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"The factory of the future will have only two employees: a man and a dog. The man will be there to feed the dog. The dog will be there to keep the man from touching the equipment."
Prof. Warren Bennis

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Good morning and the best of the Holidays to you and yours. This will be the last edition of Leadership Notes for 2012, and we’ll return to our work on January 7, 2013. (Assuming the Mayans were simply, like you and I, going to get a new calendar when their’s ran out on December 21 2012!)

A teacher of mine, Parker Palmer posted this brilliant Mary Oliver Poem on Facebook this morning, and given the fear and sadness around us all this year, I think it a wonderful way to close this year’s work.

Let yourself be the light.

The Buddha’s Last Words

“Make of yourself a light,”
said the Buddha,
before he died.
I think of this every morning
as the east begins
to tear off its many clouds
of darkness, to send up the first
signal – a white fan
streaked with pink and violet,
even green.
An old man, he lay down
between two sala trees,
and he might have said anything,
knowing it was his final hour.
The light burns upward,
it thickens and settles over the fields.
Around him, the villagers gathered
and stretched forward to listen.
Even before the sun itself
hangs, disattached, in the blue air,
I am touched everywhere
by its ocean of yellow waves.
No doubt he thought of everything
that had happened in his difficult life.
And then I feel the sun itself
as it blazes over the hills,
like a million flowers on fire –
clearly I’m not needed,
yet I feel myself turning
into something of inexplicable value.
Slowly, beneath the branches,
he raised his head.
He looked into the faces of that frightened crowd.

~ Mary Oliver ~

Let yourself be the light this Holiday Season and beyond.

Good afternoon from AC 208 enroute to Calgary and Toronto. I hope that this week is filled with learning for each of us. I had a most refreshing conversation with a friend of mine, Eleanor Rogers, http://www.creativecurrents.ca/blog last week. She’s a clinical counsellor and in the midst of our conversation about handling our own negative emotions at work  she spoke of  a brilliantly simple visual aid  about the structure and function of the brain. The model comes from Daniel Siegel (author of Mindsight, and many other seminal books in the field of Interpersonal Neurobiology). Eleanor explained, “look at the palm of your hand and imagine it's your brain. Your wrist and forearm represent the brain stem or ’reptilian brain’. Your thumb, folded into your palm, represents the limbic system. Your four fingers folded over top of the thumb represent the prefrontal cortex.”

And here is where this model became very interesting for me. The prefrontal cortex, the four fingers folded over the thumb is responsible for, in Eleanor’s words, “functions such as attuned communication, balancing of emotions, response flexibility, fear modulation, and empathy.”

She continued, “inside of the limbic system, represented by the thumb, the ‘amygdala’ stores the highly emotional experiences from throughout life, but does not sense past or present. Something that upsets you now can trigger frantic amygdala activity from a similar troubling event from the past, making you overreact. It can flip you into the “fight-flight-freeze“ mode of fear and self-protection (functions of the reptilian brain).”  So, when I get angry, frustrated or afraid, my limbic system is likely triggered and I am no longer using the pre-frontal cortex. I’m not being and living at my best. In fact, as Eleanor puts it, “in Siegel's visual aid, when the amygdala is firing, the four fingers representing the prefrontal cortex straighten up to a vertical position.” And for me anyway, I am reminded that there is a large and powerful part of my brain that has now been disconnected. As Eleanor notes, Siegel says  “getting the prefrontal cortex back ‘online’ is crucial to being able to calm overblown emotions, and regain an ability to connect and communicate effectively. Bringing the prefrontal cortex back on line is represented by the fingers gently folding back down again over the palm and thumb.“

So the next time as a leader, as a friend, as a parent, or as a spouse you find yourself getting angry or frustrated, remember that you’re now being driven by the limbic system in your brain, and inside of that system, the amygdala is now in the driver seat. The amygdala has no sense of past, present or future and is reacting to the situation in the same way it always has, often in child-like ways or in fight-flight-freeze. None of which are going to help with the relationship in front of you. Eleanor offers the following suggestions to bring the prefrontal cortex on line:

“First acknowledge the upset; you have been triggered and it may well be for good reason. Then, regulate your breathing, take long slow breaths in and out, this will tell your body and your brain that you relaxing  and that fight/flight/freeze are not necessary. Third, get focused on the present moment and situation. You may experience a flood of memories, as you breathe, perhaps try saying to yourself, “breathe in the present, breathe out the past.” Then focus on your physical experience as it calms, you’ll feel tension easing and your breathing will be easier. And then, give yourself some time before immediately going into problem solving mode. It might help for example to disengage for a few minutes, go and have a glass of water.”

And remember, your feelings are good, they are normal, and they are there for a reason. And your neo-cortex, that front part of the brain can and does help us build and enhance our relationships in ways our triggered emotions are unequipped for.

In last week’s edition of Leadership Notes, I wrote about what I’m calling “smart eye” technology  and raised some questions from a strategic perspective about the implications of emerging technologies. This week, I’m curious about the implications for me as a leader, for my team and for the organization as the technology we take for granted today is obsolete tomorrow?

So for example, in the line-up at the gate to the aircraft this morning, I heard a couple of men, like me, late “Boomers” in their early 50’s, talking about Blackberries and iPhones. The Blackberry supporter signaled the end of the discussion with the words, ”I like Blackberry because I know it.” Well I’ve got some news for him, his Blackberry, or his iPhone will be changing in the next 3 years. Guaranteed. That doesn’t mean that his particular Blackberry, the one he knows, won’t still work, but there will be apps, there will be tools that he cannot use on his ‘old’ system.  And although I have no idea who this chap is, or what’s going on for him, his comment signals, for me, a certain unwillingness to learn. “I like my Blackberry because I know it” is akin to saying ‘I like my ‘Princess’ phone because I know it.”

A fundamental challenge for us is learning. Deeper than that however is our choice and willingness to learn. Our willingness to learn is in large part related to our humility. Years ago, in one of my first projects in credit union land, I was tasked with the learning and development side of a migration from WordPerfect 5.0 to Word 6. (Yes, that long ago!) The process we used was rather simple, two or three employees would meet with me for half a day, say in the morning. I would show them the ropes in Word 6, and meanwhile the IT folks were literally removing WordPerfect 5.0 from their desktop and installing Word 6, so that by the time they returned to their station after lunch, they had to use Word 6. There are a few stories about learning and humility from that project, and one stands out. An Executive Assistant (EA) who worked along side a very senior leader in the organization, and had for many years, kept cancelling her training sessions with me. She was too busy, she had a vital report, she had a doctor’s appointment, the list of excuses became quite long. And as I reflected on this, it dawned on me that she might, deeper down than simply not wanting to do the training and keep Word 5.0, (remember, ‘I like my Black berry because I know it’) I wondered if it was a question of status for her. You see, she was a ‘go to’ person on all sorts of levels, she worked with the most senior people in the organization and beyond, and she was famous for her attention to detail and expectations of perfection. I walked into her office one day and asked her if she’d like a special training session, just her, no one else. And in fact, I could show her the basics, and leave her be for a half hour to practice by herself, and then come back to show her some more stuff. And you know what, she sighed and said, yes, that would be good. We set it up for the very next day, she showed up, we worked our plan, and I let her make mistakes privately, and supported her every half an hour or so. It took her until about 2 pm that day, but she was ready to go back to work on Word 6. And she did. And the lesson I learned was that sometimes we have to work around pride, we have to honour that for some of us right now, and for all of us at one point or another in the coming months and years, we will find ourselves in a place of conscious incompetence, that is we know that we don’t know, and that is a very uncomfortable place. It is however the place that learning begins.

Technology is changing. That is now a spurious statement. How we respond as leaders however remains key to the success of the organization. Recognizing our own points of pride, and how we might open ourselves to learning, and how we can serve each other as we open ourselves to learning will be vital for our organizations long term sustainability.  

Good afternoon from snowy Calgary airport. I was supposed to be on an airplane to Winnipeg but snow on the Canadian Prairies has delayed most flights here today, including mine. And so I wait.

And it is no surprise to me that I should find myself waiting. The universe, and a good friend, both have suggested that this week’s Leadership Notes look at waiting as a leadership issue. I’ve been “waiting” on a couple of issues in my personal life, relishing the moment and the demands for patience. As a ‘road warrior’, I am intimately aware of the waiting required in airports. And I’ve been learning that waiting is a key part of our lives as leaders.

So for example, we might be waiting as a plan unfolds into action. We might wait to see the results of a decision. We might wait for a better environment in which to roll out a product or service. And it is during these times that we learn the power of waiting and patience. Although there may be a 4 year old deep inside us demanding that we “have it now”, as leaders we know that waiting and patience are key to our success. (And there are times when waiting is not always a good thing. For example, waiting for someone’s behaviour to change without giving them feedback about it will more often than not backfire). And waiting is part of our work.

How can you increase your patience in waiting times? First, learn to embrace it, could this be a time to rest? Could this be a time for reflection? Second, take time for yourself even in the midst of busy periods; I’ve been finding it very helpful for example to get up a half hour early and do yoga in my hotel room each morning on a road trip. That focus on peace and gratitude have been instrumental in finding patience waiting. And I heard a great idea the other day, when you see the “hourglass” on the screen in Windows, or the “colour wheel” on an Apple product, take them as a cue to breathe, to relax; the system is waiting, why don’t you?  And finally, yes, there will be times when systems like airlines and airports get backed up, or when people have to go on their own journey and it may take them longer than you’d like, or that something is a barrier to a project; none of these have occurred to punish you, or to single you out. It’s not the end of the world. Relax and take a moment to send a text to a friend, to call a family member, or to sit quietly and think of all the things you are thankful for. And you may just find, that the present moment is in fact, a pretty marvellous moment.

May each of us find time to wait this week.

Good morning from AC 295 from Winnipeg to Vancouver. It’s been a week of very interesting work in Manitoba, including some thinking and teaching about strategy. One of the recurring thoughts for me is the impact of technology, and the rapid changes we’ve experienced in the past few years. According to a CBC report I heard last night, RIM’s Blackberry accounts for only 1.6% of the US smart phone market now. http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1293791--rim-tumbles-as-blackberry-s-u-s-market-share-drops-to-1-6-per-cent  A substantial drop from five years ago. Or consider that according to Roger McNamee, http://www.ted.com/talks/roger_mcnamee_six_ways_to_save_the_internet.html  in  2008, 95% of us who had access to the internet on the planet used a Windows based platform for access.  In 2011, that number had dropped to 50%. The change? The rapid rise of mobile technology including smart phones and tablets. So, of course, from a strategic and leadership perspective, we ask, what are the impacts of such changes on how we do our business; are we placing appropriate people and capital resources in technology?  How do we best access our customers and how do they best access us? What kinds of technical competencies are required today for leaders? What is our value proposition in the midst of a world with almost immediate access to information about us and about our competitors? These are all important questions in C-Suites and board rooms across the world.

And then I see that Google and Windows, and one might then assume Apple, are designing glasses that will provide internet access! I’m imagining a kind of “Heads up Display” available in some more expensive cars at the moment, but right in front of your eyes. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/nov/27/microsoft-augmented-reality-glass-google-apple  Some pundits are suggesting that smart phones will be largely replaced by what one might call ‘smart eye’ technology.

And so, what are the impacts of such changes on how we do our business; are we placing appropriate people and capital resources in the right technology?  How do we best access our customers and how do they best access us in a rapidly changing technology environment? What kinds of technical competencies are required today and tomorrow for leaders? What kinds of behavioural competencies might be required tomorrow in a world with streaming information from the real world and the virtual world simultaneously?  What is our value proposition in the midst of a world with immediate access to information about us and about our competitors?

And on a more specific note, what systems do we have in place that are dependent upon each other, such that if one system changes to meet new and emerging mobile or smart eye technologies what needs to happen on other systems? How much will those cost?

Oh, and, while what I’m calling ‘smart eye’ technologies may be just around the corner, they may also be some distance off, or, they may in fact be flashes like  DVD recording to be replaced by a Blueray kind of thing almost immediately.

I’ll talk more about this in next week’s edition of Leadership Notes. In the meantime, ask yourself, what are the implications for me as a leader, for my team and for the organization as the technology we take for granted today is obsolete tomorrow?

Good afternoon from a clear and cold Brooks Alberta!  I’ve been working with a couple of different groups of credit union folks in this part of the world; directors earlier this week, and now a group of managers for the balance of the week. It’s been an engaging and fun week. And it has got me thinking about how in spite of the dramatic changes we’ve seen in the last few years in technology, (the attached picture is a fun reminder), the economy, and even society in general, we are still not far from cave people trying to live and work together.

As much as the technology changes around us, as much as the economy is changing, and as much as what was common sense 25 years ago is now “old school”, we need each other to make human society work. And as such we need each other to make our organizations and teams work.

For example, in my work this week, I’ve had groups of people who have come to learn in workshops I’ve been running. The content of the courses have covered strategic planning, risk management, board development, performance management and interpersonal literacy. Now I have some expertise in each of these areas, but I could not hope to keep 10 to 20 people at a time engaged for entire days if I stood at the front of the room and lectured. Student and teacher need each other, and learn from each other.  A teacher of mine, Juanita Brown (www.theworldcafe.com) says that, “the wisdom collected in any given room is exponentially larger than the wisdom of the person standing next to the powerpoints.” And this is key, we learn from teachers and experts surely, and we learn from each other and from ourselves.  During a crisis, like during hurricanes, earthquakes or during civil strife, we likely need to have one person in charge, but for the vast majority of our working lives, we are dependent on our collective gifts and competencies, engaged and working together.

Our real strength as a species is our ability to work together, to let people’s strengths work for the benefit of the group. Yes, it is cool that we have wonderful new technology, yes the economy has changed, and yes the world is different from the way it was in the  1970’s, or the 1870’s, or the 370’s. And we are still at our best when we work together, learning from each other.

So what have you learned this week, and how can you share it with others?