Part 1: Courage in the Workplace

“True courage is not the absence of fear—but the willingness to proceed in spite of it” ~ Author Unknown

Courage in the Workplace: Part 1

My role as an adult educator requires that I attend professional development training events. Last week, I had the opportunity to view a unique webinar provided by Training Magazine Network. The webinar featured Bill Treasurer, who is the author of Courage Goes to Work. Bill Treasurer views courage as a means of organizational development and cultural transformation. In today’s blog posting, I will give you a brief overview of Bill Treasurer’s Courage Goes to Work philosophy.

As a former professional high-diver, Bill Treasurer has had many opportunities to be courageous! In other words, he has tested out his model of courage in real world settings! A foundational premise of the Courage Goes to Work model is that everyone can learn to develop courage and act courageously. Additionally, when people are courageous at work, then the entire workplace benefits!

Most folks tend to enjoy life in the safety of their self-described comfort zone. This is the place where we feel in control of our surroundings and comfortable in our abilities, interactions, and relationships.  Unfortunately, life’s great opportunities are usually located in unfamiliar territory, outside of our comfort zone and right in our discomfort zone! In order to seize an opportunity we must move away from our comfort zone into our discomfort zone. Moving from our comfort zone to our discomfort zone takes courage. Thus, in the workplace, we find ourselves having to use courage to move toward new opportunities outside of our personal and organizational comfort zones.

Treasurer suggests that when people are courageous at work a cultural change is manifested.  More people take responsibility for their actions, and blame other less.  Change and mistakes are not feared, but embraced. Instead of walking away from difficult moments and decisions, people “step up”.  When courage is present in the workplace more people graciously speak up to authority and less people cower and gossip. Courage helps folks to be positive, instead of suspicious and distrustful of others. Lastly, courage in the workplace fosters confidence and reduces fear and anxiety.

The Courage Goes to Work model suggest that courage is tied to workforce and organizational performance. Fearful people do not perform well. Fearful people are full of anxiety. Fearful people become physically, mentally, and emotionally sick and perform below par. Fear in the workplace is tied to low level of creativity and innovation. In our current economic climate, fear in the workplace must be replaced by courage in the workplace.

Stay tuned for my next blog posting: The Courage Goes to Work model is described.

Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

        Erna and Luke Actualizing the Plan

A couple of years ago, after our beloved family Labrador passed away, my family and I adopted a mixed breed dog from the county pound. At first,  he was only supposed to bring me companionship and some protection, but I soon realized his calm temperament was perfect for therapy work. About six months ago, I started mulling over the idea of training Cool Hand Luke (Luke) as a therapy dog.  After reading up on the dog training process, I began to tell friends and family about my desire to train Luke as a therapy dog.  Since he has a calm demeanor, plus people of all ages seem attracted to him, I thought he was up for the task. Luke and I received a number of affirmations about our ability to pull off this team effort of handler/dog partnership.  With the encouragement of some folks, I signed Luke up for the first part of dog obedience training.  Teaching an old dog new tricks requires the formation of well thought out and inquiry-tested plan.

On the first day of dog training, the trainer asked about Luke’s “home training” and obedience level. I was rather embarrassed to admit that Luke could follow two commands, sit and come.  Luke, who is a mature nine years, was immediately placed with the puppies for training! He had to learn the basics of obedience commands before he could be a therapy dog. Teaching an old dog new tricks requires actualizing the plan, even revising the plan.

As the dog handler, I had to be trained and retrained, as well. I was used to the old way of doing things. My expectations of Luke were low. He was cute and he only had to do two things for me, sit and come.  Up until this date, his most important task was to lie at my feet while I worked with my students in my online classes.  He was exceptionally good at this task! The lazy days of old, soon became days filled with intentional activity and purpose. Teaching an old dog new tricks requires intentional, consistent, and purpose-driven activity.

My daily schedule and my family’s schedule had to be adjusted. Luke’s only task could no longer be to lie at my feet. As the handler and dog, we were required to go to public events and sites in order to help Luke adjust to crowds, loud noises, and sudden movements.  It was necessary for Luke and I to make other choices with our free time in order to fit his training into our current lifestyle and schedule. Teaching an old dog new tricks requires an adjustment in one’s time schedule.

Fortunately, Luke caught on to his new commands rather quickly, at least when those commands were given to him in the house! In the dog training world, dogs must follow the handler’s command in all environments.  Unfortunately, Luke did not like to follow commands outside. The outside world was simply too distracting for him to pay me any mind! Next, Luke entered the Proofing part of his training. Proofing is when the dog training is reinforced under various conditions including distractions and unanticipated events.  Luke had to follow my command even when people, other dogs, and screaming children passed by. Teaching an old dog new trick requires actualizing the plan under stressful conditions.

A few weeks ago, Luke “graduated” and passed the AKC Canine Good Citizenship course with flying colors! It was well worth our efforts and life adjustments! Luke and I will soon enter the next phase of training for his dog therapy certification.  Teaching an old dog new tricks requires achieving the goal.

You may not have an old dog to teach new tricks. However, everyone has dreams and goals they wish to achieve. Here is our “teach an old dog new tricks” action plan. Try the plan in your own life! Move forward to reach your personal goals.

Teaching an old dog new tricks requires:

• the formation of well thought out and inquiry-tested plan
• actualizing the plan, and revising if needed
• intentional, consistent, and purpose-driven activity
• an adjustment in one’s time schedule
• actualizing the plan under stressful conditions
• achieving the goal

Sitting on the Stoop

Sitting on the Stoop

My husband and I often sit on our screened-in porch located in the back of the house. We lounge in lawn chairs, hot coffee in hand, and gaze into the woods. The screened-in porch is perched off the second floor of our home, high above the ground level. From our vantage point, towering trees, flying birds, leaping squirrels can be seen. What we like the most about the view is the fact we cannot see our neighbors. Since our home is situated in a subdivision, the screened-in porch is an ideal location for peace and quiet, not to mention sought after privacy! It is here, on the screened-in porch, that our agenda for the day is developed.

The last couple of weeks, however, we have been sitting on the front porch steps. My Grandma used to call this action, sitting on the stoop.  We sit on the wooden steps, with the fading paint, and gaze out toward the street. Life looks very different from the stoop. Peace and quiet is replaced with our neighbor and his massive leaf blower (A jet engine appears to be strapped to his back!). Stray dogs are roaming into carefully cultivated flower gardens to do their business. (I don’t think our neighbors had this type of fertilizer in mind!). A jogger, sweating in the early morning humidity, lopes down the street.(I need to go to the gym- soon!). The view from the stoop indicates that life is already a-buzz; it is time to take action on our daily plans!

Sitting on the screened-in porch and sitting on the stoop provide us with two very distinct and novel views of the world! Physically changing locations, even minimally, can help individuals to think clearer and be open to new perspectives and actions. Changing locations might be invigorating or even unsettling for someone. This week, try a new route to work. Test out a new coffee shop. Go to a different grocery store. Sit on the stoop and see what happens!

Symbolic Leadership Actions

The Power of Symbolic Leadership Action (Photo by Jeb Kriigel, all rights reserved)

The inaugural train rolled out of Philadelphia and chugged into Washington D.C. carrying our future leaders, President-elect Barack Obama and Vice-President-elect Joe Biden and their family members. It was an  skillful display of symbolic leadership action. Symbolic leaders use symbols, traditions, and stories to help people to buy into their vision, get on-board the train to change (just had to say that!), reinterpret past experience, portray shared values and needs, and finally rally followers to act on behalf of the organization’s goals.

Let’s take a quick look at how symbolic leadership unfolds . . . Symbolic leaders are good at placing their vision on a center stage for all to see and experience. Experiencing the vision is important – individuals must become emotionally connected to the bigger picture; be a part of something so large, and so important, that we have to do the vision together or it will fail.

Why do the symbolic leadership actions, such as the inaugural train ride, captivate and motivate people to work toward difficult goals? Bolman and Deal (1997) suggest that symbolism works when it is portrayed this way: “The past is usually a golden one, a time of noble purposes, of great deeds, of heroes and heroines. The present is a time of trouble, challenge, or crisis; a critical moment when we have to make fateful choices. The future is a dream; a vision of hope and greatness, often linked directly to greatness in the past” (p. 316). Symbolic leadership actions are effective when they resonate with the hopes, dreams, and values of the followers – AND the benefits and rewards are perceived as realistically obtainable.

What do you think and feel about these symbolic aspects of the inaugural train ride: it is a vintage train car, the trip path traces Lincoln’s 1861 ride, the route begins in Philadelphia and ends in Washington, D.C., Obama’s train stops to pick up Joe Biden (a regular train commuter), Obama cites from history (Abraham Lincoln, Dr. Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, the Declaration of Independence), the train stops at significant points of national interest, quick speeches acknowledge the current turbulent times (economy, war), and the new leaders recognize clues to success lie in the lessons of the past.

There is probably more symbolism than that – but I’ll let you research it! Symbolic leadership actions works when the leader is in tune with the followers’ deepest values and most pressing needs. Leaders are most likely to be effective when the symbolic actions they use are sincere, believable,  there is a real possibility that the vision can be fulfilled AND the needs of the followers are both acknowledged and  met.

Bolman, Deal. (1997). Reframing Organizations.

Train Photograph by K. Jeb Kriigel. www.getrealproducts.com  All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Thrive or Survive?

Using Your Strengths!

Have you ever wondered why some leaders succeed and others seem to spend a lot of time struggling? Why is it that some people can thrive in nearly every situation and yet others just struggle to merely survive the day?

If you become an observer of human interactions, you may very well see that leaders who are thriving have found a way to harness their strengths in their setting (whether that is in the home, work, school, or community!). Simply put, a personal strength is a talent – a strong talent. How do you know what your strengths are? One simple way to figure out your strengths is to look at what you do or how you do things. When you are using your strengths you almost always reach the goal you set. You have the ability hit the target dead-on, like an arrow going into the center of a bull’s eye. The motivation and energy are flowing, and you feel happy and successful with what you have accomplished. You might feel tired when you are finished using your strength, but it is a tiredness coming from doing well; and by golly – you would be willing to do it again at another time!

Another more formal way to discover your strengths is to take strengths assessment. I recently took a Strenghtsfinder 2.0 assessment and discovered my top five strengths to be: intellection, focus, learner, significance, and input. For me this means that I am at my best when I can: use my intellect (storehouse of knowledge!), set aside blocks of time to thoroughly complete what I want to do, satisfy my need to learn about new stuff, make a real difference in the world with my efforts, and provide input into developing people or processes. Whew, that is a lot – but not all strengths are used at the same time! I might only use one of those strengths at a time. However, I am at the top of my game when I can use one or more of my strengths as a basis for leadership.

What do you suppose your strengths might be? What would life be like if you could identify your strengths and really thrive – not survive? You have a whole brand new year to move toward a life of living and leading from your strenghts – go for it!

See Rock City

Notice What You Notice!

Vacation travelers driving through the southern states have noticed the words “See Rock City” painted on steep pitched barn roofs for decades. For those of you who don’t know, Rock City is a fairy tale oddity in a scenic location. In my opinion, one trip to Rock City is enough for a life time! Our only trip to Rock City included a free bumper sticker with the See Rock City logo. There was just one rather irritating problem; the bumper sticker was applied to the rear bumper of the car while we were trying to negotiate Fat Man’s Squeeze and evading gnomes! Our children, of course, were delighted with the free souvenir.

Despite my misgivings about See Rock City, many people simply love this bit of historic Americana (in all its creative artistic forms!). When I look at Rock City, I notice an unusual contrast between nature and mythology. Still other folks experience a trip to Rock City as a grand family fairy tale adventure filled with precious moments of togetherness. Yet, the historians among us will be quick to point out the intensely fought civil war battles of the area and the great loss of life. Nature lovers urge us to skip the gimmicks and enjoy the majestic panoramic views that fill them with a sense of peace.

What you see is important. It gives you clues about your personal identity, outlook on life, and even your potential talents. As you travel down life’s highway of adventures, notice what you notice. See with your heart as well as with your eyes, and glean a deeper meaning from what you glimpse. What type of pattern is emerging? What do you feel at the sight? What longing is stirred within you? What is the precious gem of experience that you take away with you?

The Bible says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Luke 12:34  God is sending you a message and he wants you to notice it. Great leaders accept God’s personal message to them and use it as part of their leadership vision.

Merry Christmas!

Erna

Bona Fide?

Bona Fide Leadership

Bona fide means something is the genuine thing, not the off-brand item offered on sale.  An off-brand product is really a marketing spin off on a popular high-end good that is now being offered to folks at a discount price. In these rough and tumble economic times, we need to spend cautiously. Some times off-brand goods are okay. Who really cares if sandwich bags and toilet paper comes from the dollar store? After all, those items are only used one time and thrown away! It is important to make distinctions when bona fide is necessary. Leadership is one of those places.

Are you a bona fide leader? Being a bona fide leader is critical because leadership requires sustained action, not one time use. A bona fide leader finds their leadership motivation inside their personal life story – NOT their position or title. The wonderful and tragic things in life are the seedbeds of new visionary plans. What life event(s) changed the way you see life? That is where your leadership vision is birthed. Bona fide leaders’ values come from life lessons – NOT the latest best selling book. What guiding life principles lie at the heart of all your actions?

Only bona fide leaders have the drive and determination to make the world a better place to live in. Be the genuine thing – the world is crying for your leadership.

Avatar Search

Early Morning Blogging!

Today I went on an avatar search. I was looking for the perfect screen shot to display to the world who I was! Immediately I encountered a problem: What part of my personality should I show to the world? Should my avatar represent what I feel about life? Maybe I should use a picture that shows how I think about things? And then, what if people don’t like my avatar! Expectations, expectations, expectations…some days it seems that we are simply living our life to meet other people’s expectations of who/what we should be!

Well enough of that… I have been working at the computer since 5:30 am. My hair isn’t combed, I’m in a bathrobe, drinking my second cup of coffee, skyping my sister about last nights events (identity theft!).  I definitely don’t look like a person with any professional competence!

The conclusion to the matter: Who I am is what you get. Living is not living if you fake it, to make it. Who I am is what I have to give. Nothing more, nothing less will do.

Yes, You Can Can

Courage, conviction, and change – at any age! This movie will change how you view your limitations, and obstacles. A group of senior citizens come together to learn and perform Rock and Roll songs. They overcome health problems, memory loss, and the death of some of their chorus members. Their dress rehearsal was held in a jail. Prisoners wept and rejoiced at the sight and sounds of the Young at Heart Chorus. They hold fast to the notion that Yes, You Can Can is more than a political mantra – it is a philosophy on how to live life!

Who Are You?

Everyday the headlines scream economic trouble ahead. Even the most financially stable amongst us is startled. The stock market has become a yo-yo on a string. First the gas prices shot through the roof, now they are sliding down the basement stairs. “Get a job, any job, anywhere” has become the mantra in the neighborhood. “By jolly, if you have a job, keep it” – is the word on the street.

We are used to defining our personal success by the job title that we have. When we meet someone new, the question is invariably asked, “What do you do?” I am fill-in-the-blank job title. At an early age children are asked, “What you want to be when you grow up?” We are conditioned from birth to gauge personal success on a job position and whatever societal prestige we can gain from it. Our identity becomes intertwined with our job.

In times like these, a job-imbedded identity just won’t serve us well. In fact, it becomes a prison limiting our possibilities and actions. The real question to be asked is, “Who are you?” The answer to this question requires enlarging our sense of self, and defines personal success beyond the job title that we hold (or used to hold). The question allows for multiple facets of our personality, skills, and relationships to shine out. Who we are is way bigger than what we do! We instantly go from limitations to endless possibilities. When we redefine our personal success beyond our job position/title we are better able to describe our true identity with all of it nuances. What gives us joy, and what motivates us to act, serve, and lead become clearer. A new or renewed sense of purpose arises when we acknowledge to ourselves and others that who we are, is more – way more – than our job description and paycheck.