Resolve to Invest in Your Leadership

It's that time of year again when many of us make New Year's resolutions.  The turning of the page at the stroke of midnight on December 31st provides a point at which many of us believe or aspire to a new level of performance at a personal or professional level or both.  Unfortunately, the rate at which these resolutions are kept and the extent of actual achievement falls far short of the inspired vision that created them.  In fact, some studies have identified that of those people who have made resolutions less than 10% will actually see them through in the course of the coming year. 

In the context of your leadership what have you resolved to do differently (and presumably better) in the coming year?  If you are an individual and a leader possessed of any degree of personal humility you would recognize that there is always opportunity for improvement.  Think back in the past year to those moments in which your leadership was challenged, where you struggled or were frustrated with getting results or getting results in a timely fashion, and even in those circumstances where you spent more than a few sleepless nights challenged by a key decision with seemingly no right answer.  With the benefit of hindsight what would you have done differently?  What skills or experience are going to better equip you for the challenges to come in 2014?  What are you going to do differently to better prepare yourself?  What are you prepared to invest in becoming a better leader?

As a TEC Canada Chair and an Executive Coach, I've engaged with many leaders, both formally and informally in the past year.  It's been interesting to note that, despite the diversity of industries and differences in years of experience of these leaders, the issues they face are often are quite similar.  Moreover, as leaders they also consistently struggle with the fact that they don't have a confidential resource at their disposal to bounce ideas off of, to express their own doubts about a plan of attack, or to simply have a forum to "talk-out-loud" without fear of being judged.  Most recognize the value of such a confidential resource or forum but not all avail themselves of the opportunity to engage such expertise.  Why?  There are a range of reasons that do come up but two of the most common are Time and Money. 

Considering those objections to engaging a confidential external resource it seems to me these leaders are undervaluing an investment in themselves and their leadership.  Given the fact these leaders are making decisions sometimes valued in the millions of dollars, impacting on hundreds or more staff, and countless more clients or customers, it seems to me that an investment in ongoing leadership development and support would make for a quite positive ROI calculation.  So while I can assume that a majority of leaders have implicitly or explicitly made some "resolutions" about how 2014 will be better than 2013 they may not be giving themselves all the ammunition they need to succeed.  And maybe they get lucky and are part of the 10% that make it despite all barriers, obstacles and challenges.  However, I'd like to think that for a few dollars and few hours of support each month those odds of success turn decisively in your favor.

Resolutions can provide you with a great personal vision.  Turning those resolutions into reality and success benefits from you - The Leader - making a commitment to truly investing in yourself.  Engaging with an objective and unbiased sounding board that will help you assess the past, build on your strengths, set clear and specific goals, and help you stay accountable to your plans - this is what makes a resolution and your leadership development a reality. 

As a leader, you one of the greatest assets your organization has.  Your Time and Your Money (and that of your organization) are precious commodities.  Invest this time and money wisely and to good effect.  In the context of your responsibilities you owe it to yourself and your organization to continuously sharpen your leadership acumen.  It's about you and it's about your leadership.

Resolve to invest in your leadership in 2014.
______________________________

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 The Thought that Counts - Redux

I just recently read an article that suggested that the annual Christmas party was the one last best opportunity in the year to boost or salvage one's employee engagement scores.  At one level I couldn't help but chuckle at this perspective - as if one kick-ass party was going to somehow undo an entire year of not paying attention to a company's most valuable and portable resource.  To me it's somewhat akin to saying that I could be a horrible husband or parent all year long and somehow overcome that with a great anniversary or birthday present.

On the other hand, I could also appreciate and buy-in to the perspective of making sure that as a leader we truly show up in an authentic and sincere fashion at this time of year.  That we take this time to truly demonstrate our appreciation for our staff, our team, our co-workers and our fellow human beings.  And perhaps that from this spirit of giving we could hold ourselves in that spirit for the year to come. 

Last year, I wrote an entry focused on how we as leaders do or do not show up at this time of year, and whether we demonstrate with any authenticity our appreciation and commitment to our staff.  With some minor edits I have reprised that entry for your consideration.

So Yes, the Christmas season is upon us once again!  If you are like me that usually means the typical scramble to get those last minute gifts, prepare for family visits, or send off Christmas cards.  It is also the time of year for work-based Christmas parties and events.    In my experience these have taken on many forms from unit-based social events, to Board/senior executive formal functions, to larger team-based gatherings at a local restaurant, and even holiday-themed meals provided for free to all staff during the Christmas season.  What some may fail to realize is that these events say a lot about the organization's or the individual leader's commitment to staff and can send strong messages about the reality of employee engagement in the organization. 

I recall from painful experience a year in which budget and optics caused my organization to cancel what had been a long-standing event - the annual tradition of offering a free meal to staff in the week leading up to Christmas.  Given the nature of trying to serve hundreds of people at 3 or 4 points in the day the food provided was delivered in buffet, industrial style production - hot food dished out cafeteria-style, with cake or squares for dessert, and your choice of juice or coffee.  There certainly was cost, but not extravagance.  Staff social committees put forward their best effort to provide entertainment for these functions as well so there was music, caroling, and contests to encourage socialization and camaraderie.  What I believe staff also enjoyed was the fact that very many of their managers took turns serving out meals at the event.  This included senior executives as well.  A colleague of mine and I made a particular tradition of taking on the night shift - which if memory served was 1 or 2 in the morning.  Staff were generally impressed that we made the effort to come in at night to put in a couple of hours of work and engage in conversation with them.  And we both thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Modest cost but an investment that paid off many times over in connecting with staff.

Needless to say the cancellation was not well received by most.  It was a challenging decision to make.  Some believed that public perception as much as cost supported the decision to cancel.  If there were budget challenges for the organization how could we justify spending dollars on a staff Christmas meal?  Others believed that if competitors were making similar decisions we had no choice but to follow.  However, for most management and staff it was not a warmly received decision.  Many felt it diminished the hard work and sacrifices of all staff.  Many felt that this was the one true reward and recognition that they received in a year and now it was gone.  Others may have taken the tradition for granted and it simply became an entitlement.  Nevertheless the cost to the organization in terms of goodwill was not insignificant.  We definitely came across as Scrooge-like.

What also went by the way that year was any formal lunch time gathering of management teams.  All of my managers would have gotten together at a restaurant or some other venue to have a buffet style meal, socialize, and listen to me give greetings of the season and thanks for a year's hard work.  Other senior executives would have done similar things with their direct reports.  That was no longer on the table.  I could have chosen then to forgo any annual Christmas gathering of my team.  However, it's not that easy to just give up these types of events if you really believe in rewarding and recognizing your team.  With the support of my direct reports and my family we decided to take a different approach to celebrating Christmas - we opened up my house over two days to a potluck style celebration.  What did this mean?  Well mostly it meant parking challenges for my neighborhood and space challenges in my house with upwards of 100 people attending each day enjoying each other's company and culinary creations.  It was a house full to the brim of Christmas spirit!  Adversity turned to celebration!  What could have been a season of discontent was turned into a huge positive team-building event.  The comments that my wife and I received from my management staff were overwhelmingly positive.  Many even suggested that this home-based event become the new Christmas tradition.  The team was strengthened that day and the Christmas spirit was alive and well.

I also kept my own more intimate work-based Christmas celebration going.  For probably the last 10 or 15 years, I have invited my immediate direct reports and their spouses over to my house some time in the Christmas season.  Again all the food is home-cooked with contributions from all.  More importantly for me, I have always used the occasion to individually recognize each of my team members with a gift - paid for by myself - that I believe spoke to their individual achievements or reality in the past year.  I put hours of thought into each person's gift.  Sometimes this related to a singular event, sometimes to their particular personality or character, or perhaps some key accomplishment - personal or work-related - that was noteworthy.  In all cases, the gift giving was preceded by a mostly humorous, and always heart-felt, presentation on my part.  I believe this was warmly received by my colleagues precisely because it demonstrated that I paid attention to their efforts throughout the year and thought enough about each one of them to put in this individualized effort.  Our success was made possible by their individual and combined efforts.  It certainly would have been easier and less time-consuming to give them all a gift card to Chapter's, or give them some corporate swag, or something equally as generic.  I also could have assigned the task of getting these gifts to my support staff or similarly had them make arrangements for the party.  After all, I was a senior executive and could have pulled out the "I'm too busy or important" excuse to support the delegation of work.  But I don't see that it would have had the same meaning for any of us.  And the reward I got for the effort was the laughter, the tears and team building that came from this Christmas tradition.  I enjoyed it and got energy from the effort!

Ultimately, regardless of organizational circumstances, I believe that any leader can demonstrate an ongoing commitment to staff, to engaging their team, and building a strong culture.  It does take effort, it does take creativity, but ultimately it really is all about sincerity of commitment to others.  As the leader you set the tone for the culture you work in.  You build the culture by all of your actions, both large and small.  You build the culture by how you treat and work with your colleagues on a day-to-day basis.  You build the culture of your organization by your level of engagement and interest in your staff.  You demonstrate by the level of your effort how much your team really means to you.

There is no better time to demonstrate your commitment to your team than at Christmas. 

After all, it's the thought that counts.
______________________________

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.

Can Your Organization's Culture Survive its Next Leader?

Several weeks ago I was a guest at a retirement function of a long-standing leader of a prominent local organization.  Not surprisingly, there were many accolades and a few good-natured barbs directed towards the retiring executive.  Similarly, there was an expression of both sadness and joy on the part of the retiring leader themselves - pride at the many years of accomplishments and challenges overcome but similarly a true sense of loss in preparing to be apart from a team and not being able to continue to see through the next round of major initiatives. 

Just as there is transition for the individual leader there is also a fair degree of uncertainty for the organization.  For those "left behind" they now begin to wonder what will the new leader be like?  What will change?  How will this impact us? How will this impact me?  These questions and anxieties don't just play out when an Owner, President or CEO transitions out of an organization.  At a frontline level, staff can also feel real anxiety when their supervisor, manager or director move on to new roles.  For better or worse, the leader - President or supervisor - has established a certain way of getting things done for the entire company or for simply their unit.  The leader has created a culture or sub-culture that people have become accustomed to.

For the purpose of this entry, I'm assuming that the culture the departing leader has created is in fact a positive one - a culture that has not been enforced but rather has been fostered and grown over time, that is characterized by great teamwork, open communication, strong employee engagement, great morale, strong customer satisfaction, and a record of success that comes from a strong values base and a can-do attitude.  The unit, division or organization has a great reputation, is a magnet for both clients and prospective hires, and stands out as being a great place to work.  It is a benchmark for other organizations or other parts of the same organization.

By all metrics this is an entity and culture worth preserving, growing and emulating.  And because its been performing so well one might believe that the reasons for its performance and capability might be well understood.  And because it has been performing so well one might believe that particular care might be taken selecting the right leader with the right qualities to build upon that success.  Unfortunately, that is not always the case.

I've experienced or seen a few situations where a strong, dynamic, values-based, performance-oriented culture was lost because of errors in selecting the next leader.  In one example, a CEO was hired into a newly created organization which was the result of a forced merger of at least 10 different smaller entities.  At the outset of this CEO's tenure there was a real possibility of continuing division along community and service lines.  The reality was that less than a year later this organization was a benchmark amongst its peers - a united leadership team, commonly-held vision and values, significantly improved relationships and partnerships with its unions, empowered and energetic staff, open communication, and above all integrity of character and decision-making.  In addition, the CEO and the rest of the senior leadership took strong steps in succession planning with a focus on sustaining long-term gains and success into the future.

Unfortunately, when that CEO determined it was time to move on to bigger challenges and opportunities the Board failed to adequately consider these succession planning efforts - or perhaps didn't buy into the culture of the organization that had been created.  The Board selected an external candidate as the next leader. In hindsight, it is now clear that the factors that had led to success for the organization and that established a strong performance-based culture were not understood or appreciated by the Board.  The new CEO had a far less open approach than the organization was used to.  Decisions were made by him alone or by a very small circle of advisers.  Empowerment, flexibility, autonomy, and integrity became more challenging commodities to come by.  The result was a relatively rapid departure of a number of "bright lights" in the organization.  They moved on.  They looked for other opportunities to continue their careers.  Within a short time the former culture - and successes - of the organization became a historical footnote.

A second example with the loss of culture is less dramatic but no less challenging.  Historically, an organization with a long values-driven history but perhaps less dynamic leadership than one might have expected and hoped for.  Nonetheless, the strong values base had in fact helped create an element of competitive advantage in the local marketplace and helped sustain the organization's existence through some rather dramatic changes in its business environment.  Like the previous example, however, the Board seemingly had less appreciation of the strength of the existing organizational culture while at the same time being sensitive to the less than dynamic leadership they had historically had.  They were intent on rectifying this and were also intent on growing the enterprise.  For this purpose, they identified a need to hire a leader from outside the organization with the requisite vision to move the enterprise forward.  Unfortunately, the same leadership characteristics of charisma, energy, and self-confidence that seemingly commended this leader also masked some less than desirable characteristics. 

The results?  The organization did in fact grow and there continue to be plans for more growth.  The public perception of the organization remains somewhat intact, but perhaps as much due to low performing competitors than to any real enhancement in performance.  The impacts on the organization's culture have been more clear - staff engagement results have dropped, teamwork between service lines has declined, there is limited if any trust in official internal communications, morale is low, and the competitive advantage that once existed in recruitment and retention is less pronounced if there at all.  Fear within the workplace is a growing reality with few if any prepared to openly question decisions or the basis upon which these decisions have been made.  Leadership of the organization has become increasing isolated from the frontline. 

Two very different examples.  Two very similar results.  In each case a strong, performance-based culture was negatively impacted by one decision - the hire of a new leader.  In the first case, the new leader was too insecure and weak to work within the strong, inclusive and empowered decision-making culture that had been created.  Making decisions in isolation for fear of being challenged ultimately led to the loss of many key personnel, the relatively rapid departure of this particular CEO, and a mortal wound to the organization's performance-based culture.  In the second case, the stated values do not seem drive current decision-making.  Key personnel have left or remain physically present but otherwise disengaged.  The organizational culture is certainly not what it once was and in many respects it bears more and more resemblance to the competition in its marketplace.  The competitive advantage it once had is being eroded.

Two very different examples that look at the impact of a leadership hire and the failure to truly consider the existing culture - and what it takes to maintain such.  The lesson of these tales, however, is just a relevant at a frontline level.  The selection of a supervisor, manager, director or any other role must explicitly consider alignment of leadership skills, style, and character if there is a desire to sustain and promote a positive work culture that has been the hallmark of the work unit in question. 

It's about leadership and if you don't pay attention in making these critical leadership decisions your culture will be immediately, inevitably, and perhaps irrevocably impacted. 
______________________________

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.

Leadership at the frontline

This past week was one of those weeks where a number of unrelated events came together to build a theme in my mind about leadership.  I've consciously tried to pay less attention to the healthcare world from whence I came over the past year while expanding my executive coaching and consulting practice.  However, I can't help but see the headlines and twitter feeds describing another change in healthcare senior leadership in Alberta.  The best analogy I can paint is slowing down to see a car accident even though it really doesn't involve you.  That being said, this is not a entry about healthcare per se.  What's said here applies in many other industries and sectors.

AHS replaces interim chief executive after only one month

Leadership at Alberta Health Services in state of flux

By Jamie Komarnicki and Reid Southwick, Calgary Herald November 16, 2013

I've also been taking a coaching course and this week we were tasked to post a review on an article of our choice.  I choose the article "Silence Kills - The Seven Crucial Conversations® in Healthcare.  Those in healthcare are probably quite familiar with the content and those in other industries have their own experience with the reality described by the article - mistakes, incompetence, broken rules, lack of support, poor teamwork, disrespect and micromanagement all tolerated and accepted in silence.  The consequence of this culture of silence is a range of adverse patient episodes, including medication errors, hospital-acquired infections, and other mishaps.  Similarly the workforce is afflicted with poor morale, low employee engagement, and high turnover.  Pick another industry or business and you liable to find a similar version of this healthcare study.

At the same time, I continue to experience enthusiasm and energy from a number of my coaching clients dedicated to making a difference in their chosen field.  Most of them are approaching their work with very aspirational goals and objectives.  It is important to note, though, that they are not just aspiring to achieve leadership positions or new roles simply for the sake of personal advancement.  Rather, they are quite sincere and committed about making a difference for the system and for the clients or customers they serve.  They are optimistic, idealistic and passionate in their hopes and dreams for their respective organizations.  This is despite - or perhaps even because of - the current challenges in their work environments.

The last piece of the puzzle in this confluence of unrelated activities was finally getting around to reading "Strengthening Credibility - A Leader's Workbook" by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner.  I've read their previous works, was impacted by their perspective and have been using their lessons ever since.  I was also extremely fortunate to personally learn from James Kouzes in a healthcare leadership seminar in the early 90's.  Some key statements out of their recent work struck me and ended up providing context to all of the above circumstances.  Excuse me while I quote at length from the very beginning of their latest book:

"...we found that credibility is not based on job titles or hierarchical positions but with the

human being in the leader's shoes.  Above all else, we found that leadership is personal.  It's not about the corporation, the community, or the country.  It's about you and your relationship with others.  If people don't believe in the messenger, they won't believe the message.  If people don't believe in you, they won't believe in what you say.  And if it's about you, then it's about your beliefs, your values, and your principles.  It's also about how true you are to your values and beliefs." 

This one paragraph put into perspective all of the seemingly unconnected circumstances and events noted above.  What it told me is that, despite the turmoil in any industry or sector or business or organization, we all still have the opportunity to lead in the positions we are in.  As a leader at the frontline of any organization, and perhaps as close as possible to the C-suite without actually being in it, you have the leadership opportunity to positively impact and support those staff who work with you.  You have the power to lead them to the best of your ability.  Yes, your information is imperfect and incomplete.  Yes, you may not have access to all the resources you would like or require to do the best job you believe you and your staff are capable of.  Ultimately, however, you can still make a positive difference in your sphere of influence.  And maybe, just maybe, through your authenticity, integrity and consistency you can extend that sphere of influence and move the needle of performance just a little bit every day.

Is this just pie-in-the-sky thinking?  Some would have you think so.  Some would have you buy into the notion that as a frontline/mid-level leader you really are nothing more than a sailor in a rowboat simply trying to survive the North Atlantic during a tempest.  If you happen to make progress from Canada to England it's only by sheer determination and luck. That you have no power to impact your surroundings and the best you can hope for is to not get fired.

By contrast I have seen very good frontline leaders achieve remarkable things under the most adverse circumstances.  Frontline leaders who had to work with very poor building infrastructure, either crumbling around them because of age or far too small for the volume of work they had to deal with.  Frontline leaders who didn't get all the budgetary resources they needed or had to deal with ongoing staff shortages.  Frontline leaders who had to deal with a variety of "difficult-to-deal-with-yet-powerful" people.  Frontline leaders who had to navigate the realities of strong unions and all that potentially entails about managing staff performance.  Yet these leaders, had fully engaged staff, on budget performance and higher customer satisfaction ratings than any of their peers.  Why?  How?

What accounted for these remarkable results?  I believe it goes back to the very heart of the Kouzes and Posner quote.  The staff of these leaders believed in the "message" because they believed in the "messenger".   These messengers/leaders had (and have) credibility with their followers because they have truly engaged and partnered with their staff, have a set of shared values that they adhere to consistently when making decisions, have worked on supporting and developing staff over time, and ultimately have helped to foster a sense of purpose and hope despite all the challenges.  Above all the messenger and leader has been amongst and with their followers during their trials and tribulations.  There is a personal connection and even a camaraderie with their staff.

Ultimately that's what leadership is all about.  It's personal, it's about you and it's about how you show up every day.  Show up and be authentic.  That is your real leadership challenge.
______________________________

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 not Them, it's You - Redux

A lament that I've often heard from many leaders is "Why don't my staff get what we are trying to do?"  The context for this can relate to many things - a focus on developing new products or service offerings, a desire to enhance customer service capability, a shift in emphasis in strategic direction, or any number of other "big-ticket" ventures that a leader undertakes.  Regardless, the long and short of the story is that things are not going right and certainly not as well as the leader expected.  In fact, rather than succeeding the initiative is actually failing.

The leader's frustration - and mystification - at the lack of success arises because in his/her mind the initiative should be moving forward rapidly, smoothly and with a minimum of bumps along the way.  From the leader's perspective the reasons for moving forward assertively and confidently are so self-evident that there should be no reason for confusion or lack of action.  From the leader's perspective all steps that should have reasonably been taken to communicate the importance of the initiative have been taken.  From the leader's perspective implementation of his/her brilliantly conceived idea should be proceeding easily and smoothly because...well...it's just so bloody brilliant!

Yet, success is not forthcoming.  And maybe that means it's time for a change in perspective.  Maybe its not about them.  Maybe it's about you.

It's often far easier to blame others for a lack of success or progress in moving an organization forward than in taking a hard look at what we are doing or not doing as the leader.  It's personally challenging to start asking some hard questions about what role I as a leader played in not setting the organization up for success.  What steps did I not take?  What warning signs did I ignore? 

So maybe your leadership is getting in the way.  First off, like anyone else, leaders can develop tunnel vision.  We may have become so engaged with our day-to-day work that we start to lose perspective.  Despite the fact that we are specifically tasked with maintaining that 50,000 foot view - or maybe as a result of it - we can lose a sense of what else might be happening in and around the rest of the organization.  In essence, we have become trapped by our own mental box and simply can't conceive of factors or issues that might impact successful implementation of our ideas.  The facts may even be staring you right in the face but you simply are no longer able to see them.  Here's where developing a true climate of trust and confidence in your team can pay huge dividends.  The more objective eyes on the ball the better.

Related to the tunnel vision noted above is a phenomenon that I'll describe as the speed trap.  As leaders we can easily get caught up in the desire to move forward as fast as possible.  Time is money, we have to get out ahead of an issue, we have to be first to market, we have to move, move and move faster.  This driving sense of urgency, however, can cause us to plan in a superficial fashion and gloss over challenges.  More importantly, as we try to solve a problem the anxiety we feel to get on with things can actually prevent us from truly understanding the issue before us. As a result, we may not actually be tackling the real problem but only just dealing with its most noteworthy symptoms.  The adage of pay now or pay later bears listening to.  Only in this regard the currency in question is time.  Slow down to move faster and more effectively.

Leaders can also be confounded by an overconfidence in their ability to communicate.  Effective communication is never simply about getting the memo(s), emails, or newsletters out or having a grand launch event.  For any significant initiative, the leader and his most trusted lieutenants have already spent a considerable amount of time coming to grips with the whys and wherefores of the initiative.  They understand the importance of the effort not only at an intellectual level but more importantly at a visceral level.  Leaders are therefore surprised and amazed that the rest of the organization doesn't have the same level of understanding and commitment.  The reality is that nobody else has been able to spend as much time on this idea as the leader already has.  They truly don't yet "get it" because they have not yet been given the time to understand the rationale for the effort.  A leader and his support team must not only communicate but allow time for the idea to be digested.  In addition, effective communication will ensure and incorporate a feedback loop that allows a check on understanding of key messages and expectations.

Success in implementing past initiatives may also cloud judgment on a go-forward basis.  A lack of planning, preparation, and good communication may not have confounded success in the past.  A leader may have succeeded in spite of himself for a whole variety of reasons.  A fact-based analysis may not have been undertaken to help identify key learnings.  Perhaps we were saved by even worse planning and preparation of a competitor.  Perhaps we were saved by the extraordinary efforts of some of our staff.  The truth is we don't really know what factors supported success or what that success actually cost us.  The result is that a leader is unduly confident in his own ability or otherwise complacent relative to what the next effort is really going to take. 

Finally, the ability to move an initiative forward may be most fatally confounded by the organization's assessment of the leader and his/her motivations.  Ultimately, I believe that words and actions of a leader must line up over the long run.  Staff and stakeholders will commit more strongly to something if they believe it serves the achievement of the organization's stated mission, vision and values.  They will commit if they can see benefit for them as individuals and for the organization as a whole.  If, however, past experience has informed them that the leader is first and foremost concerned about his/her personal gain an integrity gap will develop and grow.  In these circumstances, the leader may gain compliance but he will not gain true commitment to future endeavours.  Staff and stakeholders will ultimately see through the motivations of a self-absorbed leader.  It may take some time, but eventually organizational performance will suffer.

There could be probably be a few more warnings posted here about not rushing to judgment on one's staff.  The cautionary tale is one of making sure to look at yourself in the mirror first before casting aspersions on the skills, abilities and motivations of your followers.  Have you done enough to set the stage for success?  Have you provided the right tools to support effective implementation?  Have you looked at the issue from all perspectives?  In the end, it may be that it's not them that failed you.  Maybe you failed them.
______________________________

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.

Fortes Fortuna Adiuvat

The title of this blog entry comes from an image my wife and I had an artist create for our daughter's room a few years ago.  This Latin phrase roughly translates into "Fortune Favors the Bold" and so far has been a very apt description of the persona of our now three-year old girl.  She excels in finding new, innovative and bold ways to test the patience of her parents on a daily if not hourly basis.

The phrase, however, is also a very apt description for the mentality and qualities it takes to be an effective leader.  Opportunities to lead or to be successful rarely just fall into our laps.  However, too many people have exactly that expectation.  There is a notion that at some point others will recognize our skill or ability and magically anoint us "leader" or give us that next big promotion.  This is truly the lottery ticket version of leadership - one day my number will be called.  As many of us know, however, the odds of winning the lottery are somewhat less than the chance of getting struck by lightning.

Fortune does indeed favor the bold.  Opportunity rarely comes in a nicely wrapped package.  More often opportunity presents itself in a form more akin to a lump of coal.  Perhaps we are overlooked for a leadership opportunity we thought was rightfully ours.  Even worse, perhaps we are let go from an organization and are now at a loss as to where to go next.  Not many people would describe these circumstances as an opportunity.  But they are.  No different than if your own organization fails to win a lucrative contract or fails to break into a new market.  At this point of failure, rejection, and overall ugliness you - either personally or as a leader for your organization - have the choice to grow, learn and reload OR become bitter, mope and blame circumstances for the current predicament.  You can either be a victim of circumstance or take charge of your future.  It takes not a small amount of courage to take the harder path.  Adversity is opportunity.  Fortune favors the bold.

Certainly (and hopefully) you need not wait for some adverse episode or outcome to seek out opportunity.  An effective leader - whether focused on personal growth and development or the success of their organization - is always scanning the environment, evaluating not only risk but considering new ventures and angles to improve, to build new markets and products.  Leadership is about actively prospecting for opportunity.  Leadership is about being ready for and initiating change. 
Too often we hold ourselves back with our own fear of failure and other self-imposed barriers and limitations.  The current business environment may in fact help promote this risk-adverse approach.  Better to manage carefully, slowly, get all the information and try to make the perfect, mistake-free decision.  Unfortunately, while seemingly safe, this approach likely means that somebody with a bit more courage and fortitude has already beat us to the punch.  Fortune favors the bold.

The reality is that we rarely have all the information we think we need to make the best decision possible.  The world is simply too messy and complicated to expect all the information to be at hand at a time and place of our choosing.  Opportunity is won or lost on the ability to take decisive action with imperfect information.  Similarly, we delude ourselves that we will ever have the perfect plan in place that guarantees success or conversely can mitigate every risk.  An old military adage is that no plan survives contact with the enemy.  As a leader you must have confidence in your goals but flexibility in your plan if you are to be successful.  Beyond that you must also have the courage to learn, to change and adapt.  You must have humility in the face of changing circumstances and be prepared to adjust as you go. 

Above all successful leaders - and successful people in general - are not passive in the face of circumstances.  They are not content to let the currents of fate dictate their future or their level of success.  While they may be afraid, concerned, and anxious they are prepared to dive in, take the plunge, seize the opportunity.  They are prepared to struggle, to learn, to make mistakes, to adjust and make the best of their opportunities.

Make the best of your opportunities.  Push yourself.  Challenge your self-limiting beliefs.  At the end of day whether in your personal life or for your leadership role, Fortune Favors the Bold!
______________________________

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.


Taking your Leadership to the Next Level

What does it take to move up the ladder of leadership?  That has been a frequent point of focus from a number of my coaching clients.  The questions often presume one best path to the next leadership level.  The challenge with charting the course, providing some advice, or giving clear answers is that there is no one right path.  This is particularly true in today's constantly changing environment.  What may have seemed a sure path to the c-suite yesterday gets confounded by organization restructuring, the loss of a key senior level support and mentor, or other significant change that makes a once well thought out path irrelevant.

All that being said, I believe there are a number of steps that can be taken to position oneself for the next level of leadership.  Moreover, many of these same steps remain relevant once a desired leadership position has been obtained, including that of CEO.  In no particular order, here is my Top Ten list of what to do to position yourself - and maybe hold on to - that next level of leadership.

One: Solidify your own personal mission, vision and values.  Be clear about who you are as a person and as a leader.  Develop a clear and intimate understanding about how you want to lead and what legacy you want to create.  Don't just focus on the "business" side of the equation.  Equally as critical in this process of personal introspection is going to be identifying for yourself how your personal and family life fits into your overall view.

Two: Be sure of your own motivations and commitments to becoming a CEO or other senior leader.  How will this role fulfill you? How clear are you on the benefits - and costs - associated with the next step up?  Are you pursuing the next role because others expect you to or want you to?  It's lovely to be courted and wooed as a leadership candidate but make sure you objectively evaluate your readiness and desire to take on the challenge.  Be true to yourself.

Three: Excel at your current role.  Personally, I find it hard to take somebody seriously as a candidate for their next desired role when they are not blowing me away in the performance of their current duties.  Paraphrasing a baseball term, "Keep your eye on the ball".  In this case that means doing an outstanding job where you are right now.  If you neglect your current role because you are too busy sizing up the furniture in your future fantasy office I suggest that you'll slip on your own stardust.

Four: Connect with other leader's in your targeted role.  Learn from them - both good and bad.  What was their path?  What steps did they take?  What mistakes did they make?  Keep in mind that their path should not be your path (particularly in the mistake category).  These won't be your answers but they will help inform your options and decisions.  Have the humility to listen and learn and you may find a few gems that work for you.

Five: Related to point four above, be open to learning from anyone and everyone - even those who are not in defined or recognized leadership roles.  Those who are being led can give you as much value and insight about what makes for a good leader (and what makes for a poor leader) as any formal leader will.  All perspectives are valuable. 

Six: Network, network, network - find ways to become known (for all the right reasons).  You might be an excellent leader in the making and have excellent leadership characteristics but that's only of value if others know that.  Many of us are shy about networking or personal marketing but it is a critical skill to master.  I guarantee that in any competition it is of more than passing consequence to be known beyond what shows up on your resume - which is on pile with a host of others.

Seven: Get involved in relevant professional and community ventures - community causes, charitable organizations, professional association, etc.  I believe this is only effective if done from a place of genuine and authentic interest.  Do not engage with a venture simply for personal gain and the exposure that you might get as a result.  Do it because you believe in the particular cause or venture.  Your passion and integrity will shine through and I believe you will showcase your skills and abilities to a greater degree as a result.   

Eight:  Continue to learn and develop.  I have often said that remaining relevant is directly proportional to one's ongoing energy and enthusiasm for continuous learning, development and improvement.  I'm not just talking about formal education that can come from a university, college or one's professional association.  Your mind and your leadership perspective is likely to benefit from a change of pace and opportunity which will arise by learning how to swim, how to use a telescope, climbing a mountain, or learning a musical instrument.  Plus, by undertaking new activities you'll learn to overcome your anxiety in taking on new challenges and more than likely meet people with perspectives quite different from your normal experience.

Nine:  Look for leadership opportunities no matter how small.  You want to build a track record of success that might look good on a resume, will help build your confidence, stretch your abilities, expand your perspective on future leadership opportunities and demonstrate to others what you are capable of.  As with point seven, there is a need to be strategic in targeting, selecting or volunteering for leadership opportunities.  If you don't have a passion for a particular initiative your lack of enthusiasm is likely to show through in your effort.  You also want to make sure that the opportunity is aligned with your personal plan for where you are headed as a leader.

Ten:  Continuously and consciously evaluate your strengths and weaknesses as a leader.  As leaders, we may be doing an OK job in looking at our organizational financial statements and other metrics on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis.  As leaders or aspiring leaders we need to apply the same vigor to an assessment of our leadership skills and plan.  Nobody is perfect.  There is always room for improvement.  There is ongoing need for adjusting and modifying plans based on a variety of changes in our personal and organizational demands.  This real, introspective work takes humility, courage, and discipline, but it is also a mark of an excellent leader.

Eleven:  OK, I said Top Ten but here's a bonus action to consider.  Get yourself an Executive Coach.
I've had the privilege of acting as an Executive Coach for a variety of clients and for over the past 3 years I have benefited from having a coach myself.   A coach can support your leadership development - either in moving to the next level of leadership or maintaining efficacy in an existing role - by surfacing and challenging assumptions, helping to clarify required actions, or simply by providing space to listen.  In how many other places can a leader be assured of complete confidentiality and unbiased perspective as they explore their own doubts, misgiving, hopes and dreams?

There is no one right path to the next level of leadership and what you see here are only my humble musings on what it takes to move up.  As a leader, let me know what resonates with you or what advice you would provide to others to chart their path.
______________________________

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.

Constancy of Purpose

One of the first blog entries I penned over a year ago focused on the work of Dr. W. E. Deming - one of the key figures in the foundation of total quality improvement.  In that entry I focused on only a few aspects of his work and his famous fourteen points.  What was clear then and is still evident today is that his work still holds truth for us in today's business environment even though he expounded his framework over 60 years ago. 

Last week, while I was in San Diego with other TEC Canada/Vistage chairs I learned of yet another round of personnel and organizational changes in Alberta's health care system.  At this point I've lost track of how many changes this makes for the health care system since the creation of Alberta Health Services in 2008, much less the changes since the mid-1990's.  This latest change had me reflecting on Dr. Deming's first point in his fourteen points - "Create constancy of purpose for the improvement of product and service."  What Deming was responding to and was trying to address in this point was the fixation on issues of the day by those in leadership positions.  He saw long-term planning and a focus on the future being sacrificed to a number of factors - need to produce immediate results, desire on the part of some leaders to rapidly climb the corporate ladder and hence change positions or firms on a constant basis, or rapid involuntary turnover in leadership roles when those people were not seen as being responsive enough to "crisis" issues.

While Dr. Deming might have had corporate USA in mind when he wrote in the 1950's it seems to me that his same commentary can hold true for the public sector - in the US, Canada and other nations - as well.  Too many of our public sector entities - and the governments that fund/direct them - are focused on tomorrow's newspaper headlines or public opinion poll results, meeting "expectations" of stakeholders, balancing the budget or minimizing the deficit, or otherwise meeting some limited metric of success that may or may not have anything to do with true system performance.   "The future is ninety days at most," said Dr. Deming, "or non-existent. There might not be any future. That is what occupies people's minds. That is not the way to stay in business [or provide publicly funded services]. Not the way to get ahead."  Dr. Deming commented, "It is easy to stay bound up in the tangled knots of the problems of today, becoming ever more efficient in them."

Dr. Deming recommended that any organization that was serious about pursuing its long term goals should focus intently on fostering innovation, invest in research and education, be relentless in continuously improving its product and services offerings, and continuously invest in its capital, equipment and other means to support production and/or service delivery.  Each of these is important, but more fundamentally, what constancy of purpose also implies to me is establishing and sticking to a plan. Establish and follow through on a well thought out, long-term strategic plan that recognizes that there will bumps along the way but ultimately holds the course based on well articulated and strongly held values.  At the end of the day this strength of commitment and consistency of direction - constancy of purpose - will allow all employees to connect with and drive forward on key actions.  Failing that, the organization becomes a rudderless ship that starts to define success as mere survival.

Following on this requirement for constancy of purpose, I believe that my blog entry from last year remains relevant.  With minor updates owing to current circumstances, I append them again here as key conditions for helping move an organization forward.
 

Point Seven - Institute Leadership. 

Dr. Deming calls upon management to lead rather than manage.  Simple statement but what does it really mean for us as leaders?  Well I'm pretty confident that if you were to talk to many of our frontline staff and management personnel they would provide you with countless examples of where they felt they were being "managed", not "led".  This bias towards "management" is without doubt enhanced by the immense pressure the health system is under to perform and achieve better results.  An unfortunate "management" response is to exercise greater control and oversight to make sure results get better.  More often than not efforts of this nature only seem to put more barriers in the way of getting good work done - more reports to generate, more signatures to get, more unreasonable timelines to meet, multiple and conflicting demands, and failure to hear and act upon input and recommendations from staff. 

Point Eight - Drive Out Fear.

Maybe fear appears an effective tool to get results in the short-term, but not if you are trying to create a high-performing organization for the long-term.  With fear in an organization there cannot be open communication, innovation, and teamwork - and these are all required for an organization to achieve the full measure of its potential.  Leadership of any organization - and at all levels of the organization - must actively model open communication, encourage appropriate risk taking and innovation, and promote teamwork from the board room, to the executive suite through to the front lines of operations.  With fear in place an organization shall continue to squander the full potential of its people and the organization to the detriment of the those it purports to serve.

Point Ten - Eliminate Slogans, Exhortations and Targets for the Workforce.

Everybody needs to measure performance.  Deming did not intend, nor do I suggest, that system performance not be evaluated on an ongoing basis.  Rather, what Point Ten addresses is the notion of trying to assess an individual's performance without reference to the system in which that individual works.  If an individual is prevented from achieving higher levels of performance by a system (that leadership has created or allowed to be created) then performance managing an employee, setting new targets for them to achieve, and giving them "motivational" speeches will have little impact on performance.  It is far more likely that such efforts will actually cause frustration, demoralization and reduced performance.  Deming's red bead experiment is a great illustration of this principle - given an equal number of red and white beads, an employee is tasked with collecting only white beads with an employer-provided scoop or paddle.  Inevitably, the employee collects some red beads in their assigned task.  As a result of "failing" in their assigned task, the employee may be given further direction by their supervisor, there may be encouragement to do better, they may be applauded if their red bead count has gone down, or they may be chastised if their red bead count goes up.  Regardless, their individual effort and various interventions at the personal level will have no impact on actual outcome.  It's like expecting employee engagement scores in an organization to go up simply by saying that the target is 10 out of 10 on the next engagement survey.  Only by changing the system and the organizational environment will better, more consistent results be achieved.  I see a strong correlation between Point Ten and the need to Drive Out Fear from an organization as noted earlier.  In fact, I believe that what leaders often create by exhortations to do better is an environment in which results and information are hidden through fear rather than being actively discovered.  And only by discovery can we improve.

Point Twelve - Remove Barriers to Pride of Workmanship.

In this point, Deming was referring to unclear expectations, lack of timely feedback (or any feedback), lack of training and support, and systems that focused on short-term results rather than long-term goals.  Staff and front-line managers are often frustrated by multiple tasks or changing priorities (see Point Seven) as leaders change focus or react to external stimuli without, it seems, due regard to long-term objectives or stated core values.  And unfortunately, more than one of us can relate to the fear that the performance evaluation process creates in us - either as provider or receiver of the experience.  Too often this is because we establish the evaluation process as a one-time event, not as a continual process of discussion, engagement and opportunity.  There is a need too to ensure that the evaluation process becomes an opportunity for leaders and staff alike to identify and invest in skills and intellect.  It is also a great opportunity for leaders to model desired behaviours and reinforce common goals.  On this latter point, I firmly believe that there must be a high degree of visibility and sincere engagement with internal audiences on par with leadership visibility and engagement with external audiences.  Without the kind of internal alignment that I believe comes from such effort the ability to deliver on commitments to external audiences and customers stands on shaky ground.

Deming's principles were valid guideposts when penned 60 years ago.  They were valid guideposts last year.  They remain as valid guideposts today.
______________________________

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.

Charisma and Leadership

Over the past couple of months in my executive coaching practice a few of my clients have expressed a desire to be more charismatic.  They see this as a necessary and required personality trait or skill that will allow them to become a better leader in their current position or to advance to the next stage of their career.  As they present this thought they express a desire to be like other leaders they have seen or experienced - leaders that stride powerfully into a room, articulate clearly their thoughts and directions, and apparently energize others to move forward on an initiative.  On the surface my clients seem to equate being charismatic with being an effective leader.

In my role as executive coach I have explored this perspective in some depth - what is it about being charismatic that equates to effective leadership for my clients?  As we probe these expressions of how they want to be as a leader other words and phrases come to the surface.  Those terms include "confident", "articulate", "inspiring", "competent", "energizing" and so forth.  Personally, I find these expressions of leadership more comforting, insightful and useful than a desire to be charismatic.  My point of view is that charisma may not be a true reflection of leadership acumen.  Rather, it can too often mask a lack of competence or character that in the long-term is detrimental to organizational success.  In my experience, charisma can simply be glitz and glam, whereas competence and character sustain and inspire long-term personal and organizational success.  Worse yet, charisma or charm can hide a lack of skill, some truly flawed personalities or an ugly agenda - no shortage of charismatic dictators in our world's history that have ultimately led their organizations or nations to an inglorious end.

The reality in recruitment and promotion to leadership positions does, however, lend some credence to the perspectives put forward by my clients.  We can all identify examples of leaders who have been selected or chosen because of how powerfully they present themselves in an interview or in a variety of public forums.  They are extremely effective in engaging with and making strong impressions on others.  They often hold strong opinions and are not afraid to push their positions forward.  They often possess a strong personality that in many cases simply overwhelms those around them.  They are crystal clear about what they want and what it will take to get there.  They also are usually quite effective in managing up.  As a result they do in fact often achieve positions of leadership or influence.  Why wouldn't my clients want to aspire to emulate these role models?

Don't get me wrong.  Being likable, charming, and charismatic are great qualities to have. This type of skill set and ability to connect with and convince stakeholders and decision makers is a critical business skill.  Being comfortable in being "on stage" and networking is certainly an asset when it comes to achieving an organization's objectives.  To the extent that a leader can galvanize their followers or stakeholders around a common and laudable cause or objective well that's a skill to be fully exploited. 

However, I suggest that charisma is not nearly enough to be an effective leader.  At least not over the long haul.  A charismatic leader without competence, character, compassion and commitment can be a destructive and dangerous force.  This is particularly the case when the goals of the leader are focused more on personal gain than organizational success.  Relying solely or heavily on charisma without some deeper substance, skill or commitment may work for a while.  It may be particularly effective if a strong team can carry a leader for some period of time.  However, once that initial grace period is over I believe effective leadership has to be supported by a more complete skill set.

So nothing wrong with aspiring to be charismatic and inspiring.  However, no leader is effective with only one arrow in his quiver or one tool in her toolbox.  So for my clients and for other aspiring leaders I encourage you to continue to work on developing other required leadership skills and capacities.  In addition, as and when you have the opportunity, whether as part of a governing body or a manager looking at a leadership hire, I implore you to look beyond a well-written resume and strong interview skills.  Dig deeper to understand the track record of your prospective leader.  Dig deeper with references and other means of validation to understand the true leadership skill set that is presenting to you.  Above all else, look for and test whether your prospective leader is going to be a strong representative of your mission, vision and values.  Your leadership choice will certainly define your organization - hopefully in the way you would want.
______________________________

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.

What's Your Bottom Line?

The public sector in Alberta is again facing significant financial challenges.  The result of which is that we are seeing some agonizing changes in program and service delivery offerings.  These changes are certainly impacting staff and in some cases impacting students, patients, and others who have come to expect certain things from these organizations.  These issues and concerns are certainly not just the purview of the public sector, nor are they unique to Alberta.  We have all seen a variety of headlines over the years about downsizing in the manufacturing sector, boom and bust within oil and gas, and the dramatic changes in the auto industry.  No sector or organization is immune to changes in markets or funding that causes it to rethink how it does its work.

Even in the not-for-profit sector, where I have spent much of my career, one iconic phrase that has gained currency is "No margin, no mission."  The message being reinforced through this phrase was that if an organization couldn't turn a profit or manage to its budget it could cease to exist and thus be in no position to live its values or achieve its purpose. This phrase came to hold some currency and was subsequently used to justify difficult and even harsh decisions through to and including program changes, staff layoffs, facility closures, mergers and consolidations.  Regardless of industry, for many leaders, revenue, cost, black and red became (and is) the strategic imperative.  The bottom line was and is the bottom line.

This is despite the fact that if you were to talk to many leaders about what their organization's greatest asset and resource is many of them would respond with an emphatic "Our People!"  They might tout how much investment they have put into recruiting and training staff, how important their intellectual capital is to developing and sustaining their competitive edge, how staff in all types of positions are the face of the organization and create so many "moments of truth" with a range of stakeholders and clients on behalf of the business. 

Yet the reality of actions taken seems to fly in the face of these strongly stated commitments.  There do not seem to be many organizations that don't react with strength, urgency and conviction to slash budgets, reduce costs, or enhance profit when push comes to shove.  Often the first cuts fall on education, training and travel.  Salaries and benefits may also be tackled.  For unionized staff this may take the form of attempts to reopen collective agreements.  For non-unionized staff it may take the form of wage freezes.  More often than not that doesn't deal with all or even most of the financial requirements and staff changes rapidly follow.  This despite the fact that the human resources of the organization have been touted as the organization's greatest asset. 

This pattern of investment and divestment takes on a degree of regularity that makes for great fodder for a Dilbert cartoon.  I've been through more cycles of this than I can now recall in my former healthcare career where we would often invest significant time and resources in recruiting staff - even engaging in heavy overseas recruitment - and then within a year or two start a round of layoffs to meet a new budgetary challenge.  The larger economy parallels this experience.  For example, business media is starting to note recovery in the US economy and with this rebound the topic of employee retention is getting more play. 

So what should the true bottom line for one's organization be?  To me it hardly seems logical to manage any enterprise, to sustain forward momentum, and achieve long-term objectives by divesting and then reinvesting in staff every couple of years.  I may be cynical, but it appears that too many leaders take more care in the investment and maintenance of the physical assets of their organizations (e.g., buildings, equipment) than they do in their staff.  And yet without skilled, qualified, motivated and committed staff those physical assets stand idle or are not used to best effect.  I don't believe most leaders would make millions of dollars in investments in buildings and equipment only to idle or shutter them only a couple of years later.  It would seem that doing so on a regular basis would start to call into question leadership competence...or so one would think...

I have already shown my bias as to what I think an organization's bottom line should be.  I do believe that we should truly commit to the principle that, as leaders, we so often espouse.  Namely that our staff are our greatest resource.  What are the implications of making this type of commitment real?  For one, I believe as leaders we need to exercise diligence on both sides of the equation of creating/expanding programs, services or product lines as we do in reducing/ eliminating them.  As leaders our goal should be to create some semblance of stability and measured response to environmental pressures.  I believe we should endeavor to create a plan for product, program and service delivery that is sustainable and is informed by our past experiences and future - realistic - expectations. 

Have I just crafted a fairy-tale scenario?  Is this a realistic perspective on how to handle pressing financial considerations?  Is this at all doable?  For some organizations the answer is evidently yes.

Just this week, CNN Money (August 27, 2013) reported that Starbucks would not be following the lead of other US companies in cutting staff or benefits as a result of healthcare reform south of the border.  Starbuck's CEO, Howard Schultz, took a stand for its company and said that its current benefits and commitment to staff was non-negotiable.  This is no small commitment.  In 2010, benefits cost the company $300 million.  That's more than the chain paid for coffee in the same year.  Starbucks has made their commitment to staff - their bottom line - real.  I expect that this commitment puts them at some advantage in recruiting and retaining the most important asset in any enterprise - it's people.

So what's your bottom line as a leader?  Do your words as a leader match your actions?  Does your vision extend beyond the next quarter's financial results? 
______________________________

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.