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Nov 10

dandelion

A single dandelion may produce 2,000 seeds per year…most will fall on hard, unyielding pavement, there to lie fallow…The important thing is that every spring, every crack in every pavement is filled with dandelions.”

SETH GODIN, in the book, Poke the Box

Seth Godin draws an inspiring analogy between a dandelion’s life cycle and the process of innovation in his pocket-sized manifesto, Poke the Box.  How often have you had what you thought was a great idea, but just failed to launch? Whether it was fear of failure, time constraints or some other barrier, it can be easy to be paralyzed by our inner critics.  Seth turns the innovation challenge on its head with the dandelion metaphor.  Instead of expecting all of our efforts to succeed, we should anticipate that most of our “seeds” will lie fallow and just a few will eventually succeed.

In all of his writings, Seth is consummately encouraging individuals to think of themselves as leaders and innovators who have large contributions to make.  Great coaches are those who see potential in others beyond what they might expect from themselves.  And thus, Seth Godin is a remarkable coach to all of his readers who have ever wanted to launch a company, write a book, and/or make a great contribution in their field.   Seth also is a guru around creating memorable customer experiences, marketing effectively using technology and social networks and also in redefining the way we should come to view our jobs–not as a job–but as a meaningful opportunity to add value and challenge the status quo.

In both my one-on-one coaching and my leadership development programs, I frequently draw on the concepts and resources from Seth Godin.  Currently, I am leading a series of sessions on the topic of “Turning Failure on It’s Head; The Innovation and Leadership Challenge.”  In this offering, individual contributors, managers and executives alike have the opportunity to read Seth Godin’s Poke the Box paired with the April 2011 Harvard Business Review article,  “Strategies for Learning from Failure.”   In an hour and a half live session, individuals re-examine their own beliefs and associations with failure, gain new understanding of different types of failure, and also have the opportunity to reflect on new strategies locally, which would encourage risk taking and a psychologically safe environment for the “right” kinds of failure.

In conclusion, I have two questions for you.  1.)  How can you “plant” more seeds as you wrap up 2011?    2.) How can you support others around you as a leader and encourage more risk taking and a culture where it is safe to fail, continually adapt and eventually succeed?

 

 

 

Sep 15

Tiles_5889

Big problems are rarely solved with commensurately big solutions. Instead, they are most often solved by a sequence of small solutions.

CHIP AND DAN HEATH, Authors of Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard.

I find this point of view to be accurate and highly motivating.  So often, it can be easy to feel defeated and paralyzed by complex challenges.  The Heath brothers encourage us to see what is possible in our sphere of influence and encourage us to take incremental steps to solutions.

In our coaching and consulting, I look to facilitate the process that enables individuals and organizations to break down big aspirations into approachable, achievable milestones.   Part of this work involves identifying strengths and past achievements so we can build on what has worked and create a sense of efficacy in their ability to climb the next “mountain.”

I often draw on change concepts that the Heath brothers have brilliantly codified in their book, Switch, as well as ideas from productivity gurus, such as David Allen, author of the system, Getting Things Done.

As a recent example, I coached an aspiring writer, as he approached the daunting task of writing his first novel.  Not only was the client able to finish the book, but he did so in a three month period.  We drew on a number of motivational principles as well as David Allen and the Heath brothers, to support this individual in developing a vision and breaking it down into approachable tasks, so as to not only reach this goal, but also enjoy the journey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aug 24

shark01

Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.

EDWARD DE BONO

A large focus of coaching is supporting individuals in breaking out of established thinking patterns and eliciting fresh thinking around pressing issues and important goals.

Drawing on creativity experts, such as Edward DeBono, as well as our background in professional development, facilitation and coaching, JBC structures conversations that maximize innovation, enable healthy exploration and debate of possible alternatives, confront and plan around change readiness and form clear decisions and plans to carry forward.

As examples, I employed Edward DeBono’s provocation techniques with a professional services firm wanting to innovate around a particular suite of services.  In addition, we used his six hats thinking methodology with this same firm to enable structured and productive dialogue in the face of new approach to selling consulting services.

Aug 18

ben1b

Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success.

DALE CARNEGIE

I love this Dale Carnegie concept that we can choose to bring enthusiasm to anything we do, whether it be a dreaded administrative task or an intense mental exercise.  Not only can this help us wield the energy to get things done, it can also make it a lot more fun.

At JBC, we facilitate our clients’ ability to tap their passion and energy to reach their goals, whether it be starting a new venture, coalescing a new team, pursuing a career transition, becoming a confident and compelling public speaker, acing a challenging exam and/or adopting a healthier lifestyle.   Drawing on our expertise in social and organizational psychology as well as personal effectiveness gurus, such as Dale Carnegie, we use techniques and impart lessons and resources that empower our clients to approach their work with more confident and productive mindsets.

As an example, we recently coached a client in effectively designing and delivering a presentation to over 300 people.  We drew on a number of communication and presentation techniques and tools, including Dale Carnegie and Presentation Zen, to help her craft a session she was genuinely impassioned to deliver.

Jan 2

steel rods - yes, no yes

Can you say NO in a positive way in 2012?

Happy New Year!!!  A new year is often a time for making new commitments and starting fresh on previous goals or incomplete projects.  It can also be a fresh opportunity to draw new boundaries, and approach work and relationships in a transparent and more prioritized fashion.  Hopefully, the simple formula articulated below will come in handy for you in 2012!

Over the last couple months of 2011, a few clients were struggling with a similar dilemma: wanting to be a good corporate citizen while also wanting to say no to peoples’ requests at times.   As we explored this tension between the seemingly different goals, inevitably, we explored the specific organizational politics, and thought through how to build relationships, promote oneself in a balanced way, and also not take on too much out of scope, particularly as demands and resources are tight.

William Ury, Co-founder of Harvard’s Program on Negotiation, is most well known for his book, Getting to Yes, but he is also the author of the book, The Power of a Positive No; How to Say No and Still Get to Yes .  In this book (published in 2007), Ury outlines a simple and easy to use formula, which changed the way I think about how to say no, and is an effective tool when you need to say no and genuinely want to be supportive of efforts and key relationships.

Formula for Delivering a Positive No:

Say YES – Articulate that you want to support the individual/team/organization in its goals

Say NO – Explain briefly that you are not able to meet the particular need/request as stated.

Say YES – Offer alternative(s) in terms of how you can and are willing to be of help/service to the goals.
I challenge you to try it out and see what you think! Chances are you will say “yes” to using it again.  Let me know how it goes!

 

Oct 3

JDredefined

Out with job descriptions; in with thoughtful analysis of value-creating work

Last week I spoke with a client who was asked by her soon to be manager to draft a new job description; the goal of this exercise was to free herself up to focus on more strategic, organizational priorities.  This individual works in a Chief of Staff operations role where she gets pulled in a number of different directions–and due to her unique quantitative and technical skillset–is frequently called upon to do ad hoc consultation and data analysis.  Not surprisingly, this client was so busy, she was not finding time to meet this request.

Thus, we took a session to analyze her current responsibilities and have what Organizational Development professionals call a START, STOP, CONTINUE conversation.  This is to ask three very simple questions, listed below:

  • What do you want to start doing?
  • What can you stop doing?
  • What do you want/need to continue doing?

While simple to ask, these questions are not so easy to answer, particularly when it comes to stopping work that we have previously owned and which others rely on us to do.   With this particular client, we talked about what initiatives need more attention for the organization to execute against, what she needs to train others to do so she can step out of less critical responsibilities, and what aspects of her job she wants and needs to maintain to be connected to the overall organizational agenda.

The client then decided to forego a formal job description; instead, she decided to create a two-by-two matrix of her scope of responsibilities against the following axes:

  • Strategic vs. Operational
  • Routine vs. Arising

This, she thought, would enable a more thoughtful conversation about what is most critical to get done with the organizational lens and goals in mind.    This, I thought, is a much more useful way to construct and evaluate the work that people should be doing inside of organizations.

So often job descriptions are opaque and verbose, and laundry list in nature.  Isn’t it time job descriptions had a facelift to reflect what the work really is, which are primary vs. secondary responsibilities, and how the work aligns to the broader organizational goals?

Whether or not job descriptions do evolve, it’s possible to have more thoughtful dialogue about people’s work and how to invest our talent’s most precious resource: their time!  What is it that you and your team should be starting? stopping? continuing? to make the biggest impact? How can you help elevate the conversations and analysis of how people spend their time?

 

 

Sep 9

red gear

Back to School; Shifting Back into High Gear at Work

With the beginning of the school year, there is inherently a feeling that it’s time to get back to high gear.  My daughter is going into her second year of pre-school, so I have been reading a lot on the topic of preparing your child and family for school.
It got me thinking how how often there can be anxiety and reluctance about being back at “full throttle” after the Summer and how little focus there is on the seasonal transition for working professionals.  Thus, I thought I’d share a few ideas I am implementing to feel excited and energized about “going back to school.”

Reconnecting with professional contacts and colleagues.  This week I reached out to several contacts who I have been thinking about and meaning to re-connect with this Summer. “Back to school” offered a great opportunity to reach out and plan some networking coffees and lunches.

Re-establishing an earlier bedtime and exercise routine.  Now that the days are getting shorter, I am enforcing a regular 10:30 p.m. bedtime.  I am also committing to getting in at least one exercise class.  (While at one point, I aspired to 4 days a week, 2 young children has changed my definition of regular exercise!)

Reviewing goals and projects for 2011.  I have a few projects I have been working on this Summer and I have been thinking this week about what it is I want to complete before the end of this year, and what it is I want to get started with by 2012.

What are you doing to feel excited and transition “back to school”/work mode?

 

 

 

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