Claymation Culture
The way your organization runs is a lot like the artform of clay animation, or claymation. As a leader, this makes you an animator. Other terms for this art form are “stop-motion” or “stop-action” animation. Either term may seem counterintuitive to what is expected of a leader…to keep things moving…ideally in the most helpful direction, […]
Succession Planning and Emotional & Relational Integrity
People have strong feelings about anything that threatens their survival or capacity to thrive. Even if denied, those feelings exist…and emerge later in some behavioral fashion. Leadership transitions affect several factors related to survival and thrival. (Okay, thrival is not a word but it helps make the point.) Let’s take a brief look at some […]
Intentional Narrative During Leadership Transition
A story is a gap-filler. A leadership transition (succession) is nothing more than a dynamic set of gaps. Until a gap can be strategically filled with either a concrete action step or a tangible person, your most effective means of filling it is with an intentional narrative…a purposeful story, well told. Even decisions within the […]
The Right Type of Leader(ship) at the Right Time
When it comes to leadership transitions, succession planning is, in part, about preparing an organization for future success. There are several key factors to consider. Let’s look at three. Character Whether your organization is healthy and growing well, struggling toward health and growth, or in a state of significant dysfunction or decline, the personal character […]
The Board’s Role in Strengthening Trust During Leadership Succession
Effective boards recognize they have only one employee. When a Board focuses on its governance role, it delegates operational responsibility to the organization’s CEO or Executive Director (or whatever the first-chair title is). When a Board prudently trusts its CEO/ED, overall efficacy increases. When trust erodes, something eventually fails that then becomes extremely difficult, if not […]
Succession Planning and the Organizational Life Cycle
The motion of a swinging pendulum can be fascinating to watch. If designed to do so, a swinging pendulum can create beautiful, symmetrical designs of calm and order. However, a swinging pendulum can also result in disarray and destruction. It depends on the degrees of awareness and intentionality in those who put the pendulum in […]
Succession Planning and Knowing What You Mean
Welcome to the first in a series of blogs on successful succession planning. This one starts it off with some thoughts on the language of succession planning and how it shapes our mindsets around the purpose and process. All of which significantly influences the success of a succession plan. (This is not an exhaustive approach, […]
Executive Coaching Skills are Transferable
The Hook As the adage wisely states, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” To better understand how what you receive from executive coaching can transfer to other areas of your life, let’s explore two dimensions that make […]
5 1/2 Powerful Questions Used by Executive Coaches
The essence of executive coaching is to raise awareness and deepen one’s sense of response-ability. Quite often we become preoccupied with the issues right in front of us – the tree instead of the forest (which is how we sometimes find ourselves “barking up the wrong tree”, even if it’s just in our own head), […]
Making The Most Of Each Coaching Session
You just completed a coaching session with your executive coach. Now, how do you make the most of this investment in yourself? Reflect on Your Coaching Session The first 15 minutes after a coaching session are critical elements to maximizing your personal investment. A most beneficial means of integrating the insights gained is to immediately […]