Vedere Consulting
Musings on leadership (including self-leadership) by an executive coach with 30 years experience training, consulting with and coaching leaders.Friday, August 29, 2008
Leaders Must Have the Faith to Move Mountains
Three years ago In New Orleans, Kimberly Rivers Roberts, a drug dealer who “did anything I had to do” to get enough money for rent and food, commited an act of faith. She bought a video camera from a friend. She had no idea what she would film. "My state of mind was like, this could come in handy," Rivers Roberts told Steve Inskeep on NPR’s Morning Edition. "My plan was just to film something I could sell."
You might think Rivers Roberts was crazy. What were her chances of making money with a video camera? Then, a week after she bought her camera, Hurricane Katrina struck. Rivers Roberts filmed the storm’s harrowing progress as the waters rose through her house. The family moved to the attic. “I was praying and shooting,” she said in her interview with Inskeep, “that’s what got me through.”
Rivers Roberts’ powerful footage has been included in the documentary, “Trouble the Water,” which won the best documentary award at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival (www.troublethewaterfilm.com). The film crew came through New Orleans shortly after the storm, met the Robertses, and were so taken with their footage that they decided to follow the couple and capture their story. The documentary features a rap recording by Rivers Roberts, who has started a record label (http://www.bornhustlerrecords.com/bornhustler.htm) and is releasing her album, titled “Troubled the Water” today.
In 2001, I facilitated a retreat for the School for the Performing Arts in Richmond (SPARC). SPARC’s mission is to use the “triple threat”—teaching singing, acting and dancing—to build children’s self esteem, confidence and poise. When I worked with them they had grown to the point where they were teaching classes in many different locations. Those many locations created an administrative nightmare. The Board decided SPARC needed to own a permanent home, and although the dream seemed impossible, they pledged to make it happen. It took seven years, false starts and many disappointments. But the Board and SPARC’s leadership, Jennie and Larry Brown, persevered. This summer, SPARC moved into its new home, a spacious building they can call their own.
These stories illustrate that faith takes many forms. It takes acting on an idea without knowing the outcome. It takes persisting even when the odds seem to be against you. Faith works because without it you can’t see the opportunities to move forward that always exist. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, in his speech last night before the Democratic Convention, reminded us “the Gospel of Matthew says, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to the mountain ‘move mountain’ and it will move.” Leadership means having a vision, and moving others to believe in and work for that vision, as Martin Luther King did with his “I have a dream” speech, delivered 45 years ago yesterday. People who were present at that march were able last night to see a black American accept the nomination for president by a major party. It was something many of them said they never believed they would live to see.
I am seeing today with these examples how faith really does move mountains. That people who believe that in the end right prevails ultimately will be successful. Not always in their lifetimes. But ultimately, the goal will be achieved.
You can learn more about Kimberly Rivers Roberts at www.npr.org .
You can read the full text of Tim Kaine’s speech at http://www.demconvention.com/tim-kaine/ .
You might think Rivers Roberts was crazy. What were her chances of making money with a video camera? Then, a week after she bought her camera, Hurricane Katrina struck. Rivers Roberts filmed the storm’s harrowing progress as the waters rose through her house. The family moved to the attic. “I was praying and shooting,” she said in her interview with Inskeep, “that’s what got me through.”
Rivers Roberts’ powerful footage has been included in the documentary, “Trouble the Water,” which won the best documentary award at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival (www.troublethewaterfilm.com). The film crew came through New Orleans shortly after the storm, met the Robertses, and were so taken with their footage that they decided to follow the couple and capture their story. The documentary features a rap recording by Rivers Roberts, who has started a record label (http://www.bornhustlerrecords.com/bornhustler.htm) and is releasing her album, titled “Troubled the Water” today.
In 2001, I facilitated a retreat for the School for the Performing Arts in Richmond (SPARC). SPARC’s mission is to use the “triple threat”—teaching singing, acting and dancing—to build children’s self esteem, confidence and poise. When I worked with them they had grown to the point where they were teaching classes in many different locations. Those many locations created an administrative nightmare. The Board decided SPARC needed to own a permanent home, and although the dream seemed impossible, they pledged to make it happen. It took seven years, false starts and many disappointments. But the Board and SPARC’s leadership, Jennie and Larry Brown, persevered. This summer, SPARC moved into its new home, a spacious building they can call their own.
These stories illustrate that faith takes many forms. It takes acting on an idea without knowing the outcome. It takes persisting even when the odds seem to be against you. Faith works because without it you can’t see the opportunities to move forward that always exist. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, in his speech last night before the Democratic Convention, reminded us “the Gospel of Matthew says, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to the mountain ‘move mountain’ and it will move.” Leadership means having a vision, and moving others to believe in and work for that vision, as Martin Luther King did with his “I have a dream” speech, delivered 45 years ago yesterday. People who were present at that march were able last night to see a black American accept the nomination for president by a major party. It was something many of them said they never believed they would live to see.
I am seeing today with these examples how faith really does move mountains. That people who believe that in the end right prevails ultimately will be successful. Not always in their lifetimes. But ultimately, the goal will be achieved.
You can learn more about Kimberly Rivers Roberts at www.npr.org .
You can read the full text of Tim Kaine’s speech at http://www.demconvention.com/tim-kaine/ .
Labels: Leadership: Vision
Monday, August 18, 2008
What Looks Easy Requires Discipline
"Creative work is first prepared for and only then realized. Improvisation requires preparation; spontaneity requires preparation. The very ability to approach a blank canvas or computer screen is contingent on the artist's inner preparations, contingent on the alignment of his heart, mind, and hands in the direction of his task. The artist who does not get ready will never be ready: an artist must prepare like any ardent apprentice to achieve mastery."
--Affirmations for Artists by Eric Maisel
I was in my late 20’s when I attended graduate school at the Leadership Institute of Seattle. The program was innovative and experiential and attracted a lot of bright, intuitive students. Many came because they wanted to make a difference. Many, like me, were impatient to make our marks on the world. We expected to do well.
We didn’t know as much as we thought we did. We understood, as Greg Johanson and Ron Kurtz say in their book, Grace Unfolding, that “those who are best at what they do are not bound by the axioms, rules and limits of their fields, but allow themselves to be directed by their open, intuitive imaginations.” That was us--ready to break the rules, to be guided by our intuitive sense of what would work. What we didn’t see was a principle vital to the mastery of any discipline—freedom to innovate requires minds “primed . . . by studying widely and deeply.”
The person who made this principle clear to me is a man named Ron Short. A faculty member at LIOS during my time there, Ron created a simple model that illustrates the importance of discipline to freedom. He helped me see that instinct and good intentions are not enough. He has given me permission to create my own version, which preserves, I think, the spirit of the original. It appears at the bottom of this post.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, discipline without spontaneity, the result is a rigid adherence to the rules—getting all the notes right, but the music has no heart or soul. When one is disciplined without spontaneity, one is lost when the unexpected happens. Think of organizations or people mired in the rules or in past ways of thinking.
Finally, when someone is new to a field or task, they have neither discipline nor spontaneity. They are dependent on a master or a set of instructions or a guide of some kind. They have to learn the basics-- scales and fingering, before they can make any kind of music.
This model has stuck with me for almost 30 years. It helps me remember when I learn something new to be patient—that there are disciplines I need to master before I can soar. It helps me remember that in this coaching field I love, there is always the discipline of learning something new, of paying attention to process, of maintaining balance so I can be a “centered presence” to my clients. It helps me advise others who are stuck or impatient with themselves or impatient with learning. And it helps me remember to be patient with others who are just beginning to learn.
--Affirmations for Artists by Eric Maisel
I was in my late 20’s when I attended graduate school at the Leadership Institute of Seattle. The program was innovative and experiential and attracted a lot of bright, intuitive students. Many came because they wanted to make a difference. Many, like me, were impatient to make our marks on the world. We expected to do well.
We didn’t know as much as we thought we did. We understood, as Greg Johanson and Ron Kurtz say in their book, Grace Unfolding, that “those who are best at what they do are not bound by the axioms, rules and limits of their fields, but allow themselves to be directed by their open, intuitive imaginations.” That was us--ready to break the rules, to be guided by our intuitive sense of what would work. What we didn’t see was a principle vital to the mastery of any discipline—freedom to innovate requires minds “primed . . . by studying widely and deeply.”
The person who made this principle clear to me is a man named Ron Short. A faculty member at LIOS during my time there, Ron created a simple model that illustrates the importance of discipline to freedom. He helped me see that instinct and good intentions are not enough. He has given me permission to create my own version, which preserves, I think, the spirit of the original. It appears at the bottom of this post.
If you have ever watched a great musician, you’ve seen how effortless they make it look. They are spontaneous, interpreting the music in their own unique way, making it soar in a way no one has done before. Yet that freedom is the result of hours and hours of dedicated practice. Without that discipline, the intuitive imagination has no vehicle for expression. It’s the difference between art and throwing a few blobs of paint on a canvas. True freedom requires spontaneity and discipline.
Spontaneity without discipline produce chaos. Listen to a child sit down to the piano without music lessons or practice, and what you’re likely to hear is a discordant mess. Taking on a new job or changing careers requires discipline and practice before you master it. When I tell people I'm a coach, they often tell me they think they belong in that field because people tend to come to them for help. They confuse helping with the discipline of coaching. It takes years of practice and study to coach well.
Spontaneity without discipline produce chaos. Listen to a child sit down to the piano without music lessons or practice, and what you’re likely to hear is a discordant mess. Taking on a new job or changing careers requires discipline and practice before you master it. When I tell people I'm a coach, they often tell me they think they belong in that field because people tend to come to them for help. They confuse helping with the discipline of coaching. It takes years of practice and study to coach well.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, discipline without spontaneity, the result is a rigid adherence to the rules—getting all the notes right, but the music has no heart or soul. When one is disciplined without spontaneity, one is lost when the unexpected happens. Think of organizations or people mired in the rules or in past ways of thinking.
Finally, when someone is new to a field or task, they have neither discipline nor spontaneity. They are dependent on a master or a set of instructions or a guide of some kind. They have to learn the basics-- scales and fingering, before they can make any kind of music.
This model has stuck with me for almost 30 years. It helps me remember when I learn something new to be patient—that there are disciplines I need to master before I can soar. It helps me remember that in this coaching field I love, there is always the discipline of learning something new, of paying attention to process, of maintaining balance so I can be a “centered presence” to my clients. It helps me advise others who are stuck or impatient with themselves or impatient with learning. And it helps me remember to be patient with others who are just beginning to learn.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
To Change Behavior, Help People Think
As a coach, my job is to help people improve their performance. There
are a lot of people out there trying to do the same thing--parents,
executives,teachers, doctors, supervisors, you name it. Maybe you.
Doesn't it feel great when you're successful, when a conversation or
something you did helped someone else turn it around? Isn't it
frustrating when nothing seems to change?
David Rock in his book, Quiet Leadership, (www.resultscoaching.com )contends that coaching someone to better performance is harder than we think. We often get it wrong.
Most people, he says, try to change performance by giving advice. According to Rock, that rarely works.
Why? First, it's really hard to change a habit. Behaviors create a neural pathway in the brain. The more you engage in that behavior, the stronger the pathway becomes. Habits have strong pathways. The brain wants to use that pathway. The only way the pathway disappears is through disuse. To do that, the brain must create a new pathway and the only way to do that is to create a new behavior. The more the new behavior is used, the stronger its pathway becomes. The old habit fades as its pathway no longer is utilized. Finding a new behavior you are motivated to pursue is critical to changing behavior.
Second, no two brains are alike. What might help you make a shift won't
mean anything to someone else because your brains are different. However, most people assume “what works for me will work for you.” It doesn’t.
Third, it takes a lot of emotional energy to change a habit. It goes
beyond just wanting to change. It's energy that accompanies the sense
that you want it, you see the solution, you know you can do it. No one
can tell you these things. The energy is generated from within. Having
an "aha moment," an insight, creates this energy. But there's a catch.
My insight probably won't provide enough energy to change your
behavior. Your insight will. Giving advice to someone else is pretty useless.
So there are two small things we can do differently to be more
helpful, more influential. We can help others create new habits
instead of trying to break the old ones, and we can help others think
for themselves instead of doing the thinking for them. Helping others
think for themselves means shifting the way we approach developmental
conversations--changing the questions we ask and the responses we
make.
We must ask open questions rather than closed ones. We must resist giving advice and listen. We must give the person our full attention. We must encourage rather than discourage. Sometimes it means we must replace our old habits of helping with new ones! It’s worth it, though. You’ll see the person’s eyes look up as they begin thinking, you’ll see the energy released as they get an answer, and you’ll experience the connection that comes from helping someone solve their own problem.
are a lot of people out there trying to do the same thing--parents,
executives,teachers, doctors, supervisors, you name it. Maybe you.
Doesn't it feel great when you're successful, when a conversation or
something you did helped someone else turn it around? Isn't it
frustrating when nothing seems to change?
David Rock in his book, Quiet Leadership, (www.resultscoaching.com )contends that coaching someone to better performance is harder than we think. We often get it wrong.
Most people, he says, try to change performance by giving advice. According to Rock, that rarely works.
Why? First, it's really hard to change a habit. Behaviors create a neural pathway in the brain. The more you engage in that behavior, the stronger the pathway becomes. Habits have strong pathways. The brain wants to use that pathway. The only way the pathway disappears is through disuse. To do that, the brain must create a new pathway and the only way to do that is to create a new behavior. The more the new behavior is used, the stronger its pathway becomes. The old habit fades as its pathway no longer is utilized. Finding a new behavior you are motivated to pursue is critical to changing behavior.
Second, no two brains are alike. What might help you make a shift won't
mean anything to someone else because your brains are different. However, most people assume “what works for me will work for you.” It doesn’t.
Third, it takes a lot of emotional energy to change a habit. It goes
beyond just wanting to change. It's energy that accompanies the sense
that you want it, you see the solution, you know you can do it. No one
can tell you these things. The energy is generated from within. Having
an "aha moment," an insight, creates this energy. But there's a catch.
My insight probably won't provide enough energy to change your
behavior. Your insight will. Giving advice to someone else is pretty useless.
So there are two small things we can do differently to be more
helpful, more influential. We can help others create new habits
instead of trying to break the old ones, and we can help others think
for themselves instead of doing the thinking for them. Helping others
think for themselves means shifting the way we approach developmental
conversations--changing the questions we ask and the responses we
make.
We must ask open questions rather than closed ones. We must resist giving advice and listen. We must give the person our full attention. We must encourage rather than discourage. Sometimes it means we must replace our old habits of helping with new ones! It’s worth it, though. You’ll see the person’s eyes look up as they begin thinking, you’ll see the energy released as they get an answer, and you’ll experience the connection that comes from helping someone solve their own problem.
Labels: Leadership: coaching
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