What's emerging in you?

Image: Greg Rakozy

As spring growth emerges around many of us, it may be useful to look at what’s emerging within. Is there something - an aspiration, an interest - wanting attention in your life, or in your area of responsibility? Is it time to nurture that, or find a new way to take care of something? 

You may be feeling a bit restless - about something you’ve wanted, where you are in your life or in your role at this time. 

Consider that it’s time to step up, to act. To take a small step. Make a request. What shift in your mindset would open things up for you?

We’ve been living through a lot of shifts and disruptions, and with that, openings. There’s an opportunity to let go of whatever stops us and cultivate a greater ability to be in the present moment, in order to take care of what really matters. 

Arguably, there’s never been a better time to take on the power of the moment. What has been incubating within you? What have you hesitated to take on? What do you want more of in your life? Consider taking on what your inner voice has been calling you to do, be, let go of. It starts with noticing what we are avoiding, distracted by, frustrated with, attached to. To give that the conscious focus that will offer up something more, a release of sorts. To learn from this and step into the creativity of the moment in time. How we bring ourselves to each moment matters. Are we reacting or responding? As Deepak Chopra notes, “all problems arise in contracted awareness- individual, collective awareness. Solutions arise in expanded awareness.”

Many of the larger issues we face collectively are a result, Otto Scharmer of MIT’s Presencing Institute argues, of what he calls “absencing,” a kind of numbness, a lack of being present. A lack of bringing our presence, our curiosity, our creativity, our heart to what we encounter. And, we may bring our open mind, open heart, open will to a challenge at times and wonder when others will join on. Yet, consciousness, like emotion, is contagious. We each can begin what we see to begin.

The current moment is our opportunity to bring ourselves forth. To say no, say yes, be kind, be generous, listen, pay attention, make an ask, acknowledge someone, lift another up, begin an inquiry. Be courageous. 

Let us know what emerges!

Your Time is Now

Is it time to find a new way?

You may be feeling a bit restless about where you are in your life, or role at this time.

Your time is now. We’ve been challenged to live and work differently. To learn and unlearn. Some very strange things have happened, and, depending on who you listen to, we are either in a great World War, or on the brink of it. There’s an opportunity to let go of whatever stops us and cultivate a greater ability to be in the present moment, in order to take care of what really matters.

There’s never been a better time to take on the power of the moment. What is it you are up to? What has been incubating within you? What have you hesitated to take on? What do you want more of in your life? Consider that the world is ready for you to step into the change and disruption all around us. To take on what your inner voice has been calling you to do, be, let go of. It starts with noticing what we are avoiding, distracted by, frustrated with, attached to. To give that the conscious focus that will offer up something more, a release of sorts. To learn from this and step into the creativity of the moment in time. How we bring ourselves to each moment matters. Are we reacting or responding? As Deepak Chopra notes, “all problems arise in contracted awareness- individual, collective awareness. Solutions arise in expanded awareness.”

Many of the larger issues we face collectively are a result, Otto Scharmer of MIT’s Presencing Institute argues, of what he calls “absencing,” a kind of numbness, a lack of being present. A lack of bringing our presence, our curiosity, our creativity, our heart to what we encounter. And, we may bring our open mind, open heart, open will to a challenge at times and wonder when others will join on. Yet, consciousness, like emotion, is contagious. We each can begin what we see to begin.

The current moment is your time to bring all of you forth. To say no, say yes, be kind, be generous, listen, pay attention, ask, take care of yourself, acknowledge someone, lift another up, begin an inquiry. Be courageous.

The visionary's dilemma: how can we engage others to act on the possibility we see?

You see what’s possible. Others do not. Yet, your challenge is to cultivate enthusiasm, commitment, energy and the aligned actions of others to create the way to results.

We are in historic, unprecedented times. We need others more than perhaps we ever have. You may see so clearly the way forward and others may not.

The Visionary’s Dilemma can impact the best of us, thwarting what we most want to accomplish, dashing a powerful opportunity that could impact many others.

The Visionary’s Dilemma is a paradox. You see what’s possible. Others do not. It’s one of your gifts. Yet, your challenge is to cultivate the enthusiasm, energy, commitment and aligned actions of others to bring your vision to life. You need the expertise, skills, involvement and participation of others to co-create the way forward and execute. You have shared what you see possible, perhaps made requests, but others are not doing what you wish.

What now?

Consider asking yourself the following questions.

• How does what you envision make a difference for others?

• Whose goodwill, enthusiasm, commitment, aligned action is critical to realizing that vision?

• For each person or stakeholder group, what really matters to them?

• How does your vision, what you seek to accomplish impact what matters to them?

• Given their concerns, how can you engage them, in a way they can hear and see what’s possible for themselves?

• What information, support, process, conversations do others need to become aligned and committed?

In our experience, visionary leaders have been thinking about the challenge they are seeking to address for some time. What they see as next steps may be clear and compelling. Yet, they may be six months ahead of everyone else in their thinking. They don’t want to disrespect people by repeating themselves. However, they may not have slowed themselves down to follow the above inquiry model, and guide others to embrace what they see.

Could this be you?

If so, you can start small. Recruit a partner, or, preferably a small team to support you. Authentically discuss why what you seek to do matters, and makes a difference for them and others. Together, you can answer the above questions, and create a plan. You can use the dilemma to create a deeper partnership with these people, as well as meaningful conversations with others.

If what you are working on is urgent, it’s important to convey that as you move forward. Consider creating what we call a Transformational Leadership Retreat. It’s a process for bringing a team, group, or department into powerful aligned action, working at a higher level of creativity, enthusiasm, collaboration, and commitment, leading to sustainable behavior change. The process is guided by inquiry similar to the above. The first two questions, however, are: 

• What’s the urgent need for transformation?

• What’s the transformational goal? 

We have found that a key component of stalled change initiatives large and small is that the leadership is often not fully, emotionally in touch with the urgency. As a result they do not then articulate it in way that relates to each of their audiences, and others do not hear it.

We have found that when leaders speak authentically about the urgency, not as a threat, but as an urgent need, in practical terms that relate to the concerns of others, and, engage others in the process of co-creating what’s next, amazing results are possible. People and departments can transform. Aliveness thrives. 

If you’d like to hear more, contact us about this process or how we might support you in realizing your vision, creating an important retreat, or having conversations that generate powerful outcomes. 

Jackie Sloane specializes in coaching and consulting with leaders to bring out the in themselves, their teams and organizations. Her firm offers Transformational Leadership Retreats and Interventions and custom leadership development experiences and programs. She is founder of Sloane Communications and has a cat named Nyx.

Cultivating Executive Presence and Why it Matters

Originally published in the Amex/Time publication Executive Travel Magazine May/June 2011.

Executive presence compels others to listen and act, and the lack of it can hold you back professionally.

How can you consciously cultivate it?

Youthful, blond and reminiscent of model Claudia Schiffer, Michelle Gloeckler addressed 800 at a leadership conference. She had the audience laughing as she shared stories of what she’d learned about business from her mother, a veteran sales rep. Unexpectedly, she invited a special guest onto the stage: her mom, who proceeded to demonstrate where Michelle got her sense of humor from.

Gloeckler, a senior vice president at Wal-Mart and incoming president of the Network of Executive Women, wasn’t überformal in communicating. Authentic and playful, she engages with her vulnerability and builds a powerful experience of community in the process. Watching her celebrate her own professional lineage with a group founded to nurture the success of women leaders was touching and powerful. At least one executive new to the group called it the highlight of the day-and-a-half meeting.

Executive presence establishes credibility and engages others through how you communicate, hold yourself and connect with and treat others. Gloeckler has cultivated an extraordinary executive presence. She said later that her intent had been to make an emotional connection with the audience and leave them with the sense that her industry is a great place to build a career.

Mike Wadden, a partner at Accenture, says executive presence inspires trust and generates excitement about you, your mission and what you can do for the other person. People hear the opportunity you present and want to be part of it. He uses executive presence to establish powerful relationships and cultivate enthusiasm, which results in meetings and deals.

What has your executive presence done for you lately? To cultivate a more powerful presence for yourself or your staff, consider the following.

• Compelling authenticity makes it easier for people to relax around you, as well as trust and be candid themselves. Aloofness and pretense are distancing.

• Grace in how you hold yourself, speak, respond and move physically—and in how you are with others and under pressure—sets a tone that is calming and impressive. It communicates intelligence and power. Harshness and volatility suggest imbalance or a lack of self-control.

• Active listening, including the questions you ask, is often what people remember most.

• Taking initiative by reaching out, saying hello, making a good point, holding your ground, and making requests and offers raises your visibility. When Gloeckler joined Wal-Mart, she expanded her executive presence by volunteering for high-risk assignments, such as live television and board presentations, that supported her business goals and credibility. She was promoted not long after she arrived at the firm.

• Clarity in your speaking and listening communicates seriousness and respect, and it saves time.

• Superior speaking skills are vital if your role requires speaking to groups.

• Impeccable personal presentation is a fundamental. Good grooming shows that you respect yourself and others.

Where might you develop stronger executive presence? Mastery of any area involves continuous learning.

Contact us for more on cultivating executive presence for yourself, your team or colleagues.

Jackie Sloane specializes in coaching and consultant leaders in transforming themselves, their teams and organizations. Her firm provides Transformational Leadership Retreats and Interventions, and custom leadership development experiences and programs . She is founder of Sloane Communications and has a cat named Nyx.

Will your leadership retreat be transformational?

A retreat can be a powerful leadership tool for launching sustainable behavior change

Once asked to facilitate a small content session as part of a leadership retreat, I was surprised to see some partners from the professional service firm arrive after lunch with large welts on their foreheads. Seeing the look on my face, someone explained. As a teambuilding exercise, convenors thought that a group of middle-aged leaders of varying fitness levels would build a sense of unity around a lively paintball competition. I realized then that people often don’t quite know what to do with a retreat.

Getting away from regular day-to-day activity and interruptions, and having some out-of-the-box experience in itself can be useful, and may be your ultimate goal. Yet considering the substantial resource investment, in terms of billable hours and units of salary, and related costs, I’d love to encourage everyone to think more strategically about the opportunity of a leadership retreat to be a focal point for launching significant exploration, learning and lasting change in how people think, operate and what’s possible together.

A question to consider is, do you want more time for the conversations you are already having? Or, do you want to have a new conversation? A conversation you have not yet been able to have - a deep inquiry you have not yet had with these people?

Are you seeking to alter what’s possible together? Shift the energy and how people view their roles, the team or organization, and how they collaborate and act?

If you want to have the second conversation, consider a Transformational Leadership Retreat. This type of retreat is so powerful, colleagues and I have trained others in our methodology.

Utilizing a 6-question coaching model, we collaborate with leaders to create what is essentially a coaching intervention with a group.

Just as an executive coaching engagement begins with extreme clarity about desired outcomes, we collaborate with leadership to clarify the urgency for the shift, and measurable outcomes. If the retreat was a huge success, what would have happened? What would you see? What behavior changes would be experienced? What’s the longer-term goal?

If you are not in touch with the urgency, it is unlikely others will be. Your clarity about what you want to see will impact the clarity of others, and inform how you speak about the retreat, how others speak and how you operate. One client we worked with wanted, among other things, a higher magnitude of enthusiasm, collaboration and creativity, and to transform the reputation of her unit, for example.

We then gather the data and input to understand how best to prepare participants to support their engagement in the inquiry and in co-creating the outcomes. We co-create the activities, learning and conversations to cultivate the desired mindset and behavior shifts as well as the practices, actions and structures that support sustainable progress and success. And, we incorporate fun with no injuries! Too often our task-oriented environments inhibit the ability to cultivate this level of reflection and meaning. 

This process has resulted in unpredictable outcomes for leaders and their organizations and a way of operating together that continues to evolve in strength. We can share examples and case studies.

Is this something that you are thinking about and need? Let’s have a conversation.

Jackie Sloane works with leaders to bring out the best in themselves and others and to create transformational interventions and retreats for public sector, Fortune 1000, privately-held and not-for-profit entities. Do you need a transformational retreat, or transformational change? Contact Jackie Sloane

Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels.

Transformational leadership, focus, and the power of conversation

In more than twenty years of collaborating with leaders to transform themselves, their teams and their organizations, it’s so apparent what a powerful tool conversation is. Conversations can be transformative.

Conversation, and how a leader is being are probably a leader’s most powerful tools. Conversations can open opportunity and possibility that had not existed. And, we have all been in conversations that shut everything down.

We can think of transformational leadership as an approach, or way of being that produces sustainable, positive, inspired change in others and systems.

In working with clients at global organizations, at privately held firms and at academic institutions, I have seen over and over how the types of conversations a leader is having, and how the leader is being has profound impact on what’s possible and happens in the team or organization.

Often, I have found that a leader’s focus may be important to discuss. This may seem obvious, but when focus is clear and all actions, practices, conversations and people are aligned, amazing things happen. Exponential shifts in productivity, dramatic sales increases, and, greater well-being. Energy can be high. Too often, specificity about what we are all working to accomplish may not be clear. We may think it is, but we can see by what is happening around us when it is not. Meetings, practices, conversations then don’t accelerate what we are up to.  Confusion, gossip, turf jockeying will waste time and energy.

Abe Ankumah, chief executive of Nyansa, the rapidly growing software firm calls this focus “first principle” thinking. Quoted in an interview in The New York Times, he says, “it’s all about making sure that everyone understands the problem we’re trying to solve. And to do that, you have to maintain a broader perspective and listen very carefully to people.”

I spoke with Katy Lynch Ulliott, co-founder of Codeverse. You may know her as the former CEO of Techweek, or from the first business she founded, Social Katy.

Katy founded Codeverse® to bring more girls and minorities into tech and STEM fields overall. She says Codeverse is “the world's first fully interactive coding school and educational tech platform that teaches kids as young as 6 to learn to code.” The curriculum introduces all the foundations of computer programming while incorporating common core subjects including art, history, science, and math.

Katy credits focus with her successes, and says without clear direction and communication, leaders often stumble.

To engage others in achieving transformational goals, she says, “First and foremost, a leader needs to align everyone in the organization with the mission, vision, and values – what the company stands for and doesn't’ stand for. These serves to guide making decisions.”

In addition to focus, transformational leadership requires courage and skill. People also have to be willing to address what is out of alignment, and doesn’t work.

“People have to be willing to challenge, and look at even why a great idea may not make sense.”

This is an occasional blog about leadership and transformation. Let’s have a conversation. Please share your experiences, thoughts and ideas.

Jackie Sloane specializes in coaching and consulting with leaders to bring out the best out of themselves, their teams and organizations. Her firm offers Transformational Leadership Retreats and Interventions and customized leadership development experiences and programs. She is founder of Sloane Communications and has a cat named Nyz. Contact her.