an atypical reaction.  Bill came back with, “No, it’s not” in a strong, matter-of-fact tone of voice.  He went on to explain that he had come to dislike that phrase and that he was on a mission to challenge it every time he heard it!  He felt that it was simply too much – used too frequently and too casually without any thought.  And, as a superlative, it usually wasn’t even true.  After all, rarely is EVERYTHING good.  He was campaigning for the use of an alternate phrase – It’s Mostly Good – and he invited me to join him in getting the message out.

At first, I was amused by the conversation.  But, as it turned out, it was thought provoking and I really like challenging my same old same old habits.  I’ve concluded that Bill is on to something.  I realized that I was one of those people who used that phrase way too often and without intention or mindfulness.  I was on autopilot.  I know (and you probably do too) that if you want to be a highly effective, great communicator, then you’ve got to be choiceful about your word selection.  Every interaction.  Every conversation.  And because highly effective communication is directly linked to peak performance, outstanding teams, goal achievement, and well, just about everything that we all want, we should ALL be fanatically focused on being world class communicators.

Yes, I’ve joined Bill’s campaign.  Now, from time to time, I say, “It’s Mostly Good.”  I’m selective.  I pick the right moment for the comment.  It’s more authentic.  It makes me stop and think for a moment.  I’m not on autopilot.  And, best of all, it makes the person to whom I’m talking take notice and stop and think.  It’s thought provoking (and you know I love this), it starts a conversation about intentionality and the importance of clear communication.  It’s all good. (Oops, I mean it’s mostly good!) 

Announcing the 2013 Take The Lead Award

We wanted you to be among the first to hear our good news!   For years, Vantage International has been committed to developing powerful, effective ‘everyday leaders’ at all levels within organizations.  We’ve coached, taught, facilitated, spoken and written about the game changing dynamic of ‘leading from every seat.’ These experiences have fanned the flame of our passion for the message and created sparks of possibility in more and more workplace cultures. Now, we want to do even more to create a movement that changes the way we think of leadership for good! It is with pride and excitement that we announce the 2013 Take The Lead Award!

This award is intended to recognize and honor one ‘everyday leader’ who best demonstrates unwavering dedication to leading from her/his seat every day at work. We invite you to spread the word about this opportunity across your own organization; share the message with colleagues in other organizations; nominate a worthy individual; and encourage others to do so as well.  Help us to create a buzz! To get things rolling, we’ve included a flyer that you can print and display on your organization’s community boards or post on your intranet.

The Take The Lead (TTL) nomination process is easy and straightforward.  Here’s how it works in just a few simple steps:

• Visit http://www.vantage-inter.com/2013-ttl-award and carefully read all of the specific details on the Award
• Click on the link to the Nomination Form and complete all of the fields. Of particular importance is the narrative that creatively and thoroughly outlines why the nominee should be selected as this year’s recipient. Tell us a compelling story!
• Then, simply submit the online form. Nominators will receive an email confirmation that his/her submission has been received

Nominations will be accepted from September 15, 2013 through December 15, 2013. 

We believe that even the simple acts of talking about this award within your organization, publicizing it, thinking about who to nominate and then crafting a narrative that shares the story of an everyday leader will accrue benefit to you and your team by:

•  Actively thinking about and scouting for  leaders in every seat
•   Raising awareness of each person’s own leadership talents and those of others
•  Recognizing and appreciating one another as everyday leaders
•  Promoting new levels of accountability, engagement and community

If you have any questions about the 2013 TTL Award, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@vantage-inter.com. The Vantage International Team is looking forward to reading your “Everyday Leadership” stories!

Let’s create a movement together!

Warmly and Appreciatively,

Leta Beam

President

Vantage International

www.vantage-inter.com

Micro-Affirmations at work

Some of the most important actions that we take at work help others around us to lead from their seats – to show up as the best versions of themselves each day and fulfill their individual responsibilities within the organization with grit, gusto and creativity.

One way that we do that is to act as role models – You first! – You lead from your seat and you show up as the best version of YOU! Another meaningful way to grow leaders around us is to recognize and acknowledge others’ greatness. First, we’ve got to be looking for those ‘coaching’ moments and then we have to let people know that we notice that they are choosing to be both better and different; that they’re leading, making strong decisions, acting as adults. Second, we want to emphatically let our colleagues know that they are valued; that what they do is making a difference and moving us in the right direction. We want to authentically tell them that we are proud of them and in so doing, challenge them to continue to lead.

The best, most sustainable way to appreciate and recognize others is to intentionally look for everyday (yes, every day!) opportunities to offer a sincere, specific message that fuels the leadership spark in them. These small verbal, non-verbal or written messages (or cues) are called micro-affirmations. Sending these regularly helps to build and grow others quicker than anything else! Make it a part of your leadership practice to feed others a steady diet of micro-affirmations throughout the day. Catch people leading from their seats. Appreciate what they are doing ‘right!” and dare them to do even more of it.

Focusing your attention on what other people are doing well will serve to remind you of just how great things are most days – there’s a heck of a lot more going right in your organization than going wrong. And by recognizing the greatness in others, you simply cannot help but recognize it in yourself. That’s the crazy wisdom of it all!!

Let your own light shine by affirming others. After all you are a VIL – a very important leader! (BTW, that’s a micro-affirmation)

Big doors swing on small hinges. The seemingly small choices that you make throughout your day pay HUGE dividends. Take the Lead!

P.S. Here’s another exciting way to appreciate, recognize and affirm your colleagues --- Nominate someone for the Take The Lead Award!!! This is the first year that Vantage International is sponsoring this opportunity and we would love for each of you to participate. The simple realization that you thought highly enough of someone to nominate her/him will thrill that person and encourage them to even higher levels of ownership, commitment and performance. So, take those extra few minutes to check out the details today by following the link:

http://www.vantage-inter.com/2013-ttl-award/

Fresh Eyes

One of those small but significant (I always say ‘big door swing on small hinges) habits that everyday leaders practice is to view their work with ‘fresh eyes’ each day. If you’re committed to being both better and different then you’ve got to have the courage, energy and discipline to briefly pause before you jump in and ‘do’ the work  Take a look at it as though you’re seeing it for the first time. If you could press the re-wind button, how would you organize the work differently; what would you do to have a better outcome, make your job or someone else’s easier?

Think of it another way – when you slow down and really re-examine your work and explore your processes and approaches, you actually have the chance to speed up in the long run, by becoming more effective and efficient. Slow down to speed up!

When you look at your work with fresh eyes, it’s as though you have a new leadership lens that endows you with ‘super powers’ to:

·         Connect the dots differently

·         See opportunities that were hidden in plain sight

·         Have an in-sight on the solution to a wicked problem

·         Experience an ‘aha’ moment or a BFO (blinding flash of the obvious)

Now, this isn’t an invitation to go rogue and change your work flow without running it by others. It is all about making suggestions that help you be the best version of yourself and get great work done AND help your colleagues and the organization.

So today, be fearless! Change the lens through which you see your world. Write down any ideas (no censorship please) that surface for streamlining, eliminating, combining, re-creating….You might be surprised at how long that list is. Then pick one, maybe two to pursue. Now, lead from your seat and talk with your colleagues and your boss about your new ideas. Take a risk…take the lead!