Working to Be a Leader

In February 1982, I was working as the Administrative Assistant to the Vice President of Public Affairs at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.  The job felt like a good fit for someone who wanted to use her writing skills and transition into a corporate job.  (A few years as an elementary school teacher taught me that the playground/playing field was not big enough for my skills and interests.)  My then husband was in a Ph.D. program on campus and that, too, made the position a good one.  (FYI:  Today my ex-husband is an esteemed professor of English Literature at a very good college.)

 “March is Women’s Month at Brandeis” was the headline on a brochure that caught my attention one day as I was going through the VP’s mail.  I carefully read the list of all the events being scheduled throughout the month and looked for one I could attend.  “What about a program for the women who work on campus!”  I thought after not finding even one program. “Don’t we exist?”

Leigh (l), Moderator, "9 to 5 The Brandeis Way"

 Taking the initiative, I met with a Women’s Studies professor and proposed a panel discussion called, “9 to 5 The Brandeis Way.”  We discussed my idea of having women I knew from different departments share their stories about job sharing, part-time work, and other experiences of being employed at the university.

 “If one person shows up for the program, consider yourself lucky,” the professor kindly cautioned.  Her words made me more determined to develop an audience.  I created a flyer and posted it around campus, submitted a news release to the local paper, contacted professors I knew, and tried to be positive that in addition to the panelists and my then husband, other people would attend the event.

 Seventy-five staff, students, and faculty showed up for “9 to 5 The Brandeis Way,” the first of what became a series of panel discussions on workplace issues.  The event was a success and, as my career evolved, a path I continued to travel.

 Thursday, March 18, 5:30p.m.-8:30p.m. The Fourth Annual “Pearls of Wisdom” Women’s Leadership Conference, Baruch College.

This is my third time as moderator of the panel and I’m very enthused about the executives that the “Women in Business” committee has selected. The keynote speaker is Diane Garnick, Investment Strategist, Invesco Ltd. Panelists include Heather Maloney, Executive Director, Hope & Heroes Children’s Cancer Fund; Lenore Janis, President, Professional Women in Construction National; and Virginia McNeil Montague, President of The New York Coalition of One Hundred Black Women. The event is free to students (dinner with wine included). For more information, visit Baruch’s “Women in Business” website at http://baruchwib.webs.com/ or contact Sufia Farha, President, Women in Business, at sufia.farha@gmail.com

 Tuesday, March 23, 1:00p.m.-3:30p.m. “It’s Not Over: You Still Have a Chance! Reinvention and Resilience in the Older Worker” hosted by the Employee Assistance Professionals Association-New York City Chapter (EAPA-NYC).

As Co-Chair of the EAPA-Women’s Issues Committee, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel on the multigenerational workplace last year. This year, the panel is focused on ways those 40 and over can remain positive and competitive in the job market. Lynda Johnson, my Co-Chair, will welcome the audience. The panel I’ll moderate includes Jane Cranston, Managing Director, Executive Coach NY; Doris Traub, Traub & Traub, P.C., attorney specializing in age discrimination in the workplace; and Wendy Lewis, President, Wendy Lewis & Co. Ltd, a Global Aesthetics Consultancy—an image enhancement consultant dubbed “The Knife Coach®” by the media. The fee for the event is $20 for a guest. To confirm times and get location, please contact Barbara Friesner at barbara@agewiseliving.com

What Got You Here Won’t Get You There:  How Successful People Become Even More Successful! written by Marshall Goldsmith with Mark Reiter (Hyperion, 2007, 256 pgs.) contains practical wisdom from one of the world’s premier executive coaches and author on executive performance.

Since I just read Goldsmith and Reiter’s newest book:  Mojo:  How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back If You Lose It  (Hyperion, 2009, 205 pages) and realized that before I write my review of that one, I wanted to post this entry. 

 Goldsmith’s methods for changing behavior are straightforward.  For instance, one of the 360 assessments he uses consists of gathering feedback on an executive’s behavior from meaningful colleagues and constituencies.  The client is asked to listen carefully to how others experience his behavior, formulate ways to improve interactions, give thanks for the feedback, apologize where needed, and practice feed-forward.

There are other parts of his book that I will highlight in future posts, but I want to focuse on the group exercise in feed-forward that Goldsmith conducted at a meeting I attended of the New York City Chapter of the International Coach Foundation.  I also used this exercise during one of the management classes I teach at the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College.  In both cases, I found the exercise to be a worthwhile endeavor.

Here’s how the feed-forward process works.

1.  Identify one behavior you want to change in your life.  The behavior change should bring about a positive difference in your life.

2.  Describe the behavior you want to change in a one-on-one dialogue with someone:  a spouse, child, best friend, or coworker—or in the case of the ICF-NYC meeting, a perfect stranger would do.

3.  Ask that person for two suggestions for the future that might help you achieve a positive change in your selected behavior.

4.  Listen attentively to the suggestions.  Take notes if you like.  Your only ground rule:  You are not allowed to judge, rate, or critique the suggestions in any way.  And you are not even to say anything positive such as, “That’s a good idea.”  The only response you’re permitted is, “Thank you.” 

You can then repeat the process with someone else—until you have a good sample of ideas to improve your behavior.

One book that I found very helpful—especially for those at the beginning of your careers—was one written by Goldsmith—and other well-known executives.  The book is Learning Journeys: Top Management Experts Share Hard-Earned Lessons on Becoming Great Mentors and Leaders by Marshall Goldsmith (Davies-Black Publishing, 2000).  Read a chapter at a time, do the exercises, and reflect on how you can be a better leader.

If you practice feed-forward, let me know how effective it was  by sending an e-mail to Leigh@ltr-nyc.com

Sunday evening—or maybe it was early Monday morning—I was browsing channels on my radio (I don’t have a TV, my PC was turned off, and audio files are  too large for my Palm Centro) and stopped when to listen to a business report on the benefits of keeping a journal in a job search.  This interested me because the reporter (whose name I thought was Steve Greenberg but am not certain) mentioned that there is research to validate this statement.  Doing a quick search on the website of WCBS NEWSRADIO and a general search of the web, I couldn’t find the audio of the report or a reference to the research.  If you know of any, please let me know.  I’ll continue to search and let you know as well.

The topic was so close to my own way of processing stressful situations, that I remember the essence of what was reported.  That is, job seekers who keep a journal are in better emotional shape for the next interview than those who do not keep a journal.  There could have been a statement that the research showed those who keep a journal are more likely to land a job offer.  That would make sense but I’m not certain about that fact.

What I do know is that journal writing is a helpful tool to process emotions.  If you are able to “debrief” an interview while being  100% candid and honest  about your strengths and challenges, chances are that the next interview will be a better one.   You’ve taken the time to reflect on what you did well and what you did not so well.  Possibly, you are more honest with yourself writing in a journal than you could have been having a conversation with a significant other or a good friend.  A journal doesn’t judge or hold accountable.  That blank piece of paper you fill up is for you and feedback is what you, not a journal, generates.

Journal writing is a tool that can aid in recording sentences that you can practice for your next interview at the same company (think positive) or for a first interview at another company.  Jotting down small talk or ice breakers (”What a great day” or “Snowing again! When is this going to stop?  Do you know it snowed in Dallas?”) or key phrases you want to include in a conversation (”I’m a multi-tasker” or “Focus is a key to productivity”) can reinforce what you want to practice when meeting someone new in their office—or when networking at a professional meeting.

What would be helpful as well is to write out what the interviewer asked you specifically and how they asked the questions.  That is, was their wording “canned” or did it seem targeted to you as a potential candidate whose resume they had read thoroughly?  Were they fully present for you or did they toss questions your way while looking at their computer screen or checking their IPhone messages?  Writing about how you could interject their activities into a positive statement can be wonderful preparation for your next encounter with a distracted interviewer.  What do I mean by a positive statement?  “You’re great at multi-tasking.  That’s a great skill and one I’m certain to learn when I am working in your area/on your team/in the company to be as efficient as possible.”  That could make the interviewer blush that he was noticed multi-tasking or that she was caught checking e-mails to confirm her next interview.

Although I will continue searching for this research, I feel comfortable posting this entry on my blog because the information is solid and helpful to those looking to ace a job interview.  My own journals date back to the time I was a junior at the University of California at Berkeley about— well, a long time ago.  Through the years, okay decades, I’ve taught journal writing to students in adult education courses and to individuals.  To this day, I still go to my journal to write about a coaching or consulting client, letting my creativity flow so that I can come up with new ideas to reduce their obstacles blocking optimum performance or break down challenges executives are facing with behavior in the organization.  If you’re interested in learning how to make the most of your journal writing during a job search or preparing to pitch a client, contact me at leigh@ltr-nyc.com  for a free half-hour consultation.

Saturday, I was looking through the latest Dell catalog searching for a lightweight laptop with a screen larger than 10″.  Oh, and one that I could customize with a bright green or a rich blue color from Dell’s design studio.

“Get caught red-handed with NEW OPI designs” caught my attention on page 17.  OPI, as any woman would know if they get manicures, is the polish most often used in nail salons.  The company’s lucious and whimsical colors are six of “NEW Dell-exclusive OPI Design Studio laptop designs” that for $85 you can get applied on  select Dell laptops. 

Although I don’t get manicures in a salon, I do know something about OPI.  In 2006, I was a contributing writer for PINK Magazine, a monthly publication for professional women.   My role was to help identify a leading female executive then interview the woman and write up my notes for PINK’s monthly e-newsletter.  When I got the assignment to interview an executive at OPI, I was a little hesitant to take the assignment as I didn’t think the topic was, well serious enough.  During the interview, however, I remember sitting hunched over the desk where my telephone was located and frantically writing notes on this interesting field.  After my interview was published, the editor of PINK raved about the tone and thought it some of my best work.  You can be the judge as below is the article that appeared in PINK’s e-newsletter for August 2006.  You can also find a PDF of the article at my website:  http://www.ltr-nyc.com/Online_InPrint.html

Now I need to go to the Dell website and see if I want to apply one of the OPI colors to the laptop I just might buy.

THE CULTURE OF COLOR: Suzi Weiss Fischmann, OPI Products, Inc.  by Leigh Henderson

PINK: What was your career path?

SWF: “Bottom up.” I grew up working in the family clothing manufacturing business in New York City. In 1982, I move to Los Angeles to work in another family business, Odontorium Products Inc., that provided lotion, remover and implements for nails. We were successful and decided we wanted something for the customer to take home. In 1989, OPI rolled out 30 colorful shades of nail lacquer.

PINK: You are also Artistic Director. Why that additional title?

SWF: I design every color like an artist. The name comes first – six of us get together to brainstorm – and then we work on the ingredients to get the color to live up to the name.

PINK: What’s OPI’s growth secret?

SWF: Great marketing. The first time a customer buys our product is on impulse. The second time is because of quality. Madonna wore OPI’s Italian Love Affair when she married Guy Ritchie and sales soared for that color afterwards in London. Sharon Stone had on Innsbruck Bronze

PINK: What the biggest challenge are you facing today?

SWF: Pressure to be environmentally friendly. Regulatory agencies don’t do quantitative risk assessment and do not differentiate the potential risk of minute amounts of ingredients from two pounds. The European Union’s rules and regulations are a nightmare. Hopefully, in the next five years we’ll find a balance so that we’ll be approved to use very small amounts of ingredients in a safe way for our customers.

PINK: What’s your management style?

SWF: We have 350 employees in the Los Angeles office and my management approach is, “the door is open.” I’m very low key, I delegate, and work closely with the vice presidents of marketing and advertising. I want to provide inspiration and allow my employees creative freedom.

PINK: If you wanted to ask for a raise what color would you wear?

SWF: Red. It represents chic, Rita Hayworth, Hollywood. It’s also my favorite color to wear.

PINK: What’s the secret of your success?

SWF: I create every color collection as if I’d never done one before. The day I don’t, I won’t do it anymore. I get my inspiration every day from my husband and my daughter, 13, and a son who is 10.

PINK Points:  With every bottle of Red-y to Help purchased, $1.00 will be donated to the American Red Cross.

When a Colts fan was on her way out of the restaurant where I was watching Super Bowl XLIV, this woman made it a point to stop next to me, touch my shoulder and say with a big smile on her face and a smirk in her voice, “The Colts really are the best team.  The Saints don’t have a chance in hell to beat the Colts.”  Obviously, she hadn’t read the e-mail I had received from a friend in NOLA.

“It is hard to express the wonderful effect the Saints have had on our community – it has brought us all together in the glow of their achievement, and we are awash in black and gold and ‘Who Dat’.  I am sure the intense and widespread emotional involvement is directly related to the depth of commitment we have made to the recovery and improvement of NOLA. So many things are coming back but not there yet, but here is one area where success is palpable and was a long time coming (43 years!).  And it’s wonderful Lagniappe that Drew Brees is such a fine  human being – not just a great quarterback.”  Suzy Mague, a woman I met when volunteering in NOLA after Hurricane Katrina, pinpointed what was going to help the Saints win the Super Bowl:  the collective belief in success by those in the Gulf Coast region.

Lagniappe is a term used in Louisiana which  means “”something given or obtained gratuitously or by way of good measure.”  What the Saints gave the city of New Orleans were gifts of hope, commitment to a goal, and success against great odds to even reach the Super Bowl.  What the city of New Orleans gave back was their enthusiastic support and hope that the area’s recovery would be as successful as that of their Saints.

 The consensus was that the Colts were the better team, Peyton Manning the best quarterback ever, the defense so strong that Manning had only been sacked 10 times all season, and on and on.  My clapping and cheering for the Saints when they were behind 10-0 in the first quarter did give me pause.  Yet, as is the nature of a 60-minute game, there was still a chance.  In football, you have to play the game to the very last second even if your team is losing 54-0.  The Saints went the distance in great form.

To lead off the second half of the game, Saints’ Coach Sean Payton used a tactic that brought his team success:  a practiced  surprise.  For the first time in Super Bowl history, a team started the third quarter with an onside kick.  The Saints punter made a short kick (more than 10 yards) to the Colts, a Colts player touched then lost the ball, a Saints player recovered the ball, and the Saints earned very good field position.  The Saints had practiced this surprise over and over again during the week leading up to the big game.  The timing made history, shifted the momentum to the Saints, and helped them come away with a 31-17 victory.

Today I wish that I could call the Colts fan who told me to give up on the Saints because they didn’t have a chance.  There is always a chance, always an opportunity to succeed whether on the football field, a baseball diamond, or the workplace playing field.  Give yourself a chance by practicing a surprise that can get you noticed,  realize the potential you have as a leader and become an outstanding team player for your followers while working to be a leader.