 In Robert Kegan & Lisa Lahey’s 2012 book “Immunity to Change: How to overcome it and unlock potential in yourself and your organization” Lahey shares “The single biggest failure of leadership is to treat adaptive challenges like technical problems.”
Adaptive challenges and technical problems are two different types of problems that require different approaches to solve. Technical problems have known solutions that can be applied using established procedures and expertise. On the other hand, adaptive challenges require an organization to adapt and change its behaviors, attitudes, and values to address a complex and ambiguous problem. Adaptive challenges often involve changing the organization's culture, beliefs, and practices to solve a problem. The failure of leadership comes when leaders treat adaptive challenges like technical problems. By doing so, they assume that there is a known solution that can be implemented without changing the underlying culture and practices of the organization. This approach often leads to short-term fixes that do not address the root causes of the problem, and the problem will likely reappear in the future. Instead, leaders need to recognize the complexity of adaptive challenges and approach them with a willingness to learn and adapt. They should encourage experimentation, trial and error, and collaboration to identify and test potential solutions. Leaders should also be willing to challenge their assumptions and beliefs and be open to new ways of thinking. In conclusion, treating adaptive challenges like technical problems is a significant failure of leadership that can lead to short-term fixes and long-term problems. Leaders must recognize the complexity of adaptive challenges and approach them with a willingness to learn and adapt to ensure long-term success.
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Gratitude is a core value that we prioritize in our family. To cultivate this value, we have a daily practice where we take turns sharing something that we’re thankful for during dinner time. As November approaches, we write down these gratitudes on a small pumpkin. Come Thanksgiving, we present this gratitude pumpkin as a unique and thoughtful gift to our host. The best part? No vase required! It's a small gesture, but it's a meaningful way to show our appreciation for the blessings in our lives. By actively practicing gratitude, we've noticed a shift in our family's mindset. It's become easier to focus on the positive, and we've become more mindful of the things we often take for granted. We believe that practicing gratitude not only brings joy and contentment to our daily lives, but it also strengthens our relationships with one another. So if you're looking for a simple way to cultivate gratitude in your family, we highly recommend starting a gratitude practice. It doesn't have to be elaborate - just a daily practice of sharing something you're thankful for can make a big difference. And who knows, maybe it will inspire you to start your own gratitude pumpkin tradition!  Have you called your donors to share your gratitude?
Not to make an ask, rather to share your impact, a testimonial or tell a quick story. Thank them for the support they’ve given and remembering your organization in the year ahead. "Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings" is a powerful and moving poem by Joy Harjo, the first Native American Poet Laureate of the United States. The poem is a call for reconciliation and healing in a world that is often divided and violent. Harjo's words are full of emotion and a deep sense of urgency, urging us to come together and find a way to move forward in peace and unity.
In the poem, Harjo speaks to the "holy beings" that exist in all of us, asking us to remember our connection to each other and the earth. She writes: "Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their tribes, their families, their histories too. Talk to them, listen to them. They are alive poems." Harjo's words remind us of the interconnectedness of all living things and the importance of recognizing and respecting the diversity that exists in the world. She goes on to call for an end to violence and the creation of a new path forward: "Call a truce, then call a council of all beings. Gather the tribes, create safe space for us to talk." Through her poetry, Harjo invites us to imagine a world where we can come together, listen to each other, and work towards a future that is free from conflict and full of hope. Her words are a powerful reminder of the importance of empathy, understanding, and the belief that we can make a difference in the world. I am heavily involved in search and rescue (SAR), I’m a leader on my county team and an educator for state level search and rescue. My work in SAR education is mostly focused on search management. We teach the theory and practice of planning searches for lost and missing persons; the search areas can be huge, the weather can be challenging and the pressure from family and the media can be intense. How do we teach people to plan searches and maintain a clear direction under these pressures and external forces? How do we keep resources on track late at night when everyone is exhausted? You have got to have a plan, the structure we use is called the Incident Command System or ICS for short. It’s designed to be flexible and adapt to any scenario yet still keep leadership laser focused. The key tenet of ICS from my perspective is, Leadership by Objectives.  The objectives determine the strategies which will inform your tactics and finally determine the resources you need. The objectives are similar to goals, not identical but for this purpose it’s close enough. Objectives should be SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic & timely) so that you can actually evaluate whether or not you’ve completed them. The strategies start to drill down into how you’re going to meet your objectives, think who, what, where, when & why. The tactics are the exact details of each part of the strategy; “who?” becomes how many people and in what structure; “what?” becomes the exact steps that need to occur; and “where?” becomes the exact location and setting… you get the idea. Finally, we select the resources that are specified by the tactics. Why do we do it in this order? Why not start with the resources? In search manager classes we all too often see students who start with “well, I’ve got 6 team members standing here in front of me so I guess we can make 3 teams of 2. What 3 search assignments should we make?” whoa, whoa, whoa. What actually needs to happen in this search (enter your organization here)? Where do we need to search (what programs does your organization need to fund, enhance or create)? If you start with the resources you automatically box in your thinking to what is “standing in front of you”. Don’t chase every grant opportunity that comes into your inbox. Rather, spend some quality time to sit down and think about the objectives for your organization. Where do you need to go? How are you going to get there? What programs need to be nurtured? Are you adequately staffed? What staff training is needed? These strategies and tactics will inform your resource (grant) requests. The Objectives > Strategies > Tactics > Resources become the guiding document, a strategic plan if you will, that keeps yourself, your leadership team, staff and board focused throughout the year when distractions arise and external forces drive decision making. Let the plan guide where you invest your time, rather than opening the door for every opportunity that comes your way. Which opportunities bring you close to achieving your SMART objectives?
Visualize three circles, each one larger than the last. The first circle represents the first 30 days of employment. This is the time to focus on the employee's immediate needs, such as completing HR paperwork, acquiring necessary equipment, and getting familiar with company culture and colleagues. Moving outward to the second circle, which represents the next 30 days (60), the focus shifts to larger workflows and responsibilities, as well as building connections with key groups or populations related to the employee's role. At this stage, the employee should be fully familiar with daily work processes and the company's brand and culture. The third and outermost circle, representing the final 30 days (90) of the review model, is the time to focus on established workflows, building communication loops, and establishing connections with collaborators, allies, and leadership. This is a time to execute the strategic plan and make progress towards achieving goals. Throughout the entire process, an ongoing feedback mechanism is important to ensure the employee is getting what they need and that progress is being made. Regular feedback should be provided to the employee, and the company should regularly assess progress to identify any issues or areas for improvement. This is important to ensure problematic hires are identified early and any necessary action is taken. In closing the 90 day process, work collaboratively establishing 3-5 goals with the new hire is an effective way to ensure they are clear on what is expected of them and what they are working towards. Regular check-ins, such as 15-minute weekly meetings, can also help to track progress, provide feedback, and identify any issues or areas for improvement. This helps to ensure the new hire is set up for success and able to contribute to the company's growth and success.  |
AuthorWe're a family of 3 living in Colorado's high country, wrangling a toddler in the great outdoors and our rural community. We strive to practice stoicism and apply its principles as: parents, community leaders and daily messy humans. Archives
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