The Power of the Past

This week's post was crafted in New Orleans.  The Big Easy.  My time here began this past Friday (Jan 23, 2015) and will end this coming Tuesday (Jan 27, 2015).  I'm in the midst of the 2015 International Chair Development Workshop.  Over 500 Vistage and TEC chairs from around the world have gathered for this 4-day event to learn, share best practices and network.  This was my first such event as a relatively new TEC Canada Chair (www.tec-canada.com).

However, if we go back several months I previously decided not to come to this event.  There were a number of reasons I had offered myself and others for not considering attendance - not having yet formally launched my TEC group, feeling guilty about more time away from family, and being busy with a variety of coaching and consulting engagements.  It wasn't until my rubber arm was twisted by TEC Canada head office in early November that I finally relented and registered myself for this event.

The confirmation didn't alleviate my anxiety about coming to New Orleans.  Rather as the date for departure got closer I became more anxious.  Only in the last couple of weeks before arrival did I finally - and maybe reluctantly - identify the underlying reason for my hesitance to return to New Orleans for indeed I had been in New Orleans once before.  In March 2007 - nearly 8 years ago - I had come to the Big Easy to convocate as a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.  This was to be a formal cap and gown ceremony and all-around big deal.  My wife and I decided that she and our then 6-year old daughter would stay home as the very next week we were heading out to Disney World for a family vacation.  Too much travel and too much missed school.

So began my few days away in New Orleans.  A time when I should have been celebrating a significant achievement in my healthcare leadership career.  Instead these days would ultimately prove to be the worst of my life.

The challenges started early.  Upon arrival I misplaced my portfolio which also contained my passport.  Not a great thing to do on your first day away and with a family vacation set to take place the very next week.  So began an agonizing 24 hours in New Orleans.  The next day, while waiting on any news of my passport's whereabouts, I went down to take in a scheduled learning seminar.  As it turned out, the scheduled speaker was prevented from attending as they were snowed-in back in Boston.  With the learning session pre-empted I took advantage of the free time to head back to the airport where I was miraculously reunited with my portfolio and passport!  Things were looking up.

Passport back in hand, I could relax and now had free time to take in the city sights.  Later in the day, I acted upon a recommendation of the hotel concierge and had dinner accompanied by an amazing jazz performance.  That's where phase two of my misfortune kicked in - food poisoning.  My illness was significant and persistent.  So much so that, despite my best efforts to battle through, I actually pulled myself out of the convocation procession line perhaps minutes away from being recognized by my peers for my professional achievement.  All that I was confident of at that time was that if I decided to keep on walking - or even standing - I would probably pass out near or on the stage.  I went back to my room and passed out for the rest of the day.

The next day, I packed up in a relatively depressed state of mind expecting and hoping that my troubles were behind me.  As events would soon prove out I should have been more cognizant of the saying "bad things come in threes".  I phoned my wife early that morning from my hotel indicating that I was on my way home and that I would call her later when I made my connection in Denver.  When I did so, I got no answer and something made my spider sense tingle.  After several more calls, allowing for any number of valid reasons why she might not pick up, I got more concerned and called two friends to head over and check things out.  My worst possible fears were confirmed within fifteen minutes.  My wife of nearly 13 years was found dead.  I got on my connecting flight from Denver with the knowledge that the life had I led just hours before had irrevocably changed.

Why do I tell you this story?  It's not to gain sympathy or compassion.  Rather I draw you back to my undefined anxiety and reluctance to return to New Orleans nearly 8 years after my wife's death.  I believe my grieving to be over.  In truth it probably took me well over a year to recover and restructure my life - and start to become a better father to my daughter.  Yet what I failed to recognize was how much power this past event still had over my life to this day.  What was that power?  If not grief, what?  My answer - a return to New Orleans was a return to a time of what I still see as a personal and tragic failure on my part.  I failed to save my wife's life.  And when my 6-year old daughter asked me on that day, "Where's mom?", I had to acknowledge that I had failed to save her mother's life as well.

I had failed and it was this sense of failure that I still carried with me 8 years later.

Why do I tell you this story?  So that you can take at least this lesson away with you.  Recognize, appreciate and come to terms with your past "failings" (real or perceived) so that they do not paralyze you from moving forward.  It's clear to me now that I've carried a significant burden for the past 8 years.  In many respects I've moved on - married again to an outstanding, talented and beautiful woman with whom I have brought two more beautiful and spirited girls into the world.  However, it's equally clear from the feelings dredged up in the past months that I have not yet forgiven myself for something that I truly had no control over.  Ask yourself (as I did not) if you have truly failed, if you have garnered the right lessons from these past events and, most importantly, how can you move forward unencumbered (and perhaps even strengthened) by the past?

Each of us in our leadership - and life - journey have had failings perceived or real.  To show true leadership we should objectively and courageously examine and learn from these events.  As leaders we often don't but instead feel that we are tasked with carrying on despite setbacks, showing a stiff upper lip to our followers, convincing them through our mask of strength and confidence that all will be fine.  I did just that in my time of loss, returning to work a mere two weeks after my wife's death.  I buried myself back into work hoping to hide my pain in work.  Ultimately, I have to ask myself how much better off could I have been with opening up to others at that time, demonstrating my vulnerability and getting help to objectively assessing my "failure".

Maybe I could have spent the last number of years in a better state of mind.  Perhaps I could have achieved even more for myself, my daughter and those around me if I had come to grips with my "failure" earlier than today.

Assess your reality and your past objectively and with courage.  Don't let your fears, partial learnings, incorrect assumptions, or other demons prevent you from moving forward positively into the future.  You deserve better, can achieve so much more, and will be a better leader for it.  Don't be paralyzed by the past.  Break the chains.  Move forward to be the person and leader you are.
____________________________________________________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
TEC Canada Chair/Executive Coach/Senior Consultant
hadubiak@wmc.ca

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.

Go ahead...be selfish!

When I took on my first leadership role in 1986 as administrator of a small rural health centre in Manitoba I was keen and green in equal measure - and probably not a little afraid of a shift far outside of my comfort zone.  Professionally I was the youngest leader in the province by far.  Personally, I had moved to a province where I had no history or connections whatsoever.

What I lacked in experience I more than made up for in idealism and naivety.  Then as now I was motivated to be of service, to make a difference in my chosen profession and in my new community, to continue to learn and strive to be better.  One step in that path was to volunteer to become part of the local emergency medical service.  My rationale was that while I had been academically prepared to be a health care administrator I had very little experience of actually administering anything.  What better way to learn than to become part of some of the services I was responsible for leading!  Bloody brilliant!

I imagined that my service would be time-limited, at most a year of actual service before backing out and focusing solely on the administrative side of my career.  However, as many of you might know its a lot easier to sign up for something in a rural community than to sign out.  My 1-year plan turned into a 4-year mini-EMS career.

In retrospect, that extra 3 years of service was time well spent.  It helped me better understand the front-line experience and gave me enough early familiarity with medical terminology and lingo to be more effective as a healthcare leader.  It also taught me humility - nothing like being covered in the blood of others as you respond to a mass casualty incident, pick up kids not much younger than yourself from some traumatic event, or have someone die in front of you despite your best efforts.  Some of those images and experiences remain with me to this day.

Perhaps most important for me is that I continue to carry one piece of advice given to me as an EMS provider that still has great relevance for me as a leader.  In my training and in subsequent years of service I was taught to ensure safety of any scene before entering.  It was drummed into me that I should not rush headlong in to save the day, like some knight in shining armor, lest I become another casualty putting burden on other emergency services personnel.  In essence I was told be selfish, to guard my life diligently in order to be of effective service to those needing my skills and abilities.

So what relevance does this have to leadership?  The nature of my coaching practice seems to attract many individuals who are extraordinarily selfless as leaders.  They are continuously taking on new duties and tasks, trying to support and advocate for their staff and their clients/customers, and putting in the extra time and effort that they believe could make THE difference.  Work-life balance?  A challenging prospect.  They also take the same approach and have the same level of commitment on the home front.

As they present to me, either at the initial stages of our engagement or as we focus on identifying and working towards their stated goals, I often find myself relating and translating this EMS lesson to their leadership environment.  Basically, I help them identify with the reality that THEY are the KEY instrument of THEIR desired success. Much like myself as the EMS provider, they benefit from understanding that unless they take care of and invest in themselves their ability to be successful is diminished.  Without continuously developing their skills sets, without reflecting on their plans and actions, and without proper investment in their personal health, they will in fact perform at a less than optimal level.  Ironically, by working harder and longer - being entirely selfless - they in fact can be less effective in their ultimate desire to serve others.

Often their first reaction to taking time for self is that any such effort is incredibly and inappropriately selfish.  The very idea of taking time out of their work week to focus on their leadership development makes them twitchy. It takes some discussion but eventually we start to take small steps toward helping them develop an appropriately selfish plan of leadership development and self care.

So what does appropriately selfish look like in a leadership context?  First and foremost it's getting back in touch with what it means for the individual to be a leader.  I find that many leaders have an intuitive or abstract understanding of why they lead but have never taken the time to truly reflect and DOCUMENT their personal leadership vision and values.  This effort is of huge value to leaders both in terms of the process of self-discovery and in respect of the direction it provides them moving forward.  This effort takes time.  It requires uninterrupted, reflective and dedicated effort that should be part of work time.

Second, I often work with leaders to get them to take time out of their work week - even if only a few minutes each day - to reflect on and evaluate their leadership successes or challenges.  Taking a page from the sports world, you need to replay the tape, assess how the "play" went, and then learn and adjust going forward.  Without such self-assessment or reflection there really is no real learning going on and no effective improvement or enhancement to your leadership skill.

The challenge often presented when we discuss these two options, both of which require protected time to accomplish, is just exactly how can this be done with everybody banging on my door and my e-mail in-box getting flooded every hour with new requests.  The simple answer is structure and support.  Most leaders do have the tools to support them in this regard from their electronic calendar to their personal assistant, executive assistant or secretary.  Block time as you would any other appointment and protect it like you would your most important meeting.  Enlist your assistant to help you protect this time as well.

Finally, as part of being appropriately selfish work on identifying and recognizing your strengths and accomplishments.  I find far too many leaders focus on their perceived or actual skills gaps or the things that have not been touched on their to-do list.  That "deficit" mentality becomes a significant weight to keep carrying forward.  Far more powerful is the ability to remain positive and optimistic and focused on the future rather than the past.  And take time to celebrate your wins as a leader.  I'm not talking about buying yourself a new Italian sports car but do provide yourself with some, yet tangible, recognition for your achievement and positive steps forward.

I espouse to be a servant leader but that doesn't mean that there isn't an appropriate time to be selfish in service of your leadership.  In my view this is particularly true if you intend to be the kind of leader you want to be for your staff and for those your organization serves.  It's about leadership and it's about investing in your leadership.
____________________________________________________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
TEC Canada Chair/Executive Coach/Senior Consultant
hadubiak@wmc.ca

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.

The Value, Power and Resilience of TEAM!

Let me paint you a picture.  You've been successful in landing your dream job as a leader, taking on the role of President & CEO of a historically prestigious company.  You've held this job for the past 2 two years.  You've landed this role based on your track record to date and reputation as one of the best "thinkers" in your field.

It's not all been a bed of roses to this point.  Despite the long and venerable history of the company its not been at the top of its sector for over 10 years.  Not only has it been missing on projections but just prior to your arrival the company was in disarray owing to ethical and regulatory violations that resulted in your predecessor resigning under and several of its top talents leaving.  In fact, in your first full year of work you continued to operate under heavy regulatory scrutiny that significantly impeded your ability to attract talent and to effectively compete with your rivals.

Through the effective application of your leadership talent you now enter your third year full of optimism.  What could go wrong?  Let me throw a few curves your way:

• at the end of your second year, your Chief Information Officer and four of his five key people bolted for a Silicon Valley company pursuing bigger opportunities and better pay;
• days before the start of the 2014/15 fiscal year, your highly touted and seemingly indispensable Chief Operating Officer was diagnosed with a debilitating illness and was projected to be off work for the entire year;
• stock market analysts reacted to the news of these key personnel losses by significantly downgrading company projections and share price plummeted;
• it seems that analysts weren't wrong when your company falls stumbles in achieving first quarter targets operating under the helm of your very junior replacement COO.

Despite these amazing set of circumstances you right the ship and the company proceeds to turn things around.  Astoundingly, by the end of the 3rd quarter the company is projected to be on pace for its best year in over a decade.  But at this point fate intercedes again and your junior COO, who has vastly exceeded all expectations, is involved in a car accident that also takes him out of the equation.  Once again the prospects for a successful year appear to be dashed.  Again you are left to dig deeper into your organization, dangerously thin on talent by now, putting in charge your third COO of the year!

How fantastic a fable is this?  How much "fiction" am I expecting you to stomach before you dismiss any leadership lessons I hope to impart to you?  What if I told you that the story noted above is true save for the fact that I have chosen to anonymize (to this point) the real "business" and identities of the key players.  In reality not only did the "company" above survive all of these challenges intact it actually became THE best performing "company" in it's sector as of this past Monday.

This "business fable" is the story of the Ohio State Buckeyes - undisputed national champions of US college football.

The leader of this company is in fact Coach Urban Meyer.  The CIO and his key personnel are running back Carlos Hyde and four graduating senior offensive linemen.  The highly touted COO was potential Heisman trophy candidate and starting quarterback Braxton Miller who had season-ending shoulder surgery before the season started.  The first replacement COO was freshman quarterback J. T. Barret who turned in an amazing run of victories only to break his ankle in Ohio's last regular season game.

Finally, we have the final COO in this year's saga, 3rd string quarterback Cardale Jones, who up until the Big 10 Championship game had not taken a snap of any significance all year long.  With Jones at quarterback, however, Ohio went on to destroy Wisconsin in the Big 10 Championship game, then defeated the number 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl, before overcoming another underdog tag to beat the Oregon Ducks in the championship game to become national champions. 

How does a team overcome such adversity not once but multiple times to reach the pinnacle of its sport?  Even in the championship game the Buckeyes had to overcome a quick start by the octane fueled offense of Oregon who scored on their first possession of the game.  Moreover, the Buckeyes had to deal their own mistakes and 4 turnovers before winning the game in convincing fashion.  It would have been easy at multiple points in the season and during their championship run to simply fold up their tent and go home.

So what accounts for this level of achievement when any "team" that faces this kind of adversity? First, there is no doubting that sheer raw talent is a factor.  The reality is that talent doesn't materialize out of thin air or overnight.  Both a culture and a structure to attract and retain that talent has to be established in order to entice skilled and talented people to join you even if only in anticipation of better future to come.  Many companies don't start at a point where they can merely pick from an unlimited pool of applicants. They may not have yet established a track record that will get people of talent to willingly sign on but they are trying to convey with some conviction and evidence that this will be the place to be next year or the year after.

Talent alone clearly isn't enough to ensure success.  All of the other teams in the US College Football playoffs had talent.  They might also make the argument that they endured adversity throughout the year.  The fact is that the Buckeyes also benefited from the experience of a leader who had been down this championship path before.  At some level Urban Meyer was able to translate his own successful experience into building confidence amongst his staff and his players that despite adversity they were still skilled enough to compete at the highest levels and succeed.

Beyond that experience and "corporate memory" a system was established that recognized that success didn't depend on one or two key leaders.  In the lead up to the national championship run, when the 2nd string quarterback went down to injury and everybody was counting out the Buckeyes again, all messages coming out of Ohio State was that success was not going to come down to one man - the 3rd string quarterback.  Rather, there was an expectation throughout the team that it would take a collective team effort to ensure success.  Collective effort, collective success.

Great team message followed up by a structured team response.  Slogans, motivational speeches and bravado aside, the Ohio State coaching staff had to make adjustments in game plan as each of it's quarterbacks (and other personnel) went down to put the next man up in a position to maximize their strengths and their ability to succeed at a personal level and ultimately to promote team success.

At the end of the day, it was also clear from each coach and player interviewed - and in the championship acceptance speech by Urban Meyer - that the adversity brought this team closer together at every step of the championship journey.  This team ultimately played for each other.  As with soldiers in war, they stood together not prepared to not give of their best for fear of letting down their comrades.  They played as a team and not as a collection of individuals, prepared to truly sacrifice to obtain the ultimate objective.

Finally, it was clear that an environment had also been created that understood that mistakes would be made.  This was evident as the team adjusted from an early season - and potentially devastating loss - to the reaction to and recovery from 4 turnovers by the Buckeyes in the championship game.  You could see that responsibility was taken for such mistakes at an individual level but support offered by the team to overcome.  More importantly, once the mistake was past it was truly forgotten with a focus forward to make the next required effort, to make the next play, and ultimately succeed on the biggest stage possible.

Even for a Canadian like me, raised more on hockey than football (much less college football), I appreciate how amazing a year this has been for the Ohio State Buckeyes.  Moreover, I fully expect this season to go down as one of the most historic TEAM achievements in college football history.

More importantly I hope you can appreciate the lessons in leadership, strength of team, and perseverance through adversity that this team and this year brought to mind.  

____________________________________________________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
TEC Canada Chair/Executive Coach/Senior Consultant
hadubiak@wmc.ca

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.

The Spirit of the Christmas Season

A number of events of the past week have served to reinforce what should be of importance to us this time of year and what should animate our Christmas celebrations - and not just on December 25th but hopefully for the whole of the year.

Last week the face of terrorism was brought home to the people of Sydney, Australia, when a lone gunman took hostages in a a downtown cafe and coffee shop.  The end point to the incident was the death of the gunman and two of his hostages.  Coming less than two weeks from Christmas seemed to me to multiply the impact of the tragedy.  For someone like me whose family history is one of gathering with loved ones, after having traveled long distances, and partaking in religious observances, feasting and gift-giving, the thought of having a wife, daughter or friend taken from me so suddenly and senselessly at a time that is supposed to epitomize faith, love, hope, and celebration is simply incomprehensible.  Moreover, the people who's lives were taken, who were injured, or terrorized for those long and agonizing hours were simply living out their daily lives at the time - buying coffee and chocolates for themselves or as gifts for others before returning to work.

Here in Edmonton I was reminded that we live in a very small world and that events half a world away can have immediate impact.  At my weekly Rotary meeting we have a tradition of "happy bucks", giving a dollar or more to exercise the privilege of announcing good news for ourselves or others in our circle of friends and family.  This past Tuesday our newest member - just inducted that day - stood up to express his unending gratitude that his daughter was not counted as one of the victims of the Sydney attack.  His daughter lives in Sydney.  His daughter works one block away from the cafe where the tragedy unfolded and in the days leading up to the attack had been to the cafe several times.  But for the grace of God his daughter could have easily been a hostage.  He could have lost his daughter last week.  Needless to say, there were more than a few moments during this "happy buck" moment where my Rotary colleague needed to take time to compose himself.

All of us sitting in that room were afforded the reminder to hold our loved ones closer as life can change in an instance.  We were reminded of what is really important not just in the Spirit of Christmas but in truth all year round.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas we shall also see and experience stories of compassion and charity and love that will serve to reinforce what our humanity should be about.  This morning, as I was driving into work I was hearing about the efforts of a radio station in Edmonton to make Christmas memorable for one deserving family - a family who would otherwise be struggling through the Christmas season without the basic necessities of life.  Christmas gifts and a tree would indeed be luxuries.  Remembering last year's effort, I look forward to this year's version of a Christmas makeover that not only makes December 25th a day of joy but helps this family have a more prosperous and fulfilling 2015.

Finally, I can also relate to someone in my circle of friends who have also had their life significantly impacted by the compassion of others in their community.  I welcome you to listen to the audio link below, to hear the Spirit of Christmas as it impacted the daughter and grand-daughter of a friend of mine in Lloydminster (AB/SK).  This story again made the Spirit of Christmas real for me this year and I hope I can carry that spirit on with me for as long as possible into 2015.

https://soundcloud.com/vistaradioalbertaeast/the-goats-christmas-wish-2014-shelley-and-jennifer

I offer you these stories in hopes that you can remember what - and who - is truly important to you this Christmas season, to hold your loved ones close in your heart and in your arms, and that no matter how busy we are making a living in whatever we do that we never forget what and who we are living for.

Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous and Fulfilling 2015 for you and your family.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
TEC Canada Chair/Executive Coach/Senior Consultant
hadubiak@wmc.ca

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.






 

A Recipe for Success?

This past week I was honored to have been asked to be the inaugural guest on a colleague's radio talk show.  Rachel Foster (http://www.rachelfoster.com/) and I have known each for many years now, starting with our work together in health care.  In fact, Rachel was one of my inspirations for moving down the path of becoming an executive coach.  The topic she choose to address and asked me to comment on as a guest was entitled "Mastering the Art of Your Business Success" and as with many things that happen to me in the course of my work life it now serves as an inspiration for a blog post.

There were a number of key ideas we touched on within this omnibus heading and quite frankly I'm sure we were both wishing that we had far more than an hour to converse, explore and share our thoughts - key influences in our lives, challenges overcome and vision for the future.  Each one of these may themselves serve as inspiration for future writing, but for today I'm going to address the question of what wisdom or lessons I believe I have discovered for that might be informative to others as they look to master their business and/or professional success.

Of course, the key proviso here is that I'm entirely reflecting on my past history and experience.  So the points that follow are based on a sample size of one through a particular path of development that is unique to me.  Moreover hindsight is 20/20 so while I can extract what I see as kernels of truth now, after 25+ years of experience, it's not like I had these answers in front of me as I progressed through my career.  More than likely, even if I did have these answers provided to me, I might still have had to learn the hard way!  Human's are a stubborn lot!  So here is my assessment of what I believe has helped me be successful over my health care and now executive coach/consulting career.

First, I have always had and still have this sense of incompletion, of not actually being successful.  Now for others on the outside looking in, holding several high level executive roles in highly complex organizations and then re-establishing myself in a new career in the past several years starts to look like success.  However, I've so far not achieved a level of comfort that I envision might characterize someone who "has arrived".  So I see that as helping me maintain my edge and continuing to drive forward on to the next set of goals and targets.  And there is always the next hill to climb and something new to create.  Rule #1 then is to stay hungry, never become complacent or take current success for granted.

Second, I truly believe that a huge factor in my success has been the desire and willingness to listen and learn from others.  In fact, at one point in my health care career I provided that very answer to one of my subordinates when they asked how I achieved CEO level positions without having a clinical degree or background.  The traditional route to senior level roles in my experience, and my colleague's, was that one either had to be clinically trained and experienced (e.g., doctor, nurse) or advance up through the finance/accounting professions.  I have neither.  But I did listen to others.  I did intently focus on and learn from what others said (or didn't say) or do.  I believe I learned immensely from their successes, challenges and insights.  Rule #2 - have the humility to learn from all around you and you will not only be personally successful but others around will respect your honest interest in them.

Third, understand yourself first and foremost.  Put some real time and energy into developing and articulating your personal leadership mission, vision, values and how you want to show up as a leader every day.  I started down this particular path of a written leadership "map" for myself influenced by Stephen Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" and by an opportunity to attend a workshop hosted by Jim Kouzes of "The Leadership Challenge" fame.  Both authors provided me with frameworks and ideas that I have continued to put into practice ever since - most importantly of documenting (in writing) my leadership commitments and revisiting those on a regular basis.  Rule #3 - know thyself and be introspective.

Fourth, and something that I have only come to appreciate in the past couple of years, is to dream big.  I have been very fortunate to have come into contact with so many amazing, positive and adventurous people, business owners and leaders particularly since I have started my own entrepreneurial venture.  Primarily through my TEC Canada Chair role and Executive Coach practice, I have had the privilege of meeting several people with BIG dreams.  They have been of inspiration to me and have helped me to re-imagine the possibilities for my own business venture.  Rule #4 - think big and surround yourself with inspiring and action-oriented people!

Fifth, never stop learning.  Since hitting my academic stride in the latter half of my undergrad degree, I have always been enamored by the learning opportunities afforded to me. Those learning opportunities are not just formal educational ventures either.  Rather there is much to be learned in just day-to-day life and living and travels to other parts of the world.  The key for me has been having an insatiable hunger for seeing how others live and lead, how they advance themselves, and being open to the lessons to be gained from the broader world.  Rule #5 - learn continuously and forever.  It's not only necessary in today's highly dynamic environment, it's also a damn lot of fun.

Finally, and a lesson that continues to reinforce itself to me frequently, is to make sure you take care of yourself.  It's definitely not just about your business or your executive position.  Your health, your relationships and how you make your money has to be aligned with the entirety of your life.  Do stop and smell the roses, train for and compete in an Ironman, attend your 4-year old's playschool Christmas pageant on a Friday afternoon, play PlayStation with your 14-year old, and drink a glass of wine in the evening with your spouse.  There is never going to be enough time in your business to get everything done, the work will be there again tomorrow, and the e-mails will continue to pile up.  It's inevitable, infuriating, and daunting.  But unless you live life, make time for yourself and those important to you, truly what is the point.  Enjoy the journey and live without regrets.  Rule #6 - live life with purpose, on purpose.

______________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
TEC Canada Chair/Executive Coach/Senior Consultant
hadubiak@wmc.ca

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.

It's About Respect

In this past week, my local paper has laid out a series on the state of our province's hospital system.  Called "Condition Critical", it shed some light not only on the challenges our provincial health care system faces but also helped identify how we got here and how we might extricate ourselves.  If you haven't seen or read all or part of the series you can catch up by pasting the following link to your browser and catching up:  http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/condition-critical/index.html

To many of us in embedded in the healthcare system for any length of time there may in fact be few surprises in the articles.  Moreover, the situation is likely not unique to Alberta or even in Canada.  Other jurisdictions have struggled with similar challenges in healthcare and in other parts of the public sector.  It's easy to build infrastructure, cut the ribbons, gain the short-term political points but far less easy to manage the year-to-year operational challenges and legacy effects down the road.  Even the private sector has dealt with similar issues over the years as they change and consolidate services as demographics, technology and other business factors dictate.

My focus is less on the reality of an overbuilt and unsustainable hospital infrastructure than on one particular aspect of the story relating to how hospital maintenance needs were evaluated and then how they were ranked in receiving maintenance dollars, capital upgrades or slotted for replacement.  The Edmonton Journal states (underline is my emphasis):

"A five-month investigation by the Journal found the province’s infrastructure rating system is convoluted, lacks transparency and is subject to manipulation behind the scenes. Instead of providing objective measures of facility need that can be shared with the public and used to determine funding priorities, the system appears influenced by frequent changes in methodology, inconsistent practices and political whim — most of it applied outside of public view."

I place this assertion in the context of an initiative that was announced the week prior where the government announced it's intent to reform Alberta’s public service to "...address 'shocking' turnover, low morale and a host of other very significant problems."  Giving credit where credit is due, Premier Jim Prentice identified that “[t]here have been employee surveys that show the morale of the civil service is low, and that there has not been a healthy relationship between elected representatives of government and the civil service."  He went on to state "[t]here has clearly been a very high level of turnover and churn, and I actually found the numbers quite shocking."  He added, that inexperience at senior levels was also a concern.

For those who have been in the civil service the factual statements come as little or no surprise.  I don't doubt that to one degree or another this same set of statements could be applied to provincial and federal employees across Canada.  In addition, some of the challenges facing our civil service bedevil our private sector - higher than desired levels of turnover in staff and inexperience at senior levels.  Succession planning, particular as the baby boomer generation starts to exit the workplace, is a concern for every sector.

So what's the solution to this sad state of affairs? I believe it lies in and is recognized by the statement that suggests there has been an unhealthy relationship between elected representatives of government and the civil service that has also established a culture where it is ok for the public and media to dump on civil servants.  More plainly and fundamentally it comes down to respect - or rather a lack thereof - for the effort, skill, ability and expertise of our civil service employees.  Having been a civil servant for only a couple of years and having worked in the public sector for 25 years, I can personally relate to issues of lack of respect - chasing one's tail on suspect initiatives, trying to rationalize political (small p or otherwise) decisions, having one's suggestions or input requested and subsequently dismissed, and being thrown "under the bus" when it suited other political or "leadership " agendas.  These actions hardly smacked of respect and certainly do nothing to support engagement and retention of staff.

Harvard Business Review just recently concluded a study in which it surveyed nearly 20,000 employees around the world.  Their focus was on assessing factors that impacted on employee commitment and engagement.  Their finding - respect from leaders towards their staff was the single biggest factor impacting employee satisfaction and engagement.  Those staff that felt respected by their leader(s) reported 56% better health and well-being, 89% greater satisfaction with their jobs, and 92% greater focus in their roles.  They also reported 55% more engagement with their organizations.  The results for those staff who did not feel respected by their leader(s) were also similarly clear - less engagement, more turnover, less focus, lower productivity, greater absenteeism and disability.  

There's a clear cost to government - and any organization - in not demonstrating respect for those who work for us.  Without the right number of engaged and skilled staff we clearly can't deliver on our organizational mandate.  The cost of turnover and absenteeism should be self-evident.  So if this government, or any government and business, is truly interested in reforming their workforce and the workplace culture it has to start by promoting a culture of respect.  In this particular case, that effort has to start at the top.  Our elected officials need to be leaders in changing a culture where it has been OK to vilify public civil servants, casting them as them as villains in some of the challenges facing the public sector, and throwing them under the bus when it is politically convenient.  The issues described in "Condition Critical", where decisions on hospital maintenance and replacement are made behind closed doors and may in fact discount the input of "bureaucrats", does not currently foster a culture of respect and engagement.

Until such time as government and business leaders are truly prepared to hire, reward and support staff on the basis of their skills, ability and passion for the work to be done they will continue to be plagued with high levels of turnover, low levels of morale, and decreasing capacity to actually meet ever more challenging demands.

It's About Leadership and in this case It's About Respect.

______________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
TEC Canada Chair/Executive Coach/Senior Consultant
hadubiak@wmc.ca

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.

Resistance is Futile?

Whether you are new to your leadership role or are a seasoned leadership veteran you are bound to experience or have experienced resistance to a project, initiative or strategy you have taken on in your role.  While it is often said that change is the one true constant I'm sure that if you flipped that particular metaphorical coin over you would find a reference to resistance to change being inevitable.

There's a risk in simply taking for granted and dismissing resistance as unavoidable.  On the one hand, simply accepting resistance as inevitable can lull some leaders into a complacent or even fatalistic view of their efforts to implement a strategy, project or other initiative.  They approach the pending effort from a standpoint of "why bother" working through all the possible contingencies or details required for any significant plan.  At the end of the day, they simply believe that the effort expended is futile given that there will be resistance even if the form and intensity is unpredictable.  This view may even be borne out of historical experience and frustration with past change efforts.  Past reality - and skill in previous efforts - however, does not necessarily make this conclusion the correct one.

On the opposite end of the scale, other leaders can also acknowledge that resistance to change is inevitable but rather than be apathetic or fatalistic about it they adopt a far more aggressive - even arrogant - approach to moving a strategy forward.   In the most extreme scenario, the leader assumes that the basis and rationale for their strategy is impeccably sound, that the benefits of implementation are significant and blatantly self-evident, and that the timeline in which the initiative is to be completed is imminently doable.  Resistance to any aspect of the initiative - either in substance or form - is dismissed as irrelevant.  In effect, the (arrogant) leader presumes a level of omnipotence that supersedes the knowledge and skill possessed by his team.  In short, resistance is futile.  You will be assimilated (reference Start Trek The Next Generation, Borg philosophy).

Both extremes are incorrect.  Both can take leaders down a path of personal frustration.  In the first circumstance, an individual leader can find themselves in a constant firefighting role as they try to manage almost daily challenges trying to move forward their project through to successful conclusion.  No easy feat and oftentimes leading to a series of compromises and an end product that bears little resemblance to initial plans.  In the second case, given the arrogance of the leader that is sometimes in play, an initiative may be taken through to "successful" conclusion but at a significant cost to the well-being of the rest of the team.  If the initiative fails to progress or achieve all of its projected benefits, the leader who dismissed the potential for resistance often lays the blame at the feet of subordinates for improper execution or commitment.  And sometimes, there are true casualties - terminations - along the way.  Fear and success go hand-in-hand.

But rather than presume and accept resistance without planning for such effective management of resistance comes in recognizing reasons and sources for such and establishing responses and contingencies ahead of time.  The reality is that you either spend the time up front mitigating resistance or you will be dealing with it later on.  Pay now or pay later and paying later usually means greater cost, effort, and frustration with diminished results.

So a few lessons in moving forward any initiative, especially one of any significance. First, truly understand the initiative you are proposing for implementation.  As the leader, you need to be more familiar with the initiative than anyone else, you need to be able to effectively and clearly articulate the benefits - and risks - in moving forward, and you have to be capable of surfacing and dealing with questions and possible objections.  I believe that unless and until you put such a plan to paper you are likely in no position to effectively carry the day with others.

Second, you need to have a true and objective understanding of your team and key stakeholders as you consider implementing a new initiative.  Do they in fact have the required skill sets and abilities to move your initiative forward?  Might your team already be overtaxed with other initiatives and responsibilities that would prevent them from effectively moving forward on something new?

For both you and your team, presuming that you don't have excess organizational capacity, how does this new initiative fit into your overall plan?  If your organization has already fully committed its organizational resources are you prepared to acquire additional resources to take on this new priority? Are you prepared to establish this new initiative as your top priority?  As one of your top three organizational priorities?  What sacrifices are you and your team prepared to make?  Keep in mind - from my perspective - if you have more than five "top" priorities my assumption is that you have no priorities whatsoever.

Finally, rather than attempting to overwhelm potential resistance with the force of your leadership position or to simply persevere despite the odds through personal effort, perhaps you should consider something else when faced with resistance.  Perhaps you could learn something from those who are resisting your efforts.  Perhaps you are wrong and perhaps those putting up barriers are doing so for legitimate reasons.  They may in fact be better informed than you on some aspect of your initiative, may be more objective around its benefits and risks, and their resistance may be focused on what is best for the organization and your own success.  Just because they are resistant to your ideas doesn't mean they are opposed to you.

Maybe after all is said and done resistance is only not futile but in may in fact be the best thing that could happen for your success.  And perhaps a great leader can be strong enough and humble enough to listen and learn from their team.
______________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
TEC Canada Chair/Executive Coach/Senior Consultant
hadubiak@wmc.ca

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.

Transformational Leader - Is it in You?

The concept of transformational leadership, perhaps like many ideas and frameworks, is not new.  In fact, it dates back as early as the late 1970's and the work of James MacGregor Burns.  It certainly has gained a lot more play and traction since then from other academics and leadership practitioners.  Moreover, leadership development programs, whether developed internally by larger organizations or contracted for by many others, focus in significant measure on developing more effective leaders at all levels of organization based on the key elements of transformational leadership.

As with many of my blog posts, the intersection of somewhat unrelated events caused me to reflect on the tenets of transformational leadership and how those are being translated into the reality of our organizations.  On the one hand, as I was in the throes of completing my certification in a leadership tool I had the opportunity to get a high level refresher on what the elements of transformational leadership are.  In that same week, I had opportunity to reflect on the practical challenges facing organizations and "enlightened" leaders as they attempt to live to the guidelines of transformational leadership outside of the classroom and back into their workplace.

Simply and basically put, their are four elements that comprise or summarize transformational leadership:

1. Individualized Consideration – essentially the degree to which the leader is aware of and supports each of his team members needs and aspirations, acts as a mentor or coach to his individual team members, and listen to their concerns and needs.  This calls upon a leader to be empathetic and supportive, communicative and concerned about development of each team member.  A healthy dose of respect and recognition goes hand-in-hand here too.
2. Intellectual Stimulation – in this regard, leaders encourage innovation, experimentation, creativity and risk-taking by their team.  Mistakes are expected and used as learning opportunities.  Public support is prominent relative to successes.  Individualized support undertaken as required to work through mistakes.  More importantly, leaders are prepared to break from the status quo, implement new ideas and discard old practices based on team member success and learning.  
3. Inspirational Motivation – in this regard, a leader is able to clearly articulate and energize a vision that appeals and inspires the team.  Leaders are prepared to challenge themselves and their teams to slay the "sacred cows", remove barriers, overcome challenges and stay optimistic in pursuit of a common set of goals.  The team is infused with a strong sense of purpose.  The leader communicates the vision clearly, effectively and powerfully resulting in a team that is fully invested and engaged in the effort to achieve the vision.  
4. Idealized Influence – the leader acts as THE role model for the team.  There is no doubt as to what the values of the team or organization should be - the team need only watch the actions of the leader to see the core values at work.  Leaders demonstrate the values every day even to the point of personal sacrifice.  Nobody ever said leadership was easy.  Doing the right thing is often not the easy thing.  

Each element is connected and comprises the whole picture of a leader.  There has to be an internal consistency as all the elements come together and leadership actions over the long haul will be evaluated by our teams on the basis of what a leader says and - more importantly - does.  Our leadership authenticity - our "line of credit" - is constantly under scrutiny.  Failure to live by our proclaimed standards will degrade trust and ultimately our ability to lead.

I hope what comes out of this summary of transformational leadership is a realization of how potentially daunting the task of becoming an effective - and true - leader is.  Beyond the differences with what we might identify as transactional leadership and management in many of our organizations the reality of how we can feasibly or effectively develop transformational leaders in our organizations seems even more challenging.

I have previously posted on my support for in-house leadership development programs.  Without a doubt there is certainly a case to be made to obtaining support from external experts and resources.  Critically, however, I believe that an effective leadership development program - particularly one that desires to arm current and future leaders in the elements of transformational leadership - must be grounded in the mission, vision and values of their particular organization.

More importantly, there must be a recognition of the impact that other systems and structures of the organization have in either supporting or hindering the development of transformational leadership.  In particular, I believe that unless the President, CEO and other senior leaders are in fact true exemplars of transformational leadership any effort to successfully develop and sustain leaders at other levels of the organization is doomed to limited impact if not outright failure.

Harsh judgement to be sure.  However, how much faith can we place in the power of any leadership development program to deliver on its promise, no matter how well conceived or executed, if we do not support these newly minted and energized leaders once they fully return to their workplace teams?  Are the senior leaders and/or the organization as a whole truly prepared to support creative, innovative - and risky - options for new program or service delivery?  Are the existing senior leaders prepared for the inevitable mistakes that will occur?  Will existing leaders bend to pressures - whether from shareholders, government officials or via media scrutiny - to reverse course and hold people accountable for transgressions?  Do we have enough leaders in our organizations with the "right stuff" to effectively support and mentor those leaders we have invested in?  Are the existing leaders themselves prepared to make their own transformational changes, upholding stated organizational values, even to the challenge of their own historical prerogatives and perks?

I am left to wonder at what the "success rate" of our leaders will be months or a year from their last leadership development session.  Will they have sustained the enthusiasm and momentum they demonstrated upon "graduation" or will they have been worn down by the sheer size, immensity and inertia of the system and culture they know needs to change.

So is it in you, as someone who may have just finished an inspiring and insightful leadership development program, to hold true to your evolution as a leader, to sustain the personal journey, and become a more authentic leader for your team?

Is it in you, as a President, CEO, or other senior leader to take the practical day-to-day actions to create, develop and sustain the working environment that will allow your aspiring leaders to be creative, innovative, risk takers and reach their full potential?  Are you prepared to support their transformation, remove barriers to that effect, and perhaps exemplify what it is to be a transformational leader?

Do we all have the courage to transform our organizations, to remake them in service of our clients and customers, to truly excel at what we do, and to reach our full potential?

Is it in you to become a Transformational Leader?
______________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
TEC Canada Chair/Executive Coach/Senior Consultant
hadubiak@wmc.ca

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.

It is Time to Remember...and Respect our Soldiers

So right off the bat I'll put a caveat on this blog post.  It's not what I've traditionally focused on related to leadership.  Rather, based on events of the past week and my own personal feelings on the matter, I felt compelled to write on the subject of Remembrance Day and how we respect - or don't respect - our veterans and armed forces.

This past week Saskatchewan-born entrepreneur Brett Wilson called on businesses to hold off putting up Christmas decorations until after Remembrance Day.  In doing so he said that early Christmas displays and sales showed a lack of respect for veterans.  Later in the week, as he responded to some of the "controversy" generated by his comments, he further suggested that his primary intent was to raise the level of discussion on Remembrance Day and how we recognize and respect our veterans and armed forces.  And there was heated debated generated without a doubt.  If you need any evidence of that they just check out the back and forth on his official twitter account @WBrettWilson. 

I first became aware of Mr. Wilson's perspective and the heat subsequently generated through my early morning drive as I listened to one of my favorite radio stations.  And quite frankly I was dismayed by the level of discourse on this subject.  One of the radio personalities was solidly behind a perspective that putting up Christmas decorations - at home or at a place of business - was in no way disrespectful of veterans or currently serving members.  In fact he - perversely in my view - suggested that by putting up Christmas decorations that he was paying the highest tribute to those who had or were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for our country and the values it stood for.  My take on his comments were that by putting up Christmas decorations prior to November 11th and shopping on that day that people were being supremely patriotic by enjoying the freedoms bought for us by the sacrifice of others.

Perhaps most shocking was the reference made to the murder of Corporal Nathan Cirillo.  My beloved radio personality suggested that the events of October 22nd actually provided Canada with an early Remembrance Day.

I wish I could say that the rationalization ended there.  Unfortunately not.  During the course of my drive in to work a spouse of currently serving member of our Canadian armed forces called in to express her dismay at how ignored and forgotten she and her family felt during Remembrance Day.  While she might have been worried about a spouse or friends deployed overseas, others in her community were busily putting up Christmas trees or enjoying a day off of work to shop or enjoy other recreational opportunities.  The response from our local radio personality?  Well her husband made a choice to join the armed forces.  Why should his choice impact our enjoyment or commitment to Christmas?  From his standpoint, putting up Christmas decorations at his home, or a business putting up Christmas decorations before November 11th, had nothing to do with respect or disrespect for our armed forces.

I can't disagree more and unlike Brett Wilson, I believe that we should do more than just raise the level of discussion on this matter.  It's not that I'm a grinch or anti-Christmas.  On the contrary, I have a local reputation for being the 2nd coming of Griswald and if you need a guidepost for driving in Edmonton just look for the glow coming off the multitude of lights on my house.  Ditto for going over the top at Halloween.  But my Halloween lights and decorations come off immediately after the big candy fix and my Christmas lights don't go up nor get lighted until the weekend after Remembrance Day.  I do not see that as any grave sacrifice on my part - even if it might mean putting up lights and decorations in colder or snowier weather.  It's a small sacrifice to make on my part and is a small demonstration of respect - FOR ONE DAY - of the sacrifice made on my behalf by others.

And lets be honest about Christmas as well.  For most of us, Christmas has lost much of its spiritual significance.  The reaction that I have seen from retailers is either that they need the extra time to get their retail displays in order to start taking full advantage of a prime sales window for them or they simply can't afford the loss of a single day of sales if we were to declare November 11th a statutory holiday.  Even that wouldn't even necessarily mean no shopping hours.  While I appreciate that the Christmas season makes or breaks many a retailer's profits for the year, if one day makes that much of a difference I suggest you are not going to make it in the long haul regardless.

Maybe there are some of you who are anti-military on principle.  I can accept that.  However, most of us would also realize that the vast majority of our military personnel don't themselves make the decisions to deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan on military missions, nor do they deploy to places like Cyprus and Rwanda on peacekeeping missions out of their direct choice.  They go where and when we tell them leaving behind family and friends at the risk of life and limb.  And let's remember Mr. Radio Personality it is your taxes and your elected officials that have both created this opportunity for a military career and that ultimately then directs these people into harm's way.

And it's not like this choice is loaded with perks like great housing, great pay, or great opportunities after the end of their military careers.  As a country we have decided, through our elected leaders, to maintain a military force that allows us to participate in world affairs to the best of our abilities, in support of like-minded allies, and to uphold a set of values as a country that we say we hold dear.  I can't accept that whether you are pro- or anti-military that you would not find some place in your life to recognize the efforts and sacrifices of our fellow citizens on missions WE have sent them to complete.

So Mr. Radio Personality I certainly can't control whether you put up Christmas decorations in your house the day after Halloween.  I can't control whether your business decides its time to put up a Christmas tree in your lobby.  I can't control whether our local retailers decide its in their best business interests to get that head start on their profit margin by getting all decked out in holly.  Nor can I control whether buyers and sellers decide to do business on November 11th.  At least not yet.

I can, however, express my dismay at all of those choices as I do believe it displays a fundamental lack of respect for our armed forces - both living and dead.  In the end, it is more about all of us being entirely self-centred and selfish and materialistic.

This year, like every year, I'm waiting until the weekend after November 11th to put up my Christmas decorations.  This year, like every year I'm wearing a poppy on my jacket.  This year, like every year I'm going to do what I can to reflect on the efforts exerted on my behalf by our armed forces.  It's certainly the very least I can do.  Christmas can wait one more day.  And I can give one day to remember.
______________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
TEC Canada Chair/Executive Coach/Senior Consultant
hadubiak@wmc.ca

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.

Maybe it's NOT my Responsibility

I've recently been experiencing a significant challenge in my personal life.  In truth it's something that I probably have been dealing with - in better or worse fashion - for the past ten years.  Unfortunately, it's come to a bit more of a head in the past year.  At the same time it was also vigorously pointed out to me by one of my trusted confidantes that perhaps I'm taking too much of an ownership position on this particular issue and by doing so not only am I doing great damage to myself (e.g., emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, even physically) but I'm not permitting or even demanding appropriate engagement and involvement of others in the situation - others who probably have a better chance of addressing the situation on a more permanent basis than if I come to the rescue every day.

It was a hard message to hear.  By my nature I am a problem solver, a fixer, and as soon as an issue is presented I go into fix-it mode.  I can't help myself.  In essence, I presume that by someone simply experiencing an issue or venting about a challenge it is tantamount to an invitation to come to the rescue.  You need not worry about explicitly asking for my help or input.  I'll be engaged from the moment you complete your first sentence.

This personal "ah ha" moment caused me to reflect on the number of scenarios that have been presented to me in my coaching engagements over the years.  Frequently I'm helping my clients make sure that they understand what is truly in their control and what is not.  Just as frequently, we are also working through how we can establish appropriate ownership over the issues and challenges they face on a day-to-day basis.  For most of the leaders I have worked with, they have risen to their positions precisely because they can be relied upon to get things done, to make things happen, and to solve problems.  What they discover as they rise through the ranks though is that the same tools, techniques, and behaviors that made them successful in the past can actually be very detrimental to their future success.

Adhering to an approach of "I Solve All" leads to a significant number of negative impacts for any leader.  For one, the types of issues and challenges that one faces as you move up in an organization become more complex, sensitive and time consuming.  Your ability as an individual to successfully solve these problems on your own becomes significantly more challenging - even impossible - unless you adopt new tactics.  Moreover, if you are unable to change tactics you will almost certainly find yourself incapable of dealing with multiple tasks and issues at the same time.  You simply don't have the time or physical capacity to deal with multiple issues or challenges simultaneously.  It's not to say that we don't try to make it happen.  Often we congratulate ourselves - and are congratulated by others - for giving 110% or more, working longer hours and weekends, and dragging ourselves in while sick, to achieve the impossible.  As I noted for myself in my personal challenge, this often leads to being physically worn down and/or emotionally spent.

Just as significant, on a personal level, as you become known for or cement your position as a leader who solves all problems and takes on all comers, is the fact that "success" begets more work.  Your desire to be of service and/or your inability to say no actually doesn't help you make progress.  The more problems you seemingly solve, the more likely you are to be presented with more opportunities to be of service of others.  This not only leads to the personal exhaustion and frustration noted above, it quite frankly could put your own position/career at risk.  If you are so busy solving the problems of everyone else, it might be noted that you are not effectively carrying out your own duties.

Aside from these personal impacts, many leaders also need assistance understanding how their helping/servant approach actually does a disservice to the organization and the individuals that report to them.  In the desire to be of assistance, to make quick progress on issues and move on to the next challenges, the long-term impact is that we do not enhance the capacity and capability of our subordinates to solve and hone their own problem-solving skills.  In essence we are stunting their growth and the ability of the organization to grow and be more successful.  It may seem more challenging to mentor, support and develop capacity in our subordinates in the short-term, but unless we take that time we inevitably will continue our firefighting management throughout our tenure.  Pay now or pay later never held more true.

I'm a huge believer in the servant-leadership model, but the key here is to determine and evaluate how best to serve your staff and your organization.  And it may not be by jumping at every opportunity to solve a problem.  You might just have to overcome your innate desire to help and assist.  You might just have to pause long enough to figure out what is going to be the best long-term solution to the presenting problem.  And I know I have much to learn in this regard as well - both personally and professionally.  Your role - my role - as leader is not just to solve problems but to build capacity of the team for their benefit and for the long-term benefit of your organization.

Sometimes good leadership means asking more questions and saying NO more often.  That approach is not easy but the path of strong leadership seldom is.
______________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
TEC Canada Chair/Executive Coach/Senior Consultant
hadubiak@wmc.ca

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.