Welcome to the introductory episode of On the Balcony, a truly insightful podcast where leadership coach and facilitator Michael Kohler takes a deep dive into Ronald Heifetz’s  revolutionary book, Leadership Without Easy Answers, to uncover the theoretical and practical lessons it offers.  Not only are you invited to read along in the book as each episode covers a chapter in order, but you are also welcome to join Michael as he, himself, receives coaching that brings to life the message of that chosen chapter. This podcast represents a personal and professional journey toward leadership development and increased self-awareness that will prove both educational and actionable. 

Fellow coaches Rosi Greenberg and Andy Cahill join Michael for this premier episode which opens up with a discussion about the concept of leadership as a verb - all about mobilization, action, and understanding.  They go on to reveal that one can use their identity, wisdom, and acknowledgement of biases in service of their work.  Even more importantly, however, leadership requires a familiarity with silence.  In a field that’s typically associated with the spoken word, sometimes the pauses in between are far more important. The practice of leadership requires one to be in tune with the information in between the lines. Michael goes on to chat with Andy about how to genuinely follow through on commitments, find those commitments in the first place, and lead with values and intention.  The pair close out the episode by talking about intuition and the importance of taking baby steps, especially when it comes to embarking on a journey outside of your comfort zone. A formidable introduction to a powerful new podcast, today’s episode marks the first step in a crucial leadership journey. Joining this journey will prove a powerful investment in your own development .

The Finer Details of This Episode: 

• How to mobilize people (verb, mobilization, understanding)
• Managing loss
• Themes of silence
• Introduction and Chapter 1 ‘Values and Leadership’
• Identity, wisdom, and bias
• Why leadership isn’t value-neutral
• Following through on commitments
• Resisting change
• Listening to intuition
• Taking baby steps

Quotes: 

“​​Definitions of what leadership actually is remain abstract and not really aligned.  The old joke goes that leadership professors would rather share the same toothbrush than the same definition of leadership.”

“Unlike what you may have heard before, it is not that people are resisting change. People love change if it's in their favor. Nobody gives back the winning lottery ticket or the room upgrades. What people resist is loss, real loss or perceived loss.”

“Rosie is a leadership coach, an artist, and most of the time, she combines these two practices in one as she did when she co-created the cover of our podcast. On her website, she writes that she spent 34 years trying to be less messy, but realized it's actually way funner to just embrace it.”

“Leadership is not personality. Leadership is not a set of tools. Leadership is not a role… It's a practice; it's an activity. It's a verb.”

“Music also teaches us to distinguish the varieties of silence: restless, energized, bored, tranquil, and sublime. Silence creates moments so that something new can be heard.”

“There's something that we were told when we were four or five, we’ve got to stop making messes... And so we’ve got to just dive into them and figure them out rather than avoid them.”

“My aspiration is that we can go deeper than we often get the chance to in the frenetic pace of our day-to-day lives. So that's what I try and bring into all of my coaching with my clients, and hope to bring that today here.”

“There's something here that's activating your nervous system right now. And that's a pretty good clue that you're entering territory that's uncomfortable and a bit risky.” 

“Take a moment to connect your hand to your heart. And with as much compassion and non-judgment as you can muster, gently bring your conscious attention here to your heart, where you feel this fragility and this warmth.”

“The belonging I'm actually looking for is the belonging that is generated, that is created in that moment of really getting to know people and really deeply connecting with them, including the ‘not so pretty’ sides. I mean, that's the belonging I want. 

Links: 

On The Balcony

Leadership Without Easy Answers

Rosi Greenberg

Andy Cahill

Mentioned in this episode:

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