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.

Selecting Your Executive Coach - Redux

The leaves are turning, Autumn is upon us, and Winter is just around the corner.  The change of seasons also signals what has become an annual tradition - a number of requests and interviews related to engaging me as an Executive Coach.  In a few circumstances, this follows the pattern established by large organizations relating to their annual intake for their leadership development program.  For other individuals, it represents a return from summer hiatus and a desire to refocus and ramp up their commitment to achievement of personal and professional goals.   I've seen and been a part of a variety of coach selection processes in the past several years.  I've also been on both sides of the selection process - picking an executive coach for myself and being selected by others to be their executive coach.  What I have experienced is that the processes - and the quality thereof - are as varied as the individuals and organizations involved.

If you are like most leaders I have worked with your understanding of executive coaching is pretty basic.  You are not quite sure what coaching is and sometimes you are not quite clear on what you want to achieve by engaging an executive coach.  Some of the most common reasons that I experience in individuals looking for a coach is that they are trying to overcome some personal or professional challenges (e.g., it's lonely at the top, barriers to professional advancement) or their organization is supporting coaching for their leaders.

Regardless of motivation or understanding, the next crucial step is trying to figure out how to select an executive coach that is right for you.  In my opinion, this is an effort that requires as much time, thought and process as we put into hiring any staff member, contractor, architect, or other professional resource.  I say that with a thought that all such other processes in your organization are approached with due vigor and diligence.  In many respects, there should be even more effort and structure to selecting an executive coach as what's at stake is your leadership effectiveness.  And in my opinion without effective leadership all other resources in an organization are vastly underutilized or even squandered.

So how can you maximize the opportunity available to you by getting access to and support of an executive coach?  How can you ensure that you choose the right coach for you?  Here are my top  factors and processes - not necessarily listed in order of importance - in making your best executive coach selection decision:

Number One:  get access to a bio or resume for a variety of coaches.  Get a sense of who they are and their track record.  Approach this just as you would any other recruitment process.  You are hoping to have a number of options to select from and to do that you need more than a few examples to choose from.  Your decision may even be informed by the multitude of samples and approaches you see coaches taking in responding to your requirements.

Number Two:  just like in any other recruiting process, try to gain some clarity for yourself in what you want an executive coach to do with and for you.  By way of analogy, it's a pretty daunting task to go looking for a Chief Financial Officer or IT Director if you have no idea what tasks you want them to focus on or what education and skills you need them to have.  The same holds true when selecting your executive coach.

Number Three:  following from above, make sure that the executive coaches that present themselves for your consideration are in fact qualified - by education and experience - to provide the requisite level of service that you are looking for.  I'll demonstrate my bias here in that I believe that qualified coaches are graduates of a program that establishes them as Certified Executive Coaches (CEC), are active members of the International Coach Federation, and tangibly demonstrate a commitment to advancing their coaching acumen.  They are well-trained and have an excellent track record of ongoing professional development.

Number Four:  get references from their current or past coaching clients.  If they have been able to have positive impact on others it's quite likely that these other clients will be more than willing to speak about their experience with you.  If the coach in question is on LinkedIn, look for endorsements and testimonials from their clients.

Number Five:  take the time to interview at least two to three prospective coaches.  Ask them your key questions.  Ask them to describe in detail their coaching process.  Ask them to describe in detail their successes and their failures (e.g., toughest assignment, learnings, whether they have been fired from a coaching engagement).  Ask them how they stay current in their coaching practice. This is a critical selection decision for you - take the time to get this decision right!  Make this a true and effective interview.  Don't speed-date your way to a decision.

While selecting your executive coach is a very personal decision one tactic that I have seen work well is some form of panel interview or input.  I remember one client in particular who involved a number of his direct reports in the selection process.  We do this in any other number of recruiting and selection processes so why not with an executive coach? 

Number Six:  be wary of coaches who over-promise or offer to solve your problems.  While you are definitely looking for confident and competent coaches with a track record of helping clients to identify, clarify and address your challenges, be clear for yourself that it is YOU who sets the agenda for the engagement, you are the one true agent of change, and you have the power and expertise to set your future direction.  In my opinion, if you are feeling that you are getting the hard sell than it's time to walk away from that engagement. 

Number Seven:  consider this an investment in your personal and professional leadership.  What is that worth to you?  What is it worth to your organization?  It may appear more than a bit self-serving on my part, but be wary of coaches who offer bargain-basement coaching rates.  While price is never a guarantee of quality (see other points in this list) it should give you pause to consider what you might be signing up for.  There may be a reason you can get coaching for less than the going rate.

Number Eight:  connection, connection, connection.  Despite whatever skills, qualifications, and references any coach might have, if you don't feel a connection to a particular coach I'd suggest not contracting their services.  This is an individual that you are going to have to feel completely comfortable in revealing all of your fears, anxieties and challenges.  You are going to have to be ready with this individual challenging you in each session and during the term of your coaching engagement.  If you don't feel a connection move on to other options.  This is about YOU and no one else.

This is a critical decision for your leadership.  You want the best resource available to you.  Don't settle.  Your executive coach can be one of your best resources in advancing your personal leadership so put in the time and effort into the selection process.  After all, it's about YOUR leadership.
______________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
President & Co-Founder
BreakPoint Solutions
Executive Coaching and Business Consulting

gregh@breakpoint.solutions
780-250-2543

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 Leadership Fable

Over the years, as I've progressed through various organizations and leadership roles I have had the opportunity to learn from and experience (directly and indirectly) the different styles that individual managers and leaders have brought to their roles.  Now, as an executive coach, I have had more opportunity to hear about either the challenges or inspiration that leaders bring to their followers on a daily basis.  More than ever what astounds me are those leaders that believe in the use of an iron hand, an unyielding adherence to "the rules" and even outright intimidation tactics with the expectation that this will somehow result in positive results - for their business units and/or themselves.

I'll admit that an early stage of my career, when I was inexperienced and learning a lot of lessons the hard way, it was quite convenient and reassuring to fall back on my title and authority as CEO and enforce discipline, mandate compliance with my directions, and otherwise suppress dissent.  It seemed easier to fall back on such authority when experience and knowledge were lacking, while pride and fear were at a premium.  As I've said many times since that first leadership role in particular with the benefit of 20+ more years of experience and the opportunity to learn from others, I'm amazed my board of directors at the time didn't fire me in my first year.  I can't say that I would have been as generous with my learning curve as they proved to be.

This reflection has been prompted by the current (ongoing?) experience of my peers and clients as they continue to manage in environments that don't exactly inspire and motivate.  As individual leaders themselves or as front line staff they have described too many of their bosses as draconian, manipulative, untrustworthy, and sometimes just downright mean.  Without a doubt there is method to this madness.  I've seen and experienced this type of leadership before.  The intent is to keep others off balance, reduce confidence of team members or colleagues who might otherwise present some sort of challenge, and to otherwise maintain or advance the career aspirations of themselves.  At the very least the intent is to ensure that the weakness of the boss doesn't see the light of day or establishes the basis by which someone else (e.g., a direct report, another division) can be blamed for lack of performance.

But surely there is a more rational and less destructive way to achieve one's leadership aims.  And there is.  Humility and self-awareness are good starting points!  Moreover, this is not just as a result of a new leadership theory that has come to light and been marketed in bookstores and business schools around the world.  Rather, there is a leadership fable that establishes the basis for learning if we are prepared to heed its lessons.  It goes as follows...

The Wind and the Sun were disputing which was the stronger.  Suddenly they saw a traveller coming down the road, and the Sun said:  "I see a way to decide our dispute.  Whichever of us can cause that traveller to take off his cloak shall be regarded as the stronger.  Given to bluster, the Wind demanded to go first, so the Sun retired behind a cloud and the Wind began to blow.  As the Wind blew the traveller pulled his cloak tighter about himself and hunched lower so as to be able to continue making progress.  The Wind redoubled his efforts, summoning all his strength, but to no avail.  The harder the Wind blew the more closely did the traveller wrap his cloak around him till at last the Wind was spent and gave up in despair.  Of course, the Wind suggested that the Sun give up as well as the cause was obviously hopeless.  The Sun smiled and thanked the Wind for his concern, but came out from behind the cloud nonetheless.  He let his rays fall down upon the traveller and gradually the warming heat became too much for the traveller who took off his cloak and  proceeded to walk upright and happily on towards his destination.  The Wind for all its effort and bluster had been defeated by the quiet glory of the Sun.

Could the "leadership" of the Wind prevailed given more time, energy or resources? Quite possibly.  None of us can personally sustain the kind of battering that can come from a hurricane and such a storm definitely makes its mark.  Even the strongest of us can eventually be beaten down.  We remember and remark on such storms for years to come, but mostly for the destruction it wreaked on the lives of those it impacted.  Not necessarily the kind of legacy we as leaders would aspire to - I hope.  Interestingly enough, if we take the analogy further, we sometimes do see some positives from these destructive storms/leaders as people band together to survive or recover from the experience.  In contrast, I warrant that we do aspire to be more Sun-like once we have had the ability to work with and be led by someone that shone their light on us, allowed us the freedom to work and grow, and ensured that the journey to our goal was spent enjoyably and productively. 

So as a follower you can choose to be battered by your personal Wind-like leader on a daily basis.  You might even look to others to pick up the pieces for you or even put their own cloak around you until the latest gale passes. You can choose to pick up the pieces of your work life each day and rebuild as we typically do after the tempest has struck once again.  Or perhaps today, or tomorrow, you make a different and harder choice, to either stand up and hold on to your cloak and stand for what you believe in or to pull up stakes and move to a different, less disaster-prone environment that allows your "home" to be built on more solid foundation.  And make no mistake, those are hard choices to make for anyone particularly when you feel invested in your work and those you have worked with for some time.

As a leader, you too clearly have a choice as to whether you lead like the Wind or the Sun.  Do you wish to be feared for your destructive power or do you wish to be respected for the positive environment you can create?  Both can be effective in their own way.  The question is whether you can sustain the effort required under either regime, how concerned you are with building a truly engaged team, whether you can achieve desired results when you are not realizing the potential of your team (or constantly rebuilding it), and how other more powerful forces might start to perceive your "success" over time.

And there always is a more powerful storm than the last one...
______________________________

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 Future of Leadership?

I was recently afforded - and missed - an opportunity to write an article for an international journal on the future of the leadership.  The reality for me became that "the future of leadership" was overtaken by the "present demands" of business development and delivering on customer requirements.  A challenging balancing act at the best of times.  However, the seeds were planted and my thought process has been percolating ever since on what I could say about the future of leadership.

At the same time my thoughts on the future of leadership were being informed and impacted by what I was seeing and hearing on a number of fronts beyond my day-to-day experience.  For one, there were the ongoing developments in my ancestral homeland of Ukraine.  New leadership in Ukraine being challenged by separatist action on behalf of some of its citizens, aided and abetted by a powerful neighbor.  At the same time, other countries - and leaders - trying to assess how to respond, walking a delicate game of brinkmanship in terms of what actions and assistance might change the situation.  Moreover, trying to figure out how actions in supporting Ukraine might have the least impact on their own nations.  Leaders of Ukraine, Russia, the West, and a variety of other nations exercising leadership in an ever changing game of chess.

More recently, we also saw the Scots engaged in a referendum that would not only chart a new course for them but also drastically alter the landscape of the United Kingdom.  Leaders for "No" and "Yes" within Scotland trying to win the day.  Leaders from without weighing in with promises of new powers for Scotland should it ultimately choose to stay.  Others suggesting economic consequences as a result of a yes vote.  And despite the Scots voting no (this time?) they have not been alone in seeking to break apart old confederations - the split between Walloons and Flemish in Belgium, the not so distant history of the former Yugoslavia, the relatively constant turmoil and strife in the Caucasus region, the ongoing fracturing of Sudan and South Sudan, and so on.  And in my home country of Canada we of course have our history with Quebec.

At the same time, we also see rapid changes in technology and the human condition that continue to serve notice of how small this world really is and how promising - and frightening - the future is for us humans.  We recently saw the power of social media with the Arab Spring and we continue to see attempts by states to curb that power.  Russia just served notice that it will begin implementing new measures to deal with internet access, something China has already been successful with and that we see again with recent protests in Hong Kong.  At the same time, we do see successes "hackers" have had in taking over systems in both countries, still exercising their voice, and demanding their rights. 

And what to make of a movement like the new self-proclaimed Islamic State in Syria and Iraq that has risen to power on the heels of civil war and strife in both countries, that espouses a particularly vicious, intolerant, yet successful brand of extremism.  Like it or not this too is leadership.  And despite several interventions over the years commencing as far back as the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s and more recently the US interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, to say nothing of almost the entirety of Israel's wars, it doesn't seem to matter how many leaders of these extremist groups are eliminated others rise up to take their place.

On the health front, we see ever increasing reports of steps being taken forward on the battle against aging.  We see evidence of this reality in the increase in the average age of our populations - at least within developed countries.  Increasingly, its also just not getting older that is the measure of our success but so too is the quality of that aging - more active physically and mentally and making meaningful contributions to the world well beyond any artificially imposed retirement age.  What does it mean to be the leader of an aging population and workforce?  What could it mean to be led by a 100-year old leader?  What could it mean to have as much as an 80 year age gap or more between a leader and a new employee?

Recently we have also been reminded by the latest Ebola virus outbreak of both the fragility of the human condition and the potential for rapid spread of such viruses across man-made human boundaries.  This most recent outbreak has sparked fear for a number of reasons - it's high mortality rate (up to 70% by some reports), its ability to mutate, and concerns about transmission beyond any one country's borders.  If not this round of Ebola it may perhaps be another disease that may exceed our capacity to effectively respond in the short term.  What does a health threat like this mean for the future of leadership?

There are so many other factors to take into account when thinking of the future of leadership - and I have not even touched on the increasing diversity of our workplaces and the virtual nature of human enterprises in 2014.

What does this all mean for what it will take to be a successful leader in the future?  I don't have a crystal ball but I do believe there are some characteristics that leaders will have to cultivate in themselves now and into the future if they are to be successful.

First, flexibility and adaptability.  As evidenced by the small list of circumstances identified above, change is constant and dynamic.  Nothing is as it was nor is there predictability as to what might be coming down the road whether it be the newest technological leap forward, a new world order, or the latest health threat that could irrevocably change our landscape.  Get comfortable with ambiguity.

Second, be prepared to be on a continuous learning curve.  If our surroundings and imperatives can change on a moments notice, you have to be prepared to invest in learning and discard previous learning on a regular basis.

Third, given the pace of change and the constant need of learning/ relearning, you are going to have to become fairly humble as a leader and become ever more reliant on a team of similarly skilled, motivated and energetic people.  In this state of affairs the heroic leader has become ever more passe.  You are going to have be very humble, very inclusionary and very dependent on a highly diverse group of people.  There may even be a time where you have to pass the torch of leadership to someone else where you have to acknowledge that you don't have the skills to be the leader at the time.

Fourth and related to the point above, perhaps leadership of the future is going to be even less dependent than it is today on the concept of the singular leader.  Perhaps what we are going to see is a true evolution into self-directed teams, where leadership shifts as circumstances change. Perhaps we are beginning to truly see human leadership structures evolve into the equivalent of the V formation of geese.  The goal or direction is clear but leadership transitions as any one leader tires - or new skills are required on a particular phase of the journey - with the entire team in constant communication and the mission risk mitigated against if a leader does falter or fall out of formation.

Finally, leaders of the future will have to be possessed of even greater self awareness, self confidence and strength than they are today.  It's going to take immense intestinal fortitude to continuously adapt, continuously learn, rely heavily or entirely on others, and even to give up the reins of leadership on occasion.  What its going to be a successful leader of the future is certainly not clear to me.  The only thing I'm sure of is that its like nothing we have yet seen or imagined.
______________________________

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.