Anti-Bullying Day and Your Leadership

Yesterday was anti-bullying day and to honor that effort we were tasked with wearing something pink.  I did what I could fashion-wise in wearing a pink-like dress shirt.  More importantly as I reflected on the real meaning and effort behind the day I considered my own experience of bullying - both as a child and in the workforce.  I suspect in more ways than one bullying has in a perverse way helped me define my concepts of right and wrong.  In addition, I believe it has helped establish for me this somewhat quixotic predilection to champion the cause of the underdog.

But what possible application could this day have to our workplaces or our leadership?

No doubt we are all aware of a multitude of tragic scenarios that have played out with increasing regularity in our local communities and across our respective nations - children and youth subjected to intense and sustained harassment that only gains attention or action after they have taken their own lives in a desperate attempt at escape.  Invariably as a community, as parents, as human beings we individually and collectively express shock and dismay that such a tragedy could take place.  Invariably we ask how and why could this happen, what should have been done to identify and stop the bullying, and what we should do now.  We seem particularly shocked that children could perpetrate such abuse.

I'm not sure why we are so surprised.  Judging by my own experience and that of others an undercurrent of bullying exists within our broader society and in our workplaces.  Our youth are unfortunately just modeling our own "adult" and "professional" behaviors.

I want to first point out that by starting this entry in the way I have that I in no way intend to diminish the very real tragedies that have taken place.  I do, however, believe it is useful as a starting point in highlighting the fact that we unfortunately do not leave that reality behind once we move on from elementary school.  Inadvertently or not, our leadership styles and our work cultures also tolerate, sustain, and even foster bullying.  Just as there are not, and should not be, bystanders in dealing with bullying of our youth a similar sentiment must hold true in our organizations.

There may be more than a few questions rattling around your head at this point, not least of which may be "Does bullying really exist in my organization?"  and "What does bullying even look like?"  Or perhaps like me, and others who have reached out to me, you know all too well the face of bullying from your past or current work.  My personal experiences have run the gamut - leaders abusing their secretaries and subordinates, physicians intimidating their colleagues/nursing staff/ managers, union presidents running roughshod over their members, peers targeting peers, and on and on.  The list is endless.  Perhaps we have become a little bit less tolerant of such behavior and a bit more sophisticated in our response than when I first started my career but such behavior is still far too frequent for my liking.

What does this have to do with leadership?  Everything.  First, as leaders we have to be conscious of our own potential (or reality) for being the bully.  In our roles we yield great power and with great power comes great responsibility and accountability.  By the very nature of our roles we can intimidate and by using our positional authority - throwing our weight around - we can cow others into doing what we want them to do.  As leaders we can feel fully justified in doing so - we have been given the authority, we have earned the leadership role, we have been given a mandate, my staff don't/can't see the reality like I do, I have a professional designation (e.g., MBA, MD) that gives me even more credibility, and so on and so forth.  But is this roughshod approach real leadership?  It's not many subordinates who have the courage or temerity to hold fast in a point of view that is counter to what their boss is proposing.  Even less so if the track record for being contrary includes personal criticism, opinions being denigrated, being undermined on other projects or opportunities at a later date (i.e., payback), being overlooked for promotions or raises, or even being threatened with - or experiencing - job loss.  Even less so if the bullying behavior has proceeded with impunity before. 

If we are not the bullying leader we have a role in supporting and creating a culture that doesn't tolerate such behavior.  Leaving aside the moral obligation we have as leaders to prevent and eliminate bullying in the workplace, there are some very practical and self-serving reasons to deal with bullies.  The implications to individual and organizational performance are not to be underestimated.  Many authors and researchers approach this subject matter as a workplace health and safety issue.  As it should be.  And as with a variety of workplace health and safety issues the ripple effect of a bully's actions - especially if in a leadership role - equates to any or all of lower staff productivity and effectiveness, poor customer service, increased absenteeism, lower morale, poor team work, higher employee turnover, and very real (and costly) health issues. 

Morally and ethically we are also called to act as leaders and deal with bullying behavior.  Vested with our own positional and moral authority we are called to stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves and uphold the stated values of our organizations or professions.  I'm fairly confident that no organization on record nor any professional association has as one of its tenets a commitment to fostering a culture of bullying. 

All this being said we could still likely describe recent and ongoing examples of bullying in our organizations.  So what needs to happen to really make a change? As already noted, I'm not aware of any organization or professional association that promotes bullying or abuse or harassment in any form.  Quite the contrary.  So I don't believe that we need more written codes of conduct, regulations, policies, procedures or similar written statements on the matter.  What we need is more courage and action, not more paper.  We need to be leaders and carry through with the obligations we have signed on to.  We need to not dismiss bullying behavior as an aberration or one-time event.  We need to not condone such behavior because our boss, or peer, or subordinate or member of our staff "gets results".  And our response has to be far more than providing counseling to those experiencing workplace bullying, or shifting them to other duties, or giving them paid leave to recover.  Most of these types of actions really do nothing more than blame the victim - whether that is intended or not. 

Harken back to your days in elementary school.  Think about the kids being harassed and bullied today.  The options for response can seem limited.  Often a bully will threaten further - and harsher - retribution if the victim rats them out.  Amazingly enough the victim can experience more isolation from coming forward - they will appear weak and a whiner in the eyes of the rest of their peers.  If somehow the victim does find the courage to bring the issue to an authority figure there is no guarantee that the cycle of abuse will stop. 

From what I've seen in organizations, the behaviors we adopted in school to get through are the same ones that many use to get through similar situations at work - silence, tolerance, gritting of our teeth, turn the other cheek, just trying to make it through another day of work, hoping that we won't have to encounter that leader, that peer, that professional who seems to go out of their way to bully and intimidate.  If they do get the courage to stand up to the bully, the processes we use seem to further draw out the pain and the opportunity for further abuse and retribution.  The bully gets to continue their work, they may have more "behind closed doors" opportunities to threaten, they have polished responses that amount to "he said/she said", and they may even pull out their own claims to now being themselves abused/harassed by these allegations.  The victims often despair of having raised their voice.  Their experience seems to send them a message - don't speak up, lay low, the cost is too high.  And that message is brought home not only to them but to all staff.

As leaders we must be the ones to stand up to the bullies just as we may have once done in school - head on.  There must be zero tolerance for such unprofessional behaviors.  There must be the courage to take action on the code of conducts that we have all either helped create or signed on to.  Are such efforts easy or pleasant?  Decidedly not!  But that is what our role as leaders entails.  And I speak from experience - I have been threatened by and stood up to so-called leaders, to members of my own Board of Directors, and to abusive physicians.  In too many of those cases I often stood alone.  In many of those cases I too became a subject of abuse and harassment - late night calls at home, threats of legal action, public vilification, and in-your-face "discussions".  My role as leader called me to protect those who couldn't protect themselves, who often just wanted to come to work do a good job and to have the opportunity to enjoy that work. 

Leadership is hard work and it takes courage.  As a leader you set the tone by your every action (or inaction) each day.  Do you have the courage to stand up and call out the bully that is in your work unit, that is your professional colleague, that is your peer - that is your boss?  Or are you content to let someone else pay the price for your inaction?

______________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
President & CEO, BreakPoint Solutions
gregh@breakpoint.solutions

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.

Focus, Discipline...and some Metrics

This past couple of weeks have seen me recommit (again) to getting back into triathlon race shape.  In consideration of a very different lifestyle from 5 years ago - 2 more kids, building a business, completing an MBA - my wife and I hadn't done any significant racing or training since January of 2013.  There was an aborted attempt last year to reengage our bodies and souls but timing, motivation and other reasoned excuses got in the way. This time appears to be shaping up differently so far - losing 2 pounds per week for the last three weeks and the weigh scale is starting to make me smile (rather than grimace).

I started to wonder what has allowed me to enjoy a better level of success than the preceding couple of years.  At the same time, I started to hear some parallel experiences in my coaching practice.  I'd been hearing a lot about recommitting to professional and business goals.  A variety of circumstances that caused executives to look back on the year that was and wonder how they had missed on key objectives.  Or perhaps recognizing that they hadn't really been focused at all.  Sometimes this equated to having less than expected performance while in other cases it meant staying the course on a path that clearly wasn't yielding satisfactory results - neither from a revenue nor a personal satisfaction standpoint.  In all cases, mine included, the common theme seemed to come back to regaining focus and then having the discipline to carry forward with a plan.

This line of thinking also brought me back to Jim Collins' thoughts in "Good to Great" and in particular the concept of disciplined people, disciplined thought and disciplined action.  Based on an understanding and extrapolation of his work and my own recent fitness experience I started to wonder how that could inform other types of situations with a view to helping overcome misses.

It became clear to me that a number of factors start to make a difference in success when considering business, professional or personal endeavors.  Each by themselves is insufficient to have success or certainly impact and sustained success.  Success may not be guaranteed when putting it all together but I certainly believe we can give ourselves a fighting chance by integrating all of the following efforts.

First, set a meaningful and achievable long-term goal to shoot for.  In other words create a tangible vision of the desired state of affairs.  For some this may equate to a certain profit margin, sales target, expanded market share, or perhaps all of that.  One of the key variables is to make sure that the vision is grounded in some sort of reality.  Relating back to my personal athletic goal, I've signed up for a half-Ironman set for July of this year and targeted a finish time below 6.5 hours.  To put some further specificity to that goal - and also make it more feasible - I've set a goal of losing 20 pounds prior to that race.  These goals are grounded in my own past historical reality of having completed past triathlons and of being below my currently targeted weight before.

Specific, achievable, realistic and measurable targets to work towards. 

Second, while a visionary goal is laudable it is not enough and didn't prove to be enough to ensure success when I set a similar goal last year.  So this year I've added more structure and a partnership to the process.  Much like the rest of my business life I've been scheduling my workout commitments into my daily calendar - swims scheduled for Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings; bikes and runs scheduled on alternate days.  My wife has also been enlisted in the effort and I now have a partner to help us support each other in getting our workouts in.  With three kids this means fewer joint workouts but we are getting things done.  So in relation to work and professional endeavors consider how a partner - executive coach, mastermind group, your executive assistant - might help you keep focused on your goals.  Also schedule time for yourself to review your effort, commitment and results on a regular basis.

Structure and partnerships.

Third, technology and other tools can sometimes be useful to your cause.  Often times in my coaching practice I'm working with my clients to help them use what is already at hand for them.  Using a calendaring function on your personal electronic device to set milestones and check in points for yourself.  Use your whiteboard if you are more old school.  Whatever is going to help you stay on track make use of those tools.  In my current fitness and athletic endeavor my new Fitbit has become an extraordinarily useful tool.  I love seeing my progress (or lack thereof) and the ability to track my steps, calories consumed and burned, and weight loss on a daily (or even hourly) basis has had a tremendous impact on my daily behaviors.  I am now taking time out of my day to get in a 20-30 minute walk.  I hold back on that next piece of food if I'm concerned about the caloric goal I've set.  I'm more motivated to get in that workout at the end of the day.  The metrics and the feedback being given to me through the Fitbit is changing my behavior.  And it's stoking my competitive ego - with myself and in relation to my wife's performance!

Metrics and feedback.

To date these factors seem to have become a rediscovered recipe for getting back into shape and being prepared to put myself through 6+ hours of racing in July.  I see these same factors as having relevance to how we can successfully recommit to our professional and business goals.  There are likely other factors that could be added to this brief list within the context of "Disciplined People, Disciplined Thought, Disciplined Action" and I'd like to hear how you are or intend to achieve your goals in 2016.

Take on your leadership challenge and make it a success.

______________________________

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 Passionate Pursuit

Over the most recent Christmas season I presented a book to each member of my TEC Canada CEO Forum.  Really just a small token of my appreciation for having had the opportunity to work with each of them in this past year and a commitment to continue working with them on their leadership and business journey in the year to come.

Historically, whether as CEO or senior leader within my past organizations, I have used the gift of books to reward, recognize and/or inspire those I work with.  I have often gravitated to the true life stories of individuals who have achieved against great odds or have shown an amazing determination to succeed.  This year was very much along that lines.  The book I choose to pass on as a gift was "Alone Against the North" and chronicles one Canadian explorer's years' long obsession and journey into the remote and forbidding wilderness of the Hudson Bay Lowlands.

As I read explorer Adam Shoalts' story about his many journeys into the Hudson Bay area it was clear that this obsession was in fact his passion.  He endured many trials and tribulations including lack of companionship, inadequate equipment, storms, isolation, injury, wildlife encounters (polar bears most notably), and hoards of mosquitoes and black flies.  There was little else to be gained by such venture in terms of fame or fortune.  Rather the desire to explore the unknown, to contribute to knowledge of a vast wilderness, to see and experience something no one else had - these were the things that kept Shoalts motivated and enduring when others gave up.  It also inspired and motivated Shoalts to begin a journey that few others are even inspired to undertake.

The story of Shoalts reminded me of other similar inspirational stories that I had read before.  Very man of these are in the same exploration vein.  The story of Ernest Shackleton immediately comes to mind.  In many ways this could be called a spectacular and courageous failure.  To a potentially a greater degree than Shoalts, Shackleton might have been motivated by fame and fortune in trying to lead the first expedition to traverse the Antarctic continent in 1914.  But this grand vision gradually gave way to an imperative of mere survival as his ship, the Endurance, was crushed by the overpowering grip of polar ice leaving his 28 man crew stranded on a polar ice floe.  At several points after their stranding, a man of less commitment and passion could have given up the ghost.  Just as clearly, a man of lessor integrity and passion for his men could have saved himself.  But Shackleton did neither of these things.  He persevered against all odds - which were decidedly stacked against him - and rescued every single one of his men.

The underlying theme it seems to me in these stories and in stories of similar explorers, adventurers and even athletes, is that what drives them to withstand pain, suffering, failure, and even the risk of death is their passionate pursuit of something bigger than themselves.  In the case of Shoalts it is clear to me that he would have pursued his exploration goal regardless of achievement or recognition.  He felt a stronger pull and a commitment to a grander purpose.  Likewise Shackleton might not have been castigated for losing his ship and men in such dire circumstances.  He might have been easily forgiven for not going to the lengths he did to save his men.  But it was not in his makeup to give up.  He was passionately committed to his men and to something bigger than financial or reputational reward.

These and other stories speak to the kind of passionate leader I aspire to be and I hope that I can work with in my career.  These stories beg the question of my leadership as to what am I prepared to endure to hold true to my passion and values as a leader.  Could I ever sustain and be as passionately committed to a goal in the same way as Shoalts and Shackelton?  Would I be prepared to sacrifice as much as they were prepared to in order to have "success" on their own terms.

So I put to you - what animates your passionate pursuit of leadership?  Are you motivated by fame, fortune, glory and accolades?  Or is there something bigger that keeps your leadership flame alight even in the darkest hour?  Can you demonstrate your passionate pursuit of leadership in a way that truly inspires your followers?  Can you hold to your true north even when no one else is looking or expecting that level of excellence?
______________________________

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.

Of Faith, Courage and Humility

There are many qualities and characteristics posited by various thought leaders on what makes a great leader.  Kouzes and Posner have written extensively on leadership being founded on credibility which itself is a function of a number of qualities including courage, vision, honesty, and ability to inspire.  Jim Collins talks about Level 5 Leaders being self-effacing, quiet, reserved and presenting a paradoxical blend of personal humility and ambition for the greater good (versus self).  Stephen Covey identifies a complementary set of characteristics for what he calls principle-centered leaders which includes continuous learners, service-orientation, positive attitude, belief in others, and being able to offer/create synergistic solutions.

My view of leadership has been influenced by all of these authors - and more.  So what I will add to your thought process today may be an echo of what we have both already read or heard.  However, as I suspect is the case with your own experience, my views of leadership have also been shaped by how these guidelines, parameters, and musings of thought leaders have or have not shown up in the "real" world.  In the case of each author - and certainly in my own experience - there is a recognition that there are real contrasts in how leadership success is defined by various organizations at various points in time of their evolution.  And without a doubt we have people in leadership positions who I would not call leaders by my own definition nor by what people like Kouzes & Posner, Collins and Covey would define as great leadership.

Based on a few of my experiences, I choose to expand on a few key leadership qualities that I believe would be required to succeed as a leader.  First on my list is Faith in Others.  Leadership by its very definition requires that you work with others.  For me this means much more than having followers.  The emphasis I place within this context is in fact having people who work WITH you and not FOR you.  Do you have faith and trust in what they can bring to the table?  Can you step back from leadership in some circumstances and let your team take charge?  Are you allowing them to succeed even without you?  For me it also means hearing them as they bring forward their perspectives on the health of the organization and the quality of your leadership.  This is where having Faith in Others really hits home.  Do you trust that the information that they are giving you is based in (their) reality or do you dismiss such feedback because it doesn't accord with your view of the world?


Related to my concept of Faith in Others, is the Courage required to be a leader.  This relates to the concept laid out by Jim Collins of confronting the brutal facts.  As leaders we are certainly called upon to create a vision and inspire others to greatness.  What we have to be careful of, however, or balance against this inspiring vision is recognizing what real barriers might be getting in the way of success.  Failing that honest assessment we are likely no better than the proverbial ostrich sticking its head in the sand.  By way of example, I was recently told a story of a leader who choose to challenge a perspective of the collective leadership team of the organization at a regular leadership forum.  In essence the leader had been hearing rumblings from mid-level and senior leaders about a changing - and deteriorating - organizational culture.  Rather than using the forum to delve into the reasons behind this perception or reality, the leader chose not only to dismiss this perspective out-of-hand but also suggested that if there was any problem it was with those bringing up the issue.  Needless to say a climate of truth and collaboration was not fostered that day.  Having the courage to face up to perceptions and realities - no matter how challenging - takes some leadership courage.

Finally, and directly related to Faith in Others and Courage, is personal Humility.  To be successful - particularly on a long-term basis - a leader requires an ability to self assess, to self-manage and continuously learn. In my personal view, a leader has to be in a continuous process of self assessment.  They must be prepared to accept contrary facts about where they are, where they would like to be, what gaps exist between current and desired leadership acumen, and what work is required to move their personal performance.  This not only means taking time out from general leadership

duties for targeted and guided self-reflection but also being open to constructive feedback from others.  This presumes a recognition that no individual or leader ever achieves perfection.  A truly self-aware leader actively seeks out honest perspectives on their leadership even if that assessment doesn't always paint them in the the most desirable light.  Never expect to get a 10 out of 10 on a performance evaluation or other form of assessment.  On the contrary, let me suggest that if those are the results you have been getting as a leader than your stakeholders are no longer prepared to give you honest and useful feedback.

Those are my thoughts on key leadership characteristics informed by my own leadership journey, continuous learning, and evaluation of personal experience.  Work on your equation of Faith, Courage and Humility.  I believe by this effort you will continuously strengthen your leadership acumen and achievements.
______________________________

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.


  

Resolve to do Better

It's at this time of year that many of us set new goals or, just as likely, resurrect old goals for the year ahead.  Unfortunately the success rate of these resolutions or sustaining the motivation or effort to have success is alarmingly low for most of us.  So what might make 2016 any different than previous years?  What does it take to be successful then?  A quick and not unbiased view would be to engage an external, unbiased and objective support in the form of a coach, mentor or similar sounding board.  I will reinforce that perspective again but put it within the context of a broader set of tools and techniques that can help you be the better leader you want to be.

Fundamentally, I believe that to be successful you need to treat your leadership development plan or resolutions no different than you would any major project or change management initiative.  Any successful organizational initiative adheres to a certain core set of steps to move from vision to successful conclusion.  Success in reaching your leadership development goals can be achieved from taking a page or two from this experience.

First, how have you arrived at your particular conclusions that the leadership goals that you have set for yourself in the coming year are in fact the correct or best ones?  What process or assessment have you utilized to evaluate your leadership success and opportunities for growth on a go-forward basis?  How objective and comprehensive has this evaluation been?  As with any large-scale organizational initiative, it is to be hoped and expected that the plans for the coming year have been based on some concrete evidence that the efforts planned are the best use of your available resources.  Just as with an organization-wide effort, your time and money are limited resources and you want to leverage them to best effect. 

Second, how compelling are your leadership development goals?  How compelling is your vision for change?  Without having a compelling vision for your personal development, for how you want to be different as a leader, you are unlikely to make the kind of commitment it will take to succeed.  This of course presumes that your goals are a bit more ambitious than merely getting into work 30 minutes earlier than past practice.  If you are setting ambitious or stretch goals for yourself what are you prepared to sacrifice to be successful?  What kind of personal change are prepared to endure to take your leadership to the next level?  If your leadership vision is not compelling enough you are likely to falter upon hitting that first significant barrier.

Next you need to document your plan of attack, break down your goals into smaller objectives, set milestones, and start working the plan.  You have to move from evaluation and vision to action.  Like any good strategic or project plan, you have to move your personal leadership plan out of your head and off the shelf to be of any true value.  It's at this point that you move from the grand vision to SMART statements - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-limited.  This can be a challenging piece of personal work and perhaps more so in the realm of leadership behaviors and skills.  This is why I also caution leaders not to get caught up in trying to create the perfect plan before they take action.  This is tantamount to paralysis by analysis.  Your plan should continue to evolve and be flexible enough to respond to changing circumstances while keeping your grand vision in mind.

In this plan key milestones, short-term objectives and evaluation measures must also be identified and adhered to.  It is for this reason that a well-developed written plan as identified above should be created AND POSTED IN YOUR LINE OF SIGHT to review on a regular basis.  Again, like any organizational plan, what gets measured/evaluated gets managed.  You need to provide yourself with dedicated time on a periodic basis to check in with your plan.  What goals or objectives need to be adjusted based on circumstances?  What additional effort or compensating strategies do you need to put in place to continue on track with hitting your targets?  Without setting aside dedicated time to do this you will find yourself off track - and demoralized - in no time.

Put in place the necessary supports to ensure your success.  Too often individuals (and organizations) fail to leverage all the potential resources they have at their disposal to ensure the success of their development effort.  We often - and mistakenly - assume that achieving our personal goals is merely or solely an act of will.  Conversely, we then often identify failure in achieving our goals as a reflection on our personal strength or character.  In reality, what we have failed to do is to take all the necessary steps to ensure success.  As noted above, one of they key supports you can put in place for yourself is a written plan.  The very act of committing your goals and strategies to paper increases your chances of success.  Sharing your plan with others - publicly declaring your intentions - further cements your commitments to yourself and may enlist others in supporting your efforts.

At any and all points in this process you may choose to get the support of a confidential, objective resource like an executive coach, peer advisory group or similar individuals or entities.  Such a resource can help you objectively evaluate your leadership development opportunities, support development of a robust plan, and help hold you accountable to your plan. 

Finally, make sure you build in the ability and opportunity to celebrate your achievements along the way.  This is where establishing a series of incremental steps towards your ultimate goal becomes an essential element of your leadership development plan.  You can't eat the elephant whole!  Make sure that you can experience success one small step at a time.  Otherwise you can be daunted by the enormity of the task you have set for yourself or be discouraged if you are unable to see tangible results for the efforts or sacrifices you are making.  Don't be shy about rewarding yourself in some tangible way.

Treat the achievement of your leadership goals as you would any other large scale project.  Give it the same care and attention.  You are worthy of the effort and you will benefit yourself and those you work with as a result. 
______________________________

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 - In Tough Times Too

This year has been tougher than most for many in Alberta with the recent slump in oil prices and the impact to our provincial economy.  Of course this has led many companies to reconsider their Christmas party plans and individuals to reevaluate how much they will spend on presents and where they might travel.

Just as interesting to me has been how variable the impact of the current downturn has been.  Edmonton's landscape continues to be transformed by a number of construction projects and other larger infrastructure projects have already been committed to throughout Alberta that are softening the blow for some.  

Regardless of circumstance, a leader can still - and should - find a way to express sincere 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. 

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.  As I write this a week before Christmas I find myself still trying to find the time to get some gifts for my support staff and one more present for my wife.  Typical male?? 

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 others 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.

Alberta's healthcare at a crossroads (again)...

Alberta's healthcare system is at a crossroads.  Again.  This past Friday the current CEO of Alberta Health Services announced her resignation from a post she's held since May 2014.  In doing so, she placed the newly installed Board of AHS in the position of commencing a search for the 8th CEO in the 7 years of the existence of AHS.  Regardless of what opinions you might hold of the calibre of leadership provided to Alberta's health system in the past number of years I'm fairly certain that NO leadership text or framework would suggest that nearly annual turnover in the key leadership position in any organization would constitute best practice.

While there have been strides made in the functioning of Alberta's health system since 2008 you could be excused for not hearing much about progress given the machinations, political gamesmanship, and media coverage over the past number of years.  There is no doubt much to overcome and deal with given that Alberta is now touted to have one of the most expensive healthcare delivery systems in the country while at the same time seemingly delivering less than what is being achieved in other provinces.

What is equally disconcerting is that as the merry-go-round of healthcare leaders in Alberta has continued the import of those leadership changes through the lens of front-line staff and managers has become less and less evident.  The reality has become - and perhaps it always was - that those at the frontline just continue to do their jobs, attempt to provide service to their individual patients despite changes higher up the corporate food chain, and have generally become numb to a host of changes that are seemingly disconnected with their day-to-day challenges.

All that being said there are very real issues in Alberta's healthcare system as alluded to above.  Not the least of the solutions to these challenges will be the recruitment of a leader that can drive real, fundamental, inclusive and long overdue change in Alberta's healthcare delivery system.  I do not envy the challenge facing the new Board of AHS.  A number of worthy candidates may be out there but they may also be more than justifiably gun-shy given the shelf life and authority experienced by their predecessors.  A good leader - a great leader - required by Alberta's healthcare system will first have to be supported by the quality of governance that the AHS Board will have to bring to bear to this first and most critical decision of its tenure.

The AHS Board will have to take into account the impact of all that the healthcare system has been subjected to over the past 7 years of Alberta Health Services' existence - and appreciate that the challenges now in front of the organization also speak to what was gifted to it from previous "health reforms."  We have a system that has become increasingly bureaucratic and controlling, seeking to deal with past issues of lack of accountability through more comprehensive paperwork.  We have a system where creativity, innovation and risk-taking have never been more required, but yet are stifled by caution, fear and regulation.  "Rules" are multiplying ensuring that those who are motivated to make a difference can't while providing cover for those who are interested in preserving the status quo or their own positions.

Many healthcare providers - and perhaps patients and communities - would claim to be exhausted and cynical given all the change already experienced in the past decade.  Yet what is required given the circumstances of system performance (current and anticipated) is even more change.

How seriously this need for change is understood by the new AHS Board will be tellingly demonstrated by the process of recruitment and selection of the next AHS CEO.  Healthcare in Alberta needs a transformational leader, a leader in the spirit of Jim Collin's Level 5 Leader.  A leader who is fundamentally committed to the success of the organization as a whole - even at the expense of their personal success.  This is a leader that cannot be afraid to change out the old guard, to unfreeze old patterns of behavior and performance, to institute a true culture of accountability and responsibility, and sacrifice some sacred cows.  The Board and our government must be prepared to weather some noise as previous governments and administrations have not.

There are undoubtedly difficult and painful decisions ahead but if driven by a compelling vision of the future versus the (political) expediency of the past I am confident that healthcare professionals and public alike will be able to work through these challenges.  All the more so if they are an integral part of the discussion, decision-making and implementation decisions.

Paraphrasing Albert Einstein, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."  Going forward, the AHS Board will have to push itself to really think about the type of leader necessary to achieve far more extraordinary results for our healthcare system.  Does this extraordinary leader currently reside in Alberta's system?  I'm convinced they do not.  Our efforts will have to be more far flung and not just in a geographic sense.

The process and the decision by which a new AHS CEO is chosen this time around will send a huge signal about the type of values, expectations and culture that will be created over the next number of years.  Healthcare providers and professionals are watching intently - and maybe even cynically.  I hope they are not disappointed.  If we are to truly make a difference for the health of our province it really will be all about leadership.
______________________________

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

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

Color me Jaded...

This morning (November 9, 2015) we have reports of systematic cheating on the part of Russia related to its track and field teams.  In a devastatingly critical report, a World Anti-Doping Agency panel accused the Russian government on Monday of complicity in widespread doping and cover ups by its track and field athletes and said they should all be banned from competition — possibly even next year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro — until the country cleans up its act.

To some degree this is earth-shattering news.  Even more so if, in fact, the relevant worldwide bodies in charge of athletics actually move to banish Russia from international competition for the foreseeable future.  For most of us, however, I have to believe that we are less naive than that particularly given the historically "robust" nature of some Eastern bloc competitors over the years and our own history of fallen idols in amateur and professional sports in the last number of decades.  Ben Johnson going from Canadian hero to goat within a matter of hours.  Lance Armstrong moving from iconic athlete to obfuscation with Oprah to being stripped of his accolades and awards.  And the list of professional athletes being suspended by their leagues for use of performance enhancing drugs is nigh on endless.  On a larger administrative scale we have the ongoing scandal with FIFA and the awarding of their events.

So color me jaded...Sports of almost any nature other than the efforts of my 5-year old on the soccer pitch have increasingly left me cold and skeptical.

But what does this have to do with business or leadership?  Well in many respects - or in all respects - sports has become a business like any other.  And as a result, we have seen, like any other business, that the ends justify the means.  For far too many athletes and business leaders success can be justified and must be justified at any cost.  As in sports and as in business the key has been in just not getting caught in the impropriety that we assume or know that all of our other competitors are engaged in.  For a current business example look no farther than the current crisis engulfing Volkswagen which has not only had dramatic consequences for the company, its executives and its shareholders but is sending ripples of doubt and despair over the automotive industry and German brand value as a whole.  This, of course, follows on other large scale leadership failures like Enron and Lehman Brothers in the past decade. 

Locally, the provincial government of Alberta has recently initiated new steps to promote transparency and integrity in compensation to those who receive payments from the pubic purse. The proposed legislation extends disclosure to 157 boards, agencies and commissions under the Alberta Public Agencies Governance Act, including Alberta Health Services, Travel Alberta and all post-secondary institutions.  Compensation paid to board members of these bodies will be disclosed, regardless of the amount.  Employees of these agencies, boards and commissions including Covenant Health, AHS and all post-secondary institutions are included, if they make more than $125,000 a year.  Again, like legislation, rules and regulations instituted after Enron, Lehman Brothers, Ben Johnson, or Lance Armstrong, this provincial effort comes as a result of transgressions of past leaders...for which all taxpayers will now foot the bill for extended rules, regulations and reporting.

Yet for all the effort everyone puts in to legislating a higher level of ethics and integrity in sports, business and the public sector we continue to have scandals like Russian track and field, Volkswagen, and public sector perks that defy reality.  Why?  At one level it is clear that the perceived or actual rewards of dishonest or unethical behavior still outweigh the potential and penalties of being caught.  There is also a perspective that holds that "everyone is doing it" so it would be naive and idiotic to not try to compete by any means necessary to stay in the race.  Finally, it is also clear that some business leaders, athletes and public sector leaders still perceive themselves as too smart or clever to be caught.  To some extent history bears them out.  Like an arms race, the escalation in tactics of trying to create a level playing field seem to be in constant catch-up mode to those who would seek a competitive advantage.

The moral of this story for me is that you can't legislate ethical behavior.  And as with the implications of the Russian doping scandal, it is clear that no individual athlete - or leader - circumvents a system of expectation and legality without help.  The mentality that got us systematic cheating on the scale implied in Russia, with FIFA, and Enron also explains how public sector leaders have - and will continue to - circumvent rules designed to promote transparency in compensation.

Until such time as we hold ourselves to a collective level of responsibility and are prepared to and act in the best interests of shareholders - public or private - I can guarantee you brand new, shocking stories of impropriety next year.  
______________________________

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.

Exorcising Our Ghosts

Growing up I had my fair share of fears as I suspect most kids do.  In particular, I somehow learned to fear the dark and more particularly all the evil creatures that might be lurking under the bed, in my closet or just outside the window.  Every noise and small movement of shadow seem to be amplified, the precursor to my impending doom.  Several decades removed from those childish fears I still find myself somewhat anxious at the thought of a night out with my telescope observing the heavens.

The reality is, however, that in my youth those monsters were quite real.  And in truth it was only over time and not through any particular parental logic that there were overcome.  I profess to still having some fear of the dark but more often it is borne out of knowledge of what is really out there - farm dogs who might perceive me as a threat; skunks, coyotes or other wild animals; and other humans who might have less astronomical things on their minds.  My fears are more grounded in reality these days but yet they don't hold me back from pursuing one of my personal passions.  So what gets me out there in the middle of the night regardless of perceived or real ghosts?  In this case, it is the opportunity to gaze upon celestial wonders of far flung galaxies, nebulae and the rings of Saturn. In some bizarre and metaphorical sense I am driven to face my fears by a higher purpose.  Pun intended.

As an executive coach - and a leader/entrepreneur in my own right - I experience and realize that I can be subject to a number of different fears.  Most of these come down to self-doubt and the courage to take on new and different challenges in my career and business.  And I see similar behavior in many of the clients that I work with.  The mythical monsters that have lived in the closets or just outside our windows in our youth now stalk the halls and alleys of our hearts, souls and minds.  These monsters and ghosts are some of the most insidious we will ever face.  They know us well and play upon and magnify our weaknesses, insecurities, and doubts.  Left unfaced, they grow in strength and hold us paralyzed with fear striving to ensure that we never take that next step forward.

These ghosts just don't operate purely or even mostly on horror and shock value.  Rather, they are more cunning and possessed of a powerful voice, constantly talk us out of taking that next bold step into the future.  They are the voice that suggests that we really aren't qualified to apply for a new position.  They help us procrastinate and rationalize to the point where even if we were to apply and get an interview we would show up with the belief we didn't belong.  We display our anxiety to the point that those who would make the selection decision recognize our lack of confidence and make the non-selection decision we have been expecting all along.  We become our own self-fulfilling prophecy.

But like conquering our own childhood fears success in facing our more mature fears is possible.  My success and that of my coaching clients is proof of that.  In my first year away from an executive role and into my new venture I probably had more sleepless nights - and self-talk - than I'd had in the previous ten years.  What made this the right move?  Was my business plan just wishful thinking?  What made me think that my marketing efforts were the right ones? And so on and so forth.  I could say that it was a powerful vision of my ultimate success that kept me going but that would be too easy a way to rewrite history.  Truth be told, I was probably just too proud and stubborn to give in.  But I did ultimately face and conquer (most of) my fears.  I often did so with the encouragement, support, inspiration and examples of others.

In similar fashion I have been inspired by the courage that many of my coaching clients have ultimately demonstrated as they struggled with realizing their potential, seeking out new opportunities, and taking on new challenges.  We have helped them face their fears, challenge their self-limiting beliefs and powerfully own their strengths.  A quote from one of my coaching colleagues comes to mind in this regard - "Your mind is a dangerous neighborhood to go into alone."  So together, we have walked the dark halls and alleys of their mind, challenging assumptions, taking small steps, all in service of a grander vision of what is possible for them.  To realize their potential and open up new vistas that they had not even imagined.

The fears and doubt never truly go away.  I still fear the dark, I still fear swimming in open water, and I still fear that success enjoyed today is fleeting.  Even as my clients enjoy their current success (e.g., new job, award, raise, promotion) they still wonder how they will maintain or build upon that success.  Our fears and doubts won't go quietly into the night.  But perhaps rather than paralyzing us they can serve a more useful function of keeping us sharp and helping us prepare for potential (and reality-based) setbacks.

Keeping a higher purpose in front of us - the celestial heavens, the triathlon finish line, a successful and fulfilling career - is a foundation by which we can keep moving one step ahead developing our own level of reassurance that our fears are often overblown.  We can choose to live in fear or live in purpose.  We can look back on our past successes as harbingers of bigger things to come.  We can believe in our strengths an in our capacity to become stronger.  We can ultimately build the confidence and courage to overcome what is holding us back from our un-imagined potential.

Choose to face your ghosts, get off your (metaphorical bed), and shine a flashlight into the dark spaces.  What you don't find there might amaze you and lighten your load.

Exorcise your ghosts - own the night.

______________________________

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.

Resurrecting Deming

For some weeks now I've had the pleasure of teaching my first undergraduate course in leadership at Concordia University of Edmonton.  It's been a great experience and has allowed me to further develop and articulate my perspective on leadership. Just this past week it also allowed me to revisit the work of W. Edward Deming.  Over 22 years ago I studied his work as part of my master's thesis on total quality management.  

Perhaps too often the work of Deming and of other TQM, CQI, and quality guru's was viewed only through the lens of statistical process control.  More simply put leaders and managers limited the application, and impact, of TQM by implementing a set of tools.  These leaders missed out - consciously or unconsciously - on the changes that TQM required from a cultural and leadership perspective.  As I engaged my students this past couple of weeks on the topic of leading others the import of Deming's 14 Points on organizational culture and leadership effectiveness was reinforced as we reviewed the various bases of authority - legitimate position, coercion, reward, expertise and personal reference. 

Deming provided a leadership and organizational philosophy through his 14 Points that went far beyond a simple set of tools.  His first point - Create Constancy of Purpose - speaks to me about creating a long-term vision and adhering to a set of values that transcend short-term challenges or fads.  However, all too often leaders and managers fail to sustain a long-term direction whether because of a change in governing body, shareholder expectations, or other short-term considerations.  Whatever circumstance is used as the justification an organization and its staff are often left wondering what latest and greatest management initiative they are going to be tasked with making succeed.  Do this often enough and leadership credibility suffers and employee engagement declines.  A wait and see attitude prevails.  Sound familiar to anyone?

The next most relevant of Deming's 14 Points for me from a leadership point of view is End the Practice of Awarding Business on Price Alone.  How often do we do this either in the public sector as part of an RFP process or in the private sector as we grind down our suppliers?  From Deming's perspective a focus on up-front price alone fails to take into account long-term cost of a supplied product.  In colloquial terms you do in fact get what you pay for.  As a counter approach it is suggested that you build strong and sustainable relationship built on key values and common goals.  This approach can equally apply to suppliers and employees.  And maybe even competitors.

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 outside of the executive suite they would provide you with countless examples of where they felt they were being "managed", not "led".  A typical management response is to exercise greater control and oversight to make sure results get better.  More often than not in these circumstances 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. 

Drive Out Fear in the workplace.  Unfortunately fear continues to rule too many of our workplaces.  The recent economic downturn has only exacerbated this reality and affirmed that for some staff remain as disposable - perhaps even more so - as any piece of machinery.  Fear - like title or position of authority - can be an effective tool of leadership and compliance in the short-term.  But over the long term, compliance does not equate to high performance.  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.  With fear in place an organization shall continue to squander the full potential of its people and the organization to the detriment of the people it purports to serve.

Eliminate Slogans, Exhortations and Targets for the Workforce.  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 understanding the system in which that individual works.  If an individual is prevented from achieving higher levels of performance by a system (that management 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.  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 survey.  Only by changing the system and the organizational environment will better, more consistent results be achieved. 

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 as leaders change focus or react to external stimuli without, it seems, due regard to long-term objectives or stated core values.  This negative impact is often compounded by the lack 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.

Finally (at least within my view of leadership) Deming proposes that an organization Institute a Vigorous Program of Education and Self-Improvement.  In contrast, what does one typically see happen at the first sign of economic challenge in any organization?  Education and training programs are often the first cuts to be made.  When one considers the amount of transition that any organization faces in its environment today that seems tantamount to posting one's own going out of business sign. Businesses are unlikely to succeed by not investing in their most valuable assets - its people.  This can take the form of training in new tools and technology but these days can also equate to leadership development, management training and executive coaching.  Pay now or pay later.

There is a lot to be learned and relearned from Deming from a leadership perspective.  Despite the fact that his perspective was borne out of his work in the 1940s and 1950s there is still much relevance to leadership and organizational success today.  The fact that we still need to rediscover these lessons in so many of our organizations says much about our leadership maturity.
  ______________________________

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.