We don’t reach our potential alone. Without conversation, without rubbing up against each others’ nervous systems. Without vulnerability, self-awareness, being mirrored by others and without engaging to support their development as well.
I knew this episode would be special and it was, because I was engaging with deep thinking, big hearted people who care a lot about creating structures and ecosystems where others feel safe enough to take risks and shuck off old, familiar ways of being in the service of leaving a big legacy.
Rick Voirin, Chairman and Human Performance Partner at Stagen and Raft Viton of Slalom Consulting are my training partners in this episode.
Here are a few highlights. This was a juicy conversation that I hope you enjoy!
Development that sticks typically:
Spans a period of time
Keeps a cohort of leaders engaged and together over this period
Is practice-based
Requires commitment and accountability
Reference to the Greek proverb: “A society grows great when old men plan trees in whose shade they shall never sit” and what this means practically.
Training vs Development: Training is more about what’s needed right now and filling skills gaps ; development is expanding that skills cup for the future and usually focusing it on the collective.
The power of doing integral leader development inside a system is that it expands the impact to all stakeholders: employees, clients, client’s clients in ways that we can’t even imagine
Integral leadership development is growing human potential in multiple dimensions: career, relationships, spirituality, emotional, physical all those intelligences together. It’s a community-based way of being that puts us in a situation that invites us into believing that progress is possible for us.
The primary commitment is to helping others reach the promise of their potential
Adaptability is a key (the key? ) attribute for all of us to thrive. Adaptability Intelligence.
It takes courage to change – to let go of what we know.
Change is easier when… we know where to focus our attention, when we have practices to follow, when we have a supportive environment, when we have a clear path and we’re with a community of people. (Thank you for the reframe, Raff!)
People will be attracted to those who are committed to figuring it (challenges) out, to evolving.
When engaging with development, what you think is going to happen is not going to happen. We put structures in place in hopes of channeling energy and people will apply the learning in unique ways and have unique (and beautiful!) experiences. Or not
This episode is full of passion – we each care deeply about the work we do with leaders and with organizations. We see the power of social learning and grappling together with the challenges of our times. We believe that we can follow a path of intentional practice to expand our individual and collective ability to adapt, reach our potential and create environments that work for everyone.
Jennifer Bartkowski, CEO of Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, and Cris Lopez, Senior Vice President at Village MD join me today and we talk about the various and important perspectives to consider when providing development to current and future leaders in your organization.
Cris sits on the Board for the Girl Sounds of Northeast Texas and played a key role in advising Jennifer on selecting participants for the program.
I love this episode. Here are the important topics we discuss:
Tying leader development to the mission and vision of the organization
The important questions to ask individuals when doing succession and development planning. Is there a will to lead?
The role the Board of Directors can and should play in shaping the future of any organization, whether it’s non-profit or a corporate board
Developing people will change your culture!
The importance of the executive team’s commitment to their own development
Recognize the current reality of how your organization operates today and how that will enable and pose challenges to the new behaviors you wanting to see exhibited
There will be surprises in how and where people apply their new learning – and where it doesn’t get applied!
Leader development sits in the context of a larger commitment of the organization.
If you’re leading an organization, advising an organization, or consulting with an organization committed to evolving to meet the needs of all stakeholder, you find yourself listening to this episode over and over!
In this first episode of Reimagine Leadership, I’m joined by Jennifer Bartkowski, the “very proud CEO of Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas”. This is the episode where we make strong links to organizational vision, mission and strategy and how leadership development is critical to an organization’s ability to thrive. It is the thread that connects strategy to execution to the fulfillment of the mission..
In addition to laying the groundwork for the seven-month program that was designed for the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas (GSNETX), Jennifer describes the size, scope, and incredible assets of the organization. She does not shy away from the challenges the organization is facing and how she sees leader development as crucial to the organization’s success.
In the spirit of, ‘leaders go first’, Jennifer shares how she felt her own leadership skills first had to shift during COVID and the civil unrest we were all experiencing. She knew she could not change the organization on her own, which is why she wanted to make sure she gave everyone committed to the future of GSNETX the chance to be part of the unique program we were developing.
We hear Jennifer’s views on how the impact of Girl Scouts was declining; she acknowledges that their ways of serving the community had become misaligned with the actual needs of today’s girls and the challenges they face. We discuss the details of how the program was set up, how the module topics were selected to align with who and what the organization wanted to be. The program had to help build the capabilities and skills required to serve the community.
Welcome to the first episode of Reimagine Leadership, a limited series podcast on Rise Leaders Radio. In this episode, I introduce you to the leadership program I was invited to create and deliver for the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas.
This transformational program was focused on developing the leadership capabilities required to build an organizational culture internally that could meet the needs of today’s girls externally. The seven-month, practice and cohort-based program used an inclusive approach in growing these leaders professionally and personally.
I’ll give a high-level overview of the program, the strategies used, and what you can expect in the episodes throughout this series. For details on each episode, please listen and refer to the show notes.
“I bet half of our anxiety is the energy of trying to remember which hat to put on in my relationship with [others]…And people end up becoming a less real version of themselves. …Why can’t we be fully present to this process, and not have to put anything on the side – not try to take away the personal parts of who we are?”
Showing up fully human
What if I told you it’s possible to bring your full self to the workplace? Jeff Shiefelbein thinks it’s not possible, but necessary for forming humans and building great cultures.
Jeff and I discuss how draining it is to change our personalities depending on where we are and who we’re with. The expectations to leave your heart and your personality at the door when you come to work are changing. Jeff also explains the magnetism of authenticity and how facing difficult topics can help form connections and trust.
He speaks with experience: The company he co-founded has won multiple Best Places to Work awards, as well as five consecutive appearances on the Inc 5,000 fastest growing companies in America. His tenets behind the “Undivided Life” have contributed to this success.
You’ll also hear how a run-in with the law in college inspired him to launch a nationwide nonprofit that has likely saved hundreds of lives.
At its core, successful businesses are comprised of engaged people working in concert.
Authenticity opens doors
“As you step into these bold moments of living, the way we’re actually designed to be, show up…what comes after [is] the freedom, mentorship, accountability, cool opportunities that you could have never predicted in your life. It’s because people feel like they know you, they might start to connect to you because you’re speaking and leaving a message that they have buried in their heart.”
Create connections at a micro-level for macro-change
“You start to develop this trusting relationship…And if you can keep building, your circle gets bigger and bigger, the ripples get further and further apart. You’re this pocket of people that you have a trusting and loving relationship with, and you’re connecting…even if our big giant company or whatever organization has cultures within it that are toxic, let’s just make the part that’s right around us a place we like to come to. And that begets confidence; it begets this sense of ‘this is possible.’”
Caring about people leads to organization success
“You don’t run the business by metrics, you run your run it by getting highly engaged, fully formed adults, loving, trusting, and empowering them, and getting out of their way…therefore, I think the whole health of that person becomes an input to the company’s long-term health and success.”
“An undivided life also respects the fact that we weren’t made to be 24/7 working machines that are 24/7 available. There’s a dignity and respect to that person – that if I recognize the personal side of who they are, I also respect their personal time.”
