TheLeadershipNotebook

I CAN

 

“If you think you can do it or you think you can’t, you’re right.”

~Henry Ford

 

 

This image greeted me on my way into my office yesterday.

 

I just completed my first week in my new position as President of St. Ursula Academy and Junior Academy. I now work with 587 young women striving to be their very best selves and faculty and staff who are truly committed to making that happen.

This week also marks the start of high school visitation and recruitment for potential candidates to next year’s freshman class. The emotion in the building was contagious as the girls, faculty and staff showed all the best that SUA has to offer. Tours, parent meetings, and an incredible, spirit filled pep rally marked each day.

It was emotional for me as well, coming back to my alma mater and feeling a bit like I had never left. But at the same time bringing with me a lifetime of career experiences.

The theme for the week was set up by our wonderful recruitment video, “I CAN”, encouraging each girl to reach to achieve their potential, whatever that might mean for them.

 

40 years ago, as a young girl interested in pursuing accounting and business, in a then male dominated field, SUA instilled in me the belief that I CAN and now I have the opportunity to see it the eyes of these young women. And believe it myself as I take on this new and very different role.

Whether you are 16, 36 or 56, believing in yourself and striving to do what you do best is the foundation for much of life’s success.

What do you think of the picture? I thought it was a good omen.

To your success,

Mary

 

 

Your First 90 Days....

 

“Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.”

~John Wooden

 

In last week’s post, I shared the news that I’ve accepted the position of President of Toledo St. Ursula Academy and Junior Academy. My start date is October 1st. I’m excited to jump right into my new role and hit the ground running.

But as a leadership development coach who has worked with many leaders during their transition into new roles, I have to remind myself to practice what I preach. What do I mean?

According to research and best practices on leadership effectiveness, the first days in a new position are critical because small differences in a new leader’s actions can have a huge impact on long-term results.

Whether you’re a hire from the outside, as I am, or an existing employee who has been at an organization for a while, it’s important that the new leader take the time up front to quickly diagnose a your situation, understand its challenges and opportunities, establish priorities and manage the key relationships that will help you succeed.

 

So my real start date was the minute I accepted my new position.

 

There are two resources I have utilized with my coaching clients who are entering new roles. The first, Michael Watkins’ The First 90 Days, provides an excellent roadmap for a new leader. The second, The New Leader’s 100 Day Action Plan by Brandt et. al. offers a similar blueprint that includes practical tools to help you implement your plan.

 

Here’s a very brief summary of the concepts that Watkins shares in The First 90 Days. He outlines 10 key transition challenges that will help you navigate your road ahead. They are:

 

 

1. Promote Yourself — get yourself mentally ready to step into your new role. Shift your mindset and perspective and embrace your new position.
2. Accelerate Your Learning — figure out what you need to learn and identify up front your best available sources of insight and information and learn what you need to learn in the shortest amount of time.
3. Match Strategy to Situation—not every situation is the same. This transition challenge requires you to assess just what you are facing. The book outlines four different business situations that will allow you to match the appropriate focus and response to needs of the organization.
4. Secure Early Wins—in this step, the new leader tailors early initiatives to build personal credibility, establish key relationships, and identify and harvest low-hanging fruit-the highest –potential opportunities for short term improvements in organizational performance.
5. Negotiate Success—proactively work to understand with your new boss just what success looks like. You will have greater clarity and a sense of focus for your efforts.
6. Achieve Alignment—this step requires a focus on analyzing the architecture of your organization. Assess alignment among strategy, structure, systems and skills. You will likely not be able to do this immediately but it should be included in your 90 Day plan.
7. Build Your Team—begin by assessing your team, looking for congruence with strengths and needs of the organization. Then work to build team trust and cohesion. You will also need to put in place goals, incentives and performance measures that will propel your team in the desired direction.
8. Create Coalitions—consolidate existing sources of support while developing relationships with those whose resources or connections you need to succeed.
9. Keep Your Balance-- build your support systems and keep your personal disciplines. Starting new is challenging and stressful. It’s important to remember to keep this important balance.
10. Expedite Everyone —if there are other new leaders in your organization, share these steps with them. Share your plan as well.

 

Regardless of the tools or resources you use, if you are anticipating a promotion or a move to a new assignment, planning your first three months in your role is a must. I’ve completed a first draft of my 90 Day Plan and have already accomplished some of my action steps.

 

What do you think? What has worked for you when you transition into a new position? I’d love to hear about strategies you have used in your first days and months in your new job.

 

To your success,

 

Mary

The "Firsts"

 

It’s back to school time. Lots of parents I know are experiencing the angst that comes with their child’s first day of school. Whether its kindergarten, high school or the start of college, regardless of how old they are, these “firsts” generate lots of emotion for us as parents. These changes bring with them excitement, pride, sadness and of course a good dose of worry.

 

For me, this year’s back to school season brings with it a “first” of a different nature. Our daughter, Emily, just landed her first “official” career job. Oh, she’s had part time jobs and summer internships but this is her first job post law school and she’s headed to Washington DC in a week to start.

Emily, our third and youngest child, is officially on her way and headed out into the world to make her way. And with Emily’s departure, the last of the Werner’s will be “launched.”

 

It’s bittersweet for us. My husband and I know that our job as parents has not come to a close but rather enters a brand new chapter. But it seems like yesterday.......

As I was sharing my emotions at the closing of this chapter, a colleague reminded me of Kahlil Gibran’s wisdom On Children included in The Prophet.

 

Maybe you need a reminder as well.

 

On Children
 Kahlil Gibran

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

 

So get your bow ready. It’s comes up fast and bending it is harder than you think.

To your success,

 

Mary

 

Hudson’s Cycle of Change—Phase 4 “Getting Ready”

 
 

“No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right;

a single experiment can prove me wrong.”

~Albert Einstein

 

 

This past Sunday, I attended the 2011 International Coach Federation Conference. I heard tremendous presentations on the art and science of coaching and the current research on various aspects of coaching efficacy.

 

I ended the day by spending a great evening with some of my friends from The Hudson Institute, the coach training program where I had the good fortune to receive my coaching certification.

 

So it seems fitting that this blog post wraps up my series of describing each of the four phases in Hudson’s Cycle of Change and Renewal. The Cycle is also described in more detail in the book, Life Launch: A Passionate Guide to the Rest of Your Life by Frederic Hudson, PhD. and Pamela McLean, PhD.

 

As Hudson reminds us, change is not a linear process but rather a cycle through a series of predictable transitions within each stage. “The continuous flow of the four phases is how we grow and develop throughout our adult years.”

 

Hudson’s Cycle of Change and Renewal

The last three posts covered brief descriptions of what life looks like in:

 

Phase 1—Go For It! (high energy, focused, confident)

 

Phase 2—The Doldrums (stuck, disenchanted, restless, bored)

 

You can make minor changes to your life and embark on a “mini transition” enabling you to return to the Go For It! phase.

 

Or, you can go inward and take a deeper look at your life and your purpose, embarking on what Hudson calls a “life transition.”

 

Phase 3-- Cocooning (deep reflection, inner work, self-evaluation)

 

The fourth phase in the cycle, Getting Ready, is the phase that takes us out of “Cocooning” and back into the Go For It! phase where it all can begin again.

 

When you embark on a life transition, the “Getting Ready” phase is your time for training, exploring, experimenting and launching your next chapter.

 

Life in “Getting Ready”

My career coaching client “Eric” is in the “Getting Ready” phase. He has made his way through the cycle and in going through the work in Phase 3, Eric has chosen to make a significant career change.

 

Having come through “Cocooning,” Eric is eager to learn and full of ideas and possibilities. He is currently “trying on” new and different ideas, not wanting to make major long term decisions without the proper exploration and experimentation. He’s researching different training opportunities and considering returning back to school for an advanced degree.

 

Coaching Eric involves helping him explore new possibilities, holding him accountable to his stated “trial and error” action steps and being a sounding board on how his new career options fit with his stated values and vision.

 

Summing It Up

The Hudson Cycle of Renewal is a wonderful framework for understanding life’s changes and transitions. Knowing how to move yourself around the cycle of renewing change involves developing skills and strategies for learning and adapting to each of these identified chapters and transitions.

 

Hudson-trained coaches are able to assist individuals in understanding where they are on the Cycle of Renewal as well as partner with their coaching clients in helping facilitate the achievement of their desired future.

 

So where are you in the Cycle of Renewal? Can you identify times in your life when you’ve been in the various phases? What skills have enabled you to navigate through those chapters?

 

To your success,

 

Mary

 

 

Cycle of Change: Are You “Cocooning?”

 

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes

it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”

~ Maya Angelou

 
 

 

My last two blog posts covered the first two Phases in Hudson’s four phase Cycle of Renewal; four predictable phases of change that we adults experience in our lives.

 

A reminder:

Phase 1 is Go For It! -- you’re in a world that works, in sync and creating new possibilities and opportunities, you’re optimistic and energized.

Phase 2 is The Doldrums -- a time when you’re out of sync, stuck, dependent on the past, perhaps in denial or resistant to change.

 

Leaving The Doldrums and Phase 2 involves either making minor changes in roles or behaviors and transitioning back to Go For It! or making  major changes by taking a different and deeper look at your life and entering Phase 3, which Hudson terms Cocooning.

 

Phase 3 and Cocooning involves turning inward, searching deep for meaning and identity. Taking stock and re-evaluating your life, your roles, your purpose or your passions.

 

As I mentioned in my post on The Doldrums, I found myself moving into Cocooning about seven years ago. During that time in my life, I examined my passions and purpose and how I was utilizing those in my career as a practicing CPA.

 

It turns out I wasn’t utilizing my own unique gifts and talents in a way that I felt was consistent with my values and purpose. And I just couldn’t see myself making minor tweaks in my role and returning back to the same unfulfilling professional responsibilities.

 

No, my deep introspection caused me to see an entirely new path for my professional world. A path as a coach and consultant emerged, a path focused on using my background and experience in a whole new way. My time in Cocooning enabled me to write a new script for my life.

 

My own coach was incredibly helpful during this time. She coached me from the “inside- out,” encouraging me to take stock of my passion, values and vision for the future I wanted to create.

 

She helped me develop my plan for utilizing the skills and experience I had accumulated while tapping into work that was truly important to me.  The outcome of my introspection and coaching work was new energy and a commitment to living my life “on purpose.”

 

One of the greatest Ah-ha moments I had during my own learning process was the fact that I was not alone. Lots of people just like me have experienced Cocooning and make their way successfully to the fourth Phase Hudson termed “Getting Ready” (More on that in my next post.)

 

Hudson’s focus on our understanding of the Cycle of Renewal is to help us identify where we are so that we can take the steps to move quickly from the Doldrums into more productive and positive phases.

 

So how about you? Do you see yourself in any of these previous three phases in the Cycle of Renewal? Are you stuck in the Doldrums or perhaps in Cocooning, re-assessing or re-evaluating your next steps?

 

I’d love to hear your comments and feedback.

 

To your success,

 

Mary

Life in The Doldrums

 

“In spite of warnings, nothing much happens until the status quo becomes

more painful than change.”

~Laurence J. Peter

 

 

Last week’s blog post, Go For It!, reflected on the behaviors and characteristics of individuals in Phase One in Hudson’s Cycle of Renewal. Goal oriented, energetic, focused and congruent are all attributes that can be used to describe us when we’re in this Phase.

 

Sooner or later however, we reach a point where we get flat or out of synch. We become bored or disillusioned. Or often, life circumstances like the loss of a job or a divorce launch us into Phase Two, which Hudson appropriately calls, The Doldrums.

 

About seven years ago, I found myself in The Doldrums. I lacked passion for my role in the financial consulting world. The last of my daughters was preparing to head off for college. My 85 year old Mom, who was a fixture in my life, passed away.

 

These circumstances created a time for me when I felt stuck and “out of gas.” My attitude and perspective was negative and I felt immobilized.

 

One of my current coaching clients, Mark, is in The Doldrums. He didn’t use those words but he describes feeling stuck and unable to see how he can extricate himself from his current situation.

 

Working day to day in a job that has little connection to his signature strengths and desire for advancement, he came for coaching for help in crafting and creating the next chapter in his life. One of Mark’s challenges is that he remains stuck in the past and is resistant to taking responsibility for creating his future. He knows however that he must do “something.”

 

Coaching with Mark (and my own personal experience with my coach) focuses on crafting an “exit strategy” from the Phase, working on shifting from a dependence on the past and “the way it’s always been” to a future orientation.

 

Coaching questions in this Phase include:

• What's the price for staying where you are?
• How can we work to make decisions for moving ahead?
• What obstacles are still in your way and how can we remove them?
• How can we create a “graduation” so you can say good bye to your old chapter?

 

Unfortunately, we adults stay in The Doldrums far too long. Remaining unhappy or continuing to complain or whine is far easier to many than risking a new direction.

 

But it’s important to remember that at this point, you do have two additional options. You can change your script by tweaking the ineffective parts of this chapter in your life and reenter Phase One (Go For It!). Or you can begin a transition toward a brand new chapter. (More on that in my next post.)

 

Mark is working on changing various aspects of his professional life and certain limiting behaviors, a so called “Mini Transition,” so that he can reenter the Go For It! Phase.

 

Seven years ago, I took a different path and along with my coach, embarked on crafting a Life Transition. I left behind a financially successful but unfulfilling career as a financial consultant and embarked on building my new career as a coach and consultant who facilitates individual and organizational change. I'm firmly back in the Go For It! Phase.

 

As I mentioned last week, the Cycle of Renewal, describes the definite pattern to our personal experience of change. According to Hudson, “if you know that pattern, and where you are in it, you can identify the best choices for guiding your life, no matter how much change you are enduring.”

 

It stinks to be in The Doldrums.

  

But the good news is that you don’t have to stay there forever. You can take the steps (baby steps are good) to transition your way to create your next chapter.

 

To your success,

 

Mary

Begin with the End in Mind

 

“The beginning is the most important part of the work.”

~Plato

 

My coaching client, “Joe,” was just promoted to a new role within his firm. He will lead a new division that includes some existing company employees as well as several new hires. This is a tremendous opportunity for Joe.

 

But in order to maximize his effectiveness and lay a firm foundation for the success of the team, I’ve encouraged Joe to begin with the end in mind. Joe must engage, align and inspire his team to achieve the goals and objectives that the division was formed to accomplish.

 

The process of integrating a new leader into a team is a great opportunity for the leader to share their vision, their priorities and their expectations for the group. It’s also an opportunity for the leader to learn more about each of their team members; what motivates them, what expectations they have for him/her as their leader.

 

This process helps establish trust, provide mutual understanding of issues and concerns, and improves productivity. All are imperatives for Joe in his new role. It can be used with experienced or inexperienced team leaders, and with existing or newly formed teams.

 

The process for integration can include a team offsite (useful for larger teams). This group approach accelerates integration because it gives everyone an opportunity to ask questions and hear answers at the same time, reducing ambiguity and misunderstanding.

 

It can also be accomplished in one on one meetings with each of the leader’s direct reports. The fundamental objective of both is to make sure that both the leader and the team members have an opportunity to learn about each other’s goals and expectations.

 

Regardless of the route you choose, here’s a sampling of some great questions that Joe should be prepared to answer:

 

Priorities

• What are your top priorities for the team?
• What do you want the team to accomplish?

 

Performance

• What do you expect of us?
• How will we (I) know if we are (I am) performing well?
• What is your definition of a top performer?

 

Leadership Style

• How do you handle conflict between team members?
• What are your own strengths and “less strong” points?

 

Background

• What did you do prior to becoming our team leader?
• What are a few key events in your career?

 

As I mentioned, the list is just a sampling. You get the idea.  

 

And in order for Joe to truly engage, align and inspire the team, he must take the opportunity to ask his team some questions. Here are a few good ones….

 

• What would you like me to know about you?
• What do you expect of me?
• What do you expect of me in addressing the priorities/issues and related problems?

 

Whether you utilize a new leader integration group offsite or a one-on-one process, leading a new team is a challenge but also an opportunity to get things started on the right foot. To begin with the end in mind.

 

We’ve got Joe’s meeting already scheduled.

 

 

To your success,

 

Mary

Change vs. Transition

 

“Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.”

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

It’s commencement season. A time of new beginnings. I spent last weekend at the University of Notre Dame, celebrating the graduation of my daughter, Sarah, now a newly minted MBA. Her ND experience included many rigorous classes, late nights and challenging team projects. But it also included meeting great new friends, world travels and much personal growth.

Sarah’s headed back out into the business world as a new “IBM-er.” She’s landed a new job, in a new city, with new many experiences ahead of her.  Plenty of new beginnings, as well as the ending of her ND “career.”

The experience of change that Sarah faces is not so different than what my coaching client, Kevin, now faces. When we first met last month, he had just been promoted to a new senior level position within his company. Kevin has a new job, in a new location with new responsibilities.  Now reporting to the CEO, Kevin is excited for his new role but uncertain about the unfamiliar territory that he finds himself.

We know that personal and organizational changes happen all the time and they can be significant. Typically we focus on the outcome that the change produces. For Sarah and Kevin, each has a new job, in a new environment with new demands.

But for their change to be successful, Sarah and Kevin must go through the necessary process of transition. Transition is the more difficult piece but absolutely essential to successful change.  Whether at the corporate or personal level, we often lose sight of the critical importance of the transition process, focusing on the change itself. 

I wrote about transitions last November, in my article, Successful Transitions: Where Endings Come BEFORE Beginnings. And now that it’s hitting so close to home, I’m reminded of its importance.

Author William Bridges, in his book, Managing Transitions describes each of the three required phases of transition as he helps us chart an effective course for the change. They are:

1. The Ending
2. The Neutral Zone
3. The New Beginning

These phases are not necessarily linear, but for successful change to occur, ironically, Sarah and Kevin must BEGIN with the END. This Ending phase represents the need to recognize the losses and endings associated with the new change.  It’s not typically the change that we object to. It’s the giving up of the current, having to let go of something that is familiar and comfortable.

Here are some recommendations from Bridges as Sarah and Kevin address this Ending phase:

1. Identify the losses you’re feeling as a result of the change. Be specific.
2. Acknowledge the losses openly and sympathetically. Often, it’s not talking about the loss that causes trouble.
3. Define what is over and what is not. One of the most important leadership roles during times of change is that of putting into words what it is time to leave behind. Be specific about what goes and what stays.
4. Mark the endings and show how endings ensure the continuity of what really matters.

Sarah is leaving behind day to day contact with great friends and the lifestyle that accompanies college and graduate school. And when I met with Kevin again last week, we discussed how his Ending included leaving behind the comfort he had with the projects he led and the direct authority he held. Now reporting directly to the CEO, his new role requires less “doing” and more leading and a much more strategic focus. He leads an entirely new team with different personalities and a very different focus. Kevin now realizes that before he could fully launch into his new role, he must address what he was leaving behind.

Commencement season is a time of change and new beginnings. What’s happening in your world? What changes and transitions are you facing? How have you addressed your “endings”? For the individuals you lead, how do you help them work through the process of transition and experience successful change?

We're so proud of Sarah and her accomplishments and have absolute confidence in her ability to successfully navigate this change and the process of transition that it requires.

 

To your success,

Mary

 

Leadership During Change and Transition: Think Bud Light

 

Leading during times of change and transition is not for the faint of heart. Restructuring, downsizing and merger activity are the new normal in the CPA and legal professions. As a former CPA firm Partner, I experienced a firm merger in the late 1990s. Many aspects of our leadership during the merger were positive, but it was an emotional and jarring experience for all involved, nonetheless.

 

As a leader, cultivating and maintaining the trust of those you lead in the face of making difficult and impactful decisions for your firm is a challenge. Effective leaders must learn just the right balance between often contradictory behaviors. Just like you see in the Bud Light commercials, leader behaviors must be: Not Too Heavy, Not Too Light, Just Right.

 

The Center for Creative Leadership has identified twelve leader competencies that contribute to effective leadership in times of transition. Many of the competencies, identified below as related to structure or people, appear on the surface to contradict each other. But there is a dynamic tension that comes into play. All of these leadership competencies are important but any of them can also be exaggerated, neglected or in balance, i.e., Too Heavy, Too Light or Just Right. You’ll see what I mean as they are described below.

 

CCL Transition Leadership Competencies

 

Structure	People
Catalyzing change - the ability to champion an initiative or change; promotes the cause and encourages others to join	Coping with transition - the ability to recognize and address the personal and difficult emotional elements of change
Sense of urgency – the ability to take action and keep things rolling; values action and knows how to get things done	Realistic patience – the ability to know when and how to slow the pace down to allow time and space for people to cope and adapt
Being tough – the ability to make difficult decisions about issues and people	Being empathetic – the ability to take others’ perspective into account when making decisions and taking action
Optimism – the ability to see the positive potential of any challenge; communicates and conveys optimism and encourages others to feel the same	Realism and openness- the ability to candidly assess a situation and the prospects for the future
Self-reliance – the ability and willingness to take a lead role and to personally do the work when necessary;  confidence in your skills and abilities	Trusting others – the ability to be comfortable with allowing others to do their part of a task or project; open to input and support from colleagues
Capitalizing on strengths – knowing one’s strengths and the ability to confidently apply them to new situations and circumstances	Willingness to learn and try new things – the ability to tolerate discomfort of “not knowing” if it leads to learning

 

We all want a successful outcome to our transition decisions. In the end, a successful leadership result is to inspire trust in those you lead and ultimately gain buy in and commitment for moving forward. The good news is that these leadership skills can be strengthened or developed.

 

Ask yourself the following: Where do I stand in these leadership competencies? What skills and behaviors do I need to learn in order to lead my team, my department or my firm in the process of transition?

 

Change and transition are here to stay. Will your skills remain Too Heavy, Too Light or Just Right?

 

To your success,

 

Mary