ITLP Tuesday Readings

Anna Biggers, ITLP alum from University of Oklahoma, suggested today's reading - "'No' is the New 'Yes:' Four Practices to Re-prioritize Your Life". Tony Schwartz is author of this article, which appeared in the Harvard Business Review blog last January. He is president and CDO of The Energy Project.

Schwartz notes that we all have back-to-back meetings, more email than we have time to answer, people who just need a minute or "30," and fires to put out. So, too often we default to "Yes" without stopping to reflect on whether the request aligns with our priorities or is even on our list.

In doing this, we mistake activity for productivity, more for better, and we ask "What's next" far more that "Why this?" Giving ourselves the option to say "No" requires that we give ourselves time to collect ourselves, refuel and renew, and make conscious course corrections that ultimately save us time when we plunge back into the fray.

Schwartz suggests four practices that serve a better prioritized and more intentional life:

1. Schedule in your calendar the "important but not urgent" tasks. If it's urgent, it will get done. If it's neither, it won't.

2. At the end of the work day, schedule time, perhaps 15 to 20 minutes, to take stock of the day and decide the most important tasks for the next day.

3. Do your most important thing at the beginning of your day. That's when you will have your highest energy. Arrange to work uninterrupted for a full 90 minutes.

4. Take at least one real break in the morning and the afternoon; and get away from your desk at lunch. Each of these will serve to renew your energy and give you a few moments to reflect and plan.

Perhaps you'll want to take time to think about whether these practices would help you in managing your work life.

. . . . jim

Posted by Jim Hall at 10:02 AM | Permalink

"It is easier to perceive error than to find truth, for the former lies on the surface and is easily seen, while the latter lies in the depth, where few are willing to search for it." ~ Johann W. von Goethe

Do you look beyond the error to find the true intention and cause? Do you notice what people are doing well, and right, when things are going smoothly?

Do you test your assumptions prior to acting on them, particularly if they are negative?

Do you celebrate successes?

Posted by Jim Hall at 1:52 PM | Permalink

Today's Tuesday Reading was written by Dana Stasiak, a participant in IT Leaders 2012, as a reflection on leadership for her cohort. Dana is the manager for Web Services at Argonne National Laboratory. She writes:

I was channel surfing on Sunday night after our first session and ended up on Great Performances on PBS. As it happens, the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra was performing a piece by Benjamin Britten titled "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra." As this is one of my favorite pieces of music, I paused to listen and in doing so I started thinking about how the orchestra/conductor relationship and this particular piece of music illustrate some of the leadership principles we discussed.

For those of you not familiar with Britten's "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra", it opens with a musical theme introduced by the entire orchestra. Each instrument is then featured playing a variation of the theme, showcasing that instrument's unique sound and tone quality. The piece concludes with a fugue that juxtaposes the various instruments and culminates in a fortissimo (loud) finish.

This piece teaches two things about an orchestra:

• Each instrument brings a unique sound and character to the orchestra.
• Yet, the sound of the whole orchestra is greater than any individual instrument.

So too as leaders, we must listen for that unique voice each member of our team brings to the table and realize that together we can accomplish so much more than we can alone.

For anyone who has performed in an ensemble, you know that the role of the conductor is two-fold: (1) to provide the beat and tempo for the music being performed and (2) to listen to the sound of the ensemble and shape the interpretation of the composer's original score. The body language of the conductor is also integral to the performance - small, contained movements of the baton indicate the need to play quietly and with delicacy - changing facial expressions help to convey the desired nuances in the music.

After thinking about this, I was curious as to what has been written about the relationship of conductors to leadership. A little "googling" found this 2009 TED talk:

• Itay Talgam: "Lead like the great conductors"

If you have 20 minutes or so, take a listen. The speaker talks about the differing styles of several great conductors of the last century. Interspersed throughout are video clips of the conductors. It's incredible how much conductors influence the orchestra through only body language, gestures and facial expressions.

So too as leaders, we have to be cognizant of what message we are sending with our non-verbal cues.

It left me thinking ... What type of "conductor" do I want to be?

So, take some time to think about Dana's statement that as leaders, we must listen for that unique voice each member of our team brings to the table and realize that together we can accomplish so much more than we can alone. What is that unique voice that each of your team members brings to the table? How to you "conduct" them so that together you accomplish a great result?

Have a great week. . . . jim

NOTE:

If you are interested in more information or a recording of the Benjamin Britten's "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra", here are a couple of links:

• Seija Ozawa and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra released this work in 2011
• Wikipedia on The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra

Posted by Jim Hall at 3:09 PM | Permalink

"Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future." ~ Paul Boese

How do you respond when you feel wronged or something didn't go your way? Aggressive? Passive-aggressive? Have you thought about the impact, consequences and length of consequences to your response?

How long do you let negative experiences take up space in your mind and body? Were they that important? Practice "letting go" so that you and others can live your best life.

Posted by Jim Hall at 12:54 PM | Permalink

Earlier this year Arianna Huffington, author and syndicated columnist, spoke on the Penn State campus as part of their 2011-2012 Distinguished Speaker series. The centredaily.com account of the event is today's reading.

In her remarks, Huffington provided a number of leadership truisms that Gary Augustson, ITLP coach and former CIO of Penn State, urged me to share:

1. Failure is not the opposite of success. It's a steppingstone to success.

2. Things that go wrong can be the very things that open doors to make things go right.

3. We have many smart people ... making very bad decisions. What is lacking is not IQ but wisdom.

4. Leaders now are looking over their shoulder to see who is following rather than truly leading.

5. Accept help.

6. Know your limits.

Next time you want to take a seven or eight hour nap ... remember that you're doing it to become a better leader.

While Huffington's remarks were titled "Politics to the Boardroom: Fearless Leadership," when you think about it, they really apply to all who aspire to leadership.

. . . . jim

Posted by Jim Hall at 12:09 PM | Permalink

The Tuesday Reading today is a piece, "The Power of Pause", by Ana Dutra which recently appeared in a Harvard Business Review blog. Dutra is CEO for Leadership and Talent Consulting and Executive Vice President, at Korn Ferry International.

No leader likes to be called out as tactical, short-term oriented, or for always being in the weeds. Yet every leader will display all of these behaviors from time to time. Sometimes such actions are necessary but many times they are not.

So why do people who have the potential to think strategically, empower others, and to prioritize issues choose to micromanage. Dutra's answer is that it is not a conscious choice. Leaders do this too often because they don't allow themselves to pause and reflect on what really matters.

She goes on to point out that pausing and reflecting enables us to examine our role and more effectively empower others for their roles. Dutra points out that pauses also create energy increasing our ability to address complex issues.

The next time you face a major issue, create an opportunity to pause - physically, mentally, and emotionally. Create time and space to empty your mind and then reflect and sort out the issues. You'll move forward more effectively.

. . . . . jim

Posted by Jim Hall at 12:20 PM | Permalink