Called To Serve

March 10, 2012 – 12:28 pm

Called to Serve

Modeling and embodying the culture you want is perhaps the most important duty of a healthcare leader today.

I read this comment from an editorial in the most recent edition of Healthcare Executive and immediately two reactions came to my mind-

  • First, wow that is right on. Given the state of dysfunction in health care delivery in the United States that is a critical priority.
  • Second, isn’t modeling and embodying the culture you want the most important duty of every leader in every industry?

As part of my work as a human resources executive, consultant, and executive coach I have been given the privilege and opportunity to speak about leadership and management on literally hundreds of occasions. I also write and blog about it extensively. It is a topic that we debate, analyze, and dissect daily. I think especially in turbulent times like we are experiencing now there is a real hunger for meaningful leadership. I think we bestow the title on a lot of people, but I am not sure they are real leaders.

Many are good stewards, they are effective managers, they lead activities as part of their job; but I think leadership means more than that. I think leaders shape cultures, embody values, role model, and prepare future generations. Some things I read this week made me contemplative as well as to whether you should seek leadership out or it seeks you?

A couple of months ago I had the opportunity to spend a day with my youngest nephew who is a serving officer in the United States Army. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy and qualified as an airborne ranger. As we spoke he was preparing for his first deployment to Afghanistan, where he is now serving.

The conversation was an interesting one as we talked about his mental, physical, and emotional preparation for that role and he talked about his responsibility to his soldiers. That is how he described them- his soldiers. Not from a standpoint of possessiveness, but rather a sense of responsibility.

He shared with me that one of the things he had done was to contact the families of each of the families of the soldiers in his unit. If they were married he contacted their spouse, if not he contacted their parents and provided them with his personal contact information. I asked him what compelled him to do that; was it standard operating procedure or protocol. He told me it wasn’t; he just felt it was his responsibility.

He said, “I am taking these soldiers into harm’s way. I have a responsibility to them and to their families to do everything in my power to return them home safely and intact. That is my primary responsibility as their leader and officer.”

I sat back and thought about the number of leaders I have coached, worked for and with over the last three decades and how many of them ever said- “I have a responsibility to my stakeholders to lead the organization in a way that provides them with economic security and consistency with our stated values.”

I have to tell you it was a pretty short list. I have heard a lot about personal visions and missions and goals, but rarely have I heard leadership expressed in terms of responsibility to others.

These days I hear a lot about servant leadership. I am going to tell you that I don’t necessarily buy into it. I think leadership is about service, but it isn’t about serving in that fashion. I think truly effective leadership requires some qualities that I don’t equate with servitude. You may serve a vision, and ideal, or a goal, but you don’t serve individuals per se.

I think one of the qualities that you have to have to be a truly effective leader is an objectivity bordering on ruthlessness. You have to balance the needs of individuals versus a group or organization and do what serves the larger purpose.

A colleague of mine talks about the balance between two concepts that some might see as a polarity- kindness and excellence. She believes, and I agree that these concepts must be aligned; that true kindness exists only with a commitment to excellence and excellence with an appreciation and consideration for the wholeness of another person.

I have seen over my experience our reluctance to give people honest feedback about their performance, their career aspirations, and a variety of related topics. The argument I usually get is that we don’t want to discourage them or hurt their feelings. I find that somewhat disrespectful.

You and I may disagree over my assessment of your capabilities and potential, but if I deliberately withhold my observations from you I am denying you an opportunity to prove me wrong or modify your behavior or even change roles or companies. If I share my assessment with others and not you it is even more disrespectful.

I mention the prove me wrong because I have been wrong a lot in my career and in my life. I have what I consider to be pretty strong values and opinions- and I am not shy about sharing them, but I also like to believe I remain open to hearing and considering the viewpoints of others.

I found some of the remarks from departing Congresswoman Gabriel Giffords very compelling because she stated that embedding that into her personal credo was an important part of her leadership persona- she would never let the fact she disagreed with a colleague or held a different viewpoint to dissuade her from reaching across the aisle in an effort to collaborate with them.

I felt sad when Senator Olympia Snow announced she was not seeking reelection because the partisanship has become so entrenched she just didn’t have the energy to fight it anymore.

I think having strong values and standing up for them is a quality I respect in a leader. I think intolerance or the inability to appreciate or consider an alternative set of values is at best ignorance at worst a form of intellectual or emotional bullying. To return to my original quote I think leaders attract followers by embodying and modeling a set of values, not by trying to impose them on others.

I think that the best leaders are also compelled to lead. They feel something drawing them to take proactive action. They seek to proactively make things better. It isn’t about them, it is about creating an opportunity for people and organizations to change and create a more positive and worthwhile reality for everybody.

In previous writing I have referred to this particular decade as a decade of opportunity. When I see some of the things happening relative to health and health care, societal unrest, and employee engagement I hope that the evidence has become compelling enough for people to recognize that the old models don’t work and we can begin to overcome some of the inertia that has held us back.

As a professional change agent I have found my two biggest challenges to creating sustained change are overcoming that inertia and complacency and the fact that most change management methodologies want to do things to people rather than with people.

We want to use systems and technologies without doing the work to understand whole people and relationships – and so often we fail.

I have found the writings of James Secretan among others to be very inspiring to me. They have compelled me to strive to be a change agent, to be the change.

I guess as a closing thought I would ask you if you are either currently a leader or aspire to be one to think about what compels you or moves you in that direction? Is it a sense of responsibility to create meaningful change or a vehicle to reach other goals? It isn’t a moral judgment, leadership isn’t for everybody. There is nothing wrong with being highly effective at leading yourself; embracing the concepts of personal competency and aspiring no further than to be the best you that is possible.

For others I think you are called to serve. I hope you take the call. I think we need leaders today more than ever, leaders who understand the true meaning of leadership- the responsibility to model and embody the culture you see as serving the stakeholders in your organization and community.

So think about it- if called will you heed the call?

As to my nephew I think he gets it at a profound level. We aren’t done hearing from him. He has learned at a very young age what some of the finest educational institutions and industrial organizations in the world have not been able to teach generations of leaders…..

By Mark Herbert | Posted in accountability, action, authenticity, best practices, Change, character, choice, clarity, coaching, commitment, competency, employees, engagement, example, excellence, generations, heroes, hope, integrity, involvement, kindness, Leadership, leading, management, message, paradigm shift, paradigms, personal competency, reflection, responsibility, trust, war, world | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Meaningful Leadership

March 2, 2012 – 12:26 pm

Meaningful Leadership

I have had a chance to do quite a bit of driving over the last week or so which I really enjoy. It gives me a chance to think a lot. I find that a reasonably open road and good music in the background is a great vehicle to really let things crystallize in your head.

I think one of the downsides of technologies like PDA’s, cell phones, etc. and email is that we are constantly being bombarded with information; some of it is even useful and relevant.

The internet is especially interesting. It allows for an absolute cacophony of information if you allow it. I am a student of human nature and organizational dynamics so I rend to read a lot and be curious about a lot of things. The internet allows almost anybody who sees themselves as a leader in some form an avenue to share their wisdom with the rest of us.

I find people like Rick Santorum and Rush Limbaugh morbidly fascinating. The things they will smugly announce to the public really stun me sometimes.

In AZ we also have a cartoon sheriff. He has established a hard core following with his strong position on illegal immigration and publicity stunts like allowing Steven Seagall to accompany him on a raid complete with his “mini-tank” and other assorted equipment.

His latest pronouncement is his investigation of President Obama’s birth. He and his experts are pretty convinced that President Obama’s birth certificate is a forgery. Never mind that it has been validated by several other State and Federal agencies. Also never mind that you ask yourself what a county sheriff from Arizona is doing conducting an investigation like this. I would be curious to her him explain his jurisdictional prerogative.

As we are in an election year the leadership rhetoric is really heating up. It is intriguing to watch a group of people who in my opinion lack any meaningful charisma or vision all pronounce why we should vote for them.

I can’t say that I have seen a significant number of real leaders emerge from the corporate environment or other sectors either.

Real leadership is hard work. I distinguish leadership from management. I think managing; which in my mind is primarily about execution, and leading which is about creating a vision or roadmap is different.

People like Nelson Mandela, Marin Luther King Jr. and a few others represent really examples of leaders to me. They actually proposed and implemented a real paradigm shift in how we look at things. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are examples on the technology side.

Leaders aren’t always very nice people. Steve Jobs and Jack Welch are two people who have been described as committed to their vision and mission to a point where they were pretty intolerant of opposing viewpoints. I don’t think that prohibits someone from being an effective leader.

I guess in a way meaningful leadership is about the ability and desire to create change- especially change that makes things better. I don’t know how you can be a great leader with a commitment to protecting the status quo.

I think there are a number of things I would like to see changed in our society. I think that access to basic health care and a foundational education are essential human rights. I don’t understand why we would feel a need to impose our view point on things like reproductive rights, religious beliefs, or related things on others. I may not be smart enough to understand how the greater society benefits when we do that.

I think the relationship between the public and private sector represents enormous opportunity. Many of the current models aren’t working. I don’t think that outlawing collective bargaining in the public sector is the right solution; neither to have I believed that some of the codependency and entitlement oriented programs we have in place are sustainable or valuable either.

Much of our economic model is based on a model of scarcity rather than plenty. Many of our solutions have been based on technology and systems rather than looking at the underpinning relationships and things like trust, understanding, and respect. I am not impressed with where we are to date.

I hope over the next few years we can concentrate on creating constructive solutions that include rather than exclude people. I think it is kind of sad that we have a couple of long term elected officials, largely with a moderate orientation, who have elected not to seek reelection because of the gridlock and partisanship they see in Washington. The people with more extreme viewpoints aren’t the ones who are staying home.

I guess I don’t have a lot of meaningful answers, just some thoughtful ponderings. Leadership to me is about positive change that has a collective benefit to society not just a small group. If that isn’t what you represent then you really aren’t a leader. You are just another loud person advancing your own agenda…

What do you think…?

By Mark Herbert | Posted in accountability, action, authenticity, beliefs., Change, character, communication, education, effort, empowerment, engagement, example, future, honesty, icons, integrity, leading, message, paradigm shift, purpose, reflection, transparency, trust, values, voting | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Meaningful Change

February 21, 2012 – 9:09 pm

Meaningful Change

I had an opportunity today to spend some time with a pretty powerful group of people from the KeyChange Institute, www.keychangenow.com

I am very proud to be associated with this group and the important work that they are doing. If you look at the situation we face today it is or should be apparent that a lot of our tried and true solutions are failing us.

As I have commented on prior occasions all that we have to do is look at key indices like employee engagement, trust in management and leadership across sectors and related factors and the numbers are pretty grim. We are also spending billions on health care delivery without seeing significantly better outcomes and the gap between haves and have nots is growing rather than shrinking. We have tried outsourcing, downsizing, off shoring, and a whole bunch of other solutions for decades to avoid confronting the problem.

Change is hard whether as an individual or as an organization, in fact studies indicate that 90% of people resist change. People have many different reasons for resisting change, but the two biggest reasons are people are unable to make changes without outside assistance and the other being they don’t want to make the change. As you might suspect there are lots of sub-reasons for both those major groups. The problem with most change modalities is that they tend to be one size fits all rather than personalized.

The other irony is if you do the math is we have met the enemy and he is us- we are part of the 90%. Kind of hard to be an effective change agent when you haven’t resolved your own issues.

Being resistant to change is one of those things that very few people will openly admit too. The status quo has a certain twisted security to it. Change involves risk and ownership.

I have been a change agent for over thirty years and I can’t tell you how many times I have been brought in to fix organizations or people. It is not usually a welcome revelation when you share with a manager or leader that they are part of the issue.

We also really like the idea of magic solutions that don’t involve any meaningful changes on our part or any work.

My colleagues, especially founder Reut Hebron Schwartz, have embraced creating and evangelizing a different model that they are seeing some pretty intriguing results with. Their approach involves a combination of brain science, personalization and congruency with some pretty impressive outcomes.

Reut is one of those people I had in mind when I described creating your art in my blog last week. She might not paint, or sing, but in her selected venue she is certainly an artist.

The 90% number representing the change resistant may sound pretty high, but if you look at the fact that there is significant data talking about where we are with the unwillingness on the part of so many organizations to explore a new way to relate to their stakeholders including customers, employees, and communities it doesn’t seem so far- fetched. When you add the political gridlock you see demonstrated constantly where being right seems more important than doing the right thing it provides some sense of additional context. It provides a possible plausible reason why we can’t overcome the inertia.

Change isn’t easy, as an individual or as an organization. The alternative for most organizations isn’t very attractive either. I don’t think most of us are so invested in the status quo that we want to see our organizations fail or people fail.

I think like Seth Godin and others have also commented change like other critical initiatives involves not only acknowledgement, but a willingness to embrace and do the work.

I will freely admit that I don’t think that we can meaningful solutions to today’s problems using yesterday’s tools.

One of the huge issues we encounter in changing the way we manage health and health care is that it involves all the players making changes.

  • · Individuals need to change their behavioral patterns
  • · Health care “suppliers” need to understand that a model that is based on managing health not delivering health care. They both have a place, but the model is tilted towards reacting not pro-acting.
  • · One of the biggest issues with health and health care is social literacy; the language of health care is byzantine and complex. Most of the governmental interventions are about access and delivery. They don’t do much about addressing personal responsibility in the context of the health care continuum.
  • · We still don’t have a great systemic solution which identifies a meaningful role for consumer, provider, employer, and government in a collaborative rather than competitive manner.

We have similar issues dealing with education, unemployment, the environment and other critical issues.

I can’t tell you that my colleagues and I have crafted a guaranteed solution to addressing all those issues, but the initial results are promising.

My colleagues are practicing their art. They are working with individuals and organizations that are willing to accept their role in the process and begin the work.

Perhaps you or someone you know is willing to take that step to join the 10 percent……

By Mark Herbert | Posted in accountability, action, authenticity, best practices, Change, choice, coaching, communication, congruence, economy, empathy, employees, engagement, Godin, Innovation, leading, paradigms, receptiveness, relationships, stakeholders, transparency, trust, whole people | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Defining Your Art

February 13, 2012 – 11:44 am

As I have mentioned previously in my writing and speaking I have great appreciation and admiration for people who have discovered and mastered their “art”. I don’t necessarily restrict it to the art as we define it conventionally; I think art comes in many different variations.

The last couple of weeks have given me an opportunity to both participate in crafting some my own art, and to experience the art of others.

I read Seth Godin’s blog pretty much every day.  Some days what he shares is more provocative and inspiring than others, but by and large he does a pretty good job. I have series of other writers and bloggers I read regularly as well. Some of them reinforce my own ideology, others expand my framework. It is the latter whom I really pursue.

Seth’s blog yesterday, http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83451b31569e20163011723f4970d, I found especially interesting. He talked about selfishness versus selflessness. In a simplified fashion he described a world view based on scarcity versus plenty.  Nilofer Merchant refers to it metaphorically as “building bigger cupcakes”.  I think given the back drop of an election year that discussion is particularly relevant.

The U.S. economy to a great extent has always been based on scarcity. We all want our share. The basis is usually winning that share at the expense of others. The underlying concept is that those with large shares will benevolently share with others according to the concept of trickle- down economics. Unfortunately that hasn’t been happening for some generations. The costs of hanging on to that model are becoming more and more clear. We see low engagement which then has a direct correlation on productivity, job satisfaction, turnover, health care expenditures, etc. There was a time when people likes Thomas Stewart and others begin advancing those ideas that the data was largely anecdotal, but not so much anymore, yet we still don’t see a lot of organizations looking at relationship based or equitable sharing based models.

I had an opportunity to watch the Grammy’s last night. I though there were some amazing performances and seeing artists representing multiple musical genres sharing their talents and acknowledging one another was pretty cool.

I am personally a huge Bruce Springsteen fan. I consider he and Bob Dylan not only great songwriters and performers, but poets who have some great messages embedded in their music. I have always held a special respect for performers who not only can sing or play, but also create their own messages. I find his new release We Take Care of Our Own, to be especially compelling. I don’t think that Bruce is saying that that represents the status quo, but rather a call to action- to return to our roots.

I noticed that a couple of the blogs took Bruce to the woodshed because of his opening line “are you alive out there America” in light of Whitney Houston’s tragic death, but my reaction is really?

I really admired Whitney Houston. I remember the first time I heard her sing and the first time I saw her perform. She was absolutely beautiful and had the voice of an angel. She was a prodigious talent. She was also like many gifted artists a tortured soul. Her untimely death is a loss, but I feel pretty confident Bruce meant no disrespect. He like me just feels like in the context of today we need to mourn and move forward simultaneously.

I got to participate in a very important engagement last week with a client and colleague on a proposition and model we have been sharing for close to three years. He is attempting to re-shape how organizations view the philanthropic process, especially in the context of health care management and delivery. We are trying to help people recognize that the management of health as opposed to health care delivery is a model based on plenty not scarcity.

Seventy five percent of all the health care solutions that are being discussed currently are about health care delivery and either rationing care in some form or transferring the cost of care from one strata of society to another. The interesting thing is that those solutions do little if anything to address root causes. Studies demonstrate that over 60% of health care issues are behaviorally related- through the modification of lifestyle we can reduce not only health care expenditures, but improve quality of life.

So you ask yourself, why aren’t we doing this? Part of the answer is that the economic model of health care is based on health care delivery; we make money on treatment not prevention. The other is that for generations we have largely given individuals a free pass on any significant responsibility for managing their own health and well being. Changing those two paradigms is not insignificant.

The paradigm that my colleague is exploring is showing philanthropists and organizations that investing in solutions to provide and manage better health, not health care is not charity, but rather an investment in societal infrastructure that will ultimately yield them a meaningful return both directly and indirectly.

To me what my colleague is doing represents a very meaningful and impact form of art, providing people with a new context and a capacity to act on it.

I embraced my art a few years ago. I believe that organizations and communities that see themselves as stakeholders in a larger society and focus on mutually beneficial relationships will ultimately outperform others who focus on a more transactional model.

My model doesn’t mean everybody is paid the same or that there are no expectations or behavioral parameters, it means we define our mission and context and endeavor to see that we invite only people who share the core values to join us and that all of our systems reinforce it. Pretty simple.

When I started promoting my model a lot of the information is anecdotal, but the exciting thing is more and more data is becoming available to reinforce my view. My model is by no means the only way to get there, but I have had a growing number of successes in demonstrating that properly implemented it works.

To bring it back kind of full circle my model is my way of embracing both Seth’s perspective of plenty versus scarcity and my personal attempt to embrace Bruce’s message of taking care of our own. I define our own” in the broadest possible context; I don’t care to limit it to a particular demographic or worldview. I will freely admit that when I receive some level of acknowledgement whether it is a reinforcing comment on my blog, a client who refers me to another, or people who have bought and read my books, come to hear me speak, and shared their own worldviews I feel deep satisfaction.

I am not entirely altruistic, nor completely an idealist. I have found a way to express my art. How will you seek yours….?

By Mark Herbert | Posted in .Michael Jackson, balance, brand, Change, character, choice, commitment, congruence, culture, decision making, empowerment, foundations, Godin, integrity, involvement, Leadership, lighthouses, management, nemawashi, paradigm shift, passion, productivity, reflecting, reflection, stakeholders, trust, values | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (2)

Defining a Path

January 31, 2012 – 6:29 pm

Defining a Path

I had a chance to respond to a question on a business networking site this morning on if I had the opportunity to choose my career path over again would I still choose human resources. My response was in the affirmative.

I have been essentially a human resources professional and change agent for over three decades now. I chose that field because I have always believed the most important long term element of organizational success is the power of relationships. Even though I have progressed from human resources to operational executive roles and management consultancy I still believe my greatest contributions are in helping organizations shape and define those relationships.

I also have always had a great respect and admiration for people who can articulate ideas and help disseminate an idea through being a great speaker, artist, musician or other communicators.

When I was writing my first book a few years back the theme of candidate Obama talking about the audacity of hope spoke to me. More recently I have found the words and actions of a congresswoman from Arizona to be equally moving and compelling, especially some of the things she shared in her January 25, 2012 resignation letter when she came to conclusion that she could not focus both on her recovery from a tragedy and serve her constituents as they deserve to be served.

I would like to share some excerpts with you here.

  • · Strongly holding the belief that there is no higher calling than serving my country I chose to leave our family business and run for elective office. I disagree with her, but only slightly. I think you can serve the world.
  • · Always I fought for what I thought was right, but never did I question the character of those with whom I disagreed… never did I let pass an opportunity to join hands with someone just because he or she held different beliefs. What an incredibly powerful statement. From what I understand she not only says it she practices it. For those of us who lead or aspire to what a powerful example to follow.
  • · Amid all that was lost on January 8th (6 people died and several others were severely wounded), there was also hope and faith. Hope that our government can represent the best of a nation, not the worst. Why limit it to government? Why can’t those of us representing academia, business and other sectors aspire to the same level of leadership?
  • · Faith that Americans working together in their communities, in our Congress and in our society can succeed without qualification. Once again why stop at our borders? Let’s be a positive role model for the world again.
  • · Hope and faith that even as we are set back by tragedy or profound disagreement in the end we come together as citizens to set again a course towards greatness.

Our Founding Fathers well over 250 years ago took some profound steps to do that. They created a new model of society based on personal prosperity and personal competence. As time as evolved we have lost track of much of that and created both a sense of codependency and entitlement, a shareholder versus a stakeholder mentality.

I admire the work and writing of people like Michael Porter, Nilofer Merchant, Thomas Stewart and others who talk about a “new” model of capitalism where profit is measured in terms of shared societal value. The evidence clearly demonstrates that embracing this model doesn’t detract from shareholder value in fact it enhances it. Organizations that embrace true engagement and alignment outperform their competitors in every key performance metric!

Organizations that build themselves on a foundation of trust and respect are stronger and more successful, period.

Over the last two hundred years plus we fought a revolution, survived a civil war, and played a key role in two world wars committed to supremacy of a race or set of ideas.

I personally think that much of the cause for our latest recession was of our own making. We got greedy and we stop focusing on relationships.

We have significant challenges facing us as a society, but I believe that when we recognize that managing health rather than health care, that providing all Americans and then the world with access to a decent education, and attending to their basic survival needs is a societal goal not a solution that can be implemented by government alone or without a role for all sectors we can make enormous progress and return to a course towards greatness.

I am tired of “leaders” whose primary contributions are criticizing the views of others who disagree with them.

I am tired of hearing about the negativity and how if we can just return to the good old days it will all correct itself. The good old days weren’t that great if you weren’t one of the wealthiest 5%.

We are capable of building and implementing a better model and we each have a right and a responsibility to play a meaningful role.

To the Congresswoman I salute you! You were first a spark, then a flame and with me and a few others you have lit a torch.

I hope you will be back in some fashion. We need more real leaders!

By Mark Herbert | Posted in accountability, action, authenticity, beliefs., character, choice, clarity, collaboration, competence, Congress, congruence, culture, decision making, economy, education, effort, empowerment, engagement, example, financial crisis, Founding Fathers, generations, health care, Leadership, leading, lessons, lighthouses, Maslow, models, Obama, paradigm shift, paradigms, pay it forward, principles, productivity, purpose, relationships, respect, tolerance, tragedy, trust, Tucson, values, vision, whole people | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Rites of Passage

January 23, 2012 – 1:11 pm

Rites of Passage

Two events occurred over the weekend that I at least found important and interestingly connected. I am a student of leaders and leadership so how leaders handle themselves is intriguing to me. To be candid neither of the events I mention included Newt Gingrich prevailing over Mitt Romney. While I find them both infinitely more articulate and qualified than the Donald, I don’t find either of them particularly compelling.

I do find Newt’s indignity over the allegations of his colorful personal life pretty entertaining. Come on Newt you are not a newbie. You saw what happened to Herman Cain, previously with John Edwards, Bill Clinton, etc. Did you really think you were going to get a pass? You just don’t pull indignant off very well. Kind of like Dick Cheney trying to do compassion. Stick to your strengths.

The rites of passage that illustrated real differences in character and approach were Joe Paterno’s death and Gabrielle Gifford’s decision to resign her congressional seat.

I had long admired Joe Paterno. He wasn’t just a man and a coach, he was an institution. As the drama played out over the Sandusky scandal I became more and more disappointed and sad. We will never know how much Joe Pa really knew, but to see his last few weeks pass in pretty much disgrace was a sad end to his legacy.

I know that there are those who feel the Board acted unfairly and preemptively to terminate his contract, but I respectively disagree. Joe Pa had reached a place where in the interests of what he built and what he could have left he overstayed. His communiqué regarding his decision to leave at the end of the season reeked of being either out of touch or profoundly arrogant. At that point it wasn’t his decision to make.

I hope that over time we can look at the totality of his legacy again and not just remember the tragedy of an elder statesman who should have exited sooner.

Gabrielle “Gabby” Gifford’s is quite a different story. Many outside of Arizona may no little or nothing about her other than she was tragically shot and is experiencing a miraculous recovery. She is an interesting person, a rising star in the Democratic Party from Southern Arizona who I hope will return to office and some point.

Her background in and of itself is interesting. In a State and geography dominated by Christians, she is Jewish. A member of the Democratic Party she has also maintains a membership in the NRA. She has managed to be elected from a highly diverse constituency including the progressive elements of a major city and the conservative farmers and ranchers of far Southern Arizona. She is attractive, articulate and married to a former astronaut.

A little over a year ago at a public outreach activity on a Saturday morning in a supermarket she was targeted by a disturbed individual who killed six people including a Federal Judge and a little girl and was herself shot in the head. The events immediately following the incident were nasty and polarizing.

Arizona has one of the most liberal gun possession and carry environments in the country. As long as you are over 18 and not a convicted felon you have the right to carry a concealed weapon on your person without a permit being required.

Many of our elected officials believe our most significant issue is illegal immigration. I happen to believe it is the economy. Many of those same officials are passionate advocates for our permissive gun carry and possession laws. I am concerned that we represent a significant channel for the River of Iron. For those of you not familiar with that expression it is what law enforcement calls the flow of illegal firearms into Mexico. It is estimated that as many as 60% of those weapon transactions may originate in Arizona. We don’t like to talk about that much.

Gabby’s recovery has been the subject of a lot of coverage and I would say a positive outcome is the effect it had on a community. Tucson rallied around Gabby and the other victims and survivors of that terrible day.

Some critics of the Congresswoman will likely say that her decision has been inappropriately a long time coming and that they don’t understand why she received so much attention. She was elected to Congress, she was shot, and she survived. Big deal. I would suggest they look a little further into this person that makes up Gabrielle Giffords. I kind of like the constituents of her district who responded to those calling for her earlier resignation to mind their own business. They stated that Gabby was their elected leader and the decision to ask her to step down or even return her to Washington for another term is between them and her.

My understanding is that she made the decision to resign because she feels she cannot focus on her recovery and serve her constituency the way they deserve to be served. I understand her mental acuity is not so much in question as she still struggles with communicating clearly and coherently. I am obviously impressed that this brave young woman displayed what I believe to be a cornerstone of leadership- recognizing that when you lead you serve, not the other way around. She didn’t wait to be asked, she determined that her constituents deserved better than she can provide them.

I integrate that with something I read in Fast Company over the weekend that resonated with me as well. It said that the new currency that determines consumer choice and behavior is trust not price. People are returning to that place where feeling they are involved in a business relationship that is more than transactional is becoming increasingly important to them.

I have long believed that. I mentioned previously that I thought Stephen M.R. Covey’s The Speed of Trust, differentiating the difference between paying a trust tax or reaping a trust dividend was seminal. I go further and say this is a core issue with the Occupiers and others. We need to bring trust back into our vocabulary and the foundation of our relationships.

Trust is key to every functional relationship, personal and professional and our collective engagement scores, the apathy with our elected officials and institutions and some many other key indicators are screaming the obvious.

We can reframe the relationships and rebuild the foundation, but it isn’t lean or six sigma or benchmarking that will facilitate the change.

So I guess for me the very differing actions of these two leaders caused me once more to pause and reflect on both what kind of a leader I aspire to be and what kind of a legacy I want to leave….

By Mark Herbert | Posted in accountability, action, authenticity, brand, career, character, choice, clarity, decision making, future, heroes, icons, individuality, integrity, Leadership, models, principles, reflecting, respect, responsibility, trust, vision, whole people | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Would your company prefer being #2 instead of #1?

January 19, 2012 – 1:41 pm

Many corporate leaders aspire for their companies to become industry leaders. But there can only be one leader for each industry – or in marketing terms, there can only be one product, brand, or business that controls a category. Sure, there are exceptions, but more often than not, there is a big company who sets the standard – and others must follow.

There are countless reasons why companies would want to be known as industry leaders. Reasons range from setting industry prices to determining product specifications to clarifying standards for customer service. But in many industries, a large and powerful force has emerged as the #2 player who often keeps the industry leader on its toes in terms of new product development, pricing, and customer service – all in an attempt to chip away at the industry leader’s percentage of market share.

Here are some famous industry leaders followed by the #2 players in their industries:

* Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi (soft drinks)
* Hertz vs. Avis (rental car agencies)
* iOS vs. Android (operating systems)
* Google vs. Bing (search engines)
* Ford vs. Chevy (trucks)
* McDonald’s vs. Burger King (fast food hamburgers)
* Duracell vs. Energizer (batteries)
* Home Depot vs. Lowe’s (home improvement warehouses)
* Ritz-Carlton vs. Fairmont (five-star hotels)
* Mozilla Firefox vs. Microsoft Internet Explorer (web browsers)

However, something interesting has happened with many #2 companies. Many #2 companies have used their #2 status as a selling point and competitive advantage. The fact that they are #2 or the little guy (think, David vs. Goliath) resonates with consumers, customers, and prospective customers. Consider Avis and its tagline: “We’re #2 – We Try Harder.” Avis may not be the biggest car rental agency, but its ads and theme stick out. Consider the Energizer Bunny – who doesn’t think of the pink bunny when a wireless mouse or keyboard needs new batteries? And while the golden arches of McDonald’s appear on almost every corner around the world, Burger King’s constant advertising and emphasis on bigger and cheaper hamburgers have developed a large and dedicated following.

So the next time your leadership team asks, “Why can’t we be number one?” Explain that there are genuine advantages to being #2. One advantage to being #2 is the ability to create unique product specifications and/or packaging since no one expects you to be different.

Consider the recent uproar when Coke launched its main product in white cans versus classic red cans – there was such an outrage that the white cans were removed from store shelves within a month of their launch. Other advantages include the ability to tweak pricing, the ability to align or partner with totally unconventional companies or brands, and the ability to change packaging or advertising just to see how consumers react.

Without the responsibility of being the industry leader, you have more leeway to appeal to new customers. Depending on how creative your marketing initiatives are and how well they are implemented, you may develop a more brand loyal following than the leader in your industry.

GUEST POST BY DEBBIE LASKEY, MBA
Debbie Laskey has 15 years of marketing experience and an MBA Degree. She developed her marketing expertise while working in the high-tech industry, the Consumer Marketing Department at Disneyland Paris in France, the non-profit arena, and the insurance industry. Currently, Debbie is a brand marketing, social media, and employee engagement consultant to small businesses, start-ups, and non-profits. Recognized as a “Woman Making a Difference” by the Los Angeles Business Journal, Debbie has served as a judge for the Web Marketing Association’s annual web award competition since 2002. Follow Debbie on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/DebbieLaskeyMBA) and on her Blog (http://debbielaskey.blogspot.com).

By DLaskey | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

A Light at the End of the Tunnel

January 6, 2012 – 5:11 pm

A Light at
the End of the Tunnel


Well by tomorrow we will have survived our first week of
2012! I have to say for me so far my cautious optimism continues to hold out.
Part of it may be bluntly that I live in Phoenix and we have been experiencing
unseasonably warm, sunny weather. I know there are those who love the seasons, but bluntly I have lived on the
East Coast and in the Pacific Northwest long enough that warm, sunny weather
doesn’t bore me.

I am also kind of jazzed to see the stock market up a bit. I
will be honest I don’t pay a ton of attention to it as a small business owner.
I kind of tend to gage what is happening with the economy by my personal
reality- do clients call me to do work and can they pay me once the work is
done.

I am starting to hear more and more people talk about doing
things differently as well. I won’t say it has become a movement yet, but I seem to be encountering more people recognizing
that doing things the way they have always been done may not solve our problems
and that working collaboratively rather than finger pointing may even yield
some positive results.

I have worked in the area of change management now for going on three decades. I have found the
single biggest obstacle to overcome is inertia, taking the steps to do
something different. I read a great blog this week on resolutions and
motivation. Most people assume that when they have difficulty implementing a
new strategy or changing their behavior their issue is motivation. The author
of the blog and I both disagree- the culprit in many cases is execution, doing the work.

It is interesting when you look at rice cultures (primarily Eastern)
versus wheat cultures (primarily
Western) we see this phenomenon unfold. In the West we often ascribe ability to
inherited character traits like leadership or athletic ability. It is in your
genetic makeup. Eastern cultures pit a lot more value in effort. Natural
ability plays a huge part, but how hard you are willing to work plays a huge
role for them as well. Their educational systems reinforce a much higher work ethic
than ours in many cases.

I have always been a big believer that involving people as
much as possible in the changes affecting them is key as well. Our models of
organizations are in large part very invested in telling rather than engaging. A large part of our industrial model
is based on separating the world into two groups- those who think and those who
do. Even our sales models tend to be product rather than solution centered.

I don’t do well with arbitrary or capricious authority. I
also am not a huge fan of position power,
i.e. my position on the org chart is reflective of my ability and intelligence.
If I am higher than you it is because I am smarter than you. My corporate
experiences taught me that was a myth.

When you build models based on compliance that model is pretty embedded. You have to have
something to justify why you get to make the decisions. Spending all that time
on establishing credibility and trust is really time consuming. So you provide
people with a trade off- g8ive up your independence and we will provide a
degree of security- until we don’t.

Once you have created that codependence, there is a lot of
inertia required to overcome it. A lot of the political rhetoric I hear on both
sides reinforces codependency. On the far Right we claim we want you to be
independent, but we want to help you
make decisions about family planning, what constitutes appropriate
relationships and other factors. On the Left we want everybody to participate
in every decision and protect you
from the consequences of your own choices. As you might suspect neither
position works well for me.

Every year we invest trillions in new technologies,
training, and programs to increase
organizational performance and profitability, but the research indicates that applied technology along with
relationships and alignment has the highest long term payoffs. But
interestingly enough we refer to the ability to create alignment and cohesive
relationships as soft skills.

We do seem to be making some forward progress. I really enjoy
it when clients or colleagues call me or mention to me, you know this engagement stuff might not be complete bullshit. People
do actually seem to work harder and be more productive when they have skin in
the game not only financially, bit emotionally and intellectually.

Go figure!

Context is important as well. I read yesterday that 50% of
Congress are members of the nation’s one percent financial elite. If they don’t
start there when they begin their political careers they end up there. I wonder
why they don’t see the issue!

We have created a context where many people are used to
being told or had decisions made for
them. Asking them to suddenly change their behavior without changing their
context is difficult. In many cases that is what we are trying to accomplish.

I am hopeful that the crisis
we are experiencing will continue to cause organizations and people to
recognize that the old ways of doing thing are not as relevant as they once
were.

Maybe I am too Pollyanna, but I find the naysayers and gloom
and doom folks tiresome and boring. I am ready for positive movement and I
think I am seeing it.

Let’s make 2012 a banner year…..

By Mark Herbert | Posted in action, authenticity, balance, best practices, Change, character, communication, congruence, economy, example, excellence | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

Contemplating 2011

December 31, 2011 – 11:11 pm

Contemplating 2011

I wear many hats these days. Apparently there is a new movie out using the plot line from the old John LeCarre novel- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy I feel the metaphor.  Aging human resources executive, coach, mentor, parent, author and consultant. I wonder if I do any of them well?

Over the last few years I have seen a growing interest in a couple of topics that speak to my heart… They have different descriptions and titles now, but I think their essence is essentially unchanged.

I have long believed in what we now describe as employee engagement. I remember entering the workforce over 30 years ago as young idealistic personnel professional and wondering why we talked at people not to them. As I grew up in a military family where we didn’t follow a democratic model I figured I simply assumed I didn’t understand it and it would become clear to me that superior thinking was involved as I matured and progressed…

A couple of decades in the corporate environment cured me of that.

Another related concept is from Porter, Merchant, et al on the idea of a new capitalism based on shared value. We define success based on societal outcomes rather than just shareholder returns. I will freely admit to being a bit of a romantic, I will probably die penniless in a gutter. I never understood why we thought that society didn’t operate systemically and that all the concepts and systems don’t eventually interconnect and why we have assumed for generations that technology can replace relationships. Turns out I might just be right.

I wonder that I am so out of touch that the anger and frustration I see exhibited still jars me – I don’t think I am naïve.

There are events that happened this year that touched me in different ways. I remember profoundly the morning that Congresswoman Gabriel Giffords was targeted and shot at a routine meeting with constituents. What was more both compelling and scary was the aftermath of that event. I saw incredible empathy and nasty parochialism and bile.

Those that serve in the armed forces have always held a special place in my heart. My family has a military tradition that spans eight generations. While I haven’t personally had the privilege to share it, it has touched me in a deeply emotional and profound way. When I have read the stories of sacrifice and heroism of individuals who have been awarded the highest military honors I have been humbled and grateful.

I have been equally humbled by the actions of citizens and frankly shamed by the actions of people who would probably see themselves as members of our society’s Elite.

I am concerned about some of the anger and bipartisanism I have seen exhibited both in expression and literally. We need to come together, not move further apart. I may represent a dissenting voice, I think many of the tried and true solutions are neither, we need new models.

On a positive note I have forged new partnerships and solidified others. I have found great illumination from reading and discussing ideas and concepts with colleagues representing multiple nationalities, generations, and educational and occupational boundaries.

Not as a political statement, but a few years ago a candidate for the Presidency expressed the concept of the audacity of hope and collaboration. He also talked about change we can believe in.

The electorate will soon have a chance to evaluate the ability of that candidate to deliver on his premise. As I said I am not staking out a position either way.

I am a change agent by profession and avocation. I don’t believe our current models are working so like Gandhi I aspire to be the change.

I have met compelling people in 2011. And read some really extraordinary books.

I have made a decision to look forward not back. I am and forever will be a student of history because I believe in the famous thought – those who do not study history are destined to repeat it.

I also believe at the risk of offending many that the authors of documents like the Constitution and even perhaps the Bible meant their work to be guidelines rather than absolutes. To be studied and applied contextually rather than literally. Perhaps I am wrong,

I have been so many times before.

Every new beginning is fraught with opportunity. What shall we do with ours? I wonder….

By Mark Herbert | Posted in accountability, action, authenticity, Change, character, choice, clarity, culture, empathy, employees, employment, empowerment, engagement, heroes, involvement, leading, lessons, lighthouses, linchpin, mappers, meetings, message, models, paradigm shift, paradigms, personal competency, reflecting, reflection, respect, sacred cows, solutions, thanks, tragedy, transparency, validation, values, vision, world | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

It Is the Season

December 19, 2011 – 9:36 pm

It Is the Season

It seems a little surreal to recognize that not only is the season upon us, but almost here. Before anyone takes offense the season can be Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukah, or whatever you care to celebrate or not celebrate.

For me what is more important that what religious affiliation we associate with the idea of peace on earth and goodwill resonates with me. A brief respite to spend in reflection about friends, family, something beyond our daily grind is appealing.

I have found 2011 especially tumultuous. While I have seen some signs of the economy improving, at least for me personally there still seems to be a lot of fear, anger, and anxiety out there and people seem to feel a need to share it with the world.

I consider myself a realist, but also a romantic. I see the glass as half full rather than half empty. I am hoping that some of where we find ourselves in issues relating to things like employee engagement and dissatisfaction, the growing recognition about the correlation between individual lifestyle and health, and the realization that there are enormous opportunities to be had in reevaluating the relationships between individuals and organizations we may be slowly recognizing there are better ways. Every day I see new information that validates conclusions I have known intuitively for years- if you treat people with respect and fairness it is a good long term business investment and will show up on your bottom line.

I have been a change agent for over 30 years and always believed that people don’t necessarily resist change- they resist being changed. I think that is why Rosabeth Moss Kantor’s quote “when change is imposed on me I see it as a threat, when it is done with me I see opportunity” so resonates with me.

Inertia is always the most difficult thing to overcome and I think it frustrates us that at the end of the day it is things like trust and relationships rather than technology and systems that lead to meaningful and sustained change. Everything else is a tactic. Change is about people.

Some of the things that people get very animated about puzzle me. I am not a huge professional football fan. I don’t get why Tim Tebow seems to piss so many people off? He seems like a nice enough guy who is very invested in his Christian faith. He doesn’t seem to judge others and find them lacking. He probably won’t be remembered as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, but he doesn’t seem to present himself in that fashion either.

I don’t understand why anyone cares about Donald Trump’s viewpoint about anything or why people seem fascinated with the Kardashians and would spend money to see Lindsay Lohan nude, but hey that is on them.

I don’t understand why people would be outraged that The Learning Channel has a television show about everyday Americans who also happen to practice Islam. There is a group so angry that these folks were being depicted as normal people that they have a campaign to browbeat sponsors into withdrawing their advertising support. Do they really believe that everyone who is a Muslim is secretly a terrorist? Really?

I personally hope that –

  • · There is a Hell
  • · That people who practice terrorism find themselves there along with other truly evil people.

I think being a terrorist is kind of like being an asshole-

  • · You aren’t born one you become one.
  • · That no religion, national origin, color, gender, etc. has the market cornered on being one.

Just so I am very clear you can be an asshole and not be a terrorist in my opinion.

I read a story that I found very touching about a philanthropic group in Texas that surprised a Marine widow and her young son with among other things some gifts for the child and a paid for home for her. I was stunned in the comments to see people attacking the gesture because –

  • · Why did they only do it for the widow of a Marine (they don’t, it was her being the widow of a veteran was the primary criteria)?
  • · Why did she deserve anything? Really?
  • · What about all the other deserving individuals? (Sorry they don’t have the resources to address everybody in need or who is deserving).

How did we get so angry and small? I recognize that there is a lot of inequity and imbalance out there, but I am not sure that being angry or small to someone helps. It has never given me any satisfaction, in fact quite the opposite.

Sometimes when I think about Christmas and the idea of Christianity I think about a quote from John Lennon saying that people should spend less time obsessing about who Jesus was and more time contemplating the values and ideas attributed to him.

I recently read a novel that described the Marian visitations, the appearance of Jesus’ mother to children in several different locations and times to reveal some truths that had been misinterpreted in the least or repressed at best. Among them-

  • · Jesus never stipulated that acceptable love was only between the genders
  • · That women have always had the right to determine the decisions regarding their own physical health, well being and about whether or not to have children and other deeply personal decisions about their bodies.
  • · That women have never been excluded by intent or “God’s will” from serving as the equal of men in any capacity including the priesthood.
  • · That serving the priesthood in any fashion required or benefited from a life of celibacy.

It was just a novel, but if these things were revealed as truths, and more importantly as truths that were knowingly repressed for purposes of control and power the consequences to a lot of existing power structures would be rocked. People would lose trust in major institutions….

Kind of like recognizing that other paradigms about how we relate to one another, make decisions about things like economic models, our responsibility to ourselves and each other, and a host of others may need to be reconsidered.

Hmm. What an interesting idea. I think I personally will try to spend at least part of this season taking Lennon’s advice and rather than pondering the legitimacy of a particular religion’s ownership of the holiday pondering some of the ideas attributed to Jesus with one thought in particular-

Peace on earth and goodwill towards everyone.

That is my wish for all of you and your families wherever you are and whatever you believe.

 

By Mark Herbert | Posted in accountability, action, adversity, anger, authenticity, Change, choice, church, dissatisfaction, engagement, health care, holidays, hope, icons, individuality, Jesus, lessons, love, message, paradigm shift, people, progress, receptiveness, reflecting, reflection, relationships, respect, terrorism, trust, values, whole people, world | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (4)