Living Life Juicy

Change and Transition: 4 ways leaders can help their people We're experiencing great change in my organization right now and I don't think we're alone in this. We prepared our leaders for this by sharing the "J-curve" model for managing organizational change. While helpful for the organization it did not help the individuals who were being asked to change. Organizations can determine a "go live" date when they flip the switch and have a new system or organizational structure take effect. People don't work like that. When the switch is flipped the organization sees this as the end of change (or at least the middle). This "ending" starts a longer transition for our people.  Organizations change, people transition William Bridges (Managing Transitions)points out; "every transition begins with an ending." Organizations need to plan for change and also help people deal with the disruptions that come along with any cha...

 Infograghic and notes from Learning2012 session

 A Visual Blog for How to Find Your Story

 An infograghic from Learning 2012  Good Leader + EI = Great Leader

 A picture blog of how I use Apple TV, Airport Express and a HDMI to VGA converter to present with my iPAd

The Myth of "Work-Life Balance" Looking at my own life and the lives of the people I work with reveals work-life balance is an unachievable myth. When I think about balance my brain pictures a scale, like the scales of justice but with three plates; work, personal/home and sleep. Each day has 24 hours or "chips" to place on one of the three plates.  Balance is achieved by placing eight chips on each plate. Rarely do I experience a balanced day. It's the rare exception and not a sustainable state. Change is the norm. There is too much variance in my life to keep the chips evenly spread across the scale. One unexpected event throws my balance all out of whack. Work-Life Balance may not only be unachievable but undesirable. Maintaining balance implies reacting to change and variance. Balance implies a static state; no movement. Once balance is achieved we do what we can maintain it. A focus on balance can make us "change-averse" in a world tha...

This blog from HBR offers a good collection of how to create an environment where people (including yourself) can choose to change. Which of these are your "go to" methods? Are any of these new to you?   Ten Ways to Get People to Change

Growing into Mastery: 3 areas of focus Mastery of any skill or topic isn't a matter of knowing a lot, having tried it a lot or even having been successful a few times. Growing into a high-level performer in anything requires all three; Education, Experience and Competency. Working on 2 out of 3 isn't bad but it doesn't mean you are prepared for all the contexts you may face. It also isn't enough to qualify you to model and lead others in the skill.  Education : A beginner knows the information.  A performer knows what's behind the information, where it comes from and what ideas contributed to the information.  A Master knows the limits of the information, where it's application stops, where it doesn't fit and what other ideas are competing with it.  Being informed and educated is crucial in developing mastery so that you understand the "why" behind the skill. It will help you become intentional in your performance and increase your flexibility when...

 Experimental Visual Blog

If Feedback is the breakfast of champions than "doing a 360" has become the "Wheaties" of feedback.  As this approach grows in popularity and use, misconceptions and confusion around this process grows . Let's explore a few of the major questions around 360 degree feedback.   What is a 360? 360 degree feedback, also known as multi-rater feedback, is any process that solicits feedback from multiple perspectives. It usually involves a survey or interview with supervisors, peers and direct reports. Often other perspectives such as customers, family and strategic partners are also sought out. The process can be as simple as requesting verbal feedback yourself or as complex as purchasing a research validated tool from a vendor.   Organizations such as Lominger, PDI and The Hay Group have developed statistically validated survey tools that are backed by extensive research. They have a rich data base of material to use in creating credible feedback reports that connect...

My grandfather was an apple farmer. His life was about keeping his trees producing apples. As a child I would visit the farm and walk in the orchards with him. As we walked Grandpa would talk about what help the trees. Things like irrigation, pruning and thinning. Not really looking to become an apple farmer myself these topics didn't hold much interest but now, as I reflect on them, they hold important truths for our journey to become whole leaders. Irrigation: All plants need to stay connected to a source of water to grow and remain productive. Apples stop developing if they loose connection to their source of water and nutrients. If the tree is cut off from the water supply, the branch is cut off from the trunk or the fruit is pulled from the tree growth stops and death starts. (ripening isn't growth it's the start fruit's decomposition). Our ideal self is the compelling reason for us to continue to grow and develop. It is our source. Our progress depends on sta...