Have a Heart

While cleaning my office this week, I came across an article I printed off of Inc.com last Fall written by Susan Steinbrecher, coauthor of Heart-centered Leadership: Lead Well. Live Well.  The article describes the many advantages of a people-centric approach to leadership in improving engagement, loyalty and the bottom line.  According to Steinbrecher, a “ 2012 Towers-Watson study of 50 global companies, compared those with low regard for sustainable employee engagement strategies vs. those with high regard for such. These strategies include a people-first leadership approach, along with emphasis on work-life balance, job clarity, supervisor support, and ethical business practices.  The study found that companies with low engagement had an average operating profit under 10 percent, whereas for those with high engagement, the average one-year operating margin was close to three times higher, at just over 27 percent.” Steinbrecher  describes this people focus as a "heart-centered" approach to business and leadership.

Putting people first has this remarkable by-product of improved financial performance as well. People who are treated well: care more, work harder, stay longer and simply do a better job. What more could you ask for? 

The very best part of this article is a list of 21 Heart-centered leadership behaviors that is so simple and brilliant that I needed to share it! So here it is. 

You Might be a Heart-Centered Leader if...

1.       You tell the truth.

2.       You trust your associates to do the right thing.

3.       You are able to relinquish control. As leaders, we don't really have it anyway. Our associates do. If you think that's not true, try getting anything done without them.

4.       You know your impact and are mindful of how your words and actions may be interpreted in formal and informal ways.

5.       You aim to serve the people that you are leading, not the other way around.

6.       You are open-minded and do not judge or assume, but come to understand a situation or behavior.

7.       You take care of your "whole-self"--physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

8.       You have the willingness to look in the mirror and come to terms with your own character flaws.

9.       You are committed to personal and professional growth.

10.   You strive to mentor others and surround yourself with people that have skills, talents and styles different from your own.

11.   You are empathetic and strive to maintain the self-esteem of others.

12.   You have an "open-door" policy.

13.   You believe that, given the right support, people rise to the occasion on their own and actually feel good about being held accountable.

14.   You develop strategies that involve, promote, call upon, and inspire associates to participate fully in creating, renewing, or revitalizing the organization.

15.   You have compassion for yourself and others.

16.   You replace blame with responsibility.

17.   You believe that people have positive intentions, even if associates' behavior appears to illustrate the opposite.

18.   You are committed to making a difference not only in your own life, but in the lives of your associates and society as a whole.

19.   You listen before speaking.

20.   You create an environment where feedback is expected and appreciated.

21.   You are not afraid to admit your mistakes.

So, thanks to a little spring cleaning and the great work of Susan Steinbrecher, we all have something to aspire to this week.

I will leave you with the words of John Maxwell, leadership guru who once said; 

“To measure a leader, put a tape around his heart not his head”~John Maxwell

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What Will Your Butterfly Effect Be?

Last week I was watching the morning news on CBS television and they featured a human interest story about a gentleman named Chris Rosati who is afflicted with ALS.  As his illness has progressed, speaking has become difficult and it was clear that communication had become a supreme challenge.  He slowly and painstakingly described his decision to spend the remainder of his life influencing as many people as he could in a positive way. (I think most of us share this objective, but it was moving to appreciate that this guy is working under a deadline).  He described an exercise where he gave two young girls each $50 at a diner asking only that they do some good with the money.  He referenced the butterfly effect in describing his intent. Here is a link to the interview: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/chris-rosati-proves-the-butterfly-effect/

I have heard of the butterfly effect, which is the scientific theory that a single occurrence, no matter how small, can change the course of the universe forever.  The butterfly effect suggests that any single act can have amplified ripple effects that far exceed the scope of the original event. For example, a butterfly flapping its wings can create an environmental impact that can result in a hurricane two continents away.  I am no physicist, but I do ascribe to the idea that our behaviors impact others in extraordinary ways.  I have heard countless descriptions of how one conversation or comment made in passing can serve as the lightning bolt or epiphany, changing someone’s self-perception, frame of reference or direction in life.

I was thinking about this as more than an opportunity. We have a mantle of responsibility to have a positive influence on one another.  Author Andy Andrews, author of the Noticer, describes this impact; 

“While it is true that most people never see or understand the difference they make, or sometimes only imagine their actions having a tiny effect, every single action a person takes has far-reaching consequences.” Andy Andrews

So while we are buried in our daily drama and distractions of getting by, how can we focus on this lofty goal of spreading a positive influence?  Here are some easy ways to maximize your butterfly effect…

Stay present, share your opinion and knowledge often and humbly, the benefit of your perspective could shape someone’s perspective forever.

Seek situations where you are useful and where your experience and strengths can be shared.

Trust your instinct and reach out when it feels like you should.  Don’t talk yourself out of demonstrating kindness, for fear of how it might be received.

Understand that your mood affects others, and can influence the experience of those around you. Practice emotional self-management.

Teach your children well, or your employees or your friends. Positive influence isn’t always about support, sometimes it’s about tough messages delivered with respect and compassion.

Oh yeah, back to Chris Rosati… he received an unexpected email picture sent from an Africa village in Sierra Leone.  The girls to whom he had given the money have a dad who worked in the Peace Corp, in that particular village. The villagers in the photograph were holding signs that said “Thank you for spreading kindness, Chris Rosati”. The girls had spent their money to fund a celebration for this village allowing them to celebrate that after years of struggle they were finally Ebola-free.

What will your butterfly effect be? 

imagecredit: nathab.com  

   

A Wishbone, a Backbone and a Funny bone

Country western singers have a knack for turning a phrase.  This one is from Reba McEntire.  The complete quote is “To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone.”

I agree completely.  Not a bad formula for leadership either.  When coaching, I often find myself describing a principle I refer to as the three legged stool principle. The idea is that for a stool to be in “balance” or to be “stable” we need to have equal support on all three legs. I am amazed at how often things occur in increments of threes.  In numerology, the meaning of the number three is reward and success, it also represents the connection between past present and future, and also creativity and abundance. But enough on that…  Let’s look at these three qualities and why they are so important to our effective leadership.

A Wishbone

I like the idea of a wishbone.  When we try to split a wishbone, we pull and  hope for the best.  But the point is that we don’t just close our eyes and make a wish, we PULL. Thought inspired action!   And, perhaps more importantly, we pull carefully.  We think about how to use the leverage, we consider the torque.  We observe what our opponent is doing so as to best respond to their approach. What a perfect metaphor for great leadership! Success comes with observation, strategy, optimism and a little luck.

A Backbone

A backbone is defined as a mainstay or cornerstone. In the urban dictionary it is defined as guts. It takes guts to be a good leader.  You need to believe in yourself and be brave enough to trust your instincts even when you don’t have a lot of belief in yourself. Effective leaders need to challenge the familiar and inspire support for new directions. Without guts you are just a participant; the “was also in attendance ” mention in the historical chronicle of the great success story.

A Funny bone

Everyday life is remarkably funny.  I find humor everywhere.  Even in despair I find irony and opportunities for self-deprecation. Humor is critical to our emotional well-being.  As leaders, it gives us resilience in times of great adversity and connects us to one another in our humility. Great leaders know how to laugh, they know how to take their work very seriously and themselves not quite so seriously.   

So the three-legged stool of leadership, at least for today, is the wishbone the backbone and the funny bone!  How is your balance?

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Surprising Truths About Creativity

I have always imagined creativity to be a personality trait and thought that some people naturally have this quality and others, not so much.  I read an article by psychologists, Daniel Goleman and P. Kaufman that challenged some of my assumptions about creativity, the creative process and the opportunity for us all to bring creativity to our lives.  Below I have summarized some key ideas, but I invite you to explore the complete article published in Psychology Today , tilted The Art of Creativity. https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199203/the-art-creativity.

If you are like me, you may think of creativity as a moment of divine inspiration… Like when Thomas Edison’s light bulb flickered for the first time, or the blessed union that occurred when someone dropped a chocolate bar into a jar of peanut butter.  But according to Goleman, the creative process actually has four distinct stages.  

4 Stages of Creative Problem Solving

Preparation. “The first stage is preparation, when you search out any information that might be relevant. It's when you let your imagination roam free. Being receptive, being able to listen openly and well, is a crucial skill here.

That's easier said than done. We are used to our mundane way of thinking about solutions.  Psychologists call this "functional fixedness." We see only the obvious way of looking at a problem—the same comfortable way we always think about it. Another barrier is self-censorship, that inner voice of judgment that confines our creative spirit within the boundaries of what we deem acceptable. It's the voice that whispers to you, 

"They'll think I'm foolish," or "That will never work." But we can learn to recognize this voice or judgment and have the courage to discount its destructive advice.”

Incubation.  “This is the stage when you digest all you have gathered. It's a stage when much of what goes on occurs outside your focused awareness, in the unconscious. As the saying goes, "You sleep on it." The unconscious mind is far more suited to creative insight than the conscious mind. Ideas are free to recombine with other ideas in novel patterns and unpredictable associations. It is also the storehouse of everything you know, including things you can't readily call into awareness.  We are more open to insights from the unconscious mind when we are not thinking of anything in particular. That is why daydreams are so useful in the quest for creativity. Anytime you can just daydream and relax is useful in the creative process: a shower, long drives, a quiet walk.

Epiphany.  This is the popular stage—the one that usually gets all the glory and attention, the moment that people sweat and long for, the feeling "Eureka!" But the thought alone is still not a creative act.

Translation. The final stage is translation, when you take your insight and transform it into action; it becomes useful to you and others.

Below are 7 ideas that will challenge your assumptions about creativity:

1. The key to building creativity is experimentation.  According to Goleman,  “The more you can experience your own originality, the more confidence you get, the greater the probability that you'll be creative in the future. The idea is to develop the habit of paying attention to your own creativity. Eventually, you will come to place greater trust in it and instinctively turn to it when you are confronted with problems.”

2. “The ability to see things in a fresh way is vital to the creative process, and that ability rests on the willingness to question any and all assumptions.”

3. “Research suggests that creative people make more mistakes than their less imaginative peers. They are less proficient—it's just that they make more attempts than most others. They spin out more ideas, come up with more possibilities, generate more schemes. They win some; they lose some.”

4. “Researchers report that when teams of people are working together on a problem, those groups that laugh most readily and most often are more creative and productive than their more dour and decorous counterparts. Joking around makes good sense: Playfulness is itself a creative state.”

5. Our experience of creativity in childhood shapes much of what we do in adulthood, from work to family life. Creativity is a natural state in childhood because of our openness  to entertain all thoughts without judgment when everything is new.

In business…

6. Creativity isn’t an individual sport. “A close-knit team, drawing on the particular strengths and skills of each member of the group, may be smarter and more effective than any individual member of that group. Yale psychologist Robert Sternberg calls it "group IQ"—the sum total of all the talents of each person in the group. When a team is harmonious, the group IQ is highest. That places a premium on a leader who can create a smoothly working team: a leader who knows the virtues of sharing, trust, and encouragement.”

7.“Apart from the structure of a company, the attitudes that pervade its operations can enhance or thwart creativity. One of the keys is building feelings of trust and respect to the point that people feel secure enough to express new ideas without fear of censure. This is because in the marketplace, imaginative thoughts have financial value. But an unimaginative, unreceptive attitude destroys opportunity.”

"Our lives can be filled with creative moments, whatever we do, as long as we're flexible and open to new possibilities—willing to push beyond routine"~ Daniel Goleman

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