Intentional Clips
The following are excerpts from publications, essays, and presentations of Whitehead Associates.
Leadership 102: Pitfalls of Experience
Experience is undeniably one of the most desired qualities in the marketplace. But used incorrectly, it can deaden the skills of a leader and his/her organization.
Personal experience offers valuable data to assess situations and opportunities. But a self-aware leader will realize that this is the limit of experience. The self-aware leader also realizes that the moment he thinks he has all the answers, the organization is in trouble.
There are a couple of reasons for this. The first is the rapidly evolving business world. Minute-to-minute technological advances and global influences make knowledge and experience historical very quickly. Stick to what you know and get left in the dust.
The second is that the pressure of being a leader in a rapid-fire business climate creates pressure to ‘know it all’ to stay on top. The rush of success is often followed by a drive to produce and perform. Whether it is fueled by adrenaline or fear of failure, a leader can become sidetracked by his impulses. He begins to control employees rather than inspire contribution from them. He tells people what to do and stops asking questions. He has unwittingly become a one-man-show.
What happens to an organization when a leader becomes consumed with knowing it all? Its conference rooms are suddenly full of people shaking their heads in complete agreement with the boss, one hundred percent of the time. Conversely, its break rooms become full of people complaining their job is unfulfilling, and personal griping dominates conversation. Despite all the concentrated efforts of their leader, performance figures sink, his most valued employees leave the company, and things go south quickly from there.
An intentional leader comes to the organization with a blank slate every day. Not without experience, but without his perception being controlled by his experience. With this ‘unknowingness’ he is able to best utilize the diverse talents, insights and ideas of the team.
Unknowingness allows a space to generate true agreement, alignment and innovation. Sometimes this means sitting with the discomfort of disagreement, because it is the divergence of opinion that provides the greatest potential for growth. That is why intentional leaders encourage, and even reward disagreement – it is the seed of new opportunity.
Leaders that rely only on what they know, limit themselves and the organization to the level and type of results they have already accomplished. Greater results require a different combination, this means getting out of the executive attic and back into the huddle
-- written by Mike Whitehead, as published by Greater Charlotte Biz Mag
Leadership 101: Self Awareness
The habit of self-awareness is critical to be an Intentional Leader.
While the term is often herded into spiritual or metaphysical conversations, “to be self-aware” means simply to be awake to one’s traits, feelings and behaviors. As obvious as that sounds, self-awareness takes some practice.
Instead, we tend to react to things in an automatic way. We often see the world through filters of our own experience. Our personal history and the perspectives that accompany them can literally program our reactions.
Like a ‘default’ setting on a computer, this is our ‘default’ mode of being. The problem with a default mode is that it causes us to make assumptions and decisions about people and situations with subjective - and sometimes just plain wrong - information. What’s more it gives the illusion that we know more about a situation than we actually do. For a leader, this is a fatal flaw.
Conversely, when a leader cultivates and practices self-awareness, a space opens up between stimulus and response that creates inspired possibilities for leadership. The Intentional Leader learns to “suspend” judgments, reactions and automatic behavior.
Perhaps you have seen the film technique where everything in an intense action shot is frozen in time and movement except for one character? That character can then move around the scene and view what is happening from all perspectives, with temporary freedom from the action taking place. After the character assimilates the information, he makes a clever move and action resumes.
This is what suspension is about. It is what separates an inspired decision from a resigned decision; a decision aligned with objectives, purpose, and values or one processed through an individual’s personal experience. It is also what brings a decision into the present moment, with an eye to the future, as opposed to replaying old tapes of past performance. This is why innovation relies upon it.
Self-awareness also permits an open-leadership style that facilitates the relationships, and subsequent information to make the best decisions. When we practice default leadership, our decisions are based on executing an agenda rather than acknowledging 'what is.’ When this happens, we blindly cut off information, possibilities, creativity and ultimately, the prosperity of an organization
This doesn’t mean leaders become perfect people. Only that they possess a vital tool to make intentional decisions about their organization. What they choose to do after that is a matter of integrity.
-- written by Mike Whitehead, as published by Greater Charlotte Biz Mag
Developmental versus Fix-mental Leadership
For every job there is the worker, and the tools he needs to get the job done.
A master carpenter has an impressive selection of finely tuned instruments to assure straight lines and corners with the proper angles. You will not see a master carpenter hammering a nail with a screwdriver.
The most important tools a leader has to execute his job are the strengths and skills of the people he selects for his organization. You will not see an effective leader using the wrong person to execute strategy – (at least not for very long!)
A capable leader seeks out individuals with traits that are aligned with the core values of the organization, and strengths that will benefit it. Like the carpenter who can see the artwork in a piece of wood, a strong leader can identify rough talent and enjoys the process of shaping it to its fullest potential. This is a developmental approach to leadership.
Yet all too often, executive leaders find themselves in a position where they are trying to "fix" an employee. This "fixmental" approach is counterproductive to creating and refining the culture of an organization, and is very time consuming.It's like the carpenter taking a few weeks off to create a brand new tool from several broken ones, or gluing woodshavings into a corner that has been misshapen.It just doesn't fit the profile of a talented carpenter.
If a leader is spending too much time reprimanding, disciplining, or trying to remedy by incentivizing, it's pretty safe to assume that the approach to this employee is "fixmental," and counterproductive to his goal. Either the employee's core values or strengths – or both – are not compatible with the company, and it is the leader's job to recognize this and do everyone a favor by supporting that employee in finding another position.
People don't want to spend the majority of their waking hours in a job where they are constantly being treated as though they are broken. Their natural and reasonable desire is to spend that time in a position that is compatible with their strengths and where they feel valued for their contribution.
There is plenty of work for both hammers and screwdrivers. It's the leader's job to make sure his tool kit contains the proper instruments to get the vision accomplished.
Mike Whitehead is president of Whitehead Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in leadership and culture development. Contact him at 704-366-5335 or www.whiteheadassociates.com.
-- written by Mike Whitehead, as published by Greater Charlotte Biz Magazine
A Good Look in the Mirror
The tasks of managing an organization are tough. But it's even tougher is when your people aren't performing. Have you asked yourself: "Why can't they just… do more/care more/be more?"
I hear complaints like this all the time. "My employees aren't engaged." "Why are my people so complacent?" "They just don't get it."
The answer: Because YOU aren't, are, and don't.
That's right, the person I'm talking to is holding this magazine. When a culture underperforms, it is often directly attributable to its leadership. One the best ways to gauge the effectiveness of a leader is to view the effectiveness of his followers.
When a CEO, president, or business owner's behavior suggests he doesn't get it, the effects ricochet throughout the business. Employees fall asleep and unconsciously go into maintenance mode. The problem with maintenance mode is it usually doesn't last long. Either a business is going forward, or sliding back.
In Gandhi's words, the solution is "becoming the change that you seek." When looking to improve the performance of a group or an organization, the best place to start looking is in the mirror.
As goes the leader, so goes the culture. So ask yourself, do you truly want to inspire and lead the company in a positive direction? If so, then you must be personally committed to taking these steps to secure your own ability to perform optimally.
- You must make a personal declaration that you are solely responsible for the success of your enterprise, while empowering your people to more.
- You must make a firm commitment to your personal development and self-awareness.
- You need a coach. This should be someone with strong objectivity who isn't averse to asking you tough questions, and holding you accountable to your commitments. It is also important that the person you select actively demonstrates the qualities and values that you seek to cultivate. If you are looking for financial independence, you should find a coach that is financially independent. If you are looking for a relationship coach, you should choose one that demonstrates positive relationships. Your coach should model the behavior you aspire to.
- Do what your coach tells you to do. All the insight in the world is for naught if your action does not support the transformation you seek.
When solving any problem, seek the source not the symptom. Transform your inner leader, and your organization will follow.
Mike Whitehead is president of Whitehead Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in leadership and culture development. Contact him at 704-366-5335 or www.whiteheadassociates.com.
-- written by Mike Whitehead, as published by Greater Charlotte Biz Magazine
Dwell Versus Debate
"Do you want to be right or do you want to get results?"
A self-help mantra to be sure… but what if the two aren't mutually exclusive?
What if there are different degrees of being right, and that the greatest of them is finding out the 'whole story' in any given situation?
When our days are packed with meetings, personalities and decisions, many of us have a tendency to get locked into what we call a debate mentality. We listen to another person just long enough to get the kernel of information we need to prove our point, or demonstrate why that person is wrong. In the debate mentality, our minds are crunching information so quickly that our positions create little more than opposition from others.
Another conversational scenario involves a banter mentality. Rather than waiting for the liability of the other person like we do in debate, we seek instead to find commonalities to continue the conversation. These are the discussions that begin with one topic and flow easily through several topics with no particular destination. Banter serves more connection than debate, but its roots are shallow.
What I propose is a deeper approach to communication. At our firm we call it "dwelling." Dwelling is to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought, speech, or writing. It is also a place where we choose to reside, live and grow, and similarly, this is our goal in creating relationships.
"Dwelling" is being open to what is being said without assuming you know where it is going. Dwelling involves being present and fully listening to not only what is being said, but the way in which it is being said. It also involves a form of intentional listening - listening without preoccupation on the outcome of the conversation, (e.g. what we will say next, why the speaker is off-base, or even why we would rather not be talking to this person) but rather on the unfolding of the truths revealed in the conversation
Dwelling involves mental stillness and a respect for the other person's voice. By dwelling in open mindedness and respect for another's point of view, resolutions with strong roots and attractive blossoms can grow.
We sometimes fall into the trap of trying to win an argument or make a point in conversation.
By dwelling in a conversation or scenario, we get much closer to winning the whole game by hearing things that open up new possibilities for us.
-- written by Mike Whitehead, as published by Greater Charlotte Biz Magazine
Your Intentional Life: The Pull of Purpose
There comes a time in most of our lives - it can happen at any age - when we begin to feel a bit uneasy.
Not terribly so. Perhaps we feel just a slight irritation with the status quo. We have gotten what we asked for, but it just seems like there should be something…more.
Of course we get irritated when things aren't going our way. But this nagging discomfort can be pretty dispiriting when things seem to be 'good.'
This is because, as writer Jim Collins has said, "good is the enemy of great."
We reach a certain point where we become frustrated with the fact that no matter how much accomplishment, financial success, fame, recognition, or whatever our driver is, there is always something gnawing, prodding, tugging at us.
This gnawing is what I refer to as the "pull of purpose".
Purpose calls us out. It uses this discomfort to tell us that there is a difference to be made, and we are the ones to make it. Our purpose commands that our unique skills and talents be used.
Have you heard this call? If so, are you listening?
Many of us choose to ignore the discomfort, continuing to work the same way, live the same way, carry on our relationships the same way… but the tug always resurfaces. Since we can't deny the call of purpose, we might try learning to listen to it.
One important step is to carve out a "margin' in your calendar. We cannot begin to make room for purpose in our lives if we are crowding it out with phone calls, scanning through emails or surfing the Internet.
Find time to sit quietly and just be present. What is it that you are missing when you are breaknecking through your routine?
The fact of the matter is that most of us are working fast and hard to push and prove ourselves, instead of working smart and smoothly to allow us to find what makes us happy and fulfilled.
The key difference between the two is finding the space to be able to seek your purpose. You must only be willing to disengage from the struggle, the grind, and the pace long enough to listen.
As Gandhi said, "There is more to life than increasing its speed."
Slow down. Get quiet. The pull of purpose will lead you to the trail marker for your journey.
-- written by Mike Whitehead, as published by Greater Charlotte Biz Magazine
Your Intentional Life - Answering the Call
How are your spending your life?
Let's take a look at a few of the more common answers to this question.
"Is your goal to:
"...Make as much money as possible." Let's call this the Security Aim; acquiring material comforts and assuring a comfortable retirement.
"...Be well-known and famous." Let's call this the Fame Aim; wanting to be seen as important and well-known.
"...To have a great time." Let's call this the Feeling Aim; wanting to feel good - to be entertained.
"...To be the best at _________." Let's call this the Accomplishment Aim; desiring competition against others or against oneself to prove that something can be done.
"...To be the smartest." Let's call this the Intellect Aim; devoting energies to mastering a given subject or discipline.
There are all reasonable ways to use our life and we are often culturally conditioned to follow one of these paths. But, by default, we follow them almost on autopilot, without truly being conscious of our choices.
Interestingly, most accomplished people attest that there is nothing as satisfying as making a difference in the life of others. Imagine...the greatest pleasure that the world's superachievers have ever known is the conscious, deliberate choice to contribute.
What if you intentionally started to spend your life "making a difference"? What if we ALL actively started to use our lives to create positive impact in our families, our offices, and our neighborhoods? What if we could get crystal clear on how to live and lead in a way that is truly useful and meaningful?
This is "Leading an Intentional Life." A life beyond just 'making a living', or becoming secure and comfortable.
A life that matters.
The intentional life is a rewarding life. But it is neither easy nor comfortable. It requires waking up from our own slumber, and making the existential choice to answer the call of an intentional life.
Robert Frost famously said, "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference."
We all have the choice to make that difference. To take that road.
-- written by Mike Whitehead, as published by Greater Charlotte Biz Magazine
The Language of Change
Words matter. As proof, try this simple exercise.
Take a goal that you have been putting off. The more audacious the better. Something like, "Someday I will sail around the world", or "Someday my business will extend across the Southeast." Now, say it out loud as if you were already doing it. For example, "I am sailing around the world." "I do business across the SouthEast." It feels very different. Something changed in you based on the words that you used.
By extension it's easy to see that a large part of organizational change is changing the language that a group of people use. This includes finding new words and expanding and redefining old ones. And as exciting as this is, it is only the first step. The real work isn't changing what you say, it's changing what you hear.
For example, when employees complain, it can be very easy to hear laziness. But if you listen closer, you might discover that what you heard as, "I don't want to work" turns out to be something very different. It may be that the person complaining feels that their contribution isn't valued, or that they are not being treated fairly. Or any one of a thousand other things that are very easy to overlook when you enter into a conversation certain that you know the answer.
But if you listen harder you create the possibility of uncovering an essential bit of knowledge that no one has been able to hear yet. And in those unheard sentences lies the wisdom to transform not only an organization but entire industries.
So try another exercise. The next time you hear a complaint, be it from an employee, a supplier or a customer, try and hear it is as a request in disguise. Entertain the possibility that this request sounds like a complaint because the person doesn't know how to ask for what they really want. And then try to hear what the person in front you is really requesting.
Of course, you are free to accept or deny this request. But very often it is the simple act of listening that increases morale and buy-in. (How much better do you feel when you've been able to have your say?) And the insights you gain from listening deeply can release vast reservoirs of talent and energy within and surrounding your organization. And, best of all, changing the language you hear is free.
-- written by Mike Whitehead as published in Greater Charlotte Biz Magazine
Culture, you're swimming in it.
Culture, you're swimming in it.
Let's pretend, for a moment, that your entire organization fits inside a fish tank. And everyone involved, including you, is now a fish. It's probably easy to see some people as sharks, others as goldfish and every group is certain to have at least one clownfish.
If we extend this analogy, your company's culture is the water in which everyone swims. Which is a good way of pointing out that you probably don't think about your culture all that much. Because, honestly, how often does a fish think about the water? How often do you think about the air you breath? It's usually much easier to focus on the task or problem at hand.
But there is a well-known fact among aquarium owners: the water in a fish tank is the single biggest factor in the health of the fish. In exactly the same way, an organization's culture is the most fundamental influence on the people involved. Happiness, productivity, quality of decisions are all effected by the unwritten (and often unspoken) rules of a culture.
If you're not happy with your fish tank, the first thing you check is the water. But how often do you examine your organization's culture? Maybe when everything is running perfectly and no problems or opportunities have cropped up. But when does that happen? It's so much easier (and more acceptable) to focus on fixing the problem at hand, or finding someone or something to blames rather than asking, "Is the way we're doing things the reason we keep having these problems?"
Culture is difficult to talk about and even harder to change. Because you're busy swimming in it. But if you haven't thought about your organization's culture – recognized it for what it is and worked to shape and nurture it so that it becomes what you need it to be – then you've got a default culture. You've accepted whatever smattering of ideas and beliefs that wandered in and set up shop. And this default culture might be perfect. But few things that happen by accident are.
-- written by Mike Whitehead, as published in Greater Charlotte Biz Magazine
The Way You See It.
The Way You See It.
If you change the way you look at something, you change what you're looking at. At first glance it might seem overly simplistic, or new-agey, but if we are to discover new forms and create change, we should have a firm idea of how change begins. And anecdote after anecdote bears out this simple rule – Change begins when one person sees something that others do not.
Take penicillin. For many people, the contamination of a of Petri dish by fungus was simply a ruined experiment. But for Alexander Fleming, this mistake became the discovery of a miracle drug. The seeds of this discovery were planted in 1871 – 57 years earlier! – but penicillin would wait until someone was able to view an established phenomenon in a new way.
While organizational change might not seems as spectacular as the discovery of a miracle drug, the method is essentially the same. You can look at the same old thing in a brand new way or you can realize that the same old thing is not the same or old at all. Do you think that Sam Walton looked at retail the way everyone else did?
But changing what you see is easier said than done. Especially when it is so comfortable to see things in the same way as those around us. But here is an exercise for you to try that may dramatically change the way you see the world around you.
The next time you find yourself in a meeting you don't really want to attend, pick a common word ("this" or "and" or "that" – it doesn't have to be anything special) and discretely keep a tally of the number of times it is used. This will keep the highly analytical and judgmental portion of your brain busy, so, at the very least, you will be freed up to notice a whole range of interactions and relationships that were hidden to you before. And you might find that the meeting you were expecting is very different from the meeting you will have.
Put this revolutionary idea to the test for yourself. Change the way you perceive the situation and see if the situation changes.
-- written by Mike Whitehead, as published by Greater Charlotte Biz Magazine
You or Your Car?
Which do you take better care of: your self, or your car?
If you have a nice car, you're probably very careful about what goes in it. You're particular about the kind of oil and the kind of gasoline. You have it washed and waxed regularly and you make sure it's serviced every 3,000 miles.
You do these things because you know that unless you take care of your car, you won't be able to count on it when you need it to. You know that if you drove your car all day, everyday at 100 miles an hour without pause, it wouldn't last very long.
But what about you? It says in the owner's manual that you're supposed to get 8 hours of sleep a night, exercise three times a week and take at least one good vacation a year. So how's your maintenance log looking? Would you feel good about selling yourself as a used car?
This is where the cries go up. "I'm just too busy." "There aren't enough hours in the day." "If I don't stay on it, it won't get done." And all those things are true. But it's also true that if you run yourself all the time - fueling yourself on coffee and sugar and not letting your productive capacity recharge in exercise and sleep, you will break down. Then none of those important things will get done.
Even a hair dryer is smart enough to shut off when it overheats.
But don't take my word for it. The next time you are feeling particularly overwhelmed and under-energized. Take a 15 minute walk. Don't get on the cellphone. Just walk and breathe.
When you're done, see if you feel better and think more clearly. See if that "unsolvable" problem seems a little more manageable. No matter how busy you are, you've got time to try this just once.
-- written by Mike Whitehead as published in Greater Charlotte Biz Magazine