Dealing with Burnout at Christmas (or Anytime)

Leaders and professionals experience burnout. Dealing with burnout at Christmas can be especially discouraging. The world around you is happy. And you are sapped of emotional energy to enjoy it.

Start here. Ten steps to address burnout.

1. Rule out anything medical. Make sure what you are feeling doesn't have its roots in a physical problem.


2. Know that there is hope. This is not a hopeless situation without solutions. Just know that that is the case.


3. Take responsibility for change. Take ownership for turning this situation around.


4. Face the fear. Change will involve moving into new territory and leaving old. Be very clear about what it involves.


5. Develop a strategy. Clarity rules. Having a plan for letting things go or for adding new ways of working takes a lot of pressure off.


6. Name the one thing. One thing will make the biggest difference. One thing can probably unlock the road block to solutions. Name it clearly.


7. Have support. Don't run solo through this time of life. Have good people with you and behind you. Hire a personal coach if need be.


8. Take significant action. That's exactly what it will take. No playing around the fringes. Do what needs to be done to change what needs to be changed.


9. Know that burnout is not permanent. This will come to an end. Do it on your terms as far as possible.


10. Draw on your faith. God is available 24/7. There is no time you will catch Him off duty. Call out to Him for strength and solutions.

This is a turning moment in your life and work. And that should make Christmas look just a little bit brighter this year. Solutions are possible and with your intentional action are at hand.

Fast Response, the Small Business Entrepreneur's Advantage

The hallmark of a small business entrepreneur is that they can give a fast response.

We all have a sense that corporate and government wheels grind slowly as decision making winds its way through successive layers of bureaucracy. But the small business person can make a decision quickly. Do they? Often yes. But many times no.

Often hanging on to a dream, a method, a boast, an image or a feeling, the small business entrepreneur waits too long to respond quickly to reality and implement needed changes. The result is that they either run out of time or money and suffer the consequences.

Odd, isn't it that these business leaders can make a lightning fast decision and turn their small enterprise in a new direction. They have the ability to change quickly. All they need to do is say the word. But they hesitate.

Hesitation isn't because of outside influences so much as it is because of those internal 'struggles' to hang on to that dream, that way of doing things, the pride that made the boast, the image that has been put out into family and community and the feeling of control that the unfamiliar path would challenge.

Those who run successful small businesses make considered but quick decisions. They don't let internal self-talk and feelings get in the way of taking the actions that are needed to move successfully forward.

Don't wait too long to make needed adjustments. Be honest with yourself about what is holding you back from doing what you know needs to be done. Then decide and move fast.

Running a small business isn't for the faint of heart. But to those who can make the decisions that need to be made, it can be a very successful, lucrative and totally fulfilling enterprise.

The Bible on Leadership and Relationship

I sometimes present on personal effectiveness at conferences and training events. I enjoy doing it, but I will tell you that I am a Bible teacher at heart.

From time to time I am asked to speak to professional groups from the scriptures. Sometimes an entire audience will be made up of leaders who may be spending their day on topics of best practice and professional improvement.

The primary purpose of God’s Word is not to serve as a textbook to teach us about leadership and management. There is a wealth to be learned from the scriptures on those topics, to be sure and I’m happy to teach about it.

The primary purpose of God’s Word is to teach us God’s heart about relationship. God wants an intimate and growing relationship with people, including owners, entrepreneurs, executives and leaders. In giving his Son on the cross, God paid an unimaginable price to have you and me be in a right, intimate and growing relationship with Him. He wants our heart, not our professional curiosity.

If God has our heart, He can influence the way we manage people, advance vision and carry out our own personal work.  His transformative work challenges and changes our attitudes.

Out of understanding how valuable we are to God and how much he loves us and desires to form us and fellowship with us flow all sorts of implications for leaders and leadership.

You don’t have to wait until our paths intersect to hear me speaking about it. Seriously … crack open your own Bible and get reading. But if you haven’t done it for awhile, don’t first go looking for leadership principles. Go looking for relationship. It’s there you will find the heart of God.

Thumbs Up to the Everyday Executive

The everyday executive is the norm. The public image may not match.

It may be that in the public mind there is a skewed image of an executive now days. Since the economic meltdown a year ago the public has only heard about executives milking their companies and their clients for millions,  flying about in their fancy jets and rewarding themselves for getting the public purse to pay for their incompetence.

The public has seen the high and mighty fall from their ponzied perch and they are sick of the image.

But ... there is a much different world out there. It's a world of ordinary men and women who lead businesses and nonprofits, who go to work like everyone else, working hard to make the wheels of business go round or devoting themselves to see that people get services and assistance in times of greatest need.

Not every executive is a greedy man or woman. Yes, they may be paid well compared to many. It goes with the job and it's not right or wrong, good or bad. In the world of business it just is. Not every leader is self-absorbed and ready to sell their soul for money or power. No, the vast majority of men and women, executives and leaders, work from a position of integrity and ethic. They support their family and their community. They put in the hours to make things happen.

Let's give a thumbs up for these men and women who keep significant causes, projects and programs moving forward. These everyday executives are the unsung heroes who stand right alongside the everyday worker ... both significant in their different but necessary roles.

I know whereof I speak. I get to work with the everyday executive ... every day. And I can tell you they are made of the same stuff as you and me. They carry major responsibilities and heavy workloads. Contrary to popular belief, they do care about those who report to them. They care a lot.

So, as you meet the everyday executive today in the parking lot or in the grocery aisle or at the gas pump, nod and say hello. They've probably had one demanding day and they sure could use a smile.

Local News on the 2010 G20 Summit

Local news on the 2010 G20 Summit is opening the possibility that it may not now be held in Muskoka. Apparently no final decision has been made yet. Toronto has been mentioned as a possible alternative, simply because it could more easily handle the numbers expected.

We'll have to see how this unfolds. Of course the 2010 G8 Summit, perhaps the last of the G8's will still be held in Huntsville. Many in the area feel Muskoka could handle the numbers the G20 would generate as well.

Regardless of whether you are from Canada, United States or one of the other G8 or G20 countries, if you are looking to work with an Executive Coach or a Leadership Coach in preparation for next year, please contact us.

 

2010 G20 Location is Still to Be Decided

It has been reported locally that the 2010 G20 location is still to be decided, possibly in the next week or two. Seems local reports of it being a sure thing were premature, maybe more hope than substance.

Muskoka is hosting the G8 but it seems there is some concern about accommodating something the size of a G20. We'll have to see what the final decision is.

Meanwhile the area already has people rolling in as preparations take place for the G8.

Visit our website and contact us for targeted personal coaching for G8, G20 and Civil Society leaders and key personnel.  Or phone 705.687.2711. Whether you are from outside of Canada or a host national, it may be beneficial to work with an Executive Coach from the area of the Summit.

For leadership coaching for the Summit and an Executive Coach close to Huntsville, Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, Orillia, Barrie or Toronto, contact us.

Who Uses a Personal Coach as a Sounding Board?

Leaders and executives probably make use of a personal coach as a sounding board more often than others.

There are perfectly good reasons for this.

• Top position really is a quite isolated place to be.


• Decisions involve issues that cannot be made public yet.


• Millions or billions of dollars may ride on a single decision.


• Whole careers, projects, programs or divisions may disappear.


• The opportunity is so exciting you don't want to get it wrong.

With my own clients I am most often engaged as a sounding board for tough decisions. It's not that the leaders and executives I work with can't make the decisions. These are savvy, smart men and women who didn't get to where they are by shying back from making the tough calls.

It is however, that they realize the benefit of having their thinking challenged by penetrating questions and alternate perspectives. In a completely confidential environment they welcome the opportunity to think through and review their line of thinking. They relish going down the rabbit trails to see where it will lead them ... without anyone making a big deal about it.

They invite the time to think about right positioning the correct people without being bound to their words. Thinking it through is good.

I fear we are being conditioned to rush into decisions without our best thinking being put into it. We are being groomed to solve complex problems in 30 minutes (minus the commercials). But too much rides on those decisions to leave them to the fickleness of copying a fictional world.

Sober second thought and thinking it through are still in vogue for our best leaders. They don't rush into final conclusions on major issues. And that's why so many of them use a personal coach, a behind-the-scenes partner who draws the best out in them and helps them make decisions that can stand the test of time.

Business Opportunities in G8 G20 Northern Ontario

There are great business opportunities in G8 G20 Northern Ontario.

While you are here doing your pre G8 or G20 prep work, be sure to consider Muskoka and north into all of Northern Ontario as a potential place to do business or set up a facility.

Northern Ontario has a stable and educated workforce right across the region. These are people who know how to work and have the smarts to do it. You'll not find better anywhere in the world.

Cities like Sudbury, Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay, Thunder Bay are larger areas with significant infrastructure. But small towns and villages form the backbone of the north and should be considered for business. These are really tremendous locations with solid people. Mindemoya, Gravenhurst, Parry Sound, Espanola ... Huntsville itself where the actual Summit is located.

All this to say ... if you are considering setting up shop in Canada, this vast area of Northern Ontario is a superb place to do business.

4 Ways Leaders can Create a Motivating Work Environment

Women in Business crafted an article titled, Motivating Staff Without Money: Four Budget-Free Ways to Move Forward.  The article outlines four ways leaders can create a motivating work environment. Taking advantage of them don't cost a lot of money, but they aren't designed to be cheap. They are designed to be effective in developing people and improving business.

Perceptively they note that,  contrary to popular perception, your job as a manager is not to motivate your staff. Motivation is internal. Instead, you are responsible for creating an environment in which people can motivate themselves.

Perhaps one of their suggestions will be of benefit to you or spawn a new approach unique to your organization. I quote and have adapted from their original article.


Operate in an Atmosphere of Open Communication - More companies adhere to the philosophy of minimal communication rather than "open book" management. In other words, senior management often assumes that the less employees know, the better.

This doesn't make for a motivating environment. A few simple suggestions:

• Research your organization and its competition on an Internet. Get that competitive blood flowing. Have them improve the public presentation of your company.


• Get listed in Who's Who in Finance and Industry or Ward's Business Directory. Seeing your name lets you know you matter and are a contributor.

Yes, it is simple, but build on it.

Recognize People with Potential - Nothing says confidence and trust like putting someone in a position of leadership with the ability to make decisions.

• Placing future leaders into management development roles. This is not only good for the individual but for the long term success of the company.


• Give your employees more responsibility to test their leadership skill. Some will rise to the challenge. Others may not. But you will be developing capacity all the while.
  

Respect and recognition are two proven ways to retain employees.


Support External Training Workshops - People are much more inclined to feel like they're making a positive contribution to your organization if they're in a learning curve.  Challenge them to challenge themselves.

• Training organizations offer countless one-and two-day offsite workshops. The cost is minimal. Two or three seminars per employee per year may add very little to your overhead budget and allow employees a one-day "sabbatical" to reflect on their careers as well as to reinvent themselves in light of your company's changing needs.
  

There may be a very good return on investment from providing relevant, practical workshop opportunities. I would suggest having some accountability attached to it. Develop a method whereby the employee provides feedback after the workshop on how the learning will be best integrated into their day to day work or translated into department, team or company practice.

Welcome Opinion -  By empowering people, you telling them that they matter to you and your business. By listening to them, they may even have some good ideas about how to make things smoother or more profitable.

Listen to employees. Listening to people may not always be easy, but it can be very beneficial. And when those gems appear that empower the individual and strengthen the organization, you will understand that the effort put into inviting comment and listening to it was more than worth it.

Muskoka Also Hosts 2010 G20 Summit

In addition to hosting the 2010 G8 Summit, Muskoka, Canada will now host the G20 as well. The leaders of 20 nations will visit this area to meet and discuss the important issues of the day. Right in my back yard ...

I mention this because of the positive need for good open doors of communication. Sure, there can be arguments made about optics and politics and all talk, no action and all that goes along with that, but the truth is there are a number of leaders and their team members meeting and talking with each other over the space of several days.

If you can't talk with each other, little is achieved.

Where there is a venue to discuss similarities and differences, national and international needs, hopes and desires, everyone's understanding and appreciation of each other can be raised.

Good relationships are invaluable. But they must be worked at. They take investments of time and energy and as often as possible, proximity.

Where the Summit (or any other meeting) is designed to achieve real goals in an effective manner, good things can be accomplished.

So, leaders, officials, representatives, civil society groups ... welcome to Muskoka as you do your prep work for next summer's Summit. Let's make it one where participants truly are civil, where real goals are aimed for and achieved, where relationships are established and deepened and where ordinary people are the focus and beneficiaries of your consultations.

To benefit from working with an Executive Coach who lives in the Muskoka area where the G8 and G20 will be held, please call. 705.687.2711.

Executive Boldness, Unlocking Leadership Paralysis

Correct me if I'm wrong, but there seems to be a general dearth of executive boldness. No, I don't mean there are a lack of executives out there. Generally ... the people are there. The boldness is not.

Some leaders are wired to be bold, but they are hamstrung by politics and procrastination.

To unlock leadership paralysis and avoid mediocrity requires a different way of thinking ... thinking that isn't occupied with looking over its shoulder and watching its backside wondering what people will think and whether or not it's 'correct' or good for your own future.

Executive boldness puts others at the center. It sees possibilities and a better future and goes for it. Boldness puts itself out there ... on the line, going for what is best.

Five Starting Points

1. Make your own decision - Don't be double minded, tossed here and there by every opinion expressed. Listen carefully. Do your analysis. Decide and stick to your decision.


2. Be willing to fail forward - Great achievements have been built on the learning experiences of failure. No leader has made significant gains without having first felt the sting of failure. But what they did different than most was embrace that failure as a stepping stone to the future. They got up and kept going.


3. Don't analyze it to death - There is a time for everything, including moving forward. Some things can stay so long in the thinking stage that they simply die there. Or the time for them passes. Or interest is lost. Or the original vision blurred and put on the back burner. You get the idea. Once you have the essentials, act.


4. Stand out and stand up for something - If it's an idea worth being out in the world, take a stand for it. Don't be mamby pamby. Stand up and be counted. Cast your vision to any who will listen. As articulately as possible make your point in writing, in person and anywhere it will advance your idea.


5. Live above the level of mediocrity - Hum drum leadership abounds. Never, never settle for less than your absolute best. Aim for excellence in all you do. If it's really that good, then you have products and initiatives in your head that need to be translated into reality. Ride the wave of excitement in giving life and leadership your best shot.

If we are going to unlock leadership paralysis and practice executive boldness in corporate, government, business or nonprofit, it will have to start with you and me. Now go out and find a Coach and talk about your next (or first) big bold move.

The Problem with Professional Development for Executives

There is a problem with professional development with executives. Much of it is learned by the seat of their pants.

Growing professionally will happen in three ways:

1. The Individual Takes Charge - A self motivated leader steps up and develops their own executive learning and development plan. They take responsibility and exercise the discipline to see it through.


2. The Organization Mandates Growth - There is a clear path of expected growth and development generally tied to the desired outcomes of the organization.


3. The Individual Learns by the Seat of Their Pants - The leader does what needs doing, is generally swamped by responsibilities and projects. They pick up what they can when they need it. Learning occurs by dealing with fires and scrambling to assemble what's needed for daily leadership.

Obviously the first two are more desirable. They will most surely be supplemented by the reality of number three. The vital questions are:

• Have you taken the initiative to develop your own learning and development plan?


• Have you as an organization understood and invested in the real growth of your people?


• Do you need to change something before your pants catch fire?

Everyone benefits from leaders and executives who are deliberate about growing and improving on the contribution they make.

Leadership Mediocrity

Don't let your leadership be remembered for mediocrity. Step out. Attempt great things. Take the 'risks' that can lead to a  significant difference in people's lives.

I don't know what you lead, but this is your hour. This is your chance to make a difference. You may be in government. You may run a business, small or large. You may be a corporate leader. Perhaps you work in the community, struggling for dollars to advance your cause. Regardless, do what you do with passion and skill.

Significant causes, projects and programs need men and women who will reach for excellence in all that they do. They need individuals who are not afraid to test their limits and perhaps even fail in the attempt ... men and women who believe that what they are doing is worth doing with everything they've got.

People follow those who know where they are going. They listen to those who have a cause. They hear passion and purpose.

You will be remembered. The question is for what.

Create a Three Step Plan to Achieve Your Highest Priorities

Do you wonder how you can ever achieve your highest priorities, how you can turn your dreams into reality? It is possible ... maybe not with all of them, but possibly with many of them.

Gather the Ideas: Make a list of those things which you consider priorities in your life right now. Never mind whether it seems doable or not, or whether it is just a dream at this point. It matters simply that it is a priority that you think about often.

Choose the Highest and Most Important: From this list, choose your number one highest priority, the one that you passionately want to see accomplished. (If you can follow this pattern with one priority, you can do it with any number of them.)

Understand What Needs to Happen: Take this high priority and write out all the things which will need to happen to bring it about. Don't agonize over this list but be as thorough as you can, whether it's five or one hundred 'needs to happen' items to realize success.

Break it Down to Three Definable Phases: From this list (of all the things that will need to happen) group sequential or closely related items into three clusters.

You now have three clusters of sub-points ... the heart of a three part plan. Rearrange the sub-points according to some chronological time frame that allows you to address each point one by one.

Name each of these three groupings of sub-points (action steps) with brevity and in the clearest possible terms.

This is your blueprint for moving forward, your blueprint for success.

You now have a three step plan. Each step has been divided into sub-points or action steps that need to be accomplished, taken from your list of things that need to happen. Each step has a clear title indicating the main action or phase that all those sub-points are a part of.

Execute Your Plan: Execute this plan until you achieve your highest priority, no matter how long it takes.

Make Needed Adjustments: If and when you hit an insurmountable barrier, that you can absolutely determine is insurmountable, then make an adjustment to your plan or recognize and allow that that priority may not be achievable.

Never Give Up: Otherwise never, never, never give up on it, if you truly believe it is of the highest priority.

Obviously some priorities will be achieved in a short period of time. The steps are clear and executable. Other priorities will take considerable time because of their scope and will require persistence, patience and continuous action.

Leaders Under God

As leaders, we do well to remember that we are responsible ultimately to God.  We are, when all is said and done, leaders under God.

It does not matter whether the leader acknowledges this or not. It remains a fact and will be proven so when we all stand before Him.  But to embrace it is to access divine resources for daily responsibilities ... and far, far more.

The leader in relationship to God through Jesus Christ does not walk alone. He carries out his responsibilities fully conscious that He is loved and strengthened and given wisdom and capacity to lead from God. There is no foolishness in embracing this quality of relationship with the God who does not change.

God is over all. He does not invite us to include him on some list along with all our other personal and business priorities. He invites us to see him over all priorities. Not the first priority but OVER all priorities. He is God over all and He refuses to slip to number two or three or right off our list of interests altogether. He is above lists and desires that we meet Him there, in awe and wonder at His altogether unique nature and position.

Why in 2009 would we still talk about thoroughly modern and enlightened leaders embracing God? Because He still exists.

God never went anywhere while we were becoming so enlightened. He never stopped extending the invitation to relationship while we ran after the multitudes of 'things' and 'isms' and pursuit of success and dollars to replace Him.

He is still there, calling leaders to surrender to His love for them and His ability to speak and work into their experience ... transforming their hearts and minds and the the way they think about and carry out work, life and leadership.

God has been so misrepresented by the behavior of those who identify themselves under His name. But He himself has not changed. As He was in the beginning, so He remains today.

Food for thought.

Motivating Staff to Action

We're all interested in motivating staff to action, empowerment and creating a culture of excellence. We want to embrace diversity, develop potential and achieve synergy. More buzzwords ... they are so easy to say, aren't they.

But you and I need to put meaningful thought and action behind them if we truly want to see others reach their greatest potential while contributing to the year over year success of the organization.

I came across an interesting article on motivation by Tim Millett,  Motivating Staff ... What's the Buzz?. The author notes:

The interesting aspect of employee motivation is that there are many workers, both management and staff, who are motivated to succeed, but unfortunately that potential success is not seen as related to their current position or the tasks they are performing on a regular basis.

The symptoms? Staff who feel overlooked, under-appreciated and are looking for 'the right opportunity' to come up somewhere else. Meanwhile the organization gets bogged down in buzzword talk, training and motivational speeches. The results?

There is an enormous untapped potential in the labour force of most companies simply because people feel removed from the processes that equate to company success. That leads to a workforce searching for personal meaning (eventually with a position at a competitor!) or a workforce that is not mentally or emotionally connected to the company mission and thus underproductive.

So what's to be done?

The path to motivating staff is to focus on the mission of the company and then translate that mission into personal success.

How? The author offers several solutions.

• Creating a corporate culture that promotes staff involvement and reduces resistance to change


• Developing responsive management that values employee input


• Encouraging team participation


• Developing team leaders able to motivate others


• Becoming an organization that is able to cross traditional functions and communication barriers


• Creating positive energy that promotes individual success while also advancing company progress

I want to emphasize again what Tim says, The path to motivating staff is to focus on the mission of the company and then translate that mission into personal success.



I think that statement is worth taking some serious time to think about.

8 Places to Start for Executive Health and Fitness

I am certainly no expert on fitness and health. But over the years I have learned a few things about the importance of taking care of myself in order to be at my best for me, my family and my work. Here are 8 places to start for executive health and fitness if you haven't done anything about it for a long, long time.

Face it. You're out of shape. You're probably feeling it and a look at the naked person in the mirror confirms it. Inside and out, you probably need some work. Of course the real change happens in your head. You are either ready to make a commitment to do whatever it takes or you're not.

Let's talk starting points. You are not Superman or Superwoman. You are an out of shape, concerned about your health, executive. So start simple. First, get your health professional on board. Make sure they give you the green light to begin implementing these eight steps.

Then head for your local bookstore. In the Health and Fitness section there are a ton of books on the topic. Arm yourself with some basic, get in shape, eat healthy type volumes and read them. Then:

1. Stretch - Those muscles have been so tight for so long they need some warming up. Over time, stretch every direction your body can manage. Stretch everyday. Get up from your desk and stretch often.

2. Build Stamina - Get out from behind the desk and start walking. Build up and even get yourself to run for a few feet. As you keep going over the weeks, you'll find your heart getting used to the good routine. Get outside with the children or grandchildren. They should be able to show you a thing or two about movement. If your fitness to date is spelled s-l-u-g, get up and get that heart pumping.

3. Build Strength - If the most you've done for some time is lift a pen and a file folder, then you are not too high on the exercise scale. You need to move some weight around. No, you don't need a lot of fancy equipment. Again, there are lots of books that show simple equipment techniques that will do you just fine for now. Start working with weights. Build muscle. Turn soft and saggy into firm and buff. (And be content with your age. If you are mid-forties or fifties you probably will not look 25 again. Look like a sharp, really in shape (insert your age) executive.

4. Cut Out Excessive Alcohol and Smoking - You're killing yourself. Period. Your children want a Dad or Mom that outlives them. Stop drinking too much and make today the last day you ever light up. No crap about "I can't stop" or "I need it for stress." Stop and you will have a better tool to deal with stressful situations, your good health and clear mind.

5. Reduce Sugar - Cut down on the sweets. Sodas, deserts, snack foods etc. Sorry. There is no other way.

6. Reduce Salt - We are an over-salted society. Read the labels on your food products. Cut your intake of salt.

7. Improve the Quality of Your Food - What goes in will help determine your health. Make it the best food you can. Natural vegetables are at the top of the list. There are tons of books on good nutrition, so pay attention to them. You don't need the fad diet (and leave those books on the shelf). You are aiming for a change in lifestyle.

8. Reduce the Quantity of Food - Like excessive alcohol and smoking, excessive eating can do you in too. Not you, you say? Look at your portion size. It may be enough to feed two people. Practice portion control.

There you have it, 8 places to start for executive health and fitness. Just start. No, you don't have to look like "him" or "her". Just be you ... a healthier, more alert, more fit you.

Why Most Leadership Development Programs Don't Work

I'm going to suggest three reasons why most leadership development programs don't work.

1. Organizations aren't really committed.


2. Individuals aren't really committed.


3. Personal coaching isn't a key component.

Organizations Aren't Really Committed: In business, dedicating people and resources to seeing someone grow isn't as easily traced to bottom line dollars earned. This is extremely short-sighted thinking. Build your people and you will build your business. Certainly our executive coaching firm frequently uses Return On Investment tracking that makes a strong case for bottom line results from front line human resource investments.

In addition, investment in people takes work. You don't just subscribe them to a magazine, give them a book allowance and send them off to a conference or two and think you have done the leadership development thing. Most of those in supervisory positions just don't have the time or inclination to work consistently with their leaders. And even if they are keen, they often don't really know how to proceed or to follow up on the individual.

It isn't much different in nonprofit settings. Just because they aren't engaged in profit making enterprise doesn't mean they don't want results. But many nonprofits are so strapped and busy that those who should or could be developing others just don't have the time. Immediate needs take precedence.

Individuals Aren't Really Committed: Individual leaders are often hungry to do better and achieve more. But they haven't got a clue of how to go about it. Busyness dictates that they don't get much time to think about personal and professional development beyond trying to keep up with the bottom line latest information they need to know for the next day.

Leadership development takes time. And months stretch into years. It's easy to let something slide. The tyranny of the urgent dictates attention and action. Unless the individual abruptly interrupts their well established patterns and plans for a different approach, things will pretty much stay the same.

People are far more often thrust into leadership than prepared for it. They learn by the seat of their pants. Now that's not all bad, but it is far from great for them or the company. And sometimes the results can be downright disastrous.

Personal Coaching Isn't a Key Component: Without one-to-one, intentional back and forth that is focused on the individual and what they are attempting to achieve, there is no focused 'system' or approach to fostering real growth. Intentional growth takes conversation. It takes probing and the revealing of potential blind spots. It takes questioning entrenched habits and exploration of as yet unknown possibilities in behavior and performance.

The Coach can take the time to walk alongside the individual with one purpose in mind ... helping them think about, plan for and act upon those things which would move them forward in learning, experience, skills and attitude.

Consistent coaching over an extended period of time may be the key missing link in most leadership development programs. With it, the individual can go further faster. In the same way that iron sharpens iron, the coach can sharpen the leader, assisting them to go farther than they might have otherwise thought possible. When that happens the results will show back in the organization.

Bottom Line. If you are going to be serious about a leadership development program, work with an executive coaching firm such as ours. We have a track record. We know what we are doing. We know how to help an individual grow in ways the benefit them and the company or organization. Your investment will be highly targeted and ROI will be real.

Additionally a seasoned professional coach can help you implement a 'coach approach' to working with your people. You will have a three-way partnership that is focused both on personal and professional growth and company results.

If you run leadership development programs

• Be committed. Make it part of who you are as an organization.


• Work with committed individual leaders.


• Make coaching a long-term key component of your effort

Is Personal Development Dead?

Is it possible that we have too many terms with too much baggage ... terms like 'personal development'? Could it be that 'personal development' is bogging many good and potentially great leaders down? (Not to mention professional development.) They have sincere and hopeful intentions but over the months and years remain stuck, not growing and not attempting to grow beyond what are akin to a few New Year's Resolutions and some feeble attempts at 'embracing change' all under the label of personal and professional growth.

Is personal development dead? ... the term I mean ... is it spent, passe, overworked, past its prime, tired and in need of younger blood showing up on the scene?

'Personal development' - it's a great term, you know. Keeping it alive and well certainly fits into the movement that benefits to the tune of billions every year. But with all the personal development, you'd think we'd be further ahead in our companies and communities.

Again,  could it be that a lot of it just isn't implemented at a very personal level? Or that too few people even explore what might be involved and are content to live in mediocrity as long as their pay cheque keeps showing up? Or that industry truthfully has no stomach to encourage and inspire it?

Maybe we need a new term, something to jettison the stereotype and start fresh ... something meaningful, measurable and moving. Maybe personal development should be 'Practical Monthly Improvement'. How about that? It isn't glamorous but it's a workhorse of a term.

Practical Monthly Improvement implies that something is measured from month to month. It assures us there is actual forward movement. And it certainly tells us that it shows up in everyday practical ways.

What would you do to achieve Practical Monthly Improvement? (Or PMI, as we'd have to say in business speak.)

Imagine what could happen in a company or an organization where every individual from bottom to top was seriously committed to month over month improvement both individually and collectively. Where compensation and rewards were based on real practical, observable, monthly improvement? What would that look like?

You might be thinking this is idealistic nut-talk ... a whole organization ... come on. But practical monthly improvement isn't corny, and I don't care what new term you come up with if the intention is right. Maybe, just maybe if we got rid of some of the stereotypical ideas people have about personal development and how difficult it is going to be, we could move forward faster.

When we published 52 Solutions for Those Who Need a 25 Hour Day, we were committed to really, really practical action steps. Pick any ten simple practices from that book and it will probably transform the way you work and lead. Just ten.That's what I mean by practical monthly improvement.

And while I'm at it, maybe we should require PMI as a condition of employment and leadership or running for public office. Prove you're engaged with doing better and making things better. Your company, cause ... or country ... will be better for it. You'll be more satisfied. It could develop into a way of living and working from here on in.

When being aware and being willing get turned into daily, intentional and decisive action, there is no telling what can be accomplished in a life ... or a country.

What do you say my friend? Does PMI have traction?

What's Your Problem? Saying it Clearly

What's your problem? Saying it clearly will help you find solutions. And if you can't admit what it is, trying new things won't solve it. Your efforts will be squandered chasing phantoms. Make the real thing the real thing.

Probably more important than talking about your problem is taking the time to define your problem in the clearest of terms. Defining is the place to start. Once that is done you will have a clearer conversation. And it will be your gut, your emotions, your feelings that will let you know how good your definition is. When it is really cutting close to the core, you know you're probably on target.

As Dr. Phil McGraw frequently states, “You can't change what you don't acknowledge.” And until you can articulate whatever that area of needed change is, so that you mind and your heart are acknowledging, you will be unable to find the proper options that will lead you to the best strategies and actions to apply.

My most important task as a personal and executive coach is helping leaders clarify what the real situation, problem or opportunity is and to say that in the fewest words possible. Once that is done we know what we are really talking about and then we can come up with options that apply to the real topic at hand.

Those who are committed to personal, professional or organizational growth, clarify frequently as needed. Those who are complacent about consistent clarification continue to live, perform and lead in mediocrity.

I am sure that you probably have one problem or opportunity today that will benefit from clarity. It is the truth that sets free. It is the lack of it that leads to frustration, neglect and deterioration to whatever degree it may manifest itself.

The greatest change will come when it can be articulated in the simplest possible terms.

Practice Saying This: "Thank You"

Saying "thank you" still works in what seems to me to be an increasingly nasty and less mannerly public and private sector.

Manners are necessary in several directions. Customers need to learn to say please and thank you. Rude, demanding and uncaring far too often seem to dominate.

And on the other side of the equation, I don't know if working with the public is at an all time low, but service manners often seem similarly poor, disengaged or insincere. You may agree or disagree.

But I will tell you what is the grease that keeps the wheels of industry - private or public, for profit or not - moving. It's recognizing what someone has done and saying, "Thank you" for it. A simple thank you can go a long, long way to motivating people to keep going and do well.

Leaders and executives ... practice saying this ... Thank you; Great job; Really appreciate what you did here. Thanks for doing this.

A 2007 Smart Business article titled Thanks is worth a re-read. According to a then referred to study:

... 35 percent of workers and 30 percent of chief financial officers (CFOs) cite frequent recognition of accomplishments as the most effective nonmonetary reward.

People consider saying thank you a reward. I realize it's not the only motivator but organizationally you just can't get anything less expensive to implement. The harder part will be making the organizational attitude adjustment. But just start personally. Appreciation is infectious.

If you happen to be like a leader who told me years ago that you shouldn't have to run around saying thank you to people for what they should be expected to do, you may need an attitude adjustment.

If you are a leader who takes this to heart and wants to use genuine appreciation as one of your best motivational tools ... thanks for reading this.

This Past Week, Four Important Posts

August 24: How to Deal with Resistance to Change

Resisting needed change has destroyed relationships, marriages, families, organizations, companies, programs and nations. Change starts with the individual. On Monday, we provided an 8 step strategy to initiate change. That doesn't mean it will be easy, but it does mean that it is possible. It's going to first of all mean a change of attitude that embraces the new possibilities that change will produce.

August 25: Whose Problem is It?

Knowing who it is that has the problem is the vital first step in finding solutions. Someone else may have projected their problem on you for years. You have lived with the burden of it. No more. If it is their problem, let them live with it. Being released from the guilt or shame will let you establish boundaries,  take better care of yourself and let them know that if they desire solutions, they will have to be the ones to take action and make change.

August 27: What Makes a Good Leader Work with a Coach?

What do great leaders know and practice that the vast majority of other leaders don't? They work with a Coach ... not because they have big problems but because they want to be better prepared to deal with big problems. And not only that, they want to be more aware of opportunity when it shows itself. Coaching for the successful leader is not so much remedial as it is transformational. Thursday's article outlines the top 12 areas that successful leaders and executives have proactively used our coaching .

August 28: An Example of Employee Engagement

On Friday we examined how one company changed their thinking ... and their approach after 50 years. They engaged their employees in the larger context of what the company was doing. It raised a sense of place and contribution. The end result for the company was more engaged and satisfied employees and increased profit. You may have golden ideas hidden in your staff but there is no encouragement or environment to get them out. Achieving employee engagement isn't a 'hope so' exercise. It will require a solid change of culture and attitude. It will require good leadership.

An Example of Employee Engagement

Here's an example of employee engagement that provided a great return on investment. It's from the BDO Dunwoody newsletter article, Tap Into your Staff's Brainpower. It really points out the lurking potential that may exist in your staff, that if harnessed in the right way might unleash a wave of good and profitable results.

The author notes that "companies are just as susceptible to getting stuck in their ways, repeating the same business practices and not realizing that this stagnation prevents reaching full corporate potential."

One such company, having operated much the same for its entire 50 year history were encouraged to have "managers start encouraging their employees to think outside their specific jobs. In other words: Encourage them to start taking a macro look at how their jobs fit into the business structure."

Staff got engaged and ideas started coming in. One such idea actually estimated that a single suggested policy change could save the company at least $100,000 a year. That's pretty significant.

Why didn't it get mentioned before. Probably because the employee saw themselves in a box, thinking only about the one little corner of the operation that was theirs. They were never before encouraged to think bigger, to start seeing what they were doing within the larger context.

Engaged employees can be a gold mine. Never under-estimate what lies buried there.

What Makes a Good Leader Work With a Coach?

What makes a good leader work with a Coach? They have their act together, don't they? They effectively carry out their own work each day, not wasting a lot of time but getting things done. They work well with their staff. The company, organization or division they direct is moving along as well as any other. So why would they think about working with an executive coach? Or why would their organization think of having them engage a coach?

It's simple really. Because they know they can always do better. In fact they want to do better and achieve more. Great leaders are characterized by consistent growth. Stagnation, the status quo, staying on the plateau, these are not in their vocabulary except to be avoided. They believe in and go after personal, professional and organizational growth.

Even though you are doing just fine right now, what would you work on with an executive coach? Where can you grow yourself and your leadership team ever further? What would you like to learn and implement to give you that edge that will translate into greater success? Have you really reached your highest and best potential in each of these areas?

People

• Managing Critical Conversations, Conflict and Confrontation


• Motivating, Leading and Developing Others


• Succession Planning and Grooming for Advancement


• Building Key Relationships – Family, Work, Community

Personal

• Time Control, Managing Stress and Dealing with Burnout


• Meaningful Contribution and Career Satisfaction


• Character Growth and Personal Development


• Changing Possible Career Limiting Behaviors

Process

• Increasing Daily Productivity and Effectiveness


• Planning, Goal Setting and Decision Making


• Fostering Significant Ideas and Projects


• Maximizing Opportunities in Change and Transition

Aware, growing leaders believe they and the organizations they lead can do better and achieve more. They are restless until they see that happen.

Whose Problem Is It?

Really ... Whose problem is it?

Often we carry around someone else’s problem for years as our own. This is reinforced because they tell us it is our problem. The essential question then is, “Who really owns this problem?” Is it theirs or mine? Am I really dealing with the effects of their problem or is it in fact mine? If it is really their personal problem projected on me, then it really is not my problem.

This shift in thinking from it being "my problem" to "their problem" changes everything. It puts history and circumstances in right perspective.  This clarity is important to finding real lasting solutions.

Knowing it is in fact not your problem eliminates guilt feelings and any sense of inferiority or shame. It evokes feeling for the other person and may even lead to new approaches towards helping that person.

Alternately it may mean establishing a clear boundary for the other person that makes it clear they no longer project what it theirs on to you, they no longer throw their trash in your yard. A fence may have to go up between you to protect what is yours.

So ... whose problem is it?

How to Deal with Resistance to Change

We need to understand how to deal with resistance to change. Why? Because many times we do not change, even though we may deep down wish to. We do not achieve those things we wish to achieve because we refuse to let go of our old ways. It's easier to stay where we are than to take those first few steps which will set us on a new course. And so we stay stuck.

Most times it is completely a problem of attitude or thinking, of refusing to take ownership of a new way. Yes, we may need to learn something new or have someone help us to develop a strategy so we know how to move forward but those things can be done. To use those as excuses is really not the point. The fact of the matter is, a change of attitude and thinking is of paramount importance.

Most times “I can't do it” is really not accurate. It is “I refuse to do it”. And until you deal with that attitude of refusal and develop a  “whatever it takes, I will do it” attitude, nothing will change ... in your life, your company or your organization.We are creatures of the comfortable. Even that which is painful can become comfortable, even though it hurts.

If you are challenged in this area, consider these steps.

1. Get assistance. Use a coach. Someone who understands what it is you are trying to achieve and can assist as you begin to initiate this new path.


2. Develop a strategy. Be very clear about what is holding you back and what can move you forward and develop a strategy to address both.


3. Start. Don't make any excuses that you 'have to have this' or 'this has to be done first' or whatever. If you can't start absolutely, completely, start some portion of it.


4. Be held accountable. Give your coach permission to hold you accountable. Have others around you hold you accountable.


5. Provide consequences for going back and rewards for going forward so it becomes more painful to go back on your word and more pleasant to follow through.


6. Persevere until you break through. Go until the new path becomes the accepted and habitual path.


7. Always address resistance thinking. Be very aware of when you are resisting and think about the process that caused you to think that way. Capture the thoughts and discard those which hold you back. Replace them with new thinking that moves your forward.


8. Think of yourself as an implementer, completer, a winner versus a loser or a failure. Change your thinking about yourself and repeat it frequently to counteract all the old negative messages that are probably playing and running through your mind over and over again.

If you want to win the battle of how to deal with resistance to change within yourself, start with these few steps.

Review and Update Your Master Plan

Those who make it a regular practice to review and update their master plan generally have a far easier time achieving their goals. Whether you are a small nonprofit or a large business, knowing where you are going is half the battle and following the plan you have to get there is the other half.

Why is it so common to see individuals and organizations make plans and then let them fall into disuse? Those same individuals and organizations then fall back on muddling along, fighting the daily fires, deviating from the plan and never really getting back to it. The result is ineffectiveness, lack of success and frustration ... not a sign of good leadership.

Once you make your master plan, begin to work it. Stretch your plan out whatever number of years are appropriate to what you are trying to achieve, whether 2 years, 5 years or 20 years.

Review your plan regularly and annually keep extending the plan out another appropriate length of time. Make changes that are deemed appropriate and promptly modify the plan as needed. Change dates and update any projections involved. Keep it current in order to serve you well.

This regular process of review will have you answering the realistic questions that can keep you moving forward. Are we on target? Is this still the direction we want to head? What needs to change?

Are you regularly reviewing and updating your master plan? Is this being done consistently? How extensive is the process? Who needs to be involved?

Why This Practice is Important - If you annually extend your plan out one more year (or whatever the appropriate length of time may be), you will be prompted to keep current in your response to what is going on.

An Expansive Thought - An updated ten-year plan may be more valuable than the remaining three years of a seven year old ten-year plan.

An Action Point - If you don't have one, rough out a 10-year plan covering goals, people and resources.

Leadership Quotes From My Files

Like you, I have a collection of leadership quotes that have impressed me over the years for one reason or another. Since most leaders value reading leadership quotes, here are a few from my files to broaden your perspective and encourage you along the way.  If you provide  everyday leadership ... press on.

“Quiet leaders are realists. They try hard to see the world as it is. This means recognizing, almost as a sixth sense, that all sorts of things can happen and often do. And they happen because people act for all sorts of reasons, virtuous and vicious, clear and muddleheaded, sensible and nutty. Realism in other words, isn’t pessimism or cynicism. It is making ample room for the many ways in which people and deviants can surprise, dismay and astonish.” Joseph Badaracco, Jr., Leading Quietly

“Popularity is not leadership. Results are.” Peter Drucker, The Leader of the Future

"According to some scholars, the four Presidents prior to Abraham Lincoln were "compromise leaders", unwilling to confront the difficult issue of slavery between the North and the South. Then a mature leader with a solid sense of who he was, what he believed and valued - regardless of the consequences, took the Whitehouse. The strength and maturity of his character and conviction in many ways forced the nation to confront the reality of the abomination of slavery. The Civil War followed. The starting point for change in any nation, church or ministry has always been the leader." Peter Scazzero, The Emotionally Healthy Church

"Though credibility can be shattered in an instant, it is earned over time. Very seldom is there the opportunity to make some dramatic gesture that proves your credibility as a leader and makes others loyal to you. Most of the time the relationship builds over time in layers. Keeping promises, leading by example, and listening and responding to the concerns of others
gradually produces loyal, dedicated and productive followers." Michael Miller, The Kingdom Focused Leader

"Many younger leaders realize that authority does not come with a position and a title but that it has to be earned. It is established on the basis of trustworthiness and competence. They understand that leadership emerges as power is shared rather than as authority is exerted. That power may arise from the application of one's area of expertise, but it is based on trust and is reinforced as personal relationships are deepened and extended." Eddie Gibbs, Leadership Next

“All over the world, right at this moment, people are getting tapped on the shoulder. They’re being told that, starting now, they’re going to be in charge of something – a team, a project, an office, a committee, a business unit. It happens. Existing bosses die, move away, get fired, or are abducted by aliens. Some subordinate is asked to step up and take a stab at being boss. Welcome to accidental leadership.” Harvey Robbins, Michael Finley, The Accidental Leader

“Much of your ability to get people to do what they have to do is going to depend on what they perceive when they look at you.” Rudolph Giuliani, Leadership

“As Moms, we get so bogged down in the day-to-day business of raising a family that we don’t feel like leaders of anything, except maybe the cleanup crew. That just isn’t the case. If you have children, you are their leader. Other than God, you are the most important leader they will ever have.” Teresa Bell Kindred, Mom PhD

“If leaders are not aiming at something but are merely responding or reacting to situations as they arise, they have already virtually surrendered leadership. Circumstances or situations are leading the way and effectively determining what is going to be done. The role of the leaders has become a maintenance or an operational one, because their attention is focused on the present and the past, rather than on the future.” Tom Marshall, Understanding Leadership

“Leadership is no picnic. If you are going to learn how to be a good leader, you are going to have to open your mind to new ideas without discarding all of your old ideas. Moving into the future does not mean letting go of everything you have done in the past. It means getting perpetually smarter about how you integrate the old and the new. It means taking what you know about the science of leadership and blending that with the finesse that comes from the art of leadership.” John Beck, Neil Yeager, The Leaders Window

Treating Police Burnout

When it comes to treating police burnout, policing has been referred to as “the most stressful occupation in America.” That according to Hans Selye, one of the world's preeminent researchers on stress.

As a leader, you already know that three high level indicators of stress - alcoholism, divorce and suicide, are all alarmingly present in policing. Much has been studied and written about this.

As an executive in policing you have the opportunity to make an impact in treating police burnout in those you are responsible for.

You already know the background situations that policing professionals face every day. Our aim is to provide a synopsis of possible actions and shifts in attitude that may lessen the number of cases of police burnout.

Here are a few things police can be intentional about promoting, encouraging and acting on.

• Continue to grow as a person. Seek to be mature and avoid being self-centered. Cultivate those characteristics that make up what we now call emotional intelligence – honesty, emotional self-awareness, resilience, good communications, compassion, integrity etc. Don't push those things down because your primary contact with people is in bad situations.


• Develop your character. Pay attention to it. Stay sensitive to what you are feeling. Stay sensitive to what others are feeling.


• Let go of what people say to you or about you. Their comments reflect their problem, not yours.


• Don't stuff emotions inside. Talk with others about what you see and experience. Stress is cumulative unless dealt with. Deal with the accumulation of daily stress ... daily. Otherwise what gathers in your daily job is brought home. Don't take out stress on those within your own home.


• Find positive ways to address stress each day. This is one of the keys to treating police burnout.Who we are does not consist of bits and pieces that can be isolated from each other. Your body's reaction to stress does not stop to ask whether it is job related or personal. It's just stress ... related to you as a whole person. Incorporate holistic strategies.


• Understand the vast majority of the public respect you and what you do. They are absolutely grateful for you. They don't want you to be another cop burnout statistic. They want you healthy and well in every way.


• Find a means to deal with anger and frustration in healthy ways. Participate in group sports, work out. Expend energy. You already know it will have all sorts of benefits.


• Love your spouse. Actively look for ways to romance them. Make your own personal growth as a husband or wife one of your highest challenges so you can make loving your spouse your highest priority. Be intentional in working on this area.


• Do not drink for escape. We are told alcoholism is high with far too many over-stressed officers. You may need to avoid drinking altogether to be safe.


• Remind yourself every day that you are creating an environment where people can work and play and do well.


• You are not your job. You have a passion to see good things happen, but whether or not they do does not affect the fact that you are a great person. You are valuable by creation, not by occupation.


• Cultivate friendships outside the force. Go out with other couples not connected with policing. Talk about other things. Go with your spouse to his or her events.


• Don't let a feeling of superiority creep in. Yes, you have a lot of street smarts others don't have. But they are wise in unique areas you are not. Benefit from their wisdom as well.


• Cultivate balance. You are mostly with people at their worst. Spend time with people at their best, doing positive things which contribute to their families and communities. Let the good around you be the greater influence.


• Continue to be bothered when injustice occurs. Don't become callous to being passionate about wrong behaviors.

If we are going to decrease law enforcement burnout these are the simple things that have to be paid attention to.

Coaching to Address a Leader's Performance Problem

Here are 8 steps to best use coaching to address a leader's performance problem.

In today's environment, every member of the leadership team needs to be functioning at their best. Dismissal and replacement is costly, finding star players even more so. Coaching has proven to be a cost effective intervention in returning critical contribution leaders to full form.

While much less leadership or executive coaching today is remedial, occasionally there is a need to address sagging performance. There may be several contributing factors to explain why a leader isn't doing as well as expected. Coaching will give them the opportunity to address their behavior and begin once again to move in a more positive and contributory direction.

1. Have a conversation with the the leader, expressing your belief that they have the capacity to change their behavior in order to improve their performance. Otherwise you wouldn't be suggesting that they work with a coach. Be very clear about those things which you wish to see addressed and gain their agreement to work with a coach.


2. In determining the appropriate professional, have a complete and candid conversation with the coach, outlining the objectives you are seeking the leader to accomplish and any other expectations that you have of the coaching engagement. Discuss confidentiality and reporting. Make sure you understand the coach's ways and means of tracking and addressing the client's progress. Talk about how you will be kept informed and how the coaching agreement is structured. Discuss the value and administration of any useful assessments.


3. Have a three-party meeting: yourself, the leader and the coach. Review the objectives, putting on record those things that you wish the leader to work toward. Allow the coach to outline the nature of the relationship. Make sure all three of you agree on the game plan for moving forward. Express your confidence in and support for the leader.


4. Let coaching have its effect. Most change takes some time. Good coaching and the results it produces are not forced. It works by helping the person see themselves and their situation clearly and knowing what to do next to advance personal, professional and performance goals. During the engagement the client will get over a critical hump. They will become clear about what needs to happen and they will begin to gain momentum from there on in.


5. Engage the leader in a periodic review to assess how they feel they are doing with coaching. Talk with them about the progress they feel they are making. Discuss their plans for their ongoing committment. Fill out any observation and tracking forms that the coach has suggested. Review those with the leader and send them to the coach. They agreed to pursue certain objectives and where you see progress it is only right that you nurture it and let the leader know that you have observed that progress in them.


6. Toward the end of the engagement, it is time to make a determination if the return that you are getting warrants the continuation of coaching. Perhaps the leader has improved performance and surpassed expectations and with the benefit of coaching could achieve even more. In this case the return on investment warrants continued coaching.


7. From any administered assessments, seek to understand the behavioral style of that leader, how you can best communicate with them, motivate them and assist them to develop latent capacity for further responsibility. Have the coach help you understand this critical leadership development information.


8. Adopt a coach approach with this leader, where you will periodically meet to review their personal development goals. Learn from the coach how to use a 'coach approach' with this leader. Learn how to ask good questions that can give them greater clarity and further momentum. The 'coach approach' is best learned by being coached yourself. So this may be an opportune time for you to engage coaching for your own growth and the greater benefit of the organization. Never assume that you have arrived and that you have no further capacity for growth, creative thinking and even better planning, execution and action.

Thinking Through the Really Tough Decisions

Leaders make hard decisions all the time. We have to. It comes with the territory. But I venture to say that most leaders wrestle with thinking through the really tough decisions.

Whether in life, work or leadership, really tough decisions are tough for a reason. They are emotionally charged. That is, they are made up of both facts to be considered and emotions to be felt. Neglect either and the after-decision reality will probably be less than satisfying.

Neglect the facts and you get an emotional problem to deal with later. Facts are facts and they don't and won't change. A decision that doesn't deal with things as they are but neglects them, oversteps them or disregards them will result in less than satisfying results. Much of the original pain or problem will still exist because there was a far larger emotional component to it than physical. And that emotional magma will eventually rise to the surface ... and you will have to deal with it head on.

Neglect the feelings and you get a feeling-fueled factual problem to deal with later. It may come in the form of resistance, criticism, rebellion or sabotage. Whatever form it takes, however overt or subtle, passive or active, there will be a real problem to deal with. Emotions may be the fuel but real physical problems will be the result.

The Options for Tough Decision Making

1. Abdicate Responsibility. Pretend there is no problem and therefore no decision to be made.This is the stick your head in the sand routine. Hope it will go away.


2. Act without regard to the facts. Let emotions run rampant. Fail to think the situation through. Fail to isolate fact from emotional presumption and proceed based on how you feel at the moment. This is the illogical routine.


3. Act without regard to feelings. Stuff your feelings way down deep. Dig in and neglect to acknowledge anyone else's feelings. Look only at the facts and make a calculated decision. (Problem is that none of us are unbiased. We try to be but we aren't. We give greater weight to our feelings about the situation and this causes stress, judgment and misfires.) This is the insensitive routine.


4. Weigh the facts and the feelings, then proceed. Always attempt to move forward based on truth but being sensitive to both your feelings and those of others. As best you can, attempt to discover and address the source of the underlying emotions that appear so strong. This is the makes-sense leadership routine.

Will you always be right? No. But you will be able to rest in the knowledge that you did all you could to be objective, fair and balanced.

Like so many other occasions, this is a time for writing or recording both the facts and the feelings. If you can accurately articulate them, have them in front of you and intentionally talk your way through them, you will up your chances of making the best decision possible.

In the course of our leadership and executive coaching, clients are often facing just these very types of decisions. This is another occasion when the benefit of a personal coach is obvious.

Sometimes you can be too close to a situation to think objectively. Because it is an emotionally charged situation you entertain strong feelings. The coach helps sift the emotional content from the factual and examine each. The discussion more often than not results in new insight and a stronger case to go in a particular direction.

Does this mean that you are a weak leader who requires someone else's help to make decisions? Not at all. You make lots of decisions every day, some of them more challenging than others. It does mean you are a smart leader who recognizes that every so often a problem comes up that is loaded with emotional content and that using an objective sounding board will enable you to follow a superior decision making model that will increase the possibilities for better results. That's being a wise leader.

Why use a Christian Leadership Coach?

A quality Christian leadership coach should bring some unique strengths to your coaching engagement. If they are serious about their relationship to God and bringing that relationship into every aspect of their life, work and leadership you will be well served by them. Of course it is up to you to see if they have a level of coaching expertise sufficient to meet your need.

Having been in leadership in one way or another over many years, it is my personal belief that every Christian leader should work with a professional coach. Working as a leadership and executive coach for over a decade, I am all the more convinced. This is not a belief based on commercial intent, but one based on understanding Christian leaders and what they face. From the emerging to the seasoned leader, a huge benefit would be gained by the support offered from an impartial coach. But that is for another post.

Why use a Christian leadership coach?

The Christian coach has a high awareness of the importance of clarity. Of all people, the Christian coach understands that the truth will set you free. Driving for the truth bears huge reward. It isn't always easy. It may hurt or embarrass. It may give up chunks of emotionally held territory. But once gained, the truth has a freeing quality. It allows all other things to fall away and provides opportunity for singular focus and less distraction on those things that matter.

The Christian coach has a high awareness of the importance of ownership. The biblical order is believe, receive, become. Receiving something, adopting it as your own is a cornerstone principle of the Christian faith. Taking ownership, taking responsibility, saying "this is mine to deal with" is vital to moving forward. Without commitment there is no movement. And in order to reach goals and objectives in business, government, ministry or personal matters, we must start from a position of owning the situation.

The Christian leadership coach has a high awareness of the importance of structure. They understand that God is a God of order. He created an ordered universe. He gave principles of order. Without structure, things devolve into disorder and confusion. Christian coaches help people develop strategies, structures and environments that support success. Other coaches do that as well, but Christian coaches realize that the best solutions do not always come from referencing self but from setting self aside and referencing outside of self within the larger context of God's order.

The Christian leadership coach has a high awareness of the importance of momentum. Perseverance is a key Christian concept. If God assigns a task, we act with passion and we don't give up until it is achieved. Our God is not a God of stalling. He is a God of movement. He is a God who provides needed course corrections in order to better achieve the task. Momentum implies consistent forward movement in the face of challenge and the unknown. It implies faith that steps up to the challenge of the unknown fully drawing on all the resources of God that are available.

The Christian leadership coach has a high awareness of the place of outcomes. Whether in setting general direction or specific objectives, the Christian coach understands that God wants us to experience certain outcomes, the benefits of having followed a particular course of action. When we can be clear about where we are going and what's going to be awaiting us when we get there, it provides a motivation that attracts us forward. The way to go is clearer, the objectives more satisfying and the result of achieving those objectives so much more worth the effort.

Many of the practices and techniques of the Christian coach resemble those of any other professional coach. However, the life of faith and a vital walk with God provides certain understanding and approach that are unique to this faith-centered professional. They may be imitated but without divine intervention they ring hollow.

The outstanding Christian leadership or executive coach will probably not set themselves up as the be-all-end-all of performance improvement gurus. But if they are thoroughly professional, bring extensive experience and understanding and have that God-given gift of getting to the core of things, they will make a game changing impact on the life, work and leadership of any leader and particularly those that identify themselves as Christian. Their reluctance to exalt themselves will be more than off-set by their capacity to move you forward.

Police Burnout

Many of the stresses that can contribute to police burnout occur all at once. They don't wait until the officer is ready for them.

I use this policing example to illustrate the need for senior leadership in any profession that deals with people, to pay particular attention to this specialized area of leadership development.

Avoiding burnout needs to be on your curriculum prior to deployment and an ongoing topic of learning and discussion throughout a policing professional's career.

While I may provide leadership and executive coaching for you as senior leadership, you need to adopt that same coach approach for the leaders and staff on your team.

What contributes to police burnout? A conversation with two seasoned officers who were in their 40's gave some insight. We don't pretend this is in any way exhaustive, purely anecdotal.

Like anyone else who has to work with people, law enforcement officers carry a huge burden of stress, maybe more than many other professions. The big difference is that officers often get the stressors all at once.

While much more could be said about law enforcement burnout, here's the initial view from two officers in response to the question, “What do you feel is the leading cause of  burnout amongst police officers that you are aware of?” The fact that they had immediate answers indicates high awareness of the problem. They didn't have to spend time thinking long and hard about it. It shows the reality of the specter of burnout was top of mind.

For those of you leading other organizations, ask yourself what your key people would say if asked the same question.

Long Shifts Twelve hour shifts often mean 14 hours with commute time. Sometimes things like the volume of paperwork and sitting can be tedious. Other times it is active and requiring the highest levels of alertness. But for the whole 12 hours you're 'on'. That means that adrenaline levels remain up all the time and spike during tense situations.

Decreased Respect for Authority Over time, there has been a steady erosion of respect for police officers. It is not uncommon to see young people give cops the finger and display other acts of disrespect.

Attitudes of Other Officers Younger cops coming on the force will often complain about jobs that are assigned to them. “Why do I have to do that again?” The spread of griping seems to have increased over time. “We shouldn't have to feel like baby sitters with these kids. They're cops. Do your job.”

Blurring of Your Own Identity It's often a challenge separating what you do from who you are and who you were before you became a cop. You see your job as your identity. Lines are blurred and inability to always succeed when the public is in need carry over into your view of yourself. It just means you put a lot of stress on yourself and sometimes even hold yourself accountable for things that are outside of your control.

Whether or not you agree or disagree with this anecdotal account isn't the point. The point is that when asked about police burnout, officers can immediately point to what they perceive are contributing causes. It points to the need of an ongoing environment of conversation and support where the effect of these things would be lessened.

That's where the 'coach approach' comes in, making and taking the time for individual discussion with each officer in a climate of non-judgment and with a view to personal and professional growth.

First, it would be valuable to experience coaching for yourself. In addition to your own professional development, you could use this time to develop a strategic approach to coaching the people on your team.

Spending time one-to-one with your team members is not about fixing the weak. It is about fostering and boosting existing strengths and being proactive at avoiding burnout with each and every individual.

The Latest Leadership Definition

Why does a leadership definition make a difference?

Because it is reflective of the leader who uses it.

I am all for each one of us having our own definition of leadership if serves the individual and the organization well. In fact this is probably more the reality than the exception.

Rather than seeking to get what is a squishy topic definition (leadership) just right, and be all encompassing and technical, why not just admit most independent thinkers will adopt that which reflects their particular approach to leadership ... that which 'rings true' for them in the daily give and take of working with people and making things happen.

For the record, here is the definition of leadership I have used for about 25 years now.

Leadership is discontent in motion.

Sometimes I'll add that leadership is creative discontent in motion.

You see, it is part of who I am. Part of how I explain myself to the world. I believe that leadership is going somewhere. Leadership looks at what is and realizes it can be improved on. Then it reaches toward what is possible.

Management maintains what is. Absolutely vital if 'what is' is serving people with great efficiency and effectiveness.

Leadership reaches for what is possible. Equally vital if 'what is possible' will make things better.

I want to see people be the very best they can be. In working with hundreds of young men and women, I always saw them as tremendous gold mines of potential and absolutely enjoyed working shoulder-to-shoulder with them ... still do, when I have the occasion. It's the same with our current leadership and executive coaching clients. Leadership sees yet to be tapped potential in people.

I want to see systems - ways of doing things, improved.  It is my belief that almost every regularly repeated activity can be looked at as a system, and that almost any system can be made to work better ... even the large systems of causes, projects and programs. They can be improved.

It's a restless discontent with the way things are. It's creative in offering options and solutions that capture the imagination and can be translated into practical on-the-ground action. It's in motion because it is results oriented. It mobilizes people, capturing their attention and shifting their vision of what can happen.

So there it is. The next time you write up that page of leadership definitions, include mine. Leadership is discontent in motion. Put my name beside it, Gary Wood. Put it right after your definition of leadership ... the one that is reflective of the way you think and work.

Work-Life Balance, Should a Criminal Lawyer Have Any?

Would lawyer burnout surprise you? Not likely, and even less so if you read  this great post from Houston, Texas, criminal defense lawyer, Mark Bennett, that lays out the issue of work-life balance from the criminal lawyer's perspective. A great read that makes you think.

Mark lays out the problem:

We lawyers are a pretty messed-up bunch—more emotionally and psychologically messed-up than the mean. We suffer from higher incidences of alcoholism, drug abuse, and depression than the general population.


The lawyer whose career is his whole life, who defines himself in terms of his prowess as a lawyer, is in for disappointment and trouble. Because if you are your successes, then when a case doesn’t end as hoped, you are the failure. A common sequel: the fruitless search for fulfillment in ultimately self-destructive behavior.

Interesting. Sounds like leaders and executives in other other professions I've worked with ...

When we define ourselves by what we do we are already headed down a slippery slope. What we do is to be an expression of who we are, not the determinant. But if allowed, it can become all consuming and what we do can become a vivid picture of who we have allowed ourselves to become.

Mark makes the case:

The lawyer who can strike a healthy balance between clients and family, between career and avocation, between work and life is going to be happier and more fulfilled than the lawyer whose personal life is in smoking rubble because of his monomaniacal fixation on being Lawyer. In other words, a lawyer is a better lawyer when he is happier and more fulfilled.

Then the part about real life and the reality of a balanced human body,  mind and soul.


When we’re in trial the clash is most obvious: we work 16- or 18-hour days, and our families cope. Even when we’re not in trial, though, clients’ problems don’t keep bankers’ hours.

Still, even the accused benefit from balance because balance is essential to creativity. If our clients need our creativity (they do), they can’t afford for us to bill 2300+ hours a year (sleep less), spend every waking hour at our desks (exercise less), and eat at the office (eat worse), all of which are crushing to creativity.

Mark doesn't offer solutions in this post. There is an existing culture and system that precludes easy solutions. That didn't seem to be his purpose. But the way he comments on the issue is excellent.

If we had jobs rather than vocations—if, for example, we worked in offices counting widgets or with Thomas DiCicco in a Boca boiler room lying to people—there would be nothing at work competing with our responsibility to take care of  our families. We could arrive at work at 8:00, have an hour to ourselves for lunch, cut out at 5:00 and leave the job behind. Work-life balance would be easy.

Doesn't that ring true for most leaders and executives? Work isn't always a simple formula of 8 to 5, with an hour for lunch. We work every day to bring balance into our schedule. Some leaders and executives can make it happen and either don't know how or don't wish to for other reasons. For others of us, balance is a hard fought victory when we do gain it.

Those of us looking on obviously want the best lawyers possible working on criminal cases. Read Mark's post and get a glimpse of the real life challenges faced by the professional who not only wants to give their best but wants to have a life that allows them to have some best to give.

14 Questions Leaders Should Ask BEFORE Agreeing to Serve

These 14 questions leaders should ask before agreeing to serve could potentially save you and a lot of other people from an unsuccessful and less than satisfying experience.

I can't tell you how many times leaders and executives bring up the concern for coaching that too many meetings, committees and requests for help are drowning them.

There are literally millions of boards, committees,  special projects and all other manner of initiative in place and active right now in North America and across the globe. And much of what they are doing is worthwhile. But if the wrong people are tasked with doing worthwhile things, little good will be accomplished.

It's not that the wrong people are not good people. In many cases they are leaders who have accomplished much. They know how to get things done and have proven themselves. It's just that this particular task is not for them. They should never agree to be a part of it, no matter how worthwhile.

Other times, leaders have some personal work to do first. Matters in their own life require first priority before exporting their personal baggage, no matter how subtly, to others.

So, when faced with the call to serve, sometimes pleading with you to serve, take the time to do this exercise. No matter how good the cause, you just can't do everything, nor were you designed to do everything.

Sit down with a piece of paper and a pen and write out the answers to the following questions. That way you will be very intentional in your thinking. Writing it out will capture your thoughts concisely. This will enable you to make a better decision and reflect on the answer you return.

1. What expectations are there of me in this position? From whom?

2. What are my three biggest assumptions about this task? Are they true?

3. Am I really committed to this cause and the people it represents?

4. Do I have confidence in the senior leadership and feel I can support them?

5. Can I make the time for this leadership responsibility without creating excessive stress?

6. Do I and my spouse agree about this decision?

7. Leadership issues take discernment. Am I a discerning person and can I improve that competency?

8. Do I have any hidden agenda that could sabotage meetings or others on my team?

9. Are there any continuing things in my life that if people knew about them would disqualify me from serving?

10. Are there relationships or situations I should clean up before serving in this responsible position?

11. Am I a good team player or do I generally want my own way?

12. How have I been prepared for this task? Experience, skills, interests?

13. What is being said to me about this decision? Faith, family, friends, mentors etc.?

14. To what degree am I willing to change so that I can make a more effective contribution?

Many of our clients have checked themselves against this list and vastly improved their decision-making in this area. The benefits? Reduced stress from meetings and being a part of something that your heart just really isn't in, no matter how good it is ...

Children Teach Us How to Avoid Burnout

Children teach us how to avoid burnout.

Burnout and Children? Yes the two seem far apart, and for good reason. Children can teach us a lot about running-on-full when we feel like we're full time running-on-empty. They can teach us some valuable lessons on how to deal with stress, people, ourselves and a whole lot of other things.

Watch children and implement that special something they can teach you. Not only will your own leadership improve but you'll most certainly reduce stress and the chances of burnout. If you take your leadership seriously, book some time to learn from children. Be intentional about sitting and watching to learn.

And if they don't have kids at home, send your staff out to observe children and learn.

You Will Learn How to:

Relax
Trust others
Be curious
Get enough rest
Be enthusiastic
Take risks and try new things
Be yourself
Not have an image to manage
Be flexible and adapt to the circumstances
Care for those around you
Keep learning
Keep it simple
Adopt great big new thinking
Use your imagination
Share with others
Really enjoy laughter

Remember to incorporate these tips from kids into your own personal stress management toolbox.

Go to respected advisors
Notice interesting things
Return affection
Get over conflict real fast
Forgive
Work together
Organize a group task
See new possibilities
Change roles
Play to your strengths
Appreciate others who are different
Accept the rules but play hard within them
Take on assignments with enthusiasm
Be clear
Tackle new experiences expecting great things

What do they all have in common?

A great attitude.

If we're intent on avoiding burnout, then we must watch and learn from children.  There are solutions right in front of us, if we'll take the time to observe and meditate on what we see.

Observe children. Beat Burnout. Thrive.

Work-Life Balance, a Work in the Park

For what I think is a good perspective on work-life balance for one self-employed leader, I suggest you read Tim Grey's post. His might be the case of having  your cake and eating it too.

The post caught my attention because I spent today writing at Gull Lake Park overlooking a perfect summer's day shimmering lake in beautiful Gravenhurst. I was able to turn out a lot of work, soak in the gorgeous day and feel reinvigorated at the same time.

Some of us who are self-employed do get this type of little perk from time to time. As Tim points out, we often work the long hours to earn it.

Enjoy your summer.

The Power of Decision and Focus

A now deceased but prodigious author illustrates the power of decision and focus.

Through the years, you could connect me up with a good James Michener novel (saga!) and I'd be a happy guy. I never read a lot of fiction, probably far less than I really would have enjoyed, but on those occasions I did, few came close in my mind to matching the craft and storytelling of this author. He is actually credited with more than 40 titles of both fiction and non-fiction.

Michener was noted for the detailed research he put into his work. He was once asked if he could explain his process for book writing. His explanation: “I begin four or five years in advance. I keep thinking about things, what I would like to do, I make little outlines, and then I come to the moment of decision and I dig in.”

What can a “moment of decision” cause a person to do? Michener explains his strategy for getting things done, “I get up at 7:30 a.m., and work very diligently all morning. I quit about noon. I never work in the afternoons, almost never, and I do this seven days a week, month in and month out until the book is written.”

There is power in a decision. You can feel the change of energy that takes place once clarity is reached and the course set. It is like finally lifting the sail into a solid breeze. Movement begins and predetermined direction becomes apparent. Like Michener, if purpose is coupled with focus and consistent routine and effort, volumes of work can be accomplished. Important things can happen.

It bears asking. Do our priorities receive this kind of decision and focus? To do so could change the course of our life, our business or our organization.

Do it, Ditch it, Delegate it or Delay it

If you adopt the practice of do it, ditch it, delegate it or delay it, you can gain minutes or even hours each and every day.

"Napoleon is said to have...[put] all routine letters aside for two weeks before replying to them. He claimed that during that period most matters had taken care of themselves; those that had not, he could now handle in a more leisurely manner. On the other hand, whenever time was critical Napoleon moved swiftly. “The reason I defeated the Austrians, “ he once said, “is because they didn't understand the value of five minutes. Edwin Bliss, Doing it Now, 1984, Bantam Books

Take action right now to deal with what is at hand. Do it.

Throw it in the garbage. Say “No.” Get it off your desk. Ditch it.

Give it to the appropriate person to deal with. Delegate it.

Put it aside for attention at a later and more opportune time. Delay it.

You can literally gain hours every day by carrying out one of those four functions as often as possible. In order to develop this into a habit, write it out on an index card and review it several times daily for a few weeks until you are acting consistently. It’s a sure fire way to gain yourself valuable time.

Here are a further five days of action.

DAY ONE
It's simple time management strategy. But do you practice it? We may be seasoned executive level leaders and still need to periodically examine how we do on the basics. How are you doing? Tell the truth and resolve to make needed changes.


DAY TWO
Delegate something today that you have for too long kept on your own plate. Notice the relief.


DAY THREE
Today, practice clearing your desk, inbox or email more quickly. Make good decisions promptly and act on them without further thought. Be aware of doing this over the next few days. Catch yourself being distracted and change direction immediately.


DAY FOUR
Take hold of the bottom two inches of your inbox pile. Throw it in the garbage. This one act will improve your efficiency significantly. Do the same thing next week until you get it.


DAY FIVE
Articulate the difference between procrastination and good delay. Notice yourself doing both today. Practice good delay if and when the situation is appropriate.

This was adapted from my new book, 52 Solutions for Those Who Need a 25 Hour Day. For another practical 51 Solutions, purchase the book. Work through it every day for a year and you will revolutionize the way you go about your work. You will achieve more of higher quality work. It can mean greater success, less time wasted, increased income and more satisfaction.

We can always improve by revisiting the basics.