Innovating Leadership: Co-Creating Our Future - Archive

S3-Ep40: Navigating the Holistic Worldview Membrane

Guests: Christopher Cooke & Sheila Cooke
This interview has 3 objectives: 1; discuss their latest work on Human Emergence; 2. explore how holistic informed practices are starting to emerge; and 3. provide a brief overview of the work Christopher and Sheila are doing development of skills and capabilities to facilitate and coach the implementation of holistic practices. We explore: 1. What is the leadership thinking required to address today's "wicked problems" 2. What is a holistic worldview? How is it connected to solving "wicked problems" 3. How do we stimulate the development and realization of this worldview? 4. How are holistic management and Solonics (from prior interview) integrated to create this new holistic offering? 5. Explain some specific examples of how people develop this holistic worldview 6. How might our listeners go about developing a holistic worldview themselves?

S3-Ep39: Attracting and Retaining Women to STEM Jobs

Guest: JJ DiGeronimo
In an era where companies understand that diverse talent adds value to the culture and the bottom line, many companies are struggling to find and retain this talent, especially in STEM fields. JJ talks about the importance of attracting women to STEM jobs and yet, for many people this is a black box. She discusses how the organization she started to addresses this question and shares what she has learned with you including why it matters and what you can do. • Why did you start Tech Savvy Women? • Why is diverse talent important for the IT industry and your company? • How can you find diverse talent? • How do women show differently than men when interviewing? • How can you retain and foster diverse talent?

S3-Ep37: Learn From Every Patient - How Will It Change Medicine?

Guest: William E. Smoyer, M.D.
In an era where we are facing major changes to our medical system, with medical costs as high at 20% of GDP, Bill is a leader who is working to address this challenge. On this show, we talked about the need for physician leadership because of the dramatic changes required in the health field. Bill will talk about some of those changes and a program he created that moves us toward that solution. The conversation includes: 1. Why do you think leadership matters for physicians at this point in history? 2. Tell us about the Learning from every patient program? 3. Why is this program so important? 4. How will it change the practice of medicine? 5. How will it impact the average consumer – what will it do to my experience when I go to the Dr.? Bill offers compelling solutions to current challenges and also talks about the difficulty in implementing major changes in organizations.

S3-Ep36: Is There Such A Thing As A ’Level 5’/Teal Organization? - Part 2

Guests: Geoff Fitch & Terri O'Fallon, Ph.D.
This is the second interview exploring the idea of Level 5/Teal organizations. During this discussion, we delve more deeply into how we can foster the development of these leading edge capacities. Further exploring organizational shadow and integrative thinking, we will look at case studies, practical examples and interventions that support level 5 leadership and organizational development. ● Why are trust and safety important quality in teal organizational culture? ● Are level 5/ teal capacities skills that we can learn or do we just have to “be” a level 5 / teal leader? ● Exactly how can organization and leaders become more adaptive? ● What is organizational shadow? Why is it important? How can we identify it and work with it? ● What are organizational polarities and how to teal leaders and organization deal with them that goes beyond decision making or multiple bottom line? This exploration is important for leaders aspiring to reshape their organizations.
 
What Do Leaders DO to build "Level 5" Organizations?
This blog is a companion to the podcast with Geoff Fitch and Terri O’Fallon, Is There Such A Thing As A 'Level 5'/Teal Organization -Part 2. Geoff Fitch, MA, wrote this post.
As a Level 5 leader, we know our personal development is key to our ability to meet the complex challenges we face in today’s world. In our last post, Terri O’Fallon noted that working with individual and organizational shadow is one of the most challenging parts of the life and development of a Level 5 (Strategist) Leader. An important part of this process is understanding our shadow – the projections and assumptions we are unaware of often set the limits of the solutions we imagine.
But what is Organizational Shadow, and how can we work with it? You can think of shadow as pushing things out of our awareness that we don’t want to or can’t handle. Level 5 leaders understand that the organizational field of play doesn’t just include what we see; it also includes the unconscious territory and that we must work to uncover what’s hidden in it. You can think of shadow as a form of self-deception. As an individual, we blame others without looking at our projections we put on them and miss how we may be just as at fault.
At an Organizational level, you can think of shadow as one step beyond what is undiscussable. Organizational Shadow is what is unthinkable. When there is something that an organization or team is not dealing with, often what happens is that it “projects” that issue on one of its staff members or departments. Someone or some group in the organization will compensate for the lack of attention to the issue at an organizational level. However, because the need is unconscious, they will often be vilified for the initiative instead of appreciated. Why are they paying attention to something that is not an organizational priority or perhaps even one of their responsibilities?
In our interview, we discussed just such a case in which a healthcare executive had taken action to address some compliance problems the organization was facing. These problems were an organizational issue that was not being dealt with effectively by leadership at all levels. So, she stepped in and took the issue on, even though it was outside her responsibility. The result was she became a source of conflict and eventually became ill from the stress. Once the executive team identified the Organizational Shadow, clarified the cultural blocks to effectively dealing with compliance issues, and took this on as a core organizational imperative owned by the whole team, the conflict disappeared, and the executive’s health recovered. It was a striking example of Organizational Shadow at work.
In hindsight, it might seem like an obvious challenge to address, but it can be very difficult to see when we are caught in shadow. What is unseen in your organization? What persistent challenges might point to a core truth you are not willing, as an organization, to face?
These four approaches help explore and resolve organizational shadow issues. These four strategies also point to capacities that Level 5 (Strategist) leaders bring to their organizations.
Identify the conflict.
Organizational shadow produces conflict. Usually, there is a personal, role, or strategic conflict surrounding the issue as the unidentified organizational need creates tension in the system. Yet how we see that conflict often misleads us from the underlying issue. Often, a person or group gets the need “projected” on them and consequently becomes scapegoated or marginalized. This happened in our example when the executive tried to get others to face a problem and was consequently seen as a problem in the organization. When looking at an area of struggle, ask yourself – might someone be getting scapegoated here? This takes us out of the blaming mindset and helps us begin to see the problem more systemically – a key Level 5 move.
Turn the problem into an organizational need.
Looking at the issue systemically, you can often notice that we ascribe negative qualities to the potentially scapegoated person or group and ask, do these qualities represent something we need to have more of, not less of? In our case, the executive had turned into a kind of enforcer, which directly conflicted with the collegial reciprocity at the core of the organizational culture. It was a friendly place, and her behavior was clashing. Asking the turnaround question, we could see how the organization needed more of what she was bringing. In its open, friendly culture, the team avoided effectively dealing with the black-and-white issues that required them to confront themselves. Because of this, she had become the ‘cop’ and alienated herself from everyone on the team. Her ‘difficult behavior’ was now seen as a needed organizational capacity. Level 5 Leaders bring this capacity to identify and integrate organizational polarities that may seem in conflict.
Determine how and why the organizational need has been disowned.
In this example, we can see that the organizational need was disowned because it seemed to conflict with their culture, which they highly valued. There was an implicit assumption that there was no way to deal with compliance that was consistent with their culture. Level 5 leaders see these organizational assumptions as the key drivers of thinking, behavior and results. They also see them as discussable and changeable. Uncovering organizational shadow allows us to see exactly how these hidden drivers of organizational performance have been operating. After identifying the conflict, scapegoating dynamic, and underlying organizational need, it is important to discover how this process has functioned – what mindsets, thinking, decisions and behaviors have held it in place.
Take collective ownership of the organizational need.
In our case, solutions to this contradiction became obvious once the team surfaced out of the shadow. The first step to implementing a solution is to collectively take ownership for the need. Organizational Shadow often points to systemic shifts that need to take place in values, priorities, and behaviors. In the healthcare case, once the problem was identified, the executive team made a commitment to own the problem across the organization. This action immediately relieves the scapegoat of excessive responsibility for the issue and is a critical step in resolving the shadow and ensuring it does not persist. Specific strategies and tactics to address the need can be implemented from there.
In our interview, we also talk about how the very organizational capacities Level 5 leaders foster, particularly social safety and adaptability, are essential for uncovering Organizational Shadow. What makes these issues unlike other organizational challenges is that they are unseen because we are actively, and often unconsciously, avoiding them. For teams to be willing to explore these hidden assumptions and areas of conflict, leaders need to bring a culture of trust, safety, and curiosity. When this is in place, we find that most teams are more than willing, and are often relieved, to bring light to what is in the shadow.
 
About the Author
Geoff Fitch is a coach, trainer, and facilitator of change in individuals and organizations and a creator of transformative leadership education programs worldwide. He is a founder of Pacific Integral with Terri O’Fallon Ph.D., where he was instrumental in developing the internationally-acclaimed Generating Transformative Change program, now offered on three continents and in its 24th cohort. He has researched and developed novel approaches to transformative change in individuals and human systems through these programs. Geoff brings over 30 years of experience in business, management, and organizational leadership, including 18 years in in management in the computer industry and 15 years as a consultant, coach, and trainer in leadership. He has explored diverse approaches to cultivating higher human potential for over 25 years. He holds a master’s degree in Transpersonal Psychology from Sofia University and B.S. in Computer Science, magna cum laude, from Boston University.
Learn more about Geoff’s work at www.pacificintegral.com.

S3-Ep35: Making Sense of Changes in Higher Education

Guest: Dr. John C. Cavanaugh
John discusses new ways of going to college and “doing college”. Aspects of college that people will find familiar and some different. These differences now mean we have robust options to map skills to jobs. This can start in middle school through college to companies. We need skills across the pipeline that are thinking about the broader pipeline. We need everyone around the table to create alignment. John shares his thoughts on the following questions: 1. What are you most hopeful about regarding higher education in the future? 2. What skills do you see as required for the 21st century economy? Debunk the myths about what is available especially if we consider lifelong learning. 3. What are the delivery mechanisms that will support this education in a quality manner? 4. How do you balance cost of education, speed of education change, and quality? 5. You talk about testing of new approaches, what do you mean by this? 6. How should parents and students rethink education?

S3-Ep34: Vertical Development: A Critical Element To Building Highly Effective Leaders

Guest: Mike Morrow-Fox
We have talked extensively about the leadership skills required to handle the increasingly complex work challenges with an accelerating rate of change, interconnected workplaces across the globe and increasing pace of technology. A key question for companies who believe they need to develop leaders to remain competitive is what is required beyond what we are already doing? We explore: 1. What is vertical development? 2. Why does it matter? 3. How does it relate to leader 2050? 4. Can you explain the process? 5. Can you give some examples of specific tactics? 6. What can companies do to leverage this as part of a comprehensive leadership development program? Mike and Maureen explore how vertical development is required to build the mindset and competencies leaders require to navigate this complexity and create long-term thriving enterprises.
 
Proven Path to Leadership Maturity and Effectiveness
This post is a companion to the podcast featuring Mike Morrow-Fox talking about leadership maturity and vertical development to build the leadership qualities required to lead large, complex organizations and those that aspire to make the greatest impact.
Forbes Coaches Council first published the following article in August 2016.
Future trends indicate complexity, accelerated change, and near-constant uncertainty in the coming years. These conditions will require significantly different leadership skills.
With these new demands for evolving leadership, is there a predictable path to develop leadership? If so, what does that path look like?
Leaders develop both “horizontally,” increasing their ability at their current level of operation, and “vertically,” increasing their level of complexity, emotional maturity, and opening to new awareness. Many researchers are now saying that “vertical development” is required to navigate the complexities leaders and their organizations face.
To answer what the vertical evolutionary path looks like, I reference the research of Dr. Cook-Greuter, who developed a Leadership Maturity Framework (LMF) and measurement of adult development as part of her doctoral dissertation at Harvard University. Dr. Cook-Greuter is now the Co-Founder with Beena Sharma of The Center for Leadership Maturity, a firm that facilitates vertical development in individuals, teams, and organizations. The LMF is the basis of my work with vertical leadership development because it provides a model grounded in research and is practical to use in coaching and leadership development.
Vertical development does not mean that more developed people are "better" people, but rather, in many cases, they are likely to be more effective in key leadership roles within large complex organizations. The following is a summary of the LMF describing the predictable developmental trajectory people navigate as they grow:
The Group-Centric Level
This level is about conforming and belonging. People at this level follow rules, norms and observe hierarchy. They conform to social expectations, work to group standards, seek membership and approval, and appreciate outward signs of status as a sign of approval. They attend to the welfare of their own group; those who are not like them are the "other," and therefore outside their circle of concern. They avoid conflict, think in simple terms, and often speak in generalities. Feedback is taken as disapproval since their driving value is to gain approval and be included.
Example: This is the employee who looks to what the group is doing to determine his actions. He looks to meet the "expectations" set by the organization, fit into the culture, and do what everyone does. Belonging is his key to success; standing out or having a different opinion feels risky
The Skill-Centric Level
This focuses on comparing self to others and perfecting skills. Individuals at this level focus on being competent in their own area of interest and improving techniques and efficiency. They aspire to quality standards and are often heavily invested in their way as the only way of doing things. Decisions are made based on incontrovertible “facts.” Given their focus on problem-solving and detail, they can get caught in the weeds and not see the big picture necessary to effectively prioritize among competing demands. All consuming attention on being right can lead them to be critical of and competitive with others. They hear feedback about their work as criticism of them as a whole person.
Example: This is the employee who points out when others make mistakes and tries to correct them so they can meet the standards. Her development efforts focus on building expertise. She usually has a "better" opinion unless she is in the presence of a subject-matter expert.
The Self-Determining Level
This focuses on analyzing and achieving to effectively deliver results. Leaders at this level look toward longer-term goals and initiate rather than follow expectations. They value objectivity and scientific knowledge, seeking rational, proactive ways around problems. They often seek consensus — "agree to disagree" — and value mutuality and equality in relationships. They accept feedback to promote learning and success.
Example: This employee continually drives to meet organizational goals. He works both efficiently and effectively and is continually competing with himself and others to drive the best results. He has a five-year plan, is open to new learning, and is beginning to be more reflective.
The Self-Questioning Level
This level focuses on self in relationship and contextualizing his/her experience. Leaders at this level are concerned with the difference between reality and appearance and have an increased understanding of complexity and unintended effects of actions. They begin to question their own assumptions and views and realize the subjectivity of beliefs; and talk of interpretations rather than facts. They can play different roles in different contexts and begin to seek out and value feedback.
Example: This employee is continually inquiring, challenging assumptions, and aware of the limitations of conventional thinking. She focuses on creating an environment where everyone feels valued. She is committed to appreciating value in different perspectives.
The Self-Actualizing Level
This level is about integrating and transforming self and systems, and recognizing higher principles, complexity and interrelationships. People at this level are aware of the social construction of reality — not just rules and customs. They are problem finding, not just doing creative problem solving. They are aware of paradox and contradiction in self and systems and learn to have a deep appreciation of others. They demonstrate a sensitivity to systemic change and create “positive-sum” games.
Example: This person is continually evaluating the organization’s strategy against long-term industry trends as well as global economic conditions while embodying her values and using herself as an instrument of transformation. She is self-aware and firmly anchored in principles while having the ability to adapt based on context.
As we look to the changes leaders are facing in the near and long term, it is helpful to have a robust model for development that allows them to focus their development energy effectively. This framework, along with it, measurement instrument — the maturity assessment for professionals (MAP) — is the most robust I have seen, and I find it highly effective in supporting leaders.
 
About the Author
Maureen Metcalf, CEO and Founder of Innovative Leadership Institute is a renowned executive advisor, author, speaker, and coach whose 30 years of business experience provides high-impact, practical solutions that support her clients’ leadership development and organizational transformations. Maureen is recognized as an innovative, principled thought leader who combines intellectual rigor and discipline with an ability to translate theory into practice. Her operational skills are coupled with a strategic ability to analyze, develop, and implement successful profitability, growth, and sustainability strategies.

S3-Ep33: Leading With Vision: A Key To Successfully Attract Millennials

Guest: John Maketa & David Annunziata
In their new book, Leading with Vision, the authors explore trends in executive development and understand how creating a compelling vision allows businesses to engage the ever-elusive Millennial, effectively developing a framework and an actionable blueprint to help leaders nurture talent more effectively. They outline four approaches to leadership to create a compelling vision that others will unite around: Courage, clarity, connectedness, and culture. When brought together, these calculated leadership principles form a powerful strategy to create your compelling company vision. They will discuss: 1. Are millennials prepared to lead? 2. What is going on with women is leadership roles? 3. Who is in control employers or employees? 4. Is employee turnover preventable? 5. Do they use assessments in the selection process? 6. How can our government attract and retain the next generation of A-players? What factors that would help government create a compelling vision?

S3-Ep32: Building Resilience - A Key Foundation for Change

Guest: Mark Palmer & Belinda Gore
Resilience is a key foundation to personal and organizational success. This interview focuses on individual resilience. The conversation is designed to help you expand your understanding of resilience overall, how it connects to stress, how it is connected with success, how to measure it and what to do to build it. This dynamic conversation starts with resilience basics - exploring the four main components: a. physical well-being b. Manage thinking c. purpose and emotional intelligence d. Manage connections We then move to a conversation about how to measure individual resilience and understand the resilience gap between the individual's capacity and requirements. Once you understand your resilience gap, it is time to set about creating solutions in each of the four main areas to manage your resilience so that you can lead effectively in times of ongoing change and occasional chaos.
 
Strengthening Thinking as a Mechanism to Building Resilience
This blog post is the companion to a podcast with Mark Palmer and Belinda Gore, Building Resilience, A Key Foundation For Change. We encourage you to take our free online resilience assessment.
As the person who curates this blog, I try to balance sharing the work of our radio show guests and other thought leaders with my own opinions. This is one of the weeks where I am sharing my own opinion as it relates to current affairs and the need for resilience.
During the past week, the United States has seen the escalation of threats with North Korea about the use of nuclear weapons and civil unrest in Charlottesville, Virginia, associated with race and hate. Many of us are trying to find a balanced path to respond to what is happening globally, nationally, locally, and personally. Who we are at our core can shine through during times of challenge when we take care of ourselves first.
I realize this message is a bit counter to cultural beliefs. Most of us were cautioned against selfishness. We were taught to believe that it connotes self-centeredness, and that anything “selfish” is wrong. Yet, having a sense of self and knowing when and how to care for yourself is the antithesis of being selfish. If we don’t care for ourselves, there is no way that we can care for others. I think of the inflight announcements on planes: In an emergency, please put on your oxygen mask before assisting others.” As leaders, we need to attend to our resilience foundation to respond to our environment consistently consistent with our values.
Let’s do a small exercise, think about a time you pushed yourself to meet a deadline. It may have meant you didn’t get sufficient sleep. You may have been caffeine-powered or maybe augmented by your favorite sugar source (chocolate, for me). Can you recall a time you did this and responded to someone more harshly than usual? Did you need to do damage control later? I have an example of one of these incidents early in my career. I apologized to my boss for the harsh words delivered at 3 a.m. while trying to get a project completed and out the door. I left that company and was hired back two years later. My new boss handed me my personnel file, and my former boss saved the note. That event lived on in my “file.” While I think it was more a source of banter, it was not my best professional moment.
We all have these moments of stress-related responses. The challenge for all of us, especially in an environment where civility seems to be in short supply in some circles, is to find our own path to sustain our own sense of balance so that we can be the source of civility when it is lacking in our environment. It is during these times that leadership is most critical.
Take care of your physical well-being. We know insufficient sleep and a poor diet take a toll on us. Do your best to draw boundaries that will allow you to recharge. I do walking meetings when possible so that I can get some physical activity and sunlight during the work day.
Manage your thinking. This one is critical. Research tells us five minutes of negative thinking causes six hours of negative physiological impact on our bodies. I am a strong proponent of mindfulness, just staying aware of what I am thinking and reframing to see the positive in challenging situations. I also do scenario planning in which I look at the worst case and plan accordingly; then, I feel free to move back to the positive opportunities I want to create in the world. I use the recordings of Gary Weber and Maryanna Klatt as a strong foundation for managing my thinking. I have a daily reflection practice that helps me regroup when life feels challenging.
Develop emotional intelligence and a sense of purpose. Emotional intelligence is grounded in our ability to manage emotions and respond appropriately to others. One of the biggest keys to managing my emotions is to build a routine that allows me to be aware of my emotions and their impact on me. This was one of my weaknesses. I was happy to avoid feeling things, and yet those feelings still impacted my behavior. When I was unaware of them, the impact could be negative (see the earlier reference of the need to apologize to my boss). If we can maintain awareness and metabolize emotions appropriately, we can return our focus to the activities of leading. I don’t mean find better ways to ignore them, I mean working through emotions in a healthy way. For people who will dismiss this as “touchy-feely,” – don’t discount the impact this skill can have on your ability to stay focused positively. The other part of this step is to have a sense of purpose bigger than yourself and take daily steps toward that purpose—most will be small but significant steps.
Build a strong support system. Having a network of caring relationships is invaluable. For some people, the network may be one or two. For others, relationships do look like a web. There is no formula—what is important is that we have at least one honest and authentic relationship and an outlet to support us. Just knowing and feeling the support of others on the days when everything seems wrong is invaluable. Pets are also a great connection and are a source of unconditional love.
I want to close this post with a quote I got by e-mail today from www.gratefulness.org. Part of my resilience practice is having a regular “diet” of positive information.
“The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.” —Barack Obama.
So, I invite everyone reading this to do something today that supports your resilience. Doing good for others helps build our own sense of well-being and counterbalances the negativity that we all occasionally and circumstantially face.
 
About the Author
Maureen Metcalf, CEO and Founder of Innovative Leadership Institute, is a renowned executive advisor, author, speaker, and coach whose 30 years of business experience provides high-impact, practical solutions that support her clients’ leadership development and organizational transformations. Maureen is recognized as an innovative, principled thought leader who combines intellectual rigor and discipline with an ability to translate theory into practice. Her operational skills are coupled with a strategic ability to analyze, develop, and implement successful strategies for profitability, growth, and sustainability.

S3-Ep31: Physician Leadership - Flipping the Leadership Paradigm

Guest: Dr. Wiley “Chip” Souba
We would like listeners to walk away with a clearer understanding of the role leadership plays in the practice and administration of medicine. This show will provide recommendations about what can physicians can do to prepare for the changes in the medical ecosystem and become a more effective leaders? Topics include the following discussions: 1. You’ve served as Chief of Surgical Oncology at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Chair of Surgery at Penn State, and then VP for Health Affairs and Dean of Medicine first at OSU and then most recently at Dartmouth. Now you spend most of your time studying, writing about and teaching leadership. You’re especially interested in the idea of leading yourself. Tell us about it. 2. You’ve been saying for several years that we need to change the way we think about leadership in health care and you give a talk titled “Flipping the leadership paradigm.” Tell us about that.

S3-Ep30: Musician to Chancellor: A Distinguished Career in Both

Guest: Dr. James Moeser
During this interview, Dr. Moeser talks about how he grew within his career from earning a PhD in Musical Arts to becoming Chancellor of UNC. James chronicles his career from being an early civil rights advocate as an undergrad through the challenges of balancing being a world class musician to a senior university leader. He shares his unexpected success and also his unexpected losses. Through each step he looked to mentors and learned from role models (positive and negative) to shape his own leadership style. He also drew from his role as a church organist. He draws from the experience of developing buy-in to build involvement from volunteer church choirs. This is a wonderful opportunity to share the career journey with the Chancellor of one of the nations top universities.