by Jane Perdue | Leadership
It took me over 20 years of working in corporate America to realize my soul was ebbing away a wee bit every year. Finally, l leapt and left before it was all gone.
The relentless focus on the bottom line and the you’re-only-as-good-as-your-last-set-of-numbers mentality extracted a toll, only part of which was visible.
I was surprised by the length of my “corporate detox” period and, in fact, that it was even necessary.
I expected a transition—moving from a Fortune 100 vice president position to being a first-time entrepreneur is a hefty leap—but I didn’t expect that leap to be as momentous as it turned out to be.
I knew I had changed over the years. A Midwest gal raised on trust and your-word-is-your-bond had a lot to learn in corporate America; and I needed to learn it fast, being the only woman on several leadership teams.
Over the years, I prided myself on resisting drinking the go-along-to-get-along Kool-Aid. A few bosses were delighted by my well-mannered maverick approach; others not so much.
During my “corporate detox” period, I discovered that I had indeed sipped some of that kool-aid over the years, despite how I tried to convince myself I hadn’t.
It was fascinating to discover how I had “inoculated” myself to some realities that didn’t become clear until I no longer sat in the corner office. Goodness, how we let ourselves be blind…
An executive coach friend introduced me to the work of David Whyte, poet and author. One of his books, The Heart Aroused, Poetry and the Preservation of the Soul in Corporate America, became a favorite.
5 courageous conversations leaders should be having
I was particularly intrigued by David’s concept of the five “courageous conversations” a good leader (one interested in the art and discipline of leadership as David phrased it) should be having.
1. The first leadership conversation is with the unknown future. Frequently ask yourself: Am I prepared, both personally and professionally, for what is coming?
2. The second leadership conversation is with customers, vendors, employees, etc., who represent the organization’s future. Ask these people: What can we do for you? How can we serve?
3.The third leadership conversation occurs with different parts of the organization. You should be asking these groups: How can we collaborate to create positive outcomes for our customers and shareholders while fostering employee engagement?
4.The fourth leadership conversation is held with your work group and colleagues. Be asking these people: How can I best communicate and team up with you to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes?
5. And the last leadership conversation—the one on which all others are predicated—is the conversation with that “tricky moveable frontier called yourself.” Ask yourself: Am I living my purpose and passion every day?
Powerful stuff, isn’t it? It’s both liberating and a tad frightening to answer those question.
I wonder: had I been having these five conversations on a regular basis across my career, would my stay in corporate America have been shorter, or would it still be ongoing because I was more attuned?
Hmmm….that’s a lovely personal puzzle to unravel some day over a mug of strong coffee, a bite of two of some really rich chocolate, and some good, reflective conversation with a fellow corporate refugee.
As you look back over your career in light of Whyte’s five conversations, what say you…about you?
Image source before quote: morgueFile.com
by Jane Perdue | Leadership
My holidays arrived earlier than expected – reading the Leadership Development Carnival submissions felt like opening present after present, 53 of them to be precise! Many posts were gifts of self-improvement or celebrations of connecting, aiding and giving. A few even thoughtfully challenged some long-held traditions.
Grab an eggnog or a hot chocolate, and treat yourself (several times!) to some holiday leadership gifts as you read and absorb the wealth of wisdom and experience shared and celebrated here.
Gifts for Helping Others Grow
The always informative Trish McFarlane presents some great insights for handling long tenured employees 5 Strategies To Coach Employees Who Have Become Institutionalized posted at HR Ringleader.
Laura Schroeder gives us the scoop on why using straight talk with employees is the right way to go in Managers: Time to Talk Turkey at Working Girl.
Kevin Eikenberry redirects our thought processes and challenges our assumptions in How to Get Lazy People to Work atLeadership and Learning with Kevin Eikenberry.
Paul Slater gifts us with insights for fostering and developing the next generation of leaders in What Young Leaders Need posted at Mushcado.
The erudite Anne Perschel serves up the importance of employee fingerprints in transformation in A Word or Two About Change at Germane Insights.
Andrew Rondeau passes along valuable information for handling disagreements in Conflict Resolution In The Workplace posted at Great Management.
Wally Bock gives us a year-round gift in Bosses: Give Frequent and Usable Feedback from Three Star Leadership.
Celebrating Connections and Giving
Anna Farmery makes a complete and compelling case for the power of connecting in 10 Business Connections You MUST make found at The Engaging Brand.
Tanveer Naseer persuasively builds the foundation as to why fostering a sense of collective purpose is important in Encouraging Your Employees to Reach for the Moon at TanveerNaseer.com.
Eric Pennington asks us to examine our aspirations and motivations in Aspiring To What’s Not Really There at Epic Living.
Using her profuse talents, Mary Jo Asmus provokes us to think about breathing into ourselves in How to Inspire Others found at Aspire Collaborative Solutions.
It’s always the season for giving, and Janet Helm encourages us to generously do so in The Giving Project – That Extra Twinkle at Lead by Giving
Some Holiday Twinkle and Cheer
The always instructive and helpful Jennifer V. Miller humorously challenges The Urban Legend of Command and Control Management found at The People Equation.
Wayne Turmel gives us a tongue-in-cheek view of innovation in Fire: an idea that will never catch on at Management Issues.
Presents for Becoming a Better Leader
Jason Seiden dares us to have the guts and patience to go for excellence in The Race to Mediocrity at Next Generation Talent Development.
John Spence shares some awesomely simple yet profound insights regarding What Does “Talent” Look For in a Leader? at Achieving Business Excellence.
From Afghanistan, Tom Magness makes the time to offer insights for honing our decision-making skills in Deciding to Decide at Leader Business.
Jim Taggart asks us to reflect our level of knowledge in Do You Know the Difference Between Corporate Culture and Climate? at ChangingWinds.
Thoughtful leader that he is, Mike Henry Sr. shares a thought-provoking post by Erin Schreyer on Change is Good! How’s Your Leadership in the Midst of It? from the Lead Change Group Blog.
The inspirational Art Petty serves up Leadership Caffeine: How to Grow Your Leadership Credibility in 15 Easy Lessons at Management Excellence.
Making Merry and Pushing Comfort Zones
The ever-insightful Dan McCarthy offers a great road map for HR relevancy in A Four Stage Leadership Development Model found at Great Leadership.
Rich Maltzman rightfully points out that Sometimes, the obvious is not so obvious posted at Earth PM.
At LeaderLab, David Burkus explores why Are leaders born or made? is asking the wrong question.
Tim Porthouse prompts us to reflect on what kind of boss we are in A Tale of Two Bosses at Zealeap – Leadership 3.0.
Once again, Steve Roesler pushes our comfort zone by illustrating how to be more specific about communicating and defining change in I’ll Change: Tell Me Exactly What You Want at All Things Workplace.
Jim Taggart shares his intriguing thoughts on how leaders must respect geographic, cultural and market uniqueness in Disrupting General Electric: Changing its Mindset Through Reverse Innovation at ChangingWinds.
Under the Learning Tree
Wishing more 21st century organizations were learning ones? Gwyn Teatro beautifully re-introduces us to the five timeless principles of Peter Senge in Leaders and the Learning Organization posted at You’re Not the Boss of Me.
Bret L. Simmons educates us regarding definitions and practices for Authentic Leadership at Bret L. Simmons.
Adi Gaskell shares interesting “who knew” research about The smell of fear and its impact on risk taking posted at The Management Blog.
Sean McGinnis presents a thoughtful case for Knowing “Why” Makes You Better found at 312 Digital.
William Matthies reminds us of the importance of the willingness to Be Convinced . . . And Prepared To Change Your Mind posted at Business Wisdom: Words to Manage By.
Nissim Ziv drops a gift for supervisors down the chimney: What Makes a Good Supervisor? 10 Qualities of a Good Supervisor at Job Interview Guide.
Janna Rust reminds us to be mindful of our Emotions and Productivity, a post found at Purposeful Leadership.
Joyfully Becoming Better
The amazing one and only Sharlyn Lauby gifts us with Being Strategic and Creating Strategy Aren’t the Same Thing found at HR Bartender.
Steve Tringham shares insights for handling Problems and Confrontation at Peopleware.
In his inaugural Idea Lab post, the ever-inventive Mark Stelzner presents The HR Idea Lab: Analyze the Analysts at Inflexion Advisors.
Amy Wilson serves up a simple truth in They’ll Be Back posted at Talented Apps.
Complete with a delightful cartoon, Benjamin McCall encourages us to step up and When all else fails, make a decision found at ReThinkHR.
Holiday Potpourri
Randall Davidson provides us with resources in The Top 101 Productivity Blogs of 2010 at Transcription Blog.
David Zinger offers a short haiku on leadership in Workaiku: Iceberg posted at Employee Engagement Zingers.
Miki Saxon encourages us to prepare for 2011 success by planning right now in The Start of Planning Season at MAPping Company Success.
Orson Bean offers a multitude of resources for managing knowledge and content in Top 50 Knowledge Management Blogs at Biz-gasm.
Erin Pavlina tells a heart-warming story about how you can Believe It and Achieve It posted at Erin Pavlina.
Shankar Anand offers thoughts about managing and creating Brand You at Shankaranand’s Blog.
Nick McCormick takes a different sharing tack and offers up a podcast on how to Identify Your Islands of Profit found at Joe and Wanda – on Management.
Using trains as an interesting metaphor, Andy Klein prompts us to ponder Does your business run like a conventional train or the Shinkansen? at Fortune Group Blog.
Lynn Dessert presents tips and insights for overcoming fear so we can be more effective at Managing Social Media in Organizations posted at Elephants at Work.
Happy reading and happy holidays to all! The talented and tireless Dan McCarthy will host the January 2011 edition of the Leadership Development Carnival at Great Leadership. Please use the Carnival Submission form if you would like to submit a post.
NOTE: not all links work anymore! As websites have changed, moved, or been deleted, access have been lost to some of the materials shared.
by Jane Perdue | Workplace tips
It was a moment right out of the movie I Robot: the logic was irrefutable.
Brad, the two-hundred-employee firm’s president, had just spelled out the newly revised process—created by a small hand-picked team of three people—for manufacturing the company’s flagship product.
No process detail had been omitted.
Every possible process contingency had been evaluated and factored in. The work flow sequencing was precise, scientific and measurable in every aspect.
The logic was impeccable. (more…)
by Jane Perdue | Character
I spent my Black Friday morning drinking a pot of coffee, pondering the mental and emotional residue that lingered in my head and heart following several intriguing conversations, a bit of book writing, and a healthy dose of reading while traveling.
A theme of authenticity, realness, connection, trust, and vulnerability had been woven throughout all those activities, which led to quite an assortment of thoughts on life, love, and leadership.
It appears that:
We crave connection.
We want to be sincere and authentic, and want others to be the same.
We want to trust and be trusted.
We want to give and receive compassion.
Yet…
These attributes—connection, authenticity, trust—seem to be in short supply, especially in corporate America.
I sat at a table where rich food and wine were in abundance, and obsequious attendance, but sincerity and truth were not; and I went away hungry from the inhospitable board. ~Thoreau
Could this lack be due to:
…being so focused on our own personal agenda that we fail to assist others in achieving this?
…feeling inadequate to offer guidance, direction or assistance to others?
…being under so much pressure to perform that we that pressure to justify impersonal interactions and other moral short cuts, thinking that the ends justify the means?
…being caught in the societal/cultural trap of soulless success, celebrity and/or financial gain, and don’t know how to escape? Of maybe we don’t want to escape?
…having made an art form out of Groucho Marx’s comment, “The secret to life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.” With people committed to faking it until they make it, how can we tell what’s fake from what’s real?
…being afraid of our greatness as Marianne Williamson says we are?
Or could it be that I’ve gotten it all wrong? Ugh, that’s a nasty, nasty thought. That there’s no craving for soulful connection? That trusting is too risky? That it’s OK to practice pseudo-sincerity if it gets you where you want to be? That only the weak give or want compassion?
Nah.
I can’t believe any that could be right.
That would make the world just too awful a place.
What say you?
Image source before quote: morgueFile.com
