Tag Archives: Books

When Fish Fly

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I am ‘in haste’ this afternoon. It’s not just that I’m away next week. In addition, I shall be leaving for Rugby in about half an hour, where I shall be leading two masterclasses in leadership tomorrow.

As I pack I listen to Kevin Gray reading When Fish Fly: Lessons for Creating a Vital and Energised Workplace. This is essentially John Yokoyama’s story of how he turned his failing Seattle fish stall into the World Famous Pike Place Fish Market. When Fish Fly is one of the resources I have recommended for the leaders with whom I shall be working tomorrow. With only ninety minutes per session, I am confident that participants are likely to go away with as many questions as answers and I want to provide some options for them for further exploration.

My listening helps me to engage ahead of time with the ground I want to cover. It is full of stories that inspire me. It reminds me of what it takes to lead one’s life from a place of choosing as much as it does of what it takes to lead and engage others. And of course, there are no surprises here – isn’t it true that leadership, like charity, begins at home?

In addition, participants have returned preparatory questionnaires and I am looking forward to reading them in the quiet seclusion of my hotel room this evening. This will help me to connect ahead of time with members of the group.

As I complete my posting I give thanks that I am able to earn my living in this way.

Talking about ecology

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Increasingly, I am struck by the places where my own interests and those of my niece meet. As an ecologist, currently writing up her PhD thesis, Rebecca is constantly alert to the implications of human choices for the wider ecology of our planet. As an executive coach, it’s my view that the choices we make reflect varying levels of awareness of the needs we are actually seeking to meet by our actions. The more we choose from a place of self awareness and honesty, the more likely we are to make choices that are ecologically sound.

In the realm of human choice I use the word ‘ecological’ with a particular meaning. We have an inner ecology as well as living in a wider ecological setting. In the field of neuro-linguistic programming (or NLP) practitioners talk of the ‘ecology check’. This is a process by which we check in with ourselves before confirming a decision, a process which recognises that what seems logical or in some way ‘correct’ may still leave us feeling uncomfortable. We are ready to make a decision when our minds, hearts and guts are all telling us, ‘yes, this is the right decision’.

This sounds easy though there are many factors that affect our decision-making processes. I could point to external factors – how do we decide with confidence when we have to decide in haste and with inadequate information? Sometimes, external circumstances do not conspire in our favour. Perhaps, though, we need to pay more attention to ourselves. For whilst there are times when we find ourselves in circumstances we cannot change, we can develop the capability to be aware of our needs, to accept them, and to make decisions that support us in meeting our needs.

I am particularly aware of this in our current business and economic context, for it seems to me that – at many levels – the question ‘What do I want?’ often goes unasked. The individual executive may continue to spend beyond his or her means even whilst becoming more wealthy with each successive promotion – and still feel hollow inside. It’s as if the actions taken are ‘the wrong tool for the job’. They don’t meet the needs of the executive concerned precisely because he or she does not know what needs s/he’s trying to meet. And when organisations are comprised of individuals who lack this self awareness or have a culture which discourages this self awareness, is it any surprise that they pursue business goals whilst failing to ask what outcomes these business goals serve?

How does this link to the wider ecology of our planet? Perhaps the first and easiest thing to say is that the more we make choices (individual, organisational) from a place of awareness of our needs, the more likely we are to make choices that serve the wider planet, not least because we all have a need to contribute to others and to the world around us. I would add that nature has a way of providing feedback which is always available to direct us – if only we are alert to its messages. In the current recession I wonder if we are willing to dig deep and understand the messages that are on offer to us and I suspect not. With or without the current recession, I wonder how serious we are about creating an economy which not only serves us, but also serves our children, our grandchildren and beyond.

This is a question raised by The Corporation (available as a book and as a DVD). When I first watched the DVD, courtesy of my friend Mark, I found its messages so hard-hitting that I put it to one side in pain. This weekend I felt ready to view it again. This time, in the midst of so many messages about the damage corporations wreak (on those who work for them, on the environment, on… on… on…) I was drawn to one of the central voices of hope, Ray Anderson, CEO of Interface. Anderson describes reading a book, Paul Hawken’s The Ecology of Commerce, as an epiphanal experience. After reading this book, Anderson set out to reshape Interface completely. The company now has a vision: ‘To be the first company that, by its deeds, shows the entire industrial world what sustainability is in all its dimensions: People, process, product, place and profits — by 2020 — and in doing so we will become restorative through the power of influence’. You can hear Anderson speak on YouTube, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcRDUIbT4gw.

As I write what has become my longest posting yet, I feel the passion that draws me to this subject and I recognise how many ideas I have put forward that are subjects in themselves, waiting to be explored. At its heart, this posting is about ecology – the idea that we are all part of a systemic whole. Should the worse case scenario of planetary destruction take place, it won’t be for lack of feedback from our eco-system. The fact that coaching can support individuals in listening to those messages – from without, from within – is one of the things that gives me hope.

Creating the climate for success

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Amongst my e-mails today is one from Gina Lawrie and Bridget Belgrave. Gina and Bridget are amongst the foremost trainers in the UK in the field of nonviolent communication, an approach that is dear to my heart. As well as sharing their training programme (which you can find at http://www.NvcDanceFloors.com) they share a quote by Carl Rogers, from his book A Way of Being:

“My experience has shown that another paradigm is far more effective and constructive for the individual and for society. It is that, given a suitable psychological climate, humankind is trustworthy, creative, self-motivated, powerful, and constructive – capable of releasing undreamed-of potentialities.”

Carl Rogers has been a significant influence in 20th Century thinking and his work continues to guide professional coaches as well as his fellow therapists. Surely this is also the paradigm that Douglas McGregor outlines as “Theory Y” in his seminal book, The Human Side of Enterprise.

I take a moment to reflect on this quote and to celebrate my work as a coach, which is my way of supporting individual leaders in creating a psychological climate – for themselves as well as for those they lead – that supports the powerful, constructive and purposeful use of our abundant creativity. I feel so blessed in this work, in its contribution to those with whom I work, to the businesses they work in and to the wider world.

Marketing for coaches: creating your “tribe”

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One thing I love about the coaching community is the willingness of coaches to share. As the day (week) draws to a close I allow that some of the things I’d planned to do will not get done today and check out a couple of links my own coach, Lynne, sent me today.

The first link is to a posting that introduces Seth Godin’s book Tribes. The posting (at http://www.conferencecalltraining.com/power/?p=214) focuses on Godin’s idea that, in social networking, we are leaders – we either participate actively so that our voice can be heard (we lead) or we don’t. The author writes in the context of arranging and facilitating conference calls. I read in a wider context.

I follow a link to another posting in which Godin answers ten questions about his work and especially about his new book, Tribe. I am struck by Godin’s dinstinction between branding and the tribe. It’s not entirely new to me as a concept and still it resonates with a fresh new tone. Tribal marketing attracts followers who sign up to your story – via a blog, newsletter or other means. Members of the tribe essentially give you permission to market to them and, because they already like you, they’re glad to hear from you when you do. What’s more, because you have an affinity with them, you know how to meet their needs – you could say (my take) just by being you. Of course, Godin knows his book better than I do so you might want to start with his words not mine – at http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/01/tribal-manageme.html.

As I write, I realise that I am enjoying the sense of a new and fruitful idea and at the same time I’m enjoying the thought that I’m already on my way with this approach. I remember when I started my business and how surprised I was at how much work came to me immediately from people with whom I already had a trusting relationship. I think of my newsletter, my blog… Hurrah! I’m on my way!

And just as I’m about to press “publish” one more thought pops into my mind. Perhaps it’s because coaches are a natural tribe that we are so willing to share. Certainly, our commitment to coaching and to the profound benefits it can bring is such that many coaches are delighted to refer people to clients, trusting that this will be a win for everyone concerned.

Getting to know Barack Obama

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In the restaurant in my hotel in Dubai I overhear two colleagues discuss the heritage of a colleague, just back from a visit to see her family in Kenya. “I thought she was from Yemen” says one. “Yes” his colleague replies, “her family is from Yemen. But she was born and brought up in Kenya”.

Born in Kenya, of Yemeni origins, working in Dubai. If, like me, you were born and brought up in one place – one house, even – it can be easy to imagine that such a diverse history is rare. Until you stop to look around you that is.

One man whose personal history includes many threads is the US President Elect, Barack Obama. Born in Hawaii of a white American mother and a Kenyan father, Barack’s upbringing took him from Hawaii to Indonesia and back again. His inner journey of discovery seems also to have spanned significant distances.

Obama came to attention when he was the first black man to be elected to a student post in Harvard. Responding to invitations from publishers to write a book, Obama wrote Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, which was first published in 1997. My copy, ordered shortly after the election, already includes a note of his recent election.

Boarding my flight to Dubai I have already selected Dreams From My Father as my reading for the journey and I continue to read throughout my trip. I experience Obama’s book as a personal memoir and a journey of exploration, the work of a man who is highly articulate whilst also showing great humility. Perhaps, as Obama prepares for the role of President of the United States, this book is essential reading for us all. With or without this significance, it is a thought-provoking exploration of issues of race, inheritance and social change.

When a missing ‘t’ makes all the difference

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There was a time in my life when I became known as “Dorothy Nesbit-with-one-t”. For when the majority of people add a ‘t’ to your name that doesn’t belong, why would you not spare them from being corrected by providing guidance ahead of time?

Today, it is a missing ‘t’ that made the difference between meditation and mediation. Yes, meditation, mediation, meditation… it’s all in the ‘t’. For as I write, I am anticipating with a great sense of excitement taking part in a three-day training programme in transcendental meditation, beginning on Wednesday. This has been a long time coming – I booked it months ago. When I mentioned it today in an e-mail to a colleague, she asked me if I had any recommendations for training in mediation – that missing ‘t’! As it happens, I do have some thoughts from the sidelines.

Mediation has as its aim to resolve disputes between parties. Sometimes, this is a way of finding a way forward without going to court. Some people see mediation as a way to reach a compromise, with everything that this word implies: “if I give you x, will you give me y?” The result can be a pale shadow of the outcomes that either party yearned for, even whilst carrying the title “agreement”.

In my view, mediation at its best goes beyond surface demands to understand the deep needs each party brings. Perhaps the business partner who has asked for a 60% payback when his partner insists on selling the business is really wanting recognition for the contribution he has made. Or maybe he wants to express his hurt or anger that his partner has taken a unilateral decision to sell. Perhaps the mother who argues for full custody of her children after her husband has left her is anxious that her now ex-husband will fail to care appropriately for their children if he is granted joint custody. Or maybe she wants understanding for the pain she feels and for which she is holding her husband responsible. When we understand our own deep needs and those of the person with whom we are in dispute we are already nine 10ths of the way towards finding ways in which the needs of both parties can be amicably met.

So, whilst not being an expert in mediation, I offer as a starting point the reading of Marshall Rosenberg’s book Nonviolent Communication: A Language for Life. Understanding nonviolent communication or ‘NVC’ is, in my view, an essential foundation for effective mediation. The Center for Nonviolent Communication also offers training in mediation (see http://www.cnvc.org/ under Conflict Resolution).

Preparing heart and mind for a time of recession

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In recent weeks, it seems that every time I speak with a coaching colleague, they ask: ‘Are you noticing a downturn in your business?’ For a while, I was able to take a detached view – my business is holding up and I know from past experience that businesses, as they reshape for leaner times, need fitter leaders. There are opportunities for me in this market as well as challenges.

So, stepping back to take a larger view, I have been wondering about the questions the recession brings. What learnings does this recession point to for us – as individuals, for our organisations, for our economic and social models? Who or what do we want our economy to serve – and do we know? In what way, is the recession just the feedback that we need right now?

Still, increasingly, the recession is coming closer to home. One client organisation – for whom I am not currently doing any work – let me know last week that they are drawing their executive coaching to a close forthwith. My sessions with clients are peppered with talk of the impact of the recession on their businesses. Soon, questions of how to lead their organisations through the teeth of the recession will be top of the agenda for at least some of my clients.

Whilst for some, questions of survival have already started to kick in, I prefer to ask ‘How can I prosper during this time, no matter what?’ Henry Allingham, 112 years old and Britain’s oldest surviving veteran of World War I, gave his own answer in last weekend’s Observer Magazine. He described how he has never worried – not even in the great depression of the 1930s.

Perhaps another way to prosper during this time is to take a close look at our relationship with money – not only at the financial commitments we have made in our lives but also at the way we think and feel about money. Surely, this places Lynne Twist’s wise book The Soul of Money at the top of our reading lists right now. With its wonderful subtitle, Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Life, it delivers what it promises.

Interviewing Daniel Pink – leadership in a time of global recession

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Yesterday, I introduced Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. I’m grateful to Daniel for agreeing to share his thoughts on leadership at this time of global recession. And I’m curious – what are your thoughts in response to my questions below? And how do you respond to Daniel’s thoughts? if you feel inspired to respond please post your comments on this blog. Meantime, I send my heartfelt thanks to Daniel for sharing his thoughts across the pond.

Here are the questions I put to Daniel, together with his answers:

Dorothy: Many commentators view the current economic situation with gloom and despondency. How do you view it?

Daniel: Well, what’s happening now in the financial world is scary — especially here in the U.S. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. But just as we had “irrational exuberance” on the way up, we seem to be having “irrational panic” on the way down. Things are not quite as bad as they seem on the surface. Living standards around the world are increasing. We’ve got a mess to clean up, but we can’t let dire straits today mask the broad trend — which is toward greater prosperity, albeit not in a smooth line.

Dorothy: In the words of Ecclesiastes, “to everything there is a season”. What is it time for at this time of economic downturn?

Daniel: It’s probably a time to get back to first principles. It’s tough to get rich quick without cutting corners. Economies are about giving people goods, services, and experiences that make their lives better. Pretty simple, but easily forgotten.

Dorothy: And what do you see as the role of our political, corporate and other leaders at this time?

Daniel: Here in the States, it’s clear that political leaders will be more involved in the economy. We tend to relish the idea of small government, but the fact of the matter is that big government will make a comeback here. And our leaders — both political and corporate — will be navigating a new terrain.

In the Pink – Introducing Daniel Pink

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I first heard of Daniel Pink after he spoke to coaches from across the world at a conference of the International Coach Federation about the research that underpins his book A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future.

Reading his book, I experienced his writing as a welcome window on a changing world. I was curious about his thesis that the age of “left brain” dominance is over and I enjoyed his introduction to six “right brain” capabilities that underpin professional success and personal satisfaction in the twenty-first century. His descriptions resonated with me given my work in the field of leadership, including my involvement over the years in research into what makes for an outstanding leader. And even whilst making links between Daniel’s ideas and my own experience of working with leaders, I found Daniel’s ideas stimulating, insightful and fresh. I made contact with Daniel and we have become occasional e-correspondents.

Guess what! Daniel is due to speak in London in December at the International Leadership Summit, Leaders in London. I asked him, “could I include a brief interview with him on my blog?” and he said yes. I’m excited about this and looking forward to posting this brief interview in the coming days.

Oh! And by the way, if you want to hear Daniel speak, you’ll find more information at http://www.leadersinlondon.com/

Senior Leadership Teams: what it takes to make them great

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Tomorrow, I meet my clients here in Dubai. Our focus will be on Executive Coaching as a support to the development of the organisation’s Senior Leadership Team.

Synchronicity is a wonderful thing. Over morning coffee with my valued colleague Patricia Marshall, I mention this forthcoming trip and she offers me a copy of the recently published Senior Leadership Teams: What it takes to make them great. I have been taking the opportunity to read this book, with its veritable roll-call of authers (Ruth Wageman, Debra A. Nunes, James A. Burruss and J. Richard Hackman) by way of preparation.

Based on their research into leadership teams in a wide variety of organisations, the authors lay out six conditions which differentiate outstanding teams at Senior Leadership level. They describe the first three as essential and the second three as enablers. On the surface, the conditions have a whiff of cliche: don’t we all know that the best Senior Leadership Teams have a compelling purpose and direction? And isn’t it axiomatic that you have to have the right people with the right capabilities for the team to succeed? Notwithstanding the authors explore their research with a degree of precision which adds great depth and illustrate it with many examples. It helps, too, that their research is based on work with a list of client organisations that many coaches, consultants and advisers could only admire – maybe even envy.

In my role as Executive Coach, I find good news and bad. Team coaching for the Senior Leadership Team is highlighted as one of the six conditions, an enabler. The authors tell their CEO readers, “Do not skimp on coaching”. Still, coaching alone cannot make up for the absence of other conditions (though it may help the team’s leader to identify and address their absence). What’s more, the authors highlight a surprising finding: that teams do not improve markedly even if all their members receive individual coaching to develop their personal capabilities. I find these pointers thought-provoking and helpful ahead of a meeting to explore my client’s expectations of coaching.

And what would I say to the CEO, pondering whether or not to read this book? If you are sleeping soundly at night in the full knowledge that your Senior Leadership Team is delivering way beyond your expectations you may find better ways to use your time. If, however, you have any sense at all that the team of which you are leader has more to give, if indeed you are tearing your hair out as you wonder why such a talented group of people behave like children in the board room, this book is an invaluable read. Its systematic exploration of its territory offers a way to diagnose the issues you face as well as guidance on how to address them.

Please let me know how you get on in turning your team from good, bad or indifferent to great. Truly great.