Poetry can be a powerful developmental tool to help high-achieving personalities transcend the linear and analytical world of business in order to integrate a world of beauty and whole-system thinking. Rick Voirin has incorporated poetry in his coaching and leadership for years and has seen firsthand the profound impact that it can have in professional growth and self-development. In this special episode, LeeAnn and Rick discuss the work of author and poet David Whyte, and how the poem “Start Close In” directs us to take the first step that leads to change. We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, engineering, business, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, this is what we stay alive for.John Keating Dead Poets Society Leadership Beyond ‘Just the Facts’Good literature has the power to help us better understand the human condition. Poetry and other creative writing evokes something deep in us, it widens our perspective and helps us connect with parts of ourselves (and others) that otherwise we wouldn't have easy access to.Poetry can also be a powerful developmental tool to help leaders and 'Type A' personalities transcend the linear and analytical world of business. Rick Voirin has incorporated poetry in his coaching and leadership work since the '90s and has seen firsthand the profound impact that it can have on professional growth and self-development. Start Close In2020 has been a year of big, complex challenges. Racial tensions have been high and organizational leaders are expected to meaningfully respond. This pressure, and the fear of ‘cancel culture’ has caused many to pause; to defer doing anything until they have it all figured out. David Whyte’s poem, Start Close In admonishes us to, “… don’t take the second step or the third, start with the first thing close in, the step you don’t want to take.“Links to the poem, A Guide for Reading Poetry and additional resources can be found at the end of these notes.24:53 - " If we really engage something, whether it's a poem or a piece of art or a piece of literature or something that's happening on a screen In front of us in a movie, the first approximation is just the way that the information lands in our senses. And then what starts to show up as we relate with that, that happens, like in a back and forth conversation."27:25 - "Poetry or good literature is an invitation into a deeper relationship with life, a deeper reflection on the meaning of one's life. And what one is caring about (...) and what one might intend to do with one's wild and precious life." 29:24 - "When I try to start big, it's probably because I'm seeking an excuse to get out of doing anything. The big stuff is beyond my reach, at least at the moment. But if I start close in, I'll find things I can do right now." Resources:A Guide for Reading Poetry:https://mailchi.mp/rise-leaders.com/a-guide-for-reading-poetryThe Heart Aroused: Poetry and the Preservation of the Soul in Corporate America, by David Whyte https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Aroused-Preservation-Corporate-America/dp/0385484186 Interview with Bonnie Pittman:
High Trust environments invite people to focus their precious energy and passion on creating and delivering value rather than on managing politics, their reputation and their image. In this mini-episode, I walk through The Trust Equation, a model that illustrates distinct, yet nuanced elements of trustworthiness. If you want a high-trust workplace, be trustworthy! The Value of a High Trust WorkplaceHigh Trust environments invite people to focus their precious energy and passion on creating and delivering value rather than on managing politics, their reputation and their image.The ability to show up authentically and to openly collaborate creates a path of least resistance. The lack of friction produces freedom and flow. In high-trust organizations, people show up as their authentic selves, maximizing teamwork and solid relationships.So how do you go about creating a high-trust environment? A quick search on Amazon for books on Trust reveals over 80,000 titles; narrowing the search to building trust gives us over 10,000 results. There is no shortage for approaches and models for Trust.In this episode, we delve into Charles Green's Trust Equation, a model that illustrates distinct, yet nuanced elements of trustworthiness. You'll have the opportunity to explore the level of trustworthiness in one of your relationships from three different perspectives by using the Trust Equation.Credibility, Reliability, Intimacy and Self-Orientation05:06 - "(...) think of all models as a trellis. They give us something to hold on to - a structure for growth and reaching out. And not to get too deep with the metaphor, but we also need to remember to clear out the dead stuff that no longer serves the living organism." 06:50 - "Both credibility and reliability can be observed, or measured, and take less emotional energy than intimacy. (...) David Brooks calls these ‘resume virtues’ – their knowledge, experience, abilities." 09:25 - "Self-orientation – Take a moment to reflect on the term, self-orientation. What do you think of when you think of someone who is self-oriented?" 14:26 - "Use the equation as a journaling tool, using the initial ratings as a starting point and going deeper from there. (...) Focus on yourself and raising your own rating. You can even ask someone whom YOU trust to share their ratings of you."How did you do? What were the most surprising results?For more resources highlighted in this episode please visit the links below:A Guide to the Trust Equation:https://rise-leaders.com/trust-equation-guide-2/Episode 15: How to Talk About Race at Workhttps://rise-leaders.com/how-to-talk-about-race-at-work/Charles Green: The Trusted Advisor on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Trusted-Advisor-David-H-Maister/dp/0743212347/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Charles+Green%27s+The+Trusted+Advisor&qid=1597958450&sr=8-2To discuss executive coaching, leadership development program design and workshop facilitation please visit: https://rise-leaders.com/contact-info/
These types of conversations are High Fidelity because they provide strength and resonance for the people who engage in them. They’re designed to support the Core Ideology of the organization and especially support the people experiencing the change. LeeAnn describes nine elements important for launching these conversations. “Waiting until you have created the perfect, most elegant solution keeps you out of today’s game. Launch it!” High Fidelity Conversations Support Culture ChangeOrganizations are constantly changing due to both internal and external events.Mergers and acquisitions, disruptive technology, and various economic pressures, like those brought on by the Covid pandemic are prime examples. This year, in addition to facing a pandemic, the US had to deal with hard truths on racial injustice, and the need to address the topic in the workplace was no longer avoidable.On a previous Podcast episode, How to Talk About Race at Work, Drew Clancy and Lori Bishop shared how they tackled the topic head-on at PCI. They explained why they didn’t wait for the perfect long-term solution to address concerns about race and how they tied the conversations to their values and focus on increasing trust throughout the organization.Whether your goal is to step fully into conversations about race, or to committing to the successful adaptation of a critical change to your culture, it’s important to provide strength, alignment, and resonance, – or fidelity – for the people who engage in them.Do you know how to provide the proper framework for these delicate conversations?This entire episode has been created to guide leaders on how to begin culture change in their organization by following these nine actionable concepts for designing high fidelity conversations.A Few Elements from the Guide Described in the Episode05:52 - "Create a vision that everyone can see themselves in. And what that means is, create a compelling future that matters for people. People need to see how the change is going to benefit them and the organization long term." 07:26 - "And with conversations, that means listening and learning and being open to other points of view."10:36 - "Waiting will keep you out of the game today. And you want to balance this immediate action with the longer-term creation of policies and structures that provide resistance-free solutions."11:43 - "Naming the effort gives people language for how to refer to the change".For more resources highlighted in this audio episode please follow the links below:Episode 15: How to Talk About Race at Work https://rise-leaders.com/how-to-talk-about-race-at-work/Launching Culture Change through Hi-Fidelity Conversations guide:https://rise-leaders.com/hi-fi-conversations-icons/To discuss executive coaching, leadership development program design and workshop facilitation please visit: https://rise-leaders.com/contact-info/ To subscribe to the Rise Leaders newsletter for more resources: https://mailchi.mp/426e78bc9538/subscribe
Publishing Concepts (PCI) didn’t wait for the perfect long-term solution to address concerns about race. Drew Clancy, President, and Lori Bishop, CPO, saw people hurting and they responded. They thoughtfully organized Meaningful Conversations as a way to talk about race. This is their first step for improving long term trust and for healing throughout the entire workplace. “What we’re creating here is, first and foremost, just living our values. Just being who we say we are and digging deeper as it relates to the structural racism that we have all been forced to live in here in the United States...” Lori Bishop, CPO, Publishing Concepts – PCI “I think this calls for leadership and leaning into it… I think it’s a tremendous opportunity to ultimately strengthen the culture of the organization and have better conversations, better relationships, a stronger organization.” Drew Clancy, President, Publishing Concepts – PCI Where do you even start?Conversations in this domain can be delicate and deserve to be handled with care. It takes courage, commitment, and humility to open oneself to hear the experiences of those who have been marginalized. It can be uncomfortable. Start By Listening to Experiences[06:28] Drew: …what I said to them that afternoon was, I’m really just here to listen and I'm interested in your perspective. Many of these guys [African American male leaders at PCI], we’ve worked together for many years but we’d never had a conversation about race or these types of issues, and it was, I will say, for me, very eye-opening and just the level of frustration, the level of discouragement, the hopelessness in certain cases around what was going on.Each of the men told some version of a story of growing up and a parent or maybe a grandparent saying, “When you leave this house, you need to be very careful what you say, how you act, especially around law enforcement.” After that conversation, it really struck me that the advice they were getting was you essentially have to be invisible. Again, good advice but what a message to hear.I'm just fed up, and we've reached a moment in time when action is required here. As businesses, as a for-profit business, perhaps businesses – We can be part of the solution.Vulnerability + Courage[10:21] Lori: I was afraid. I have learned that I’m going to have to take off some masks... There's a level of safety and caution that I wasn't sure I can let go of and really embrace from a trust perspective. I had to tell myself, as a black person, all the things that I've heard from growing up and how my safety depended on me never trusting in white people. I had to admit that to myself before I could help Drew on this journey.Structure Your Conversations About Race[19:04] Lori: … the original conversations had breakout sessions … and people are very unvarnished and open … people are embracing it. They’re asking questions. They’re doing their homework. They’re sharing stories. They’re coming into levels of self-awareness that they never thought that they would have as people, and they’re doing it at work. To be able to experience this with people has been incredibly fulfilling.… and people are answering with real-life experiences. We’ve made that a rule because we don’t want to start debating, as Drew says, politics and a bunch of whataboutisms and frankly just ways to stay stuck on either side of this issue. …We decided that trust was the only way to get there…Links:Transcript:https://bit.ly/39256XbDrew Clancy:https://bit.ly/3p4CkL8Lori Bishop:a...
As an applied positive psychology and sport and performance psychology practitioner, Gloria Park, PhD is uniquely qualified to speak about how we continue to learn, grow, evolve, and even thrive in the face of challenge. And we are certainly being challenged in 2020! Gloria shares transformative skills and strategies during the interview. “I’m often navigating the tension between helping people do better at whatever craft they’ve chosen for themselves…and balancing that with how [they] do that AND maintain some degree of wellbeing. It’s my fervent belief that you can have both; that you can do well and be well.” Gloria Park, PhDRegoaling vs ReactingIt’s easy to get overwhelmed these days while we’re in the middle of the Covid-19 crisis and also trying to thoughtfully enter and positively impact the domain of racial injustice. In April, I attended a webinar co-lead by Gloria. It was very timely given the newness and shock concerning Covid-19. When I first heard the term, ‘re-goaling’, I thought, YES!, this is how I would describe the thoughtful and intentional shift I see some people making. It’s different from simply reacting. Re-goaling means that I consciously disengage from the old goal and thoughtfully create a new goal. It also means that I feel and acknowledge the continuum of emotions and engage in hope. In this interview, we explore ways to our own resilience.A few quotes that stand out for me:Covid’s Impact on the Human Psyche11:31 - "…everyone is dealing with this very deep sense of grief about things that matter deeply to them and now look no longer like they used to…the second place where people are really struggling is the uncertainty." The Important Role of Hope and Goals13:43 - "…what gives me hope is that people are finding things to be hopeful about despite all of the uncertainty and despite all of the grief…"26:36 – "But if you think about the average person and the goals we set for ourselves, we set those goals because they’re a reflection of things that are really valuable to us and they’re often tied, especially in the performance domain, deeply to our sense of self-worth and our identities, and you wouldn’t have set those goals if they didn’t mean a lot to you."C.R. Snyder’s Hope Theory: "People feel hope whey they have three things: they have a goal that they’re focused on; they have beliefs that they have the capacity within them to strive towards that goal; and that there are avenues available for them to be able to pursue those goals."29:38 – "A lot of the foundation of resiliency training, as well as a lot of the foundation for performance psychology, is about understanding the connections between those three things: your thoughts, your emotions, and your behaviors."43:51 – "But the accomplishments will always be there. The world will be there to await you to show up and be able to strive towards those things again. I think, right now, we really need to be paying attention to our wellbeing and figure out how we can support our families and support our employees in an organizational context to really help them navigate this crisis successfully."We’ve all heard of SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-driven); Gloria is also an advocate for DUMB goals! (42:05)Find resources on resilience at Eudaimonic by Design, especially Choosing Optimism: The Art of the Reframe. Also, find a...
David has followed up his wildly popular and super sticky book, The Power of TED: The Empowerment Dynamic with 3 Vital Questions: Transforming Workplace Drama. When we answer these questions and re-orient our perspective, we become more resilient and more likely to create the results we desire. “All leadership really starts with self-leadership and the way that we lead our own lives has everything to do with the quality of leadership that we bring to our organizations, frankly our families, our communities, our school system, etc.”David Emerald WomeldorffAsk these 3 Powerful Questions... when facing change, feeling stuck or dealing with workplace drama. They'll help you level up the results you get.Where are you placing your focus?How are you relating?What actions are you taking?David has followed up his wildly popular and super sticky book, TED: The Empowerment Dynamic with 3 Vital Questions: Transforming Workplace Drama. When we answer these questions and upshift our perspective, we become more resilient and more likely to create the results we desire. Highlights from the Interview[07:10] ...The first vital question is, Where are you putting your focus? The subtext to that is, are you focusing on problems, or are you focusing on outcomes? What informs that question is an organizing framework that I call FISBE. FISBE is an acronym that stands for Focus, Inner State and BEhavior. The idea is that what we focus on engages some emotional response. That inner state that then drives our behavior. [17:16] ...Vital Question Two is, How are you relating? How are you relating to others? How are you relating to your experience? And how are you relating to yourself? Are you relating in ways that produce, or perpetuate drama? Or are you relating in ways that empower others and yourself to be more resourceful, resilient and innovative?If our orientation is problem-focused, fear-based and reactive in nature, that creates the environment and the conditions for the Dreaded Drama Triangle, or DDT, which I'll explain in more detail in just a moment. I also want to say that if we can consciously choose to operate as much as possible out of that Outcome Orientation, where we're focused on what we care about, that our inner state is more passion-based and we're taking creative action, that creates the conditions for a different set of relationship roles and dynamics that we call TED or The Empowerment Dynamic.[31:29]: What actions are you taking? Are you merely reacting to the problems of the moment, or are you taking creative and generative action, including the solving of problems in service to outcomes? Dynamic tension informs the Third Vital Question.[32:42]: The three basic steps of dynamic tension are first and foremost, focus on the outcome and to be as clear as we can on the outcome, that the outcome can sometimes be clear and concrete, other times it may be more vague and directional.Then the second step is to step back and tell the truth about, what's my current reality in relation to the outcome? That engages a tension between what we want and what we're currently experiencing.The third piece of dynamic tension is to then determine and take baby steps that move from our current reality toward our envisioned outcome. Baby steps to me are things that as an individual, or team, we can choose to do that tend to be short-term and in organizational terms. LeeAnn, it could be as simple as, ‘I need to have a conversation’, or ‘we need to go gather this information’. Resources:Transcript:https://bit.ly/39ORe1F3 Vital Questions...
Bob Anderson has dedicated his career to exploring the intersections between leadership and personal mastery, and between competence and consciousness. Over the past 35 years, he has helped leaders gain deep, personal insight into their creative competencies that promote effective leadership, and their reactive tendencies that limit it. He is the creator of The Leadership Circle Profile, a 360 leadership assessment tool that provides integrated feedback in multiple domains across the Creative and Reactive categories. "A Creative style of leadership is driven by passion, purpose and vision and is about bringing into being what I care about and becoming who I most desire to be as a leader. Reactive leadership is about responding to problems, fears and threats.You can't create the kind of agile, adaptive innovative and engaged workplaces that we are trying to construct in order to thrive in a VUCA world. You literally can't create those cultures and systems and structures from a Reactive leadership mindset."- Bob AndersonThe Times Call for Exemplary LeadershipBob and I spoke on February 21, 2020. The date is significant because the first case of community-spread novel coronavirus had not yet been detected in the U.S. Today the U.S., as well as much of the globe, is in some sort of lockdown to prevent its spread. The lack of mention of Covid-19 seems tone-deaf today, as managing the spread and responding to the health and economic crises are all-consuming for many.Bob has spent the past few decades understanding what characteristics indicate a leaders’ ability to deal effectively with the increasingly complex situations they’re presented with. Our current, unfortunate predicament illustrates, even more, the need for agile, innovative and visionary leadership.Creative Leadership[17:26]: The highly effective, and Creative leaders had a very different set of strengths. They had all the other strengths in equal measure: technical strengths, domain knowledge, etc., but they excelled at people, ... people, teams, developing people, listening, approachable. Six out of the top 10 most commented-on strengths for the highly effective Creative leader group had to do with people and teams and their ability to develop people and lead them well.The next set of strengths was purpose, vision and authenticity, and that rounded out the top 10 list of the most effective leaders. Yes, they have their technical skills and their intellect and brilliance. You have to have that to play. That’s table stakes. It doesn’t define leadership, and it doesn’t scale if you’re trying to run your leadership through your own creative brilliance. It scales when you can develop that in others.The top 10 Creative competencies, according to write-in comments on the Leadership Circle Profile 360:[20:48]: Number one: Strong People Skills. 79% of leaders had three or more comments from their raters on good with people – 79%. Reactive leaders rated only 28% good with people. That just sums it up. If you look at the list, Strong People Skills, Visionary, Team Builder, Personable/Approachable, Leads by Example. That’s authenticity and integrity, right? Passion & Drive, that’s purpose. Good Listener, Develops People, Empowers People, Positive Attitude. That’s the top 10 list.Links:Transcript:https://bit.ly/39ORe1FCreative and Reactive dimensions of the model:https://bit.ly/3qEgNJGLeadership Circle Profile:a...
Conscious capitalism is a term, a movement and the name of the non-profit organization, Conscious Capitalism, Inc. (CCI), whose role it is to be the foundation of the movement. CCI brings business leaders together to share best practices for implementing the ideals of conscious capitalism.“By delivering a genuine, no-baloney product for our guests and environment for our employees to work in, we then could deliver for our shareholders… Starting from that place of authenticity and caring profoundly about the lives of other people leads to better financial results because of the way the economy and capitalism works.”Ron ShaichCEO and Founder, Panera BreadCan We Make Conscious Capitalism Redundant?That’s the long term goal.The general opinion of capitalism and of the for-profit business world is one of greed and scarcity, a winner-take-all mindset, and overpaid executives at the expense of underpaid and under-insured employees (just listen to the 2020 election rhetoric!). While that opinion has been earned, there is a movement underway that is gaining support from capitalist business leaders across the globe to change that.Alexander McCobin is CEO of Conscious Capitalism, Inc., an organization founded by successful corporate CEOs and founders who are committed to shepherding in a new way of running businesses. As Alexander says in the interview, it’s a Copernican Revolution, putting humans at the center of business rather than profits. And the good news is that it’s not an either-or choice. [10:29]“It’s about creating a foundation for people to build the movement the way they want to… We need to let a thousand flowers bloom if we’re going to achieve our long term goal, which is for Conscious Capitalism to become redundant.” [00:11:17] “The times are changing. This is an idea whose time has come, finally. A decade ago, when this idea was being kicked around and introduced to conferences and boardrooms, it was being laughed out of those spaces. It wasn’t taken seriously. The initial job of Conscious Capitalism Inc. and even the reason for writing the book was to make the case for this, to change people’s minds, because everyone thought business is just about maximizing profit, serving the shareholders, and everyone and everything else is serving that end.”[00:12:35] “The Business Roundtable is a group of 190, 200 or so CEOs of the largest companies in the United States. We’re talking everyone from J.P. Morgan, to Amazon, and if you know the name of the company and it’s a Fortune 100, it’s probably in there. In 1997, they adopted a statement on the purpose of the corporation being to serve shareholder interests. That this is the reason they exist.Last year they changed that. They said that the purpose of the corporation is to serve a higher purpose and to take care of all their stakeholders. They basically took the conscious capitalist’s credo, reworded and adopted themselves, and that is tremendously exciting because it shows these principles and ideas are becoming well-accepted and these are CEOs making a commitment that this is how they’re going to run their businesses going forward that they can now be held accountable to.”[00:22:29]: “That is part of the stakeholder model. We need businesses to be at the forefront of addressing the challenges of climate change and environmental degradation conservation. Business has the greatest impact in these areas and it has the greatest opportunity to innovate and figure out what the solution is, because we’re not there yet and it’s not going to come from committee.”Links:Transcript:https://bit.ly/35YHMYJLarry Fink’s 2020 Letter:
Bonnie Pitman shares how Doing Something New inspires us to make each day extraordinary. Her Power of Observation Framework instructs us on the critical steps for moving from the first glance to making new meaning of our observations. She is both delightful and incredibly grounded in her approach to appreciating the banal and sublime. Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.Albert Szen-Gyorgi1937 Nobel Laureate Make Everyday ExtraordinaryAwe and wonder are getting a lot of attention these days because of what happens in our brain when we’re in these states of mind. Inspiration and generosity spike and we feel more connected to the world around us. And as a result, stress and rumination decrease*. Overall wellbeing is amplified. The great news is that we can experience awe and wonder as part of our daily life – we just have to become more aware of what is already in our midst.Bonnie Pitman, with her long and distinguished history in the world of art, developed two foundational practices that support the onboarding of these states in response to a life-changing illness that she continues to navigate. *Source: What Awe Looks Like in Your Brain (https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_awe_looks_like_in_the_brain)Stand-out Quotes from My Interview With Bonnie[14:04]“Do Something New is about having the courage to take a moment and really celebrate it. And finding a way … to move beyond simply seeing and looking to really deep observation, or deep listening. It’s about going further than I normally would.” [16:06] “I’ve discovered that one of the really important things, which we’ve been talking about, comes from my meditation practice: the power of staying in the moment and just seeing things in new ways, or seeing the world in new ways. To slow down and really invest in those moments and to – just like when you’re meditating – focus on your breathing, focus on the people or the place”[22:33] “…80% of the way you acquire information is through visual images. Particularly important for physicians is that ability to see if a patient over the days that they are seeing them in the hospital, or in their clinics is evolving in a positive way, or a negative way. That need to be able to look quickly and observe quickly and get solid information, to be able to remember it is something that’s very important for them.”[ 25:56 ] “Those tangible, experiential moments transform a two-dimensional experience into memory in your brain. Now your hippocampus – your whole limbic system – is working in a different way and at a higher level to codify this memory as one you’re going to hold on to.”The Do Something New™ practiceTake a few minutes of an ordinary day and make it extraordinary through:New placesNew peopleNew experiencesNew experiences with old friends in new waysNew big things & new little thingsNew flavors of ice cream are ok!Cannot be work or medicalCannot carry forward to the next dayThe Power of Observation Framework™Scanning – Taking a first lookAttending – Focusing intentionally over timeConnecting – Seeking and processing information to make new connectionsTransforming – Engaging deeply and creating a personal responseNote: Download the full Power...
Drew Clancy, President of Publishing Concepts (PCI), is a self-proclaimed ‘cultural enthusiast’. His commitment to the core elements of culture has resulted in year-over-year growth and consistent recognition as a Best Place to Work. As a third-generation leader, he has brought this near 100–year-old family business solidly into the 21st Century through innovation and servant leadership. We Inspire Dreams and Transform Lives - PCI’s Purpose A Successful Third-Generation Family BusinessDrew Clancy is President of PCI, a midsize, third-generation family business headquartered in Dallas, Texas. In 2021, they will celebrate 100 years in operation, and like any company that has weathered that much time, they’ve experienced iterations and evolutions. In 1982, Jack Clancy, Drew’s father, breathed new life into the company and gave it a new name: Publishing Concepts, now best known as PCI. They’re in the business of “helping college, university, and association clients engage their alumni and membership and raise money in order to fulfill their mission of educating our nation’s future leaders”.Drew entered the picture in 1995 after his father suffered a heart attack and could no longer bring his energy and presence to the business. Drew navigated the company past the ‘founder’s trap’ as described by Dr. Ichak Adizes, creator of the Adizes Corporate Lifecycle, and steered PCI toward sustainability. And it’s working – PCI continues excellent financial performance, targeting $50M in revenue this year, doubling 2016’s performance. Organizational Culture as a Business StrategyWe spent the bulk of our time discussing Drew’s passion: workplace culture. He is a strong believer in Servant Leadership and sees creating a thriving workplace as a foundational business strategy. His orientation is paying off: PCI has appeared on both Dallas Morning News 100 Best Places to Work and Best Companies to Work for in Texas, nabbing first place in 2015 & 2016. Even with these accolades, he doesn’t take culture for granted, claiming “you have to work for it every day”.They have a term for the central elements of their culture, theFIVE:5 Elements of the core ideology: Purpose, Values, Vision, Goals, Commitment5 Values: Excellence, Unlock Human Potential, Act with Integrity, Innovate a Culture of Relationships & Fun, Lead with a Servant’s HeartStructure Will Set You FreeA best-place-to-work culture will not happen by wishing for it. It won’t even happen if you articulate your core ideology (Jim Collins’ term for Purpose, Vision and Values) and hang posters throughout the workspace. You have to take action.Drew is keen on the idea that “structure sets you free”. Liberating structures are created to channel individual or group energy toward a specific goal. James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits, guides individuals to make tiny shifts in daily behaviors that will lead to big results.PCI’s Organizational Rhythm:“Try a lot of things and keep what works”. This is the advice Drew gleaned from Jim Collins’ epic book, Built to Last. Here’s what is working for PCI now:Annual Planning – YearlyMonthly Extended Leadership Meeting – Trail Blazers meeting for anyone leading a team, project, product, client relationship, etc. This meeting is focused on growth and learning.Weekly – CEO Council. This is an L-10 meeting (Level 10 from EOS)Daily Huddle – 10 minutes at 8:30a, called the 10@8:30. These meetings share critical information such as metrics (transparency is key), updates, and progress and also keep team members focused on ‘theFIVE’Best Companies to Work for...
Lauren Clarke is the founder of Turn Compost, a wildly successful social enterprise focused on reducing food waste and improving how we utilize our urban environment. She shares alarming and exciting statistics about food waste and the blooming food waste industry. She also gives essential advice to anyone with the vision of starting a social enterprise. My passion for gardening may strike some as selfish, or merely an act of resignation in the face of overwhelming problems that beset the world. It is neither. I have found that each garden is just what Voltaire proposed in Candide: a microcosm of a just and beautiful society. ”Andrew Weil On Earth Day 2018 Lauren Clarke launched Turn Compost, Dallas’ first subscription composting service. Turn has experienced phenomenal growth, proving that it’s possible to run a profitable company that truly and clearly does good. In 18 months, Turn’s subscription service has grown to 17 zip codes in Dallas and 8 drop-off locations in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. Revenues are up 648% comparing Q3 2018 to Q32019. Any start-up would love these numbers! A Social Enterprise Model[10:43] Turn Compost is a Social Enterprise, or Social Impact business. In short, it’s a business that does good by addressing a social or environmental problem AND it does well by being financially self-sustaining. Social Enterprises and Social Impact businesses may be non- or for-profit. Turn is a for profit business. The Business of Food WasteFood Waste is a big problem in the U.S. It makes up about 40% of our landfills and if it were a country, would be the third-largest emitter of methane gas behind the U.S. and China. [02:38] Tackling food wastage can be a 2.5 trillion market opportunity for business according to an article by CNBC .[05:35] Turn is a private, organic waste pickup subscription service with both doorstep and drop off services. It’s a very innovate model! Organic waste is processed three different ways: it’s donated to local farms and gardens, turned into small amounts of compost and delivered back to members, and finally they partner with commercial composting facilities for other post-consumer waste. [07:51]Bonton Farms and Farmers Assisting Returning Military (F.A.R.M.) are examples of two local farms that receive Turn donations.The City of Dallas does not currently compost (yet!); you can learn more about Dallas’ Comprehensive Environmental Climate Action Plan and give input at their website. [11.56]The Vision: Getting Reconnected With FoodThere’s a cost for us with all the innovations in food delivery: it’s getting us further disconnected from the source. We aren’t experiencing the growth cycles, the work that goes into food production and the satisfaction of providing for ourselves. [15:05]Horticultural Therapy is a term being used for the therapeutic effects of gardening. [18:25] Bonton Farms, mentioned above, sees farming as a way to “redefine a community”. Lauren gives some advice on starting a social impact business: [20:33]make sure it’s financially sustainable now and has future growth potentialassemble an advisory council of experts from various industries who will “get in your face” and tell you the truthbe open to listening to the adviceA Deeper PurposeLauren’s big WHY – the ultimate reason she started Turn:[25:08] You know I care about my children, but I care about other children and children in all sorts of communities, wealthy and poor, and their connection with food and their understanding of it…it’s very concerning that there are children and families who are...
Michelle Kinder is well-known in the domains of social-emotional learning, education and family counseling. She is also an authoritative voice in the discourses of leadership, stress, emotional health, trauma and parenting. Her increasing passion about historical and structural inequities has led her to make an important shift in her career, which we explore in depth in our conversation. In the midst of her transition, Michelle has taken time to slow down and adjust her focus from striving to one of getting results with a sense of ease and groundedness. This inside-out approach takes self-awareness, persistence and patience. She talks honestly about her experience in this episode. “If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” - Lilla Watson Michelle shares how growing up in Guatemala influenced her perspective on social issues and how this developed her capacity to innovate and problem-solve. We hear her view on the destructive “us” and “them” narratives that often accompany outreach efforts and how cultural forces are counterproductive to our ability to be grounded and sensitive as individuals. We discuss the focus of Momentous Institute, her new partnership with the Stagen Leadership Academy, and her collaboration with Rex Miller, with whom she is co-authoring a book on the challenges of educators. Michelle advises that, for us to be most effective in bringing about positive change, we need to do the required work of regulating our own nervous systems. She speaks frankly on her view about the responsibilities of the corporate and philanthropic worlds in establishing a more equitable society.A Deeper Layer of Leadership Development“What are the ways we can change our relationship with fear and stress and ego and show up in a more self-regulated/mutually regulated way?”Michelle’s journey of shifting from striving to listening and surrendering, of calming and “clearing the vessel”.There are many forces in our culture that pull us away from our grounded, sensitive selves.We can become addicted, or at least very accustomed to an ‘air-traffic controller’ way of living and working.There is often a need to reset our neurobiology and to build up a tolerance for the lack of activity, or busy-ness.Practices for “regulating our nervous system”:Mindfulness, meditationReflective JournalingGuided body scan (try one of the many from Insight Timer). Becoming more familiar with where you hold stress raises your awareness of tightness in those areas.Unplugging completely from: work, email, digital devices, social media. Schedule periods of time daily. Prolonged periods that include full days or weeks can also be scheduled.Regular exercise or movementConsistent 7 – 9 hours of sleepTime in nature. Eating whole, unprocessed foodsRegular checks for alignment with personal valuesThe Upstream of the UpstreamThe importance of focusing on a community’s ability to create the spaces in which children can thrive.There are historical structures that benefit certain groups while disabling others.“How is my long straw connected to someone else’s short straw?”The important role of the corporate and policy world in creating social change.Can we honorably grapple with each other as we explore these questions? Here’s what else you need to know:Michelle shared several important statistics from Momentous Institute’s research on the impact of their work with children of ages 3yrs old – 5th grade and their families....
What does wellbeing mean to you? Are you thriving? How would you know?Renee Moorefield is a dear friend, a spectacular creator and a wise woman. She and business- and life- partner, David, have developed a groundbreaking assessment for wellbeing. Be Well Lead Well Pulse® is based on over thirty years of experience in the areas of wellness, change management and leadership transformation. In this conversation, we follow the thread that began in exercise physiology, winds through Renee’s own experience as a leader and has evolved into a very integrated way to assess wellbeing. At the center of the Universe dwells the Great Spirit. And that center is really everywhere. It is within each of us. - Black Elk Without a global revolution in the sphere of human consciousness, nothing will change for the better in the sphere of our being as human. - Vaclav HavelFollowing A ThreadEarly in the interview, Renee tells us about a thread that has run through her life – ” a deep belief in our capacity to be well and to thrive”. Her thread runs like this:The journey begins with pursuing a degree in Exercise Physiology.We all have threads, how would you trace yours? In my view, a thread is closely tied to our life’s purpose.Wellness or Wellbeing?Wellness – as it is typically used in the U.S., refers to lifestyle behaviors such as nutrition, sleep, exercise, and even breath. But early on, as Renee shares in the interview, forward thinkers such as Halbert Dunn, M.D., Ph.D. were describing wellness in ways that included the ‘spirit of man’. I found an absolutely fascinating article written by Dr. Dunn; in it he says this about Knowing Thyself:“Psychology tells us through laboratory demonstrations that our perceptions of the outer world are indissolubly linked with the concepts and emotions fixed in our minds and body tissues. Without a knowledge of one’s inner self, understanding of the outer world cannot have breadth and depth. A mind tortured with prejudice, hate, and fear projects itself in distorted human relationships.”In reading about Dunn and the impact he had on the holistic wellness movement I’m reminded of all the shoulders we stand on.It’s easy to draw a line from High-Level Wellness, as he describes, to the effectiveness and impact of a person who is leading others.My favorite definition of wellbeing, a la Renee, is “our internal resourcefulness to meet the demands of our external world”. She adds another aspect to include how we are in relationship with others – that we exist in relationship. These are both in line with how Dr. Dunn considered wellness in the 1950’s!Here’s what the Be Well Lead Well Pulse® measures. You can see how the aspects of wellbeing we discussed, plus more, are reflected:Thriving – your evaluation of your own wellbeing now, plus the optimism you hold for your future.Fuel – how you energize yourself physically, mentally and emotionally; this includes diet, movement, rest + breath.Flow – aka being in ‘the zone’; engagement, presence, mindfulness and the feeling of bringing value to your work.Wonder – continuously evolving your worldviews and perspectives with appreciation and awe; learning and...
Jacqui Bliss and Renee Reed, owners of Anytime Fitness Bishop Arts District share how they’ve built a great culture through relationship-based leadership and continuous learning. We also talk about how they stay relevant in a changing industry and their experience in growing the business even as their own relationship was tested. Culture eats strategy for lunch - Peter Drucker Anytime Fitness Bishop Arts is in the 97th percentile of clubs (of 2,475 clubs) in the Anytime Fitness franchise system and quite easily achieved status as a Platinum Club. Several metrics combine for this designation: member retention, financial results, team member retention, and their PLEASE scores, which are based on the club’s alignment with corporate values.I have a colleague who likes to say, leaders get the organizations they deserve. Owners Jacqui Bliss and Renee Reed have a lot to be proud of and they are getting exactly what they worked hard for and thus deserve.A Creative vs Reactive OrientationJacqui and Renee articulated over and over what they cared about and what they want to bring into being during our conversation. This way of thinking is called a Creative Orientation. Quite simply, keeping your sights on goals, vision, values, and purpose results in more passion and less drama; more sustainable results and fewer rollercoaster rides. Leaders who lead this way build motivated, inspired and high-achieving organizations.An Inclusive EnvironmentInclusion and diversity are powerful words these days. The AF BAD club is a microcosm of Oak Cliff, with all the shapes, sizes, ages, races, gay, straight, trans, and decorated people you can imagine. If you’re not comfortable with all that, this probably isn’t the place for you. Inclusion is good for business and good for humankind.Staying RelevantMost industries have experienced significant shifts in the past decade or so – just look at the retail, taxi, and news industries as proof. The fitness industry is no exception. Renee and Jacqui stay relevant by:Investing in leadership and organizational development.Committing wholeheartedly to their decisions. Updating equipment and renovating the space.Always researching and learning. Using Social Media in positive ways to tell good stories.If you want to make it in today’s world it requires constant evolution.Navigating Partnerships Renee and Jacqui beautifully illustrate a new composition. With the same dedication and commitment with which they seem to run the rest of their life, they have made their way to a very positive and respectful business collaboration. They are also parents to an exceptional son and they’re doing a fantastic job in their shared parenting – vacationing and spending holidays together as a family.Based on the success Jacqui and Renee have experienced in their situation, here are a few questions to consider if you find yourself in one that is similar:Re-assess your vision for the business. Do you still feel strongly about it and want it to succeed?When the emotional dust particles settle, is your business partner someone who you respect and who you feel has a similar work ethic? Was the business partnership working, even if the life partnership wasn’t? Are you willing to ‘do your work’ and learn about your contributions to the breakdown and declare to improve in those areas?Can you move past the hurt and work without resentment?I’m not an expert in this matter, but it seems if you can answer ‘yes’ to these questions you have a good starting point for the next iteration of your evolving business. Links: Anytime Fitness: a...
Christian’s success in residential development is built on lessons he learned while training as a professional golfer. From mentors like Hank Haney and ‘Psycho Dave’ Esterbrook, he learned how to set and achieve goals, practice with intention and how to work hard. His professional golf plans were shattered due to a back injury when he was 28 years old. In this interview, Christian shares his journey to his current and very fulfilling life. Passion is the result of a good life design, not the cause.Bill Burnett & Dave Evans, Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life I knew that Christian’s story would be interesting because while he was building his residential development business he also finished a Masters degree in Transpersonal Psychology at Naropa University in Boulder, CO. This all came on the heels of an existential exit as a professional golfer as a result of a career-ending back injury. Let all that sink in!He now owns and operates Christian Chernock Properties, a design + build firm in Dallas that focuses on the revitalization of historic and conservation districts. His intellect and focus on sustainable and future-focused design pushes the edges – and some local residents’ buttons, too!Christian’s background as a high performing athlete and his ongoing commitment to ‘leave it all on the field’ have been instrumental to his success.The Details Designing a Life: Unbeknownst to me, there is a term for putting intentional thought and then creating a strategy for realizing it: Lifestyle Design. Tim Ferris coined the term in his book, The Four-Hour Work Week. I have always called it ‘visioning’ and do ‘visioning’ work with individual clients and with teams and organizations. In fact, clarity around what one is expending time and resources towards is important, especially as it evolves.Stanford professors Bill Burnett and Dave Evans have written a fantastic book that applies design thinking principles to life and career: Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life. Self-AwarenessSelf-awareness means that you are conscious of various aspects of yourself: your thoughts, your feelings and emotions – including emotional and physical responses; your moods; your capabilities; your beliefs and biases; and the impact your behaviors and actions have on others, and more.Self-awareness is a foundational skill in development and change.Finding Flow, or Timeless AwarenessWhen faced with the rest of his life ahead of him and previous plans shattered, Christian asked himself where he found passion. Since childhood, he would get lost in designing and building things, first with Legos and then through architecture classes in high school.Breaking Down GoalsChristian’s description and examples of breaking down a vision into smaller goals may be the best I’ve heard.Luck and wishful thinking don’t make extraordinary achievements happen. We’ve heard of the saying, An overnight success that took 10 years. Look at any level of sustainable achievement and a process like his goal-breakdown and some semblance of deliberate practice underlies it. Links:https://fourhourworkweek.com/http://www.christianchernock.com/http://hankhaney.com/Rise Leaders newsletter:
Dallas City Council Member Chad West shares his vision, the importance of accessibility, community engagement and creating a sense of place. Citizenship is a chance to make a difference in the place where you belong. Charles Handy First a look behind the curtain. I had the chance to see Chad West in action when our technology broke down and his tech-support partner had to switch out his laptop. A half-hour ticked away, and I was getting antsy about having enough time for a meaningful interview.This breakdown afforded me the gift of eavesdropping on Chad as he continued to work calmly with his assistant in the background, answering a few questions and ultimately delaying his next meeting so that we had enough time for the interview.Chad had previously shared with me that he is a stickler about keeping commitments. Integrity is high on his list of virtues. I witnessed him walking his talk while also staying kind and generous with employees. This recollection reassures me that we elected the right person for Oak Cliff and for Dallas.First Impressions and AccessibilityAccessibility to constituents and clients is important to Chad and is expected for a City Council Member (CM). I experienced that firsthand when he personally answered my call and accepted the podcast interview invitation without a previous introduction.To balance his extreme availability, he’s sure to bake downtime into the end of his day for reading or other solitary activities. Balancing the Whole and PartsI wondered about competing commitments between District 1 (D-1, our district) and the City’s vision and goals. Unique challenges of D1: we’re one of the oldest neighborhoods in Dallas with the original street grid, old infrastructure and tons of new development.Importance of public engagement:Neighborhood feedback is very important when trying to encourage developers to include pedestrian & neighborhood-friendly elements in their projects.Engagement also poses challenges. People will question Chad, and rightly so. While this creates more work, lack of engagement causes a neighborhood to lose its character.Chad is working to build trust in lower-engagement neighborhoods by attending non-city events and getting to know the neighbors so that they, too, are able to influence their future.Building relationships and trust with other Council Members is important for moving both the city and individual districts forward.Holding the Vision + Integrating Thought LeadershipOak Cliff is a gem with 100-year-old street-car informed grids and adjacent neighborhoods. Bishop Arts is a great example.In the plans: Oak Farms, a mixed-use development with workforce housing, market-rate housing, retail, and plazas.Two major streets will be repurposed. The new streetcar between downtown Dallas and North Oak Cliff, pedestrians and bicycles will be routed to one street, with cars on the other. This will improve safety and accessibility.D Magazine’s New Urbanism edition included an article by Oak Cliff resident and Urbanism expert, Patrick Kennedy: Bishop Arts Can Be a Model for Southern Dallas DevelopmentThere’s a focus on preserving single-family neighborhoods; once you take them down you can never get them back.More trail expansions are in the works, linking people with parks.A strong sense of place is being ignited.Reflections + Resources + Practical ApplicationsBuilding Trust & RelationshipsThe Trusted Advisor’s Trust Equation is a helpful way to consider trust and the components of trust. Holding a Long-Term VisionNotice...
David shares his thoughts on meaningful work, spotting talent and the complex topic of gentrification. He riffs on developing real estate by reinvigorating beautiful old buildings and how a community developed an independent spirit. Good work, done well for the right reasons and with an end in mind, has always been a sign, in most human traditions, of an inner and outer maturity. Its achievement is celebrated as an individual triumph and a gift to our societies.David Whyte, Crossing the Unknown Sea David Spence is a commercial and residential real estate re-developer in Oak Cliff, Dallas, TX. His specialty is the meticulous re-imagining and re-constructing of beautiful old spaces. If you are familiar with the area, Lucia and Dude, Sweet Chocolate are located in the Bishop Arts Building, his very first project. This is also where the Good Space office is and where we held our interview.David’s background and credentials include Peace Corp work in Guatemala, an MBA, a law degree and a love (and talent) for fixing up old things. This type of intellectual horsepower, paired with a commitment to community, is not uncommon here in Oak Cliff.The Integral Nature of Structure, Culture and Individual CapacitiesDavid cites the historic flooding of the Trinity River, which often isolated the southern sector of Dallas. This isolation required that residents develop a sense of independence and resourcefulness. This isn’t exactly the same thing as grit, but those who built successful lives in Oak Cliff likely had it. Even today one has to work a little harder for access to services and other basics of life when they live in Oak Cliff.A Complex PerspectiveDavid shares experiences and opinions on balancing progress and preservation and on gentrification. These are complex topics, as opposed to complicated ones. Knowing the distinction is important if your desire is to make lasting change.Progress and Preservation could also be studied through Polarity Management. In short, two positive outcomes (here, progress and preservation) are seen as opposites that can be managed rather than considering them as either/or. The intent is to maximize the positives of each pole and minimize the negative.Meaningful WorkAs a kid, David would create useful items, like lamps, out of trashcan finds. He has always been able to see new uses for old things. Today it’s buildings – and he’s really good at it!Our long-time interests and passions are often clues to our purpose. Have you identified yours? How does it get expressed?How do you feel about ‘meaningful work’, and do you have it? How do you expand your focus and energy beyond your goals and tasks, to include elevating others? Do you find ways to invest in a community of which you are a member? Illustrations of David – What happened before recording…Stakeholder OrientationBefore we started, David made a quick call to a residential neighbor of one of his commercial tenants, a small, thriving bar on West Davis Street. The tenant’s lease is coming up for renewal and before he renews it David wants to make sure they are good neighbors. Parking can be an issue in Oak Cliff and the resident tells David that sometimes the bar customers infringe on his property with their parking choices. David offers to yellow-stripe the street so that this doesn’t continue to happen. This gesture serves everyone: the neighbor, David and his tenant, the thriving bar. David is a master at tending to his stakeholders.It’s a good practice to be consistently aware of those whom your business impacts through stakeholder mapping. Most all businesses have...
Rise Leaders Radio is a podcast about Exemplary Leadership. Season 1 highlights leaders in Oak Cliff, a community just south of Downtown Dallas, TX. The land itself has fostered a sense of independence and built resilience and resourcefulness in its citizens; the business and community leaders amplify this. I interviewed several people that tell different stories of leading in Oak Cliff. Rise Leaders Radio is a podcast focused on Exemplary Leadership. The following statement pretty much sums it up:At its very essence, leadership is a calling to serve. In a world increasingly at risk, leadership is a vocation that can link diverse people from all walks of life to create remarkable achievements. As such, leaders play a key role in designing a thriving future for all who inhabit this beautiful planet.Bob Anderson & Bill AdamsScaling Leadership: Building Organizational Capability and Capacity to Create Outcomes that Matter Most; Wiley, 2019 It feels very appropriate that I launch Rise Leaders Radio with a season focused on movers and shakers in Oak Cliff. This part of Dallas, situated just south of downtown, drew me in like a magnet. My husband and I read about projects and movements initiated by citizens, business and civic leaders in this part of the city and couldn’t get here fast enough. Independence and resourcefulness fueled by passion and intelligence have made living here an ongoing lesson in leadership.I hope this first season, focused on local leadership, inspires you to appreciate the risks people in your own neighborhood or organization take. Financial investment is only one type of risk. People who take bold steps to actualize their ideas also invest precious time and energy and open themselves up to scrutiny and criticism because not everyone will agree with their ideas. If you are one of these committed citizens or business leaders, thank you for putting yourself out there. As this Trailer is being edited and published, I am about halfway through my interviews. That’s why you only hear four voices in the trailer, in addition to mine.A heartfelt thanks go to those that raised their hand to go first and be a guest on the first season. Through these interviews and communication afterward, I’ve had the privilege to deepen my relationship with several of them and hope to circle back to discuss the amazing things I’m learning from and about them. So far on the show:Jennifer Touchet and the vision for Twelve Hills Nature Center, bonus interview with Jennifer Stuart, founder of SeedschoolDavid Spence owner of Good SpaceChad West, Dallas City Council District 1, and Chad West Law, PLCCJacqui Bliss and Renee Reed, owners of Anytime Fitness Dallas (Bishop Arts)Christian Chernock, founder of Christian Chernock...
Season 1 of Rise Leaders Radio is focused on a unique type of entrepreneurial leadership that happens in Oak Cliff (Dallas, TX) at the community, business and civic levels. Jennifer Touchet kicks off the storytelling by sharing how Twelve Hills Nature Center was envisioned, fought for and created by the community. It’s a story of win-win-win with a variety of stakeholders, shared vision, positive politics and power. Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.– Margaret Mead I begin Season 1 by interviewing Jennifer Touchet. She played a pivotal role in saving a parcel of land that was slated for re-development at the end of the street where I now live. I was not expecting to learn such deep and transferable lessons from her. I knew by reading the donor names and invocation inscribed in a rock at the entrance of Twelve Hills Nature Center that a significant effort had been undertaken and that someone(s) had been in charge. Jennifer shares wisdom that is useful for anyone, anywhere, leading change.EASTER EGG ALERT! Stay tuned to the end of this episode to hear my visit to Seedschool, a small school that convenes weekly at Twelve Hills in a converted bus named Matilda. The owner, Jennifer Stuart, is another Oak Cliff Hero. You’ll be delighted by sounds of children learning!Takeaways from our conversation:Use a communication style that invites other perspectives. Acknowledge that there are multiple stakeholders. Understand where the power and influence are and who has it through Power Mapping when you’re leading change. Start with a shared vision and let it evolve. Use inclusive strategies to widen the circle and increase engagement. Adopt a ‘win≠ winner take all’ core belief. Consider that there are no permanent enemies and no permanent allies. Commit for the long term. Links:Power-mapping:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_mappingFollow Twelve Hills Nature Center:https://twelvehills.org/Follow Seedschool:http://www.seedpreschool.org/Connect to Jennifer:https://bit.ly/2M92Q7E To subscribe to the Rise Leaders newsletter for more resources: https://mailchi.mp/426e78bc9538/subscribeTo discuss executive coaching, leadership development program design, and workshop facilitation, please visit: https://rise-leaders.com/contact-info/
This series began with a conversation with my client, Jennifer Bartkowski, and we’re concluding the same way.Jennifer is the ‘very proud’ CEO of Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas. In Fall of 2022 we launched a multi-month, cohort- and practice-based leadership program: Reimagine Girl Scouts Leadership Academy. We’ve tracked the journey and interviewed subject matter experts in key content areas that we covered.Today we talk about the final results of the program and a few lessons learned. Here are a few highlights:The general structure of the program, including primary topic areasWe share actual survey results in key areas as well as observations and impact they have seen on the team and organization as a whole. There were plenty of unplanned and unexpected positive results for the organization and individual participants during the program, and after.Jennifer provides her insights on how she’s seen her staff transform and what’s been happening on the inside since the program’s inception.We name some key structures we had in place that contributed to the smooth running of the programThe importance of a mutually respectful relationship between client and consultantThe impetus of the program was to develop the skills and attributes needed to accomplish the GSNETX mission and that seems to be happening!We’re launching another program with a few adjustments based on what we learnedIf you’d like to get the details discussed in this episode, including what worked and what we learned, and to see key survey results, visit: https://bit.ly/45R34UkTo discuss executive coaching, leadership development program design, and workshop facilitation, please visit: https://rise-leaders.com/contact-info/To subscribe to Rise Words newsletter, visit: https://mailchi.mp/426e78bc9538/subscribeLearn more about Rise Leaders at www.rise-leaders.comConnect with LeeAnn Mallory on Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeannmallory/Follow Rise Leaders on our YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/47Wk8doConnect with Jennifer Bartkowsk on Linked Ini: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferbartkowski/Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas: https://www.gsnetx.org/Also mentioned in this episode:Rhonda Williams, Phd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhondawilliams14/Moira Variames: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moira-variames-14228877/George Floyd: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_FloydDeloitte: https://www2.deloitte.com/CoSpera: https://cosperoconsulting.com/Yield Giving: