Working to Be a Leader

“Addiction Treatment: Past, Present, and Future” was the topic for the April meeting of the New York City Chapter of the Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA).  I’m a member of the organization and Co-Chair of the EAPA-Women’s Issues Committee and I found the meeting an interesting historical look at the evolution of treatment centers and the predictions the audience made on how to address unmet and complex needs of addicted individuals and families.

EAPA’s purpose is to help meet an employee’s needs to fulfill their responsibilities at work by providing referrals to counselors and offering educational and wellness programs to those who are having problems with their job performance.  Addiction is a major reason for employee referrals.  In addition to alcohol and drug addictions, current approaches to addiction issues include the expansion of treatment of food, gambling, sex, and other process addictions—including work.  Yes, people can work too much—and that can be a sign of substituting work for nurturing relationships in one’s personal life.

Todd Whitmer

Todd Whitmer, Vice-President-Development, Caron New York and Caron Treatment Services, engaged the audience as almost co-presenters of the program.  Whitmer’s effective approach led to an interactive and very interesting meeting during which he asked the many people he knew in the audience to give their input on the history of field and the current parameters of treatment.  There were at least two professionals in the audience—which included EAP providers, psychotherapists, marketing directors of treatment centers, etc.—who had been in the field for over 30 years.

The professional reason I joined EAPA and attend meetings such as this was to expand my knowledge base.  Since 2000, I’ve both coached psychotherapists and gotten numerous client referrals from psychotherapists to address the workplace dimension of their clients’ lives.  I also attend these meetings to gather and pass on relevant information to my executive clients about why one of their employees might be acting the way they are and not living up to expectations.  And, I go because I want to gather and share statistics and treatment options with my undergraduate management students at the Zicklin School of Business for their own development and in their roles as managers.

According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependencies, Inc., (NCADD) about 22.2 million people in the U.S. are addicted to alcohol and other drugs.  Of that number, 15.4 million are addicted to alcohol alone, 3.6 million illicit drugs—no alcohol, and 3.3 million illicit drugs and alcohol.

The annual cost of alcohol and drug problems—productivity, accidents, etc.?  $400 billion!

Whitmer spoke about the treatment options that Caron offers, including a young adult program for 18-26 year olds.  When I asked, “How many young adults are addicts?” he replied, “Lots.”  No one in the audience knew.  This specific population is not easy to quantify yet probably easy to identify by family, friends,  and educators.  In fact, a growing topic of discussion and action is, “Internet” addiction, something that is making headlines—and it’s not just the behavior of young adults that is drawing attention.

Nearing the end of the program, Whitmer asked the audience to form into groups of four and brainstorm to “Predict five years from now addiction treatment will be improved by__________.”  This was an interesting and insightful process with many groups coming up with innovative and thoughtful ideas.  In my group, we emphasized a continuous need for tools for treatment of this chronic condition, treatment that would be supported by health insurance; a chip that could be implanted in an addict’s brain (not my idea) that would help manage the impulses for addictive behavior; and, my idea enhanced by my group, videos and digital games that could be used to address both prevention and treatment.

Thanks, Todd, for a great program.  It obviously has helped my working to be a better leader.

Which leader is more powerful:  Apple Co-Founder and CEO Steve Jobs or U. S. President Barack Obama?

I asked that question while subbing for an ill instructor during her two classes in, “A Management Approach to Organizational Beahvior” at Zicklin School of Business.  The chapter we were discussing was “Power and Politics” and on the first slide of the instructor’s PowerPoint was a picture of Steve Jobs and one of President Obama.  After I posed the question, I got very mixed results and push back from the students.

Vocal people in the classes said that there is no real comparison.  Jobs is a business man and Obama a politician.  The range of power and influence these leaders had was different and wasn’t equal in the students’ minds.  And I agreed with that.  I also confirmed that asking such a provocative question was a good way to break the ice with a new class.

 The students agreed to disagree on which leader was the most powerful.  Many felt Jobs was the most powerful because of his innovative ideas and the influence of the array of products he had introduced to a global market.  (Although I request that all cell phones are put on vibrate and put out of sight during class, I did see a few iPhones on desks.)

 Almost equal was the number of votes for the President because he was the first African-American to be elected to the highest office in the U.S., got health care legislation passed, was focused on reigning in Wall Street, etc.

 Then I posed another question:  who was the President of the United States 60 years ago?  Although Nixon, Carter, and Roosevelt were suggested, it was Harry S. Truman who led the country in 1950.  Not one student had heard of Truman.

 The point I was making was that legislation or being the first at something will be remembered.  For instance, John F. Kennedy is the first and only Catholic and the first Irish American president.  However, in my mind and those of about half the classes I taught, it was the products of the genius developer of technology who is the most powerful person in 2010.

 Jobs?  Obama?  Which one do you think is the most powerful leader today?  Please post your response below.

“Who was your model?” one of my students asked me after I had posed the same question to the class last week during “A Management Approach to Organizational Development” at the Zicklin School of Business.  We were discussing the topic of  “Motivation Concepts” and specifically “self-efficacy,” an individual’s belief that she is capable of performing a task.  One of the ways to develop self-efficacy is “vicarious modeling.”

 Vicarious modeling is a process during which you can gain self-confidence while watching others perform a task similar to the one you are doing.  Through observation, you can picture yourself performing that same way.

 “Prof. Ogletree,” was the answer I gave to my students.  Although I’ve had many good professional role models in my career, Charles J. Ogletree topped my list that evening.  Today, Ogletree is the Jesse Climenko Professor of Law and the Director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School.  Former instructor of President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle when they attended Harvard, Prof. Ogletree is an esteemed and prolific writer and public speaker involved in sometimes controversial and embarrassing situations.  Yet, his style of conducting a college class has remained my model for almost twenty years.

 In 1990, I transitioned my master’s degree in early childhood education into a career as an Adjunct Faculty member in the City University System.  Sometime in the 1990’s, I watched a weekly program on PBS that featured Prof. Ogletree conducting a class of what were probably his law students.  I forget the name of the program but I can’t forget his “in the face” type of approach when educating his audience.  He sat down on a desk near his students, he called on everyone, and he relentlessly challenged the answers and the assumptions they offered.

 Watching Prof. Ogletree over a long time, I vicariously became him in not just college classrooms but corporate classrooms where I would teach employees how to use technology, manage workplace relationships, or engage in innovative exercises.

 During my “performance” each evening when I’m teaching students at Zicklin, I am “in their faces,” moving around the classroom to be physically close to individuals while challenging them to provide “stretch” answers that expand their horizons.  I call on every one of my almost 30 students in each session, requiring them to state their opinion on a topic, explain a concept, or come up with another idea on how to deal with a difficult employee.  I push them out of their comfort zones and they answer back with a willingness to be in-the-moment and to perform on the classroom stage.

 While watching Prof. Ogletree on TV, I incorporated his style into my training as an educator.  I felt capable of performing the role because I earned positive feedback from my students and on faculty evaluations.

 I love teaching and I thank Prof. Ogletree’s style of teaching during his shows on PBS for the vicarious modeling he provided.

“It sounds like this trip is a soul refresher,” my niece Nancy wrote me after she learned of my vacation plans to visit her cousin Tomi Sue.  My week away from New York City was a refreshing and invigorating experience.  It was a time to put working to be a leader aside and focus on being surrounded by nature and enjoying my life.

 Tomi Sue lives in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, about 2½ hours due east of Oakland, California.  The population of the towns there are small by any—but especially NYC—standards:  150 to 1,000 to 6,000 (one of the largest) all nestled among oak, pine, and other trees.  It was just the locale I needed to get refreshment after a long, snowy, and busy winter in the big city.

 Spring had arrived and I basked in the sun while looking at the fields of wild flowers carpeting the five acres of Tomi Sue’s land—and beyond—such as goldfield, buttercup, etc.  What especially caught my attention were the poppies, the California state flower and a favorite since I was taught a poem in childhood, “Poppy golden poppy, shining in the sun….”

Golden Poppy

 The petals of poppies are closed in the morning and open as the sun rises.  While watching for the poppies to open, I could look out “across the street” and watch the cows and a bull or two begin their day feeding on the grass of a pasture.  A big ear jack rabbit caught my—and Tomi Sue’s dog’s—attention.  Birds were serenading the earth and calling me to get up and go for a walk on the grounds—which meant I had to say good-bye to the cat and could say hello to the resident horse.

 Later, sitting on the porch and basking in the sun, I felt the stress from the life of a New Yorker begin to gradually fade away.  It was helped to evaporate by a trip to Yosemite National Park, my favorite place to visit and explore.  My older sisters took their younger sisters on trips there when I was about eight or nine.  Through the years, I’ve returned to Yosemite with college friends, my husband, and even alone.  A car trip to the valley at 4,000 feet or Glacier Point at 7,200 feet or a strenuous backpacking trip close but not to the top of Half Dome at 8,800 feet brought a sense of peace and tranquility.

 “Everyone needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike,” John Muir is quoted in National Parks:  America’s Best Idea by Dayton Duncan, a book based on the Ken Burns’ six-part series for PBS.  Yosemite is my place of beauty. 

Me next to Merced River in Yosemite Valley

On a Sunday, Tomi Sue and I spent time in Yosemite to hike up part of a trail to see a waterfall she had heard about but not seen.  Although not in the shape I was when I could hike to the top of that trail and back down in one day, I nevertheless made it to the spot where we could see Illoyette Falls—and on our way look back to see Yosemite Falls.

 During the rest of my stay in the foothills, I was able to soak up the scenery and refresh my soul with the green of the land, the friendliness of the people, and the vistas of snow covered mountains.  My phone service only worked in a few areas and my data didn’t download—which was okay by me.  Only checking e-mail at Tomi Sue’s office a few times, I felt released and relaxed.

 Today, I’m sitting at my desk, looking at my computer screen, and writing this entry to share with you some details of my vacation while also preserving my memories.  Now, getting back to working to be a leader, I am putting on my coach’s hat to ask you:  Is it time for you to take a vacation?  If not poppies, what will you take time to watch?  And, most importantly, how will you refresh your soul?

If the city of New Orleans was to recover successfully after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, it needed to depend on the heart and soul of the city:  its churches.

It wasn’t until April 2006, that I found the right opportunity to donate my services to the city.  That month, I read in an e-mail that Community Church Unitarian Universalist-New Orleans was seeking help with internal organization before taking the steps of rebuilding.  A smart strategy, I thought, one that could aid in the overall process of restoring their heavily damaged church, physically scattered and emotionally battered congregation, and the place it had earned in the community’s life.

My work in 2006 took place over two long weekends—one in June and one in December—during which I presented customized workshops for leaders and the entire congregation.  To reinforce and support their processes, I returned to NOLA a few times since then to lead groups.  Additionally, I provide coaching and consulting services for leaders via telephone and e-mail.

“It is really a time of hope here,” wrote Suzy Mague, former Chair of the Board of Directors of CCUU-NOLA and now friend, in the April 2010 update she sent out.  “The congregation has decided to rebuild on the site of the former structure and we have begun the process to clear the ground, hire an architect, and negotiate with a contractor to take on the work.”

Draft of Plans for New Church

What was exciting is that the city itself is alive in a way that it has not been since 2006.  Suzy writes, “…we are actually still savoring our football championship.  I was amused the other day to pick up some cleaning and find a fleur-de-lis and “Saints – World Champions” printed on the cleaner’s bag.  Of more long-term significance, the Super Bowl victory was followed by a real landmark election.  Mitch Landrieu won a landslide victory for Mayor, carrying all but one precinct in the City.  Although incumbent Mayor Nagin tried to play the race card, voters crossed color lines in droves–in both directions.  Citywide offices of Mayor and Councilmember were won by white candidates with strong black support, and important citywide offices were likewise won by black candidates with strong white support.  Mayor-elect Landrieu has appointed task forces during his transition to advise him on myriad issues, from hiring a new police chief to better customer service in city hall.  The display of energy and the citizen involvement across all neighborhoods has all of us feeling very hopeful that a new day is coming.”

Continuing her report, Suzy lets us know that, “In an odd sort of way, the activities of the federal prosecutor have also inspired hope.  Following confessions and/or convictions from several ‘political operatives’, including Congressman Bill Jefferson, he has broken a police cove-up of misconduct following Katrina, obtaining two confessions from police officers involved.  There is tremendous determination here that corruption will not be tolerated in our public life, and having an active, effective pursuit of wrongdoers is very heartening.  The new police chief will have a good basis to begin re-making the department.  The new city inspector general is also very well focused and presenting reports that are relevant and influential.  Feels like a new day–and it couldn’t come at a better time.”

I hope that the spring spirit of renewal and rebirth continues and flourishes for not just the congregation but for the entire city of New Orleans.

It is truly an honor to be able to be part of programs targeted to audiences that span the career cycle.  Last week, I moderated a panel during the “Pearls of Wisdom” Women in Business Conference at Baruch College where I teach.  On Tuesday, March 23, I moderated a panel of outstanding women in their fields for the Employee Assistance Professional Association (EAPA)-NYC monthly meeting.  Since March is Women’s History Month, the EAPA-Women’s Issues Committee is invited to develop the program and take center stage.  Lynda Johnson, my Co-Chair of the Committee, and I came up with the topic, “It’s Not Over Yet!  You Still Have a Chance:  Resilience and Reinvention in the Older Worker.”

The panelists addressed how to remain relevant, successful, and satisfied in an evolving career; investments in nips and tucks to stay looking young; and the legal implications of aging in the workplace.  And we had just the right professionals  on our panel to talk about these topics:  Jane Cranston, Managing Director, Executive Coach NY and Great Job in Tough Times; Wendy Lewis, President, Wendy Lewis & Co., a global aesthetics consultant who is popularly known in the media at “The Knife Coach” and is founder of a the popular website called BeautyintheBag.com; and Doris Traub, of Traub & Traub PC, Esquire, who has devoted her thirty-year career as a lawyer to advocating on behalf of employees who have faced workplace discrimination.

Leigh, Wendy Lewis, Jane Cranston, Doris Traub, Lynda Johnson

Before asking questions, I offered some background information on the need for this program.  As an Adjunct Lecturer in the Management Department at the Zicklin School of Business and an older worker, I am able to take the pulse of different groups and serve as a bridge to communicate effectively across the ages.   My “Pearls of Wisdom” to the group of around 40—only one woman was in her 20’s and one in her 30’s— served as a good introduction.

1.  Be Precise with Terminology:  This semester, one of my students wrote a paper on “The Elderly in the Workplace.”  Yipes!  Was my first reaction.  Wasn’t he in class the evening I gave “the lecture” that the term to use is “older” not ”elderly.”   The first request I had of Doris was to define the difference between “elderly” and “older.”  She was very definite in stating that the term elderly is not appropriate for any workplace, that the connotations are negative, and that the assumptions that go along with the word elderly are possibly discriminatory.   Jane gave a wonderful example of a woman who sought out her coaching services.  Her client was 80-years-old and wanted help to define her next career.  Some might call this woman “elderly.”  I’d call her resilient and resourceful.

2.  Understand the Statistics:  There has been a 134 percent increase in the number of workers over the age of 55 who are looking for work since December 2007.  Today, about 7% are over 55 and working.  Over 20% of the workforce is expected to be 55 and over by the year 2015.  Older workers want and, in many cases, need to work since many of their retirement investments disappeared during the worst economy since the Great Depression.   Workers 40 and older (even younger ones) are seeking some form of image enhancement to keep a youthful appearance.  Wendy said that though her business slacked off last year, she is doing better in 2010 in part because of the men who were formerly on Wall St.  Now looking for work, they want to look and feel younger to compete for positions that they used to have in the financial services industry.  The most popular enhancement for both women and men is to get rid of crows feet around the eyes.

3.  Performance Perception:  The number one consistent complaint I hear from my 20 something students is that the older worker is resistant to change.  And that they are reluctant and outright refuse to learn how to use computer programs.  In some cultures, older men and women are seen as wise because of their age.  In our culture, wisdom is to be acquired by learning how to navigate a keyboard to help them  send e-mails and manipulate databases.  Wendy is very well connected on LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. and Jane is a great example of someone who knew that technology was part of building her business and has successfully taught herself.

After the program, one of the attendees came up and told me it was an excellent panel.  In fact, she told a lot of people she was so inspired to be, at 69, opened up to growing in new ways.  She wrote on her evaluation that she would no longer refer to herself as “this old gal” and that she would push herself to ask for and get training on the computer. 

Staying relevant and open to growth, it’s definitely not over for those 40…50…60…70…80!

On Thursday, March 18, I had the honor of being the moderator for the Women in Business (WIB) Fourth Annual Pearls of Wisdom Women’s Leadership Conference at Baruch College.  “Envision, Empower, Succeed” was the theme for the evening when close to 200 young women and men spent time listening to and interacting with inspiring speakers.

Sufia Farha, President of WIB,  and her team of dedicated, organized, and helpful students made the evening an enjoyable one for everyone.  I did not want to turn down the opportunity to be the moderator for the third year in a row but I also had a class in “Organizational Behavior” to teach during the exact time of the panel.  A resolution was to assign “Women in Leadership” as my students’ next written assignment, require my class to attend, and give these achievement oriented students the opportunity to be part of an event that evening students do not often get the chance to attend.

Leigh, Virginia McNeil Montague, Lenore Janis, Heather Maloney, Dr. Barbara Lawrence, Diane Garnick

One of my students came up to me at the close of the program and said, “I’m grateful that you required us to attend.”  Later that evening, another student wrote me an e-mail in which she said, “Thank you for inviting us to such an invigorating event.  It was way better than I thought it would be.”

Why was it ”way better”?  The inspirationalprofessional  knowledge the guests offered. 

The keynote address by Diane Garnick brought audience members—and panelists—to tears when hearing of the adversities she overcame and how she challenged herself to enter the world of finance.   One “Pearl of Wisdom” Diane shared was, ”If your palms aren’t sweating enough, your game isn’t big enough.”  Today, after sweating a lot, she is an investment strategist at Invesco, an investment management company.  To read more about Diane and her volunteer work, here’s a link to her facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Diane-Garnick/188133090053?v=info 

The WIB committee had developed a series of questions for the panelists and I had the opportunity to ask these inquiries (with a little embellishment) on behalf of the young women just starting their careers.

Panelists included 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.

Each response from the panel brought helpful insights into the lives of women who hold executive leadership positions.  One particular question from the audience brought this series of replies:  “Do whatever scares you.”  “Life is a series of trials and tests.”  “Go to the gym.”  What was the question?  I don’t remember.  What I do know is that the answers represent the ways that these women faced, managed, and overcame the obstacles in their careers.

Near the end of the question and answer period from the audience, I noted that about one-quarter to one-third of the audience were males.  Yet, not one male asked a question.  “Okay,” I said.  “It’s time for a man to ask a question.”  One of my students raised his asked and asked the panel, “What can men do to help women succeed?”  The overall answer from the panelists was, “Men need to talk to women to hear what they need.  And men need to talk to talk other men about what women need.  They also need to work with women so that they can understand and help women get the respect and acknowledgement they have earned in the workplace.”

Leigh with the wonderful Women in Business team

It was a great evening for so many reasons.  One of which is that after stepping off the dias at the end of the panel, I was invited to be the moderator for the Fifth Annual Pearls of Wisdom Women’s Leadership Conference.  I’m looking forward to the event already.

“How can I make sense of such a tumultuous evolution—and have a smile on my face today?”  

“The Bull Pissed in My Living Room:  Prof. Leigh’s Guide to Recession Resilience,” LTR’s latest level playing playing field special report, is my way of putting together the pieces of what I experienced and the process that brought me to a really good place in my life.

“Bull”  will be formally introduced at today’s meeting of the Employee Assistance Professionals Associaion (EAPA)-New York Chapter.  I chose this opportunity to let others know about my report because it explains the complex factors that can impact workplace intelligence.  It’s also a good venue  because I’ll be the moderator of a panel discussion on “It’s Not Over Yet!  You Still Have a Chance:  Resilience and Reinvention in the Older Worker.”

 Like others who have been dramatically impacted by the worst economy since the Great Depression, I wondered how I had the strength and resiliency to survive my “worst case”—the downturn of business and sale of sale of my recently renovated co-op apartment on Manhattan’s tony Upper West Side.  Using a format similar to that in “Temping with Tycoons” and my other well-received special reports, I tell the story of not just how I reinvented myself but what I learned during the process.  And how, now, I’m enjoying a “best case.”

A natural educator (strangers on the subway ask, “You’re a teacher, aren’t you?”), I use what I experienced as a platform from which to inform, inspire, and instill in readers greater awareness to face their own “bull.”  At the end of each chapter, I include “Resilience Guideposts”— helpful suggestions on how to navigate succesfully on your evolutionary highway.

To download your copy of “The Bull Pissed in My Living Room,” click on the link below.  After you read it, contact me with your feedback.

The Bull Pissed in My Living Room by Leigh Henderson

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