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leadership lessons

What’s the Point?

by Jen Kuhn on April 26, 2011

The wisdom of children never ceases to amaze me.  During an Easter egg hunt, my six year old niece was on the prowl to find all the hidden eggs.  She knew there were four eggs yet to be discovered.  I noticed her boundless energy and delightful smile that always seems to have a hint of mischief behind it.  In my adult-like ignorance, I stated, “Wow, it’s really tough to find these last four eggs.”  She looked at me and stated, “That’s the point.”

How often do we overlook the obvious in search of something else?  Is it a quick fix, a way to speed up the moment, an overlooked opportunity?

So today, I challenge you (and myself) to ask, “What’s the point?”

Leaders: Are you telling employees answers rather than allowing them to discover their unique solutions?

Teachers: Are you counting down the days until summer break rather than embracing this opportunity to leave a lasting impression on the youth in your classroom?

Employees: Are you watching the clock rather than sharing your individuality with those you encounter and issues you address?

Students: Are you counting down the days until summer break rather than investing in your future by living in the present?

Nurses: Are you complaining about the needs of a patient rather than giving the gift of your knowledge and empathy to those who’ve entrusted you with their lives?

All of Us: Are we going through the motions despite our underlying awareness that we only have today?

Once we can answer the question, “What’s the point?”, our opportunities are endless.  What’s your point?

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Leaders Unexpected

by Jen Kuhn on January 3, 2011

“Hope is like peace.  It is not a gift from God.  It is a gift only we can give one another.” ~Elie Wiesel

There is much discussion about leadership, the characteristics of a leader and entire blogs, books and businesses dedicated to the topic. The tendency is to focus on people in positions of leadership, with titles that ooze authority: CEO, CFO, COO, Executive Vice President, District Regional Manager of the World, etc.  The debate lingers on whether the titles parallel the behaviors of a leader, with many sidebar debates thrown in for good measure.

As Kelly and I reflected upon milestones of the past year, we kept returning to one particular client.  We were asked to facilitate a 4 hour leadership seminar to a high school student council consisting of 48 students. I had a conference call with two of the advisers: Principal of St. Francis DeSales High School, Dan Garrick, and Community Relations Director, Karen Cofojohn.  The conversation started like most initial client contact calls: a needs analysis, logistics, primary expectations for the session, etc.  And that’s where the similarities ended.

Dan and Karen lured me in with their calm demeanor.  Suddenly…shazam!  Their ideas and aspirations for these students were unending.  They wanted them to have an experience that would alter how they viewed their role in student council, taking it from a faculty/adviser driven group to the lofty status of student government.  That is a huge leap…in 4 semesters, let alone, 4 hours!  Student governments are just that: governed by the students.  That requires a level of leadership, commitment, effort, and awareness not often attributed to an average group of high school students.  Many schools claim to have a student government, but typically they are just glorified student councils.  It’s not a question of semantics, it’s a matter of culture, behavior and leadership.  By the end of the call, Dan and Karen had me raring to go…until I called Kelly.  Reality check: we have 4 hours.

Well, we are The Experience Factor.  Let’s create an experience. And let’s get some more coffee and Diet Coke…STAT!

As Kelly and I prepared the room at the site of the event, a yellow school bus loomed in the distance. Students came filing in, loud, excited, eager.  The first thing we noticed: students asking, “How can we help you?”  Seriously?  We facilitate events with adults all over the nation and that is rarely the first question we hear.  It’s usually, “Are we getting lunch?”  These students didn’t even flinch at our assigned seating!  For most of them, having just been elected, this was their first time meeting each other and we were already challenging their comfort zone.  Not a single complaint.

These students created an amazing experience…for us.  They opened our eyes to the possibilities of the future of leadership.  They demonstrated and verbalized insights we had not imagined.  They were able to identify people in their own lives, and throughout history that represented the qualities of leadership to which they aspire.  They mentioned parents, teachers, mentors, coaches, historical figures, neighbors, relatives…the type of leader they want to emulate.

They participated in discussions, activities and challenges with enthusiasm, willingness and courage.  These students represented the ideal characteristics of leadership.  The most exciting thing about the session was literally their excitement!  Imagine a company filled with employees dedicated to making every moment of the day an event, an experience, a representation of their best self.  That’s what these students accomplished. We gave them tasks to complete: they did so with creativity, collaboration and energy.  We gave them questions to answer: they did so with openness, transparency and wisdom.  We gave them challenges to test their comfort zone: they did so with trust, courage and integrity.

Many of these students will one day hold a title that signifies a position of leadership and authority.  Our hope is that they remain true to their current selves, do not become jaded by corporate policy or seduced by power.  Leadership starts early.  Excellent leadership starts at schools like St. Francis DeSales where they are committed to the growth and development of students who will live with integrity and act with compassion.

Our thanks goes to each of the students that participated in that 4 hour session.  They renewed our faith in the possibilities of expanding the dialog of leadership to a younger generation.  And most noteworthy, they gave us hope.

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Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Pathetic Leadership of ME

by Jen Kuhn on December 2, 2010

“You’re not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can’t face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who says it.” ~Malcolm X

“Cowardice asks the question, ‘Is it safe?’ Expediency asks the question, ‘Is it politic?’ Vanity asks the question, ‘Is it popular?’ But, conscience asks the question, ‘Is it right?’ And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because one’s conscience tells one that it is right.” ~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Remember when you were a little kid?  You really and truly knew and deeply understood right from wrong.  Somewhere along the line, your experiences, parents, education and biases took hold.  But for a brief and shining moment, you were a GENUINE person: completely unconcerned with the opinion of the world. You knew, in your heart of hearts, that ALL people matter. Most of you were conditioned through traditional education to dispel this truth. Yet YOU, yes you, have always known that there is more to this world than what you have been taught in your little world or in school.  You want to make a difference, but you don’t know how, or have been discouraged from doing so in the past.  Well, stick out your tongue and tell the world, “I’m a speck, but you WILL feel my power!

I am but a speck on the time line of humanity. Humbling, to say the least.  But lately I’ve been wondering, what should I be doing with this morsel of time I’ve been allotted…never knowing when I shall be recalled.  Am I honoring my briefest of moments in a manner worthy of the opportunity?

I recall a course from college. I was not taking it seriously for various reasons. I did not find my professor “worthy” of his title (my chutzpah had many sources). The assignment I recall was after our reading of By Any Means Necessary, by Malcolm X.  We were put into groups, required to give a presentation.  At the time, I was experiencing some personal difficulties and did not have the time nor desire to meet with my group.  Needless to say, they quickly labeled me a slacker. I attended the “you have to attend this meeting or we will kill you” meetings in preparation for our presentation, but no other.

On the day of our presentation, my group looked at me with hostility.  My thought: “You just completed an assignment. Booyah for you.”  There were four students per group, and my group told me I’d be last, summarizing their major points.  In my estimation, they figured I’d listen to their presentations and have the wherewithal to put their effort into summary formation.  Chutzpah or not, as I listened I considered their one-sided, upper-middle class bias of a tremendous human being who lost his life for standing up for humanity.  They were giving a book report. His “speck” deserved so much more.

My turn. I compared the writings, speeches and approach taken by Malcolm X to that of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  They were each brilliant, courageous, resolute, bold-spirited and valiant beyond words.  Their stance was different, but their message was similar.  My group was astounded.  How dare I change the assignment!  This was not a comparison between two leaders.  Martin Luther King, Jr wasn’t even mentioned in the syllabus.  Oh the humanity!

I didn’t care.  How can you talk about one without the other? Education should make you THINK, not make you a robot. My goal was to compare the diverse approaches to leadership, to social inequities, to blatant racism and pure ignorance. I could give a flying “F” about a book report.  I lived in Detroit in the late ’60′s and early 70′s. MEMORY:  A young black man being chained to a street sign, beaten by a group of white teenagers.  I was six years old as my parents took action. How could I not comprehend the need for differing approaches to leadership by the time I was a junior in college?! To note, none of my group members complained when we received the highest grade for stepping “outside the confines of the assignment.”

Leadership platitudes are nice, comfy and easy to retweet.  But pathetic little me wants more.  I cannot stand in the shadow of the character, wisdom or fortitude of the leaders that stood before me…marking their place in history, paving a road I am honored to travel upon. I am not worthy of their mark in history.  However, I’ll be damned if I don’t take their lead and stand up for equity despite it’s unpopularity.

Kelly and I founded this company to challenge the status quo, to do the right thing when it’s the right thing to do and to never back down in the face of adversity.  Look around my friends…adversity is blossoming. People are suffering. Propaganda is flourishing.  I’m one small voice, one speck, please…PLEASE, tell us what you are willing to do to extend yourself to others, to lessen their burden, to become a light in the darkness.  Opinions make a lovely garden…facts make a sustainable world. Care to raise your glass and make your own toast to courage?

Peace, Jen

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Leadership Lessons from the Garden

by Kelly Ketelboeter on May 20, 2010

One of my great joys in life is gardening.  I anxiously await spring each year and count down the days until I can get outside and play in the dirt!  This past weekend I spent 6 long hours in my yard planting bulbs, annuals, hanging baskets and pots.  It was so much fun and the weather was perfect!  As I spent the entire next day on my couch recovering from all my planting (I am not as young as I used to be!) I started to think about how gardening relates to leadership.  Lessons in leadership are literally all around us.

1. Preparation is key.

This is not my favorite part of gardening but it must be done if you want that beautiful garden.  To prepare my garden for the season, I had to clean out all the leaves, sticks, rocks (I have no idea how so many rocks get into my garden) and all the acorn shells our lovely squirrels harvest, hide and eat all winter long.  I have to weed, turn the soil, lay down some compost and add some new dirt.  All this preparation, I have learned, will pay off in the end.

It reminded me of how leaders must prepare their teams every day.  Successful leaders must remove obstacles that stand in the way of accomplishing the goals and strategies of the organization.  They must make sure staff is prepared with all the tools they need to accomplish those goals.  Leaders must take great care in preparing staff and by doing so, staff will be successful and so will the leader.  How do you prepare your team for success?  What obstacles have you removed?  What obstacles still stand in your way?

2. There’s a lot of trial and error.

We have lived in our current house for almost eight years.  It has taken me about that long to determine what type of plants and flowers will grow best in my garden.  I have some sunny spots and lots of shady spots.  And for some reason these spots tend to shift over the years.  I also learned you have to pay attention to when things will bloom, how far apart they need to be planted, how often they need water, how tall they will grow or even how wide they will grow.  I had to try certain plants and find what worked for my garden.  I discovered just because something worked in someone else’s garden didn’t mean it was going to look the same or work in mine.  I have planted things, torn things out, moved things and separated others.  I invested a lot of money and effort into my garden and I had to accept the fact that some things would work and some things wouldn’t.

Leadership is not a one size fits all approach.  Your managers and your staff require different conditions to enhance, maintain or improve their performance.  What worked with one may not work with another.  A leader will discover what works through her own trial and error process.  Leaders must be open to changing the game plan.  They have to recognize what things need to be torn out, what things need to be moved and what things will work.  Each leader must design her own leadership compass and leadership approach.  Just because it worked for Jack Welch or Vince Lombardi doesn’t mean it will work for you and your conditions.  What is the condition of your team?  How do you approach each staff member?  What have you learned over the years?  What works for you?  What doesn’t work for you?

3. Continued attention and care are critical.

Just because I prepared my garden, learned what works and planted my spring plants, doesn’t mean I can wash my hands and walk away.  I constantly need to monitor my plants and flowers.  I must pay attention to when they need water, when I need to fertilize them and when I need to rotate them.  I have to continually work to get rid of weeds that are trying to choke out my plants and take over.  I have to prune them and remove the dead blooms.  And most of all I have to spray everything so the deer won’t treat my yard like a 24 hour smorgasbord.  Every day I am in my garden doing something.  I learned a long time ago that planting and forgetting won’t turn out prize winning flowers or a garden.

Leaders must also do something everyday to lead their team.  They must interact, teach, mentor, communicate and provide necessary feedback.  This way the weeds (poor performance) won’t take over.  Leaders have to nurture their employees so they can expose their hidden talents.  They have shape their employees performance by providing positive reinforcement and taking advantage of teachable moments.  Just like a gardener, a leaders job is never finished.  What are you doing on a daily basis to lead your team?  How do you ensure your team is growing?  How often do you interact with your team?

I am sure my list, like my garden, is not complete.  What other leadership ideas have you planted?  What have you learned you through trial and error?  We would love to hear your thoughts!

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