Archive for March, 2008

Much of the work I do, particularly with 45+ year old executives, is concerned with discovering what they want to leave behind (or be remembered for) in their organizations and communities. We take the time to reflect, clarify and write a statement about their personal leadership legacy.

I am occasionally asked what this individual legacy statement has to do with the organization they lead. EVERYTHING! Finding that insight can create a sense of inspiration and purpose that becomes focused ouward toward those who are lead.

A wonderful book on this topic is called “Your Leadership Legacy” by Galford and Maruca. They make a good case for starting to think about this topic earlier in a career, and provide exercises that assist in developing a legacy statement.

There is also a self-assessment at the site to help you discover your “Instinctive Leadership Style”.

My March 13, 2008 Business Review Opinion Column can be found here.

From the March 11, 2008 Aspire Collaborative Services Newsletter:

High achievers may exhibit what George Parsons and Richard Pascale have described in Harvard Business Review as “Summit Syndrome”. We notice this phenomenon when an employee with an outstanding career becomes stagnant; or worse, she may sabotage her career by initiating unproductive arguments, failure to collaborate, or neglect for completing assignments. At its worst, the employee with this syndrome may become a candidate for disciplinary action or may leave the organization on her own (sometimes making a radical career change).

The Early Warning Signs Can Turn Ugly

I notice the early signs of Summit Syndrome when my superstar clients indicate a restlessness and craving for new challenges. They may feel that movement to ever greater challenges isn`t happening as quickly for them as it should. Sometimes they may even express a feeling of spiritual or emotional emptiness. New risky hobbies (bungee jumping at 50?) or wreaking havoc on their employees and peers in uncharacteristic ways (temper tantrums, berating others, micro-managing) may begin.

Their health may start to suffer.

This situation is more common than you might imagine. It is tough on them, those around them, and the organization. However, some guidance, clarity, understanding and a manager and a coach who are supportive and understand the circumstances can help get the high achievers back to their stellar selves. The best chance for success happens when the employee`s manager and an external executive coach partner to support the client from inside and outside the organization.

An Executive Coach Can Help

These high achieving employees are driven, but have temporarily lost focus and are sometimes perplexed about what action to take. Their exceptional drive makes them great candidates for coaching; they really want to improve. A coach can work with them and their manager to cut through the ambiguity and help them to get back on track. Once the employee has a vision of what is possible and can focus on what matters in their work, they are often back to climbing the next challenging mountain. These employees are worth their weight in gold, so the cost of executive coaching is a comparatively small investment. In this time of the “war for talent”, leaders can`t afford to lose these most valuable people who may only be temporarily derailed.

Recognizing Trouble on the Summit

Dear Leader,
Your best employees are often those who thrive on massive challenges. The people who have achieved outstanding results in organizations are frequently looking out for, and anxious to begin, the next big thing. They are also the employees that you want to keep. This is true whether the employee is a “high potential”; C-level or CEO; a twenty-something or a baby boomer. It is true regardless of the size of the organization or type of organization.

You May Be in Danger of Losing Valuable Employees

Sit up, take notice and act! Your top performer with high drive is restless. He may be musing about the next big assignment or showing signs of losing drive and focus. He may be suddenly disruptive to the organization or seemingly uncooperative. He may be micro-managing others, an atypical style for him. His performance may be deteriorating. All of these behaviors reflect back on your leadership in a negative way.
Make no mistake ?€“ this employee continues to “have what it takes” ?€“ unlike others you`ve seen who are incompetent or have just flamed out. You can throw all of the traditional leadership development and talent management programs in the world at him. These won`t help if this employee gets to the edge of losing his job or jumping ship to another career or organization. If caught early, the symptoms of Summit Syndrome can be treated and cured by a wise leader who pays attention and takes measures needed to keep the employee on track.

Ask Your High Achievers What They Need

The wise leader, when observing the characteristic behaviors of this syndrome in his high achievers might consider asking these formerly stellar employees these questions:
?€¢ What might be causing your restlessness?
?€¢ What strategies may we take to get you back on track?
?€¢ What opportunities in our organization might rekindle your passion?
?€¢ What will it take to get you ready for the next level?
?€¢ What actions can we take to get you back to your usual level of excellence?
We often think we know the answers to the problems our employees face. The fact of the matter is that your high-achieving employees are whole and resourceful, and may know the answers to these questions already ?€“ they just need to be asked.
Some outside assistance, in the form of an Executive Coach may be useful in getting to the core of the issues and assisting your valued employees in regaining their successes.

My clients are on overwhelm! It doesn’t seem to matter what organization they are in or what position they have within that organization.

A common goal for leaders is to be “agile”. Essentially, agility is the ability to change directions quickly. This often requires fast decision making.

Most leaders claim it is impossible to put “reflection time” into their day. Yet often, simply blocking out 15 minutes of time once a day to THINK about a big decision, strategy or direction can make a huge difference. Some prefer to journal. Some prefer to have a discussion partner (or a coach). Some meditate.

Even when I was an executive in a Fortune 500, raising a family, traveling for business, and active in a local non profit, I understood the importance of having that reflective time and blocked it out twice a day (total of 40 minutes a day). For me, this time has always taken the form of meditation. I missed only a handful of these precious sessions in my entire career.

I really believe in the importance of a reflective practice to leadership. Try it, I think you’ll find that with some discipline (no excuses for missing it!), 15 minutes a day to reflect will make you a better leader and increase agility.

“Carly Fiorina, Tough Choices” a memoir. Now we know her side of the story. She sure took a beating, and I’m happy she could put her story out there.

Readers may take different things away from this book about the rise and fall of the former CEO of Hewlett Packard. I was reminded of how tough we make things for executives, but often even more so for a woman executive. Female executives and the male executives who lead them may find some interesting insights. She captures the challenges and choices she made very well, with a personal touch and without whining, and apparently without a ghost writer. Nice job.

For the cliff notes version on her firing, check out the interview with Leslie Stahl here.